2 minutes ago, sepulchrave said:

 

I would say this was caused by over tightening the lower mount bolt, new bolts can be over tightened by idiots just as easily as old bolts. The culprit is usually a cretin with a rattle gun!

Yep thats the most likely cause, but vag recommend replacement so id do what they say for the sake of an extra few £££

Could you really trust the garage who's doing it for £140 to torque and angle tighten each bolt to its spec? Im not saying they are going to rattle gun it all up, but probably wont be as careful as you'd be if it was your own car.

Thank's for the vid JW, very informative. Actually went to Youtube and thumbed up and subscribed, the guy seemed very genuine and nice. And thanks for the tip about the bolts too, I shall make sure he does the job properly, as I will be watching and chatting to him while he is doing it, he is a friend of mine. That's how I learn a thing or two myself, as I am a bit weary working on cars, despite my trade being a general builder and C&G Lvl3 electrician. I don't know why, I could fix buildings all day long, but when it comes to cars, I lose all motivation.

The latest on the eBay case. The guy went and complained to eBay about the negative feedback, which has been removed. I spent about 1 hour on the phone with them, being passed back and forth from the US to the UK and God knows where else. In the end, it is like this: I didn't pay through PayPal, so no cover for me. And now the feedback having been removed, I can't leave another feedback. So the guy's account is clean as a whistle and he can go ahead and do what he has done to me all over again. How lovely is that? I lost confidence in the eBay feedback mechanism. Not that I had much faith in eBay as a company to start with, they seem to be biased against sellers anyway. Only to now discover that their feedback system is a joke and can be exploited by unscrupulous people. 

Lessons to take forward:

1. Always pay via PayPal in eBay

2. Don't assume that just because someone is a certain nationality, he will confirm personal beliefs held about that particular country. I guess no 2 people are the same, after all. 

3. Feedback system in eBay is flawed and not be used as a tool for gauging people's honesty

 

And a few other valid bits and bobs suggested by you guys along the way. In the end, I'm not bitter about the car, it's still a Skoda  . Thanks to one and all for all the contributions, you are a lovely and helpful bunch. Stay blessed.

Id actually say as a seller ebay is biased towards buyers, every time. Ive sold many things (not cars) and they've always gone on the buyers side. The difference is you've bought a car which follows different guidelines and offers less in the way of buyer protection. I do understand your feelings towards the seller, he clearly knew there were issues, but he did say spares or repairs.

Anyway enjoy your skoda ownership and thats good to know its your friend who's doing it, at least you can trust them.

Check the post on the fabia forums about common issues and how to resolve them, worth reading as you may find many of your issues are listed there

Yes, will do mate. Problem is finding the time to actually implement the fixes. By the way, that's what I had said too: 'eBay biased against sellers'. Which is the same as 'biased towards buyers'. Hehehe...

14 hours ago, BalancedOne said:

Yes, will do mate. Problem is finding the time to actually implement the fixes. By the way, that's what I had said too: 'eBay biased against sellers'. Which is the same as 'biased towards buyers'. Hehehe...

That was a bit complicated for my understanding lol. 

Hahaha...you are a good man JW 

OK, final update for this post: the clutch replacement and the service cost £292 all inclusive(cash money), so not a bad result after all. Service included: cabin filter, air filter, oil filter, gearbox and motor oil changes. The annoying squeak when starting the car was down to the starter motor axle and was cured by some lubrication. I will keep the car and spend some more money and efforts towards getting rid of the musty cabin smell, fixing the central locking and the in-car stereo. The other bits are not a priority and merely annoying. It is not a bad car and it deserves another chance. She has covered 71K miles from 03.2001 to 03.2009, 8K from 2009 to 2013 and only 5K miles since 2013.

The man who sold me the car never paid any money back and he decided to remain a low lifer, a liar and a cheat. His miserable life, his choice. Yet he got to keep a 100% feedback on eBay and about that I am not too happy  . Oh well...

Thank you all for sharing, contributing and the helpful comments. 

 

All the best, Michael

Edited 9 June, 20188 yr by BalancedOne