Hi all. had my skoda fabia mk1 estate 1.2 for only 2 months. its an 06 plate with 147.000 miles on the clock i have barely done 600 in it so far. 3 previous owners to me. the clutch went on it on sunday and its infuriating because i have put new bits on it. new headlight ( mentioned in prev posts ) to match the other new one the prev owner had fitted. new wipers and upgraded all bulbs to L.e.d ones. new gear lever and gater. new door mirror glass drivers side. serviced it plugs filters oil and a couple of new coil packs etc etc. now i can.t drive the damn thing and i.m stuck. 😠😠😠  Had quotes from only 3 garages of 7 i have emailed so far. plus its got be towed or transported there so it has to be a local nearby place to do it.  what sort of price would i be expected to pay for a new clutch inc v.a.t ? pity these jobs can.t be done in situ but beed a ramp and proper gear. these skoda fabia.s in my view are not made to last at all a poor design in some ways its as if the bodywork is meant to last longer than the mechanical parts are. very very frustrating i think i will change never have another one and go for an audi or a nissan or a kia or something. something thats made to last.  anyway any advice or views on this from other skoda owners would be much appreciated.  

It's on 147k miles. If that's the original clutch then it's lasted well, IMO. I wouldn't be as shocked as you are that a car of this age and mileage needs work done. Even mine on 65k has needed some work done on it, such is life when running cars between 15 and 22 years old... I feel old now.

Any of those other brands you mentioned would need a new clutch by 147k as well, I'm amazed you're surprised to be honest.

Well I for one would not expect a clutch to fail after I had fitted a new headlight, door mirror glass, LED bulbs etc it's disgracefull, they dont make things like they used to, I mean who in the good old days would have believed that a clutch would last for 18 years and 147000 miles? 🤣

And as for only getting 3 quotes back from 7 within 2 days from a group E-mailed enquiry during the holiday season and the hottest weather on record.......................

 

What is the world coming to!

The guy's not surprised, he's upset. As would most of us be upon finding out that our daily driver was out of action until some hundreds of pounds is spent on it (unless DIYed).

 

Wait for some more quotes, and watch some YouTube videos by Williams mobile clutch service to learn that it is very possible to do on a driveway. Done a couple myself.

1 hour ago, enocha*******off said:

Hi all. had my skoda fabia mk1 estate 1.2 for only 2 months. its an 06 plate with 147.000 miles on the clock i have barely done 600 in it so far. 3 previous owners to me. the clutch went on it on sunday and its infuriating because i have put new bits on it. new headlight ( mentioned in prev posts ) to match the other new one the prev owner had fitted. new wipers and upgraded all bulbs to L.e.d ones. new gear lever and gater. new door mirror glass drivers side. serviced it plugs filters oil and a couple of new coil packs etc etc. now i can.t drive the damn thing and i.m stuck. 😠😠😠  Had quotes from only 3 garages of 7 i have emailed so far. plus its got be towed or transported there so it has to be a local nearby place to do it.  what sort of price would i be expected to pay for a new clutch inc v.a.t ? pity these jobs can.t be done in situ but beed a ramp and proper gear. these skoda fabia.s in my view are not made to last at all a poor design in some ways its as if the bodywork is meant to last longer than the mechanical parts are. very very frustrating i think i will change never have another one and go for an audi or a nissan or a kia or something. something thats made to last.  anyway any advice or views on this from other skoda owners would be much appreciated.  

1. 147k miles is a very good mileage for an original clutch.
2. LED headlight "bulbs" are illegal unless they were fitted from new.

3 hours ago, enocha*******off said:

 never have another one and go for an audi or a nissan or a kia or something. something thats made to last.  

Audi - that is a Skoda in a party frock.

that is very frustrating, 

i suppose in terms of the vehicle - for it age and milage its done very well. 

but in terms of "your purchase" its pretty ****. 

the unfortunate part of purchasing cars in that age bracket is you could have a fully dealer / genius mechanic mollicoddled car that has never wanted for anything and its still a gamble that you get 4 more yrs of no hassle or it eats itself the day after you buy it. 

and that across the board with all manufacturers. 

 

1 hour ago, KeithCheetham said:

Audi - that is a Skoda in a party frock.

 

i would more say Skoda is the audi the day after the pretty dress outing, hangin around in trackies and flipflops eating leftovers and no make up on....

a better image of reality

 

 

 

 

i dont mean that in any kind of sexist way..

1 hour ago, KeithCheetham said:

Audi - that is a Skoda in a party frock.

 

Ahem... I think you will find it is a thinking man's Audi.

 

5 hours ago, enocha*******off said:

nissan or a kia or something

 

See that's great in principle, but at nearly 150k, anything will **** out it's clutch. I've been looking at an 80k mile Nissan Almera that is needing some small work, but nothing major. Same (ish) age as the Fabia but will still require upkeep. Regardless of what you buy at this age/budget, it may last a long time or go boom in minutes. It's a gamble.

 

I sympathise with being upset that the clutch has failed. However, it's possible on any car really at that mileage or depending on previous owners' driving habits. 

Edited 3 August, 20223 yr by AnnoyingPentium

A previous owner might have been one of the i will sit at traffic lights on red in 1st gear with the clutch pedal pushed down for ages crew

7 hours ago, Breezy_Pete said:

and watch some YouTube videos by Williams mobile clutch service to learn that it is very possible to do on a driveway

Is that the guy who normally wears a balaclava to give himself some anonymity?

 

Or maybe its because it was cold or the best way to keep clean and not get hypoid oil in your hair like mine was for most of my youth.

 

If its the one I am thinking of the videos are very inspirational, I like the way he uses his ribcage as a step when lowering the transmission to the ground.

 

back in my day with RWD gearboxes removed at the side of the road I would lay North/South with my knees clasping the bellhousing and my hands supporting the tailshaft extension just above my neck and wriggle it out onto my chest and stomach in the same way, usually getting hypoid down my neck and on my face and hair as the box tilted.

Edited 3 August, 20223 yr by J.R.

I would absolutely disagree with you on these cars not being made to last.

These cars are built very well, they aren't overcomplicated. Any parts that wear out are easy to change and cheap.

If that's the standard clutch at 147k then that's impressive.

A clutch is a wear item and a lot of cars can wear them out around 60k miles. I know Hyundai coupes are notorious for wearing clutches out quickly, speaking from experience there.

 

4 hours ago, J.R. said:

 

back in my day with RWD gearboxes removed at the side of the road I would lay North/South with my knees clasping the bellhousing and my hands supporting the tailshaft extension just above my neck and wriggle it out onto my chest and stomach in the same way, usually getting hypoid down my neck and on my face and hair as the box tilted.

 

Same here. Escorts, Avengers, Sunbeams, Cortinas, etc. After pulling out the propshaft and draining the oil I used to secure a piece of polythene over the tailshaft end by wrapping string round it to stop as much oil coming out as possible. Sometimes it used to come off in the struggles though

Having transported my toolbox from its exile in the UK to my new (work in progress) workshop I have been looking through the tools and pondering whether many of them will see use again, but of course they cannot be thrown away.

 

Amongst them are various propshaft sliding yoke front couplings to stop the oil draining when a prop and/or gearbox is removed, also ford, BL and Vauxhall gearbox first input shafts for centralising clutches.

 

My universal clutch aligning tool mlandrel set I made as a first year apprentice including the hinged sheet metal box that contains it, the prop couplings and first motion shafts required a trip to the breakers yard and stripping down vehicles and dismantling gearboxes to source, now we just click a mouse!

12 hours ago, J.R. said:

Is that the guy who normally wears a balaclava to give himself some anonymity?

Yep, that's him. Kevin Albert Williams, unfortunately his catchment area doesn't extend to Staffs where the OP is based. Clutch Replacement Service | Clutch Repair (williamsmobileclutch.co.uk)

Not used him myself, and have no connection with him.

 

Example of him on a 1.2 Polo, which will be a near identical job to the OP's car.

h

45 minutes ago, J.R. said:

Amongst them are various propshaft sliding yoke front couplings to stop the oil draining when a prop and/or gearbox is removed

 

I always thought that was a good idea but never got round to getting some scrap propshafts to cannibalize

Edited 4 August, 20223 yr by TMB

Thanks for all those replies everyone lol some of em def right what ya say lol and some of em very honest it relation to what i said. well yeah the prev 3 owners may have rode the clutch pedal and driven crap eh. i never do that ever and change gear nice and smoothly not bull at a gate and all heavy handed like some do. yeah well said about that i always flick it into neutral at traffic lights i always have and any sitting in nose to tail traffic.  no what it was was this. a mechanic guy a mate of a mates had my crap diesel fiesta off me cos it was a nightmare. he prob sold that on and made a fair bit on it that was an 07 plate in brill nick but the injectors had clogged up on it as it had stood ages in my mates dads garage. besides diesels are ****e anyway crap for short journeys lol. anyway in place of that this other guy swapped me a fabia 1.2 hatch petrol on an 04 plate that ran superb for a few months. that had only done 48.000 miles then it simply siezed up on me and was a mystery why. ( prev posts on here you may have read about these two cars.) so he says oh i feel responsible for this so are you interested in another skoda but an estate 1.2 this time on an 06 plate. so i said ok and i met him half way with the £500 he had paid for the other one that he swapped me for the fiesta if you can follow all this lol.  he says its a good car and its just been m.o.ted and its a sound car. but obv its croaked at 147.000 miles with no clutch now so i got to decide what to do scrap it or get the clutch done but is it worth it i.m not sure 😕.😮 so my girlfriend says she will buy me a new car or near new car when her mums house sale has been sorted which months away yet cos of probate.  so i have noted what all of you who have replied to this post have said and i will go for another make. its pity fords are crap now cos i used to like my escorts that were and cortina.s.  and i.d def have another vaux corsa B or C cracking cars and engines or an old astra mk 2 3 or 4  or 5 but not many left about now though any that are still about are collectable now.   cheers  Dave h. ☺😊😃👍👍 

Would you mind editting your posting please to put in some sentences and paragraphs please as it is impossible for me to read in its present form as a solid block of text.

On 03/08/2022 at 13:33, enocha*******off said:

Hi all. had my skoda fabia mk1 estate 1.2 for only 2 months. its an 06 plate with 147.000 miles on the clock i have barely done 600 in it so far. 3 previous owners to me. the clutch went on it on sunday and its infuriating because i have put new bits on it. new headlight ( mentioned in prev posts ) to match the other new one the prev owner had fitted. new wipers and upgraded all bulbs to L.e.d ones. new gear lever and gater. new door mirror glass drivers side. serviced it plugs filters oil and a couple of new coil packs etc etc. now i can.t drive the damn thing and i.m stuck. 😠😠😠  Had quotes from only 3 garages of 7 i have emailed so far. plus its got be towed or transported there so it has to be a local nearby place to do it.  what sort of price would i be expected to pay for a new clutch inc v.a.t ? pity these jobs can.t be done in situ but beed a ramp and proper gear. these skoda fabia.s in my view are not made to last at all a poor design in some ways its as if the bodywork is meant to last longer than the mechanical parts are. very very frustrating i think i will change never have another one and go for an audi or a nissan or a kia or something. something thats made to last.  anyway any advice or views on this from other skoda owners would be much appreciated.  

https://www.clickmechanic.com/price-estimates/skoda/fabia/clutch-replacement

 

Hi JR sure i.ll shorten it a bit i.m doing this off a phone so its awkward. 

I have a 2006 skoda fabia estate only had it 2 months. only done 600 miles in it so far. 

Clutch went last sunday its done 147.000 miles with 3 prev owners. 

As you will see from some of the replies i guess its not too bad for a car this age. 

 

My question now is do i scrap it or try get it done at a garage is it worth it. ? 

I only gave £250 so a new clutch and a mechanic to put it on will be more than that i.m sure. 

Other question was if i go for another make of car what do i go for. audi. kia. honda. nissan or what. ?   😕  Dave h

 

1 hour ago, enocha*******off said:

Other question was if i go for another make of car what do i go for. audi. kia. honda. nissan or what. ? 

 

Toyota.

 

But cars are crap in general and are endless money-pits.

Dave, given your car history and bear in mind I've had (suffered) enough British car to be able to say what I'm gonna, and a few Japanese cars, get yourself a Toyota or Honda, certainly forget the cars you mentioned.

 

To a certain extent possibly older cars could be more reliable than as they get newer with standards dropping and more complex systems being insisted on.

 

As with all makes and models it's a matter of present condition but history may back this up or point to potential work required.  A well looked after and used old Kia could be much better than a very poorly maintained and used Toyota or Honda.  Having put that I know two Toyota owner with 20+ year old models that have had nearly nothing done to them than servicing and barely that with one and they still work well and very well.  A mate is selling a Honda after 19 years of ownership and other than one wheel arch patch the only stuff it's had is the British alarm removed and a new hazard light switch fitted  last year (£50 part and installation), it was serviced - but not every year.  He also has a 2005 Micra, when Renault was in with Nissan is more of a gamble but it runs after the thin rusted metal bits are replaced.

 

18 minutes ago, TMB said:

But cars are crap in general and are endless money-pits.

+1

2 hours ago, enocha*******off said:

My question now is do i scrap it or try get it done at a garage is it worth it. ? 

I only gave £250 so a new clutch and a mechanic to put it on will be more than that i.m sure. 

Other question was if i go for another make of car what do i go for. audi. kia. honda. nissan or what. ?   😕  Dave h

 

Here's my answer, I bought my 2.0 Fabia on 27th December 2016 for £450 on ebay, In January 2017 I replaced every single suspension component, every bush, every balljoint, all the shocks and springs and topmounts, the lot. It didn't need brakes, they'd just been done, since then all I've done is standard services and brake pads and tyres. In January 2020 it needed a new clutch, it cost me £350 but it was worth it.

 

By your logic I should have scrapped the car because it was going to cost me nearly what I paid for it.

 

As long as my Fabia continues to start on the button and pass the MOT then I'll continue driving it because a car is a machine for transporting you from one place to another, not a wallet with a measly few hundred quid stuffed into it!

Edited 5 August, 20223 yr by sepulchrave

12 minutes ago, sepulchrave said:

every ballpoint

 

Doing a lot of writing were you? 😛