Morning all, I am new on here.

 

I currently own a 2014 Ford Fiesta ST on finance but will be handing the car back in under 12 months because it is bye bye finance and hello first house purchase - I can't afford both!

 

I have long been an admirer of the original Fabia 1.9 TDi VRS and have heard great things about the in gear pace, reliability and value for money. I would try to allow in my estaimated budget of £3.5k - £4k for a superchips or similar re-map which adds approx 30bhp and 50 torques.

 

Can anyone give me some general pointers for future reference? Known issues?

 

Has anyone had theirs re-mapped and recommends or regrets it?

 

Cheers

Should be able to pick up a decent one for around 3k these days, leaving 1k for little mods and upgrades for it. Loads of nice ones for sale on here at the moment.

 

Just look out for the usual really, service history, if and when the cambelt and waterpump was changed, if it's quite high mileage then check for the clutch slipping, any issues with gears

 

As for suspension, see how the ride feels, any knocking or suqeeks, but if you're going to change the suspension and lower it then i wouldn't worry too much about, can get most bits changed as you do that and won't cost too much.

 

There are other smaller issues like door seal leaks and you would check for wet carpets but you probably won't be able to tell this time of the year anyway, but it's an easy fix anyway.

 

As long as you use a reputable place to get it remapped then you shouldn't have any issues with it, i'd go with an actual remap rather then tuning box or superchip

Edited 12 April, 201511 yr by Harry1212

As much as I love my fabia to pieces and can't part with it, it will not be a spot on St. My friend has a stage two fez St and it's just a monster, it handles insanely well for a standard car and even mine running reasonable spec with a lsd I struggle round bends against him.

Don't get me wrong the fabia is a great car but it'll be different for sure.

A custom map from faboka on here will totally change the car and make it around 170ish bhp and 300lbs which is good for a daily driver

As Paul has just said above - the Fabia is a great car. In a straight line it is impressive for a diesel. But into the bendies you can quickly find yourself sliding straight towards the hedge/wall on the outside of the corner!

Especially compared to your ST.

To SonofOfin - try and find one with factory leathers or with some aftermarket/exchanged black or darker seats than the original, unless you're a really clean type.

Check for excessive oil spillage/signs of oil around the boost pipe and the turbo, and check the above pipes are solid and secure.

As someone above mentioned - check underneath the rear mats for any mould, as the rear door seals are notorious for leaking. How many miles do you do a day? Cruise control is a fairly easy modification to do or have done if you're doing some motorway munching.

JRJG

Many thanks for the input. I know only too well how awesome the ST is on country roads through the bends but what I like about the Skoda is that I can pick up a decent car for relatively low money and get it re-mapped for better performance. This in turn as I understand it, will lead to much better MPG, circa 60.

 

I think I've just got to get my priorities right so I don't mind a car that has shortcomings compared to the ST, the superb economy will be a big plus point for me in monthly fuel bills once I take on a mortgage. Even though I only do about 6k miles per year.

 

I would certainly use a well respected local tuning firm that I know of as opposed to an OBD port chip.

 

Cheers

Try and find one with some nice extras it will hold its value better.

Options to look out for.

Maxi dot dash.

sunroof.

leather/heated seats.

Xenon lights.

Cruise control.

There are probably a few more but nothing springs to mind.

55 plate cars and earlier (ASZ engine code) have simpler emissions kit on them and are easier to swap out the standard turbo for a Garrett if you feel the need.

Do bear in mind that these are starting to be very old cars now and they are not cheap to buy for the age of them. They are extremely robust though and most, by now, should have had the doors sealed and the bushes replaced.

Remapping a high mileage engine will most likely be fine but there is a higher than usual risk of turbo failure and clutch wear may increase depending on how you drive it so I would budget at least £1000 for rectification work or pre-remap precautionary maintenance.

I also wouldn't bank on getting better mpg after a remap. In theory, it can go up, but it only ever has once in my experience and that also involved a DPF delete on the car concerned.

Good luck!

Thanks for the further input. Lots of research will be done closer to the time (I have had a glance on Autotrader already) and further visits to this site. An Octavia 1.8 VRS crossed my mind but I am unsure about the monthly fuel bills. Clearly, I don't do many miles per year but with a mortgage and utility bills each month, I'm not sure the Octavia's MPG would be all that great and therefore lead to higher monthly fuel bills.

 

Cheers

For the miles you do the difference a year between the fabia and Octavia won't be that much. Plus you'll pick up a tidy Octavia cheaper than a fabia.

Octavia vrs diesel?

I don't think the Octavia VRS diesel came out until the facelift model which will be beyond my expected budget. Plenty to consider and who knows, I might win the lotto before then and buy an Aston Martin instead lol

You can get pre facelift mk2 Octavia diesels with the PD170 engine. I would expect you to be able to find one within budget but I would also expect it to have a pretty spectacular mileage.

I think Fabia's are very underrated. I've had nineteen cars and I'd say they are the best I've had.

This has got to be the biggest coincidence in the world. I have a Fiesta ST 64 reg and handing it back to swap to a Fabia VRS also as I am getting a house next year too. Haha!!