[gadiyar]

Originally Posted by Karandeep81

netchef what is that switch for in front of the gear lever? rear windows ?

If I remember correctly, that is for central locking.

Netchef, please confirm this. Also, could you tell me if the doors get automatically unlocked when you switch off the engine? I hope not. This happens in the Santro that I drive (and many other cars) and I thoroughly hate it when that happens - usually at a traffic signal.

[joslicx]

saw a white fabia in noida today outside my apartment. have to admit it looked quite good and well proportioned (compared to swift)...
is the petrol version in market already?

[patil]

any comments regarding the engine noise in fabia diesel. i started the engine inside the showroom and it was very noisy and sounded like a tractor engine. no offence meant to anyone but it was surely a turndown for me. rest of the vehicle is too good but for the engine.

[vittalnrv]

The Fabia's top end is nothing compared to Swift diesel , on my way from Chennai to Bangalore had bumper to bumper overtaking situations against a hot headed Fabia racer, he was left for dead, gave him advantage of handy overtaking flaps and still could catch him without a sweat.

I was driving a Innova 2.5 D-4D !!

[netchef]

Originally Posted by gadiyar

If I remember correctly, that is for central locking.

Netchef, please confirm this. Also, could you tell me if the doors get automatically unlocked when you switch off the engine? I hope not. This happens in the Santro that I drive (and many other cars) and I thoroughly hate it when that happens - usually at a traffic signal.

Gadiyar: Shall check with the Skoda people soon and let the forum know. If it's any help, I recall their saying the doors would lock automatically after xx minutes of having the engine run/driving.

Originally Posted by joslicx

saw a white fabia in noida today outside my apartment. have to admit it looked quite good and well proportioned (compared to swift)...
is the petrol version in market already?

Yes, petrol is out Joslicx.

Originally Posted by patil

any comments regarding the engine noise in fabia diesel. i started the engine inside the showroom and it was very noisy and sounded like a tractor engine. no offence meant to anyone but it was surely a turndown for me. rest of the vehicle is too good but for the engine.

Monsieur Patil: Firstly, no offence taken. This is an academic discussion and all views are welcome and, where possible, thrashed out.
All I can say is it is NOT as clattery and noisy and knocking as the Hyundai Accent Viva CRDI which is also a triple, so it's not as though we're comparing apples and oranges.

But I'm sure there will be variance between cars of the same stable (Fabia to Fabia for eg.) from sliding either way within manufacturing tolerances.

Originally Posted by vittalnrv

The Fabia's top end is nothing compared to Swift diesel , on my way from Chennai to Bangalore had bumper to bumper overtaking situations against a hot headed Fabia racer, he was left for dead, gave him advantage of handy overtaking flaps and still could catch him without a sweat.

I was driving a Innova 2.5 D-4D !!

VittalNRV: I believe you. I think the Swift's advantage lies in its power/weight ratio coupled with the fact that it has an ultra-chic diesel powerplant. I haven't driven one at length- the only experience being in a test car, but I surmise that.
Speaking of Innovas- they bloody fly!!. I've done a couple of runs to Chennai on my Blade, and the ONLY cars holding consistently high speeds were the Innovas. Truly impressive for her sheer bulk, and speaks volumes for her engine.

ps. does anyone know if the Fabia has one reversing light or two??

[netchef]

My mistake: the screen on the music system is not black and white as I'd commented earlier, but a baclkit 'green' LCD. However, it's still vapid.

The next topic brings on one regarding the tail light cluster functionality: I did clarify with the dealer that the Fabia proffers a single/mono/spinster/solo/lonely/widowed/Cyclops reverse light. They say it's the most common query from Fabia owners who despair that the pair to it has fused. Pity really, but something to do with Euro-vision.

Can anyone add more info about the MAD and WILD 260BHP Fabia? I'd love to conject what psychotropic substances that engineer was on when he (or she) came up with this beauty. The thingy I'd call hybrid connundrum has always fascinated me. When I had my Cielo, I dreamt and planned of plugging in a diesel powerplant. More recent was the idea lifted off someone of adding Zing to a Zen by changing her engine- the chap I met who'd done one used an Esteem engine, so I toyed with the idea of shoe-horning a Honda VTEC in. Never got around to doing it...wonder what makes guys like me want to toy with something that's a working formula? Most chaps say 'just get a more powerful drive', yet there's something exciting about the mating of two things not designed to waltz together.

Take for example the brilliant engineer somewhere on the forum who made a V-twin Shogun (or Samurai). That surely was the engineering challenge, for if he simply wanted the power of a 300cc, he could have walked out and got himself one off-the-shelf.

[netchef]

It completely slipped from the active processes in the beleaguered grey cells, though the chaps at TAFE had warned me to do so while flagging me off the premises- I'm sorry to say I forgot. Plain and simple.

For some strange reason or faulty machinery, the tyres are (or are expected to be) over-inflated when the cars leave the dealership, and considering they know the fact so well that it's almost part of owner-debrief when handing over the chariot, I have certain suspicions. Finally it was my dad who had them checked yesterday to find them inflated to an astonishing 45 PSI. And, before anyone asks, I did find she had a tendency to rattle and roll over poorly shod roads, but I didn't analyze the cause, merely putting it down to a characteristic of the car- a Czech elan.

So guys, check your tyre pressures when buying from TAFE (for sure) and, if this is happening at the factory, check after buying from ANY dealer.

Now I can expect fuel consumption to rise, and acceleration to drop a tad, but the ride is noticeably more pliant and soft in the 20-odd kms I've run her since the re-gas.

Has anyone noticed that sitting behind the wheel of a new car is under a huge strain? Happens to me, and is only just beginning to wear off. I'm talking paranoia, nothing less. I've been driving for over 30 years. Mercs to tractors, I've chaperoned all safely and with varying excitement, but this blody new thingy is scaring the wits out of me: is that curb too close, will that auto scrape my flank, hit the brakes- the guy in front might slow down suddenly. Hell on wheels for fear of putting a scar to mar her beauty and doing any kind of random harm. Am I rough on the clutch? Was that braking too sharp? Did I rev the engine there?

Ozzy Osbourne's Paranoid- OST for my drive?

[sassid]

Hi,

We have the Fabia diesel in elegance trim. The car was added to an existing garage of a diesel Verna, a Honda Civic auto & an Optra Magnum On a 'love at first sight basis'.

The car - elegance trim -was delivered a month back and over this period has been relegated to fourth favourite in my dad's listings.

This is primarily owing to the performance - or lack of it - compared to the other three cars. To be fair the performance suffers more in relative terms rather than absolute. Compared to my more humble Swift Diesel, the Fabia is slower - but the interiors and the sheer feeling of luxury is hard to overlook.

Any idea if the good people at Pete's are looking at getting a box out for the Fabia. This will be a good gift and will ressucitate interest in what is all said and done a great little big car.

[netchef]

Originally Posted by sassid

Hi,

We have the Fabia diesel in elegance trim. The car was added to an existing garage of a diesel Verna, a Honda Civic auto & an Optra Magnum On a 'love at first sight basis'.

The car - elegance trim -was delivered a month back and over this period has been relegated to fourth favourite in my dad's listings.

This is primarily owing to the performance - or lack of it - compared to the other three cars. To be fair the performance suffers more in relative terms rather than absolute. Compared to my more humble Swift Diesel, the Fabia is slower - but the interiors and the sheer feeling of luxury is hard to overlook.

Any idea if the good people at Pete's are looking at getting a box out for the Fabia. This will be a good gift and will ressucitate interest in what is all said and done a great little big car.

Sassid: Hello, mate. I'm not surprised in the least if the Fabia fell from grace & good books considering what she was up against ...NOT fair, Sir , to pit the poor thing against the likes of the Verna or the Optra (if she's diesel), or the Swift for that matter. The first two, in my humble opinion, are built to a different mandate, while the Swift overshadows simply due to her power/weight ratio.

My buddy drives the Verna diesel and I'm blown away by the sheer power; I've not ridden in the Optra diesel but I've an instinct she will dazzle: BUT they are in a different bracket.

Anyway, darned good idea if Pete's will pump some steroids into the Fabia though I can't say for sure I will be standing in line for a chip as the primary users of our Fabia are my parents- and extra pizzazz is hardly what they seek or require.

However, please keep me posted if you hear of any developments in this regard.

Take care,
RG

[CBlazer]

I got information from TAFE that the 1.2 variant will be available later this week in Bangalore. Has anyone got a chance to TD any of the Fabia Petrols?

[rajneeesh]

Nopes, the 1.2 litre base petrol will cost approx 5.4- 5.5 lakhs. Dzire ZXi goes for around 5.9 lakhs . Skoda seems to be taking the premium positioning a bit too far. If this is the price of Skoda models, what will be the pricing for similar VW and Audi models. Surely, VW cars cannot be cheaper then Skoda.

[diffsoft]

Originally Posted by rajneeesh

Skoda seems to be taking the premium positioning a bit too far.

My guess is Skoda can't help it - on the one hand, they import from Czech knocked down and just assemble here. And the Euro currency has appreciated vs the Rupee, so costs have actually gone up for them. On the other hand, they do not have enough volumes to develop local suppliers - so it's a double whammy. Whatever excise relief they had was withdrawn and the earlier CEO left in a huff.

They have been persistent though and trying to use their assets (and bring down costs) by sharing part of their assembly line with big brother Volkswagen.

The good news is that Fabia will now also be made form the VW plant in Pune with local content - so eventually prices may come down

Sorry for the long mail, but when I wondered why Skoda's pricing is so high this is the explanation I could come up with.

Cheers,

[iraghava]

Originally Posted by diffsoft

My guess is Skoda can't help it - on the one hand, they import from Czech knocked down and just assemble here. And the Euro currency has appreciated vs the Rupee, so costs have actually gone up for them. On the other hand, they do not have enough volumes to develop local suppliers - so it's a double whammy. Whatever excise relief they had was withdrawn and the earlier CEO left in a huff.

Sirji, it's a Chicken & Egg situation at play. As long as they continue to have high prices (Cars & Maintenance) they can't have high volumes & when they want high volumes they can't have high prices etc. etc.....

So the question is who bends first? The manufacturer or the buying public? My guess is the manufacturer since he's the one who has to make the efforts to sell his cars in today's market especially since the customer has so many choices available.

[sbelekar]

Hey netchef,

Congrats for your car and hats-off to your penmanship. Also the screen name that you have opted for makes me think that you must be blogging on other forums as well. Please share the links, if you do.
A question for forum here is, I have heard people saying that Fabia's engine noise will reduce drastically after 5K on the clock. How true is that? What is technical explanation for that reduction in noise?

[diffsoft]

Originally Posted by iraghava

Sirji, it's a Chicken & Egg situation at play. As long as they continue to have high prices (Cars & Maintenance) they can't have high volumes & when they want high volumes they can't have high prices etc. etc.....

So the question is who bends first? The manufacturer or the buying public? My guess is the manufacturer since he's the one who has to make the efforts to sell his cars in today's market especially since the customer has so many choices available.

Your assessment is absolutely right - I / the MNC I worked for faced a similar situation. After about 10 years, they brought down prices (taking a loss at even an operating level) and then volumes zoomed - they brought back prices to reasonable levels successfully. Out here, economies of scale work even better so like you say it's even more important. Hyundai had a smart strategy of getting volumes with Santro leading them to set up a distribution network easily sometimes and get scale.

I wonder if Skoda can do that because that would mean VW will be smaller than Skoda - and would VW like it? Maybe not. If I were VW I would ask Skoda to aggressively localise and get Fabia sales to atleast City levels via better pricing.

Sorry if this is getting really offtopic, but love to talk on and on about this!!

Cheers,