OK, I`v had my Fabia a fair few years so thought it was about time I started a project thread! Now i`m not going to write every mod I have done over the pst 5 years, that would take me ages, that said it`s gonna be a bit of a long read anyway!

So it all started a few years back I met a lad at a local car club who had a near brand new 07 plate vRS SE. I got him to take me for a spin in it and was shocked at how quick it felt, how well made it was and how smart yet subtle it looked. After buggering about with ****boxes for a few months I eventually decided the Fabia was the car I wanted.

I started looking about, the amount I had to spend resulted in me looking towards the cheaper end of the market. After a bit of hunting I found a reasonably priced vRS fairly local at a traders for sale. So, went to look at it, it had done 116,000miles, however it did have a folder with full serivce history from the original supplying dealer! It was in reasonable condition but the rear bumper had scuffs and paint cracked a little, wheels were mullered and it had the odd dint here and there but nothing major. It haddnt been overly cleaned, so I could see if there was any issues under the bonnet and I was happy that mechainicly it was sound. Long story short I bought it.

So, I spent the next year or so enjoying it. No mods were done as I was paying £1700 on insurance so not only could I not afford them, but I couldnt afford the premium to go up either. Even as a stock car though, for a 18 year old it was plenty quick enough, I never remember longing for more power at that point.

Just after a year of owning it, the turbo had given up at. At this point I was fairly poor still thanks to insurance, so after sourcing a replacement from one Mr Wardy on here, within a week she was back on the road good as new and for less than £250. While it was sitting there I sprayed the grill black to match the car. By this time another mate had also got one, so we went out for a few snaps.

While not having ££££ to spare, I was in a position to spend a little bit on mods, so I started looking about at various bits and bobs. I found some Audi TT 16” “mini comp” wheels on ebay for cheap. They were a bit ropey, but I had a suspected buckled stock wheel, so bought them and chucked them on.

Eventually my insurance had dropped enough to afford to add some more mods. I found a set of coilovers for sale for £250, my first “big” mod. They were fitted along with a LCR splitter and seat sport strut brace at Unit 18.

They compleately changed the feel of the car, it went from feeling wollowy and soft to being nice and stiff, staying flat in the corners. I had them adjusted to sit the same as my mates, which was fairly low but no impractical.

The following month I got a PD160 intake for £30, wacked that on but didnt really notice any difference, although it was stock engine wise. I also de-wipered the rear. By this point another mate from work had got one, identical to mine as he liked them so much. Quick shot of the hight difference

Towards the end of summer i`d picked up a set of octavia vRS 312mm brakes for £170. Made another huge difference to the car, felt like it stopped on a sixpence, also looked great through the wheels on 16`s.

The folowing year for my brithday my Mrs paid for me to have a remap & Scorpion exhaust again at Unit 18. I remember going to collect it thinking “I hope I notice the difference”. I needent have worried, after getting out of the Unit onto an open road I prodded the accelorator with anticipation, it felt like a rocket! It just took off like a scalded cat up the road, my Mrs could tell by my grin that I was pleased. The noticeable power drop after 4,000 rpm was gone, it pulled well to the redline. The awful spike went at 2,000 rpm too, making it much smoother to drive normally. Picture of the scorpion

At this point i`d decided to keep any eye out for some new wheels. I managed to pick up a bit of a billy bargin on ebay, full set of S3 wheels & tyres in fabia size for about the price of the tyres alone, I wasnt on the look out for them specifically, but they popped up at the right time. So I wacked them on, and although i`m not a fan of black wheels, they looked fairly respectable. I also gained a new number plate, nothing flash, but it was cheap.

While I was enjoying the car as it was, i`d started to crave a little more power, my mate had a hybrid 130 which felt like a monster, so I decided over time i`d collect the various bits and bobs to uprate everything. First I bought a used uprated clutch from big jase on here. Although it was used it still had plenty of life left in it. So that was put to one side, I looked about for an intercooler, the only tried and tested kits on the fabia at the time were the Pro alloy one (mega money) or a forge set up (little bit less mega money). After a bit of reading and digging, I found a few threads about the Seat Sport `cooler from the Ibiza Cupra. After a bit of thinking I took a punt and bought one from Dave @ Sere Motors & the pipework from forge, costing about £450. Between me buying it and getting it fitted another fabia owner on here fitted one, so at least I knew it was going to fit. Once it was on I noticed it felt a little less wheezy in hot air, but nothing major. The clutch was a little heavier too. It was noted that the DMF was showing signs of getting on a bit so i`d have to consider getting that sorted before going mental with the power.

I spent the rest of summer enjoying the car as it was and save a few quid for the uprated turbo and flywheel. A few pictures from about that time . . . .

Excuse the grumpy Mrs & green grill in this one haha

Towards the end of the year my turbo decided to start showing signs of dying, so I took the plunge for a new TD 150 Hybrid. Due to the DMF being a bit ropy I run it on a slightly tweaked map running barely anymore power. I run it like this for the best part of a year due to moving out funds were not as forth coming as before. I stuck it on a local RR and it came back with just under 200bhp, I was well chuffed with it.

A short while afterwards Jabbasport SMF flywheel come up for sale for a very cheap price. As it normally only came as part of the kit, i`m guessing it has/had no real value on its own so I snapped it up for not much money. Stuck it on and was amazed at just how much of a difference it made! The rev`s really did just pick up so quickly, flying round the rev counter like a rocket. I know everyone says the main benefit is reliablity over a DMF but it really does change how the car feels to drive, much more hardcore. A few weeks later I got the map tweaked a little now the SMF was fitted and it could cope with it. KW V1`s were doing the trick in the handling department by now too so overall I was well chuffed with the cars state.

So with all the bigger mods done, I started looking at little bits i`d wanted to do for ages. I`d liked Grr666`s take on rear light tinting of using lamin-x to just tint the clear bits giving it a merc-esq look. So I gave it a bash . .

It doesnt look very different here but back on the car . . .

This shows the finished look, I have to thank Garry for the idea, just the look I had been after, nice and subtle.

I also got a new steering wheel, the original one had done 150,000 miles at this point so was starting to look a bit old and worn. A nice momo team was fitted

Then in the afternoon I fitted some JBL front speakers which sound spot on for the money.

Next up was some new wheels, I`d run a few different sets over the years and decided to rule out 16`s. When I run my D90`s the fabia needed to be slammed to look good, which took the fun out of driving it a little for me, clentching my arse over every dip & bump in the road. So in the end I went for some TD Pro race 3s. They wernt overly common of Fabia`s (seen one other) & I quite liked the look of them. I wanted them in Anthercite, but the only place I could find them were charging £40 more a wheel! In the end I went with a white set from rimstyle and decided to fit them and see how I feel about them before getting them sprayed.

The end of last year I was asked if my car could be used for the devleopment of a new exhaust system for piper & Unit 18. So off it went for a little holiday down to Folkestone, picked it up a week later with a new turbo back system on it. Was intresting being shown the setup they have in the factory and the design of the exhaust with the full bore size right from the turbo. Made a quick video with my mate one afternoon mucking about on a unused bit of tarmac.

My latest big modification was a full front brake setup from a Leon Cupra R. I dont drive paticularly hard, nor was I finding the current setup to be poor, but after fitting the TD`s I though the 312`s were looking a little small behind the rim. So after a bit of hunting I`d found a set for £400, wacked them on with new pads & discs (didnt want to use the part worn gear). Massive difference noticed, nearly went through the windscreen when I first used them. They looked great behind the wheels too which was my main reason for wanting them.

More recently I also fitted a original Skoda satnav system, all the after market headunits I looked at were either too cheap looking or cost the earth with loads of functions I wouldnt use. Not only that but I wanted something that looks like its suppose to be there and didnt look out of place.

So the current spec list is as follows:

2003 Skoda Fabia vRS PD130

Engine

PD130 1.9, Turbo dynamics hybrid PD150 turbo, Seatsport FMIC with Forge piperwork, PD160 intake, Pipercross air filter, EGR delete, Piper exhaust system, Unit 18 custom remap.

Transmission

Standard (early) 6 speed gearbox, Jabbasport SMF & Sachs uprated clutch.

Suspension

KW V1 coilovers, Seatsport front strut brace.

Brakes

LCR Brembo 323mm front brake setup, 256mm Rear brake setup.

Wheels & Tyres

Team Dynamics Pro race 3`s, Yokohoma Prada spec 2 tyres.

Exterior

Colour coded front grill, Pastyboy Badges, Tinted rear lights, LED Number plate bulbs, Projector headlights, Rear windows tinted.

Interior

Momo Team 300mm steering wheel, LED bulbs.

Ice & Security

Factory alram & Immobalizer, Skoda MFD Sat nav, JBL front speakers.

Performance

0-60 ?? Seconds, RR as having around 200bhp, Town runs 34mpg, Motorway runs 48mpg.

That about brings it upto date with how the car currently stands. There has been lots of little bits and bobs i`v not listed, 256 rears, projector/xenon headlights, window tints, LED bulbs, the “pastyboy badges” Porsche coolant & oil caps, but I think I`v covered the main bits.

I still have a few plans, in the short term to get the rear beam bushes sorted then wack some headlight washers on. Also want to get the S3 wheels refurbed for winter wheels and possibly a new set. Eventually i`ll sort the interior out, the seats are mullered & the dash needs a tidy up but that`ll all come over time. She isnt much of a looker at the moment, but then after doing 165,000 miles you wouldnt either! Performance wise i`m pretty happy with the current set-up, the car can keep up some motors even I was surprised with. Day to day I dont tend to drive fast, when I got the brakes everyone took the **** saying they would rust because I dont brake hard enough but I like to have the power when I need it. Last year (i think) I decided to try my hand at santa pod, Skoda turn out was very thin, and I ended up winning quickest skoda! I was pretty chuffed, even if it has no significance about how fast the car really is it was nice to get a little recognition though.

Anyway, sorry i`v waffled on a bit, all comments & critercism welcome. Thanks for reading!

A great read Matt, liking the exterior and looks like you have a top motor there. KW's are excellent coilovers, I'm sure well worth the investment.

Nice read dude. Impressive milage!

Gr8 post. I've got kids now. I'm over 40. And well jealous. D'oh!!!

Good build thread and little write up, nice car, really like the Brembos, bet it stops on a penny!

Great little write up! With the skoda stereo, does it have hands free and what about media? ie mp3 and USB?

Thanks for the comments guys!

Great little write up! With the skoda stereo, does it have hands free and what about media? ie mp3 and USB?

Nope, its pretty old skool, the unit design is over 10 years old. That said, with plug in`s and stuff you can bring it a bit more up to date. I`v got a carlink adapter to play music of a USB, which was my only "must" for a headunit. From what I can gather its the same unit used in loads of VAG cars, some coming with TV, I think the inputs are there so it could be possible to put some kinda media in there. I`ll investigate further later on and see. Hands free my mate is getting a parrot for his MK2 fabia (he wants to keep the stock headunit) so if thats as good as it looks I might wack one in later too.

Great write up Matt!

Thanks for the comments guys!

Nope, its pretty old skool, the unit design is over 10 years old. That said, with plug in`s and stuff you can bring it a bit more up to date. I`v got a carlink adapter to play music of a USB, which was my only "must" for a headunit. From what I can gather its the same unit used in loads of VAG cars, some coming with TV, I think the inputs are there so it could be possible to put some kinda media in there. I`ll investigate further later on and see. Hands free my mate is getting a parrot for his MK2 fabia (he wants to keep the stock headunit) so if thats as good as it looks I might wack one in later too.

Thinking about it, I thought I like one then remembered I've got gauges in the lower part of the din! I'd still be interested in the ins and outs of putting one in though in terms of gps aerial and the carlink kit. Does the carlink kit enable music over Bluetooth?

Same head unit as mine!

I'm looking into the GPS connection, will let you know what it is. As I'm gonna get one of those hidden ones you recommended Matt.

Car link kit works via the CD changer out. And provides iPod playlist control via the different number of discs.

The bluetooth kit which comes with the x-car-link kit does stream music, but it's the worst hands free kit I've ever heard, everyone sounds muffled and no one can understand what I'm saying when I use it!

Excellent write up Matt. You've captured the spirit of owning a Fabia and why they are so popular

Excellent read man, top work

Another Bi-Yearly update

Past 6 months have been pretty quiet tbh. I moved into a new gaf so that has sapped lots of time and money. Plus I seem to spend a never ending amount of time working! I`v had a few boring bits done, tracking etc, then November she had an MOT. For the first time ever, FAILED! Bad times, main problems were an oil leak, failed bush, sidelight and front pads low. So, limped it to Unit 18 and got Alistair on the job. Sidelight was easy fixed, however the bush not so much. I`m not hugely mechanically minded, but basically the bush failed, and I`d hit a pot hole or something causing the bolt holding it to bend. So, after sorting that, next up was the leak. This was plainly obvious, the gearbox casing on early boxes have a big bung at one end, this had started leaking. After MUCH head scratching at ETKA pictures and many rings to parts people (the part isnt listed on most pictures for fabias) we got one. So after fitting it, filling the box back up with oil and putting it back on the car, finally it passed.

Now, the brake pads. As I said before, I dont drive very fast very often, so it was a surprise to have front pads on the advisories. The MOT place is normally pretty good so didnt think it`d be them trying it on. After closer inspection it turns out the pads were well on there way out. So I decided I might as well invest in some decent ones, Alistair had some Ferodo pad in stock so I went for them. My mate has them in his fabia (312 setup) and he loves them so I had no doubts they`d be decent.

Repairs covered, onto the few mods. Actually, just one real one. After a little scouting about, I decided on a set of TT seats. Found a pair for £80 which I was well chuffed with. Half leather, decent condition, lovely.

Getting them to the garage and it soon appeared they weren't quite as easy to fit as it seemed. The Front mounts of the runners have angled bolt holes, so if you were to fit them they would be at a 45 degree angle to the floor/spacer your bolting it too, not safe really. So, after a bit of thinking, Alistair has gone for a bit of chopping and welding some spacers/adapters to the TT runners. Its mid way through, the drivers seat is done bar some tidying up, passenger seat needs doing.

One bonus was Alistair spotted the TT seats have heated elements, so switches and looms will be ordered up too. Leaving him to crack on with that as and when, I decided to swap to my winter wheels. First we decided on a little clean

Then off came the TDs and on went the Avus S3 wheels.

We (Chris & his SE, my brother and our mate) decided to then go and make the cars dirty again. What with driving for a living it seems like I spend very little time just going for a random drive like I use to when I was younger. So off we went, no where special, just a few back roads found a tiny little pub with the worlds smallest car park.

Onwards to a Tesco for some munchies.

It was good to go for a spin just for enjoyment, no silly driving or anything, just nice views, sound of the motor and some fun. I forget when trundling to work and back how much fun the Fabia is. :love:

So future plans, short term, get the seats in and a boost/oil gauge. Long term, I think i`m decided now, the fabia is going to be more of a toy/weekend car come 2013. It means I can make some less practical adjustments to it, and I can get my arse to more track days! The TD wheels will be fitted with nice grippy tyres for that purpose and S3 wheels will be refurbished for road use. I wasnt keen on them before, but putting them back on, they just sit so nice, a lick of antercite paint and they`ll be much better I think. Long term, who knows, if I have another car as a daily this can spend a little more time being fettled. I`d like to try and balance the weight out a bit, get rid of the AC compressor and move the battery to the rear. What else I dont know just yet.

All comments good or bad welcomed!

Cheers guys.

You'll really notice the difference with the new seats Matt,

And heated too!! Lush. I'd never go back to non heated seats.

Just ordered some alcantara cleaner for mine cos as you know they

are white centres on mine (I must be mad :p ) and there's a grubby bit

on my drivers seat and a mark on the rear insert. After that I'm coating them

with some wolfs nano protectant that Wardy recommended in my thread.

I'll let you know how it goes

Cars looking good mate. Should be some new pics of mine up soon

after its recent nose job May take some tomorrow.

Just found this whilst on ebay, very cheap but dunno if it's any good...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/281027997119?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649

Great read. Keep it up mate.

Cheers guys. I`v never had heated seats, I did think the other night it`ll be nice for keeping the takeaway warm on the passenger seat. Iv given them a quick clean, but I haddnt though of putting some protective stuff on them, might pop up and give them a going over once they are ready to be fitted.

That looks really good. Love the front seats you've done for it, love the look overall.

Heated seats are beautiful things, I miss having mine!

Keep up the good work.