32KOFDATA ///// Fabia Sport (MKII)

[adam1985]

Hey 32K you ever get round to seeing if you could get the wing mirror puddle lights to work?!

[32KOFDATA]

Hey 32K you ever get round to seeing if you could get the wing mirror puddle lights to work?!

Still waiting on a couple of new led modules I purchased online - the ones I got now are not stealthy enough for me liking. soon as the new ones come in I will try to find a used/broken mirror to do my tests. If not I will need to try on mine and that is scary. Anyways I will keep everyone posted as always

[adam1985]

Still waiting on a couple of new led modules I purchased online - the ones I got now are not stealthy enough for me liking. soon as the new ones come in I will try to find a used/broken mirror to do my tests. If not I will need to try on mine and that is scary. Anyways I will keep everyone posted as always

Glad you havnt given up on this looking forward to the end result, hopefully wont be too difficult as I quite fancy them myself

[32KOFDATA]

Thought I post here my latest two upgrades as it will probably interest a few of you.

Some history before going ahead - for over a year now I've been running on KONI Sports and on stock 256mm brakes. During September the car had to take the role of safety car at the local rally race and for two days the little Fabia was really pushed to its limits going up, down left and right through numerous tracks. It was evident that something had to be done about the body roll and handling plus the brakes at one point just didn't want to behave right. At one stop they even started smoking like crazy - they got ****ed off or what?

Anyways to keep a long story short and after some research online I ended up buying a set of H&R Monotube Coilovers (Code: 29015-5 - Skoda Fabia RS Lim.+Kombi / Sedan+SW Typ 5J) and for my brake upgrade I went for a set of stock 312mm front brakes/ discs and 256mm brakes / discs at the back.

Coilovers:
Regarding first impressions the coilovers look very well built - great finish and construction (made in Germany and TUV approved)and they are only height adjustable 20-50mm front and rear (there is also an ultra low version goes down to 70/80mm) Shame the rear ones are not the same color but who cares. In the box you get all necessary accessories, springs and tools you will need for a smooth installation and only extras were a new set of top mounts, same as found in the "Seat Leon Cupra R" (they are a bit stiffer and last a bit longer opposed to the standard ones) and of course a set of bearings.

Regarding performance, well in short, I got a new car! I can push to much higher speeds through corners, body roll has been toned down much, much more (keep in mind I got a Whiteline at the back too) ride is not as bouncy as it was before and the car feels well planted to the road. I was also impressed to find out that in the city these coilovers are quite comfortable which means, since this is my daily driver, that it will not become annoying and tiring. One more thing to note is that the more I went through corners the more the coilovers got gradually firmer - I was expecting some degradation in handing but they did the opposite. Not sure if that is psychological or that is what was actually happening but I will surely find out what is going on - if anyone knows please let me know. :think:

Why monotubes I hear you asking? have a look at the video below - they explain things much better than I do:

 

At this point I would like to thank Mike and Andy at Awesome GTI for helping me track these coilovers down, get me all the extras necessary and sending them through so quick. Can't thank you enough guys for all the help

Brakes:
Now on to upgrading the brakes - rather than going for a set from an aftermarket manufacturer I decided to get myself a set of stock 312mm brakes for the front plus discs (by Bendix) and for the rears 256mm brakes and move my old front discs to the back. Brake pads all around are ATE which are usually found on all VW Group cars. Got them all painted red and installed them without any issues at all. We didn't even had to change lines so that was nice.

Regarding performance I can't tell you what big difference they've made from the 256mm/238mm I previously had. Nice and progressive braking without any noticeable degradation after too many tries (of course only a track day will give me the full picture and during all this the car was very well balanced, no tail or front going sideways just nice and straight. Also the ABS in most cases engaged far less than before.

Only thing that we have to look into is the brake pump. At the moment the pedal feels a bit spongy and my mechs suspicion is that the brake pump is not that powerful as the ones found in the vRS and Octavia. Maybe in the near future, ABS sensor permitting, a brake pump upgrade will be in order.

Final note... at last I got a handbreak!!! Before, everytime I parked on steep hills the moment I got out of the car the handbrake would squeak and creek like a wooden floorboard. I had to always put it in gear to make sure it will not start running down the road. Now from the second/third click of the handbrake you feel how stronger these brakes are.


Overall both great upgrades to any Fabia - very much recommended. At the moment I'm just lovin it





I'm number 119?

Apparently we are sharing the same rear shock absorbers with the Audi A1?

 

The top mounts (same as found on the Seat Leon Cupra R) and bearings.

 

Front during installation

 

Rears during installation

 

ATE brake pads

The new stance

Really fills that Gigaro by the way it seems that much larger brakes can be fitted with these rims. 325mm and probably a bit more.

Happy days :sun:

 

Edited 17 December, 2017 by 32KOFDATA

[32KOFDATA]

...and one more minor mod. I couldn't stand looking at the blue caps (Coolant & Washer) through the air vents.
Picked up two black ones from Alex over at AKS (http://www.akstuning.co.uk/#/shop/4561802127/Washer-Coolant-Caps-%28Black%29/3596876)
Great bloke and amazingly fast delivery

Here are the before and after - much stealthier.
 

 

 

Edited 17 December, 2017 by 32KOFDATA

[VRS-Powered]

Love your car bud, amazing!!

[matt_theforce]

Absolutly Fantastic. I love it

[AwesomeMike]

Looking very, very smart!!

Always happy to help, if there is anything else in future just ask!!

Awesome Mike

[stratosg]

I feel so sorry for you. You are doomed to keep modifying your car.

Of course this good for the rest of us. We are enjoying a wonderful transformation from a single Fabia amongst others to THE Fabia... at least in Greece.

[ClarkE_123]

I'm recently back on the forum, so i've just come accross this build.

Stunning car, the interior looks amazing and oem. Love the details, like badges and rear interior light.

Oh and that bonnet is mint

[M80JJB]

Attention to detail is incredible, top job. Car looks awesome

[bowen]

best looking mk2 fabia on the forum.

Top work!

[32KOFDATA]

Thanks guys - it's nice to know that others appreciate my little "project"

[JamesBroughton4]

Tiny update - for a while now I was looking for a proper spot to place my phone. After a bit of search online I've found this mount (it works for both left and right hand drive cars regardless of what the pic shows):

http://www.mytrendyphone.com/shop/dash-mount-skoda-36871p.html

that neatly can be screwed right behind the trim of our head unit making the whole thing look quite stealthy. The cradles that can be bought for this mount are very expensive (already the mount costed me 19euros!) and in most cases they are phone specific so for now I've decided to reuse an old 5euro universal cradle I had lying around. Some extra strength sticky tape on the back and Bob's your uncle! So far it works fine and I like the fact that it sits on the same level as my head unit. Overall I'm happy

Tiny update - for a while now I was looking for a proper spot to place my phone. After a bit of search online I've found this mount (it works for both left and right hand drive cars regardless of what the pic shows):

http://www.mytrendyphone.com/shop/dash-mount-skoda-36871p.html

that neatly can be screwed right behind the trim of our head unit making the whole thing look quite stealthy. The cradles that can be bought for this mount are very expensive (already the mount costed me 19euros!) and in most cases they are phone specific so for now I've decided to reuse an old 5euro universal cradle I had lying around. Some extra strength sticky tape on the back and Bob's your uncle! So far it works fine and I like the fact that it sits on the same level as my head unit. Overall I'm happy

Where does the mount screw on to? Is it one of the existing four screws already there?

Thanks

Tiny update - for a while now I was looking for a proper spot to place my phone. After a bit of search online I've found this mount (it works for both left and right hand drive cars regardless of what the pic shows):

http://www.mytrendyphone.com/shop/dash-mount-skoda-36871p.html

that neatly can be screwed right behind the trim of our head unit making the whole thing look quite stealthy. The cradles that can be bought for this mount are very expensive (already the mount costed me 19euros!) and in most cases they are phone specific so for now I've decided to reuse an old 5euro universal cradle I had lying around. Some extra strength sticky tape on the back and Bob's your uncle! So far it works fine and I like the fact that it sits on the same level as my head unit. Overall I'm happy

What does this mount screw on to? Is it one of the existing four screw already there?

Thanks

[32KOFDATA]

Yip - existing screw.

[JamesBroughton4]

Yes I did yesterday!. Took me a while to install and it is very tricky due to the recess which I filled up with dirko silicone. Only negative is that when I tapped the badge overnight I think the tape dragged and angled the badge slightly. It is hard to realise the mistake but i know it is there and it is bugging me. I will post pics and you let me know if I'm too picky.

Again big thanks Alan

Do you have to fill the recess or can you just fit this style badge where the old one was? Also how do you remove both the rear and the front badge, is it hard?

Thanks

[32KOFDATA]

Do you have to fill the recess or can you just fit this style badge where the old one was? Also how do you remove both the rear and the front badge, is it hard?

Thanks

To remove them you need to heat them up with a hairdryer or heatgun for a while. It softens the sticky tape at the back and makes removal easier.

Tape the area around the badge so what you use to lift it up (screwdriver or plastic prying tool) doesn't damage the paint work.

The front badge is a straight forward replacement of the old - the one at the back doesn't stick and needs to get glued/attached to the recess.

[JamesBroughton4]

To remove them you need to heat them up with a hairdryer or heatgun for a while. It softens the sticky tape at the back and makes removal easier.

Tape the area around the badge so what you use to lift it up (screwdriver or plastic prying tool) doesn't damage the paint work.

The front badge is a straight forward replacement of the old - the one at the back doesn't stick and needs to get glued/attached to the recess.

Thanks for your help, lovely car by the way!

[JamesBroughton4]

OK so here are some pics I owe everyone of the interior. It took me longer to put back cause I also painted black magic pearl parts of the dash and door trims. (vents, door handles, dash pod, tach rings, gear stick ring and the stick itself. So no more silver plastic for me :no: . Very happy how it all turned out

Hi I'm just in the middle of wrapping my monte interior in carbon fibre and I would quite like to do the bit by the dials (the big plastic part between the top of the steering wheel and the speedo and rev counter) was just wondering if you can tell me how to remove this so I can wrap it. thanks

[Confide]

Sits there with metallic clips, you just bend it it at the top =).

The bottom cloth-part sits with plast clips, be abit more gentle with them =).

[JamesBroughton4]

Sits there with metallic clips, you just bend it it at the top =).

The bottom cloth-part sits with plast clips, be abit more gentle with them =).

Thanks for your help but which cloth part do you mean? I am on about the piece in the 8th and 9th pictures down that have been changed to piano black I think

[Confide]

Yes, between that and the steeringwheel is a cloth-thing =).

[JamesBroughton4]

Yes, between that and the steeringwheel is a cloth-thing =).

Oh ok thanks, will do that tomorrow. Have you done this already then?

[Confide]

Removed yes, repainted no =).

[JamesBroughton4]

Removed yes, repainted no =).

Oh ok, thanks for your help