Fabia 1.4 16v Problems

[isleofthanet]

Hi,

I have recently bought from a small independant garage an X reg Fabia 1.4 16v Elegance. My previous car was a VW Golf Mk 2 Driver which I owned for eight reasonably troublefree years.

Having read such good reports and having some friends who own a diesel Fabia estate it seemed a good replacement vehicle.

We looked at several cars one being a Nissan Almera which was like steering a large boat and a three door Polo 1.4 16v which went like a toy rocket but was only three doors, this Fabia is 5 doors.

I have now read on the 'honestjohn' site about some alarming problems associated with these cars starting with the cambelt and tensioner problem which on this car has'nt been changed [52.000 and 5+ years old]. I checked with IML in Plymouth who last serviced it in January [47,000 mls] and they would'nt admit there was a problem and said 60,000 and five years till I mentioned that I had heard it had been changed to 60,000 or four years which they then said that it had recently been changed to!.

I am awaiting a call from the local garage today as this has to be sorted ASAP.

Another problem is that it just does not seem to have any get up and go especially not wanting to go up any hill, I wish there was someone locally to me who could advise me on this as I dont know where to start.

Another problem is the alarm which goes off for no reason and according to the owners manual can be caused by voltage drop but what does that mean.

Also on the 'honestjohn' site is mention of a certain VAG ABS fault which can lead to underbonnet fires, what is that all about

Cheers

Alan

[jacko203]

Bear in mind that the list of faults can be a bit like the list of side effects on a drug packet - just because they can occur certainly doesn't mean they will. The ABS problem you mention is listed on most of the VW and Skoda models on the honest john site, so I'm not sure how common it really is.

I would certainly follow up the cambelt questions; VAG changed the service intervals for a reason!

The 1.4 16v likes to be revved. I find that there is only any real pull somewhere above 2.5 - 3k revs, and the power increases the higher you rev it. This will, I'm guessing be different to your Mk2 Golf, so may take some time to get used to. In addition, the throttle damping applied by VAG to enable the car to meet certain emissions regulations can make the car feel hesitant.

However, real lack of power could be a few things, so for a start - until someone more knowledgable than me comes along - try looking at http://www.briskoda.net/forums/fabia/bad-throttle-response-1-4-16v/75656/.

Rob

[Fabia1.4]

My car was doing the same been really sluggish and wouldn't go up hills and like the chap in the other thread says a bottle of redex ( I put it in to sort a fuel problem out) but made a big difference with acceleration it's lot better and hills don't seem to be a problem anymore didn't sort the fuel problem out though.

I have a bad bad feeling the next problem with mine is going to be the ECU and thats what could be causing the petrol problems.

[bennybee20]

Hi,

I have recently sold my fabia 1.4 16v incidentally the same age and mileage as yours. I think the lack of power when pulling away especially uphill is normal for this model. It took some getting used too but you just have to build up some revs before engaging the clutch especially when you need to shift e.g. pulling into a busy roundabout.

I don't want to put a downer on you but the reason i sold it is the endless small problems which cost a fortune and meant i could never fully rely on the car. I put it down to either being a Friday afternoon car or teething problems with it being made in the first few months of production.

That said, when it worked i found it a good drive and there is some power in there but only with enough revs!

Ben

[Armegatron]

Ive found that I need to rev it a wee bit more to get her to shift quickly. Other than that I mustnt grumble. Although, the cam belt was screaming to be replaced at 5 years/40000 miles so make sure its done:thumbup:

[colingo]

Hi, i have just sold our 1.4 16v estate. In comparison to our first 1.4 8v silverline it was a marked improvement. Considering our 1.4 16v was new when we got it and 2 years old when sold, it was gutless to the point of being dangerous. In traffic if you wanted to pull away briskly or nip out of a junction forget it. I asked our dealer about this and they said the engine needs to be revved to get any real  response/ performance from this engine. Trouble is when you have other people in the car its embarresing driving this car like a F1 car. I am very please to say i have solved this problem, i part ext it for an 07 limited edition VRS, which iam over the moon with.

[isleofthanet]

Hi,

thanks for all the replies, I have got it booked in for a cambelt and tensioner change next week. I have noticed on a quick start there is another noise which sounds like a belt slipping, any ideas on that one?.

Does anyone use injector cleaner which you put in the fuel tank I believe?

Cheers

Alan

[Ultimo]

Hi,

thanks for all the replies, I have got it booked in for a cambelt and tensioner change next week. I have noticed on a quick start there is another noise which sounds like a belt slipping, any ideas on that one?.

Does anyone use injector cleaner which you put in the fuel tank I believe?

Cheers

Alan

Good luck with your new Fabia! Wife's Fabia. same as yours, is 7 years old now, and has worked fine, most of the time, exept from a few things:

At 37000 km: front right side wheel bearing failed ( sorry, no warranty)

At 44000 km: front left side wheel bearing failed (same history as over, although the manager at the garage tried hard )

The car

[Pete]

I've got a seven year old 1.4 16v having done 73 000. The lack of get up and go is also there - sorted with reving harder.

Pete

[cjb]

We have a Lupo sith the 100BHP 1.4 16V. It goes well enough, but as others have said, it needs a good bootful of revs. Above 4000 there's a lot more go.

[TeflonTom]

We have a Lupo sith the 100BHP 1.4 16V. It goes well enough, but as others have said, it needs a good bootful of revs. Above 4000 there's a lot more go.

i've heard of people swapping the cams in those for the shorter duration ones from the 75bhp version to get more lower revs power

[rum4mo]

We have a Lupo sith the 100BHP 1.4 16V. It goes well enough, but as others have said, it needs a good bootful of revs. Above 4000 there's a lot more go.

That and the way that the lobs are fixed to the cam shaft put me off getting that engine back in 2002 - thought that I didn't want to be a guinea pig for new technology!