My son's 2008 Fabia 2 1.4L 16V petrol had an MOT advisory for "minor leak of exhaust gases Front (Flexi)".

 

I'd like to replace the leaking part. Please could anyone point me towards/provide part number for the part I need? When I search for exhaust repairs for Fabia I see contradictory posts about whether cat convertor is integral to part to be replaced or not. It looks in Haynes like the front section with Flexi just attaches to studs onto cat right next to exhaust manifold, but it would be nice to make sure of buying the correct part! I can't find a comprehensive parts catalogue for the car anywhere online, so if anyone has link for parts diagram that would be huge help also

 

Thanks a lot!.

Need to know engine code to be able to point you in exactly the right place.  Should be on a sticker on the boot floor or inside service book.

I suspect it will be on this page, but need to match engine code to the ones shown in the data model column.  Then google image the resulting part number.

https://skoda.7zap.com/en/cz/fabia/fab/2008-608/2/253-253050/

Sorry I should have said it's BXW engine code. I'll check against that page — thanks very much for the link!

Bah. On that page the BXW front parts have integral catalyst. I don't really want to get into welding in another Flexi section, so expect the part will be £££s!

 

It's not absolutely certain which is the correct part, as there's one front exhaust section labelled '2' in the drawings, which is not referred to at all in the parts listing, so I'll need to check how the original looks against the drawings.

It will be lots of money for a genuine Skoda replacement, but you may be pleasantly surprised by the price of aftermarket equivalents.

I acquired one for my Polo a year or two back and it was only about £100 after discounts, I forget the brand name.  It surely will lack quality, performance and longevity relative to the original, but may well be adequate for the remaining life of the vehicle.

 

The drawings tend to be generic across time so the non-listed part was probably for an engine type that was no longer available in 2008.

Yours should be the first line 6Q0254502RX I think.

 

Re-reading your opening post, I'd be tempted to do nothing at all while it is just a 'minor leak'.  Reconsider if you start getting EMLs relating to emissions, or before the next MOT.  You never know what might happen in the meantime.

Edited 5 February, 20206 yr by Wino

Thanks for advice — you're absolutely right but I tend to be OCD about our 'fleet'!

 

That's the part number I've been searching for and the only recognisable source for it is autodoc who list loads of different brands for it (including one very cheap one from Vegaz. It would be nice to find it at dear old ECP or GSF where I get most stuff but they don't show anything like a front section with cat.

ATS Euromaster have in the past got me Catalytic Parts & DPF's for various makes for as good a price as i could get even with a trade discount or that i could not even find. I have even let then fit them.  The last part exhaust and Cat had the fitter at it for 3 hours and not because he was incompetent.

Removal of the parts and fitment of the 2 sections and fitting kit was a real PITA that i was glad to not be doing.

Were you planning to DIY fit?

Can be hard to get leak free with aftermarket, possibly slightly off-spec parts, especially working under the car without a lift. Ask me how I know. 😫

 

Yeah I do all the work on our cars. Have a mid-rise lift which isn't ideal for exhaust work, but much better than axle stands.

19 minutes ago, Stratfordade said:

Have a mid-rise lift

Ah that's envy-making.  Where can I get one? 

It's a Quickjack 5000SLX — wouldn't be without it now. When I got it a few years ago they'd only just found a UK importer (they were originally sold by Bendpak in the US), but I see it listed in lots of places now so if you google it you'll find plenty. More height and safer than jack stands, and much easier to work with in garage. Can get car up in air in minutes now, and access is completely clear underneath (the ramps are separate but synchronised).

I got a "exhaust fabricator" to replace the front flexi on a 1.4 16V BBY engine, and it looked very much the same as the 1.4 16V BXW that was in my daughter's late 2009 Ibiza.  Before doing that you would need to know the cots of your alternative aftermarket cat section, I'd think that roughly £120 would cover buying a new "correct grade" flexi repair section and get it welded in place. Or do what I ended up needing to do, source the correct flexi repair section yourself and get a proper exhaust welder to swop them over, if you plan to do that, accurately measure the pipe before/after the flexi section tails, measure the length of the flexi part by itself without including its tails, then measure the tails and add that in. Buying "any old flexi" will not work, it needs to be the correct "post cat" higher temperature grade, the correct diameter (that comes from measuring the before/after pipe just beyond the tails) and flexi part length, if you want this repair to be same as original in terms of fit and free from resonances.

 

Somewhere on ebay there are sellers of these correct parts, I just used a company called Senioraftermarket, as suggested by someone on this forum many many years ago!

 

Edit:- Costco were selling that or an USA version of it for a while, I was a bit worried about its ultimate strength if you ended up needing to get rough with some parts - I bought a couple of pairs of Jackpoint jackstands and yes while limiting how high you get the car up in the air, they resist all the heavy rough treatment I've needed to apply to my cars when sorting them out - and they stack neatly one on top of the other - though I'd still love to build an extension to my garage, and as the garage floor is maybe 5 feet above the surrounding ground, get a ramp built of a steel frame inside it so that I had the best of all world, while using the space "below the floor level" as a storage space for garden furniture, etc - well maybe!

Edited 6 February, 20206 yr by rum4mo

Hi do you have an outcome for the exhaust problem please , there’s a hole in our front pipe , same car , same place, so I just wondered what you ended up doing? Thanks

2 hours ago, digital-des said:

Hi do you have an outcome for the exhaust problem please , there’s a hole in our front pipe , same car , same place, so I just wondered what you ended up doing? Thanks

Not done anything yet as it was only classed as minor leak on MOT (I can’t even hear any sound). I was planning to replace the front section with aftermarket part (they’re around £120) when the weather gets warmer. Working on exhausts is miserable enough without having to do it in the cold!

Ok thanks