[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by ACM

First of all congrats it is a good selection and a decision considering all the pros and cons.

The sideview mirror plastic cover that are circled to show the absence of plastic quality in places as an example seems to be an extra optional accessory that is fitted to prevent the mirrors being stolen. Something that costs Rs. 100 in the accessories shop. It may not be something that Skoda ships by default other skoda fabia owners can comment.

Are you sure that is not something that the skoda dealer threw in for free/

I had something similar fitted on to my Cielo and later the Safari from the accessories shop.

Yup that's an accessory fitted by the dealer. I'm pretty sure Skoda doesn't sell mirror protectors. Not only is this one fitted poorly but it's blocking 1/4th of the mirror visibility.

[sraye]

Originally Posted by avira_tk

How does it compare with the HPS in a Punto or Fiesta(classic)?
That Fabia did have a dead pedal , is this one of the new improvements where the salesman says nothing blocks you foot and you stretch all the way to the floorboard.

Thanks avira_tk. Unfortunately I have not driven either the Punto or Fiesta(classic) to be able to compare. However, I have briefly taken the car upto 150+ on the highway and the steering felt weighted.

about the lack of dead pedal. Won't be surprised if thats the explaination given."sir, you can now stretch your legs"!!

Originally Posted by ajay_satpute

BTW, where did you get the Caska unit from? What about warranty of the unit? We need more photos saaar.

Thanks ajay_satpute. The Caska HU was given by the dealer. There is a warranty card with it. Will definately post more photos over the weekend.

Originally Posted by Swanand Inamdar

Congrats! Thats a very heartfelt review of the car there.
Just be careful of the beige. Especially the carpets. Come monsoon, and you would see what I mean! Get 3D Kagu mats or the likes asap.
Drive safe.

Thank you for the kind words Swanand. Kagu mats are definately next on the list for sure. Photos coming up soon.

Originally Posted by ashis89

Congrats on your Fabia. I have been a fan of this car since the day it was launched,just for its looks. Your car looks great,especially those alloys are stunning. Haven't seen any new Fabia with these alloys. Am i missing something?

Thanks ashis89. The alloys seem to be different for the new model ( as with the rear wash/wipe). Will wait a bit to see a few more cars on the road to confirm this.

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat

Have completed 10,000 trouble free kms so far. Hopefully 15,000 km-1st service will be first time I will be rubbing shoulders with the infamous A.S.S.
Whats the deal with unlocking the petrol tank cap? Isn't there a lever next to the driver for that? I believe the Fabia sported a dead pedal before and convex orvms too.

Thanks Santoshbhat. All the best with your first servicing. By recent reports the experience seems to be improving. There is no lever to unlock the petrol tank cap. The lid can be flipped open, but the key is required to unlock the cap. The lack of deadpedal is shocking for sure. Te convex orvms seem to be a part of cost cutting to get the prices down.

Originally Posted by ACM

The sideview mirror plastic cover that are circled to show the absence of plastic quality in places as an example seems to be an extra optional accessory that is fitted to prevent the mirrors being stolen.
Are you sure that is not something that the skoda dealer threw in for free/

Thanks for the words ACM. Skoda giving something free!! that would be a first. But at least I know now what it is. It was a major irritant for me, and now I know.

Originally Posted by Vid6639

Yup that's an accessory fitted by the dealer. I'm pretty sure Skoda doesn't sell mirror protectors. Not only is this one fitted poorly but it's blocking 1/4th of the mirror visibility.

Thanks for confirming this Vid6639. Can I just push it in or would be be better done by some roadside dealer? Loved your review of the Rapid and for a brief moment it gave me buyer's remorse!!

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by sraye

Thanks for confirming this Vid6639. Can I just push it in or would be be better done by some roadside dealer? Loved your review of the Rapid and for a brief moment it gave me buyer's remorse!!

Yup any dealer should be able to fix it or any car accessory shop. It's not a skoda part at all. It's nice of the dealer to fix it FOC but would have been better if he put a better one.

Congrats on the car. Reading up the Fabia 1.6 ownership reports, this is one of the most under rated cars. It's more practical than the Polo as it has more space. Ride and handling are in a different segment altogether. I actually consider this one of the most sporty hatches available now.

[rangarx]

Congratulations on the brilliant new possession!

Happy miles ahead friend. Please do share how the dealership fares in service front in the days to come.

[S_U_N]

@sraye: Very nice and crisp review. You selected an excellent hatch (and had to let go another excellent hatch) - good choices.
When I was in the market for a hatch, these were the top two cars - one European and one Japanese.
The clutch travel is long (and typical of European cars, I guess). My wife had difficulty with all European cars in terms of clutch pedal and gear box, though Fabia fared better than Punto in this regard. Also the gear shifts were butter smooth in Fabia and not so great in Punto.

I am surprised by your observation about NVH levels. I have been in my friend's Fabia (old) and done a TD of the new one and found NVH levels to be excellent. Note: I tested 1.2 petrol and not 1.6. But 1.6 should be even more silent due to the four cylinders, right?

To me, Fabia's NVH was among the best of all the cars that I have been in so far.
Take care and drive safe.

[sraye]

Originally Posted by rangarx

Congratulations on the brilliant new possession!

Happy miles ahead friend. Please do share how the dealership fares in service front in the days to come.

Thanks rangarx. Fingers crossed on the dealership and service front.

Originally Posted by S_U_N

@sraye: Very nice and crisp review.
I am surprised by your observation about NVH levels. I have been in my friend's Fabia (old) and done a TD of the new one and found NVH levels to be excellent. Note: I tested 1.2 petrol and not 1.6. But 1.6 should be even more silent due to the four cylinders, right?

Take care and drive safe.

Thanks for the kind words S_U_N. I meant the tyre noise specifically while commenting on the NVH levels. The engine noise does not filter into the cabin, unless the gear is too low or too high. In fact, the car settles down into a steady silent mode after 4 kms of continuous driving. The owner's manual also states that one needs to drive at least 10km to see the fuel efficiency, and reccommend a different mode of travel if the car is required for a trip of less then 4 km ( this is under their green tip section of the manual)

[puchoo]

Many Many congratulations , its a lovely car and i have truly been 'bitten' by it , i am sorting out my documents etc and hoping to book in the next week or so , unfortunately a bit restricted on the colour choices available for the new one but the discount is too good to give up for a color.

I did not find the road noise loud but then again i was listening to the engine growling when i was revving it and not really anything else - quite a sweet sound is produced by that power plant!

[sraye]

Originally Posted by puchoo

Many Many congratulations , its a lovely car and i have truly been 'bitten' by it , i am sorting out my documents etc and hoping to book in the next week or so , unfortunately a bit restricted on the colour choices available for the new one but the discount is too good to give up for a color.

Thanks puchoo. I read about your search on the refreshed fabia thread. Makes one wonder if the dealers actually help or hinder sales!! The Fabia looks good in all colour (IMHO), and personally white,silve, C.Beiege all look good. If you want a sporty colour, a well maintianed red is certainly eye catching (hmm..have left out black )

All the best with the purchase and look forward to your ownership report soon.

[S_U_N]

Originally Posted by sraye

Thanks rangarx. Fingers crossed on the dealership and service front.




Thanks for the kind words S_U_N. I meant the tyre noise specifically while commenting on the NVH levels.

What tyres do you have? Michelins are considered less noisy. At what speeds do these noises creep in?

[puchoo]

Thanks , will definitely be posting once all this is done - but seriously , buying a car is enough of a headache , figuring out life for Skoda myself makes it even worse

And i will go for the black in all probability.

Originally Posted by sraye

Thanks puchoo. I read about your search on the refreshed fabia thread. Makes one wonder if the dealers actually help or hinder sales!! The Fabia looks good in all colour (IMHO), and personally white,silve, C.Beiege all look good. If you want a sporty colour, a well maintianed red is certainly eye catching (hmm..have left out black )

All the best with the purchase and look forward to your ownership report soon.

[sraye]

Originally Posted by S_U_N

What tyres do you have? Michelins are considered less noisy. At what speeds do these noises creep in?

I have the stock tyres..Apollo Acelere 185/60 R15 . The noises creep in from 50kmph onwards a(pprox)..will check. There is no issue on tar roads though.

[puchoo]

Sraye - where are the switches for the new features placed i.e read defogger and the washer and wiper

Are they on the stocks or next to the gear lever where there the central locking/unlocking switches are placed.

[W.A.G.7]

Congrats on the Fabia! Wish you many happy kilometers with it. That's quite a decision; to go from Honda to Skoda! Must have required guts!! Don't get me wrong, I like Skoda's cars, they ooze quality inside-out. But everytime their bad after sales service make me think twice. Actually, I think, now their service has improved much more than previous, but once a bad reputation, always a bad reputation!

Coming back to the car, did you check out any other colour apart from grey? Grey seems to be one of the favourites amongst us. Did you get the alloys afterwards or did they come with the car? Looking at one of the pics (steering pic, driver side door), I saw that there are only 2 power window switches. Is it so that there are only front power windows? Or are they not visible in the photo?

Enjoy the ride and update the thread !

[sraye]

Originally Posted by puchoo

Sraye - where are the switches for the new features placed i.e read defogger and the washer and wiper

The defogger is on the dash, where the AC knobs are. The wash and wipe is on the stalk. Will take some pictures and post it over the weekend.

Originally Posted by W.A.G.7

Congrats on the Fabia! Wish you many happy kilometers with it. That's quite a decision; to go from Honda to Skoda! Must have required guts!!
Coming back to the car, did you check out any other colour apart from grey? Grey seems to be one of the favourites amongst us. Did you get the alloys afterwards or did they come with the car? Looking at one of the pics (steering pic, driver side door), I saw that there are only 2 power window switches. Is it so that there are only front power windows? Or are they not visible in the photo?

Enjoy the ride and update the thread !

Thanks W.A.G 7. Believe me, the decision to go from a Honda to a Skoda was/is a really difficult one. To be honest, I am still keeping my fingers ( and toes) crossed. About the colour.. Skoda calls is Cappuccino Biege, I call it grey . I had checked out Silver, but as my half preferred C.Beiege (Grey), thats what it was. The colour has started growing on me over time.
The Alloys were standard. There are four power switches, as well as a switch that prevents the passengers in the rear from rolling down their windows.

Will post some more pics of all this over the weekend for sure.

[deepfusion]

Originally Posted by sraye

Thanks W.A.G 7. Believe me, the decision to go from a Honda to a Skoda was/is a really difficult one. To be honest, I am still keeping my fingers ( and toes) crossed. About the colour.

Congratulations Sraye, on your Fabia 1.6.

I also bought a 1.2 htp some time back, and have had a chance to visit the Service centre once, during their festival checkup camp during Oct-November. I was also apprehensive about the service (going by the 'heard/read' horror stories), but by God's grace, I found the people at Skoda more courteous than Honda or Ford. I am saying this first hand. May be it was just one visit, but it was still jolly good.

Hope Skoda has ironed out the flaws in their service network.