Shedtastic Skoda Fabia
Discussion
Hey all,
Been a while since I last posted here! Following the trials and tribulations of SportKa ownership - which was a riot on the B roads - I went a few years without a daily driver.
I saved for a while, and after a generous contribution from my dad I ended up with a £450 '52 plate Fabia 1.4 8V.
It runs pretty well, although an oil leak has me using it sparingly - I'm thinking maybe the timing end crankshaft oil seal, or the rocker cover, which shouldn't be too difficult to sort.
Aside from that, it's a pretty solid car, which is somewhat surprising for a 163,000 mile old shopping hatch. It seems pretty well cared for, with stamps for a service for every 8,000 miles/1 year, depending on which came first.
It has mismatched ditchfinders, which I'm planning to get the wear out of before chucking, and will be getting a full service and suspension service once I get paid (hopefully sometime in late June/early July). The only major things I've done is swap the laughable tea light bulbs up front for some stock-looking +120% bulbs, and switched the borked head unit out for a used Kenwood unit.
All in all, it's a pretty good little car and a blank canvas, which I'm planning to turn into a reliable, solid little car. I'm aiming to do big miles when the next academic year starts, so the summer is going to be somewhat fraught!
Been a while since I last posted here! Following the trials and tribulations of SportKa ownership - which was a riot on the B roads - I went a few years without a daily driver.
I saved for a while, and after a generous contribution from my dad I ended up with a £450 '52 plate Fabia 1.4 8V.
It runs pretty well, although an oil leak has me using it sparingly - I'm thinking maybe the timing end crankshaft oil seal, or the rocker cover, which shouldn't be too difficult to sort.
Aside from that, it's a pretty solid car, which is somewhat surprising for a 163,000 mile old shopping hatch. It seems pretty well cared for, with stamps for a service for every 8,000 miles/1 year, depending on which came first.
It has mismatched ditchfinders, which I'm planning to get the wear out of before chucking, and will be getting a full service and suspension service once I get paid (hopefully sometime in late June/early July). The only major things I've done is swap the laughable tea light bulbs up front for some stock-looking +120% bulbs, and switched the borked head unit out for a used Kenwood unit.
All in all, it's a pretty good little car and a blank canvas, which I'm planning to turn into a reliable, solid little car. I'm aiming to do big miles when the next academic year starts, so the summer is going to be somewhat fraught!
Edited by jordypants1994 on Saturday 28th May 12:23
Sorry I didn't see your previous threads, but welcome back!
Looks a pretty tidy car, but that is some serious mileage it has done.
I hope you are luckier than my niece - her 1.4 8V Ibiza lunched it's gearbox just before it got to 120,000. She sold it as spares or repair and the buyer decided to try to drive it home over 100 miles away! He got about 20 miles and alleged that a con-rod had come out of the block. Said he wanted his money back - needless to say he didn't get it!
Looks a pretty tidy car, but that is some serious mileage it has done.
I hope you are luckier than my niece - her 1.4 8V Ibiza lunched it's gearbox just before it got to 120,000. She sold it as spares or repair and the buyer decided to try to drive it home over 100 miles away! He got about 20 miles and alleged that a con-rod had come out of the block. Said he wanted his money back - needless to say he didn't get it!
Thanks 
It is pretty tidy, and the miles did worry me initially - but from reading the Skoda unit is based off an older pre-VW design, chain driven and pretty robust, although fuel consumption is on the high side for an engine of this size. As for the gearbox I have no idea, but I've been treating it with kid gloves, as minimising overall spend is the object of the exercise, although we'll see how that goes when it comes to refreshing the car.
Sorry to hear about your niece's car, sounds like a matter of luck from what I can gather. I'm just hoping I can nurse this one another 100k (after the refresh, naturally) before I have to change it. Parts seem pretty cheap, and I'm not afraid of wrenching - I once took the engine out of a Ford Pop using nothing more than a plank of wood, some chain and a friend :'). I'm just hopeful it doesn't need an engine replacement!
It is pretty tidy, and the miles did worry me initially - but from reading the Skoda unit is based off an older pre-VW design, chain driven and pretty robust, although fuel consumption is on the high side for an engine of this size. As for the gearbox I have no idea, but I've been treating it with kid gloves, as minimising overall spend is the object of the exercise, although we'll see how that goes when it comes to refreshing the car. Sorry to hear about your niece's car, sounds like a matter of luck from what I can gather. I'm just hoping I can nurse this one another 100k (after the refresh, naturally) before I have to change it. Parts seem pretty cheap, and I'm not afraid of wrenching - I once took the engine out of a Ford Pop using nothing more than a plank of wood, some chain and a friend :'). I'm just hopeful it doesn't need an engine replacement!
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