This should prove to be quite interesting (leaky Fabia owners, take note)

[Scoo123]

Afternoon all.

I've recently bought an 04 Fabia 1.4 TDi, and paid top dealer money for it... but thought fair enough given the good reputation they have, and the fact it has full history and compared to what I could have got for the same money Mk4 Golf wise (which is what I really wanted if I am honest), it's much newer and much lower mileage.

However... I thought the car smelt a bit funny when I first bought it, and the smell is getting worse.

I'm therefore pretty confident, having read in here of so many other people finding the same problem with their Fabias, that it's got the usual water ingress problem.

Given my car has only just turned three years old, I have contacted Skoda UK and asked them to rectify the problem free of charge, as in my view the problem is down to an design fault the car should never have left the factory with.

I am very aggrieved at the fact that the three year old car I've just paid £6k for smells like a cat has been left to urinate in the back of it... that, and my 1998 Ford KA doesn't smell at all, and this has had the benefit of an additional 110k miles worth of door opening / closing to wear down door seals etc.

I've also stated that whilst Skoda do not seem to admit this is a design fault, they sell a sealant kit to address such problems, something which means they've therefore, having acknowledged the need for such a product, acknowledged the issue.

My point is... given it's a design fault, *all* Fabias should have been recalled by now to have the work carried out free of charge, and later models like mine, some four or five years into the production run, should never have left the factory with the fault in the first place.

Skoda UK have advised me to get the car diagnosed at one of their dealers at my own expense, and they will consider whether or not they can help out - the dealer who originally supplied the car has indicated that they've yet to pay 100% of the cost of any such work yet, and that they won't consider replacing manky carpets or getting them valetted to rid them of the smell once and for all either, and this is something which is totally relevant IMHO, as they wouldn't smell if the design fault had been rectified before the car was sold.

This is unacceptable.

I'm therefore looking to contact Trading Standards and Watchdog UK if direct contact with Skoda UK has no effect, and feel that if enough of us were to group together to effectively bring a group action, we may actually get somewhere.

So... anyone else aggrieved enough at Skodas failure to acknowledge and addrss this issue with their Fabia?

If so, please add your name to this thread and I'll start working out the best way of getting Skoda enough negative exposure to shame them into rectifying *all* our cars free of charge, as any decent manufacturer / importer who values their client base, should and would.

[oliverreed]

Good effort lad!

However mine is garaged and don't smell - YET!

I think you are on the right note for further support, good luck to you all.

[kwacka]

mine has leaked

[cam7777]

Mine has leaked too, I've had to put sealer on both my rear doors

[Imperator]

Mine leaks, but doesn't smell. Out of warranty, so will have to do a DIY job on it - will be interested to hear how this goes.

[expostmanpat]

Mine as had the water ingress through the rear windows and fixed under warrenty. Two questions do spring to mind in this instance tho,

1) surely if you have just bought the car from a main dealer it came with some kind of approved warrenty,

2) If the smell is so bad didn't you notice it on the test drive/ when you examined the vehicle.

I do agree tho that Skoda do seem to sell cars knowing that they will need some sort of fix (probably) at a later date.

Best of luck in your efforts, and I hope it doesn't put you off the marque

[col6821]

I purchased a 3 year old vRS earlier this year, the rear door seals were replaced as soon as I mentioned it to the dealer after about a month of ownership but the carpets were not mentioned. The smell has slowly disappeared since.

The supplying dealer should rectify this without the need to contact Skoda UK.

Good luck.

[mr barearse]

mine has also leaked on both rear doors but i have now fixed the problem myself! im interested to know what happens here as i was well miffed when i discovered this problem then i was even more miffed to find out it is a common fault and nothing has been done about it!

[ExAudiSi]

I did a poll on this forum a few months back and over half the owners who replied said that their Fabias either had leaked or were leaking. I tried to persuade Skoda the same as you to repair my 5 year old car which has full Skoda history but they refused. Initially they said that there was no inherent design problem with the doors and seals, but eventually admitted to there being a concern over the sealent used hence the new repair procedure for the dealers to use.

They have also instructed the dealers to repair all 4 doors on any Fabia which is presented with leaking doors even if only one is leaking at the time. However, this only applies to cars which are still in warranty, they will not pay for any cars which are not. The cost for the dealers to perfrom this procedure is approx, £60-£70 per door.

[mr barearse]

thats a bit expensive you can buy the new sealing cord for £21 anthere is easily enough to do 4 doors.

[ExAudiSi]

Thats why they're called stealers!

[miho]

Our 2001 TDI estate is leaking also. When we bought it two years ago I pointed out the stains on the rear doorcards and the Skoda dealer cleaned them up before we actually bought it. At that time I hadn't found briskoda and didn't know about the leaky door problem, yet. The problem has come back since and the car is now out of the used car warranty. To make things worse, after another garage (prescribed by the insurance) repaired some minor accident damage to the passenger front door, that one now seems to leak slightly, also, even though the window carrier including seal was replace.

Let me know when you get anywhere with your complaint to trading standards. I'd be happy to join in.

Michael

[Scoo123]

Mine as had the water ingress through the rear windows and fixed under warrenty. Two questions do spring to mind in this instance tho,

1) surely if you have just bought the car from a main dealer it came with some kind of approved warrenty,

2) If the smell is so bad didn't you notice it on the test drive/ when you examined the vehicle.

I do agree tho that Skoda do seem to sell cars knowing that they will need some sort of fix (probably) at a later date.

Best of luck in your efforts, and I hope it doesn't put you off the marque

1. I bought the car from an independent dealer...

2. The car had just been valetted when I test drove it etc., and they'd used strong smelling 'Back To Black' type polish on the mats, so this appears in retrospect to have masked the then faint smell which was definitely there when I first looked at it.

Anyway... yes, it has put me off the car tbh.

I've had a good think overnight and I'm going to get the above sorted and then I'm going to get rid of the car.:thumbdwn:

[Scoo123]

Our 2001 TDI estate is leaking also. When we bought it two years ago I pointed out the stains on the rear doorcards and the Skoda dealer cleaned them up before we actually bought it. At that time I hadn't found briskoda and didn't know about the leaky door problem, yet. The problem has come back since and the car is now out of the used car warranty. To make things worse, after another garage (prescribed by the insurance) repaired some minor accident damage to the passenger front door, that one now seems to leak slightly, also, even though the window carrier including seal was replace.

Let me know when you get anywhere with your complaint to trading standards. I'd be happy to join in.

Michael

I may not bother now, as I am planning to get rid of the car at the end of the month.

[ExAudiSi]

I'd get the doors sorted and keep the car!

The 1.4 tdi is a great little motor. All cars have issues of one sort or another so the Fabia in not alone. This forum is a great information resource, but it sometimes gives the impression that the cars are more trouble they really are.

[expostmanpat]

1. I bought the car from an independent dealer...

2. The car had just been valetted when I test drove it etc., and they'd used strong smelling 'Back To Black' type polish on the mats, so this appears in retrospect to have masked the then faint smell which was definitely there when I first looked at it.

Anyway... yes, it has put me off the car tbh.

I've had a good think overnight and I'm going to get the above sorted and then I'm going to get rid of the car.:thumbdwn:

Ah really sorry to hear that, would still have expected the supplying dealer, even an independant to fix the problem after such a short time period, If this is the only issue you have with the car then i do think it would be a shame to get shut and be put off what is a quality marque for life:( not to mention the old adage out of the frying pan............

[Scoo123]

Ah really sorry to hear that, would still have expected the supplying dealer, even an independant to fix the problem after such a short time period, If this is the only issue you have with the car then i do think it would be a shame to get shut and be put off what is a quality marque for life:( not to mention the old adage out of the frying pan............

Aye, well... I won't be replacing it.

My other half has decided to pack in her driving lessons, so I will revert back to our ever faithful KA (which doesn't smell ), and then bank the money saved by not having the Fabia / two cars.

[Scoo123]

I'd get the doors sorted and keep the car!

The 1.4 tdi is a great little motor. All cars have issues of one sort or another so the Fabia in not alone. This forum is a great information resource, but it sometimes gives the impression that the cars are more trouble they really are.

Don't get me wrong... it's not a bad car at all.

If I were nitpicking, I'd comment on:

The badge on the bonnet has some sort of cloudy corrosion forming in one spot - the car has only just turned three years old, so whilst not the end of the world, still not impressed.

The paint on the bonnet seems a bit soft going by some of the chips that have appeared on it.

The middle dash vents aren't, as is the Fabia way, very helpful or effective.

The volume control on the headunit sometimes plays up

Plus points:

It's comfy

It's economical

It sounds quite meaty, being a three pot

The boot is a fair size given it's quite a small car

I have had far worse cars in my time... I just resent having to mess around sorting out something which by all rights should be the subject of a free dealer recall, on something I've just paid £6k for, not least when my £450s worth of Ford, a brand with well documented rot issues, never seems to go wrong and hasn't had to have anything like this sorted.

That, and see my other reply - we no longer need two cars.

I may have a change of heart and just get rid of the KA, but given the leak issue and how much I paid for the car, I don't feel particularly benevolent to the Fabia or Skoda UK right now, and even if I get rid of it, I think the latter should be made to sort this out free of charge on *all* Fabias.

[andy2407]

If Skoda are not being particularly helpful, is it worth pursuing the independent dealer that you bought the car from?

Although Im guessing he did not give any specific warranty, he still has legal obligations to supply a car of "satisfactory quality". You might have to threaten to "reject" it, but its maybe worth a try. I appreciate that you might be selling the car anyway, but why not try to get him to fix it, rather than having to cough up for it yourself? If he doesn't fix it, you may even manage to get all your money back.

Lots of info about "rejecting" a car is at Honestjohn: Frequently Asked Questions

[Scoo123]

If Skoda are not being particularly helpful, is it worth pursuing the independent dealer that you bought the car from?

Although Im guessing he did not give any specific warranty, he still has legal obligations to supply a car of "satisfactory quality". You might have to threaten to "reject" it, but its maybe worth a try. I appreciate that you might be selling the car anyway, but why not try to get him to fix it, rather than having to cough up for it yourself? If he doesn't fix it, you may even manage to get all your money back.

Lots of info about "rejecting" a car is at Honestjohn: Frequently Asked Questions

I'm not keen on going down this route as the Fabia was a replacement for a defect Vectra the dealer concerned sold me which, unfortunately for them, they'd specified as a different model on the sales invoice meaning I was within my rights to reject it.

What I should have done is stuck to my guns and totally rejected the whole deal rather than giving in and accepting the Fabia, which to its credit, is otherwise fine... and I may relent once the smell is sorted and just keep it.

Anyway... I wasted enough time getting the Vectra situation sorted out, and tbh, I'd rather just give it to someone I know (as in the place that always services my cars and never rips me off), will just sort out the current problems without leaving me exposed to the charges a main stealer will apply and then hope that Skoda UK cough up 50% at best, as the dealer concerned has advised they've never had 100% out of them yet on these, and then I can either drive it or get rid of it knowing there aren't any faults with the car for the new owner to be disappointed by.

That, and the warranty given with this doesn't cover things like water leaks... and yes I know, I could argue the toss with them about it but given the grief, hassle and stress I had over getting them to take the Vectra back, I really would rather just get it sorted by someone I know won't rip me off, and move on.

The main thing I can do is just not buy any more cars from the trader concerned... and I don't think I'll be considering Skodas again, given Skoda UKs refusal to deal with what is a known issue, in a fair, just and right way.

[AwesomeSarah]

Hi

When I did the warranty claims this was a VERY VERY common problem

I started to replace the whole of the inner part on the inside of the door

But SUK soon stopped that

So it IS a common problem and SUK do know about it , but it depends on if they will budge with it

I do know that some parts are covered on to a 5th year of warranty

Sarah

[ExAudiSi]

Water leaking through the doors isn't one of them though!

I know I've tried.

[Scoo123]

Hi

When I did the warranty claims this was a VERY VERY common problem

I started to replace the whole of the inner part on the inside of the door

But SUK soon stopped that

So it IS a common problem and SUK do know about it , but it depends on if they will budge with it

I do know that some parts are covered on to a 5th year of warranty

Sarah

Hi Sarah... given what you've said above, you sound like quite a useful person to know.

*sigh*

There is a part of me that thinks, 'look, the rest of it is ok, why not just stick with it', so all might not be lost yet.

The 5th year of warranty - I don't suppose you have anything I can refer to regarding what is and what isn't covered at the various stages of the cars life by the warranty given by SUK?

With regards to whether or not they'll budge on it... I suspect they've not had enough high profile bad publicity about the problem being there in the first place and about cases like mine where they're not just saying 'ok, free repair' - would soon tarnish all the JDPower awards they've had the benefit of in terms of gaining new customers.

Regardless, as I've already said in this thread at least twice (anyone getting bored yet? ), they should have:

A: Ensured the factory were made aware of the issue and modified the cars / production process as soon as it became apparent it didn't affect just the odd 'Friday Afternoon' car.

B: Contacted all Fabia owners and carried out a free recall to eliminate the fault from all cars already sold, not just sit back and hope that it doesn't affect too many cars or that the owners of affected vehicles who do bother to want it sorted accept part compensation.

*phew*

Another rant over. Skoda UK...

[AwesomeSarah]

Hi

The "fix" for this is to reseal the steel plate :eek:

Never did agree with that then

But as the "repair" consists of resealing and I do know this works , I myself would have thought that this would have been cheap enouigh for the to do under "Customer Care Claims"

They are very good and when I worked for Skoda dealer and I must admit they was very very good

But it does seem like the Customer Care has gone downhill a tad :(

So come on SUK we all know that you read these posts , PLEASE HELP YOUR CUSTOMERS WHO LOVE THE CARS

I myself will be looking at ANOTHER Fabia in a few months after my other Fabia and my fella`s Octavia

So give them a shout

0845 7745745 and let them know that it IS a common issue and there was a Bulletin about tjhe repair , so get their fingers out

We love these cars , so should SUK

Sarah

[ExAudiSi]

For reference, here is the poll that I started a while back. Over 80% of owners said that they'd had leaks!

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/fabia/fabia-door-water-leaks/80673/