Hi All,

 

I recently joined the forum, and am now a very happy owner of a 2005 Fabia vRS tdi, learning more about it every day.

 

My workplace changed locations meaning a daily commute averaging 80 miles which ends on country lanes, so needed to replace my lexus is200 which just wasn't up to it. After almost getting stuck with a Prius, looked at a Fabia vRS - and took it away the same day!

 

My last toy which sold a few months back was a 2005 Supercharged Mustang GT, so have had my taste of power, and am looking for a decent compromise - the Prius would have bored me to death.

 

I wanted to ask for those with knowledge on what modifications to carry out on the car (mine is standard) in order to make it as efficient and reliable a car to get the most out of the mileage I'm currently doing, including what regular maintenance to carry out. I today saw the EGR group buy, and know that most EGRs are troublesome so will try to secure one for my Fabia, but following this, what other mods will improve the cars longevity? 

 

Im not too concerned about performance - if I were to get the car remapped, my emphasis would be more on extracting MPG instead of BHP/torque, to give an idea of what I'm trying to achieve with the car.

 

Thanks all,

 

Adil

 

PS - pic of the old girl...

 

Edited 3 November, 201312 yr by adilVRS

I'll be honest with ya, I did a fair few motorway miles in my old Fabia, and found it to be brilliant.. The only thing I would have improved would have been the sound deadening... you do get quite a bit of road noise as you approach speeds that are completely legal and not at all near 3 figures. <coughs>

As long as you drop a cog it always seemed like a squirt and point car to me, no massive need to build up any speed before a manoeuvre.

15" wheels, no skinnier though.. and extra sound deadening.. sorted.

Hi Rob,

 

15 inch wheels - really? How much of a difference did this make?

 

Agree on how much speed these cars can accumulate - really need to slow it down!

 

Just had a pair of toyo proxes fitted to the car, so wasn't planning anything with the wheels. Also have a set of 16 inch Speedlines which were used as winter wheels for my Scoob Impreza I was planning to try on - pretty lightweight wheels on a set of 205/45/16 Continentals with lots of life left on them (gold too).

 

Agreed on the sound deadening - any ideas on where best to put it? Didn't want to take the door cards off as am sure will end up with lots of broken clips and rattles post installation, unless there's someone on the forum who carries out this service?

 

Keep them coming gents,

 

adil

Edited 3 November, 201312 yr by adilVRS

Centre arm rest!! This is a must! Also a nice smooth map, made mine even more effortless on the motorway and a increase in mpg as I've mapped out my egr.

Cruise control would be my first choice

+1 on cruise 

but lets be honest a fabia is never going to live up to a mustang lol

Hey man.

 

I'm a bit of an MPG hunter so i've done loads of stuff to try and get the best out of the PD130 engine, i've managed to get this on one run from Uni to my house (26 miles in total):

 

.

 

Although it's not 100% accurate, it's a pretty good indicator that i've been a good boy haha.

 

I have written about a few of the mods i've done to achieve this in my thread here:

 

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/292840-daniels-seat-ibiza-sport-pd130/

 

 

My latest mod is the "elephant mod" which stops oil getting into the inlet by directing the CCV gases into the atmosphere or a catch can.

 

Make sure the tyres are pumped up to right amount (pretty obvious), along with removing the inlet and cleaning it so it's completely spanking.

 

Another thing I did was a liquimoly diesel purge which was really easy to do and saw great benefits. I've blanked the EGR valve off for now, also check all your boost pipes for leaks.

 

When I got a decat and mufflerectomy I saw an increase in MPG and the instant turbo spool is such a bonus!

 

I'm in a massive rush now but i'm sure there are a few other things i've missed out.

Edited 3 November, 201312 yr by Dann2707

Thanks Gents,

 

Im looking at getting cruise installed - defo something on the to do list, just need to organise it.

 

Centre arm rest - I have been looking but not been successful. Where is best to find one? Also, will do a remap as suggested once choosing the right modifications.

 

Dann2707 - Im interested in what you have done - thats quite an achievement on the MPG! Who carried out the work on your car - I would prefer to have it done by someone who knows what they're doing!

 

Best,

 

adil

I've got the fabia 2 arm rest. It screws into the floor so is solid. The mk4 golf one is cheaper and fixes with 4 self tappers but abit flimsy

Hi Kyle,

 

Not sure if this is the same one, but it seems really expensive if it is...

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Skoda-Fabia-and-Roomster-centre-armrest-DAO700001-Genuine-accessory-/130651940453?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item1e6b766665

 

Best,

 

adil

I did it all myself matey! Love to get stuck in by myself, i'm doing automotive engineering at Uni so it's what i'm really into

As far as performance goes then a re-map represents very good bang for your bucks! About £300 should get you a decent custom re-map.

Anything beyond will generally see ever decreasing gains and ever increasing costs - But I guess you could say that about any car!

Maintenance: Change air filter at 10K intervals rather than the joke 40K in the service book. Change fuel filter if previous change date is not known.

 

Consider 205/50 tyres - several have done so .... with accompanying "views" (both themselves and on-lookers) over the years. Considering the distance driven each day, consider running tyre pressures towards the top end of recommended.

 

Get cruise control.

 

Consider the advice regarding sound deadening.

 

If remotely considering lowering or coilovers/springs+dampers, take a long hard look at any lanes. I'm only running Eibachs (-25mm) and have had at least one major palpitation when a rock clattered about the underside. Narrow highly cambered lanes liable to flooding and stones/rocks...