tweenster's Cappucino Beige Fabia Estate - New tyres

[tweenster]

After a little over 2 year's of Citigo ownership today I arranged to part ex it against this:

 

 

We need the extra space and have been on the lookout for something suitable at a reasonable price. I spotted this last weekend at Horton Skoda in Lincoln and today I sealed the deal. It's a 2014 1.2 TSI with DSG in Elegance spec and 18500 miles on the clock. The original owner delved deep in to the options list as it has cruise control, heated seats, climate control, removable tow bar (that looks unused!), rear parking sensors, maxidot, spare wheel etc (yes, I know some of those would have been part of the Elegance spec). It drives very nicely and is far more comfortable than Mrs T's Fabia vRS, and will no doubt be more economical! The additional plus is that we get to keep the vRS! We need to sort the paperwork out to transfer the number plate over so I guess it will be a week or 2 before we take delivery.

 

And yes, I am getting a flat cap, pipe and slippers for Christmas!

Edited 20 August, 2017 by tweenster

[Brian69]

Great spec (everything you could possibly need) and I like the colour  :thumbup: . Good work.

[tweenster]

Forgot to mention, £950 off on their Black Friday deal and its coming with a full 12 month Skoda warranty and 2 years servicing.

[sharkrider]

nice spec, good engine gearbox combo too

[Brimma]

Great purchase, and just run in nicely

My 'vRS' has climate, cruise, and maxidot, so I think they were all standard on the Elegance - I was lucky to get one with electric sunroof too

I got an invite to the Black Friday weekend, but don't know whether I could part with either of mine, unless they make an offer I can't refuse

[tweenster]

Been a week now waiting for the DVLA paperwork to get sorted so the number plate transfers can take place. Feeling frustrated ...

[A9X SJ]

Another Estate Owner  :clap:

[tweenster]

On ‎02‎/‎12‎/‎2016 at 22:36, A9X SJ said:

Another Estate Owner 

 

Yes indeed. But we have ... options.

 

Edited 20 August, 2017 by tweenster

[tweenster]

Waiting for your new car inevitably leads to frustration, that inevitably leads to starting a list of mods! So far, I have:

 

Immediate:

 

1.   Rubber mats front, rear and boot.

2.   Soundproof boot area.

3.   De-badge tailgate.

4.   Fit mudflaps.

 

After a short period to prove mechanics are sound (estimated at 3 months):

 

5.   Re-map to 125bhp. Shark is currently favourite for this work (good reputation and reasonably local).

 

After I have saved a few bob:

 

6.   Sat Nav and DAB install.

7.   Bilstein/Eibach suspension kit.

 

And that will be it. I want to preserve the "grandparent on the way to the shops" look! Might even put a pipe and flat cap on the boot cover! :-)

Edited 4 December, 2016 by tweenster

[tweenster]

Getting seriously ****ed off with DVLA now...

[tweenster]

DVLA paperwork arrived today; hoping to collect the new car early next week.

[tweenster]

Car being collected at 1300 tomorrow. I'm strangely excited despite it being a fairly mundane car; there is just something to look forward to about a new car.

[tweenster]

It's here at last!

Initial impression is very positive. It's very relaxing to drive and the suspension is far more subtle than Mrs T's vRS (no surprise there!). The gearbox is fantastic but less keen to kick down that the vRS (again, no surprise) so I may have to give Sport mode a try.

Edited 20 August, 2017 by tweenster

[Brimma]

That brings back memories :)

[tweenster]

140+ miles in the car today over a mix of motorway, fast A and B roads, averaged a little over 40mpg which is fine. The engine/gearbox combination is excellent and for a mere 1.2 litres it does pick up its skirts and move swiftly when asked. What did surprise me was how calm everything is, I thought the acceleration was somewhat sluggish but when I checked the speedo it was already doing nearly 70, but with the seamless gearchanges from the DSG and relatively low noise levels it just seemed unremarkable.

 

So initial impressions remain very positive.

[tweenster]

And the colour is fantastic. It was advertised as 'beige' but is the cappuccino beige that can look gold, silver or grey depending on the light; surprisingly it is a hit with all members of the clan!

[tweenster]

I didn't do many miles in the car in the first few months of ownership but that has changed now. The immediate mods listed in the opening post are all done and I am getting used to the engine/gearbox characteristics. And I can only say that I am seriously impressed! It is very hard to believe that it is just a 1.2 litre engine under the bonnet; the gearbox is an almost perfect match and it can move at a more than reasonable pace when asked. I am seeing over 50mpg on my commute which is also impressive.

 

Very happy so far, and the fact that it gets almost zero attention from other road users is an added bonus. No one is threatened by a beige Fabia estate!

[tweenster]

Grumpy Man Alert!

 

I hate the new Photobucket; I refuse to pay...

 

I found a screw in my tyre on Thursday...

 

On the positive side I can now replace the awful Kumho Ecstas.

[tweenster]

Tyre man said he can't fix the tyre due to where the screw is, so I have ordered 4 new tyres. After some research I have gone for Yokohama Advan Fleva V701 from Camskill. Why these? Well they are A rated for wet weather performance but the deciding factor was that they are rated at just 67Db compared to 73Db for the Kumhos. 6Db may not sound like much but if I remember my physics lessons correctly noise doubles every 10Db, so 6Db should be a noticeable difference. The Yokos are C rated for efficiency so on paper they look like a good tyre. We shall see.

[mrgf]

On 11/25/2016 at 19:25, tweenster said:

 

 

....And yes, I am getting a flat cap, pipe and slippers for Christmas!

I mis-read that and thought it said you were getting a cat flap... I could imagine someone cutting a whole in the tailgate and sticking in a small swinging door, to pop "Tiddles" to the vet and back

[tweenster]

I had the Yokohama Advan Fleva V701 tyres fitted yesterday and am, so far, very impressed. They are noticeably quieter and appear to be giving more mpg, although I will only be able to confirm this when they get a few days of commuting under them.

[tweenster]

On ‎04‎/‎12‎/‎2016 at 19:20, tweenster said:

Waiting for your new car inevitably leads to frustration, that inevitably leads to starting a list of mods! So far, I have:

 

Immediate:

 

1.   Rubber mats front, rear and boot.

2.   Soundproof boot area.

3.   De-badge tailgate.

4.   Fit mudflaps.

 

 

A quick update. All of the above jobs have been completed and with the addition of the Yokohama tyres has made the car a much quieter and more pleasant place to be. I do miss DAB radio (I listen to Planet Rock at home and at work) so this will probably be the next purchase, but not in the near future as we need to spend some money on the house.

 

As an aside, I filled up with petrol the other day and the car managed 48.6mpg; quite pleased with that (not in the same league as the Citigo but wasn't expected to be).

[JGrindel]

On 12/4/2016 at 19:20, tweenster said:

Waiting for your new car inevitably leads to frustration, that inevitably leads to starting a list of mods! So far, I have:

 

Immediate:

 

1.   Rubber mats front, rear and boot.

2.   Soundproof boot area.

3.   De-badge tailgate.

4.   Fit mudflaps.

 

After a short period to prove mechanics are sound (estimated at 3 months):

 

5.   Re-map to 125bhp. Shark is currently favourite for this work (good reputation and reasonably local).

 

After I have saved a few bob:

 

6.   Sat Nav and DAB install.

7.   Bilstein/Eibach suspension kit.

 

And that will be it. I want to preserve the "grandparent on the way to the shops" look! Might even put a pipe and flat cap on the boot cover! :-)

The grandparent on the way to the shops is a nice look especially with the boy racers around who need a bit of a kicking sometimes  I love my elegance furbi 1.6tdi, looking at getting it mapped to 145bhp in the near future. 

[tweenster]

Just posted this review on the Budget Tyre thread:

 

In August last year I bought a set of Yokohama Advan Fleva V701 in 205/45x16 for my Fabia Elegance Estate. The car is used mainly for commuting (18 miles each way) so I don't really get to test tyres to any extreme. However, today I had to take my lad back to Uni and so got to test the tyres on all types of road in some fairly horrendous conditions.

 

I choose my tyres based on 3 criteria - wet grip (must be 'A'), and noise (the lower the better) and then price. The Yokohama's are not widely known but had the mandatory 'A' wet grip rating and measured just 67dB; they weren't exactly cheap (about £80 each from memory) but I don't like to scrimp on tyres, they are, after all, the only thing that is in contact with the road! They are not routinely stocked by Camskill so had to wait 4 days for delivery.

 

Whilst acknowledging that the tyres are relatively new and therefore still have a deep tread, they were brilliant today. Standing water was dealt with the merest of 'drag' on the steering wheel and in all conditions and circumstances they never felt anything other than 'solid' and confidence inspiring. Driving at 70mph in the outside lane of a dual carriageway presented no dramas whatsoever, even though the road was soaking and often had rivers or large puddles of standing water. Lets be clear, though, I am a conservative and 'safe' driver so am not pushing the performance envelope but I do feel that if an emergency situation arose then the tyres would help not hinder me.

 

Yes, these Yokos are expensive compared to some brands, but I am happy that I paid the extra for the piece of mind. I take my family in this car.

[tweenster]

It's been a few months since I posted anything on this thread and, to be honest, not much has happened, other than driving around enjoying the 50+mpg stress-free motoring.

 

But today I decided to rotate the tyres, and whilst I was at it I test fitted the 17" Braid wheels that I purchased off Brimma before Christmas (blimey - that long ago!).  I didn't think the white would suit the car but it doesn't look too bad. However, the colour doesn't suit the look I am after so I intend to get them refurbished/painted but am unsure what colour to get. The obvious choice is silver to keep the subtle look of the car but am open to suggestions.

 

I have ordered a Pure Highway 400 DAB radio so that I can enjoy Planet Rock in the car; am looking forward to getting that fitted.

 

And yes, it does need lowering; Eibach springs will be fitted when funds (ie house refurbishment) allow.