I bought my first fabia vrs (mk1) 3 weeks ago having read all the raving reviews about it but so far I have to say I'm disappointed :-(

When the main dealer handed the car over to me I pointed out that the front tyres were flat. The sales girl assured me they weren't and that it was just the low profile tyres giving that impression, she also assured me that it had been through the multi point check. Having no choice bit to take her word for it I drove away.

The fuel economy was disappointing - getting me only 430 miles to a tank if I pottered around.

A few days later other people were remarking on how low the tyres looked so I checked them out - they were 1 BAR!!! I immediately rang the dealer to complain & there reaction was neither one of surprise or care.

I pumped the up to the 2.3 bar that they should be & my economy improved. However over the course of a day or so they hav gone down again!! Am I expected to pay for this??

In addition to the above the car now creaks when I get in and out, there's an intermittent knocking sound when I go round corners or over bumps, there is a loud intermittent whooshing noise from the turbo under load, the is a kind of fizzy sucking sound when i turn the ignition on before i start the engine, and today when I pulled away from the garage (to get my tyres pumped up again) there was a almighty great POP (like when u pull a cork out of a champagne bottle) coupled with a mechanical thud that sounded like something had exploded!! I stopped the car to check the gears but they work slick like always & there's no

signs of anything hanging off from underneath :-/

Has anybody had experience of any of the above problems??

The dealership are going to take a look on Monday, tho I have to say I don't have much confidence in them after releasing a car to me like this :-(

I bought my first fabia vrs (mk1) 3 weeks ago having read all the raving reviews about it but so far I have to say I'm disappointed :-(

When the main dealer handed the car over to me I pointed out that the front tyres were flat. The sales girl assured me they weren't and that it was just the low profile tyres giving that impression, she also assured me that it had been through the multi point check. Having no choice bit to take her word for it I drove away.

The fuel economy was disappointing - getting me only 430 miles to a tank if I pottered around.

A few days later other people were remarking on how low the tyres looked so I checked them out - they were 1 BAR!!! I immediately rang the dealer to complain & there reaction was neither one of surprise or care.

I pumped the up to the 2.3 bar that they should be & my economy improved. However over the course of a day or so they hav gone down again!! Am I expected to pay for this??

In addition to the above the car now creaks when I get in and out, there's an intermittent knocking sound when I go round corners or over bumps, there is a loud intermittent whooshing noise from the turbo under load, the is a kind of fizzy sucking sound when i turn the ignition on before i start the engine, and today when I pulled away from the garage (to get my tyres pumped up again) there was a almighty great POP (like when u pull a cork out of a champagne bottle) coupled with a mechanical thud that sounded like something had exploded!! I stopped the car to check the gears but they work slick like always & there's no

signs of anything hanging off from underneath :-/

Has anybody had experience of any of the above problems??

The dealership are going to take a look on Monday, tho I have to say I don't have much confidence in them after releasing a car to me like this :-(

my thoughts:

1) tyres, they are obviosusly ruined. explain that they keep going, down since you've had it, and since they where probably run under inflated, the sidewalls will be damaged and damengerous and you demand they give you new tyres, as it was their fault for running them underinflated.

2)knocking/creaking could be console bushes. common fault, replace with uprated cupra items (do a search for details)

3)turbo is supposed to "whoosh" I wouldn't worry about it unless you are down on power or smoking alot (a little smoke is fine, as long as its black, or steam when cold)

4)fizzy sucking sound is just the fuel pump. most cars do this. its normal.

5) cant explain the pop!

hope this helps.

The pop/thud could be a boost hose popping off. How's the performance of the car at the mo ?

I would be forced to say the tyre thing is your own fault. I wouldn't have waited a few days whilst experiencing poor fuel economy to check the tyre pressure was at 32PSI or whatever its meant to be. I'd have been down the local garage or bought a tyre pressure gauge and checked right away. I would say running at 14 PSI for those few days could have ruined the tyre's ability to hold full pressure. I would bite the bullet on that one. Ask whoever fits new tyres to check the rim is OK and making a good seal.

as above for 2,3,4

Not sure on 5 either. Something in the drive - maybe a CV joint in one of the driveshafts. This would be around all the time, so maybe it was just a one-off.

Cars can be quirky so don't get too disheartened by teething trouble.

I realise I should have checked the pressures sooner I do admit, but the damage was clearly already there cos the were practically flat when I picked it up. So either they failed to check the pressures during the multi point check or they'd pumped them up & in that relatively short time already gone down again

Might be worth, out of curiosity, taking the wheel off and dunking in a bucket/water butt to see where the air is coming from. Might be a slow puncture in the tread area which is a cheap fix at somewhere like ATS.

This is true - I kind of want them to pay for it tho cos they already charged me top dollar for the car when I bought it

They wanted 6k for an 05 plate with 66k on the clock & no factory options - I offered them 5k cash but to no avail & they weren't interested in what my car valuations had to say

If I'd had a choice I would have held out for another one to come along but it was the only one I could find from a garage near me

6k !! jesus ,,, ive just traded in my 05 for £3700 !!!!

I believe a dealer selling a car to a private individual is liable for faults that show up within the first three months.

You need to look into this ASAP.

I'm assuming from your first post that you paid 6k, even though you only thought it was worth 5k, yet still didn't have the car inspected in any way, instead relying on the dealer to "multi point check" the car they were trying sell and had a vested interest as stating it was OK?

If so you need to find out exactly what is included in this check as you may need it when you take your complaint to the Office of Fair Trading.

I would find out about the legislation from the OFT, then see what you need to do.

You may have to get the info, ask the dealer to fix the car and then tell them you are taking the case to the OFT

For starters, look here:

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/cars/article-1690991/Second-hand-car-faults-likeliest-within-three-months.html

Next time you buy a car with low looking tyres, take something to check the pressure before you drive it on the road.

I think the garage I bought my car from offer a 30 day period of cover if something goes wrong, so you should probably go and see the garage sooner rather than later. As for the weird sucking/squirting noise on start up, mine does it too as does another VRS I heard the other day.

This is true - I kind of want them to pay for it tho cos they already charged me top dollar for the car when I bought it

They wanted 6k for an 05 plate with 66k on the clock & no factory options - I offered them 5k cash but to no avail & they weren't interested in what my car valuations had to say

If I'd had a choice I would have held out for another one to come along but it was the only one I could find from a garage near me

What has you paying over the odds for the car got to do with any faults?

Were the gyres flat on the test drive? And did it drive without fault?

As you've got a couple of tyres that won't hold pressure, I'd be asking for a new pair of tyres. Definitely.

Hi,

I can sympathise with you, I bought an 06 reg 57k vrs (£5300 + part ex of my old polo) last week from a Skoda dealer, was given the same as you - multi point check etc etc.

Since then I've found the following:

1- Front drivers and passengers windows are tinted (with film and not factory fitted as stated by salesman) so I assume might not be legal.

2- Knocking coming from front, sounds like ARB bushes but getting it checked out independently on Wednesday. Only shows as low speed and on uneven surface therefore not detected on test drive.

3- Leaking rear doors - was something I was aware to lookout for but carpets were completely dry. It's rained today and I can see it's leaked. Not too bothered about this as its an easy fix, but this should have been picked up by the dealer.

4- I've not been provided with any information on the warranty or breakdown cover (Car was a used approved so comes with 12 month breakdown and warranty) I asked the salesman as I left and was told I could take it to any Skoda dealer who will repair any warranty claims. Sounds fishy to me with no documentation from them. As for breakdown cover I need to have a word with them. Were you given any documentation for these two things? I emailed them on Thursday with no reply so far.

The garage is a 100 mile drive for me so assuming the knocking isn't anything hugely major I'll sort the above things myself, but I thought by buying from Skoda I would get a good service. Unless the 'take it to any dealer, it will be on the computer system' thing actually works out, maybe I will try the local dealer.

On the plus side every time I drive the car I smile like a Cheshire cat, it drives like a rocket, I got 69mpg on my trip to collect and am getting around 55-60 on my trip to work. But overall I can't recommend buying from the dealer so far.

Chris.

The breakdown cover is usually with VW SKODA ASSISTANCE VIA THE RAC You should have a credit type card in your documents book

National

As for warranty off skoda I had to sign for an info pack about it when I purchased mine yesterday

Hmm, looks like I need to give them a call regards the warrenty then. Also just called Skoda roadside assistance to check if I have cover and so far they have no records of my car, apart from back in 2009. Time to call the garage tomorrow to see what the crack is.

I realise I should have checked the pressures sooner I do admit, but the damage was clearly already there cos the were practically flat when I picked it up. So either they failed to check the pressures during the multi point check or they'd pumped them up & in that relatively short time already gone down again

I think I'd look at this from the PoV of "do you want to have anything to do with this dealer?". If you can have the conversation that involves the sales/desk girl and she can remember you querying the tyres, see what response that gets. If they take the "you can't prove it" approach, take your money elsewhere for spares, servicing etc.

However, devil's advocate, you can't prove it was them. You could have driven through any number of potholes damaging the tyres in the past three weeks, inflated as they were to 15PSI. I'd say that's more likely than them getting damaged on the dealer's forecourt.

What I can't figure is how the tyres stayed up at one bar and now have returned to one bar. When I have tyre or valve problems it goes flat.

J.

If I'd had a choice I would have held out for another one to come along but it was the only one I could find from a garage near me

Thats madness... look. http://www.usedcarsni.com/77453581

An 06 with similar miles for about 1K less... granted not in a dealer. But there are ones here in a dealers with that milage just no 05's

The combinded boat back to england and the flight to Belfast wouldnt be much more than £300 giving you a fair saving.

I hate seeing people done out of money, [im a miserable git myself.]

Just keep at the dealer to fix all faults, a PDI check is just a signed ticked peice of paper, it can be faked. You're always best asking for an RAC check if possible.

Did you carry out a HPI check on the car beforehand?

If the dealer doesnt play ball, speak to Citizens adivce, as at the moment youre at an advantage as the consumer of goods.

Hmm, looks like I need to give them a call regards the warrenty then. Also just called Skoda roadside assistance to check if I have cover and so far they have no records of my car, apart from back in 2009. Time to call the garage tomorrow to see what the crack is.

Just an update on this in case it helps anyone in the future. All documentation for the warranty and breakdown cover arrived though the post within a week of purchasing the car. Seems strange that I was given nothing at the time of purchase but everything seems to be in order.

I'd be well chuffed with 430 miles a tank