Skoda Fabia dream car
Discussion
So. I decided to write something down as I needed an automotive outlet after yet another local car club meet was cancelled due to the WAG restrictions on group meetings.
Normally I would (and do) want to create a Readers Cars about my new 370Z (not so new to me anymore, but hey, thanks lockdown) but the distinct lack of opportunity to do anything other than clean the car over the past six months has left that on hold.
In the meantime, these are my adventures with my other not so new car – the Skoda Bland. Or the Noddy car as my partner calls it. Here it is in all its pristinity in Jan 14 on pick-up day:
It is a Skoda Fabia. 63/2013 registered on the 31st Dec. It is the 1.2 SE 12v HTP. Was on 8000 miles when disinterred. ‘Denim’ blue. Old people in jeans, never a good look. It replaced a long line of Protons. Enough said.
Now, some background to this confusion. This wasn’t my car. Nor my choice of car, but that of my 85yr old father in law who is probably closer to the ownership demographic (I am doing a lot of distancing here). About 5yrs ago due to age, denial and general grumpiness he had to relinquish his driving licence. However, he wouldn’t countenance selling the car as he was going to be getting his license back soon. So there in the small garage it languished on SORN for another 4 years (we did have to remove the keys and battery following several driving escapades/visits by the police). Eventually late last year we finally managed to persuade him that ‘soon’ was never going to happen and that it made more sense to get some money for the car whilst it still had some value (he was also thinking it was time to buy a new car as this one was so old now…).
We decided that the best solution (if not easiest as we live 300 miles away) was for me to assess its condition and get it back in running order whence we could either sell it or possibly I could take it on as my old Colt runabout was getting a bit long in the tooth (and my partner hated it as it didn’t have air-con and rattled a lot). On our next trip down I fought my way into the garage to get a look at the barn find (hey, I think it’s as valid as most other usage):
As you can/can’t see it was a tight squeeze. But the garage was water tight and everything looked dusty but in good condition, barring no battery, four flat tyres a broken tail light cluster and a myriad of park/drive by touch blemishes. No dents or big scrapes though. The plan was to arrange a service and MOT (we couldn’t at that stage find any service information) at a very local garage – downhill all the way - to give us some peace of mind that the car would be safe for the 300mile return journey.
A month or so later I travelled down by train with a tyre compressor and battery jump-start pack. Arriving at midnight I had just enough time to go into the garage, pump up the tyres locate/fit/connect the battery and put it on charge. Oh, and arrange insurance. Then, close the doors and hope for the best for the morning.
Which dawned damp and bright. Success - the tyres had stayed inflated and the battery had ‘charged’ sufficiently to start the thing. Move all the boxes/lawnmowers/old newspapers/firearms (don’t ask) out of the way. Reverse the car out, wash all the windows so I could see and the journey could begin. Then the warning lights came on and the electric power steering stopped working. At the top of a very steep driveway. With a blind 90-degree bend. Exiting onto a busy lane. Joy. I couldn’t believe how heavy it could be to steer a small car with 195 profile tyres, backwards, whilst not being able to see where I was going. Off the drive and across the grass apparently. Then over a (thankfully very small) ‘wall’, grass verge, a kerb and finally onto the road. How the hell an 85 yr old could do this every day without having a car covered in scrapes I don’t know. Oh…
Anyway, off to the garage. Speed didn’t seem to make the steering lighter, but I sped up anyway, driving like the reckless 85 yr old within. Feel the fear and all that. Abandoned the barely steerable thing adjacent to some parking bays. When in Rome… Agreed with the garage to do the MOT, full service, brake fluid change, general safety check and look at the power steering in the hope it was a dying battery causing the lack of assistance. Walk back up the hill. Pensive.
The call came later that afternoon, and all was well (apart from the lightening of the wallet). It sailed through the MOT, even the emissions after having sat for 4 years. There was a new battery in addition and that had resolved the power steering issue. They were even valeting the interior. 5+ years of dust, National Trust magazines, and stale Werthers Originals. Sooner them than me (forgot to mention FIL’s Colostomy and not infrequent leaks…).
I had spent some time over the previous couple of months whilst planning the resurrection reading about the Fabia’s performance, handling etc. and I fully expected to hate driving it with a passion. A 69hp 1.2 with a quoted 0-62 of 14.9s and a top speed the right side of 100mph. By 1mph. 195 profile tyres, off road ride height and looks only your granny’s lover could appreciate. Comfortably the slowest car I have had. Slower even than my 1.1 Colt with its sprightly 75hp and much lighter body.
Then I drove it. And only some of it was awful. And they were bits that could be improved. Most notably the lights, which appeared not to. To the extent that on unlit roads I couldn’t exceed 30mph as I couldn’t tell what was the road and where the verge began. It seems it isn’t just that they are oft piloted by octogenarian myopes sitting at the front of a slow-moving queue, holding you up. There is a(nother) reason for it! At least at night. Note to self – set off for home with plenty of daylight hours left. Which we did. And made it home alive, with no problems and in a reasonable degree of comfort. Result.
Once home the deliberations could begin. All my time spent plotting what I could trade it in for were unravelling. I quite enjoyed driving it. It was slow, but the engine was quite torquey for its size so on the road it felt more than adequate. The gearchange was light and pretty slick so the lack of go could be compensated by swift, easy changes. The tall tyres/ride height meant that the ride was compliant with just enough grip from the 195 tyres to have fun and had the added benefit of limiting road noise making the car comfortable on longer journeys. The interior was well put together and squeak/rattle free, the seats comfy and the driving position high with good visibility and plenty of space. It had air conditioning. You can see where this is going. Nowhere.
And so began the journey to vehicular salvation:
• Full wash and polish, deep, deep cleaning of the interior. Thankfully the seats are black.
• New Skoda rubber floor and boot mats in keeping with the OAP theme.
• The car came with the Amundsen+ top of the range stereo with built in sat nav. I have no idea why that was spec’d (£625 option!). It is quite rubbish. I could replace it with something a bit more modern/functional, but in an effort to retain originality I decided to make the most of the situation. I upgraded the door speakers with something slightly larger and not made of cardboard. Better but still no bass, so added an underseat sub. Under the seat. Too much bass! Turn it down. Fine. I then upgraded the sat nav with the latest maps from a definitely, almost certainly original SD card off ebay. £25. Still rubbish, but newer rubbish.
• A Skoda armrest for that authentic old man feel, and somewhere to keep the tin of sweets.
• Touch-up paint, liberally applied to all 4 corners, mirrors, front and rear bumpers, skirts etc.
• And a dashcam. I mean how else can I live up to the expectations that the car so clearly generates. It is also wired up to a reversing camera so that when I go back to the FILs I can successfully negotiate the driveway egress…
• Replaced the rear offside light cluster. Found that as the part came from Germany the offside was set up for reversing (clear lens) and not fog light (red lens) so had to buy red bulb (its all in the detail).
• Replacement dip and full beam bulbs with Nightbreaker 150% bulbs. Adjust lights up from the ground (must have been set in full truffle pig mode originally).
And that is just about it. The car has done a further 4000 miles now, many of them on long journeys. It has been totally reliable, adequate in every way, and (whisper it) quite enjoyable). This is how it looks now-ish:
Still boxy, still bland, still here.
Sorry there aren’t too many pictures, but it’s an unremarkable, upright, squared off, blue Skoda that I never intended to keep, so didn’t take many. My partner still refers to it as the Noddy car, but I detect a hint of something akin to endearment in that nowadays, and I am being measured up for a trilby soon. Oh, and yes it did have a box of man-size tissues on the parcel shelf when I got it.
Normally I would (and do) want to create a Readers Cars about my new 370Z (not so new to me anymore, but hey, thanks lockdown) but the distinct lack of opportunity to do anything other than clean the car over the past six months has left that on hold.
In the meantime, these are my adventures with my other not so new car – the Skoda Bland. Or the Noddy car as my partner calls it. Here it is in all its pristinity in Jan 14 on pick-up day:
It is a Skoda Fabia. 63/2013 registered on the 31st Dec. It is the 1.2 SE 12v HTP. Was on 8000 miles when disinterred. ‘Denim’ blue. Old people in jeans, never a good look. It replaced a long line of Protons. Enough said.
Now, some background to this confusion. This wasn’t my car. Nor my choice of car, but that of my 85yr old father in law who is probably closer to the ownership demographic (I am doing a lot of distancing here). About 5yrs ago due to age, denial and general grumpiness he had to relinquish his driving licence. However, he wouldn’t countenance selling the car as he was going to be getting his license back soon. So there in the small garage it languished on SORN for another 4 years (we did have to remove the keys and battery following several driving escapades/visits by the police). Eventually late last year we finally managed to persuade him that ‘soon’ was never going to happen and that it made more sense to get some money for the car whilst it still had some value (he was also thinking it was time to buy a new car as this one was so old now…).
We decided that the best solution (if not easiest as we live 300 miles away) was for me to assess its condition and get it back in running order whence we could either sell it or possibly I could take it on as my old Colt runabout was getting a bit long in the tooth (and my partner hated it as it didn’t have air-con and rattled a lot). On our next trip down I fought my way into the garage to get a look at the barn find (hey, I think it’s as valid as most other usage):
As you can/can’t see it was a tight squeeze. But the garage was water tight and everything looked dusty but in good condition, barring no battery, four flat tyres a broken tail light cluster and a myriad of park/drive by touch blemishes. No dents or big scrapes though. The plan was to arrange a service and MOT (we couldn’t at that stage find any service information) at a very local garage – downhill all the way - to give us some peace of mind that the car would be safe for the 300mile return journey.
A month or so later I travelled down by train with a tyre compressor and battery jump-start pack. Arriving at midnight I had just enough time to go into the garage, pump up the tyres locate/fit/connect the battery and put it on charge. Oh, and arrange insurance. Then, close the doors and hope for the best for the morning.
Which dawned damp and bright. Success - the tyres had stayed inflated and the battery had ‘charged’ sufficiently to start the thing. Move all the boxes/lawnmowers/old newspapers/firearms (don’t ask) out of the way. Reverse the car out, wash all the windows so I could see and the journey could begin. Then the warning lights came on and the electric power steering stopped working. At the top of a very steep driveway. With a blind 90-degree bend. Exiting onto a busy lane. Joy. I couldn’t believe how heavy it could be to steer a small car with 195 profile tyres, backwards, whilst not being able to see where I was going. Off the drive and across the grass apparently. Then over a (thankfully very small) ‘wall’, grass verge, a kerb and finally onto the road. How the hell an 85 yr old could do this every day without having a car covered in scrapes I don’t know. Oh…
Anyway, off to the garage. Speed didn’t seem to make the steering lighter, but I sped up anyway, driving like the reckless 85 yr old within. Feel the fear and all that. Abandoned the barely steerable thing adjacent to some parking bays. When in Rome… Agreed with the garage to do the MOT, full service, brake fluid change, general safety check and look at the power steering in the hope it was a dying battery causing the lack of assistance. Walk back up the hill. Pensive.
The call came later that afternoon, and all was well (apart from the lightening of the wallet). It sailed through the MOT, even the emissions after having sat for 4 years. There was a new battery in addition and that had resolved the power steering issue. They were even valeting the interior. 5+ years of dust, National Trust magazines, and stale Werthers Originals. Sooner them than me (forgot to mention FIL’s Colostomy and not infrequent leaks…).
I had spent some time over the previous couple of months whilst planning the resurrection reading about the Fabia’s performance, handling etc. and I fully expected to hate driving it with a passion. A 69hp 1.2 with a quoted 0-62 of 14.9s and a top speed the right side of 100mph. By 1mph. 195 profile tyres, off road ride height and looks only your granny’s lover could appreciate. Comfortably the slowest car I have had. Slower even than my 1.1 Colt with its sprightly 75hp and much lighter body.
Then I drove it. And only some of it was awful. And they were bits that could be improved. Most notably the lights, which appeared not to. To the extent that on unlit roads I couldn’t exceed 30mph as I couldn’t tell what was the road and where the verge began. It seems it isn’t just that they are oft piloted by octogenarian myopes sitting at the front of a slow-moving queue, holding you up. There is a(nother) reason for it! At least at night. Note to self – set off for home with plenty of daylight hours left. Which we did. And made it home alive, with no problems and in a reasonable degree of comfort. Result.
Once home the deliberations could begin. All my time spent plotting what I could trade it in for were unravelling. I quite enjoyed driving it. It was slow, but the engine was quite torquey for its size so on the road it felt more than adequate. The gearchange was light and pretty slick so the lack of go could be compensated by swift, easy changes. The tall tyres/ride height meant that the ride was compliant with just enough grip from the 195 tyres to have fun and had the added benefit of limiting road noise making the car comfortable on longer journeys. The interior was well put together and squeak/rattle free, the seats comfy and the driving position high with good visibility and plenty of space. It had air conditioning. You can see where this is going. Nowhere.
And so began the journey to vehicular salvation:
• Full wash and polish, deep, deep cleaning of the interior. Thankfully the seats are black.
• New Skoda rubber floor and boot mats in keeping with the OAP theme.
• The car came with the Amundsen+ top of the range stereo with built in sat nav. I have no idea why that was spec’d (£625 option!). It is quite rubbish. I could replace it with something a bit more modern/functional, but in an effort to retain originality I decided to make the most of the situation. I upgraded the door speakers with something slightly larger and not made of cardboard. Better but still no bass, so added an underseat sub. Under the seat. Too much bass! Turn it down. Fine. I then upgraded the sat nav with the latest maps from a definitely, almost certainly original SD card off ebay. £25. Still rubbish, but newer rubbish.
• A Skoda armrest for that authentic old man feel, and somewhere to keep the tin of sweets.
• Touch-up paint, liberally applied to all 4 corners, mirrors, front and rear bumpers, skirts etc.
• And a dashcam. I mean how else can I live up to the expectations that the car so clearly generates. It is also wired up to a reversing camera so that when I go back to the FILs I can successfully negotiate the driveway egress…
• Replaced the rear offside light cluster. Found that as the part came from Germany the offside was set up for reversing (clear lens) and not fog light (red lens) so had to buy red bulb (its all in the detail).
• Replacement dip and full beam bulbs with Nightbreaker 150% bulbs. Adjust lights up from the ground (must have been set in full truffle pig mode originally).
And that is just about it. The car has done a further 4000 miles now, many of them on long journeys. It has been totally reliable, adequate in every way, and (whisper it) quite enjoyable). This is how it looks now-ish:
Still boxy, still bland, still here.
Sorry there aren’t too many pictures, but it’s an unremarkable, upright, squared off, blue Skoda that I never intended to keep, so didn’t take many. My partner still refers to it as the Noddy car, but I detect a hint of something akin to endearment in that nowadays, and I am being measured up for a trilby soon. Oh, and yes it did have a box of man-size tissues on the parcel shelf when I got it.
0a said:
I always thought these were a nice little design. Are the tyres good after that long standing?!
The tyres were/are surprisingly fine. It had been parked in a dark garage so no UV degradation and the tyres weren't totally flat so no obvious flat spots. I did have one slow puncture, I think from a nail picked up getting it out of the garage, but a straightforward plug repair resolved that and had no problems since.It still has the original Hankook tyres on (12k and counting) and I don't think they are too heavily stressed so will be fine until they aren't.
Dad has one, surprisingly similar colour (a bit lighter I think but it's a car that's easy to forget, might be a bit greener) and at 85 his driving days are also numbered. He can drive tot he supermarket and park across 2 bays, but that's about it. If he comes to us (20 miles away) we pick him up now, I think it's done about 100 miles in the last year.
When the time comes I might buy it off him thanks to this write up, it's been very well kept from new and it would free me up to be a bit more radical with changes to the GT86 if I has an alternative.
When the time comes I might buy it off him thanks to this write up, it's been very well kept from new and it would free me up to be a bit more radical with changes to the GT86 if I has an alternative.
Well, it still exists and it is ambling along as faithfully as ever.
I have had it for over 3.5 yrs now and it has never let us down or caused consternation. It is still very bland and blue but you can't have everything. It presently looks a bit like this:
Tighten your girdle Grandma, the Fabia's here!
it has done just over 39.5k miles now and seems to be settling at about 10k a year at the moment. Mainly around and about locally - a/b roads and a dose of long motorway runs every month or so. I still enjoy driving it just as much and I am surprised to say that it certainly isn't too much of a chore to take this if the Cayman or 370z aren't suitable. It remains fun to rev out and chuck around the lanes and is a perfectly pleasant space to sit in on the motorway. Other than routine servicing it has only needed two new front tyres about a year ago that were pretty cheap as they are 195/55/15.
What spurred me to update this was having last weekend done a full service on it. Myself. When I got the Cayman I resolved to do some of the ongoing work on it myself - brakes, air con and in a few weeks a service. As part of the man math justification I thought I could save a few quid overall by extending the home servicing to the Fabia:
Spark plugs, air and oil filters (and the oil...) and a new sump plug. All went smoothly and to plan (just taking a few hours last weekend whilst it was raining outside) - other than finding the spark and sump plugs and filter canister seemed to have been put on with an airgun - done at a garage previously (you shouldn't really need to use a breaker bar to get any of these off!). I even reset the service reminder and topped up the scented windscreen wash!
I reckon I have saved myself about £150 which no doubt will be instantly swallowed up by something on the Cayman! To find out what, go to https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
I have had it for over 3.5 yrs now and it has never let us down or caused consternation. It is still very bland and blue but you can't have everything. It presently looks a bit like this:
Tighten your girdle Grandma, the Fabia's here!
it has done just over 39.5k miles now and seems to be settling at about 10k a year at the moment. Mainly around and about locally - a/b roads and a dose of long motorway runs every month or so. I still enjoy driving it just as much and I am surprised to say that it certainly isn't too much of a chore to take this if the Cayman or 370z aren't suitable. It remains fun to rev out and chuck around the lanes and is a perfectly pleasant space to sit in on the motorway. Other than routine servicing it has only needed two new front tyres about a year ago that were pretty cheap as they are 195/55/15.
What spurred me to update this was having last weekend done a full service on it. Myself. When I got the Cayman I resolved to do some of the ongoing work on it myself - brakes, air con and in a few weeks a service. As part of the man math justification I thought I could save a few quid overall by extending the home servicing to the Fabia:
Spark plugs, air and oil filters (and the oil...) and a new sump plug. All went smoothly and to plan (just taking a few hours last weekend whilst it was raining outside) - other than finding the spark and sump plugs and filter canister seemed to have been put on with an airgun - done at a garage previously (you shouldn't really need to use a breaker bar to get any of these off!). I even reset the service reminder and topped up the scented windscreen wash!
I reckon I have saved myself about £150 which no doubt will be instantly swallowed up by something on the Cayman! To find out what, go to https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Great write up and You have the posh one!
About. 2 months ago my parents announced they wanted a new car. So after visiting the 2 local Skoda dealers and being told they had nothing suitable, and a new one to order was 52 weeks away, we found the exact car they wanted at the local motor point. Paid for and picked up in less than 24 hrs.spot on!
They had a 11 plate Fabia 1.2 S for 10 years, had been a great “reliable” car according to my dad who Had valued it on WBAC at about £3k. As said by the OP, it had been parked by touch many times by my octagenian parents and there were scuffs and scrapes on every corner and doors, so I said the price they’d get was close r to £1500….if that. And on closer inspection the drivers window didn’t work, and the non AC heater fan had two speeds on and off, the MOT was short and it needed a couple of tyres.
I’d sold my GSF a couple of months previously as I was waiting for my new 911, which was late and said I’d sort all the issues give it a machine polish and use it to run around in and as my airport car, as I travel a lot with work, and get it to pass it’s mot and make it liveable with
So far it’s had
New key - the spare had snapped
Drivers window switch
Drivers door wiring loom - 5 wires had snapped in the door hinge area causing the windows to stop working
2 rear tyres
Fan resistor - now has a 4 speed fan, a common fault and easy fix requireing the passenger air bag removal
Full service, oil, air, pollen and fuel filters, plugs and Mobil one (it was in the garage)
New fuel filler flap - my dad had walked into it about 5 years ago snapping it
Front pipe including the flexi on the exhaust
Lambda sensor
Just passed it’s MOT
And 1/2 machine polish.will do the other side when time allows.
I think it’s brilliant,.
Anonymous in traffic, don’t care where I park it, sips petrol, comfortable(ish) and even though it’s the absolute basic model with 60 hp will sit quite happily at 70 on the motorway. Ok if you hit a single carriageway, over taking piff is lacking, but is fine in reality.
The 911 arrived last week, but for the time being I’m keeping the super Skoda as it’s now known, to nip to the shops in and do the tip runs, ferry both hounds around and other day to day crap.
I’ve never really had a snotter before, but find it quite therapeutic to do the odd job on and get satisfaction when that fixes a problem.
OP hope you continue to enjoy the air conditioned luxury you have with yours, I certainly will continue with mine for the next couple of months or so and then decide it’s fate depending on how much use it gets.
About. 2 months ago my parents announced they wanted a new car. So after visiting the 2 local Skoda dealers and being told they had nothing suitable, and a new one to order was 52 weeks away, we found the exact car they wanted at the local motor point. Paid for and picked up in less than 24 hrs.spot on!
They had a 11 plate Fabia 1.2 S for 10 years, had been a great “reliable” car according to my dad who Had valued it on WBAC at about £3k. As said by the OP, it had been parked by touch many times by my octagenian parents and there were scuffs and scrapes on every corner and doors, so I said the price they’d get was close r to £1500….if that. And on closer inspection the drivers window didn’t work, and the non AC heater fan had two speeds on and off, the MOT was short and it needed a couple of tyres.
I’d sold my GSF a couple of months previously as I was waiting for my new 911, which was late and said I’d sort all the issues give it a machine polish and use it to run around in and as my airport car, as I travel a lot with work, and get it to pass it’s mot and make it liveable with
So far it’s had
New key - the spare had snapped
Drivers window switch
Drivers door wiring loom - 5 wires had snapped in the door hinge area causing the windows to stop working
2 rear tyres
Fan resistor - now has a 4 speed fan, a common fault and easy fix requireing the passenger air bag removal
Full service, oil, air, pollen and fuel filters, plugs and Mobil one (it was in the garage)
New fuel filler flap - my dad had walked into it about 5 years ago snapping it
Front pipe including the flexi on the exhaust
Lambda sensor
Just passed it’s MOT
And 1/2 machine polish.will do the other side when time allows.
I think it’s brilliant,.
Anonymous in traffic, don’t care where I park it, sips petrol, comfortable(ish) and even though it’s the absolute basic model with 60 hp will sit quite happily at 70 on the motorway. Ok if you hit a single carriageway, over taking piff is lacking, but is fine in reality.
The 911 arrived last week, but for the time being I’m keeping the super Skoda as it’s now known, to nip to the shops in and do the tip runs, ferry both hounds around and other day to day crap.
I’ve never really had a snotter before, but find it quite therapeutic to do the odd job on and get satisfaction when that fixes a problem.
OP hope you continue to enjoy the air conditioned luxury you have with yours, I certainly will continue with mine for the next couple of months or so and then decide it’s fate depending on how much use it gets.
Well, another year on, still not much to report. It passed its MOT with an advisory for two new rear tyres toward the end of last year. They were the originals and had about 45k under their belt. Plenty of tread left but were starting to crack with age. Two new Kumho's for about £140 and it was back on the road again. It seems to be doing around 11-12k a year at present so it is racking up miles considering I work from home. Two thirds of that is motorway/dual carriageway and the rest country lanes. Probably not what it was designed for, but it takes it in its stride.
Last weekend it was time again for its next 10k service. Spiced up this time with the suddenly apparent need for new discs (and pads).
The front brakes had recently started to rumble a little with longer braking. Peeking through the spokes they seemed to be lipped and a bit crusty so I ordered some Febi Bilstein discs and pads (Amazon of all places were cheaper than Autodoc etc. and deliver what you order next day) for just over £50. So along with the 4l Castrol (£35 - also Amazon, and Bosch air filter - £10 from the same) it was a cheap service and brake change for under £100. I already had the Bosch oil filter and Febi drain plug from last year (which were mistakenly sent in lieu of the Porsche ones I ordered from Opie - they said to keep them rather than return, so thanks Opie!).
A fairly simple thing to service - jack up to get at the sump plug, stick big bucket under, remove plug and whilst draining unscrew the oil filter on the topside and replace. Same with the air filter which tbf was in pretty good nick so I have 'cleaned it' and will likely reuse next year...
To the brakes. Wheels off and with it already jacked up it is a straightforward job of pushing the single piston back, undoing the two bolts, tapping out the old pads (which still had plenty of pad left, but weren't reusable) and hanging the caliper out of the way.
And you can see why the discs were rumbling and the old pads were a bit ridged... When I checked the brakes last year they were a little lipped but not crumbly on the edges. I didn't take any pics of the back of the discs but they were worse... Definitly time for new. I also realised they are the original discs so have been on for 11years and nearly 50k miles so not too bad, though with hindsight perhaps I should have done them last year before they deteriorated further... Not likely to be a problem again for a while at least!
New discs/pads fitted:
And with that it was wheels back on, on the ground and out for a quick test. All running well and pulling up in a straight line. That should see things for another year/11mths until a service is due again.
Generally the car has been running great - it uses no oil, is fairly cheap to insure/tax and does the best part of 50mpg. A quick perusal underneath when it was up in the air shows very little sign of any corrosion, which isn't bad for 11years old. Certainly nothing of concern. It is still happy to sit at 70 for hours on end and can swallow an impressive amount of crap/people for a fairly compact car. Best of all it is still fun to row along/chuck around. And, you can leave it anywhere without worrying about it. There is a lot to be said for a bland box!
Last weekend it was time again for its next 10k service. Spiced up this time with the suddenly apparent need for new discs (and pads).
The front brakes had recently started to rumble a little with longer braking. Peeking through the spokes they seemed to be lipped and a bit crusty so I ordered some Febi Bilstein discs and pads (Amazon of all places were cheaper than Autodoc etc. and deliver what you order next day) for just over £50. So along with the 4l Castrol (£35 - also Amazon, and Bosch air filter - £10 from the same) it was a cheap service and brake change for under £100. I already had the Bosch oil filter and Febi drain plug from last year (which were mistakenly sent in lieu of the Porsche ones I ordered from Opie - they said to keep them rather than return, so thanks Opie!).
A fairly simple thing to service - jack up to get at the sump plug, stick big bucket under, remove plug and whilst draining unscrew the oil filter on the topside and replace. Same with the air filter which tbf was in pretty good nick so I have 'cleaned it' and will likely reuse next year...
To the brakes. Wheels off and with it already jacked up it is a straightforward job of pushing the single piston back, undoing the two bolts, tapping out the old pads (which still had plenty of pad left, but weren't reusable) and hanging the caliper out of the way.
And you can see why the discs were rumbling and the old pads were a bit ridged... When I checked the brakes last year they were a little lipped but not crumbly on the edges. I didn't take any pics of the back of the discs but they were worse... Definitly time for new. I also realised they are the original discs so have been on for 11years and nearly 50k miles so not too bad, though with hindsight perhaps I should have done them last year before they deteriorated further... Not likely to be a problem again for a while at least!
New discs/pads fitted:
And with that it was wheels back on, on the ground and out for a quick test. All running well and pulling up in a straight line. That should see things for another year/11mths until a service is due again.
Generally the car has been running great - it uses no oil, is fairly cheap to insure/tax and does the best part of 50mpg. A quick perusal underneath when it was up in the air shows very little sign of any corrosion, which isn't bad for 11years old. Certainly nothing of concern. It is still happy to sit at 70 for hours on end and can swallow an impressive amount of crap/people for a fairly compact car. Best of all it is still fun to row along/chuck around. And, you can leave it anywhere without worrying about it. There is a lot to be said for a bland box!
MajorMantra said:
Weirdly enjoyable thread.
Ever listen to Elis James and John Robins on the radio/podcast? John used to talk a lot about his Fabia, I think he did 180k miles or something in it.
Thanks! Its a weirdly enjoyable car...Ever listen to Elis James and John Robins on the radio/podcast? John used to talk a lot about his Fabia, I think he did 180k miles or something in it.
Haven't come across the podcast. I will have to search it out.
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