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Mikemba, Thanks For the update. Will take the advice. How many k have you run your fabia.
Sathya

Fingers crossed, its been a smooth sail of a little over 8000Kms in last one and a half years with my Fabia 1.4TDI Elegance.

To my surprise I received a call from Fahrenheit Service Centre for a Free Inspection although second service on completion of two years is due only in May'12.

The so called inspection was brief and apropos Job Card started at 11.25Hrs and finished at 11.40Hrs. It did not include any washing cleaning etc..

Any Guesses with fellow bhpians on this free inspection scheduled by SKODA. I suspect remapping of the ECM to higher version?

Car manufacturers are bleeding. They come with periodic marketing promo to ensure that they are very customer friendly. Especially Skoda since they are very unfriendly to the customers though they cater to the mass segment vehicles now. But I doubt they can change the impression keeping in mind their sad raport with the customers and the quality of the service and responsiveness to their customers.

I own a TDI Elegance 2008 myself. Great Car, but pathetic service @ Chennai.

They do this free inspection/checkup twice a year, once before monsoon and another before some festival. The advert. usually mentions a cleaning, but no such thing is done. They called me last year when my Fabia was still new. No calls after that. I get to know from their website.

Sorry Missed this. Have done only 32K so far.

Guys this inspection was called by SKODA for Fabias within Six Months of 15000Km/One Year First Service.

Requested Fahrenheit to divulge with inspection details.

Just back from a TD of the Fabia 1.2TDI elegance model. The car had 26k on the odo, here are my first impressions vis-a-vis other cars i drove.

1.NVH: Its a 3 cylinder engine, and as expected was a little noisy when compared to the Swift or the i20, but in my experience its on par with cars like the Punto (90HP and 76HP), Figo. A special mention of how revv-free the engine was! its almost like a few petrols i've driven, if only it was a 4 cylinder i'm sure it would've been class-leading in terms of NVH. As the car reached higher revs(read 3k plus) the engine noise filtered into the cabin and would be a bother if u don't have any music playing.

2.Turbo lag: In the car i drove, i felt the turbo kick-in at 2.2k rpm, till then its a bit of a bother especially if your stuck in the wrong gear. However once your in the turbo zone, the car is a totally different beast! You never feel like you need more power.

3. Power and drive: Didn't push the car much, so no idea how good the top-range is. Power felt more than adequate for the not-so crowded and very crowded city roads.

4.Gearbox: One word. Loved it! It was a delight to use. The gears slot in perfectly and the throws are short. Even if i were stuck in a bad traffic jam and i've to change the gear repeatedly this gearbox makes it so much more enjoyable than a few others.

5. Ride: Over potholes you only hear the suspension work, don't get tossed around like in some other cars. The huge craters make their presence felt though.I also didn't like the suspension noise filtering into the cabin.

All in all, its not as FTD as a Swift, nor is the engine as refined as the one on the i20, but if your looking for a good all-rounder, your search is incomplete without the Fabia. Don't go by what the others say on 3-pots, drive one for yourself and see if you like it or otherwise.

EDIT: The fabia doesn't have seat-belt with pretensioners or load limiters. How much of an advantage is it to have this over regular seatbelts ?

I am planning to buy a Fabia. I'm getting a fantastic offer from the dealer on any model I choose. I drove the 1.2 Petrol as that was the only TD car they had. The engine was not bad but a little noisy. I would prefer the diesel but if going for the petrol my preference would be the 1.6 as I read in this forum that the milege of the 1.2 & 1.6 petrol is not much. The dealer is also saying that there is no problem if I fit the stereo outside and if the model I choose is with the stereo, I can fit rear speakers and warranty will be intact. Also I am free to upgrade the tyres to any size I wish as long as the overall diameter of the tyre does not change. However he advised me not to go beyond 16" on the wheels. If I buy the Laura or Superb alloys, they are willing to buy back the original alloys (if I buy the Elegance that is). However he suggested that I would be better off buying alloys outside. again no issue with warranty. He said that if I want I can take insurance outside and he will give me a cash discount. Skoda Shield can also be taken even if I opt for insurance from outside. Of course registration, I will do myself. No piont paying them to bring the papers to my office and get the car registered.
The car will be used around 30-40 Km per day. Which version should I go for?

The Fabia1.6 is available only elegence version which includes alloys. In terms of diesel/petrol, its depends on the amount you drive in a month and if you already have a diesel car in your garage.

I have a 1.6 , and have been getting a mileage between 10.5 - 11 in the city. Highways gives about 15-16.

Hope it helps.

edit: Sorry just saw that you plan to drive 30 - 40 km a day. My daily drive is about 50 km as a frame of reference for you.

That's what I was told but I saw the 15" alloys and found the car looking a bit funny. I feel that 16" will suit the car much better

I drive a lot but use the official car/jeep most of the time on the job. I use my Alto to travel from home to office and back. We have 2 petrol cars. My wife has an i10 Era. The plan is to get rid of the Alto as it is already 6 years old. The plan is to use the Fabia and the i10 alternately. If I go for diesel, the one doing the larger amount of driving on a particular day would take the diesel.


So based on your experience, what would you suggest? My office is around 35 km from home. My wife works 20 km from home but frequently has to drive for outdoor work with her own car. In case I have outdoor work, I don't have to use my own car.

Personally, I went for the 1.6 as it was the most enjoyble car to drive as compared to the 1.2/diesel. Be aware that the FE will be lower as compared to other hatches. Personally, the car is a pleasure to drive, and even the horrible peak hour traffic in Mumbai does not tire me out now.The diesel was not considered, as my driving did not warrant paying extra for a diesel car.
If diesel is a serious consideration, and the budget can be stretched, have you considered the Rapid?

Whatever your decision, all the best and look forward to a nice ownership report.

I have similar usage pattern and decided to go with the diesel. The 1.6 surely is FAR more fun to drive when compared to the 3cyl 1.2's, so if you have to pick a car purely to enjoy driving it around the 1.6 wins hands down!

If your the kind for whom frequent petrol price hikes is a bother, only then i'd say pick the diesel. The diesel will translate to lower running costs and may be a better resale, however its no match to the 1.6 when it comes to FTD factor.

That's a very decent dealer you got there. When I bought my 1.6 I was never offered such liberty.

If you found 15" tires funny, imagine I got 14" last year:eek:. Go for 16" if they permit. That would suit the wheel arches. I have seen 16" tired Fabia in EU.

Whatever you buy go for a nice long TD before the final TD.

Yes. i am awaiting the test drive vehicles for the Fabia 1.6 Petrol, 1.2 Diesel and Rapid Diesel. I will also be checking out the polo and Vento.

I think that Diesel will be a sensible option too.

So far he seems to be good. Let us wait and watch.

Hi friends,

I am hooked on to Fabia (for the European looks and German engineering). My only concern is the fuel economy.

I only be driving 20 km a day in city and with weekend + other trips a total running of 10,000 Km a year.

With this short of running is diesel a good option, i think not. So am thinking on 1.2 Petrol.

I an only worried about the fuel efficiency, A$$, the niggling issues if any and any other hidden surprises.

Can any members who own a 1.2 petrol give their views on the same. 1.6 petrol is out of question cause of price.