I noticed that HJ has updated the section on the Skoda Fabia. I've got the basic 1.4 8v engine and I've done around 11,000 miles so I was interested / concerned by some of the comments:
What to Watch Out For:
* Make sure the 1.4 8v is not losing coolant.
I did notice that the coolant level went slowly down - it needed topping up every 3,000 miles or so. Is this to be expected or is it leaking?
What's Bad:
* head gasket failure on 1.4 8v
I assume if this is a problem then I am going to know about it?
* and misaligned auxiliary drive belt on 1.4 8v.
I'm not sure about this? What is it and is it easy to spot?
The only problem I had so far is that the power steering died on me. The dealer gave the impression that this wasn't the first case of this happening. It was due to a fluid leak but they replaced the whole steering rack under warrantee rather than fix the leak which seems a bit excessive to me (although I'm not complaining). Possibly there is a known manufacturing fault in the rack?
The fuel consumption (in What's Bad) was given as 30.28 mpg. When I first got the car I was getting around 34 mpg in general driving (pottering about - I don't really do much town driving) but this has steadily improved. I measured it yesterday when I filled up and this has gone up to 44 mpg. Typically I've been getting 40/41 mpg lately. I think the summer weather may have improved things (I commented on this the other day in the ULSP thread) but it is possible that it needs a fair bit of running in - I had the same thing on my old Nissan.
I'd be interested to know what anyone thinks the long term reliability is going to be like. Is it going to be about average or will it be a bit of a dog?
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That's the thing about the Car by Car Breakdown. As problems come in from Telegraph Readers, Electronic Telegraph Readers and Backroomers they get added to the data bank. In this case the auxiliaries belt kept shredding, so must have been misaligned. The 1.4 8 valve engine is a development of the old Skoda alloy block pushrod engine and is not from the new VAG family of engines fitted to other Skodas. The other problem readers pointed to with Fabias was obtaining body parts. But the reason why anyone might be having trouble getting Audi, SEAT, Skoda and VW parts right now is that the Milton Keynes parts centre is in the process of being re-organised and expanded.
HJ
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Thanks for the reply.
I thought the business about the parts was just down to typical VW dealer inefficiency (I had to wait 2 weeks for a wheel trim - the real answer is for me to learn to park properly!)
To be honest, I think the 8v 1.4 on the Fabia is much better than the 1.4 8v they used to fit to the Golf but I'm a bit at a loss why they didn't just put the 75bhp 1.4 16v from the latest Golf on the Fabia with the manual transmission. This is a decent enough engine and it would seem to be cheaper than redesigning an old engine for (presumably) just one model.
Still, that VAG for you. One of the Mk III golfs I tried out (before going for the Skoda) had the 1.4 8v engine, no PAS and a 4 speed gear box. I don't know what VW were dreaming of when they put that one out - or, for that matter, the dealer who wanted £5,000 for it.
Rod.
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Rod Maxwell wrote:
>
> ...
> To be honest, I think the 8v 1.4 on the Fabia is much better
> than the 1.4 8v they used to fit to the Golf but I'm a bit at
> a loss why they didn't just put the 75bhp 1.4 16v from the
> latest Golf on the Fabia with the manual transmission. ...
Because if VW might be planning on using the Fabia as a
"beta testbed" for their next generation of 1.4 engine.
i.e. start up production of the new engines, plonk them in
the Fabia, iron out any problems and then stick them in
cars with a VW badge.
If they used the 1.4 16v then they would have to re-engineer
the car twice - once for the 8v to 16v change and again for
the 16v to new generation change.
BTW don't interpret this as "VAG are introducing a new 1.4
engine" - it's just my take on the situation.
/John
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honest john wrote:
>
> The 1.4 8 valve engine is a development of the
> old Skoda alloy block pushrod engine and is not from the new
> VAG family of engines fitted to other Skodas.
Superb engine. My old 1175 Skoda push rod engine made 58bhp which is 2bhp adrift of the the VW 1.4 or 1bhp adrift of the Ford Ka.
Not bad for 50's technology!
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