[nipunkul]

Hi all, I have been having a small issue with my car. When I use AUX in for the music system, all the door speakers are not coming on. I havent tested this with a CD yet, but is it normal? Have others experienced similar stuff?

[netchef]

Originally Posted by amit_mind

I have posted few pix of my car at the following location. These are not taken in very good light conditions, perhaps will soon get some under the sunlight (being optimistic in the monsoon season )

Picasa Web Albums - Amit - car pix

amit_mind:
Thanks, Amit_Mind. They are super pics, not at all compromised by the light conditions. The side on one makes her look like a limo.

Thanks. Why not upload them directly to your post?

Originally Posted by rakesh_raja

Hi Amit...ur Fab looks absolutely coool...sheer elegance draped in white!!


I have the mats which came as standard equipment with the Fabia...and these do not obstruct the air flow in any way...but dunno whats gonna happen when I get the new rubber mats (freebie courtesy, the dealer) fitted sometime this week...will have to watch out...
Here comes more pics...albeit, this time only my Fab is in focus...with no landscape attachments Have removed my mats to get the rear AC vents clearly...I had taken these before you discovered your version had them too!!!

cheers:

rakesh_raja:
Thanks, Sir. Gorgeous as usual. Good to see the cream dash. Great to see the sky (thru the roof).

Originally Posted by nipunkul

Hi all, I have been having a small issue with my car. When I use AUX in for the music system, all the door speakers are not coming on. I havent tested this with a CD yet, but is it normal? Have others experienced similar stuff?

nipunkul:
Sorry. I can't help. You'll be needing the expertise of someone in the know about ICE systems. If I should get any info, I'll pass it on. Good luck.

[amit_mind]

Thanks Rakesh... I was in double mind , whether to go for a white or black. certainly nothing can beat the black (magic).

Originally Posted by rakesh_raja

Hi Amit...ur Fab looks absolutely coool...sheer elegance draped in white!!


I have the mats which came as standard equipment with the Fabia...and these do not obstruct the air flow in any way...but dunno whats gonna happen when I get the new rubber mats (freebie courtesy, the dealer) fitted sometime this week...will have to watch out...
Here comes more pics...albeit, this time only my Fab is in focus...with no landscape attachments Have removed my mats to get the rear AC vents clearly...I had taken these before you discovered your version had them too!!!

cheers:

Originally Posted by rakesh_raja

Hi Amit...ur Fab looks absolutely coool...sheer elegance draped in white!!



I have the mats which came as standard equipment with the Fabia...and these do not obstruct the air flow in any way...but dunno whats gonna happen when I get the new rubber mats (freebie courtesy, the dealer) fitted sometime this week...will have to watch out...
Here comes more pics...albeit, this time only my Fab is in focus...with no landscape attachments Have removed my mats to get the rear AC vents clearly...I had taken these before you discovered your version had them too!!!

cheers:

Thanks netchef (it would be great if you tell us your name) - I was facing some size issue while pasting the pix in the forum. Is there any alternate ?

Originally Posted by netchef

amit_mind:
Thanks, Amit_Mind. They are super pics, not at all compromised by the light conditions. The side on one makes her look like a limo.

Thanks. Why not upload them directly to your post?



rakesh_raja:
Thanks, Sir. Gorgeous as usual. Good to see the cream dash. Great to see the sky (thru the roof).



nipunkul:
Sorry. I can't help. You'll be needing the expertise of someone in the know about ICE systems. If I should get any info, I'll pass it on. Good luck.

[nk1969]

Originally Posted by nipunkul

Hi all, I have been having a small issue with my car. When I use AUX in for the music system, all the door speakers are not coming on. I havent tested this with a CD yet, but is it normal? Have others experienced similar stuff?

Hi nipunkul, I use my ipod everyday in my car. in the menu there's a setting where you can test the left and right volume levels to make sure they are both the same (depending on the recording of course). i had to replace the aux cable i bought at first because it ended up playing only on one side. so more than likely its your cable - like you said try a cd to make sure the wiring is ok before you proceed.

I leave the aux cable in the car all the time so the wear and tear in the headphone socket is less.

hth
~nk

Originally Posted by netchef

nk1969:

Sir, lovely report. Keep them coming, and pictures to add those thousand words, please.

You're right about that fourth cylinder. It's psychological for me, but 3 is a very odd number. Good for a tango. OK for a Jota. Passable for a clover. But anathema on a Czech/German car. Sigh.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed they'll release a 1.9 diesel soon (and chiefly that I'll have the money for one!).

I bet you're the first -and will be for a very long time- to move to a Fabia from a Scorpio: Big category hop, and must have been a leap of faith initially?

take care,
RG

netchef - It indeed was a leap of faith! people keep telling me that you only move from big car to bigger and not the other way round. anyway i had some initial adjustment period not being able to see the road 3-4 cars in front of me and not having all that monster torque at my disposal. but now i am used to the car. i have to say that the long drive and opening her up on the highway did wonders for me.

just read the test drive of the jetta in autocar mag. she also sports the same 1.9l engine from the laura.. should be interesting. Upgrade anyone??

BTW i will post some pics soon. i have only a couple of snaps taken at the dealer's on the day i picked her up. its the same satin gray as the one you got for your folks.

Ciao
~nk

[nipunkul]

thanks for your input... i tried a cd so i guess its a volume balance issue. would look up the menu and come back

[rakesh_raja]

Originally Posted by amit_mind

I was facing some size issue while pasting the pix in the forum. Is there any alternate ?

Hi Amit..I too faced the same issue earlier...it has to do with size restrictions (as mentioned in the bottom of the upload page). Typically, try and restict ur pic size to under 100kb - this can be a thumb rule for uploading pics anywhere on the web or mail attachments. And downsizing of pics without losing any of the precious pixels can be achieved via the zillion applications available - but, like me, you could also rely on Microsoft to give you Microsoft Office Picture Manager to give you out-of-the-box options for this....hope this helps and apologies, if I sounded a bit in the preach-mode...must be the weather today

cheers:

[netchef]

Originally Posted by amit_mind

Thanks netchef (it would be great if you tell us your name) - I was facing some size issue while pasting the pix in the forum. Is there any alternate ?

amit_mind:
No secret, Sir. It's Rajeev. And not CRDI or TSCC or ExUP, but Gonsalves. Many on the forum know and call me by name- even mentioned in posts on this thread. BTW I'm probably the most senior member from Bangalore (if not 'round the network).

Originally Posted by nk1969

I leave the aux cable in the car all the time so the wear and tear in the headphone socket is less.

Good idea.

netchef - It indeed was a leap of faith! people keep telling me that you only move from big car to bigger and not the other way round. anyway i had some initial adjustment period not being able to see the road 3-4 cars in front of me and not having all that monster torque at my disposal. but now i am used to the car. i have to say that the long drive and opening her up on the highway did wonders for me.

just read the test drive of the jetta in autocar mag. she also sports the same 1.9l engine from the laura.. should be interesting. Upgrade anyone??

BTW i will post some pics soon. i have only a couple of snaps taken at the dealer's on the day i picked her up. its the same satin gray as the one you got for your folks.

Ciao
~nk

nk1969: Sir, the Jetta does sound impressive. Any idea of proposed price point she'll be introduced at?

Pics are always welcome. Abstract. Impressionist. Surrealist. Trappist. whatever. :-)

Originally Posted by rakesh_raja

Hi Amit..I too faced the same issue earlier...it has to do with size restrictions (as mentioned in the bottom of the upload page). Typically, try and restict ur pic size to under 100kb ...
cheers:

rakesh_raja: Sir, nice of you to share know-how. many-like myself- are inept at things.

Hope your God's Own Country Fabia negatives are drying in the dark room.

[Dharma]

Hi Folks,

Just joined the team-bhp forum - Had to pour out my Fabia story here, please bear with the long post !! Actually I have been an avid reader of this forum for a long time - Team-Bhp helped me upgrade from an Alto to a Fiat Petra 1.6 EL in 2004 and what a fantastic buy it was indeed! With Fiat service getting worse in Hyderabad, I am on the lookout to buy a more fuel efficient, safe and modern car. Ever since I have seen the Fabia, I have taken a strong liking to it. Even my wife, who disapproves of cars which don't have a boot, has taken a liking to its top-notch interiors. (I also pointed out to her the 300 liter boot that the Fabia came with )


Having test driven a number of cars in the 6-8 lac range I ended up disqualifying them for various reasons. we can talk about it some other time....It turned out finally into a toss up between the petrol or diesel Fabia. Last week Mahavir motors at Hyderabad invited me over for a test drive, the first shocker from them was that the 1.4 MPI 16v is no longer available, I am still not sure if that is true, can some one confirm? The salesman told me something about the 1.4 MPI needing higher octane petrol which is not available here. Not sure if Skoda India detuned this engine to suit Indian fuel standards.


I drove the 1.2 HTP which is surprisingly adequately equipped for city driving. It looks small and cute on the outside, but it is only when you reverse this car that you start noticing it is much longer than the other popular hatches . The 1.2 engine seemed rev happy and nice to drive, but keeping the small 70 bhp engine in mind I could feel that it is going to run out of breath when you need to cruise at higher speeds on the highway and during overtaking. All in all, looks like the 1.2 is going to find a niche audience.

The 1.4 TDI was the one I drove next, doing the math with the heavy weight and 68 bhp I was actually expecting the engine to be sluggish. As soon as I started the engine I could hear the diesel clatter inside the cabin, the noise is quite loud initially, and takes a while to get used to and almost drowned down after I started driving. Once started the car starts moving gently at the lower RPMs (~2000 rpm) once you cross that mark there is a surprising amount of torque and power available and it pulls really well and fast! I had experienced a similar feeling with the Hyundai Verna which I had driven a while back, but I felt the turbo lag was more noticeable in the Verna than here.


After the test drive I parked the test drive car and tried noticing how loud the engine was , it was noisy but then I just noticed a diesel Laura that pulled by – it’s engine was equally if not more noisy – looks like a family trait !.


In conclusion, apart from the noise of the diesel clatter, it’s a great car. I like the elegant trim with all the goodies -almost makes you feel like you are in a D-segment car. In my opinion, no other car on the lower side of ten lakhs is built so well - actually I wish Honda had built the City like this one and priced it competently. I even tried reasoning that this is an expensive car, but I really can’t find a similar spec. car with these features.

Looks like it will be the Tangerine orange diesel Fabia then. Have to try haggling with the dealer who as of now is not willing to give even a rupee of discount. It would be really helpful to get some advice on that matter from those of you have gone through the Fabia ownership experience.

Regards,
Dharma

[ssm]

I hope the news of discontinuing 1,4 MPi is false. I just booked one yesterday. If the vehicle is discontinued, it will be hard finding its spares and after sales service will be terrible. Please can someone with contacts in Skoda confirm the news. I'll cancel the order then.

[netchef]

Originally Posted by Dharma

Hi Folks,

Dharma:
Just joined the team-bhp forum -

Welcome, Sir. Glad to have you on board.


After the test drive I parked the test drive car and tried noticing how loud the engine was , it was noisy but then I just noticed a diesel Laura that pulled by – it’s engine was equally if not more noisy – looks like a family trait !.

In conclusion, apart from the noise of the diesel clatter, it’s a great car. I like the elegant trim with all the goodies -almost makes you feel like you are in a D-segment car. In my opinion, no other car on the lower side of ten lakhs is built so well - actually I wish Honda had built the City like this one and priced it competently. I even tried reasoning that this is an expensive car, but I really can’t find a similar spec. car with these features.

Looks like it will be the Tangerine orange diesel Fabia then. Have to try haggling with the dealer who as of now is not willing to give even a rupee of discount. It would be really helpful to get some advice on that matter from those of you have gone through the Fabia ownership experience.

Regards,
Dharma

Not one farthing, is the reaction I got. But the market might have changed their minds about freebies. (I got a set of woollen mats.)

Turbo lag: I haven't experienced any at all in the Fabia but since I haven't driven the Verna, can't give you a comparison.

The noisy engine is a family thing. A friend owns a Verna diesel and there are times when you can't tell it's an oil burner- it actually is as quiet as a petrol.

I agree the Fabia is well built and solid. She's stable at speed too. It might be a good idea to check the tyres when you take delivery as well as someone on our thread found a defect in one and had to get it replaced. Other than that, I've not heard of any problems.
Drive safe. And good luck with your wheels.

Originally Posted by ssm

I hope the news of discontinuing 1,4 MPi is false. I just booked one yesterday. If the vehicle is discontinued, it will be hard finding its spares and after sales service will be terrible. Please can someone with contacts in Skoda confirm the news. I'll cancel the order then.

SSM:
What a pity if you need to cancel. I'll try to get some info from the Bangalore dealer- TAFE.

Good luck.

[rakesh_raja]

Originally Posted by Dharma

Looks like it will be the Tangerine orange diesel Fabia then. Have to try haggling with the dealer who as of now is not willing to give even a rupee of discount. It would be really helpful to get some advice on that matter from those of you have gone through the Fabia ownership experience.
Regards,
Dharma

Welcome Dharma..to this wonderful journey called 'Fabia'!! cheers: and hopefully, you will be getting one of your own soon...
Regarding Freebies, I got a full tank and some discount on the insurance (which I guess is pretty standard everywhere).
Since, my vehicle delivery was delayed by about 10 days from the schedule, I was able to squeeze in mud flaps and an extra set of floor mats...must be worth about 6-7K in all, i guess....
But the mantra here is haggle, haggle and haggle even more...helps if ur city has multiple dealers...I am stuck with a monoply here..where u dont stand a chance in negotiations...All the Best...and be ready with those first set of pics when u drive her out.....

cheers:

[Dharma]

I called up the Skoda finance person again today to find out if the story about the 1.4 MPI being phased out was true , he told me that it was available but will take some time to get delivered and no test drive. I suspect its a case of over zealous sales folks pushing the readily available merchandise to the customers. bad gimmick really and in bad taste ! The 1.4 MPI was my first choice but I can't risk buying it without taking a test drive.

This has also shook my confidence in Mahavir motors who is the sole skoda dealer in Hyderabad. Can any one tell me about A.S.S experience with this dealer ?

On a side note, June-08 month's overdrive magazine has a free dvd with some of the programs of the Auto shows they show on CNBC. Interestingly , they have featured test drives of both the fabia 1.4 petrol and diesel. i could not digest the fact that the 1.4 petrol took 17 secs to the 100 km mark while its heavier and lower powered diesel sibling took just 14.3 seconds which is just a fraction more than the swift diesel's 13 odd seconds to the 100 mark. Any idea why the higher powered petrol is lacking in performance ?

[netchef]

Originally Posted by Dharma

I called up the Skoda finance person again today to find out if the story about the 1.4 MPI being phased out was true , he told me that it was available but will take some time to get delivered and no test drive. I suspect its a case of over zealous sales folks pushing the readily available merchandise to the customers. bad gimmick really and in bad taste ! The 1.4 MPI was my first choice but I can't risk buying it without taking a test drive.

This has also shook my confidence in Mahavir motors who is the sole skoda dealer in Hyderabad. Can any one tell me about A.S.S experience with this dealer ?

On a side note, June-08 month's overdrive magazine has a free dvd with some of the programs of the Auto shows they show on CNBC. Interestingly , they have featured test drives of both the fabia 1.4 petrol and diesel. i could not digest the fact that the 1.4 petrol took 17 secs to the 100 km mark while its heavier and lower powered diesel sibling took just 14.3 seconds which is just a fraction more than the swift diesel's 13 odd seconds to the 100 mark. Any idea why the higher powered petrol is lacking in performance ?

Dharma:
Sir, firstly, thanks for your initial article, above. It's well written and just the sort of length and depth the Fabia thread can do with. Excellent. Keep them flowing.

Interesting bit of info about the difference in oomph between the Fabia petrol and diesel. Certainly doesn't seem so obvious from the figures.

BTW, I bought my diesel without a test drive. My Cielo as well- used, 8 years ago. Trusting sort? Or plain foolish?

[CBlazer]

Originally Posted by Dharma

I called up the Skoda finance person again today to find out if the story about the 1.4 MPI being phased out was true , he told me that it was available but will take some time to get delivered and no test drive. I suspect its a case of over zealous sales folks pushing the readily available merchandise to the customers. bad gimmick really and in bad taste ! The 1.4 MPI was my first choice but I can't risk buying it without taking a test drive.

Same thing in Bangalore. You can't get a TD for a 1.4 MPI.

About the model being discontinued - I spoke to the dealer this morning. He says that there is no such news. In fact, he says that the owners have provided a very positive feedback. The reported mileage is 12kpl.

[ssm]

Originally Posted by CBlazer

Same thing in Bangalore. You can't get a TD for a 1.4 MPI.

About the model being discontinued - I spoke to the dealer this morning. He says that there is no such news. In fact, he says that the owners have provided a very positive feedback. The reported mileage is 12kpl.

Great to hear that it is not discontinued. I may get delivery by next week. Taking the Brilliant Silver color. Lets hope it delivers 12kpl.