Hi all, first time poster but have used the site off a while, would love to get some advice.

So, I'm pretty set on a Fabia VRS estate, will be a used one as I'm looking to spend around 12k (so will probably be a 2010 - 2012). I've had a few test drives and there's one or 2 things that bug me slightly, so i thought I'd get some advice on retro fitting some upgrades etc.

Gear knob - Much prefer the one in the Golf or Octavia DSG, can these be retrofit?

Sat Nav - Heard the Columbus is a better unit, can these be retrofit?

Steering wheel - not a big fan of the older style, can this be upgraded?

Black Pack - is it possible to get this retro added?

Armrest - can this be fitted?

I know the above might sound fussy, but given how rare these things seem to be with all the spec on they're things that would help me.

Cheers all.

black pack, only the grill i think, read somewhere the lights are different but i could be wrong

armrest, deffo yes

sat nav, again i think you can although vcds might be needed

not sure about other 2

 

oh and ask skoda uk if its had any warranty work, especially around high oil usage

Edited 15 May, 201412 yr by the mad monk

Welcome to the forum.

 

If you had a budget of  £12,000 i would want an vRS Estate Late 2012 or newer.

 

That is the vRS with a CTHE engine in the last quarter 2012 on.

I would not buy a 2010-2012 CAVE engine car unless you are very sure it is a Perfect Engine.

 

The one on here in Red is Low Mileage and the Asking Price could probably be bettered.

It will be a CAVE engine i would think. So unless a certain good engine worth giving a miss. IMO

http://autotrader.co.uk

 

george

Black pack is grill only, you can fit the headlights but apparently it needs re-wiring!

All of the others, yes.

If your wallet is deep enough.

Good luck with the search :-)

I love my VRS estate, cracking little/big car.

Hi all, first time poster but have used the site off a while, would love to get some advice.

So, I'm pretty set on a Fabia VRS estate, will be a used one as I'm looking to spend around 12k (so will probably be a 2010 - 2012). I've had a few test drives and there's one or 2 things that bug me slightly, so i thought I'd get some advice on retro fitting some upgrades etc.

Gear knob - Much prefer the one in the Golf or Octavia DSG, can these be retrofit?

Sat Nav - Heard the Columbus is a better unit, can these be retrofit?

Steering wheel - not a big fan of the older style, can this be upgraded?

Black Pack - is it possible to get this retro added?

Armrest - can this be fitted?

I know the above might sound fussy, but given how rare these things seem to be with all the spec on they're things that would help me.

Cheers all.

Gear knob - Do you mean like one of these?

 

SatNav - Fairly easy to upgrade from the Swing. Very easy to upgrade from the Amundsen.

Steering Wheel - Easy enough to upgrade to the 2013 onwards version but you'll need a matching airbag too.

Black Pack - I considered this but the dip beam is bad enough that I don't want main beam sharing the projector unit. I'm still wondering what the black pack grill will look like on a black car with the original silver headlights.

Armrest - I think they're available for about £130 and aren't too difficult to fit. I'm hoping that mine gets replaced under warranty as the hinges for the lid have broken.

Thanks all, sounds reasonably positive, can anyone confirm the headlights?

Yeah Phil, something like that one. @goneoffski, good advice, thanks I'll bear that in mind.

Thanks

Thanks all, sounds reasonably positive, can anyone confirm the headlights?

Yeah Phil, something like that one. @goneoffski, good advice, thanks I'll bear that in mind.

Thanks

You would need the dealer to order you some black pack headlights and have them retrofitted. Will be an expensive job. He black grille can be done cheap enough tho which gives part of the effect. If you are spending 12k tho I'd imagine you'd be able to get a later car with the black pack already fitted as standard.

You would need the dealer to order you some black pack headlights and have them retrofitted. Will be an expensive job. He black grille can be done cheap enough tho which gives part of the effect. If you are spending 12k tho I'd imagine you'd be able to get a later car with the black pack already fitted as standard.

Yeah you'd think so, but getting most of the spec I'm looking for is proving difficult, thanks for the advice on the lights and grill.

Ok, looks like I'm getting closer to a deal on one of these, but I have a question I could do with some advice on.

Seen a lot of feedback on high oil consumption and DSG problems on CAVE engines. How can I find out if this is likely to affect the car I'm buying, also it it fair feedback or just a little over hyped?

Anything else I should be looking out for.

Cheers.

Ok, looks like I'm getting closer to a deal on one of these, but I have a question I could do with some advice on.

Seen a lot of feedback on high oil consumption and DSG problems on CAVE engines. How can I find out if this is likely to affect the car I'm buying, also it it fair feedback or just a little over hyped?

Anything else I should be looking out for.

Cheers.

Hi macca,

How old is the car you are looking at? Is there much warranty left?

Best thing to do is phone up Skoda uk with the reg number and ask if there has ever been any warranty work done. If there is any history of oil consumption tests or "breather mod" then walk away. If it's already had a new engine several thousand miles ago and not used oil since then it might be ok.

If it's a newer CTHE engined car then the odds are good it wont have any issues. Personally if it's a CAVE engine with the warranty running out I wouldn't touch with a barge pole. If it is a CAVE car make sure you buy some sort of extended warranty if you can.

Hope that helps!

@Furbytom, it's a 2011' I'm looking into warranty now.

I'll give Skoda a call and see what the crack is, fingers crossed as I really want this one. Cheers.

There's a July 2012 Race Blue with Black Pack Estate going to up for sale next week for about £7.5-8k - downside is it's got 61k on the clock.  Good news it had a replacement CAVE engine at 22k and uses less than a litre per 18.5k (it's on variable servicing).

 

I know it - I'm driving it..

@Furbytom, it's a 2011' I'm looking into warranty now.

I'll give Skoda a call and see what the crack is, fingers crossed as I really want this one. Cheers.

 

Ok, so spoken to the dealer who has serviced it from new, they were quite helpful.

 

No mentions of oil consumption tests or breather mods, car has done north of 25k miles, and has been serviced 3 times, latest one being in December 2013.  Sadly the warranty has expired in the last couple of weeks.

 

What's the consensus, worth buying?

Most would say a vRS out of warranty is a liability.  Can you get an Approved warranty thrown in to the deal?  Won't be worth as much as a "from new" one, but worth it for peace of mind.

Most would say a vRS out of warranty is a liability.  Can you get an Approved warranty thrown in to the deal?  Won't be worth as much as a "from new" one, but worth it for peace of mind.

 

I don't at all mind purchasing an approved warranty, but are they available?

 

The car is at an independent dealer, not a Skoda.  Is it possible to buy an extended warranty that covers VRS type issues?

 

Cheers for the help

I believe that you can purchase a skoda approved warranty from a skoda dealers or over the phone from Skoda. I think they use warranty direct company.

You could go direct with warranty direct but just make sure you read all the small print and exclusions :-)

I believe that you can purchase a skoda approved warranty from a skoda dealers or over the phone from Skoda. I think they use warranty direct company.

You could go direct with warranty direct but just make sure you read all the small print and exclusions :-)

 

Cheers, they use Car Care Plan, I've emailed them to ask them specifically about the "known" issues with vRS models.  Will see what they say.

Ok, quick update.

 

Car seems clean but had some comfort from my local Skoda dealer (thanks MidlifecrisisT).  They will sell me an extended warranty even if I buy the car from a non Skoda dealer.  Apparently they do a pre warranty check (for £60) which highlights only "obvious" issues before they grant the warranty.

 

After this if the issue becomes real they will honour any warranty work as per original warranty.

 

Does anyone have any experience negotiating the cost down on the warranties, they want circa £550 for a 2 year.

 

I might just be about to buy this one (won't lie I'm excited).

Ok, quick update.

Car seems clean but had some comfort from my local Skoda dealer (thanks MidlifecrisisT). They will sell me an extended warranty even if I buy the car from a non Skoda dealer. Apparently they do a pre warranty check (for £60) which highlights only "obvious" issues before they grant the warranty.

After this if the issue becomes real they will honour any warranty work as per original warranty.

Does anyone have any experience negotiating the cost down on the warranties, they want circa £550 for a 2 year.

I might just be about to buy this one (won't lie I'm excited).

Never heard of a pre warranty check before to be honest. Charging for it sounds abit off too.

Have you rung Skoda UK to verify the dealers account of no warranty work? Might be worth doing. I'd also see if they'd let you contact the last registered keeper to enquire about the car.

If these things check out then it would be reasonable to have confidence in the car and go for it! :-)

Ok, quick update.

Car seems clean but had some comfort from my local Skoda dealer (thanks MidlifecrisisT). They will sell me an extended warranty even if I buy the car from a non Skoda dealer. Apparently they do a pre warranty check (for £60) which highlights only "obvious" issues before they grant the warranty.

After this if the issue becomes real they will honour any warranty work as per original warranty.

Does anyone have any experience negotiating the cost down on the warranties, they want circa £550 for a 2 year.

I might just be about to buy this one (won't lie I'm excited).

No worries! I enquired with a skoda dealers about this a few months ago as my car is 3 years old in October and original warranty expires, so I asked about extending the warranty on mine. It is a little pricey I know. But for that peace of mind I'll definitely pay for it :-) you'll have to let us know how you get on with the haggling!!

The car really is incredible. I still look forward to getting in and driving! I drive it for the sake of it some times :-). It really is an awesome machine. You won't be disappointed.

Cheers, it certainly seems to be the best all round fit for us, my friend had the hatchback and still maintains it was the best car he's ever had.

The only sticking point (which won't be halting the purchase) is the cabin space in the rear, it's been hard to dig up numbers to compare against a golf or focus, but I'm sure there won't be a gigantic difference.

Hopefully can close the deal tomorrow...