[rajcs]

Originally Posted by puchoo

Tell me about it! , i dont think i am going to touch 10,000 either. I am not going to wait around for 1 year to get the car serviced , in fact planning on taking it next month itself because i think the car needs it now , 15000kms is too long a gap in my opinion.

I was told by Skoda Service (Fahrenheit Auto) that an additional free inspection has been introduced for Fabia after 7500 kms or every 6 months considering the Indian conditions. I did this about a couple of months back. Free service included general checkup, cleaning of filters and washing.

[puchoo]

Yes it has , infact found out about it after making that post , they have one available , its listed on their website as well under the FAQ section . i am planning to make full use of it and go sometime this week.

About it being introduced recently , i am not too sure , i have a colleague in office who has a 1.2 and he has know about it ( he was calling it the first service hence i did not understand that it was a check up) for the the last 3-4 months.

Originally Posted by rajcs

I was told by Skoda Service (Fahrenheit Auto) that an additional free inspection has been introduced for Fabia after 7500 kms or every 6 months considering the Indian conditions. I did this about a couple of months back. Free service included general checkup, cleaning of filters and washing.

[rajcs]

Its been over 25000 km and there were a few niggling issues to be attended to : Rear power window switches and central locking button were occasionally malfunctioning. There was that noise from engine mount on rough roads, which others have reported too.

Got following replaced under warranty at Fahrenheit Auto, Moti Nagar:
- Both rear power window switches
- Central locking button (called the safety switch) on the central console.
- Engine mount.

A minor noise from steering gear when turning the wheel to extreme right was eliminated by tightening a linkage.

Skoda - Obsessed with Quality... ? Nah. Simply Clever.

Service at Fahrenheit Auto has been excellent as usual. No charges, no hassles.

[rajcs]

Two Year Update

The car has now clocked over 30,000 km in about 25 months. Got the 2 yearly / 30000 km service done at Fahrenheit Auto Motinagar recently.

Service Charges (Excl taxes)

Shell Helix Ultra oil 3.5 ltrs - Rs 2960
Brake Fluid 1 ltr - Rs 474
Wind Screen Liquid - Rs 107
Other lubricants - Rs 784 (Don't know what this is)
Other consumables - Rs 103

Air Filter - Rs 414
Oil Filter - Rs 266
Fuel Filter - Rs 439
Pollen Filter - Rs 650

Aerodynamic Wiper blade - single piece Rs 654 (The passenger side needed replacement because of Simian attack. Driver side is fine even after two years. Wiper blades are really robust and of great quality)

VAT - Rs 1080

Labour

Scheduled service - free

Brake bleeding and brake oil replacement - Rs 1500 (Not part of scheduled service, I was advised to do this by the service guy, couldn't say no although I had no problem with the brakes)

Lubrication Package for doors - Rs 200 (I asked for this)

Wiper blade replacement - Rs 200 (Should've done this myself)

Service Experience

While the service itself was hassle free, there were attempts to persuade me into accepting unnecessary additional jobs, such as....

Surface Refinement (This is for your multipoint injector!!!)
UV Protection (A Special treatment of the fuel tank !!!)

Either these people think we are absolute fools to give such explanations or they only deal with drivers and not owners. Anyway I politely refused.

Car Performance
No perceptible change. I had no complaints anyways.

The Fabia 1.6 experience has been really great in the two years I owned this car. I have had no major issues with service at Fahrenheit either (except I feel the time taken is bit long for each activity).

The spares cost also seems reasonable. There has been some localisation, but many items are still imported as pix below show.

Air Filter - localised


Pollen Filter - imported


Oil Filter - imported

[mempheS.D]

Good to hear, rajcs!

I just completed by second service too about a week ago. And guess what? Totally stunned by the cent per cent fix. All problems were resolved to beyond satisfaction. The gearbox mount which needed to replaced under warranty, and it was then determined that the GLG-GLUG-GLUG sounds has totally disappeared now. Wow!

The door squeak issue was resolved too. They did make an attempt to trick me saying it's just a lubrication need. Because the service center was too noisy, I wasn't able to replicate the sound. So, I asked the SE to get in the car and I took him for a drive far away from city noises and he was convinced of the squeak that I have been complaining about. The villain was a misaligned door link. Again replaced under warranty!

Trust me.. I just couldn't control my smiles when I was getting out of the service center. The car just felt like it's first day on the road. Maybe even better, after the OIL change after close to 12000kms since the last change. Total reading on the ODO - 22000kms.

HOWEVER, I just noticed something this morning on my drive to work. With the AC ON, and when I shift from 2nd to 3rd gear at about 2500rpm or so, there's a sudden pullback. As though the brakes were applied, and then everything else resumes to normal. I tried brute acceleration from 2nd to 3rd, and there's no problem. Any suggestions as to what could be possibly wrong?

[rajcs]

Originally Posted by mempheS.D

Trust me.. I just couldn't control my smiles when I was getting out of the service center. The car just felt like it's first day on the road. Maybe even better, after the OIL change after close to 12000kms since the last change. Total reading on the ODO - 22000kms.

Its great you could sort things out prior to your departure. Good to see another satisfied Fabia owner.

Originally Posted by mempheS.D

HOWEVER, I just noticed something this morning on my drive to work. With the AC ON, and when I shift from 2nd to 3rd gear at about 2500rpm or so, there's a sudden pullback. As though the brakes were applied, and then everything else resumes to normal. I tried brute acceleration from 2nd to 3rd, and there's no problem. Any suggestions as to what could be possibly wrong?

Never faced such an issue. I haven't felt any difference in power with or without air con at any speed.
One way to see if air con is drawing more power is to check instantaneous fuel consumption with and without air con on at idle. I get values of 0.6 l/h with air con off and 1.0-1.1 l/hr with air con on both at 800 rpm.

[21Archer84]

Originally Posted by rajcs

Storage Space

Abundant storage space all around. 315 l boot is largest in class and its lit too. Folding rear seat will provide over 1100 ltrs of storage. However the rear seat is not split folding.

The pic shows a 26" suitcase stowed in the luggage bay leaving adequate space for two more:
Attachment 592834

The parcel tray can be stowed at two levels or removed altogether and stowed at the back of rear bench. Only utility of this I found was to store a basket or icebox so that rear passengers can access food and beverages while on the move.
Attachment 592835

I own a 2008 model 1.2HTP and am quite happy with it's performance. However, I never knew about the parcel tray being stowed at two levels. Can you explain how this is done? as I always thought it to be a fixed single piece and not adjustable. Do you have two tray's that can be used as shown?

[puchoo]

Nopes it is not a fixed piece, simply disconnect the wires from the hooks that it used for support. There are grooves at 2 levels , so simply slide in and out of them , fix the wire back and you are done!

Look at the image attached for reference from my review , this is at a lower level - have added arrows for your reference

Also take a look at the manual , if i recall correctly , they have given the process there will reference images. Its a 30 second process.

Originally Posted by 21Archer84

I own a 2008 model 1.2HTP and am quite happy with it's performance. However, I never knew about the parcel tray being stowed at two levels. Can you explain how this is done? as I always thought it to be a fixed single piece and not adjustable. Do you have two tray's that can be used as shown?

[rajcs]

Added a sunglass holder

Even the top end Elegance variant of Fabia 2010 model did not come with a sunglass holder. I think the earlier Fabia models sported a sunglass holder and the Polo has one in the glove box.

However, the new Fabia still had a blanking panel on the roof which was meant to hold the sunroof mechanism available in pre-2010 models. This blanking panel served no purpose in my car except as a resting place for Ganesha to oversee my driving...


I was wondering if I could fit a drop-down sunglass holder in place of the blanking panel. Googling helped me find exactly what I needed on Briskoda forum. While skodaparts UK listed the item, shipping to India was doubtful.

Searched around the web a bit more for a suitable product and located it at Aliexpress : http://www.aliexpress.com/snapshot/280913744.html

It was listed under Octavia and said it would fit Fabia too. Ordered the item at $25 with free shipping to India. It took about 25 days in reaching me via Chinapost. Once the item arrived, I realised it is a genuine Skoda product from VW Shanghai.

Here is what the sunglass holder looked like when I unpacked:

Front side


Rear side


Skoda part no


Fitment was really easy and took all of five minutes.

Prised open the blanking panel from the rear:


View of the empty space above the blanking panel. This is where the sunroof mechanism would be in better equipped models.


Inserted the sunglass holder...


...and pressed it into place. It fitted like a T, and couldn't tell it wasn't an original fit.


A nudge on the sunglass holder gently drops down the lid. Inside is felt lined.


The holder is good enough for regular sunglasses. May a bit too small for larger Oakley style sports glasses.


Ganesha found his way back on to the lid and all in all it was a job well done.

[MARCUS_520i]

Very cool, rajcs! I've always missed the presence of one in mine. Thanks for sharing the link and the DIY instructions!

[puchoo]

Fantastic stuff!! The panel is definitely redundant in its present avatar and doing something along the lines of what you have done looks not only good but makes a lot of sense as well.

[93000BHP]

Nice one rajcs , this item was available in vagtune for 2300 bucks, was considering buying this and the armrest(14000) as well from vag tune, but this link you have provided is gooood. By the way how does the beige match?
Also found the armrest in aliexpress for slightly less than 10 grand!
Just wondering about the colour match!

[rajcs]

Originally Posted by 93000BHP

By the way how does the beige match?
Also found the armrest in aliexpress for slightly less than 10 grand!
Just wondering about the colour match!

I think you were spot on with your observation. The colour is not exact match of the original blanking panel. It's a slightly different shade. But once you fit it, it certainly does not look out of place. It should not be a deal breaker.

[sraye]

Thanks for sharing this Rajcs. I always thought that the panel was a wasted, and should have had a sunglass holder. This is perfect!! Am going to go ahead and ordering one now. Will go some way in alleviating the sadness i felt when the car was discontinued by Skoda.

[rajcs]

As the Fabia completes three years of ownership, I am happy to report the car is running as fresh as new. No niggles or major breakdowns in spite of a bit of rough use.

However, its been a relatively more expensive last couple of months in maintenance. Scratches have appeared all around over a period of time from parking lots and negligent driving from my side, which I will need to take care earliest. Estimate from Antony's garage at Kailash Colony is around Rs 11000.

A few weeks ago, I ran over sharp concrete block, while trying to park on a pavement. The sharp edges ripped through the protection guard under the engine. It may have prevented damage to engine sump, but I had to replace the front panel of protection guard along with the front spoiler.



Costs involved in repair
Front panel of protection guard: Rs 2745
Front Spoiler : Rs 561
Rubber mounts : Rs 430
Labour incl tax : Rs 2080


Three Year Service

Three Year / 45000 Km service was due early this month by time. Car had been run 37500 Kms.

I got the service done at Satman Automobiles Okhla, which is now part of Fahrenheit Network at Delhi. Being a new showroom they get fewer cars for service and so I felt the attention here was better than at Fahrenheit, Moti Nagar.

Costs were a bit higher than last year. Here is the break up (Excl VAT) :

Shell Helix Ultra oil 4 Ltr : 3383
Air Filter : 1118
Oil Filter : 381
Dust & Pollen Filter : 590
Windshiled Wash Liquid : 107

Paid Service : 1252
Wheel Alignment & Balancing incl weights: 1616
Lubrication package : 300 + 948 for lubricants

This year they used an imported air filter which was thrice the cost of Indian filter used last year


During the service, the VAS check up reported defective battery. The rated current is 175A, but my battery was measuring 119A.


I was advised to replace the battery and was quoted Rs 6000 for a new battery. I had no problem in starting the car, but I had noticed for some months the ICE used to switch off while the car was being started. I decided to do market survey and change the battery later.

I was also told that the disc brakes have worn out and may require change of discs and pad. This would cost about Rs 8000. But I have had no problem with braking at all, so I decided not to change the disc for now.

Battery Change

A few days later I noticed EPC light coming on and car being switched to emergency mode restricting engine to 1500 rpm. This problem disappeared once I switched off the engine and started again. This may have been caused by some loose wiring, but I thought it could be due to weak battery, considering it is already three years old. So I checked the net for compatible batteries and zeroed in Bosch Silver.

The old battery (OE fitted) was Exide ATB 36AH.


The Bosch dealer offered me Bosch S5 Silver 45AH at Rs 4800 with exchange of my old battery.


The battery fitted exactly in place. So after three years, I have a new battery and so far its been fine.