Hi y'all,

Bit of a rant really over how dissapointed I am with the resiliency of the vRS front suspension setup and the car in general. It's booked in to Awesome in a weeks time to have the wishbone bushes changed as I'm sure it's them that are creaking like mad, but in the last few weeks it seems like it's deteriorated rapidly. The steering wheel now judders when accelerating at speed (about 70mph +) and it clunks and creaks constantly when going over bumps.

I've already had the drop links and track rod ends changed under warranty earlier this year (January) and (since lubing up the gearbox mounting also) have enjoyed several months of clunk free motoring, but since driving to my stag do in June I noticed the O/S started creaking over speedhumps and it would knock like mad when going over bumps whilst turning, sometimes witha big clunk that felt like something hitting the steering rack. After a quick look on here everything pointed to the console bushes needing to be changed which, aside from the ARB bushes is all that's left to be done.

The ARB itself is fine - the collars are still on and it looks totaly undamaged, so all I'm left with are the wishbones themselves which 'look' ok but can't be judging by the noises they make.

I'm running around sorting wind whistley noises out all the time too. Managed to fix the one coming from the N/S rear quarter light using a bit of sealer but now I have another one coming from the N/S wingmirror (goes away when it's folded in). The boot door cover now vibrates at certain rev ranges and the bumper squeaks against the N/S rear light cluster.

I've had the leaking doors too, in addition to my brake pads moving in the calipers and clunking when I brake after changing direction, the mooing rear brakes and the heater going mental.

My missus 306 HDi has over 100k on it and the suspension bushes are all original. Yes, a few of them need changing (a job for next month) but she doesn't have any knocking or wandering or creaking etc. The vRS has 41k on the clock and feels like it's ready for the knackers yard.

It's such a shame as otherwise I love the car. It's nippy, good on fuel, comfy, well kitted and looks the part. When people flame VAG build quality I can now understand why. Very very poor.

Rant over.

Chris.

mmmm, interesting, a fair few people have had problems simialar to yours. I guess i've been lucky in my 31000 miles so far.

A freind of mine has a Cityrover, it's so flimsy it's possible to get into the car without even opening the door!

(a bit of an exageration i know, but not too far off!)

I agree. The suspension is weak.. the wishbone bushes go all the time, when mine went they wouldn't fix them under warrenty, saying it was natural wear and tear..

I took this to SUK customer services, stating it CANNOT be wear and tear, when the break ALL THE TIME on this car (and on the ibiza, but seat replace them under warrenty, I asked the head mechanic at the whitehaven seat garage) and also I assume on the polo.....

this therefore IS A DESIGN FAULT (I had a saxo I did 155k in, and that didn't have any suspension bush issues!) and should be fixed under warrenty. They told me to get stuffed.

I went to the trading standards, complaining they were not holding up there warrenty, when it cant be wear and tear, when it happens all the time on this "platform" car, it is a design fault, manufacturing of a part which is substandard to do the job, they are too weak for this particular set up.... they agreed, and said I'd almost certainly get my money back through the small claims court for the repair, UNTIL he heard I use the car for my business, and apparently the law is different for business, and private consumers :(

let us know if they do it under warrenty for you. :confused:

again skoda, I left the brand because of this.... when I bought the fiat, I was in the office with the garage owner, and he put the phone on speaker, called up the fiat warrenty people, and said " driving instructor with a grande punto 60k, but within the two year unlimited mileage warrenty, suspension bushes go, would you replace them under warrenty? " fiat warrenty man said " Of course we would, doesn't matter what the mileage is, its an UNLIMITED mileage warrenty for two years, if it was 100k we'd replace them free..."

listen skoda.....

*sorry, rant over.

It's weird - seem to be plenty that have problems and plenty that dont. That said VAGs do eat the front suspension quickly, from what I remember. Heavy engine, far forward, doesn't help :(

It's weird - seem to be plenty that have problems and plenty that dont. That said VAGs do eat the front suspension quickly, from what I remember. Heavy engine, far forward, doesn't help :(

thats true... so surely some kind of bushes that can cope with the strain are in order... simple engineering right? my bloody old lancia had 150k on it, and was putting 220bhp through the front wheels... I never had any front suspension issues with that at MOT time......

Hi y'all,

Bit of a rant really over how dissapointed I am with the resiliency of the vRS front suspension setup and the car in general. It's booked in to Awesome in a weeks time to have the wishbone bushes changed as I'm sure it's them that are creaking like mad, but in the last few weeks it seems like it's deteriorated rapidly. The steering wheel now judders when accelerating at speed (about 70mph +) and it clunks and creaks constantly when going over bumps.

I've already had the drop links and track rod ends changed under warranty earlier this year (January) and (since lubing up the gearbox mounting also) have enjoyed several months of clunk free motoring, but since driving to my stag do in June I noticed the O/S started creaking over speedhumps and it would knock like mad when going over bumps whilst turning, sometimes witha big clunk that felt like something hitting the steering rack. After a quick look on here everything pointed to the console bushes needing to be changed which, aside from the ARB bushes is all that's left to be done.

The ARB itself is fine - the collars are still on and it looks totaly undamaged, so all I'm left with are the wishbones themselves which 'look' ok but can't be judging by the noises they make.

I'm running around sorting wind whistley noises out all the time too. Managed to fix the one coming from the N/S rear quarter light using a bit of sealer but now I have another one coming from the N/S wingmirror (goes away when it's folded in). The boot door cover now vibrates at certain rev ranges and the bumper squeaks against the N/S rear light cluster.

I've had the leaking doors too, in addition to my brake pads moving in the calipers and clunking when I brake after changing direction, the mooing rear brakes and the heater going mental.

My missus 306 HDi has over 100k on it and the suspension bushes are all original. Yes, a few of them need changing (a job for next month) but she doesn't have any knocking or wandering or creaking etc. The vRS has 41k on the clock and feels like it's ready for the knackers yard.

It's such a shame as otherwise I love the car. It's nippy, good on fuel, comfy, well kitted and looks the part. When people flame VAG build quality I can now understand why. Very very poor.

Rant over.

Chris.

Hey chris,

Mine does exactly the same, wondering under power, clunking and a really loud banging when u drive over a bump whilst braking. Steering judders more than usual.

I am putting it down to the console bushes also, but mine were changed 10k ago :eek: After seeing our bens ibiza eat its console bushes in 10k anything is possible.

Solid cupra mounts on order, i am going to have a go myself and make a tool to pull the old bushes out and push the new bushes in

Hopefully this will cure our problems.

cheers

john

Is there a polybush kit for the furby?

EDIT. Google is my friend

Powerflex polyurethane bushes Fabia (02-05)

Yes there is a Powerflex kit but when I tried to ask exactly what the parts were I got told to ask at the garage ?!? So that was as far as my move to Powerflex went - their sales answering service don't seem to know their products - or they are just agents for somone elses products and sell them on as Powerflex. Why not get in touch with Star Performance they are only "down the road" from you, and get the Seat Ibiza Cupra bushes fitted they did mine - very competant and very reasonable (well at least by Edinburgh garage rates). Yup best bit of advice I was given on this site. They also do servicing and belt changes and a lot more - if you need to spend money on your car. They also have a "proper" 4 wheel alignment set-up - that task will need to be done anyway after the bushes have been changed due to the dismantling that has to be done.

never realised how many issues there are with the fabia

never realised how many issues there are with the fabia

go on other car forums, ti's the same. sometimes you wonder how we get A - B in any make of car

RE: John, I spoke to Sarah at Awesome re the Cupra bushes and was advised against it due to harshness. In all honesty I found that my 318iS was far more harsh with Powerflex bushes than normal ones, feeling every little thing in the road.

At first when I got the car it felt as solid as a rock. Not a rattle or groan in sight. 6 months and 10k later and it feels like it's 15 years old, not 3.5.

Is it possible to for manufacturers to actually put some thought into designing cars and actually take responsibility for the plethora of design faults that they all seem to have cos it would appear VAG are a bit slimy on this front. Oh, wait, hang on......you buy a Honda if you don't want it going wrong.

It's not been anything major so far with the Fabia, just lots and lots of silly little things. I'd read about most of them before hand but didn't think they'd all end up happening to me.

We'll see how it feels after the bushes are changed anyway. I'm gonna attack the car with the silicon gun to try and stop the bloody whistling and also play with the boot to try and stop that rattling.

As I say, it's such a shame that the car has started falling apart like this as in theory they're a great concept, just badly realised.

go on other car forums, ti's the same. sometimes you wonder how we get A - B in any make of car

Totally agree. If you want a real laugh, visit a Peugot forum.

At first when I got the car it felt as solid as a rock. Not a rattle or groan in sight. 6 months and 10k later and it feels like it's 15 years old, not 3.5.

Commiserations - you certainly have had your woes :thumbdwn:

We're only up to 23k and everything fine, thank Dog.

Might I suggest that the car had an 'unsympathetic' previous owner - sorry to say - and that you've inherited these problems :(

It's bizarre because most of the issues are the typical known ones that the Fabia suffers from. Leaking doors, duff drop links, dodgy heater, knocking gearbox mount, duff EGR valve, mooing rear brakes, clunking front brakes, knackered console bushes (causing all sorts of problems) etc etc.

This leads me to doubt that the previous owner neglected the car as most of these have shown up gradually in the last 6 months. When I first got the car it seemed fine.

Funnily enough, you mention Peugeot forums, but my old 405 and my missus current 306 have been really reliable with very few issues.

Just feeling a little disillusioned at the mo.......perhaps I should've bought a Mondeo after all.....

Thats such a shame, i'm upto 31k and had the car new since Sep 04 and not had a single mechanical problem with it. The only issue i've had is problems with the dust seal that runs above both doors coming off a couple of times and being replaced under warranty.

It's odd how one car can have a pile of issues and the next be ok.

I hope things get better for you.

Totally agree. If you want a real laugh, visit a Peugot forum.

Yes they are very poor I had one and had numerous problems:-

Ignition Coils replaced

Drive shaft replaced

Exhausts were very poor and were always falling off/blowing (normaly one part had to be replaced at least once a year)

At 60,000 the engine was starting to rattle and the clutch went and the car had just about given up and died and was making some crazy noises.

However I think the most expensive repair was the exhaust with the cat on and after that the iginiation coils and drive shaft were about £140ish to replace each which although a pain you can cope with.

However there were never any problems with power steering, head gaskets, water pumps, various leaks, suspension etc the difference with Skoda also seems to be that it is some of the major parts that fail (power steering pump and head gasket) and the cost of repair isn't even worth thinking about. Also with Skoda they all seem to be "common faults" surley this means there must have been somthing wrong with the parts when they were designed/manufactured? yet us the driver will end up having to pay out to replace them.

At least with the Peugot I new I wouldn't have to worry about major things going wrong and costing fotunes to replaces.

or maybe I was just lucky and got away lightly.

I would never have a Peugot again (although the g/f wants one) as they were not the most reliable but compared to the Fabia I am starting to think it wasn't actually that bad. In 4 months of having my Fabia it has been into the garage more times than my peugot did in 4 years and that takes some beating.

My dad has my old 405 and it's only been consumables that have needed replacement like brakes and shockers etc. All the rest is still going strong.

I think my main gripe is that all of the issues I've had are 'common'. So many silly niggly faults that the dealers know about that simply have not been corrected over the Fabias lifetime. Most manufacturers release technical updates on components etc during a cars production lifespan, correcting faults that are present when a car is first released, but Skoda have not. The only thing I can think of is the drop links which are apparently of a different design on the later cars thus lasting a few months longer.

In addition, I think Skoda/ VAG have a few things to learn when it comes to 'hotting up' cars. By that I mean making a faster version of a current model.

Simply slapping in a high torque engine, lowering the thing, fitting a bodykit and fitting bigger wheels is simply not enough. The vRS needs FAR bigger brakes (312mm kit as standard) and the suspension bushes need to be beefed up to handle the barge of an engine. In fact, the suspension should have been totally overhauled to be honest as it's simply insufficient.

The reason why I say this that the low profile tyres and suspension lowering cause more shock to be transmitted up through the suspension to the car. Add in the extra weight of the PD130 engine and you're gonna eat them 1.2 bushes in no time.

Also, the extra weight and power hanging over the front end means more stopping power is needed but the vRS does not have it and you have to really sometimes stomp on them (which places more stress on those poor console bushes).

Given the fact increased front end weight adds to understeer, the lack of a rear ARB is also bizarre as this corrects the whole problem.

The fact that Seat made similar mistakes on the FR suggests is more of a widespread problem throughout VAG. So many silly mistakes from a manufacturer that should know better.

Sounds to me like the accountants are making too many of the decisions.

bought mine at 18000 in Dec 06, slapped on 30,000 miles since then (!), no major problems at all.

Do you guys live in areas with loads of speed bumps - they wreck suspensions?

LOL. Yup, Wakefield and York (home and work) are full of the bloody things.

I prefer speed cameras in residential areas to be honest. At least if you obey the speed limit they leave you alone. You have to drive over speed bumps no matter what you do.

Reading this thread is making me wonder if I will get another Fabia , mine seems to be behaving at the minute , but in 2 years its had the bushes , steering rack , thermostat and rad fan switch replaced. At least it doesnt leak , but I suspect the 1st owner has had some of the niggles done when it was inside its 1st 3 years via the new car warranty.

LOL. Yup, Wakefield and York (home and work) are full of the bloody things.

I prefer speed cameras in residential areas to be honest. At least if you obey the speed limit they leave you alone. You have to drive over speed bumps no matter what you do.

They even paint speed humps on the road to make u think there is a bump, when in fact there is no bump........Madness!

They even paint speed humps on the road to make u think there is a bump, when in fact there is no bump........Madness!

LMFAO. Altofts isn't it that do that? Speed bumps on a shoestring.

Poxy things don't do my console bushes any favours though. Creak creak every time.

1 more week to go and they get sorted.

LMFAO. Altofts isn't it that do that? Speed bumps on a shoestring.

Poxy things don't do my console bushes any favours though. Creak creak every time.

1 more week to go and they get sorted.

Altofts it is. i think they ran out of tarmac when doing them but had some spare paint left so they just painted em on. One day when i have the time i am going to sit by one and see just how many people swerve for them

Hey just noticed chris your nearing 1000 posts

A kind freind has offered u a ride in his with cupra bushes if you want to see what they are like before yours goes in? Pm me if ur up for it

EDIT: My 666th post...... Devil post.

Doesn't look like I am the only person to suffer from dodgy exhausts on Peugot lad at work just had his fall off his 206 this morning he also says he goes through them for fun and has nothing but problems with his.

The chap at the garage told him once it's because his car is french which is exactly what I was told.