Hi guys,

 

I've recently bought a 2006 Mk1 Fabia 1.2 HTP. It does seem like a good little car, but it's already developed some problems.

It's idling rough and the engine management light has come on. At speed it drives fine, but it occasionaly goes into limp mode when in stop-start traffic.

I changed the spark plugs but it didn't have any effect so took it into the garage for a check.

I'm told it has low compression in cylinder 1, and that this is likely a result of a burnt valve. This would require a lot of work, possibly more than the car is worth.

Do any of you have experience with anything like this? How much would I expect to pay for a refurbished engine and fitting? The car only has about 60k on it.

 

Thanks

Calum

You would need to have the head taken off and all three exhaust valves replacing to be sure it would be reliable. It is not a very difficult job but is quite expensive in labour.

The valve guides must also be changed. I fit that last year, and the guides locks very bad. I was thinking of ti make som new, but i bought 6 new, since I think it will hold for another 100 000 km, but not more.

 

It may well be a burnt valve, but valves can also stick and get coked up, so before paying for a strip down repair stick a bottle of upper cylinder lubricant in like Redex or STP. It might work, it might not, but it's only a few £ and is worth a try.

 

 

7 hours ago, alfalincs said:

It may well be a burnt valve, but valves can also stick and get coked up, so before paying for a strip down repair stick a bottle of upper cylinder lubricant in like Redex or STP. It might work, it might not, but it's only a few £ and is worth a try.

 

 

 

Dude, I'm afraid that's nonsense, the 1.2 HTP engine is NOTORIOUS for this very issue, snake oil is NEVER the answer.

4 hours ago, sepulchrave said:

 

Dude, I'm afraid that's nonsense, the 1.2 HTP engine is NOTORIOUS for this very issue, snake oil is NEVER the answer.

 

Fair enough. I didn't say it wasn't a valve. But it seems to have been alright when he bought it only a short time ago. As to redex being snake oil. I have seen redex unstick valves on a  few cars and motorbikes, so its not snake oil in certain circumstances, though I don't recommend it as a general additive personally. If you look up any of the old motorcycle club pages they all can give anecdotal evidence of it unsticking valves. A car that has been used as a town car could easily have a similar problem. I worked in a Renault dealer and a Honda/Yamaha motorcycle dealer and both used it very occasionally before deciding whether to spend a lot of customers money in stripping an engine down. 

 

Lets face it, when money is tight for £7 its worth a go when the alternative bill is going to be at least £500. Stranger things happen at sea. I have also had the costly experience of letting a garage dismantle the top end of our 1.4 16 valve as they said there was a rattle only to find absolutely nothing wrong once all the parts were laid out on a bench. That was only about three years ago and it was very embarrassing as it was a friends garage. 

Edited 28 May, 20188 yr by alfalincs

2 hours ago, alfalincs said:

 

Fair enough. I didn't say it wasn't a valve. But it seems to have been alright when he bought it only a short time ago. As to redex being snake oil. I have seen redex unstick valves on a  few cars and motorbikes, so its not snake oil in certain circumstances, though I don't recommend it as a general additive personally. If you look up any of the old motorcycle club pages they all can give anecdotal evidence of it unsticking valves. A car that has been used as a town car could easily have a similar problem. I worked in a Renault dealer and a Honda/Yamaha motorcycle dealer and both used it very occasionally before deciding whether to spend a lot of customers money in stripping an engine down. 

 

Lets face it, when money is tight for £7 its worth a go when the alternative bill is going to be at least £500. Stranger things happen at sea. I have also had the costly experience of letting a garage dismantle the top end of our 1.4 16 valve as they said there was a rattle only to find absolutely nothing wrong once all the parts were laid out on a bench. That was only about three years ago and it was very embarrassing as it was a friends garage. 

 

The hydraulic lifters on the 1.4 16V always get noisy as the top end ages, it's a poor design, you simply have to replace them all to make it quiet again, or just ignore the rattle.

Was it a private sale or through a dealer? Just wondering if you could have any comeback if it was through a dealer, and you could somehow demonstrate that they knew there was an issue.

Hi,

 

Thanks for all of the input! I've got rid of it and taken the loss, I bought it privately so I didn't have any comeback. I obviously don't know enough about cars to be buying privately, which is a shame, but lesson learned.

 

Thanks
Calum

3 hours ago, kayakcalum said:

Hi,

 

Thanks for all of the input! I've got rid of it and taken the loss, I bought it privately so I didn't have any comeback. I obviously don't know enough about cars to be buying privately, which is a shame, but lesson learned.

 

Thanks
Calum

 

You may have made the right decision on this particular car, but the car and the 1.2 engine are usually excellent and I love driving my daughters 1.2 more than the 1.4 and both have done well over 100,000 miles. You just got a bad un. There are car inspection services from the AA or RAC if you are not sure what to look out for, or take a knowledgeable friend. Inspections obviously cost money, but can stop you getting into bother. At your price level the risks will always be a bit higher, but risks are there  for any car purchaser. Most of us have dropped the occasional *******ing if we are honest. Better luck next time.