29th May 2010, 09:27
Hi, I bought a Fabia 1.4 51 plate in 2008 with FSH. No problems till Jan 2010.
Guess what? Engine management light came on. Off to the local mechanic I've used and trusted for over 20 years. He put a diagnostic thingy into the electrics, and came up with a faulty water bottle sensor. Replaced bottle, blew sensor with air hose, everything OK. Cost £100.
May; light on again. Checks again and replace M.A.P.sensor. No light. No kangarooing. £120 this time. 2 weeks later it's back.
Now what do I do? I think like everyone else, it's cross my fingers and don't buy another Skoda.
2nd Jun 2010, 09:34
I've just got my 2000 W reg Fabia back from the garage after having its water pump replaced at 94,000 miles, & it's the original part.
Not all 1.4 MPi's are rubbish, mine had the flickering problem with the lights, & the yaw angle sensor for the steering was changed & it cured the problem, this was about five years ago & the temperature gauge sensor & thermostat went two weeks later. Apart from that the old girl's been fine.
One weak spot on these cars is the anti roll bar drop links, which are easy to fix, and the centre bushes, which are tough to fix, so I take it to a local garage to get those done.
I'm sure if the roads weren't so bad they would last longer than 40k. I'd have another based on my own experience, but maybe I'm just lucky.
3rd Jun 2010, 05:48
Owner's manual download.
In reply to the poster of 8 May, advice on how to download official Fabia documentation is available at.
Scroll down to a post dated 8 January 2010 for the up-to-date web links.
Unfortunately there only seems to be the latest manual available, but it may still help for earlier models.
14th Jun 2010, 21:53
I bought a new Fabia 1.6 TDI and it's done just over 600 miles. Today both the engine management light along with the exhaust light came on. The car would really struggle to get to 30 mph. I will be calling the dealer tomorrow. I wish I'd read comments here before purchasing a Skoda. It was highly recommended by someone very close to me (who's bought Skoda cars for 20 years) and the Parker's Guide which gave good reviews.
15th Jul 2010, 10:18
I have recently bought an X reg Fabia Elegance 1.4 16 valve.
Luckily took out a 3 month extra warranty as the A/C didn't work when I tried during the recent hot weather. This was covered by the warranty.
The main problem now seems possibly the EGR valve, as I get a sudden jolt when driving after about 10 minutes of traveling. I am doing a fair bit of motorway driving at the moment. It then seems fine after that. I am having the car checked out at a Skoda dealer and will post the result here. The service guy on the phone said it may be the EGR, and if so, this could be expensive. Not the part, but the labour. I hope it is something more simple!
20th Jul 2010, 17:31
I have a 2001 1.9 TDi that I bought FROM eBAY. It with 74,000 on the clock and full service history. 4 years later and up to 109,000 miles, I have to say the car is brilliant, regularly returning 55 mpg combined, and up to 70 mpg on my commute to work.
Last year, I drove through France and Spain, 3000 miles, and the only problem I had was the steering angle sensor, and that cured the flickering lights, normal stuff like brakes and tyres, and apart from regular servicing at Skoda, it's a dream!
A great and very comfortable fast cruiser on the motorway; up to 90 mph with around 47 mpg. Hope I am not tempting fate with this posting! Will be getting the cam belt done soon, probably need a second mortgage for that!
7th Sep 2010, 10:54
I've just bought a Fabia TDI (02) as I was so impressed with the good lady's 01 SDI and I have to say I love it!
Common faults are the wishbone bushes failing (new design now supplied by Skoda) and the same for the front anti-roll bar bushes. A lot of VAG group cars from this era suffer from the leaking doors - the water leaks in where the steel plate that holds the window winder mechanism etc meets the door under the inner trim (the neoprene seals shrink with age). Simple fix is to remove the inner trim (15 minutes) and use silicone sealant to seal the lower half of the door where the 2 meet and voila, no more leaks (also did this to my 01 Passat as same design).
PAS problems are very common, but having owned several VAG cars they all have individual issues across the types. Just research the faults and generally they are easy enough to get guidance on rectifying. It is also worth investing in a code reader, generally £40-60, but a massive saving over going to the dealer to have your codes checked every time! Just plug in at the back of the small glovebox to the right of the steering wheel and away you go!
Finally I've got to say that the Skoda Dealer in Norwich has royally looked after me and I can't recommend highly enough!!
Happy motoring :-)
27th Sep 2010, 01:58
I have had an 01 Fabia Classic with 1.4 MPI engine for over a year now. I have actually managed to get 10000 kms on the odometer, even with the constant in/outings at the service. (I have had a total of maybe 15 services done, most under guarantee luckily, still a lot of money wasted on non-guarantee fixes).
I have not used local "Skoda-OEM" service, as my experiences there were total disregard of customer happiness, and prices are double what I pay at non Skoda-OEM-service.
Problems so far:
-Power steering dead, fixed at least temporarily by dipping the power steering fluid container full with ATF. (pain in the ass to check the level, so apparently is never done at service, so you will have to DIY).
-Driver side front door lock dead (no remote central-locking system), fixed for about 200€.
-Suspension dead, shock absorbers, anti-roll bar bushes, haven't got the money to fix these yet.
-Wheel bearing almost dead, possibly front right wheel, haven't fixed it yet.
-Intermittent engine service light on, apparently Lambda sensor, still works though (even the sensor, as emissions are OK), but need for CAN bus resetting.
-Cold weather makes the engine coolant light go on, this seems to have no solution at all, been in and out of different service shops nearly 10 times now, head gasket changed, coolant expansion bottle with sensor changed, still flicking that error light, and the sound tears my ears off.
So all in all, I have never had this much trouble with any other car, bike or anything at all!
11th May 2010, 15:25
Hi, just bought a Fabia Comfort 1.4 on an 02, 40000 miles, full service history, but it has this problem; the ABS light won't go off. Just had new brakes all round, and when you first start the car, the brake pedal has to be pumped once before the brakes will work; after that they work fine. Any ideas? Other than this it's a top car, and looks and drives great, the wife loves it!