Faults:

New starter.

Gearbox rebuilt.

New flywheel.

New wheel bearings x2.

High level brake light.

ABS wiring problem (in dealer for a week).

New clutch.

General Comments:

What a pile of junk, VW build quality!!! I have had 8 proper VW's & they were brilliant; then I buy this heap!

To add to the list above the bushes on the front suspension, which is a known weak point. They are on their way out, but at least I can replace those with powerflex items & they should last for a while.

I am stuck with this as I am not in a position to buy another car, but once I am it won't be another Skoda. Don't believe all the hype; Skoda are no more than an average car maker at best.

Run a mile if you're offered one.

JUNK!!!

Faults:

Gears grind when going into 3rd or 5th.

Dreadful to start after 60k service, especially now on a cold morning.

Despite numerous alignments, still pulls to the left.

Leaks oil.

Back windscreen washer pipe keeps disconnecting.

Back door central looking failed.

General Comments:

Poor handling in my honest opinion.

It's now at the stage that I don't listen to the radio in the car as every journey I make if I listen carefully I can identify yet another noise.

Faults:

The only fault I can find with it is that the paintwork gets scratched really easily. I would recommend paying extra for the lacquer finish if buying new.

General Comments:

This car is superb value for money, being a very well-made, comfortable and spacious (for a small car).

The performance of the 1.2 is slightly disappointing - very slow acceleration (compared to a 1.2 Polo). The fuel consumption is very good and it will cruise happily at 90mph when it finally gets there.

The level of equipment for the money is excellent - I got electric windows, alloy wheels, power steering, CD player, air conditioning, etc. for 8k on the road.

Not great for large adults in the back, but will comfortably carry 3 children or average sized adults in the back.

Faults:

Intermittent momentary failure of power steering.

Air conditioning failure (twice).

Air re-circulation inoperative.

General Comments:

The car feels solid and is great fun to drive, if a little nose-heavy compared to the petrol version.

It has been a marvellous workhorse and, because it it such a good all-rounder, we use it for nearly everything. Our Yaris (good though it is) often stays at home.

My previous car (SAAB 9000) was comfortable on long journeys, but its petrol consumption was too high, so we (perversely) often used a smaller car for those long journeys.

On my Fabia, I have supplemented the already adequate power by adding a 'smart box' in between the Engine Control Unit and the fuel injector socket. I reckon it has increased bhp and torque by 25% plus. My long term fuel economy (the car is mainly used for long journeys) is now 64mpg, an improvement on the standard consumption, which used to be in the high 50's mpg.

I like this car a lot and would certainly buy another one, despite the minor problems.

Dealer service has been very good.

Faults:

Front Fog Lights not working.

Very poor dealer service.

General Comments:

I covered 55,000 miles in a Seat Arosa powered by the same 1.4 3-cylinder TDI engine and praised that car for it's excellent performance, economy and reliability. I see no reason why the Fabia should be any different.

In addition to the benefits of the Seat I now also enjoy space, comfort and excellent refinement. I also feel that the Fabia is the best looking small car currently available, but I suppose that's personal taste.

My car is currently delivering around 55mpg which is around the same as the Seat. This figure is probably no better than that achieved by the 1.9TDI Fabia, but the engine is such a joy to use and listen to that it doesn't matter to me.

My dealer is worse than useless, but I see that this forum will not accept comments on this.