9th Nov 2004, 13:44

I have also experienced rattling from the dashboard, but as of yet no fix has been found. Has anyone experienced problems with temperature gauge not working properly my dealer replaced sender unit, but when checked there was no problem with the original one. Money spent for nothing and it didn't solve the problem anyway. Is it possible to buy thermostat separately without the whole housing as I feel the dealer is ripping me off!!

28th Nov 2004, 10:16

I also had two problems with the water temperature indicator. One time was the temperature sensor and next time when I replaced it again the problem was not solved. So after other checking by the service it proved to be the thermostat. So you should check the thermostat because it looks like the problem is same.I also have a review on the site- "good on lot's of things bad on reliability".

28th Dec 2004, 07:50

I have a 2001 TDI Comfort. At 15,000 miles the clutch release bearing failed and was changed under the Skoda used car warranty.

The front suspension also started to knock. The dealer said he fixed it, but the fault re-occurred 50 miles later (probably just bodged). The plastic bushes on the anti-roll bar break and come out of their rubber bushes. These were finally changed by the dealer and all is now OK.

The engine takes about 15 minutes to get to normal working temperature - the dealer says this is normal, but I believe that I too have a faulty thermostat - the dealer has refused to change it under warranty.

I too have dashboard rattles - the dealer changed the dash brackets, curing the original fault, but adding another.

Temporary cure - stuff a cloth between the windscreen and the dash above the radio.

I am very disappointed with the Fabia and the standard of dealer service. The car could be so good, but is let down by niggling faults which are either not covered by the warranty or which the dealer will not acknowledge. I have tried 3 Skoda dealers all of whom have shown varying degrees of incompetence or arrogance.

Toyota seem to have a good reputation for customer service -I might try one of their products next time - certainly not another Skoda.

25th Jun 2005, 04:38

I believe that the "Flickering head lights" and the Power steering failure (including warning light) are both as a result of loose battery terminals. It is worth cleaning them up and then tightening them.

30th Aug 2005, 09:31

Skoda Fabia Comfort 1.4 8 valve petrol engine, late 2001.

Annoying rattle from NSF suspension related to ambient temperature i.e.hot weather/hot under bonnet, minimal, cold temperature, rattle more pronounced. Corrected after four visits to dealer. Now back again out of guarantee. Putative anti-roll bar knock due to defective Silent-bloc fixtures.

Overall, an attractive car with failings which betray the excellence of the concept. Probably build down to price rather than up to an engineering excellence, an effect of marketing pressure.

Felicia owners, a new control unit for the alternator every 25,000 miles. Owners cannot win! J.P.Walsh.

3rd Oct 2005, 13:45

Electric window switch swap sides from time to time. No apparent reason, just have to relearn which switch is for which. Fabia Fault. Understand that this has been subject of comments before. Window switch eventually failed and was replaced on warranty, no further eccentric switching sides. However car is now using one liter of oil per 1000 miles, with only 25,000 miles on the clock. Skoda manual however says that cars may use one liter per 1000 miles. unusual.

18th Oct 2005, 10:10

At 24,000 miles the plastic tensioner pulley melted resulting in damage to 6 valves. The cost was over £1,200 to fix the damage. Luckily I had an extended warranty, but really, should one need to buy that after 3 years just to be safe?

Anyone else had this melted tensioner problem?

19th Oct 2005, 15:32

I just paid £708 to correct the light flicker problem. The dealer replaced an alleged faulty p. steering unit and it's warning sensor. I am angry that the fault is still not corrected. I have tried 3 times to get this sorted. My suspicions were aroused when I drove the brand new sport courtesy car home & saw the same fault. Reading the other comments clearly show that Skoda have a major problem with this. If anyone has a simple effective solution to this then please email me at norman904@aol.com I would be very grateful, but please make it soon as the nights are drawing in.

14th Jan 2006, 04:42

I have a 2002 fabia with creaky dashboard which was supposed to have been fixed by the dealer.. it came back. Also the rear wash hose pops out of holder, they did not even try to fix it. My warranty is now up and I will not be taking it back to Skoda for servicing. The last 20000 mile service was £200. For that I got an oil change and oil filter and lots of checks!

15th Jan 2006, 17:54

My 2001 Skoda Fabia is good overall. However I feel the power steering very light, the car seems to veer to the left. I've also had rear door seals leak, a knocking sound has now developed on the front suspension I believe. Fan belt failure occurred last year £195 to repair! The car just doesn't seem the full package despite the fabulous reviews it received. Too many niggling faults I feel!

14th Mar 2006, 15:31

My 2001 SDI is spoiled my a range of niggly faults.

Can anyone find a cure for screeching juddering wipers?

My car's got the knocking/creaking front suspension problem -I'll get the anti-roll bar bushes looked at.

The dashboard creak/clicking noise drives me mad. I'll try anything - suggestions please.

No cure though for the stifling interior (even in spring weather) other than getting one with air con I suppose. But why does it get so hot?

Lots of other things have gone wrong too, but at least they've been fixed (water pump, door seals, heater fan, radio, courtesy light switch). The pas fault seems to have fixed itself.

25th Apr 2006, 13:40

W Reg Skoda Fabia 1.4 power steering fault.

We purchased this good looking and solidly built car 10 months ago as a run around for my wife. It has a full dealer service history and only 24K on the clock. The car is only used for short local journeys. My wife noticed that the steering became erratic turning corners. I test drove the car and noticed the same. The dealers have looked at the problem and to our surprise told us the car needs a new steering rack (£860)! This appears to be a little excessive and somewhat odd for a part which I would have reasonable considered to last the life time of the vehicle. The car has not been involved in an accident and nor has it been ‘Kerbed’. There appears to be quite a few comments regarding steering problems with this year and model especially steering angle sensors etc. Can anybody shed any further light on this and can I get this independently checked?