Hi All,

 

This looks like a great forum. I am after some advice as I am interested in buying a Fabia VRS. The reason I am looking at these is because my mileage is going to be somewhere in between 12k to 15k a year. They appear to be a good compromise between performance and economy.

 

I have done quite a bit of research, mainly using this forum and I have some questions.

 

1. I have a budget of around £4k. So I am looking at 2004 to 2006 cars with around 100k miles on them looking at auto trader. At this mileage should I expect the turbo and clutch to still last a while or are they going to be on their last legs by this point?

 

2. Are all years of VRS prone to letting water in through the rear doors? I am worried that due to the recent dry weather I won’t be able to spot one that is leaking as any that were leaking will have dried out by now.

 

3. Was there any revisions to bodywork, interior, engine through the lifecycle of the Mk1 Fabia VRS? I am aware of the SE versions but apart from that I can’t see anything obvious. Although I have seen the odd mention of something to do with a different engine code in later models?

 

4. I am into my ICE so will be upgrading the stereo. I already have an alpine head unit and JL audio sub and amp that I have removed from my previous car. In addition I will put some components up front. Is there anything I should be aware of here? Is everything straightforward when it comes to audio in the VRS? What is the symphony upgrade all about?

 

5.  What is the boot size like, looks quite small in pictures.

 

6.  This will be my first diesel ever in 13 years of driving. I have looked at buyer’s guides and things but any useful/obvious advice would be appreciated to make sure I don’t miss anything.

 

Thanks

Mike

1 really depends on its life and servicing. Turbo should be fine but listen to it, if it whistles loudly then it could be on its way out. Clutch again depends on its life and how it's been driven. Low revs in a high gear with your foot hard down on the accelerator will show signs of its condition as it will slip. Check where the bite point is aswell, higher up the travel means less meat on the clutch plate so nearing the end of its life. Listen out for rattles from the DMF on tick over too.

2 generally a common problem! Doorcards will have white marks from leaky seals and it takes the floor carpets and sound deadening weeks to dry properly. Be prepared to seal them whatever!

3 later models had blt code engine, think from around 05/06, earlier had asz engines but not sure on exact date changes sorry. Think around 2004 there were differing interiors in terms of updated dash finish (smooth to dimpled), possibly colour coded handles and updated lights? Again not 100% on that.

4 no ideas on the symphony upgrade at all but swapping for aftermarket is straight forward. Radio reception needs a powered antenna adapter as the oem head units have them built in.

5 boot is a little small in my opinion but seats down and it's a lot more practical. Depends on what you use it for.

6 have a search for this as it's been covered 100s of times and has so much info and opinions.

2. Just seal them prophylactically. It's a 30 minute job and not easily done if the weather isn't warm!

 

4. You need the trim surround for the non-OEM head unit. The cones in the front doors are held up by a riveted plastic mount that needs drilling out. You then need to make your own mounts and buy plastic ones off ebay. See the mounts I made for mine below (ignore the yellow plastic experiment). The symphony is not a bad headunit but does lack a decent EQ and obviously iPod/USB etc. support natively. 

 

Thanks for the responses so far guys.

 

Is there any difference between the engines with the different engine codes?

BLT has more stock power...approx 150bhp I believe as standard.

As above - we had 3 standard blt vrs at a recent rolling road and all 3 kicked out 146 - 148 bhp.

As above - we had 3 standard blt vrs at a recent rolling road and all 3 kicked out 146 - 148 bhp.

That's nice to know

Got a few reasons why not to re-map and that will be added to the list

To the Op:

Turn the rear floor mats over and check for mould or any signs of damp as they are rubber underneath and therefore don't breathe, mine have a nice little layer of 'cotton wool' type mould.

Don't be too put off though if the rest of the car is in good nick , as the door seals aren't a big job at all.

Get the car HPI'd if it is private would be my number one tip (Y)

JRJG

Thanks guys. 

The extra bhp is interesting as one of the first things I was going to do was a shark map. It is only going to be a daily commuter but for the price and extra performance, I thought it was worthwhile. I understand the shark map to be quite mild and therefore should not have an adverse affect on the turbo and clutch?

Thanks guys.

The extra bhp is interesting as one of the first things I was going to do was a shark map. It is only going to be a daily commuter but for the price and extra performance, I thought it was worthwhile. I understand the shark map to be quite mild and therefore should not have an adverse affect on the turbo and clutch?

It would all depend on which Map Shark put onto the ECU I suspect - if they were to install the standard map , I can't see it being damaging to the car, there will be , I suspect, several different standard maps, ones for primarily improving economy, primarily improving power, primarily improving torque, and then mixtures of the three at varying rates and figures.

Don't forget to declare it and about the increase in the insurance premium, as we all know how sly insurance companies are at getting out of paying.

The shark maps do have a good reputation for not being over fuelled and therefore not very smoky , as I have seen videos of some real chimney / steam engine plumes of smoke pouring out of remapped pd engines!

JRJG

My asz was rolling roaded at a accurate local roller and made 144bhp. Also some turbos can whistle loudly and be fine. Mine whistle like a goodun and has been fine for over 50k now.

Check for knocks over bumps, normally console bushes or anti roll bar bushes.