Can anyone recommend a Warks/Northants tuner, or advice that might help a problem - not so much of a problem as a niggle actually?

Basically, the car is pretty good all round bar a few little things I've discussed before and mentioned to dealer (clunk from steering on startup etc) but performance nor fuel economy has

never been an exceptional strong point and its been nagging me when compared to say my gf's Fiat Punto, wondering whether its

been serviced well etc or I am getting a decent dealer service for any

faults (I have conveyed the "problem" to them once for which they

apparently changed part of the electrical system that they thought was

relevant to what I reported under warrantee, but this hasn't changed

things and I havent bothered to contact them again).

When restarting after its been sat for 3 hrs, it can take closer to 2

seconds to start rather than straight off the key which annoys a little as its like a problem looming to do with hesitant starting but more like fuel flooding or something or bad ECU.

ALSO, after doing this and setting off, if I gently keep my foot right

on the accelerator barely accelearting it up to the legal speed limit in

the urban cycle, I can definitely feel like there is some hesitancy

there (it sorts of feels a like a very slight misfire though doesn't

drive anything like a bad misfire) even though I am not moving my foot at all.

This does not make the car feel smooth at those times and instill confidence, and it doesn't always do that (moreso from a "warm" start) so I am pretty sure something isn't quite right. Maybe the ECU is setting the idle high and

I am wasting petrol ! Its a silly factor that puts me off the car.

If I floor it it drives fine, clears up this problem or course but not especially

noteworthy performance but its ok, who can expect a standard 8v 1.4 to be like lightening anyway, but its slower than the girlfriends 1.4 8v Punto. I put that down to the extra weight, airbags etc. It feels securer than hers thats for sure!

I am not sure if this problem has come about from town driving rather

than decent distance work. I've been appalling on letting the car go in the red also which brings into the equation injection.

I have certainly made a point of driving further with the car recently

since my work place moved etc as I hate "shopping" run style driving in

it.

These are very minor issues and I am not after a supercar out of a basic

1.4 but if I could sort these little niggles and get a bit more from the

engine performance and mpg wise I would be VERY happy.

Can anyone help even advising a local tuner? Has anyone tried Leamington Angel tuning ?

Oh, and the car details would help wouldn't they!

02 Reg Fabia Classic 1.4 Mpi (8v). (Nearly at end of 3 yr warranty - not MOT'd yet but soon).

Yellow

2x,000 miles (Oops, forgot, maybe I should go and check).

Past 2nd Service (main dealers).

Oh, and BTW I just found the car that I might want to have if I upgraded! (looks very much the same, but looks I bet are deceiving with the vRS).

Just got a new job lined up with a bit more dough, so I guess anything is possible ;o)

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=18275&item=4551928375&rd=1#ebayphotohosting

Hi

Just had a 1.4 mpi fabia as a courtesy car.........yes it is ssllloooowwww and to be honest it didn't seem to be too good on petrol either but then I only had it for 2 days...

If you can afford it go for the Fabia VRS or at the very least test drive one so you know what you are missing

Bit confused here.

I did a bit of research - why don't they list the vRS on this page ?

http://www.skoda.co.uk/skoda3g/content/showroom/fab-quick-new.pdf

Also any idea on why whatcar have such a bad press for the vRS? They seem to indicate the handling as unrefined and leave it with a mediocre review at best, but then state the opposite for the TD version getting 4*'s .... so confusing.....I am sure you guys like your vRS's. What BHP does it make?

Also what is this 2.0 MPI as that sounds cool ? Is that in fact the vRS ?

I'm quite turned on to the idea of just going to a 100Brake 1.4.

Maybe I can acquire my dad's/and partners if they come to sell it, as an alternate idea.

Either way, I am likely to hold on to this car to some end....might get swopped for my gf's as her car at some stage.....so the original post subject matter still holds I'd like to sort it out

Questions, questions....

Fabia VRS is 130 bhp diesel it goes VERY well and 50 mpg as well....the 100bhp diesel goes quite well and is often overlooked

Oh right. Well its a bit pricey (relative to my choice of model, not cars in general!) for me, but I may well consider one if I was to get one in yellow or red.

So you guys haven't had anything like ECU problems that might explain such a problem? I know my dad's partners would very randomly just cut out and die, not all the time but just at odd times and enough to scare the crap out of her.

Of course she has another Fabia 16v now and it doesnt do it.

Umm what review are you reading, the Fabia vRS has won many awards, do a search on google, for a start 'The Times' review with Jeremy Clarkson, then it won diesel car of the year, then it won 2004 Autocar before they did a long term test and had a few complaints (which for whatever reason were not sorted - build quality issues, unsure why as mine is very solid :confused:), it also was featured on Top Gear and Fifth Gear and read any review on carsurvey.org and it gets a 10/10 everytime, not to mention on every other web site? not sure where you have heard this misguided information, but it's the equivelant of calling an M3 poor.

I am very sorry, it does not represent my thoughts at all, but it is what I saw mentioned on the What Car review, like I said.

Actually, its confusing because the older reviews give it 4*, which is consistent with what you are saying about the vRS, and Im not disputing - how can I, I haven't even driven the car. But knowing the quality of my Fabia, and bearing in mind it is the top of the range Fabia, I am hardly surprised how good it is.

Anyway heres the link that you wont like, its clear now they are talking about the NEW car not the old one, so my mistake.

http://www.whatcar.co.uk/RoadTest_Summary.asp?DL=0&RT=183305

quote "Uninspiring dynamics disappoint"

I met the guys from the Skoda plant today...told them they make great cars, so they were chuffed. They told me they prefer the Octavia vRS to the Fabia vRS...because first it's petrol, second it's 180bhp, and 3rd it handles better than the Fabia... :confused:

Tony, the 2.0MPi is a petrol Fabia that is 115bhp stock, and performs just as well as the vRS in my opinion and I'm basing this on figures and personal experience with my 2.0. Remember this...it's an N/A car...doesn't have a turbo...if the vRS had no turbo it would move like a truck :p

But all round I believe the vRS is an excellent car, and I wish they could bring one here to Dubai.

so would the octavia vRS be slow without the turbo, along with a proper impreza, evo and F40 :confused:

how can a car with 15bhp less and a shed load less torque be quicker :confused:

But all round I believe the vRS is an excellent car, and I wish they could bring one here to Dubai.

do they not have them at all there then? what about other diesels??

Tony, the 2.0MPi is a petrol Fabia that is 115bhp stock, and performs just as well as the vRS in my opinion and I'm basing this on figures and personal experience with my 2.0.

No chance! I've not driven the 2.0 Fabia, but have tried both the 2.0 and the PD130 in the VW Bora (while owning a 1.6 version). The 2.0 is hardly any faster than the 100bhp 1.6 but is a bit more flexible due to the extra torque and is more relaxed at a cruise as it has higher gearing. The PD130 gives the 2.0 a right slapping. It's no less refined, uses half the amount of fuel and in midrange acceleration just clears off into the distance. The only reason the figures look so close is that the PD130 has to be in 3rd gear to hit 60 whereas the 2.0 can *just* do it in 2nd.

Very true - the Furby is a little lighter than the Bora though so it may be closer I suppose, hard to say.

The torque sure makes the PD130 easy to drive at motorway speeds though :D

And remember with a diesel all the torque is available low down, with peak power at just 4k rpm - if you want effortless performance it's the way to go.

I think it's this effortlessness that's earned the vRS Fabia so much respect - it feels considerably quicker than most things, even those that are actually faster.

Maybe I will just have to think about starting to save the pennies )

Even if I might not plan to have one immediately (my car is only approaching 3 yrs old at around 25k miles - bearing in mind the 1st time I bought a new car outright) I can contemplate changing sometime in the future.

I must say, you lot are saying the right things to turn me on to a vRS. I've been very much on the fence because the mere mention of the word diesel has previously been enough to set me off.

The dilemma for me is, whether to replace gf's car whenever it fails with mine, or get something else for her.

I am very cute on those little Fiat Seicento Sports having hired one once and loving the complete smallness of it and styling cues.

I've wanted to have one of those as a 2nd smaller car for bombing around town without throwing tons of money away on petrol by having a larger car - as they are quite nippy at moderate speeds.

I can't understand why they haven't continued making it. Having said that, not having properly owned one I might learnt the mistake of that decision perhaps. They certainly don't get too much good press in car reviews do they.

Anyway I am starting to see niggles in my car, performance etc (guess I should have opted at the very least for 16v 75BHP initially if nothing else) so maybe I ought to start thinking long term of something like this.

Has anyone tried or might recommend putting some fuel additive/cleaner in as I have never done this to date? I've always assumed the fuel itself contains all it needs.

My car did seem to drive a lot perkier today though (for a 1.4 8v). It's almost dictated by the conditions! Maybe it prefers the colder, less humid days having originated from the colder countries ) (I've been to Poland - trust me it seems colder in the East).

I also had a reply from tuners in Leamington - they don't of course tune this model, but they feel my problems might be indicated by an air flow sensor problem (MAF).

I am not sure if this might be what Skoda have already replaced though - better go and double check the history...

Thats my waffling over ...

No chance! I've not driven the 2.0 Fabia, but have tried both the 2.0 and the PD130 in the VW Bora (while owning a 1.6 version). The 2.0 is hardly any faster than the 100bhp 1.6 but is a bit more flexible due to the extra torque and is more relaxed at a cruise as it has higher gearing. The PD130 gives the 2.0 a right slapping. It's no less refined, uses half the amount of fuel and in midrange acceleration just clears off into the distance. The only reason the figures look so close is that the PD130 has to be in 3rd gear to hit 60 whereas the 2.0 can *just* do it in 2nd.

Give yourself a drive in the 2.0 Fabia and then come and argue with me about it.

I've driven a turbo diesel car (Ibiza GT), and indeed, they're very torquey, which automatically gives you the impression that they're much faster. I'll put it like this...I was given a ride in a 609BHP Porsche 911 Gemballa last night...with a 0-100 time of under 3.8 seconds, it's fast....but it doesn't feel as fast as the 450BHP Supra I was given a ride in the other night, which does 0-100 in just under 5 seconds. All about the torque.

My friend has a 1.4 100BHP Fabia like I told you...and he gets raped every time we race...I'm 3 cars ahead of him by the time we start. You wanna talk horsepower differences??? You say the 2.0 is just 15 bhp more than the 1.4. Well, the vRS is just 15bhp more than the 2.0, and it needs a turbo to make a 0-60 run of 9.6 seconds (book-spec), whereas the N/A 2.0 does it in 9.9 (book-spec).

I race 206 GTi180s with my car and I kick their a**. No joke. And don't tell me they were not racing, I know when a car is racing and I know when not.

If I had a turbo in the 2.0, it would right down rape a vRS inside-out over and over again. The 2.0 is not slow at all, don't base your opinion on a Bora, which is heavier than the Fabia.

I think I'm gonna stop arguing about the 2.0, it seems you guys are totally into nothing but the Fabia vRS, you won't give way to hearing out for other quick models in the range, and you haven't even given it a go.

Torque? Max. torque of 170Nm starts at 2,400rpm for the 2.0...that's pretty low considering it revs to 6,200rpm.

do they not have them at all there then? what about other diesels??

Unfortunately (or fortunately), we don't use diesel cars here. That's only for the truck drivers. The fuel here is so cheap we use petrol cars, plus the fact that the diesel fuel here is not as refined as the diesel in Europe makes it unsafe to use in a vRS Fabia. We do bring the Octavia vRS though.

how can a car with 15bhp less and a shed load less torque be quicker :confused:

The vRS Fabia is 1,315 kilograms. The 2.0 is 1,190 kilograms.

For a petrol car, 170Nm is a lot of torque. Diesel cars have always had a lot of torque.

so would the octavia vRS be slow without the turbo, along with a proper impreza, evo and F40:confused:

Yes, they would be much slower. For N/A cars to perform as well as turbo'd cars, usually the engine size is increased, plus a whole lot of other differences.

You have to remember that diesel is a very slow burning fuel, and hence very economical to use. Without turbos, diesel cars don't stand a chance on the road.

Basically, power to weight ratios of the 2.0 and the 1.9 TDI are pretty similar, 96.6 bhp/tonne and 98.9 bhp/tonne, and both have similar book figures for 0-60 so I doubt in a straight head-to-head there'd be a great deal in it. As has been said, the TDi feels quicker than it is, because you get a big shove as the turbo kicks in, you get up to 4k and then need to change gear. The petrol engine is more civilised and has a wide power band with a smoother delivery

Chris

My friend has a 1.4 100BHP Fabia like I told you...and he gets raped every time we race...I'm 3 cars ahead of him by the time we start.

Maybe you should both start in a line and he might be closer. :P

I race 206 GTi180s with my car and I kick their a**. No joke. And don't tell me they were not racing' date=' I know when a car is racing and I know when not.

[/quote']

Sorry but the Pug wasn't trying, no way you can keep up with a 180 if it is. The Pug is lighter, has more torque, has 65BHP more and is 2.5 seconds quicker to 60 going by the book times. If it was trying the driver must be useless.

I actually took one of them for a test drive before settling for my vRS and it was horrible. :thumbdwn:

Maybe you should both start in a line and he might be closer. :P

Sorry but the Pug wasn't trying' date=' no way you can keep up with a 180 if it is. The Pug is lighter, has more torque, has 65BHP more and is 2.5 seconds quicker to 60 going by the book times. If it was trying the driver must be useless.

I actually took one of them for a test drive before settling for my vRS and it was horrible. :thumbdwn:[/quote']

That's what I mean. At the line, we take off, and I'm already way ahead.

I've raced at least 3 206 GTi 180s to give you a load of ****. 3 useless drivers? I don't think so. Memories of dodging cars on the highway refuse to tell me they din't try one bit.

The Pug is LIGHTER????? Did you know that they put more weight on the car because it's too light as a stock model to handle 180bhp??? It is 1500kgs buddy!! Read up before you make your statements. When the car came out I went to the motorshow and the representative at the Peugeot stand said these words to me 'This car is too ****in' heavy for a hatchback, 1500kgs...'.

I've been in a Pug 180 and it is not as fast as I though it would be. It is the complete opposite. The Mini Cooper S is faster than it.

Like I said, you understimate the capabilities of the 2.0. It is FAST

And thank you for backin' me up Chris At least now that you're there to back me up, the vRSomaniacs can open their minds up a bit

Hey you guys. Performance isn't all. Why do you need to get so defensive over each car's performance. I am sure mostly all of them are quick enough to get you banned for life in a short space of time. Even mine will do that.

If you want supercar like performance on a budget anyway, you can't beat getting a motorcycle, so I don't see the point of this outmuscling topic, since I'd be happy to have the 2.0Mpi, OR the TDi, OR the vRS, OR even just a 1.4 16v above my 8v.

Though I don't have a racing bike, it has to be said most of them nowadays are quicker than all but the fastest road going cars like Supras etc.

If you disprove that, I ought to know a few people that can put this straight.

My perspetive generally is I am more concerned about liking THE car qualitatively, not facts and figures.

Quality (what I like about it) not quantity (how fast it will go if I put my foot into the floor plate).

As someone mentioned, early Peugeots were designed like that. But has anyone got anything good to say about the fuel economy?

And I think the discussion about Diesel is right - I am sure Skoda haven't deliberately gone out to satisy boy racing cravings amongst you - it's a Diesel surely in order to at least in part, have something to do with fuel savings as WELL as performance?

I acknowledge the speed issues and all that, but they are all good cars, and mostly we are talking about just Skodas here right, that are very good cars.

I think sometimes pride can make people go a bit stupid.

I always though Skoda was the anti-product of all that kind of stuffy thinking and exactly why I bought it as an honest good vehicle!

You can all acknowlege how good each cars are, and that some have different strengths to others (like low down torque on some, vs. overall 0-60 times or top speed of others) and everyone can be happy ) It's not a contest.

I personally don't care about such speed things in my cage. A little more performance would be nice though.

Sheesh typo I meant build quantity of the Peug, not fuel economy. Don't know what I was thinking.

I personally don't care about such speed things in my cage. A little more performance would be nice though.

Worth considering the ultra-economical 1.4 75bhp TDI engine too which is not nose-heavy like the other diesels and as a result is pretty nippy too

Chris

we don't use diesel cars here. That's only for the truck drivers.

my favourite quote of the week. Thankyou Fabia 2.0RS