hi, thinking of buying a 2008 skoda fabia greenline 1.4 tdi estate. the car has fsh, new clutch, 103,000 miles and would be used to do mainly 2x 65 motorway trips per week. It will just be a workhorse so not bothered about ride comfort etc. With tax at £20 and hopefully 60+mpg all was looking good and was all set to buy until I read online some conflicting reports that the engine is not as strong as it should be. I'm looking to keep it 10 years +, the car its replacing has the XUD Peugeot engine which would probably run forever, its the rest of the car that's calling it a day! hoping that a few people on here will tell me their similar cars are still going strong at 200,000 miles +! Apologies if this is not posted in correct area or the info is right under my nose, at 53yr still getting a grip of computer use, and my computer advisers (sarky kids)   are out..Thanks

 Having previously run a Mk.1 1.4 70 TDI, which is still going strong under new owner at 178K miles, and currently running a Mk.1 1.9TDI on 174K miles I have experienced high miles with these cars, but my partner has a 94K 1.4TDI Greenline so have seen the numerous scare stories on this particular engine. Many of the stories surround balancer shaft chain/oil pump issues. I have experienced issues with DPF pressure switch failure and having to carry out repeated force regens on the DPF that may be down to her driving style - short local journeys which would not allow auto regen completion - and the higher that standard gearing forcing running around at lower revs. The same engine is fitted in the Polo BlueMotion, of which a few have high mileage so perhaps the issues are not as widespread as thought. My personal choice would be to go for the 1.9TDI, or even a non DPF 1.4TDI under the 1, 2 or 3 model. In reality tax shouldn't drive choices as even £140 is only £2.80 per week - less than 2 litres of diesel.

 As people always say, forums generally focus on issues with vehicles, not the good points.

If you live within the North Circ, forget it! The new rules coming in in a few years mean you'll get rid by than as you'll be hit by the ULEZ charges, otherwise!  That said, they are a good car, when driven and serviced with attention payed to the DPF light, when it shows. Don't try leaving it a bit or drive in rush hour traffic with it illuminated as you will end up conking out and needing a £200 forced regen! (Nissan cash-cows are £300).

 

Thanks for your replies, apologies for not replying sooner,no internet at work. MRGF , we did live in a London borough where the queue of traffic started outside our front door but moved to the South coast. Nowadays find it easier if we go to London to park in Zone6 and use tube, loathe driving in London. KeithCheetham , I would mainly use car for 65 mile motorway runs , so hopefully dpf problems wouldn't be an issue. Can I ask, aside from the dpf problems you mentioned ,has your partner's Greenline had any other problems and do you think you'll keep the car long term? You made a good point about forums, you do tend to read only the worst, I suppose if you had car with no issues it would make pretty boring reading! Thanks again to you both.

Partner is currently looking for a late model Polo, so I may upgrade to the Greenline and sell the 1.9 which mechanically is great but starting to look tatty. Greenline problems are occasionally dropping into limp mode when booted which is cured by turning ignition off then on which show's up as overboost when scanned, and issues with car locking and unlocking when driving and door courtesy light issues, which I think are the common door boot wiring issue that could be see  on any Fabia, irrespective of engine.

 As my daily drive is a steep climb over the Pennines, 25 miles each way I would expect the DPF issues to disappear if I do run it daily.

I think the DPF issue will be few and far between on long jaunts but if the light pops up, deal with it asap. Regular oil and filter's and all should be good. Hopefully they changed the cam belt, too so you'll get a few thousand prior to needing it. I have been told hard driving is usually the culprit on them so if its been used nicely, it should be ok as its not exactly a sports model anyway. 

I am coming up to 140,000 but had an engine replaced under warranty , after the oil pump packed up, due to chain failure. So knock off 50,00 for the engine.

 

The sway bars get a bit slack and many owners fit the heavy duty Meyle versions... Cheaper then Skoda parts and a four year warranty so win-win, if you need to swap. The gearing is longer in the Greenie so around town, third will be top gear, so to speak. They are a little noisy but they are diesels so thats expected. If you really want a long termer, might be worth fixing a sound deadening kit. (I wish I did).

If you do, do it sooner rather then late as otherwise, like me, you won't bother. 

Some good points especially regarding oil and filter changes. I've always changed them on our cars every year,when you can do it for around £20 seems daft not to. Had an Astra diesel for 18 years and that's all it basically had along with air/ fuel filter yearly. Being a cynic I'm always wondering if a car with fsh has had the oil and filter changed. I used to scratch the side of the oil filter on our Astra before it went into service when it was under warranty to check it had been changed. The noise of a diesel engine doesn't bother me, although the other day nearly got run over by a lady backing out of her drive with an electric car, absolutely silent! As someone who drives heavies for a living I'm always pondering why truck manufacturers can produce vehicles that can go hundreds of thousands of miles with no engine probs and yet car diesels seem to be more problematic. Thanks for your advice, am now procrastinating over the Skoda or a Dacia Logan with the 1.5dci engine. Ironically one of the attractions of the Skoda is that it has still got non electric windows in the back, after the constant agg we have with our Méganes windows l'd be quite happy to never see an electric window again!