Buyers guide - Fabia Classic 1.4

[kerm]

A friend of mine is looking to buy a 2000/W Fabia 1.4 Classic. I have searched the site but can't seem to find any articles listing known problems etc.

Thanks

[ap0gee]

The car will have the MPi engine, which is pretty robust in itself (not very powerful, though!) Early ones had head gasket problems, so make sure the coolant's not dirty, and there's no mayonnaise under the filler cap. There can be coolant leaks too (sometimes from daft things like hoses rubbing) so make sure it's at the correct level. The rear doors may leak if it rains heavily, although curiously this seems to affect newer cars more than older ones AFAIK. After the weather we've been having, it should be easy to tell by seeing if the rear footwell carpets are damp. Also, some of the sensors are prone to going 'pop': the coolant temp sensor, air con evaporator temp sensor, and power steering sensor. Check for them by: 1. Making sure the temperature gauge rises to the middle and stays there; 2. Making sure the air con blows cold - not just when you first switch on, but after the engine's been running a while; 3. Seeing if the headlights flicker when you turn the steering wheel. There are instructions for all three (and the leaky rear doors) on here, but unless it's a private sale, make sure the dealer sorts them out or don't bother buying. Although a W-reg will be one of the first made, I'm not aware of anything else up with them in terms of teething trouble. It will be 7 years old or so, so the wearing parts could need looking at just like on any other car that age (clutch, suspension, brakes, transmission, etc.)

Don't think there's much else, but I'm sure folk on here will add anything I've missed. Honest John can be a good resource too, if you want (reasonably) non-biased opinion.

HTH

[kerm]

Not being very mechanical, how do i find out if the coolant is dirty or not?

THanks very much for your response :-)

[Mark raw]

Mine a Y reg 1.4 classic and suffered all the abouve problems since I got it. the thermostat was the most annoying as the garage(non skoda) kept replacing sensors not the thermostat, Skoda told them to do so and luckily was under warranty. Skoda also sorted power streering problem and a seal that blew. find it fair,y robust and although not very powerful can compete with bmws. Mine is most basic model no toys and an a lighter note the radio is crap i changed mine.

[heresmo]

Hello I have a Y reg and ap0gee's post covered most I've come across.

I've had to replace the front anti roll bar as the original had a design fault (though Skoda UK say not so). I'm told by garages that I was unlucky that it didn't fail under warranty but that the replacement bar should last perfectly well. Might not apply to a W reg or if it did it'd probably have gone and been replaced by now anyway.

Main disdvantages in use are that IMO it's thirsty - for a car that's not really more than a runabout. It struggles to get up hills with the air con on. Oomph is OK for normal driving (not racey driving).

The engine management light (EPC is it?) is like a Sodoku puzzle and means there's a fault with "something somewhere". A garage can reset the codes and say "If it pops up again, we'll have another look." If it has been reset to disguise a fault, it usually shows up again pretty quickly, but it would take someone more knowledgeable than I am to say just how quickly. I'm thinking a longer test drive rather than a quick flip around the block here. Beware: "Oh it just needs a new sensor." Possibly, but they are expensive garage-fitted as some are hard to reach.

Does it have a service record? The brake fluid needs to be changed every two years and my garage adds the change date onto my service record. This is safety as much as cost.

If the power steering light doesn't go off, it can mean different things, some of which can be very expensive. It definitely should not stay on.

I'd insist (as a negotiating point) that it's been fitted with a new battery as some dash lights can be due to the 1.4's high drain. Thus, to prevent a vendor from saying: "Don't worry, that just means it needs a new battery" when there might be a more serious (expensive) underlying cause.

This is just my experience - I'm not a car person

HTH
Mo

[ap0gee]

Originally Posted by kerm

Not being very mechanical, how do i find out if the coolant is dirty or not?

THanks very much for your response :-)

The expansion tank (sperical, with a blue lid, in the far-left corner of the engine bay) should hold pinky-red liquid, which should be between the two marks printed on the outside. If these marks have rubbed off, a good approximation is that the level should be above the seam that runs round the 'equator', but not more than halfway between there and the top. If the liquid's brown or black, beware!

Good point about the thermostat body - problems with overheating or not warming up enough may be down to that. Again, fairly easy to remedy...