Hi...I'm not most mechanically knowledgeable so I don't post here very often. but I do read some stuff before I go to the mechanics. Today I am looking for a bit more pin pointed advice on how to deal with my issue/mechanic as well. Thanks in advance for any help.

I have a skoda fabia 2000 reg W plate 1.4 8v car.

A month ago the airbag light came on and occasionally the power assisted steering would also come on during regular use. The PAS light would turn back off after I pulled over and switched off/on the car. The airbag light came on and refused to go away and this cost £195.00 to fix a "ring behind the steering column". The horn also stopped working, but started working again after the fix.There was no due attention given to the PAS light as it was not on at the time I handed it to the mechanic, but I did tell him it was occasional. The PAS light has come on randomly again since the fix, but less frequently.

Issue two happened around the same time, but quite soon after I got the car back from the fix. It is most likely unrelated, but Im not too sure. At 2750 rpm, especially in 3rd, 4th and 5th gears the car would shudder and lose power (rpm would go down) and I had to come down a gear to manage the car. Above close to 3000 rpm the car is fine and again below 2750 its fine too. So for example, I can do 50 or 70 mph in 5th gear, but not 60!

After reading some stuff here about sputtering during acceleration, I had a fuel service done which involved cleaning the fuel line and replacing the oil filter. This cost me £50.00. In addition to this, the mechanic gave me the following issues to be dealt with the car ASAP:

1) O/S outer CV boot split (quoted £86.00)

2) engine warning light on; diagnostic check required (£50.00 quoted + parts for anything that needs changing)

3) engine idle lumpy

4) oil leak around sump needs cleaning.

Now, after the fuel service, the car does not sputter/stutter/shudder/lose rpm anymore at 2750, but there is definitely an audible vibration at the front at that rpm. So the issue is not all gone?!

About the engine warning light; I don't see any engine light on on the car? Why does he want me to pay £50.00 for diagnostics? He also mentioned that this could be linked with the "lumpy" idling (what does that mean) and that the issue could be either a sensor or just spark plugs. Now correct me if Im wrong but £50.00 seems expensive for finding out if spark plugs are worn!

What I would like is for someone to tell me how to approach the issue and in what order is the cheapest way to sort this issue out/identifying the correct problem. Is it really just a streak of bad luck that unrelated things are happening or am I being taken here from one expensive fix to another expensive fix? How do I talk to my mechanic.

Please help.

PS:

car has ~86400 miles on it. Last service was at ~79000 miles and I think the booklet said between 8000-10000 miles every service. Should I just service the car, will that sort it all out? I purchased the car at ~69000 miles and this is the first run of things to go wrong. All in all, the car is in good shape otherwise with regular services (2 full ones done and a 3rd due soon)

Cheers again!

http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/197192-instrument-panel-goes-dead/page__p__2347571__hl__battery__fromsearch__1#entry2347571

Any use? Might be related - the steering and odd running things.

Might be worth checking the batterys performance with a multimeter, or get Halfords etc to do it. . .

CV boot does need to be replaced if split (mot fail).

Lumpy engine idle is more a feature of the 1.4 mpi, all of them do the same - you will never be able to fix it.

Oil leak around the sump. Not much point just cleaning the oil off. Either the oil plug is loose or more likely some of the bolts holding the sump have worked loose.

At 86,400 it should be needing its third set of spark plugs and air filter, so if it's still on second, or worse first lot, you're doing well.

On a 1.4 mpi of this age and mileage, if it has not had it done before it would be a good idea to clean the throttle body, but you need someone with VCDS or diagnostic equipment to run a throttle body adaptation after.

If it's on the original battery you couldn't go far wrong replacing it regardless.

You could have far worse/more expensive issues.

It's an old car now and pretty much all of the above are pretty normal for a Fabia.

hi guys,

cheers for the answers. very detailed. Ta very much. I will bounce this off with my mechanic.

Cheers again!

HI Again All,

Just an update.

We had the CV boot replaced and also got the brakes disc and pads done while it was there.

About the engine shudder: 2 cylinders werent firing, coils were replaced. IM assuming this is the thing that fires the spark plugs or something? ignition coils? Is it in plural?

well anyway, the computer did not find anything wrong with the steering wheel light...so he couldnt do anythign about it. However, the vibration is gone now and so that must have been to do with the engine misfiring rather than the. The acceleration is smooth through all rpms again.

Total cos £295.00 (brakes £135, CV boot £65, £95 coils, there was also a laser wheel alignment as well)

Next month MOT and service. Month after that road trip to north-east france and belgium ..This had better be worth the money spent on the car now!!

Edited 21 April, 201115 yr by jshankar