What to check for when buying used Fabia from 2016

[Grg84]

I am looking for my first Skoda and found a guy selling Fabia Estate MK3 from 2016 with 1.2 TSI 110 BHP and 35K miles . Since it's not a dealer and I will not get any warranty, I'm looking for an advice on what in particular I should be paying attention to? Is there any weak points or known issues that I should be aware of? Thank you in advance.

[Confused_Cheese]

By the sounds of it, engine mounts are a common one. Listen out for knocks over bumps/speed bumps or when accelerating/letting off accelerator quickly (anything that causes engine movement) 

[RickW]

Scroll wheels and rocker switches on the steering wheel.  I had a problem with a scroll wheel which was replaced under warranty.

Also check screen wiper functions,front assist,fog light misting and inner door handles,all things that have gone wrong on other people's Fabias on these  boards.

Edited 10 May, 2019 by RickW

[Confused_Cheese]

If its got a 6 speed manual too, I've seen it mentioned a few times that first and reverse can be notchy, is a known dealer fix including a shim and a new idler gear iirc. If you test for this, obviously make sure the cars fully stationary first and keep the clutch in for a second after movement before engaging reverse. I've noticed the vw's i've driven appreciate this more than other marks but maybe that's just me 🤷‍♂️

[Guest]

Yes the 6sp and 5spd seem to be suffering issues with reverse and sometimes 1st gear selection which involves stripping the gearbox. Not all are affected and there is a TPI out on this. It affect 2016 and 2017 cars.  I've seen several with the problem and its not always easy to cure. Even new parts didn't fix a couple of the gearboxes I've seen. If the one you are looking at is ok then it's unlikely you will get a problem with it at 35k. Make sure the engine doesn't knock when you start it up from hot after it's been standing for a while (20mins or so). One of mine made horrendous knocking sounds amongst other things and proved to have major problems which couldn't be fixed so I rejected the car.

[rum4mo]

My wife has an August 2015 Polo 1.2TSI 110PS SEL and it has been good so far and at 26/27K miles, excepting the mounting for the gearbox end of the drive train, that caused many clunks in hot weather, but VW eventually gave in and replaced it with the mounting from the TDI engined variant.

[TerFar]

The 1.2 TSi coupled to the 7-speed DSG seems to work exceptionally well. Really smooth and a pleasure to drive. Recently, I got a tad over 45 mpg on a long run to Scarborough (320 miles each way) driving approximately 750 miles over the week trip. Driving around locally it returns around 40 mpg.

[Grg84]

Thanks a lot for all the replies so far! It's immensely helpful. Just for the record - it's 6 speed manual gearbox that I'm after.

[FabiaGonzales]

5 hours ago, Estate Man said:

Yes the 6sp and 5spd seem to be suffering issues with reverse and sometimes 1st gear selection which involves stripping the gearbox. Not all are affected and there is a TPI out on this. It affect 2016 and 2017 cars.  I've seen several with the problem and its not always easy to cure. Even new parts didn't fix a couple of the gearboxes I've seen. If the one you are looking at is ok then it's unlikely you will get a problem with it at 35k. Make sure the engine doesn't knock when you start it up from hot after it's been standing for a while (20mins or so). One of mine made horrendous knocking sounds amongst other things and proved to have major problems which couldn't be fixed so I rejected the car.

 

Mine's a 15 plate but MY16 and fortunately doesn't suffer that first gear and reverse gear issue, though my gearbox feels like it's literally about to fall apart if i put it in 5th. The 2,3 and 4 are noisy but don't cause the helicopter like vibrations that 5th does. It's getting a strip and rebuild anyway to find and fix that problem. Thankfully i paid for the extended warranty...

 

3 hours ago, Grg84 said:

Thanks a lot for all the replies so far! It's immensely helpful. Just for the record - it's 6 speed manual gearbox that I'm after.

 

Also check for shock absorber leakage, both my front shocks are leaking at 50k miles, the rears are fine.

[SurreyJohn]

You say it is a 2016, which month as might still have a bit of factory warranty left.  From a risk factor viewpoint worth a few hundred pounds more with an unexpired warranty as much easier to get faults fixed free 

 

If not try the MOT checker online, if it failed at that sort of mileage suggests previous version owner didn’t care much.

 

My personal favourite for checking if maintenance was skimped is to look at the tyres, are they all the same type, what are date codes.  If you have a car with assorted tyres (especially budget brands) then someone has been sparing with maintenance/replacement  so could be all sorts of worn things and lurking trouble.

 

[ettlz]

With the doors locked, pull the exterior handles towards you. Check that the paintwork under the handle towards the front of the car isn't worn.

 

Get a mirror and a light and inspect for damage to the paint up under the wheel arches.

 

Preferably when warm, with the engine off, depress the clutch pedal slow. Check that it feels smooth underfoot with no audible creaking or jerking.

 

Listen for odd 'croaking' noises from the engine when revving just above idle (around 900rpm).

Edited 11 May, 2019 by ettlz

[Eccles]

Don't understand any of this, my 1.2 is coming up to 4 yrs with no problems at all. I love it, best small car I have had since Golf Mk2 but that was a few years ago. Mind you, it is driven carefully unlike a lot of bad behaviour one sees on the roads these days. Considering that we spend a small fortune to buy a car, why do folk then proceed to insult their vehicles and other drivers with bad driving. As an example, almost every day I see people rushing up to the lights nearby and slamming on brakes at the last minute when the red light could be seen coming on 200 yds away.

[Ootohere]

@Eccles

If you were to sell your car privately anyone looking at it might take anything you say about how it was driven with a pinch of salt as you have to with any used cars.

 

As to the likes of Euro 6 TSI's they seem mostly to be fairing well, 

but then it might take 6 years to find out if they were real crackers, as you can not tell how good cars are after they are a couple of years out of manufacturers warranty til plenty are a couple of years out of manufacturers warranty and needing Service of the likes of Cam Belts.