Mk2 Fabia vRS Buying Guide in EVO issue 235

[Ootohere]

Latest edition out,  EVO 235 / June 2017

 

EDIT, article seems pretty much to cover everything.

mentions BRISKODA and takes much of the info from threads on Briskoda it appears.

Edited 12 April, 2017 by Awayoffski

[Ootohere]

Lots ask here about buying a Mk2 Fabia vRS,  CAVE or CTHE Engine.

 

Be aware.

Many never needed anything other than Regular Servicing and good Fluids, Filters & Plugs and Super Unleaded.

Some never even get that and are fine.

 

But,

Some 2010 CAVE were rebuilt.

Some CAVE or CTHE got replacement engines. Some replacement engines were replaced.

There is Breather Mod 1, and breather mod 2 and both have software updates.

There is the Oil Spray Jet upgrade with a Software Update.

There are 5 software updates in total 2010-2015.

 

There is a Wiring loom TPI.

A Heated Seat TPI.

There are Service Campaigns on some DQ200 DSG 2010-2012/13 '34F7' & 2013-2014/15 '34H5'.

There is a Steering TPI. 

 

So a FMDSH is fine but find out the Service Campaign / Warranty History.   Or just get the car, see what is what and enjoy it.

There are less than 3,000 Mk2 vRS Fabia in the UK and less on the road month by month. 

 

Just look after them.  

[lol-lol]

Key thing is to have a very good warranty that can cover the potential £5k bill if the engine-gearbox goes pop.

 

The twin charge was a fun but failed experiment.  Enjoyed the 100k miles I did in mine.

 

Still drive a 1.4 tsi and get incredible fuel consumption and performance.

 

Shame on VAG and Skoda for not having a hot hatch any more.

Edited 24 February, 2019 by lol-lol

[Ootohere]

Sadly people are buying a 'Skoda Warranty'.  then being knocked back on Engine or DSG warranty claims.

Told,  'Known Issues'  obviously, Skoda, VW, SEAT & Audi know the issues not a innocent buyer that expect a car from 2010 to maybe be OK but takes out a Warranty that ultimately VW Group are the Underwriters of. 

Vorsprung Durch Technik.   Buyer beware of VW Group cars or VW Group approved / backed warranties or extended warranties. 

http://insurewithskoda.co.uk/extended-warranty

They will take your money and take you from behind all over again...

 

 

[Ryeman]

18 minutes ago, lol-lol said:

 

 

Shame on VAG and Skoda for not having a hot hatch any more.

Bit embarrassing if you get blown away by a BEV shopping cart 

[Ootohere]

@Ryeman

People are picking up Mk2 Fabia vRS for as little as £3,000 now.   Some paying strong money and getting a worthless Warranty.

The only EV shopping carts at around that price or even double might blow them away to 30mph, and that is about it.

Or until the Twincharger goes into 'Limp Mode's throws a ECP or Exhaust Emissions light or maybe a spark plug tip breaks off.

[lol-lol]

4 hours ago, Ryeman said:

Bit embarrassing if you get blown away by a BEV shopping cart 

 

Cannot think of any EVs for sensible money that will do 0-60 in 7 seconds.   A Chevy Bolt is the only BEV I can think if that does less than 0-60 in 7 seconds and we cannot get that in Europe.

 

I bought my Fabia 2 VRS for £15K as ex demo with a couple hundred miles on it, don't think the car dealer trusted too many people to test drive it,  EV would be at least twice the price for anything like the performance of the VRS.

 

Drove a thousand kilometers on one long run to Scotland and back without filling up, with a EV and would have needed to stop and recharge at least twice and hoped to have had a charge point at my visit location.

 

 We are all hoping the new Leaf 2 with the  200 hp motor and 62 kWh battery will be a good option but with the UK government decreasing the subsidy rather than increasing it the price is silly even if it is very cheap to run and fun to drive.    Tesla has been cutting the price of the Model 3 but it is still likely to cost North of £35K in the UK but 0-60 of less than 6 seconds sounds good.  Cheap running cost like any EV.  

[Ootohere]

@lol-lol

You will love the e-Niro i think when you drive one and it will be ahead of a Mk2 vRS to 62mph with the right tyres or right surface,

just as the vRS needs. 

Just a question of being able to get one, and get one on lease maybe.

As it is the Niro Hybrid is no slouch in real life, just ignore reviewers / journalists / official figures and play with the settings, and floor the accelerator.

[lol-lol]

1 hour ago, Skoffski said:

@lol-lol

You will love the e-Niro i think when you drive one and it will be ahead of a Mk2 vRS to 62mph with the right tyres or right surface,

just as the vRS needs. 

Just a question of being able to get one, and get one on lease maybe.

As it is the Niro Hybrid is no slouch in real life, just ignore reviewers / journalists / official figures and play with the settings, and floor the accelerator.

 

Probably but the range still will not suit me that well as I sometimes need to do more than 300 miles in a day, the client may not have a charge point available and even if 50-100 kW charge rating it means a half hour wait.  All looking for the tech like the buses we make (watch the top of the Bus Shelter which zaps the on-board super-capacitors).  That or I need I need at least 100kWh battery pack which is still a couple of years away.  (Thought we have just sold some tech for a 400 kWh pack on Mercedes buses).

 

Back to the Fabia VRS Mk 2, it annoys me I could get more fuel in the Fabia than I can in my Mark 3 Octy !   Range is about the same though and performance not a mile a part. 

 

  

Edited 24 February, 2019 by lol-lol

[Ootohere]

I need to do 400 to 450 in a day. (night) 

But charging for 1 hour during the trip will be OK for me.  As i need a break driving occasionally...

Checked out all the charging points relevant for my usual trips, and i think i can cope with 250 miles range for unfamiliar locations / journeys.

 

Saving spending around £30 on every 250 miles driven in Scotland is appealing.

Edited 24 February, 2019 by Skoffski

[lol-lol]

1 hour ago, Skoffski said:

I need to do 400 to 450 in a day. (night) 

But charging for 1 hour during the trip will be OK for me.  As i need a break driving occasionally...

Checked out all the charging points relevant for my usual trips, and i think i can cope with 250 miles range for unfamiliar locations / journeys.

Saving spending around £30 on every 250 miles driven in Scotland is appealing.

 

Only Tesla have decent chargers (120 kWh)  with 99% of other chargers being 43 kWh or less which is a fag.

 

EVs, will not charge at even 43 kWh once they reach about 60% and tail off very quickly after 805 so after the initial trickle charge at (from a7 KWh charger) home, charging at public charge stations have their issues or rather the EV's batteries have issues topping off.  Hence new tech or ever much more super capacitor.

 

Hope the Octy will be my last ICE and in 3 years time the EVs will be practical solution, miss my Fabia 2 VRS and the Octy is a bigger car than I need most the time but when the best Fabia is a Monty with 110 hp it is a No from Me.     

 

 

 

[Ootohere]

Getting to be a choice of Rapid Chargers where i will need to use them so i will just see how it goes.

(Purple.)

[Ryeman]

8 hours ago, Skoffski said:

@Ryeman

People are picking up Mk2 Fabia vRS for as little as £3,000 now.   Some paying strong money and getting a worthless Warranty.

The only EV shopping carts at around that price or even double might blow them away to 30mph, and that is about it.

Or until the Twincharger goes into 'Limp Mode's throws a ECP or Exhaust Emissions light or maybe a spark plug tip breaks off.

A bit TIC George.   You wouldn’t want to blow up in the process though.

 

[lol-lol]

12 hours ago, Ryeman said:

A bit TIC George.   You wouldn’t want to blow up in the process though.

 

 

I recall the twin-charge had a 7k redline and so did my excellent 1.8 TSI short stroke EA888 (160hp and the rest) and somehow red lines are back to 6.5k again, progress.  

 

7 speed DSG has improved a bit with the new coast function but still get "confused" sometimes.  Friend has got one but now they are fading in to the history books, wanted a Clio RS as a replacement but did not get round to it.

 

 

[jrw]

On 24/02/2019 at 15:52, lol-lol said:

 

Cannot think of any EVs for sensible money that will do 0-60 in 7 seconds.   A Chevy Bolt is the only BEV I can think if that does less than 0-60 in 7 seconds and we cannot get that in Europe.

 

I bought my Fabia 2 VRS for £15K as ex demo with a couple hundred miles on it, don't think the car dealer trusted too many people to test drive it,  EV would be at least twice the price for anything like the performance of the VRS.

 

Drove a thousand kilometers on one long run to Scotland and back without filling up, with a EV and would have needed to stop and recharge at least twice and hoped to have had a charge point at my visit location.

 

 We are all hoping the new Leaf 2 with the  200 hp motor and 62 kWh battery will be a good option but with the UK government decreasing the subsidy rather than increasing it the price is silly even if it is very cheap to run and fun to drive.    Tesla has been cutting the price of the Model 3 but it is still likely to cost North of £35K in the UK but 0-60 of less than 6 seconds sounds good.  Cheap running cost like any EV.  

Nice to see you are still here spouting tripe about how good the TSI engines are....1000km without filling up in a Fabia VRS?  Thats 621 miles.  Using all 45 litres of the tanks capacity that is an average of 62MPG.  That is utter tripe, there is no way on earth you could average that MPG from that engine, I know, I had one.  Max avg on a run would be 45mpg on that engine.

 

I wonder what MPG you are getting on your 1.4TSI Octy, is it the 130bhp or the 150bhp?  Is it as glorious as your 1.8TSI was?

 

Speaking of EV's, my last company car was a 330e M Sport.  Can be had for a little over £30k, have 250bhp and over the 37k I had it averaged 53mpg....obviously not as good as your one off Fabia VRS MPG though  but I saved a fortune in car and fuel tax on my salary.

[lol-lol]

2 hours ago, jrw said:

Nice to see you are still here spouting tripe about how good the TSI engines are....1000km without filling up in a Fabia VRS?  Thats 621 miles.  Using all 45 litres of the tanks capacity that is an average of 62MPG.  That is utter tripe, there is no way on earth you could average that MPG from that engine, I know, I had one.  Max avg on a run would be 45mpg on that engine.

I wonder what MPG you are getting on your 1.4TSI Octy, is it the 130bhp or the 150bhp?  Is it as glorious as your 1.8TSI was?

Speaking of EV's, my last company car was a 330e M Sport.  Can be had for a little over £30k, have 250bhp and over the 37k I had it averaged 53mpg....obviously not as good as your one off Fabia VRS MPG though  but I saved a fortune in car and fuel tax on my salary.

 

Sorry but it happened.  Filled up in Worcester, fitted in just over 50 litres of Tescos Momentum (tank can easily take another 5 litres above nominal when you press the valve in the filler neck to open up the volume in the expansion neck), drove to Glasgow one day, drove back the next did not fill up until I got back to Worcester, as you say just over 600 miles.  Lots of 60 mph cruising, whilst on conference calls, a few knocking the box it to neutral down hills (which at least the current 7 speed DSG does automatically). Simples. (Still have 15 miles showing on the computer I recall).

 

MPG on the 1.4 TSI Octy shows 55 mpg on long term, I drive to the national speed limits plus 5% to 10% or so so quite pleased with that.  Loving the £30 road tax too as registered just  a few days before the law change in March 2017.

 

What range you getting out of the 330e, 400 miles ?

I would have to fill up twice in a day some days with that sort of range.

At least it is not a diesel like your old VRS.

Still doing Cannock to Telford ?  Can you do that on a charge in you hybrid ?

 

Get whacked for tax on the thousands of pounds of car allowance and BIK with the fuel card but can claim about £8k in tax relief for the 25k business miles so all good overall. 

 

Live long and prosper.      

 

Edited 7 April, 2019 by lol-lol

[Ootohere]

Yes it happened.

@jrw

@lol-lol and myself did our big mile per gallon or miles per litres hyperdriving in CAVE engine cars and not a CTHE as you drove, 

but i have done a bit of driving in CTHE's, and pretty much could get the same economy. 

Route and Average Speed cameras obviously important, and then the oil, tyres and fuel makes a difference.

http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/315622-service-correct-oil

 

Not as an average 62 mpg, but 621 miles could be done, can be done on runs from a vented tank in a Mk2 TSI Twincharger. 

I even did it with a engine light on and the car in limp mode.

That saved me on any points / fines and the trip was more relaxing.

 

A car / tank took 7 litres more than 45 litres easily and still had range of 50 miles or so showing over 620 miles covered.

 

I did the North Coast 500 and an extra 300+ miles in Limp Mode with the car still doing 60 mph and got 600 miles from a tank filled with Tesco Momentum 99.

The car was filled in Inverness and i had 15 gallons in cans but not needed until i filled up after 600 miles.

Damned if i was going to pay stupid prices for fuel as i had enough in the tank. 

 

Edited 7 April, 2019 by Skoffski

[jrw]

2 hours ago, lol-lol said:

 

Sorry but it happened.  Filled up in Worcester, fitted in just over 50 litres of Tescos Momentum (tank can easily take another 5 litres above nominal when you press the valve in the filler neck to open up the volume in the expansion neck), drove to Glasgow one day, drove back the next did not fill up until I got back to Worcester, as you say just over 600 miles.  Lots of 60 mph cruising, whilst on conference calls, a few knocking the box it to neutral down hills (which at least the current 7 speed DSG does automatically). Simples. (Still have 15 miles showing on the computer I recall).

 

MPG on the 1.4 TSI Octy shows 55 mpg on long term, I drive to the national speed limits plus 5% to 10% or so so quite pleased with that.  Loving the £30 road tax too as registered just  a few days before the law change in March 2017.

 

What range you getting out of the 330e, 400 miles ?

I would have to fill up twice in a day some days with that sort of range.

At least it is not a diesel like your old VRS.

Still doing Cannock to Telford ?  Can you do that on a charge in you hybrid ?

 

Get whacked for tax on the thousands of pounds of car allowance and BIK with the fuel card but can claim about £8k in tax relief for the 25k business miles so all good overall. 

 

Live long and prosper.      

 

I don't have the 330e anymore as have another job. Back in a diesel octy vrs....a MK3 this time. Will probably get an up GTi at some point as my daily but the octy is my mates old company car and came up at the right time at the right price and £30 road tax. 

 

Around 400-500 range on 330. Could get 95mpg on my commute from Cannock to stoke with a full battery and same back with a full charge. Longer trip such as Glasgow or Gateshead would see around 51mpg starting with a full charge. I never hyper miles it either as I had a fuel card. 

 

 

Interesting you can get 55mpg out of your 1.4 when I have the 150bhp version with the 7speed dsg in a Passat. Long term in that is 37mpg. That mainly does Cannock to m42 junction passed Tamworth and back. Maybe the higher rated alternator on it is using over 15mpg more than the octy.....as I can't get more than 45mpg on any trip and 2cylinder mode rarely kicks in.   Maybe I've had too long not paying for fuel to remember how to hyper mile!   Going to devon in a few weeks so may go in that and see what I can get now I have to pay for fuel. Then going to Scotland but that'll likely be in octy as there are 4 of us plus luggage so need the torque and economy for the 1200miles we'll be doing. 

 

Long term average on my golf is 28mpg....but that does have 375bhp, dsg and AWD

 

 

[Ootohere]

@jrw  does the 375bhp mean shorter journey times then than if you were driving a 150ps Golf?

[jrw]

2 minutes ago, Skoffski said:

@jrw  does the 375bhp mean shorter journey times then than if you were driving a 150ps Golf?

Not necessarily but definitely more fun

[shyVRS245]

375bhp 1,493kg Golf R 28mpg (251bhp per tonne).

336bhp 1,370kg Octavia Vrs 40mpg (245bhp per tonne). Actually only 39.57mpg over 20,000 miles.

Conclusion weight kills economy. Oh and a heavy right foot.

[lol-lol]

2 hours ago, shyVRS245 said:

375bhp 1,493kg Golf R 28mpg (251bhp per tonne).

336bhp 1,370kg Octavia Vrs 40mpg (245bhp per tonne). Actually only 39.57mpg over 20,000 miles.

Conclusion weight kills economy. Oh and a heavy right foot.

 

And Four wheel drive but then acceleration, except on a very warm day on sticky roads, is poor in a front wheel (only) drive car ie 0-60 in less than 5 seconds, or even 6 seconds, if really hard to achieve.

 

Octavia does have a good aero profile, hence used for the land speed record to 2 litre cars, not sure whether it still holds it at 228 mph.

 

My 200 hp Octavia VRS seem to be still accelerating strongly with 150 mph on the clock.  Damn good shape for slipping though the air.   All Octys I had seem to suffer from front wheel spin to easily compared to my Leon Cupra for instance, presumably due to the weight biased to the rear.

 

Performance is cheapest to achieve with a bike.  Been thinking about an MT09 after testing one.  0-60 in less than 3 seconds.

Standing Quarter in less than 11 seconds.  Compare that to tuned Octys and standard Golf Rs which are 4 to 5 seconds to 60 and 13 seconds standing quarter or over from what I have seen from the Pod figures etc.   

 

Any road up, Fabia 2 VRS was brilliant value at £15k and good performance for the money !!

  

Edited 7 April, 2019 by lol-lol

[Ootohere]

He just about understands the car.  There is Supercharger & Turbo under 3,500 rpm when needed.