Ally's Skoda Fabia VRS Estate TSI

[Th3Grinch]

Good to hear. Looking forward to your write up as we have baaically the same car...meaning I have no centre silencer and have the itg fitted too. Enjoy it buddy

[Ally_bassman]

We do! Only difference really is mine is an estate. You will happy to know that the DSG farts on up shifts are a lot louder with the TMC and you get a lovely Porsche sounding "Yarrrrrrrrr' noise at 5-6k. Having a ITG and resonator delete is an awesome setup on its own, when you get your TMC it will be even better! :-)

[Frenchi93]

Very nice build thread mate, just read all the way through and enjoyed a lot of the things you have done to the car and the reviews you gave. I hope the TMC box keeps putting a massive smile on your face and I'm glad that you were happy with everything

Ryan

[sharkrider]

with the ITG too Ally (and exhaust?) you could be making about 210bhp

[Ally_bassman]

That would be nice Sharkrider. It certainly feels like a 200bhp car using the bum dyno! ;-) I've got the same setup as VRS-powered's old car and he got 211bhp I believe?? So I need to get mine on the rollers now. Anything over 200 and I will be a happy boy!

[sharkrider]

That would be nice Sharkrider. It certainly feels like a 200bhp car using the bum dyno! ;-) I've got the same setup as VRS-powered's old car and he got 211bhp I believe?? So I need to get mine on the rollers now. Anything over 200 and I will be a happy boy!

Thats where I was getting the figure from , my memory of his build thread

 

as you put the miles on, you will find its so much more than it initially feels..... the mid range improvement is the most amazing thing... overtaking manouvers become somethng else.... make it capabale of some shocking straight line acceleration...

 

My old CAVE gave 200bhp with the box on 7 , and NO other mods... the new CTHE feels the same, but as they are RR ing at about 195bhp I would expect so....

 

it will make you smile

[Ally_bassman]

Haha you shouldn't have said, I was impressed with your guesstimate! ;-) Oooo even more excited now for getting more miles on it and finding the extra potential. She made me smile when it was completely standard, more so with the ITG, even more so with the exhaust mod and now it'a just silly how big my grin is!

[Ally_bassman]

My car went in for its 30k mile service (28900) today. Upon dropping it off I was asked to sign a sheet outlining the DSG 'recall' my car was due. It was no surprise with my car being an 11 plate. As well as the usual service items (Oil change etc) I requested that all 4 spark plugs be changed and the brake fluid be done also as the pedal was starting to feel spongy.

 

When I picked my car up I was pleasantly surprised to find that the work had been completed as requested including keeping the original plugs. The service was free but I paid for the brake fluid and spark plug change. For £116 all in I cannot argue too much. Well done Lightcliffe Skoda Warrington! :clap:

 

Here is a picture of all 4 spark plugs taken out of my car. They are the old spec ones and have been replaced by the new spec 03c905601b plugs

 

 

Here is the notorious number 3!

 

 

I'm not too sure what to think of them, they look ok to me, so please post your thoughts!

 

On the drive home I did notice a few differences with how the car performed.

 

- Idle is the same

- Power delivery is the same too, just as strong as before

- I found in gear acceleration to be smoother, for example on the motorway in D7 the car felt smoother and more eager to accelerate on slight increases in speed (65-70 for example)

- The engine seems to be quitter at motorway speeds

 

DSG Box after recall

 

- Gear changes are just as smooth, if not smoother in higher gears (6-7 for example)

- Downshifts seem to be a little slower but smoother

- Upshifts speed is no different

- I did have a little DSG hesitation moment while in stop start traffic. I am going to keep my eye on it but I might put it down to DSG re-learning.

[sharkrider]

glad all went well. plugs look ok to me.

 

and yeah, I expect the DSG will speed up to your way of driving shortly

 

mine goes in thursday for the recall :(

[Ally_bassman]

It seems like most to all cars are effected :-( not just early CAVE ones as first thought.

[sharkrider]

yeah mine is 2013 CTHE....

[MartynVRS]

Nice mods so far. Only found the thread after looking for some exhaust options, which for the estate don't seem to be many. My back box is showing early signs of failing. So centre box delete is an option but what about the rest of it?

I've recently bought Bilstein B8's and Eibach's and I'm just waiting to fit them. Michelin PS3's are on and it feels much better. Came to the conclusion that if I sell I'll get screwed since the part ex values are shocking so it makes more sense spending to refresh the car and keep it a few more years. Got some big bills up ahead like a full service, new windscreen and insurance but long term I think it will be worth it. I use oil but only 1l in about 5k. It gets driven hard everyday too for over 100 miles so I think that's pretty good.

[Ally_bassman]

I'm coming to that same conclusion, they are not holding their value well. I may be able to trade up to a new Octy VRS but I really want to get out of my flat and into a house with the Girlfriend. So my plan is to keep the Fabia and just improve it where I can.

Wow I am envious! That will really transform the car! Make sure you post a write up of the changes. :-) How do you find the PS3's?

[Ally_bassman]

With regards to the exhaust; the resonator delete has been great, really like the sound it produces now, seems to be less intrusive on the estate because the pipes are slightly further away but it's still an excellent noise.

The custom exhaust place I took mine to could have created a new back box and pipes, mine is in good condition so I've left it alone for now.

I'd be happy with that oil consumption! Mine uses more than that, I use half the dip stick in 1000 miles, which I'm happy to live with. I just top her to the top (650ml) and then run it back down to the bottom over 2000 miles or so.

[MartynVRS]

I'm coming to that same conclusion, they are not holding their value well. I may be able to trade up to a new Octy VRS but I really want to get out of my flat and into a house with the Girlfriend. So my plan is to keep the Fabia and just improve it where I can.

Wow I am envious! That will really transform the car! Make sure you post a write up of the changes. :-) How do you find the PS3's?

The PS3's grip really well and only after I put them on last time I noticed the chassis couldn't keep up with how much grip they have. When I had them changed a few weeks ago I noticed the front shock is starting to leak so I thought why not

[Sparkly]

The PS3's grip really well and only after I put them on last time I noticed the chassis couldn't keep up with how much grip they have. When I had them changed a few weeks ago I noticed the front shock is starting to leak so I thought why not

 

Sorry Ally, I know this is your thread, but Martyn I think you will be over the moon when you switch out the springs and dampers, genuinely startling the difference this makes to the car.

 

I really think you should give some thought to a build thread with the new philosophy, unless I missed it and you have one already.

 

And to both, it sounds like we are all in the same boat, I have also had days when I have pondered a switch but it makes far more sense to keep the Fabia and tinker to keep my interest levels up.  I am also getting to a point now that any stock car within budget would fall massively short of what the little green beastie is capable of.  There isn't very much on the road day to day that is quicker than it straight line or cornering.  Probably same as others I just wish I could nail down the right mods to make it more refined, I will be dynamatting or the like soon in an effort to help this along.

[MartynVRS]

Aplologies for derailing the thread. I'll make my own one tonight when I get home. No photobucket access in work

[Ally_bassman]

It's no problem! It's all relevant so it's all welcome! :-)

[Wardy]

I saw exhausts mentioned. Pipewerx are highly recommended, and even better if you're in the North West as they're nearby

 

Did the business on my Octy in 2011 and still looked and performed as new, when the car was sold last month

 

http://www.pipewerxcars.com/

[MartynVRS]

I'm in Swansea

[Wardy]

Worth the trip though. Well priced for the quality too.

[Greedyben]

Nice build thread Ally, definitely a few things I shall be looking into!

Have you got any side-on shots of the car with the H&R springs fitted? I have only seen them on a hatchback (which I think sit a tad lower?).

[Ally_bassman]

Thank you very much! I can get some more recent shots for you, ironically I can't right now as I'm sat in Skoda waiting for all four dark chrome alloys to be changed under warranty (wohooooo)

The H&R springs are slightly lower than the Ebiach ones. Only downside is they are not Skoda approved. With regards the difference to the Estate v Hatch, on the H&R springs, they sit exactly the same on the front, the rear is where they differ. The estate sits higher at the back to compensate for the extra weight they could carry. I don't mind it too much, it gives the car a raked out look like the Red Bull F1 cars.

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[Ally_bassman]

Oh no, I've just been spending some time in a Octy VRS TSI............

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[Ally_bassman]

As requested by Greedyben; here are a few side pics of my car on H&R lowering springs.

Please note the brand new immaculate Dark Chrome Gigaro's fitted today after a 7 month battle with Skoda getting them replaced. Being polite and respectful on the phone and doing what they ask is really beneficial and got me X4 new wheels even though my warranty expired months ago!