Hi All,

 

I'm thinking of buying a Skoda Fabia.

 

I looked at one yesterday, its a  2008 model, with 36,000 miles on the clock.

 

All round it looked in pretty good nick. But, on the engine it looked like there was a bit of oil seeping out of a seem from the position indicated by the arrows in the linked image:

 

http://onsitenow.co.uk/stuff/car/skoda/skoda_fabia_engine.png

 

The engine I looked at was a 1.2  ie not the 1.6 in the image this was just the best image I could find to indicate the position.

 

The dealer said it wasn't oil just dirt, but it was right on the seem and the rest of the engine was clean.

 

Is this a sign of something serious?

 

Thanks for any help or tips

 

Cheers

Mike

Edited 7 July, 201312 yr by thingstodo

Welcome, personally I'd ask the dealer to clean the "dirt" off, take it for a decent test drive and see if the "dirt" has re-appeared, judging by the photo it could be a gasket leaking, which the dealer should sort if they want to sell the car.

Welcome to the forum

 

As said, get the dealer to clean it up, take a look before you test drive and again afterwards. If the 'dirt' has reappeared, negotiate the gasket replacement as part of the deal. Its nothing serious, just a gasket, so dont be put off if you really like the car in all other respects. Use it as a bargaining tool

Hi,

 

Thanks for the responses. Cleaning it up and asking to test drive it again is a really good idea! Why didn't I think of that!  I'll do that now.

 

I do like the car in every other respect....

 

I took some photos of the actual engine: http://onsitenow.co.uk/stuff/car/skoda/index.html

 

Cheers

Mike

 

 

If bought from a Skoda Dealer it will come with 12 months warranty and RAC cover

I cleaned it up and took it for another test drive for a couple of junctions down the motorway.

 

Popped the bonnet when we got back and it was still clean.

 

The dealer suggested it could have just been an oil spill when filling up with oil that had dribbled down the gasket edge as the path of least resistance.

 

I think that could be the case.

 

Mike

Hi and welcome aboard.

I cleaned it up and took it for another test drive for a couple of junctions down the motorway.

 

Popped the bonnet when we got back and it was still clean.

 

The dealer suggested it could have just been an oil spill when filling up with oil that had dribbled down the gasket edge as the path of least resistance.

 

I think that could be the case.

 

Mike

Wouldn't think it would settle there from a filling spillage, I'd say there is a small leak from the gasket that will re-appear over time and will be more noticeable when dirt/dust sticks to it, if the car comes with warranty I would't worry too much about it, if not see if they'll let you monitor it for a while and take it back for free repair if the leak returns.

Wouldn't think it would settle there from a filling spillage, I'd say there is a small leak from the gasket that will re-appear over time and will be more noticeable when dirt/dust sticks to it, if the car comes with warranty I would't worry too much about it, if not see if they'll let you monitor it for a while and take it back for free repair if the leak returns.

 

^^^^THIS^^^^

 

Seems it may have a minor leak to me, would probably show itself over a longer period of time. Its nothing major to be honest so i wouldnt let it be the only thing putting you off the car - as i said before, maybe you could use it as a bargaining chip to knock a few bob off the price and if its a dealer it SHOULD come with a warranty anyway.

That's a leak, but nothing major at the moment. It wouldn't put me off the car, it's likely to just mist a bit like that for years. Try to use it to get some money off, and just make sure all the bolts are nipped up.

Thanks everyone for all your advice.

 

I bought it :-)

 

No reappearance of the oil, which is good.

 

But, I drove about 40 miles yesterday then when I parked in a car park I noticed water dripping from under the car. It was clean  water, not windscreen fluid, or dirty water or oil, it was clear and had no odor.

 

It appeared to be coming from the back of the engine compartment, I couldn't see the exact source.

 

I'd had the air-conditioning on the whole time I was driving, could this be related to the dehumidifying properties of the air-con?

 

Thanks

Mike

Yes it will be the air con .

Yes, several people have said this now. I'm reasured.

 

Thanks

Mike