I just wanted to run my to-do list by all you experienced folk instead of just sticking by the manual.

It's a 2001 1.4 MPI which I bought back in June with 60k on the clock. Took it to an independent garage the previous owner recommended for the 60k service (oil, air + pollen filter and manufacturer recommended checks). Now 6 months later, I've ended up clocking up another 10k....so apart from an oil change, what else should I look in to? (Apart from lamenting not getting a diesel given the mileage).

Is 5w40 recommended given the mileage I cover? Castrol Edge? Normally 100 miles motorway on the weekend and city driving during the week in term time......probably 400 motorway miles a week during holidays.

Shall I bother with an engine flush given that, touch wood, there is no mayo deposit around the oil filler cap? I'm contemplating leaving it till the summer when I've got more time on my hands.

I've already done a coolant flush and replaced the thermostat around 6k ago, to good effect (needle is perpendicular within the mile instead of 3-5 before).

Fitted Bosh FR78 sparkies 5k miles ago and cleaned out the throttle body and MAP sensor. Replaced the charcoal canister around that time because of a VAGcom fault.

Only VAGcom issue that keeps coming up is the lambda sensor, which I need to get the time to ask someone to run some diagnostics and work out which one exactly is faulty (I only have the budget handheld device).

It feels a bit more sluggish over the last 1k miles...I can only assume it's because of the lambda and nearing the oil change.

Anything else I should check?

On another note,the following things from this thread I have yet to do. How urgently should I consider them?

"remove injectos and clean them with carb cleaner, let them sit as long as posible (check the manifold it might be dirty as hell too and clean that)

keep cat, but if clogged try a bigger one, do a mufflerectomy or change to fiber muffler for the backbox (for sound only)

buy stiff front suspencion bushes (give better feel on the stearing and dont brake as often) when you need to replace them

change manual transmision oil per manual, but always use recomended oil.

adjust rear brake pad when level passes the 2nd click, replace as needed,

oil up electric windows and check cables (they tend to brake) "

When you do the oil change, change the filer, the rocker cover gasket and two grommets.

Also when was the brake fluid last changed??....Should be done every two years!

Fuel filter should be done every four years.

What is the condition of the aux belt????...these should be renewed every so often.

And I still need to take a picture of that blanking pate for you!!!........I put it somewhere safe...and not needed it fitted jet as it is stil warm here........bugger.......I want lots of cold snow!!!

Thanks a lot for getting back.

When you do the oil change, change the filer, the rocker cover gasket and two grommets.

Gotcha, thats on my shopping list.

Also when was the brake fluid last changed??....Should be done every two years!

Fuel filter should be done every four years.

What is the condition of the aux belt????...these should be renewed every so often.

There's nothing on the receipts the previous owner gave me to show they changed the brake fluid, fuel filter and aux belt. Are they easy enough to DIY?

And I still need to take a picture of that blanking pate for you!!!........I put it somewhere safe...and not needed it fitted jet as it is stil warm here........bugger.......I want lots of cold snow!!!

Lol, still quite warm here too...might get away with not needing it this season!

There's nothing on the receipts the previous owner gave me to show they changed the brake fluid, fuel filter and aux belt. Are they easy enough to DIY?

Easy yep!.......Aux belt requires just three bolts to loosen and a marker pen and a ruler to help get the right tension on the belt (will post bolt torques up when you need then if you don't have Haynes)....

....Brake fluid requires a GUNSON EASYBLEED kit which is around £25 and mine has done me over 14yrs!!!......

Fuel filter is under the rear drivers door sill area....The fuel filter is a pain as there is only one screw which holds the clamp closed and although the clamp/bracket is plastic the screw is metal and totally rusts so you end up drilling the head off to open the bracket and then using lock grip pliers undo the screw threadshank!!...AARRGGGHHHHH.... (I refitted with stainless woodscrew and a stainless washer!!) Also remember the tabs on the fuel line fittings push IN to release then from the stubs on the filter and take a picture of the filter before you order as even the Skoda parts don't fully know which ones have the filter with built in pressure regulator and those with a removable one!!!

Thanks for your advice....will get round to them in due course.

Was thinking about an oil pump.....I know Pela is the most popular one, but was wondering if the Silverline one is any good?

Just figured it would make doing the engine flush with Wynn's a bit easier and less messy...

Edited 14 January, 201214 yr by fsa

I use http://www.screwfix.com/p/oil-fluid-extractor-6ltr/21663 Sure it was a bit cheaper when I got it though. The Silverline one should be fine. The key thing is to make sure the oil is warm as this makes it thinner, otherwise you'll be waiting for ages.

I recently bothered to get around to doing my brake fluid with the Gunson Eezibleed. The existing fluid didn't seem too bad, just a bit dark. On previous car it came out with black bits floating and was terrible. I tried using the eezibleed on my old car but couldn't get an air tight seal and it just ****ed brake fluid everywhere. You have to make sure you have a good seal as brake fluid seems to get through easier than air. Other than that, the most difficult part of doing the job was extracting the brake fluid strainer in the reservoir. Resorted to needle nose pliers and a good tug, which apparently is the best way. It's best to use brake spanners if you can to try help prevent rounding the nipples off. The rear bleed nipples are either 7 or 8mm I think. The fronts are 11mm. The clutch slave cylinder can be made far far easier to access by removing the air intake duct to the air box (assuming you haven't disposed of it already . A screwdriver is all that's needed to remove the hose clip, and the screw on top holding it. The bleed nipple on the clutch slave cylinder is 9mm. When you have the air duct removed you can do a cursory check that the heat controlled flap works, just bung it in a sink with some warm water and you should see the flap inside open up - some cold water it should begin to close. If it doesn't then this could be a cause of poor MPG. Make sure not to do the nipples back up too tight. They only need to be tight enough to stop fluid coming out. Occasionally you can run into issues such as bleed nipples being seized, or even snapping off when you attempt to remove them.

If you're doing 10k miles in 6 months on an MPI it might be time to consider something different, as you already hinted at.

30mpg 20k miles @ 129.9p/litre = £3936.92

50mpg 20k miles @ 138.9p/litre = £2525.81

The difference could buy a more fuel efficient car in itself.

I use http://www.screwfix.com/p/oil-fluid-extractor-6ltr/21663 Sure it was a bit cheaper when I got it though. The Silverline one should be fine. The key thing is to make sure the oil is warm as this makes it thinner, otherwise you'll be waiting for ages.

I recently bothered to get around to doing my brake fluid with the Gunson Eezibleed. The existing fluid didn't seem too bad, just a bit dark. On previous car it came out with black bits floating and was terrible. I tried using the eezibleed on my old car but couldn't get an air tight seal and it just ****ed brake fluid everywhere. You have to make sure you have a good seal as brake fluid seems to get through easier than air. Other than that, the most difficult part of doing the job was extracting the brake fluid strainer in the reservoir. Resorted to needle nose pliers and a good tug, which apparently is the best way. It's best to use brake spanners if you can to try help prevent rounding the nipples off. The rear bleed nipples are either 7 or 8mm I think. The fronts are 11mm. The clutch slave cylinder can be made far far easier to access by removing the air intake duct to the air box (assuming you haven't disposed of it already . A screwdriver is all that's needed to remove the hose clip, and the screw on top holding it. The bleed nipple on the clutch slave cylinder is 9mm. When you have the air duct removed you can do a cursory check that the heat controlled flap works, just bung it in a sink with some warm water and you should see the flap inside open up - some cold water it should begin to close. If it doesn't then this could be a cause of poor MPG. Make sure not to do the nipples back up too tight. They only need to be tight enough to stop fluid coming out. Occasionally you can run into issues such as bleed nipples being seized, or even snapping off when you attempt to remove them.

If you're doing 10k miles in 6 months on an MPI it might be time to consider something different, as you already hinted at.

30mpg 20k miles @ 129.9p/litre = £3936.92

50mpg 20k miles @ 138.9p/litre = £2525.81

The difference could buy a more fuel efficient car in itself.

Really appreciate the detailed description of the brake fluid change. Thank you!

Re getting something different, when you put the costs out like that, it makes a heck a lot of sense! Insurance renewal for the MPI seems to be the same as the SDI for me at £650 with 1 year NCB, £850 for TDI and £1250 for the VRS. I could've sworn last year I was being quoted double for an SDI over the MPI as a new driver...hence the decision to go with the MPI.

Even though TDI & VRS would be more fun to drive, there's potentially more which can go wrong with the turbo and fancy engine electronics, apparently, and at the moment I'd rather do without unexpected high repair bills. Although some people say the SDI is less gutsy with the acceleration...it must be better compared to my current MPI.

Probably an SDI for me then....

Edited 15 January, 201214 yr by fsa

Just two more questions, if you guys don't mind:

Is 5w40 recommended given the mileage I cover? Castrol Edge? Normally 100 miles motorway on the weekend and city driving during the week in term time......probably 400 motorway miles a week during holidays.

and

How does an unhealthy aux belt in the 1.4mpi sound? From what I can hear, it's the same as when I got it 6 months ago...although I don't have much experience to compare the sound to...

An unhealthy aux belt will sound like a squeal - same on all cars, which is more noticeable when you start the car and have the blowers and rear demister on etc. It's a noise I've heard from cars on the roads more often recently, no doubt due to the cold weather. There will be noticeable cracks in the belt from ageing of the rubber. It generally happens when the rubber hardens with age, and the noise you hear is the belt slipping on the pulleys as the engine tries to turn the alternator. I suspect if you search for something like "fan belt noise" or "squealing fan belt" on youtube you'll quite quickly find a video with the type of noise in. Unfortunately speakers on my laptop do not work and no headphones to hand at moment.

I have 5w40 fully synthetic currently in mine as I came across it cheap. I noticed in the cold weather just after starting there's a slight tappety noise, which goes away once warmed up. Not sure if this is a good or bad thing. IIRC it's one of the oil viscosities listed by Skoda so it should be ok.

Thanks a lot for that. Picked up 5l of 5W40 FS for £20 from unipart. It meets VAG 502, so should be ok. If there's a tappety noise from mine then I might switch to 10w40 for the winter next time. Pela pump arrived today, so won't bother changing the sump plug this time...save me from going under the car.

A bit concerned about the mixed reviews about using Wynn's engine flush. I know fabdarav used it to good effect on his friend's car...but the stuff about it highlighting any existing leaks sealed up with gunk worried me. Should I just do more frequent oil changes? I did read somewhere about not using it on 60k+ mileage engines and I can't vouch for how often the previous owner changed the oil.

I guess if the oil I pump out tomorrow is jet black, I should use it? Or change the oil again in 1k and use the unipart oil as a flush?

Happy to report was done in 30 minutes. Got just under 4l oil out, excluding whatever was in the old filter. With this being so easy with the pela pump, i'll probably end up doing it earlier than 10k next time.

Don't seem to hear any chirping or squealing from the aux belt...youtube videos made it seem very distinct and loud. No visible cracks either.

Guess the next things to get round to are bleeding the brakes and the fuel filter.

Yet another question for you guys....sorry to be a pain!

It's still running a little rough and is not as responsive. Will clean the throttle body and MAP sensor again...how often does this need doing?

Any tips on accessing and removing the lambdas? Might give them a clean and see if that sorts out the constant lambda VAGcom error I get.

It cant be an issue with the spark plugs as i put new fr78s in a few k miles ago.

What else can I rule out, apart from the fuel filter, to account for the sluggishness? Over the last 2k miles I assumed the lack of power when accelerating etc was down to needing an oil change soon...

Throttle body and Map sensor should not need cleaning regularly. Maybe every 30k miles it might have some small benefit.

Depending on the lambda error it might be better to replace the sensor. Admit I don't have a clue what code means what or which sensor referred to by vagcom is which. You can buy special sockets to remove lambda sensors that allow the wire somewhere to go. You can get cheapish generic lambda sensors which you cut the plug off the old one and solder it onto the new one - but I have no experience of using those and know nothing of how long they last compared with the OE ones.

Here's some Lambdas on ebay

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LS10032-Bosch-Lambda-Oxygen-Sensor-SKODA-Fabia-1-4-6Y3-AQW-12-99-05-03-/180731844447?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item2a1475175f seems to be a post cat one.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LS7355-Bosch-Lambda-Oxygen-Sensor-SKODA-Fabia-1-4-6Y3-AQW-12-99-05-03-/120786913892?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item1c1f760a64 guessing this is a pre-cat one, but does not state so.

get some cataclean to put in the fuel tank (follow instructions) then when done a complete use-up of the fuel tank fuel then change the fuel filter....cataclean will hepl clean the fuel system inc the injectors and will wash the carp of the tank into the filter......which is why you change the filter afterwards.....

Where exactly are the lambda sensors? Haynes says getting to the post one needs the car jacked up...just want to make sure I'm looking in the right place. Was thinking about making sure their wiring is all okay to try and figure out the 16524. I haven't had any others pop up over the last couple of months.....just want to get this sorted once and for all.

The root of my low MPG problems is either that or the MAP sensor...although haven't had any codes show up on my maxscan 405 hinting at MAP problems.

Edited 30 January, 201214 yr by fsa