The top 5 "issues" with the Fabia I?

[YodaTdi]

Hi Skodaists

I've read through a fair few faults & issues with the Fabia I in general which could make you think you've made an error of judgement in buying one, but I know all cars have their faults/quirks so it probably doesnt always do the car justice.

What I'd like to know though is what would you say are the top 5 most common faults with this car?

& if possible directed at the model I've just picked up which is a 2006 1.4TDI PD (80).

I'm already aware of the leaking rear doors which I shall investigate when I get the chance

[ricardo_smooth]

Laquer peel in rear spoiler.

Worn console bushes

Broken arb collars (on nearly models)

[JoshH]

Leaking rear doors

[gt-cri]

Understeer! Especially with cheap tyres. Can be sorted by installing a rear ARB from Whiteline (£160-ish) & adjustable. Either that or fixed-rate Jabbasport (£240-ish).

Edited 2 February, 2013 by gt-cri

[mogwye]

I can only comment on three.

1 - Console bushes

2 - Rear brake cylinders

3 - Front droplinks

Great cars.

DB.

[Dark_Hero]

Leaky doors

Intermittent power steering in cold weather caused by battery drain

Dual mass flywheel is made of chocolate and is good for about 60k (on the vrs at least)

There's a wire that comes off the gearbox which is prone to failing at the connectors. Which can cause an error light

Console bushes are prone to wear quickly

[Avalon]

If you've read up then surely you know them all anyway?

[fabdavrav]

Some problems are just for the early models, these apply to all engine types

1. PAS sensor failure for the black plastic cap type = (replacement is goldy coloured metal cap)

2. ARB saddle bush stop sleeve failure = (later replacement ARB has built in stops)

3. Front ARB drop links wear out quickly = (cheap to replace or get Meyle HD links)

4. Rear bush on front lower wishbone (known as console bush) failure = (fit later X type or Powerflex or Superpro)

5. Rear wash tube seizes in rear wiper spindle and rotates = (replacement repair kit from dealers and involves stripping down the mech)

6. Rear doors leak = (remove OEM foam and re seal the metal carrier to the door skin)

7. Squeek from centre of dash above hazard switch = (remove centre vents and glue some cork/wood/foam into the tophat bracket)

Oppps...........thats more than five!!!................

[joe_vrs_tdi]

And a less than average turbo.

[YodaTdi]

If you've read up then surely you know them all anyway?

There's always one isn't there .

It's simple really, I've seem many posts on many various & sometimes isolated problems.

All I was asking is what people thought were the 5 most reported faults or issues known (to their knowledge) as the top 5 listed would make a good starting point for checking over a newly purchaced car.

Thanks for your input though

[Avalon]

My point was also simple. If you've looked at the posts in the last week or so, in particular the buying advice threads that have been started in that time, the vast majority of issues you'll get listed in this thread will have been mentioned. The forum is a nice friendly place but it's not unreasonable to expect you to do a little background reading rather than expecting to be spoon fed on demand.

Oh and you're welcome

[Breezy_Pete]

Our '05 1.2 petrol model (in rough order of occurence since purchase):

1. Console bushes, spotted in showroom and rectified before purchase.

2. Rear washer inoperative due to 'unhitched' coupling at rear of engine bay. When re-coupled, needed removal of rear jet and good de-gunge before it worked.

3. EGR valve; not sure whether the engine you're asking about has one, let alone a troublesome type; probably, most seem to cause trouble sooner or later.

4. Rear doors, water ingress, almost inevitable.

5. Outer CV boot failure on O/S. No idea how common this is on Fabias but was running out of things to make the 5.

[PD75]

Firstly, apologies for length of this post.

I have one of the last 1.4 tdi Estates (2007 built to order)and now have her up to 145,000 miles. She still runs the same as day one and returns between 65 - 70 mpg. My commute is 67 miles each way, 7 miles on roads like sheep tracks! Now and again she also has the trailer on pulling coal, turf, chicken food what have you. The most important thing with these engines is to use the correct oil and do regular changes. I also swap the air filter at 20,000 miles - not 40,000 that I think is recommended in the service schedule.

I have only suffered from two of the regular mishaps that crop up on the forum.

I now have one back door that leaks slightly if there have been heavy downpours and the car hasn't been used for a day or two, but this isn't that bad that it needs to be sorted before the summer... if we get a summer this year!

Console bushes were swapped for the newer Skoda ones that are more solid about seven months ago but could have done with sorting a bit sooner.

I am thinking I'll swap track rod ends when the weather improves as on the odd occasion I can't make my mind up if I can "feel" a little play, though I am never sure if it's due to road surface plus it's usually blowing a gale when this happens?

More related to your / my model:-

Don't use the brakes much so,

Still on original back shoes (drum brakes you might have discs on the back of your one,)plenty wear left but tend to stick on the handbrake overnight a bit if you don't pop the drums off and clean them out. I do that every six months approx.

Swapped front discs and pads before Christmas. This was first set of pads and there was still a good bit of material left on them. Discs were b*llox*d.

The only thing that has really annoyed me about the car, is I had to replace the inlet manifold flap last summer but I wouldn't say that is a common occurrence. I have only read of one instance of it on this forum and that was since mine went, but have read a good few more on the Audi / VW forums when I was researching the fault and sorting it out.

It wasn't so much that the plastic cogs in the flap had broken some teeth, it was the fact that new cogs would have cost about a £1 but SKODA and all other VW group dealers over here wanted 560 Euro for the complete part - you can't get the cogs separately. Took me a further two days of cross referencing part #'s but I managed to get brand new same part from Germany for just over 200 Euro delivered.

Hope this helps.

[PD75]

Goddamit!! Just rememebered another "usual" I had to sort out, reversing lights packed up beacause the wire in the loom doesn't come long enough. About 8 euro and half an hour to sort.

[DanGum]

Leaky doors, dodgy alternator signal cable, console bushes, chocolate dmfs,

[YodaTdi]

My point was also simple. If you've looked at the posts in the last week or so, in particular the buying advice threads that have been started in that time, the vast majority of issues you'll get listed in this thread will have been mentioned. The forum is a nice friendly place but it's not unreasonable to expect you to do a little background reading rather than expecting to be spoon fed on demand.

Oh and you're welcome

"expecting to be spoon fed on demand"?

This is aimed at a new member who wanted to start a thread that would not only interest himself but also other likeminded Skoda Fabia owners.

You are right though, 99% of those I've encountered since I joined yesterday have indeed been nice & friendly, also without being at all patronising.

[YodaTdi]

On topic.

Thanks very much for the replies. The only ones that ring a bell for me are the leaking rear doors & the console bushes.

Both of which my poor mother had to deal with but all sorted out now

Checked my rear doors earlier & the n/s rear is leaking a small amount so I might see how it goes as the carpets underneath seem fairly dry.

Barry

Edited 2 February, 2013 by CheltBaz

[Big deano]

THIS IS GOING TO GET LOOOOOONG AND INTERESTING HAHAHA 5 :think:

TRY 50

[Red Fox]

deadlocked doors are my current problem i bought a 5 door and it has decided to be a 3 door :( back doors are stripped and windows are held in place with gaffer tape and blocks of wood atm. booked in at dealers to smash my old locks out and fit the replacement ones i bought a few weeks ago. other than that still a happy chapie

[YodaTdi]

deadlocked doors are my current problem i bought a 5 door and it has decided to be a 3 door :( back doors are stripped and windows are held in place with gaffer tape and blocks of wood atm. booked in at dealers to smash my old locks out and fit the replacement ones i bought a few weeks ago. other than that still a happy chapie

Really? do they literally have to smash the old ones out

So I take it both locks just siezed or was it down to something else?

How much has that cost you to rectify & is it a Skoda dealer who's doing the work?

[YodaTdi]

THIS IS GOING TO GET LOOOOOONG AND INTERESTING HAHAHA 5 :think:

TRY 50

50? Oh dear, maybe I should have gone with a Ford

[vrs oh yes]

I've only had the car since early december so im yet to break it.

A few that irritate me;

Creaky drivers door arm rest when in transit.

Too much bodyroll and understeer. - it truely is a wallowy old hectar!

parcel shelf seems to bounch and knock on rough roads, (at least i hope its that!!)

leaky rear doors of course.

zero room for a quick headlight bulb change.

All said and done my fabia vrs is the best car ive owned to date and im very proud to own one. remap decat and panel filter, job done.

[niceyellow vrs]

I bought mine at the end of November, so far I have sorted:

Leaking rear doors

Leaking rocker gasket

Leaking Boost pipe replaced

Busted starter motor strigger wire

Passenger seat belt wouldn't recoil

Still to sort:

Split CV boot

Leaking radiator

Rocking driver's seat

Rear spoiler got no laquer

DMF is on it's way out

Figure out why the ABS, ASR and Handbrake lights sometime flash on start up

And I', sure there is some other niggly little thing.

Yay reliabilty. Much prefer my Rover 214. It's 17 years old, I turn the key, thrash the hell out of it with very little mechanical sympathy and then switch if off again. It just won't break

[mattievrs]

1 Leaking door carriers

2 Constant steaming up/misting inside

3 Console bushes

4 Dirty seats

5 Having the "on" switch in the cubby.......RTFM

[Goblin]

Mines going in for a big service tomorrow so will find out anything that's wrong. I suspect that it needs bushes doing as it creaks a lot on bumps!

Niggles I've had so far:

Power steering sensor (early model)

High oil consumption

Remote locking doesn't always want to work, putting key in lock and turning it fixes the issue

Rear wiper has a mind of its own

Heated mirrors not working

Rear door leak