New member, a Fabia 1.2 110 and some questions

[BasilHume]

Tyres and tracking done on the Fabia: 

 

 

I am completely bowled over - it really drives like a different car!  Smoother, softer and grippier by a long shot.  Really, if anyone ever doubts the value of new high quality tyres then I don't think driving cars is for you.  

 

I then took it for a good old Italian tune-up on a favourite quiet loop and think this has helped.  The 1.2 110hp lump seems quite potent especially in Sport mode via the DSG, which itself is working pretty smoothly through all the gears.  I'll keep an eye on the slow speed light judder (I've had the DQ200 DSG on two other cars, as well as the wet clutch variants on higher power cars), though I'm satisfied with that the DSG is working as it should on the whole.  

 

I tend to remap most of my cars, but I hadn't planned to with the Fabia as it's not going to be used much outside town.  This is something I might consider again as a good remap tends to unlock some of the easy performance I like and the Fabia drives better than expected now.  

 

Ironically, the Fabia's traction is a lot better than my all-wheel-drive S3's on the same route - confirming my suspicions that the S3's Haldex must be borked.  Yes, it's wearing four premium tyres with perfect tracking and no fault codes showing... just wheelspin in situations where the Fabia would grip and go.  Not what you expect it a 4WD car!  

 

Edited 23 August, 2021 by BasilHume

[nta16]

1 hour ago, BasilHume said:

I am completely bowled over - it really drives like a different car!  Smoother, softer and grippier by a long shot.  Really, if anyone ever doubts the value of new high quality tyres then I don't think driving cars is for you.

This is something I bang on about all the time - but also from a safety point of view, tyres are a very complex and important component on a car (way ahead of the engine in priority, but most components and systems are too).  Tyres effect the braking, steering, suspension, handling, road holding and comfort and noise of the car.

 

 

1 hour ago, BasilHume said:

I then took it for a good old Italian tune-up on a favourite quiet loop and think this has helped. 

Unless things have changed with different materials used this is a NO, NO!  You should have been told to take it easy on the tyres for the first 100 miles or so (200 if wet) as tyres are can be 'greasy' (forget the correct word) from new plus you need to get used to the new tyre's characteristics.  They also (used to) tell you to check the wheel nuts (horrible bolts on these) for tightness after about 30 miles.

 

 

1 hour ago, BasilHume said:

I tend to remap most of my cars, but I hadn't planned to with the Fabia as it's not going to be used much outside town.  This is something I might consider again as a good remap tends to unlock some of the easy performance I like and the Fabia drives better than expected now.  

Remapping reduces the margins put in by the manufacturer for the very varied use the car will get though all sorts of conditions so can be more wearing on the car, more care, attention, maintenance, servicing, parts, consumables and their quality may be required, insurance to be notified.  Similarly to a car being driven hard all the time.  I'm not against spirited driving, I encourage it where suitable, and certainly occasional Italian tune-ups may be needed even more by modern cars.

 

 

1 hour ago, BasilHume said:

Ironically, the Fabia's traction is a lot better than my all-wheel-drive S3's on the same route - confirming my suspicions that the S3's Haldex must be borked.  Yes, it's wearing four premium tyres with perfect tracking and no fault codes showing... just wheelspin in situations where the Fabia would grip and go.  Not what you expect it a 4WD car! 

 Just because there are no error codes showing doesn't mean information isn't showing deeper, a proper VW scan with live data on a run might point to things to investigate.

 

I've never driven an S3 only passenger'd in (a new) one about 5 years ago but having driven my wife's Fabia I'd say there must be something wrong as I don't feel the Fabia SE 1.2 TSI chassis is particularly 'sporty' and should easily be shown up by a S3.

 

I get the feeling you're  probably a few decades or more younger than me so have different experience and attitudes so may not agree with or like my old fart advice but it's here anyway. 

 

Do not rely on the car's electronics, use your own computer first, what's between your ears, you can prevent problems and issues on the car before it needs to warn you about them or tell you when it's already too late.  With driving you can get the car into more trouble sometimes than the car's computers can fully  prevent or rescue you from.

 

Don't worry about how high you can get the speedo and rev counter needles or numbers it's all about how it feels not ego numbers, the better it feels at lower numbers the better for everyone and everything.  Unless you're in adverse conditions, in which case you'd be going slower, the 4WD, only helps you go too fast for any good road feel, you could get better feel from lower speeds without it.  The speed limit on single-carriageways is 60 mph, where's that on the S3 dial (or even Fabia).

 

James Hunt a F1 Champion used to drive an old Austin A35 slow very low powered van (Wallace & Gromit van) for a few reasons but got a lot of fun out of driving it in a very spirited way, it's not all about what you've got but how you use it. 

 

Now here a bit most men don't like, and this from a man who isn't a good driver - one of the very best tuning aids for any car is driver training, and you can transfer it to each car without cost or hassle and may decrease rather than increase insurance premiums.  Most men will think they're already good drivers and some will be (not me) but can improve with this investment.

 

Wheelspin is generally the driver's loss of control over his vehicle, not driving to the conditions or anticipating road conditions, if you've got unexpected wheelspin because you're driving too fast or road conditions you'd slow down - if you weren't driving too fast and it's a fault of the vehicle or its computer systems then it really needs sorting.

 

I bet that's upset a few (many Fabia?) readers.  

 

Edited 23 August, 2021 by nta16

[nta16]

@BasilHume sorry, I've just thought, you might think my previous post was getting at you, it wasn't  and wasn't intended to seem so, it was just about general car tuning and driving feel.  For all I know you could be a truly excellent driver, or truly dread or anything in-between. 

 

[BasilHume]

Perhaps I am a little younger, but I certainly have enough grey hairs (and a bit less of it!) to tell anyone who looks at me that I am over 40... and surely eligible to at least hold associate membership of the illustrious old fart club.   On a more serious note, all the advice and wisdom from many years of experience is very welcome - no problem at all; we all need motoring dads.  

 

Nonetheless, being able to plant one's right foot from standstill without a care should be a given in a performance car with auto transmission and 4WD.  I've had enough of them in the last 23 years to know by feel when something's not right.  Driver training, lower speed fun and so on are all good points and well noted (although I'm obviously a driving god anyway ).  My priority for now will be fixing the car I've already got... and maybe mentioning more of about the Fabia!

[nta16]

Over 40, yeah you cold be my son (just about depending how much) - but you certainly wouldn't wanna be.

 

 

53 minutes ago, BasilHume said:

Nonetheless, being able to plant one's right foot from standstill without a care should be a given in a performance car with auto transmission and 4WD. 

Yes I agree, although a proper old fart like me might suggest if you had a vehicle without auto and 4WD you could perhaps have a more fun vehicle, plus the skill to pull off quickly without mechanical and electronic aids but with mechanical sympathy (not that I could) -  but greater wisdom will come with greater age (and if you believe that you'll believe anything).

 

Definitely sounds like summats up with the S3 but don't jump to conclusions without first covering the basics and on to full diagnostics and testing of results and possible remedies.  It might be that there is a problem with the oily metal computer thingy but what's causing it and has it affected other parts, components or systems adversely.

 

Others might disagree but I think once the original thread subject has been sorted further (as I've probably already done some) thread-drift is fine and the S3 is a related car, some seem to relate VW models to the Skodas for obvious reasons, the system on the S3 is also on Skodas.

 

Just realised my neighbour's cars were RS3s but he's even older than me and drives slow.  He got his first RS3 stolen off the front hard standing (drive if selling the property) both were totally wasted on him as he did such few miles and drove slow but he'd had fast cars before.  As he also worried so much about getting the replacement stolen I persuade him to swap it for something he could easily get his fishing gear in, he had the estate/"Touring" type body one.  Two Honda SUVs later he much happier other than trying to workout how all the gadgets work on it and there are so many.

 

Edited 23 August, 2021 by nta16

[mdk1]

Glad your enjoying your car Basilhume, following your thread on Pistonheads.

[BasilHume]

Well, my latest update is that the Fabia is going to be driven a little more.   We're doing a lot more urban driving due to children's school changes and so the Fabia has been a bit of a hit so far.  I've also found it refreshing to have a car that I don't feel compelled to pamper or get upset when it picks up a bodywork mark.

 

As a result, I've succumb to the tempting used car prices and have arranged to sell my S3.  I'll miss the performance and luxuries, but these are overcome by infrequent use and what I feel is a one-off valuation window.  If all goes well with the sale, it will have been a free car.   The Fabia and our van (which was our main wheels for many years) should adequately cover our needs.

 

Fabia "to do" list: 

 

- Fix driver's seat, which is reclining involuntarily and has a threadbare side bolster from prior use at only 20k miles.  An eBay replacement for £70-100 might be the way to go if I can remove the old seat.  

- Look into smart repair for a side scuff that appeared on the front wing.  Having said I'm not upset about it above, I do still want to keep this car to my standard!

- Transfer cherished plate from S3 onto this car.

 

I do some very long drives on business from time to time, so I will probably use the Fabia on the next to see how I get along.  It's nowhere near as comfortable as some of my past cars, but perhaps it'll be better with the driver's seat being fixed...

[TerFar]

I drive occasionally from Chichester to York in my Fabia MC and it seems more than adequately comfortable to drive in one go (270 miles, 5 hours).

[nta16]

Good idea to sell the car if you're not using it enough and now, or before the bubble bursts which might not be for a while yet.

 

For seat comfort have you sat in the front  passenger seat  for a journey of reasonable length as that should give you some idea of seat comfort for you.  Seat comfort can be a personal thing, generally being short I dislike German car seating.  Your Fabia seat sounds like it might have had more stress than normal, big person, mobility issues, deliveries driver.

 

If the scuffy won't cause rusting then why bother until you really need to.  My wife's previous car had a long rear panel that somebody dented and disappeared, she put up with it for 18 months until the servicing garage gave her a good quote on the repair (they must have need work at the time).  I speculated that within two weeks the repair would have a ding from the public car park at her work, not even 24hours, she was so annoyed.  

 

If the car has only you and not a lot of heavy work stuff to carry too you should find the performance reasonable, handling won't be up to S3 but the use of speed and acceleration tends to be very restricted nowadays anyway.

 

If you want more mpg pump the tyres up to 35psi as that noticeably reduces rolling resistance you lose a little on the handling but that can put more fun back into actually driving the car, different perhaps to the heavily(?) assisted S3.  Course smaller wheels with narrower tyres would be more practical too but that's not the fashion.

 

Edited 25 October, 2021 by nta16

[BasilHume]

I don't foresee used car market valuations bursting anytime soon, but perhaps a natural decline to do with age / mileage from this new high-watermark.   I'd normally expect to have lost a fair amount in the time I've had the S3 - so I'm just going to cash-in while the going is still this good and I don't feel the need for 3 vehicles.  I don't think I'll be able to step away with money in my pocket from running a car like that in the future.  

 

The Fabia isn't meant to be a direct replacement and in fact the van will be used for many of the family journeys again, where being big and slow are offset by its massive capacity and easygoing driving experience.  I agree the Fabia's performance will be quite reasonable where I am using it in substitute for business miles and other long trips, but I won't be using it to go chasing performance cars anyway.  It's more about comfort.  

 

The 185/60/15 tyre combination is about the smallest and slimmest on a Fabia these days anyway.  I would still take a car with 350hp over one with 110hp for fun, but it won't matter from next week anyway... 110hp will be what I've got!!

[nta16]

Don't get me wrong the Fabia in plain form at least isn't an exciting or performance chassis and I worry about the 1.2 engine putting 90hp with the turbo, let alone 110hp.  You get used to (a lot) less power, sure a powerful car can sometimes be useful and fun but other than on a dry day do you ever really use the power and then when you do you could always do with a lot more.  The power can be more frustrating as often it can't be used.  Remember James Hunt (for various reasons) drove an A35 van.

 

Perhaps you should have got a VRs - bigger wheels and wider tyres too.  😄

 

I've recently gone to a wide tyre, 155 because of the 5" rim and the state of the roads, 80 aspect ratio.  Previous I've had 3.5" rims with 145/80r13 tyres lovely feel and handling, I'm told for years now the Westies have been going back to 13" wheels  from 14" and 15", less is more. 😁

 

 

 

Edited 25 October, 2021 by nta16

[BasilHume]

It's been a week of missed opportunities... but first, I present my latest spend on the Fabia:

 

[img]https://i.ibb.co/kywynbw/IMG-0109.jpg[/img]

 

This M10 spline socket was bought with the intention of removing the driver's seat, which is something I've not done before in 25 years of tinkering with cars (admittedly only to a modest degree).  As mentioned before, the bolster nearest the door is almost worn through the fabric and the seat itself reclines while driving. 

 

I'd spotted a reasonably-priced replacement SE seat on eBay.  This appears to have sold within the last few days, so I'll need to see what else turns up.  In the meantime, I'll practice removing the existing seat.  At worst, I'll at least be able to clean under the seat thoroughly, as this Fabia is a bit dirtier on the inside than I'm used to and there looks to be plenty of debris between the seats and central tunnel.  

 

A positive Covid test earlier this week for my daughter also put pay to the appointment I'd booked to sell my S3.  By the time I'd had the chance to re-book 5 days later, the best valuations had dropped by ~£1k / 4%.  I don't need the cash, so I'll stick with it until spring at least and see how things look then.   

Edited 30 October, 2021 by BasilHume

[nta16]

(forget the coding)

 

 

If something is really good for sale you do need to snap it up, having put that poorer stuff can be chased and go for higher than expected.

 

Cleaning under the seats of modern cars with all their electronics can be a very good idea (cleaning and protecting connector plugs and sockets) whereas on older cars it was just thorough cleaning or later 'detailing', you might even find money and other strange stuff too.

 

A valuation over the top that drops is still a higher valuation, one in the hand is worth a thousand imaginary in the bush, unless you're buying a higher value vehicle a high price now, even if dropped, is worth cashing in on, bubbles burst unexpectedly soon sometimes.  Get shot of an Audi before it starts playing up.

 

Edited 30 October, 2021 by nta16

[BasilHume]

I’m not sure why that picture wouldn’t show - thanks for sorting. 😀

 

In other Fabia news, I’m pleased to say that the DSG experience seems a lot better now. Whether it’s me or the gearbox adapting to each other remains unclear, but the result is much smoother and more intuitive shifts. That very minor judder also seems to have disappeared. 
 

I still miss Hold Assist. I also find that the car doesn’t have enough power at idle to creep forward / hold on slopes like all other automatics I’ve driven. This invites me to go into neutral and put the handbrake on, which then seems to confuse things and require a return to P and a full restart before take-off. Bah! It’s a minor set of grumbles I suppose and probably fixed by driver retraining. 

 

[rum4mo]

I think that Hill Hold or what ever it is called is brilliant when compared with "short time hold" .

 

I've yet to drive a DSG car, my older daughter seems to have kept me on her insurance for her 2019 Leon Cupra so some time I'll try it out, coming from manual gearboxes I'll be very concerned about making sure that I was doing the right by the DSG as regards wear and tear, for instance when stationary at lights etc.

[Ootohere]

The mk3 Fabia DQ200 DSG does have Hill hold assist (hill hold control) to hold the car for  couple of seconds between brake pedal and accelerator.   It is AUTOHOLD that it does not have, but then there is no e-brake either.    AUTOHOLD has the car held with the brakes, front and rear and not just by the rear brakes like a parking / e-brake. 

[TerFar]

I'm on my third Skoda with DSG and I've never looked back. I've had an Octavia Est, a Yeti and now the Fabia MC. I adapted very quickly to DSG and now always brake with my left foot and reserve the right foot for the throttle, so Hill Assist and those electronic gizmos are just unnecessary complications.

 

If I'm in a traffic queue, when the car in front moves off, I dwell a second or two to create a gap and then move off, but as soon as I am at a sensible speed (maybe 5 to 10 mph depending on how the queue is moving), I slip into neutral and let the car coast until I get close to the stationary car in front when I put it back into D again. If I start to drop back, I select D again and increase speed a little.  (Note that you can move between D and N without having to depress the brake pedal as long as the car is still moving. Once stationary in N, you have to depress the brake pedal to select anything else.)

 

When stopping and remaining stationary, it is fine to stay in D with your foot on the brake, as the mechatronic unit ensures that the clutch is disengaged.

[Ootohere]

Many drive an Auto / DSG or 2 pedal car because they have a disability, maybe one foot or use of one or have hand controls.

Many will not use 2 feet with Autos / Semi Auto's even if they have 2 feet to use.

With the DSG there is a slightest delay between the foot brake being released and power / drive being applied.

 

Easy enough to slip into N and use the Parking Brake and many do if not wanting to sit any extended time with vehicles / cyclists behind while they have 3 brake lights on.

If there is an issue with Stop / Start stopping the car and the engine being off in N then switch it off.

Going to Park / P so putting on a Reversing Light while in traffic as you go through R is a no no for many as is locking the drive wheels with the pawl when going into P. 

[nta16]

3 hours ago, BasilHume said:

I’m not sure why that picture wouldn’t show - thanks for sorting.

No problem, you don't need the img in brackets at front and back, just the hyperlink.

 

 

3 hours ago, BasilHume said:

This invites me to go into neutral and put the handbrake on, which then seems to confuse things and require a return to P and a full restart before take-off. Bah! It’s a minor set of grumbles I suppose and probably fixed by driver retraining. 

Computers are pretty thick so they can get confused by over elaborate programs, that VW seem to specialise in, (I wonder why?) so I think perhaps if you could get someone who knows what they're doing with a deeper level scan tool to reset whatever parts of the program(s) are required and start from factory default sort of thing it might help (gawd knows where you find these people).  Or perhaps having the battery disconnected for x amount of time (overnight or longer whilst recharging the battery) might be a reset like "switchin' it off 'n' on agun".

 

Edited 31 October, 2021 by nta16

[TerFar]

Start/stop hasn't been as issue with the DSG as such, but it has been an issue with the battery getting low, so I disabled it permanently by disconnecting the BCM (the software battery control module) sensor connection from the negative battery terminal. This allows the battery to fully charge all the time. 

[TerFar]

On 25/10/2021 at 16:24, nta16 said:

Good idea to sell the car if you're not using it enough and now, or before the bubble bursts which might not be for a while yet.

 

For seat comfort have you sat in the front  passenger seat  for a journey of reasonable length as that should give you some idea of seat comfort for you.  Seat comfort can be a personal thing, generally being short I dislike German car seating.  Your Fabia seat sounds like it might have had more stress than normal, big person, mobility issues, deliveries driver.

 

If the scuffy won't cause rusting then why bother until you really need to.  My wife's previous car had a long rear panel that somebody dented and disappeared, she put up with it for 18 months until the servicing garage gave her a good quote on the repair (they must have need work at the time).  I speculated that within two weeks the repair would have a ding from the public car park at her work, not even 24hours, she was so annoyed.  

 

If the car has only you and not a lot of heavy work stuff to carry too you should find the performance reasonable, handling won't be up to S3 but the use of speed and acceleration tends to be very restricted nowadays anyway.

 

If you want more mpg pump the tyres up to 35psi as that noticeably reduces rolling resistance you lose a little on the handling but that can put more fun back into actually driving the car, different perhaps to the heavily(?) assisted S3.  Course smaller wheels with narrower tyres would be more practical too but that's not the fashion.

 

It's a good idea to have front/rear dashcams that you can leave active when you have to leave the car in a vulnerable place. They use little power, but if you leave the car unused for long periods, you can use a 'power brick'; one used for charging mobiles when away from mains power. You connect the dashcam 24/7 to the power brick supply, but connect the power brick charging input to one of the vehicle's ignition switched supplies, so it only recharges when the vehicle is in use. Make sure the dashcam uses 128Gb memory card, so that you get several days recordings before it starts to overwrite though because sod's law demands that the vehicle will be damaged and the record overwritten before you notice! 

[BasilHume]

 

9 month report

 

Overall, this Fabia is proving to be a resounding hit.  I'd predicted that our needs would change as my wife and kids' local activities burgeoned and that has proven to be an underestimate if anything.  Ongoing new duties include muddy rugby club runs, local errands and walks, plus pick-ups from school and post-work sport for my wife.  

 

It's only doing around 200 miles per month - more illustrative is the 3-4 times per week it's used.  Given where we live, it doesn't bear thinking about how this sort of use would have worn-down something like my now-gone Audi S3.  But of course the inevitable urban battle scars don't matter on a 5-year-old Fabia. 

 

As mentioned earlier, the Fabia is so competent that I did briefly think how it could in fact become our only car...

 

...before more happily using it to make the case for a new-to-me Audi RS3. 😉

 

 

This lives in a local lock-up garage, while the Fabia remains accessible on the street.  

 

City use and a dowdy colourscheme mean that it doesn't get very dirty on the outside, although I do keep it clean.  Products like quick detailer keep it looking nice but I haven't given it proper detail on the outside:

 

 

 

There's not much point going beyond this on the bodywork because it's already picked-up some marks like this, which deform the panel and won't polish out:

 

 

 

The cabin is quite pleasant and has remained clean with some attention to remove the inevitable food packets, mud & dirt etc that a family generates: 

 

 

It does seem to steam up a fair old bit when cold / wet, but overall it's a very good setup considering the price.  My wife also uses the Mirrorlink for giving navigation, which is again impressive for a car of this sort and age.  

 

Although (not pictured) it is worn on the driver's bolster and in places like between the seats - I actually went over this with a fabric de-bobbler, which improved things but won't work miracles.  I guess it was caused by carrying something between the rear seats a lot?

 

 

The back seats get a battering from our kids' in-car eating, where it's not exactly luxurious with scratchy plastics and wind-down windows...

 

 

 

Things under the bonnet look good and the car drives very nicely now that I'm used to its DSG gearbox.  I wondered whether it had a new battery before it reached me at 4 years' age, looking at how the sticker is upside down?

 

 

As mentioned in my first post, I bought some original mats, door sill protectors and boot liner when the car was new to us.  I added a boot net from my old S3 as well.

 

 

 

More typically the boot looks like this, though - also being our family's welly boot store!

 

 

 

Doing around 2,500 miles a year but with frequent short journeys means that it will need an annual oil change around June - when I'll also get the brake fluid for the first time.  

 

Cazoo (who supplied the car) offered a free service and MoT for the sub-par buying experience.  I'm inclined to go with that offer rather than my preferred VAG specialist, thereby saving a few pennies for the two other vehicles in the household.  

[nta16]

6 hours ago, BasilHume said:

It's only doing around 200 miles per month

It'd be cheaper to book taxis.

 

6 hours ago, BasilHume said:

 But of course the inevitable urban battle scars don't matter on a 5-year-old Fabia. 

Do bear in mind a 5 year old Fabia, or much older, may be what some can afford and they may be very proud of their car as you are with your Audi.

 

6 hours ago, BasilHume said:

which deform the panel and won't polish out:

I can't see anything other than you hold the phone at correct orientation, which pleases me (and gives away your age).

 

6 hours ago, BasilHume said:

It does seem to steam up a fair old bit when cold / wet,

See a recent thread about this for possible help, it does involve very old fashioned and simple ideas on par with wind up windows.

 

6 hours ago, BasilHume said:

I wondered whether it had a new battery before it reached me at 4 years' age, looking at how the sticker is upside down?

It's just the way the batteries are fitted to the car, like your Audi Skoda are just VW products.  My total guess is that the battery might be original but it's a total guess.  Remind your wife as the driver of the car not to go by the green ball for battery charge as IIRC it only relates to the cell it's in and the battery could still possibly be too low for the computers even if the green ball is in sight.  On my Skoda 35 years ago it had one of these magic balls which disappeared from sight showing only black even when the battery had been fully charged.

 

6 hours ago, BasilHume said:

Doing around 2,500 miles a year but with frequent short journeys means that it will need an annual oil change around June - when I'll also get the brake fluid for the first time.  

Yes  from to both.

 

6 hours ago, BasilHume said:

Cazoo (who supplied the car) offered a free service and MoT for the sub-par buying experience.  I'm inclined to go with that offer rather than my preferred VAG specialist, thereby saving a few pennies for the two other vehicles in the household.  

As you know many places offer 'a service' which is only an engine oil & filter change and nothing else other than a "free visual health check" (such as Dealers) to sell more work but will Cazoo bother with decent or even correct oil (mind you do all the Dealers).  If it was your Audi would you settle for this type of service bearing in mind the Skoda is getting 'serve' use so probably needs the old serve servicing schedule, more attention not less.

 

Thanks for your report.

 

As you have three VW products I'd be interested to see what common problems you have or how the problems vary across the badges.  I've a mate with a 17 plate van to camper with the 2.0l VW diesel engine and he's so difficult to prewarn as he's got too used to owning a Honda car for 19 years that barely gets a service every couple of years and only has had to had the (British added) alarm from new disconnected and last year a hazard switch replaced (£50 installed) and a Nissan from before the build quality dropped so much from European partner and ownership.

 

Edited 6 March, 2022 by nta16

[ettlz]

6 hours ago, BasilHume said:

City use and a dowdy colourscheme mean that it doesn't get very dirty on the outside, although I do keep it clean.

 

My previous one was Quartz Grey (a.k.a 'Metallic Dull Green') which I initially thought was a bit, er, 'middle-aged' (bought from stock, only cared about trim and powertrain). But now I'm on Race Blue I appreciate how well Quartz Grey hides dirt and minor scratches.

Edited 6 March, 2022 by ettlz

[BasilHume]

On 06/03/2022 at 14:59, nta16 said:

It'd be cheaper to book taxis.

 

Being able to come on this forum and talk about Fabias is worth the price of entry. 😉

 

On 06/03/2022 at 14:59, nta16 said:

 

Do bear in mind a 5 year old Fabia, or much older, may be what some can afford and they may be very proud of their car as you are with your Audi.

 

Hopefully things like the mats, door sill protectors and cleaning indicate that this one is loved just as much as our other vehicles... it's just that this one is more akin to a careworn teddy bear rather than the figurine in a glass case.  

 

On 06/03/2022 at 14:59, nta16 said:

 

If it was your Audi would you settle for this type of service bearing in mind the Skoda is getting 'serve' use so probably needs the old serve servicing schedule, more attention not less.

 

It's an offer of a free oil change service and MoT, which I might as well take as it's only due the lesser of the two VAG services for a low-miler anyway this year. It'll get its full inspection service at the interval in 2023.  

 

On 06/03/2022 at 14:59, nta16 said:

 

As you have three VW products I'd be interested to see what common problems you have or how the problems vary across the badges.  

 

 

The 3 VAG vehicles I have at the moment are quite different products, but the one common thing seems to be the lower suspension arm bushes.  These squeak on all the standard front-end (i.e. not R/S3) MQB-platform cars I've had, including the Fabia... which half qualifies as I believe it has the front section of an MQB platform bolted onto the original Mk1 Fabia chassis?