Skoda Fabia reviews (petrol and diesel)

k_ajay · 21st May 2009, 21:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by netchef

Any chance of poor fuel quality causing this? I've heard that Skodas are particluarly sensitive to fuel.

Doubtful, sir NC. I think it would be more to do with coolants or some problem in the engine. Like I mentioned in the meet that I use only normal octane rated pertol [regular BP fuel], I don't face the stalling problem[s]. Nipunkul also seems to have no issues.

Gaurav: Like some gents have suggested here, why not attempt to get your Fabia checked by some competand independant garage familar with the car or atleast german engines? It would be a good place to start, since your Skoda authorised dealer is not providing any help or assistance [and how ironic is that].

What I doubt though is if you would be able to find any competant and world class independent auto garage in Rishsikesh. That might be an obstacle. If you ever consider taking the car to Mumbai, a great gent called Invisible can help you sort almost all problems.

Also Robin's idea of writing to Autocar India's 'Helpline' is excellent. You can give it a try and I suspect they will only help subscribers. Give it a try, anyway.

Skoda needs to seriously start treating ALL their customers well and with topmost comfort. Mental tension is the least of trouble any car should ever give.. Such a shame!

mayank123 · 21st May 2009, 21:07

hey all,
i have also been facing similar problem as gaurav is doing.the skoda technicians have not yet been able to identify the problem.the vehicle has already visited the workshop more than 7 times regarding the same problem. i have even met a couple of customers of skoda who all bought fabia 1.4mpi and they are all facing the same problem.

Mpower · 21st May 2009, 21:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by k_ajay

Call me a fool, if you will, for voluntarily purchasing an 1.4 MPI Skoda Elegance. I was aware of the rumoured problems on the car and also some fuel issue, but the car I got was the one that had the 'upgrade' done on the ECU before I purchased it. I say this with confidence since my car runs on regular octane fuel and it does not knock, jerk or stall and my brakes are fine and not hard either. All is okay..

Any idea what this software update actually does?
Hard to believe that they stop an engine because of lack of supply.

mayank123 · 22nd May 2009, 00:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by k_ajay

Doubtful, sir NC. I think it would be more to do with coolants or some problem in the engine. Like I mentioned in the meet that I use only normal octane rated pertol [regular BP fuel], I don't face the stalling problem[s]. Nipunkul also seems to have no issues.

!

hi ajay.
in the intial run of the car for 7000 kms i didnt have any problem of stalling and the car behaved just normal.i had used regular fuel for my car but suddenly one day the problem arises and has persisted from since then.
It occurs randomly and there is no such pattern it follows (eg.-overheating of car becuse of running the car for long distance.it can occur after drivig 100 mtrs from house.)
the funny thing is the first three times i took the car to the service station for the diagonisis , the problem failed to erupt in the considerable test run of 50 kms every time but luckily in the 4th time the engine stalled in front of them and they accepted the problem or they would have send back the car saying there is no fault as they had done the first three times.
anyways how many kms your car has run?
imo each fabia 1.4mpi will face the problem some time in its life cycle.
i am not scaring you but trying to warn you.
intially i thought my car has a certain defect and that may be the reason for stalling.But after meeting a couple of customers at the service station owning a fabia 1.4 mpi and facing the same problem which has not been rectified to date made me sure it is a manufacturing defect.And to add to that gaurav has been facing the same problem.I had also updated my car with the new software available from the skoda at their service station when released but that didnt help me much.

Suddenly i remember i had recieved few calls from a lady some 8 months back facing numerous problem with fabia 1.4mpi purchased from the same dealer and wanted to know how my car has been behaving.But that time the car didnt have any major problem so didnt pay much attentin to it.will try to dig out contacts of all fabia 1.4 mpi sold to customers by my dealer and find if they are facing numerous problem.

Invinsible · 22nd May 2009, 00:51

NETCHEF@ Great Pictures guys. Looks like you'll had ball of a time. Would be great to be part of this meet someday. I missed the picks of those beauties lined up in different shades. Next time make sure you'l do that first.

Whenever any of you'l plan to drop in here in Bbay do let me know, will definitely catch up.

Gaurav@ I feel sorry to hear about the issues you are facing. It's never to good on manufacturers part to ignore such problems. I wonder when is Skoda going to learn their lessons and behave good with business ethics.
I don't know if this may help or not. As with the arrogant nature of some of the dealer's have a good listen to costumer and his suggestions regarding the issues is something where they mainly lack. I have noticed onething, the engines brought here by skoda are all from VW-Audi group. All these are engines are shared by VW polo and lupo. 1.4Mpi engine has given trouble to many even in europe, if you google on "VW 1.4mpi engine stalling" you would know what I am talking about.

However it would be helpful if you can share minute details on your stalling problem. Does it happen when the engine is cold, after how many kms of drive do you face this, does it happen during cruising, or at low engine revs and gear. Do you face any sort of vibration or shudder during drives. Give us the details on under what situation have you faced this problem.

I mainly suspect it could happen due to some of the following reasons.
1. Low fuel supply, one of the injectors being blocked, or the fuel pump being choked.
One example I would give you on this is, about 2 years ago one of my cousins Honda city use to keep stalling, and one fine day it came to a dead stop. I somewhere knew it was due to the faulty fuel pump or injectors or fuel pump being choked. And after getting checked from the mechanic it was indeed the fuel pump being choked which was not supplying fuel at all to the engine. The ECU realises there is a problem and puts it in safe mode where the engine fails to start. Reason why it was stalling was as the fuel pump was getting choked, and as an when during the drive the ECU would sense drop in fuel supply at particular speed/rpm it would go in safe mode and shut the engine.

2. Could be coz of faulty ignition coil or coil wire, plug wire. Not enough spark due to fauly plug wire would make the engine vibrate a lot during idle and would shudder during the drive. Under worst condition the ECU would again shut it down. Same thing can happen with faulty ignition coil.

3. Gummy throttle or sticky throttle valve. In many cases in Europe this has been the common problem but after getting it cleaned it has solved their problem.

4. Loosing compression, this is the extreme problem. But I do not suspect this could be the problem in your case. In such case the engine would stall everytime you are in idle. I doubt this would be happening in your case.

5. Temp sensor, with faulty temperature sensor stalling problem or idling not smooth can happen during the cold start. with this the ECU doesn't read the desired temp as the engine warms up, and forces the ECU to get back in limp mode or safe mode and you would feel jerking, stalling as common problem.

6. Faulty ECU, at times this could happen due to faulty ECU electronics or software issues. Softwares issues are more related to fuel timing, ignition timing, spark timing, throttle positioning and other parameters in relation to the sensors. The solution to this is changing the ECU / software upgrade.
I had some issues with this in my Palio 1.6 back in 2002. And had a change of ECU then under warranty and never faced the problem.

Please elaborate exactly about your problem this would help us understand.
Best I would say load your car, get it here to Mumbai, and am sure I will be glad to solve your problem.

Regards.

netchef · 22nd May 2009, 11:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by k_ajay

Doubtful, sir NC. I think it would be more to do with coolants or some problem in the engine. Like I mentioned in the meet that I use only normal octane rated pertol [regular BP fuel], I don't face the stalling problem[s]. Nipunkul also seems to have no issues.

k_ajay: Right, Sir. You guys know better. Please advise these chaps who seem at sixes and sevens. Real pity.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mayank123

hey all,
i have also been facing similar problem

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mpower

Any idea what this software update actually does?
Hard to believe that they stop an engine because of lack of supply.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Invinsible

NETCHEF@ Great Pictures guys. Looks like you'll had ball of a time. Would be great to be part of this meet someday. I missed the picks of those beauties lined up in different shades. Next time make sure you'l do that first.

Invinsible: Thanks- yeah we had a blast. Missed you.

Gaurav/mayank123:
You guys have come to the right place. If there's anybody who has the knowhow on these cars, these engines, it's the gents here. Follow their advice is all I can tell you. It could save you more grief.

mayank123 · 22nd May 2009, 15:31

hi invisible,
the car doesnt have a pattern or circumstance in which it stalls. but one thing i have noticed is that every time it has stalled it was after driving 5 kms+.but a couple of times during the intial ignition the car failed to start but after 3-4 tries it did start and drove normal for 10 kms.sometimes it can run 1000kms+without a problem.

another thing noticed is that while running sometimes suddenly the car looses all power and the display shows that the car is switched off displaying the battery sign and others but due to the inertia it keeps rolling and press the accelator 3-4 times, change the gear couple of times and suddenly there is a click sound and a jerk and the car gets back to life and car gets all its power back.sometime i thought the car has stalled and i need to crank it again as the display shows it but suddenly it comes back to life as nothing had happened.
thanx for your help.

mayank123 · 22nd May 2009, 15:43

intially the service station peolpe blamed it on adulterated fuel quality that has blocked the fuel filter.The fuel filter was changed and the tank cleaned.but after 100kms of driving the problem occured and agian they balmed on fuel filter and stated it on poor quality of fuel that is clogging the filter.though this time had filled from a different pump.ther third time again when the problem ccured they gave the same excuse though this time it was a third different pump i had filled for.are they trying to say that all petrol pumps of delhi/gurgaon are incapable of providing clean fuel for their skoda's.
after showing all three fuel reciepts of different fuel stations they agreed that it is not the fuel filter that is causing problem.
again when the proble occured they balmed on the injectors and told me that the engine was misfiring. they cleaned the injectors and returned the car.there was a visit of skoda's engineers from aurangabad to the dealer workshop where they tried to find the fault, but as told by the workshop manager they were also unable to locate the fault.
the manager said if the problem occured agian they will change the fuel pump for which the order has been placed.They say that is the last remedy available with them and they had tried all other solutions for solving the problem.

Mpower · 22nd May 2009, 20:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by mayank123

the manager said if the problem occured agian they will change the fuel pump for which the order has been placed.They say that is the last remedy available with them and they had tried all other solutions for solving the problem.

Does it throw any code at all when you connect the VAG-COM diagnostic tool? if so what is the code?

Has a throttle body cleaning been tried. How about the ignition coil pack?

anilkalvani · 23rd May 2009, 10:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by mayank123

intially the service station peolpe blamed it on adulterated fuel quality that has blocked the fuel filter.

Whatever it is tell them its their prerogative, not yours. You buy a 8L car for peace of mind. Didn't they do extensive road testing in rugged Indian conditions for all engines before launching the car, every car manufacturer does that? Dont take it lying down, get to the bottom of it & be firm, persuasive. Also the dealers' lackadaisical attitudes don't help. I bought a i10 Automatic and am very very happy with the car but another owner Tejas is having issues with the dealer's approach. Nothing wrong with the car but the dealer. He is bringing it up with the top brass of Hyundai & thats what you should do too. 8 lacs is not a small amount to let go. Gosh i bought my car for 4.57L on-road and do expect the world from Hyundai & its dealer(s) for every rupee i have spent, you have to keep the same expectation too.

mayank123 · 23rd May 2009, 19:11

today itself when i started the car it started to vibrate rapidly. when i noticed the rpm level it did not become stable.usually at idling the rpm is stabe at 800rpm but today as the car started it tried to reach 800 and once reached it went agin down and agia came up and after 30-40 sec of fluctuation it stalled.i informed this to the service station but could not take the car.They said there is problem with fuel injectors and the whole of fuel pump will be replaced on tuesday.though on the last visit they had checked the injectors and cleanend it.
Please advice me if it is the correct remedy for the problem.
thanx
please advice me if this is the

Invinsible · 24th May 2009, 03:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by mayank123

today itself when i started the car it started to vibrate rapidly. when i noticed the rpm level it did not become stable.usually at idling the rpm is stabe at 800rpm but today as the car started it tried to reach 800 and once reached it went agin down and agia came up and after 30-40 sec of fluctuation it stalled.i informed this to the service station but could not take the car.They said there is problem with fuel injectors and the whole of fuel pump will be replaced on tuesday.though on the last visit they had checked the injectors and cleanend it.
Please advice me if it is the correct remedy for the problem.
thanx
please advice me if this is the

Definitely the temp sensor problem. Need a replacement for sure. After which you would need to reset the ECU.
Also, you have gummy throttle body. Need cleaning for sure.
Am sure this will help. Insist them to change the temp sensor and clean the throttle body.
This problem happens coz temp sensor failure. Many cars of VW/Skoda 1.4mpi have faced this problem and after replacing the sensor and cleaning the throttle body has solved the problem. I strongly suggest get this done.
The temp sensor which sends the feedback about the rising temp to the ECU and when ECU doesn't receive the desired parameters it stalls the engine.

netchef · 26th May 2009, 19:14

Plebe question for ye, gents: what is a double DIN head unit?

Gilead · 26th May 2009, 19:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by netchef

Plebe question for ye, gents: what is a double DIN head unit?

netchef, take a look at this. ISO 7736 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

netchef · 26th May 2009, 20:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gilead

netchef, take a look at this. ISO 7736 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Oh man, enlightened is not the word. Consider Nirvana!
Thanks, Gilead.

21st May 2009, 21:07	#1547
mayank123 BHPian Join Date: May 2009 Location: gurgaon Posts: 51 Thanked: 10 Times	hey all, i have also been facing similar problem as gaurav is doing.the skoda technicians have not yet been able to identify the problem.the vehicle has already visited the workshop more than 7 times regarding the same problem. i have even met a couple of customers of skoda who all bought fabia 1.4mpi and they are all facing the same problem.
	() Thanks

22nd May 2009, 00:51	#1550
Invinsible Senior - BHPian Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Bombay Posts: 1,257 Thanked: 62 Times	NETCHEF@ Great Pictures guys. Looks like you'll had ball of a time. Would be great to be part of this meet someday. I missed the picks of those beauties lined up in different shades. Next time make sure you'l do that first. Whenever any of you'l plan to drop in here in Bbay do let me know, will definitely catch up. Gaurav@ I feel sorry to hear about the issues you are facing. It's never to good on manufacturers part to ignore such problems. I wonder when is Skoda going to learn their lessons and behave good with business ethics. I don't know if this may help or not. As with the arrogant nature of some of the dealer's have a good listen to costumer and his suggestions regarding the issues is something where they mainly lack. I have noticed onething, the engines brought here by skoda are all from VW-Audi group. All these are engines are shared by VW polo and lupo. 1.4Mpi engine has given trouble to many even in europe, if you google on "VW 1.4mpi engine stalling" you would know what I am talking about. However it would be helpful if you can share minute details on your stalling problem. Does it happen when the engine is cold, after how many kms of drive do you face this, does it happen during cruising, or at low engine revs and gear. Do you face any sort of vibration or shudder during drives. Give us the details on under what situation have you faced this problem. I mainly suspect it could happen due to some of the following reasons. 1. Low fuel supply, one of the injectors being blocked, or the fuel pump being choked. One example I would give you on this is, about 2 years ago one of my cousins Honda city use to keep stalling, and one fine day it came to a dead stop. I somewhere knew it was due to the faulty fuel pump or injectors or fuel pump being choked. And after getting checked from the mechanic it was indeed the fuel pump being choked which was not supplying fuel at all to the engine. The ECU realises there is a problem and puts it in safe mode where the engine fails to start. Reason why it was stalling was as the fuel pump was getting choked, and as an when during the drive the ECU would sense drop in fuel supply at particular speed/rpm it would go in safe mode and shut the engine. 2. Could be coz of faulty ignition coil or coil wire, plug wire. Not enough spark due to fauly plug wire would make the engine vibrate a lot during idle and would shudder during the drive. Under worst condition the ECU would again shut it down. Same thing can happen with faulty ignition coil. 3. Gummy throttle or sticky throttle valve. In many cases in Europe this has been the common problem but after getting it cleaned it has solved their problem. 4. Loosing compression, this is the extreme problem. But I do not suspect this could be the problem in your case. In such case the engine would stall everytime you are in idle. I doubt this would be happening in your case. 5. Temp sensor, with faulty temperature sensor stalling problem or idling not smooth can happen during the cold start. with this the ECU doesn't read the desired temp as the engine warms up, and forces the ECU to get back in limp mode or safe mode and you would feel jerking, stalling as common problem. 6. Faulty ECU, at times this could happen due to faulty ECU electronics or software issues. Softwares issues are more related to fuel timing, ignition timing, spark timing, throttle positioning and other parameters in relation to the sensors. The solution to this is changing the ECU / software upgrade. I had some issues with this in my Palio 1.6 back in 2002. And had a change of ECU then under warranty and never faced the problem. Please elaborate exactly about your problem this would help us understand. Best I would say load your car, get it here to Mumbai, and am sure I will be glad to solve your problem. Regards. Last edited by Invinsible : 22nd May 2009 at 01:00.
	() Thanks

22nd May 2009, 15:31	#1552
mayank123 BHPian Join Date: May 2009 Location: gurgaon Posts: 51 Thanked: 10 Times	hi invisible, the car doesnt have a pattern or circumstance in which it stalls. but one thing i have noticed is that every time it has stalled it was after driving 5 kms+.but a couple of times during the intial ignition the car failed to start but after 3-4 tries it did start and drove normal for 10 kms.sometimes it can run 1000kms+without a problem. another thing noticed is that while running sometimes suddenly the car looses all power and the display shows that the car is switched off displaying the battery sign and others but due to the inertia it keeps rolling and press the accelator 3-4 times, change the gear couple of times and suddenly there is a click sound and a jerk and the car gets back to life and car gets all its power back.sometime i thought the car has stalled and i need to crank it again as the display shows it but suddenly it comes back to life as nothing had happened. thanx for your help.
	() Thanks

22nd May 2009, 15:43	#1553
mayank123 BHPian Join Date: May 2009 Location: gurgaon Posts: 51 Thanked: 10 Times	intially the service station peolpe blamed it on adulterated fuel quality that has blocked the fuel filter.The fuel filter was changed and the tank cleaned.but after 100kms of driving the problem occured and agian they balmed on fuel filter and stated it on poor quality of fuel that is clogging the filter.though this time had filled from a different pump.ther third time again when the problem ccured they gave the same excuse though this time it was a third different pump i had filled for.are they trying to say that all petrol pumps of delhi/gurgaon are incapable of providing clean fuel for their skoda's. after showing all three fuel reciepts of different fuel stations they agreed that it is not the fuel filter that is causing problem. again when the proble occured they balmed on the injectors and told me that the engine was misfiring. they cleaned the injectors and returned the car.there was a visit of skoda's engineers from aurangabad to the dealer workshop where they tried to find the fault, but as told by the workshop manager they were also unable to locate the fault. the manager said if the problem occured agian they will change the fuel pump for which the order has been placed.They say that is the last remedy available with them and they had tried all other solutions for solving the problem.
	() Thanks

23rd May 2009, 19:11	#1556
mayank123 BHPian Join Date: May 2009 Location: gurgaon Posts: 51 Thanked: 10 Times	today itself when i started the car it started to vibrate rapidly. when i noticed the rpm level it did not become stable.usually at idling the rpm is stabe at 800rpm but today as the car started it tried to reach 800 and once reached it went agin down and agia came up and after 30-40 sec of fluctuation it stalled.i informed this to the service station but could not take the car.They said there is problem with fuel injectors and the whole of fuel pump will be replaced on tuesday.though on the last visit they had checked the injectors and cleanend it. Please advice me if it is the correct remedy for the problem. thanx please advice me if this is the
	() Thanks

26th May 2009, 19:14	#1558
netchef BHPian Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 953 Thanked: 60 Times View My Garage	Ot Plebe question for ye, gents: what is a double DIN head unit?
	() Thanks