hello,

 

i have 55 plate Fabia @100k miles.  been a good car, but now numerous gremlins emerging,  on its last legs. 

 

relative is looking to dispose of Mk1 05 Plate 1.4 petrol Fabia, but with only 50k miles.  they will probably pcp a new Fabia.

 

passed its last MOT with no faults or advisories (!). however now has ‘clonks’ on turning hard right.  guessing shock absorber failed.  estimate £300 plus VAT to repair -?

 

car has been a runabout all of its life (v little motorway driving)

 

considering buying car off relative for a few hundred plus will cost of repair as above.

 

Anything I should consider / check for car this age / mileage?

 

cheers.

Edited 13 March, 20197 yr by teutonic

It's a few hundred quid, what's not to like.

If it's a 1.4 16V they HATE low mileages and short runs, check for oil consumption issues.

Low mileage is often not a good thing.

Isn't that clonking noise more likely to be a CV joint?

 

8-valve or 16-valve engine in the 1.4?

8 hours ago, teutonic said:

however now has ‘clonks’ on turning hard right.

Like @Wino I'm thinking this is more likely to be a CV joint than a damper, with other possibilities being a failed top mount or a broken spring right up at the pig tail.

2 hours ago, Wino said:

Isn't that clonking noise more likely to be a CV joint?

 

8-valve or 16-valve engine in the 1.4?

 

Yes CV joint mentioned as a possibility. 

 

CORRECTION apologies it's a 1.2, which is good as its a stronger 3 cylinder chain cam engine - ?

 

8 hours ago, sepulchrave said:

It's a few hundred quid, what's not to like.

If it's a 1.4 16V they HATE low mileages and short runs, check for oil consumption issues.

Low mileage is often not a good thing.

 

Have found out is the 1.2, which I think is the stronger engine, 3 cylinder, chain cam?  More tolerant of short runs etc?

1 hour ago, KenONeill said:

Like @Wino I'm thinking this is more likely to be a CV joint than a damper, with other possibilities being a failed top mount or a broken spring right up at the pig tail.

 

Thanks ... cv joint or top mount would be less of a big deal than broken shock and / or spring I guess?

 

As with all these things ... the cost is in the labour not the parts?

Top mount is same labour as spring or shock really; as any of those require strut removal. 

CV (or whole driveshaft) swap might be a little less timewise, not sure.  Needs accurate diagnosis first, really.

 

1.2 engines have a mixed reputation, valve guide issues seem to happen to quite a few, possibly more often for the 6-valve version than the 12-valve ones; repair can be uneconomic. Timing chains on some cars have also jumped teeth and the repair will also likely be pricey.  Few people would describe any of the 1.2s as 'the stronger engine' than anything much, I feel. Tolerance of short runs is good though, as it warms up very quickly.

 

Ours has been very reliable, and is now approaching 165k miles, but I've had a tiny amount of background anxiety throughout our 7 years (and 65k) of ownership in case of timing chain or valve guides needing repair.

8 hours ago, teutonic said:

 

Have found out is the 1.2, which I think is the stronger engine, 3 cylinder, chain cam?  More tolerant of short runs etc?

 

Only if it's the 12V variant, the 6V engine is not so reliable.