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Tue 8 Nov 2011 09:55

1.4 TDI - Skoda Fabia - Chris79

Hello All,

I am starting to consider replacing our trusty 03 Micra, My first thoughts were to get a 3-4 Year old Fabia diesel, I have just read the reviews on HJ however and have been suprised to seem that this car is not as bullet proof as Skodas have seem to become.

Our criteria is that the car will be used for a daily 100 mile comute on a mixture of A roads and country roads. Running costs are key as is comfort and reliability.

Due to the area that the car is parked in it must not be to desirable to thieves.

Budget upto 6500.

Any suggestions?

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Wed 9 Nov 2011 13:04

1.4 TDI - Skoda Fabia - madf

I looked at a A2 TDI - and VW quality is not good when over 3 years old...

I bought a Yaris d4d 6 years ago. Faults as opposed to consumables? None.

Friends bought a 1.4TDI Polo at same time... Faults? Lots . Garage bills£300-£500 every 18months or so.

(Wirng issues, electric window wipers, suspension, rust etc...)

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Wed 9 Nov 2011 14:45

1.4 TDI - Skoda Fabia - KB.

"Due to the area that the car is parked in it must not be to desirable to thieves.".........

I do happen to have a Skoda (Yeti) but only bought it about 6 months ago, so still early days. It does feel solid though and compared to the little i10 Hyundai, it's so much better. But then it ought to. I would readily consider a Fabia if it fitted the bill and have found my local dealer perfectly OK....and a non VRs is hardly appealing to the scumbags you refer to

BUT

Having previously had a Jazz for almost 3 years, I do have the greatest respect for them - and for the service I received at the local Honda dealer.

Neither have much appeal to scrotes, I'd have said, but I'd still advise using the Disklok (and still do myself) in areas of ill repute. I just think it sends a message that you're aware of them and have nothing inside worth nicking. Still doesn't stop them keying it or smashing a window out of spite....but there's a limit to what you can do.

I also had a few Yaris's and much the same applies as above, I'd have said, (although I did have one stolen from me about ten years ago ...a diesel one...and it was never seen again. But that proves nothing and I'd have have another - if it fitted the bill.

Edited by KB. on 09/11/2011 at 14:47

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Wed 9 Nov 2011 16:24

1.4 TDI - Skoda Fabia - madf

I would add that before I bought the Yaris I had an Audi A4.. Guess which had the most courteous, most efficient and cheapest service?

Hint : not Audi

And my 3 years' experience of an A4 (three years'old ) was off a major fault each year and garage bills exceeding £500 pa..

I may sound cynical but VW quality does not last after 3 years in my experience and the relaibility of their products dramtically reduces with age...

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Wed 9 Nov 2011 16:26

1.4 TDI - Skoda Fabia - Bobbin Threadbare

A friend of my mum's had an old Daewoo Matiz nicked - you'd think it wouldn't be desirable to thieves, but it was parked in the middle of Birkenhead town centre.............Posh cars have all sorts of extra features for security too.

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Wed 9 Nov 2011 17:23

1.4 TDI - Skoda Fabia - KB.

"A friend of my mum's had an old Daewoo Matiz nicked".............

....They wouldn't have nicked it if it'd had the Disklok on it. Heavy and a bit inconvenient but I haven't heard of anyone breaking through one (without an angle grinder ).

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Wed 9 Nov 2011 17:38

1.4 TDI - Skoda Fabia - Collos25

5secs to a pro,

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Wed 9 Nov 2011 19:09

1.4 TDI - Skoda Fabia - bazza

They certainly are not bullet-proof, as a quick look on a forum like Briskoda will reveal. And also the 1.4 tdi - so I believe- has a chain driven balancer shaft which can fail with expensive consequences, according to posts on there and other VAG forums. I researched this car as was looking some months ago, but a little put off by these reports plus they are very noisy and rough motors - makes my 2003 1.9 tdi sound smooth and that's saying something!

But then again, looking at other options like the Yaris, now I always thought these were indeed bombproof, but then again, there seems to be a lot of grumbling and problems with clutch, gearbox etc, particularly in the newer versions, Our neighbour has a 1.33 model and is not impressed. Has quality dropped?

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Wed 9 Nov 2011 19:42

1.4 TDI - Skoda Fabia - madf

But then again, looking at other options like the Yaris, now I always thought these were indeed bombproof, but then again, there seems to be a lot of grumbling and problems with clutch, gearbox etc, particularly in the newer versions, Our neighbour has a 1.33 model and is not impressed. Has quality dropped?

Reading Which - free at library, the Mark2 Yaris is less reliable than the Mark1 - about 10% points lower out of 100.. They are made in France which does not help(? unkind perhaps) and most of the Mark1 - at least half were Japan built..

The semi auto MMT gearbox has been pushed a lot and is frankly a liability due to jerky hearchanges and sensitivity to insensitive drivers (the Mark1 had a similar system Freetronic which was carp or a conventional one which was excellent) .

My son's Mark1 has 110k miles and is still basically strong despite some gross neglect...

Toyota Yaris forums , however, have none of the Jazz forums' wheelbearing failures and gearbox failures.. as Jazzes seem to go wrong expensviely after some 8 years... )(Beware of whining gearboxes £££S)

My (admittedly ) biased view is that overall the Yaris design is better for longevity but Honda manufactruing quality is better... so initial first 3-5 years Jazzes are more relaible/better. After that, design wins..

(Jazzes are of course not built in France!)

Edited by madf on 09/11/2011 at 19:43

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Wed 9 Nov 2011 19:15

1.4 TDI - Skoda Fabia - KB.

"5secs to a pro",

Obviously neither I nor anyone else will want a detailed response to how to defeat one and, of course, there's a way round any form of defence...otherwise hackers wouldn't have got in to the various national security websites around the world in the way they did.

I thought we were talking about deterring the kind of scrote who menaces you and I in the circumstances described by the OP, rather than the technologically well equipped gangs capable of carting off Bm's and Merc's at the drop of a hat. I've had two Diskloks on both our cars over the past 15 years or more....which proves nothing except the only loss I suffered was when I was carjacked ten years ago (see above) - and the Disklok was IN the car and got nicked!

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Wed 9 Nov 2011 20:42

1.4 TDI - Skoda Fabia - Chris79

Hello all,
Thanks for the advice so far, I ve been looking and there do appear to be a number of 1.9tdi fabias available, does anyone have any experience of these?

I did consider a yaris, but felt that the Fabia might be a more comfortable car to spend 2 hrs a day in, I say this without having test driven a yaris though. With that in mind I might head to the local Toyota dealer asap!

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Wed 9 Nov 2011 20:56

1.4 TDI - Skoda Fabia - floss every day

Hello all, Thanks for the advice so far, I ve been looking and there do appear to be a number of 1.9tdi fabias available, does anyone have any experience of these? I did consider a yaris, but felt that the Fabia might be a more comfortable car to spend 2 hrs a day in, I say this without having test driven a yaris though. With that in mind I might head to the local Toyota dealer asap!

We've owned one for 6 years - bought a relatively high mileage (56k) 4 year old example, in part because we weren't expecting to do very high mileages and we have averaged about 10k a year since. So that isn't the same as your planned mileage but it is robust, comfortable and fun to drive. No major costs or surprises save for the need to replace some bushes and other suspension bits last year. That was expensive - several hundred quid - but taken in the round it doesn't seem a lot to pay over six years. No-one has attempted to nick or vandalise it either, admittedly we live in a fairly affluent area but it goes out visiting some downmarket parts of south London quite often and doesn't attract grief

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Wed 9 Nov 2011 22:44

1.4 TDI - Skoda Fabia - Avant

High-mileage diesels can be liable to major failure, but this applies more to the newer engines with their various appendages which go disastrously wrong. The 1.9TDI is a relatively old design and has less to go wrong, and therefore a good reputation. Go for one of those with a full service history and you should be fine.

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Thu 10 Nov 2011 18:12

1.4 TDI - Skoda Fabia - busdriver

I have a Fabia 1.9tdi elegance estate 54 reg 55,000 miles, fuel consumptionb 58~61 mpg. Other than new tyres, new front discs (54,000) and annual servicing i have had no

other expense. A reliable, economical, comfortable car with a bit of power if you need it .Plenty;of space for the odd trip to the dump.

Buy one and enjoy it..

. .

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Mon 14 Nov 2011 20:57

1.4 TDI - Skoda Fabia - Chris79

Hello all,
Thanks for the advice thus far. I had a look at a yaris today and despite it being a fine car I'm sure I don't think its for me. Does any one have any thoughts on a Mitsubishi colt 1.5d, I saw one today and had a look around, I'm impressed thus far but would be interested to hear the real world stories.

I may also take a look at a fiesta 1.4tdci, reading a newer post here they seem reasonably popular.

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Mon 14 Nov 2011 21:02

1.4 TDI - Skoda Fabia - Bobbin Threadbare

I worked with a lady who had a Colt. Nice little car. She had two kiddies' car seats in the back and a dog to tote around. She only used it for short journeys though, but I never knew her to need anything doing to it.

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Wed 23 Nov 2011 08:32

1.4 TDI - Skoda Fabia - Chris79

Hello All,

Many thanks for all of the advice given. In the end I went for a 2007 Kia Ceed 1.6 diesel. It seemed like a good deal 5700 for a GS model with 40K on the clock. Timing chain engine and no DPF, and the remainder of the warranty, which although i relaise has plenty of exclusions is still probably a better bet than the 1 year warranty I may have received on any other second hand car I would have bought.

On the test drive I was really quite impressed, It was almost as relaxing to drive on fast roads as my A4, and when i consider the price difference it makes the Kia seem exceptional value.

Fingers crossed I havent managed to find a Friday afternoon model!.

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