2004 Fabia vrs

[yurgster]

Hi,

 

I recently purchased a 2004 Fabia vrs in black. It was a spur of the moment purchase, and only after buying it I realised how much I love it. 

 

I picked it up for £1000, but does need some work.  86k miles ( serviced up to 75K) 

 

I am starting to sort the car out as it has some issues.
 

1 - No power steering - Orange warning light is light up on the dash
 

2 - Battery going flat over night (I am pretty sure this is linked to the power steering)

 

4 - ABS light on - ( had new calipers fitted recently - maybe a sensor not working right?)

 

5 - Paintwork is feeling gritty ( any suggestions?)

 

6 - Needing new Front tyres (will Toyo Proxes Be Okay?)

 

Getting the car plugged in this Weekend and hopefully I will have a better Idea on What its going to Cost to put Right.

After fixing it mechanically I will have a look at the interior and Exterior.

[Jamiekirk95]

5 - Paintwork is feeling gritty ( any suggestions?) A good wash, decontamination, tar remover, iron remover and a clay bar, polish, wipe down and a couple of layers of wax/sealant should sort that out.

 

 

6 - Needing new Front tyres (will Toyo Proxes Be Okay?) Proxes have mixed reviews on here, they seem to be quite soft so you might get through a lot on the front, the ones i would go with would be uniroyal rainsport 3's which seem to have better reviews.

[vr6 south]

 Battery going flat over night (I am pretty sure this is linked to the power steering)

 

It maybe that your battery is weak or almost dead as the two can be linked as you have mentioned. Best to get it drop tested PAS faults on Fabias usually show before you have any issues with starting the car. Also check that the alternator is putting charge back into the battery. 

[yurgster]

The charge voltage is 14(ish) volts.

Will check codes this weekend. And get the battery tested.

Thanks

[yurgster]

5 - Paintwork is feeling gritty ( any suggestions?) A good wash, decontamination, tar remover, iron remover and a clay bar, polish, wipe down and a couple of layers of wax/sealant should sort that out.

 

 

6 - Needing new Front tyres (will Toyo Proxes Be Okay?) Proxes have mixed reviews on here, they seem to be quite soft so you might get through a lot on the front, the ones i would go with would be uniroyal rainsport 3's which seem to have better reviews.

Looks like I will need to get stocked up on cleaning products.

The tyres seem to be in the same price range. Thanks

[SKYHAWK]

I got pump, alternator and angle sensor if needed pm me

[Jamiekirk95]

Looks like I will need to get stocked up on cleaning products.

The tyres seem to be in the same price range. Thanks

 

If you ever need any products recommending feel free to drop me a PM

[yurgster]

Any suggestions on free software for obd2? I use easy OBD, but it only reads engine faults. 

 

It isn't reading any ABS or PAS codes? Is there any free OBD that can?

 

Thanks

[mattbvRS]

VCDS Lite is what you want as it's more specific to the car. It won't do everything however so you may need to find someone on here who's local to you with the full version and official interface if it's not to your needs. The proper version is a good few hundred quid you see! 
I'm not sure if VCDS Lite will work with a basic universal interface but you can get the VAG KKL interface from here 

[DanHarper]

6 - Needing new Front tyres (will Toyo Proxes Be Okay?) Proxes have mixed reviews on here, they seem to be quite soft so you might get through a lot on the front, the ones i would go with would be uniroyal rainsport 3's which seem to have better reviews.

 

RainSports are soft too and often get a bashing from those with nose heavy torquey diesels for being out of puff by 8-10k miles. (Put 8k on mine with the Celica and they were down to 6mm... so personally I rate them).

[yurgster]

VCDS Lite is what you want as it's more specific to the car. It won't do everything however so you may need to find someone on here who's local to you with the full version and official interface if it's not to your needs. The proper version is a good few hundred quid you see! 

I'm not sure if VCDS Lite will work with a basic universal interface but you can get the VAG KKL interface from here

 

I think I will wait till the weekend, as my pal has a full diagnostic kit. I'm not sure what the name of it is, but I know it cost him over a grand for the setup. He sorted my Subaru legacy with it. Just hate being a pain and getting him over with it. Im sure a pint or two would keep him sweet.

 

The roads up here chew tyres regardless. They stone Chip them ever 2-3 years so its like driving on a never ending cheese grater. Only tyres that have lasted up here were the goodyear ultragrip. But they were on my Subaru, the 4wd was quite easy on the tyres.

[yurgster]

I'm going to de-chrome the fro t grill. What do you guys suggest as the best method. I have worked with vinyl wrap allot, managed to wrap my gsxr750 in full carbon effect so will be easy.

Another thing I was thinking was plastidip. Or just plain old spray paint.

Thanks

[Toxicvrs]

I'm going to de-chrome the fro t grill. What do you guys suggest as the best method. I have worked with vinyl wrap allot, managed to wrap my gsxr750 in full carbon effect so will be easy.

Another thing I was thinking was plastidip. Or just plain old spray paint.

Thanks

FB_IMG_1422736424190.jpgFB_IMG_1422736760810.jpg

Spray paint but strip all chrome off first

[yurgster]

My left front window regulator cable has snapped. Is it easy enough to fit a new cable or should I just buy the whole unit for £35?

[Red Fox]

RainSports are soft too and often get a bashing from those with nose heavy torquey diesels for being out of puff by 8-10k miles. (Put 8k on mine with the Celica and they were down to 6mm... so personally I rate them).

Ive got RS3 with the stiffer sidewall on I've done about 7k (including to Monaco and back) and I'm down to 4-5mm they are excellent in the dry and astonishing in the wet. I'm expecting to get another six months at the most so I will probably look at something else with an A rated wet grip.

 

Camskill are good for the RS3's £64 a Tyre as apposed to £120 ish if you go to quick fit or national Camskill's price doesn't include fitting but it'll cost only £10 to £15 to get them fitted at an independent fitter.

 

Camskill - http://www.camskill.co.uk/

Camskill UR3 - http://www.camskill.co.uk/m62b0s344p111619/Uniroyal_Tyres_Car_Uniroyal_RainSport3_Uniroyal_Rain_Sport_3_-_205_45_R16_87Y_XL_FR_TL_Fuel_Eff_%3A_C_Wet_Grip%3A_A_NoiseClass%3A_2_Noise%3A_72dB

 

My left front window regulator cable has snapped. Is it easy enough to fit a new cable or should I just buy the whole unit for £35?

Just spend the £35 m8.

Its so much hassle to try and re-spool the cable. I had a go and ended up with one side longer than the other, after 3 hrs it went in the bin and I ordered the full pre-built panel, only thing to watch for is when you fit the window motor don't tighten the screws too tight as it will snap the plastic mountings on the spool, as i found out fixed it using araldite

[yurgster]

Thanks for the sound advice. Can't wait to get her on the road. All the little jobs seem to be mounting up.