Hello,

I hope this haven't covered before - I searched for 68 in the Fabia forum and nothing came up :-)

I am considering buying the said model. It has gone 97.000 km and will cost me 6.990 GBP. (This is Denmark - it's reasonably priced...)

Anything I should consider, or any arguments why I should buy something else?

I understand this has one of Skoda's own engines, not a VW one, but was also told that this was not neccessarily a bad thing since there'd be no expensive cam belt to replace. Any thoughts on this? There are plenty of Golf's on the street here, so I guess spare parts are available and cheap for VW. (relatively compared to our prices)

It has had 1 owner, service book is ok, and is for sale at a dealership, so I have a two year "almost warranty" by law. (We also pay for it through taxes :-) This includes faulties and weat and tear which I should have been informed about when buying.

I can get a service deal for it for approx 80 GBP/month would this "all other things equal" be worth it or should I rather stash that money away for unexpected repairs? :-)

Thank you for all informaiotn.

Anti Roll Bars and Bushes prone to failing.

Power Steering can have errors with several possible causes, the most common being the Steering Angle Sensor failing.

Door Cards Can leak.

The pollon filter can become blocked allowing water into the front footwell.

Watch for coolant leaks. Top and Bottom hoses can work loose, also the Radiator sensor seal can perish. Again quite common.

I think I covered most of the common faults there.

Hopefully yours won't have any, but they are something to keep a watchful eye on.

Boiling Point seems to have covered the major issues there , personally I've had the suspension bushes done , a new steering rack fitted (the oil seals were leaking on it - a new rack is the only fix - 680 GBP fitted) and Ive also had the coolant sensor on the rad replaced , and a new coil spring fitted. At one time there were reports of the 1.4 8V engine being prone to head gasket failures but I havent heard of one for a while , a redesigned head gasket should have been fitted by now anyway. For the money , and notwithstanding the faults Ive had , I must admit that I like my little Fabia a lot! Good luck with yours Zby , be sure to keep logging on to the site!!

Thanks for the information. That'll give me some points to look at when inspecting the vehicle.

I have been trying to find a manual or service overview for the car online, but haven't had any success. Can I see anywhere what the different services include - which things are checked and which things are replaced after X km?

Does the vehicle also have variable service intervals? Or is fixed at 30kkm as I've read some places?

Hi Zby. I have the same car and have just needed a new clutch, so it might be worth checking if yours is still OK, or if it's been replaced. I've done less than half your mileage, though mine is usually done in queuing traffic over speed bumps which doesn't help.

Aside from the PAS sensor, the temperature sensor went on mine. Also, I had a new front anti-roll bar fitted a couple of years ago with the new design. I suspect yours might well have been replaced already, but if not, it might fail as they are a known item on that model.

I feel safe and have been happy with my car as it's quite heavy and seems to have good protection, though how it compares with newer cars I couldn't say. It is quite heavy on petrol though, mpg-wise, I find. Also, I understand Skoda fiddled with the design to reduce polution emissions, but it won't be as efficent as newer cars. We in the UK are taxed more if cars are less efficient, so it might be worth looking at that in the current climate change frenzy.

Best wishes making your decision.

Mo

I have a 2001 Fabia Comfort with AC 68 bhp to sale with 63000 km, but I'm pretty far from Denmark.... 7 years and only few problems: the front anti-roll bar replaced with a new one with the new design (changed also the console bushes the same time), the thermostat replaced, the oil pressure sensor changed, the ribbed-V belt changed, the low tone horn changed 2 times. Otherwise the car is ok, but the distribution chain above 50k km has started to sound (but I was too lazy to replace it - the OEM distribution kit is 20 Euro )) ). No problem with leaky doors. This particular type of engine is a little hungry for petrol....I was very satisfied by HER....and now it's on sale for only 6000+ Euro... :(((

Hi again Zby and re service manuals. This thread arrived recently where someone else asked if it was possible to get one. http://briskoda.net/forums/fabia/skoda-oficial-service-manual/104331/

Hopefully a Moderator might be able to advise what best to do, even if that means contacting Skoda directly. Sorry that I can't help, though hopefully someone else might.

Mo