Hi there,

I am wondering if anyone can help, or has a similar problem with there skoda fabia.

Basically I have a skoda fabia estate 1.2tsi 85bhp petrol. It is three months old and has done 1600 miles. When I go over bumpy roads and sometime when I go over a speed bump I get a knocking noise through the steering wheel a vibration can be felt at the same time. It doesn't matter what speed I'm doing but it's more noticeable when going between 15 to 30mph. It also makes no difference if I'm turning the steering wheel or driving straight. It also happens in any gear.

I have taken it into my dealership twice. They can't find the cause although they can hear it. They are waiting for a fabia to come in with the same spec to compare. I am not happy as I did not expect to get any type of rattle noise from a new car.

any advice would be appreciated.

Welcome to the Forum.

 

They are going to have to Continue Trying to find the cause, for your safety & other Road Users.

So best arrange to have the vehicle left until they find the cause.

 

Maybe the Dealer Principal can drive your car & you get his until he gets his Technicians to do their stuff.

 

Have the Tyre Pressures been checked,   The Tyres closely inspected for defects.

 

the Wheel Nuts tightness checked,

& proper visual inspections carried out already?

Has it had a full Inspection of the Engine Mounts, Springs, Dampers Brakes, generally everything checked for the correct tightness?

 

You might have to go to another Skoda Dealership that will try harder to find the source of the noise,

and resolve it for you.

 

george

Thank you George for your advice.

When I took it in the first time they said they corrected a loose air box and adjusted the back seats and assured me they could not hear the noise. So I drove it out the dealership only to still hear and feel the subtle knovking noise. When it went in the second time a different mechanic went out with me and he could hear it so they took it in for a few days and got the "head machanic" to look at it and "check everything" but still they couldn't find the cause. They also took another fabia with the same specs as mine and said it did the same thing so they said it must just happen in some fabia's (hmmm).

I was not happy that they didn't offer me to sit in the other car so I could confirm that I heard it too.

If I take it to another dealership will I need to pay as its a different dealership to the one I got the car from. Its obviously still under warranty.

Many thanks.

Laura

You would be as well to call Skoda UK Customer Services and Log that you have issues with your new car.

 

You will not have to pay at a Skoda Dealership to have Warranty Work done.

Do you have Friends of Family with mechanical knowledge that can drive the car to get their opinion.

 

As you know the car is not right, you really should not have to let it spoil your new car experience.

 

Hopefully drivers of the same car will be along with advice and their experiences.

 

all the best

george

 

http://skoda.co.uk/about-us/contact-us

I have logged it and I asked the call handler to communicate with the dealership (while i was on hold) so they know I have logged this with skoda. Okay well I will try another dealership then to see if I can get to the bottom of this.

Mine has done this since I got it - originally on 58K now on 88K. A number of garages and Skoda dealers have looked at it and can't work out what it is. I have been advised by one dealer it is "the sound of the wheels on a rougher surface!"

 

Well they have heard it, as I was sat next to them on a test run, and said it is probably because its on 16" alloys thats why it makes the noise! My car is completely standard.

The only place it mainly does the noise is in my work car park and that is quite rough.

 

I tend not to worry about it now, though it is interesting a new car is doing this. I would certainly recommend they investigate it and if necessary I would reject the car. The power is in your hands at this stage with only 1600 miles on the clock!

Thank you for your reply. Do you know what would happen if it came to rejecting the car (I hope it doesn't go this far)? Would a replacement be sort or a refund?

Its interesting how you are experiencing the same thing. The annoying thing is it happens every time I drive it not just one particular road.

Thanks again!

No problem. I don't know how it works in terms of rejecting it. I have never had to do this as I always own older cars (can't afford a new one!). I know a lot of members on here talk about rejecting their cars if they are unhappy. A number of Fabia vRS owners on here have had oil consumption issues / new engines etc. If you are not happy with the vehicle you are within your rights to return as it is not fit for purpose under the trade descriptions act.

 

Yes, I had this since I picked it up second hand (4 1/2 years old) from the Skoda dealer. I have had a Skoda warranty since (extended it twice) and I have had several people look into it with no success. I just find the noise irritating, usually on the work carpark or on a rough surface.

 

Best of luck getting it sorted. I do hope you find a solution. Keep me posted if they find the answer as I would be most interested

It should not get to the situation of rejecting the car.

 

Skoda UK will have to get a Specialist or just a Qualified Motor Engineer to inspect your car if a Skoda Sales Dealership has no Competent Technicians that can find the problem.

 

They might even have to do what they did with the likes of  the 'Pulling to the Left' Fabias,

have an Audi or VW Workshop have a look see.

Must be a better standard of Factory Trained Technicians there or something.

 

Best just keep at Skoda UK to see what action they are going to take,

If nothing,  then contact the Trading Standards and get Advice & log a Case.

Find out about rejecting the car.

 

The Manufacturer needs the opportunity to resolve the Issue, You bought the Car at a Dealership, But Skoda are Providing the Warranty.

I've got it booked in again on the 28th july...I can almost predict the outcome.

I understand vw polo's are very similar to the fabia. So I have tried to see if any vw owners report the same issue. I found one with a very similar case to mine and the outcome for them was with the return pipe going into the power steering rack. It aounded like they had a long drawn out process but it finely got replaced and fixed the noise. Apparently vw were working on a modification for this fault.

I wonder (its a long shot) if the skoda fabia has a similar problem. But to convinced the mechanics at skoda to look at this (I don't think they are taking me seriously) :-(

I googled  'vw polo knocking'    as well.

 

Quite surprised it was only car related sites that appeared.

I read the Polo Forum post.

 

Hopefully when you talk with the Dealer Principal when you drop off your car they will take you seriously.

Express your disappointment at the experience you have had with the car and his/her Dealership.

 

Collect the Courtesy car, hold onto the keys, when you return for yours,

if they have not been able to resolve the issue, just tell them to keep your car until the Fault is Repaired.

My car had the power steering rack replaced in the end. The dealership was instructed to send a fault report to skoda uk who advised them to replace it. (Why the skoda dealership didn't think to do this the second time I brought it in I'm unsure! ). Monday I am getting a call from the manager in the customer service department for skoda uk to discuss some kind of good will gesture.

So far the car is driving fine. ..fingers crossed

loopylau, glad all seems ok now. Although not an everyday occurrence, it's not too uncommon to get knocks and grumbles from new cars of any make. Finding them is often a nightmare, I speak as an ex-master tech of 33 years. You can go over a car inch by inch and still not find the problem. And believe me, we know what to look for, mostly. But even so we used to get surprises all the time. You may try different things to stop it and think you've got it only to find the customer back again telling you you're an idiot for not finding it and they want a new car and for you to lose your job because you are incompetent!! Yep, really, some people have no tolerance. So, the issue is not about being competent (all techs do know their stuff) but it is about having a proper look, maybe not finding anything, then having to replace parts one by one. It can take time. But, and here's the thing, someone has to pay for those parts and it shouldn't be the customer of course. Substitution of parts is not always an option for testing. Manufacturers have to clear any work done under warranty by the dealer otherwise the dealer will have to foot the bill which sometimes is massive. The majority of clunks, clicks, rattles are a no cost fix but some aren't. Your steering rack is an expensive item so glad it's fixed. Incidentally, a rattling or clunking rack is just that, it doesn't normally affect performance but it's right it's been changed. 

Thanks for the update loopylau. I always thought the noise was coming from the rack, as it was very similar to a noise I had in the past.

 

Do others think I need to discuss this further with Skoda? I have an extended warranty. I have put up with it for over 2 years now. What happens if it fails? No steering? :(

richard, I would suggest you see your garage and have a chat about it. Personally, I would want it tracked down and if it is the rack, get it changed. I'm assuming your dealer has made sure the rack is not loose on the bulkhead (that must be addressed). It's likely caused by a shim issue inside the rack.

Many thanks Estateman - I will mention it when its next in.