THE FABIA CLUB

arjun · Newbie Joined: 27 Feb 2010 Posts: 3 Location: Bangalore

Hi,
Iam Arjun. I work as a software engineer in Bangalore.I have a Fabia Diesel which is 21 months old. I have done near to 20000km.We drive it in Coimbatore and I rarely take it to Bangalore. I have a few problems with the car.

1) The front right side suspension gives a clanking noise when driven over big potholes. I doubt if the suspension bearing would be the problem. I also hear a shuddering noise when releasing the clutch(while moving from rest) while taking a turn at full lock to the left or right (like a u-turn). Last month when I had done the second service I told the guys in Vinayak cars to check it. But the Service advisor told me that it comes from the engine mount and it would come even in a new car. Do any of you have experienced this problem?

2)There is a creaky noise from the rear right side suspension sometimes when going over bad roads. I guess the suspension mounting bush would have worn out. During the second service I asked them to check out. Later they said everything is fine and don't know what that noise was.

3) The AC blower noise. I had fixed it once in September and now it has started again. Does it require the blower to be replaced or just the bolts need to be tightened? Last time they said that they had tightened the bolts.

4)From the last few weeks I have been getting a slight shimmy from the steering wheel. I don't know whether it could be an alignment problem(the alignment and balancing was done only in Jan during the 2nd service). Or could it be any other problem related to the steering system?

Please share your thoughts on this.

admin

arjun · Newbie Joined: 27 Feb 2010 Posts: 3 Location: Bangalore

admin · Posted: Wed Mar 03, 2010 10:20 am Post subject:

Here are my suggestions:

A/C Blower: Get it replaced if the noise is too much. Insist that Skoda has given directives, and the same has been replaced in many cars. Although it is just a rattle, replacement will require 2 days.

About the shock leak: This is something that I got to know last Sunday while chatiing with Netchef. Unfortunately his warranty had just expired. Getting this replaced will be tricky since we don't know the exact problem area. I even don't know what the leak looks like. Last weekend I had a peek at my rear shocks, they were all dry. So a leak could be a possiblity in your case.

When you give the car for repairs, let the service advisor drive around with to understand the problem (hear the noise). If you leave the car at the workshop they will just say they could not locate the noise blah..blah.. lubrication done blah..blah..etc.
Sometimes it is not easy for the mechanics to replicate the problem (noise). This has happened with me before.

Most important: You have only 3 more months of warranty, service guys will just try to push all the repairs in the post warranty period. Till then they will just keep saying "everything is fine", old trick.

admin · Posted: Wed Mar 03, 2010 11:09 am Post subject:

One way to determine whether your shocks need replacing is to do this simple test:

1. Grab hold of the corner of your vehicle's bumper.

2. Push down on it as hard as you can.

3. Observe: the bumper should have dropped down, jumped back up and gone down again once. If it continually moves, then that particular shock is no longer effective. Repeat the test on the remaining three corners of your vehicle.

Other telltale signs of shock wear can be observed through leakage [although a leak is not always indicative of wear] and by observing tire wear patterns. Finally, if you are simply experiencing motion sickness every time you go for a ride, then that can be the best indicator that your shocks or struts need replacing.

Copied from http://ezinearticles.com/?When-To-Replace-Your-Shock-Absorbers&id=63329

admin · Posted: Wed Mar 03, 2010 11:20 am Post subject: Moved

I am moving this thread to engine block.

arjun · Newbie Joined: 27 Feb 2010 Posts: 3 Location: Bangalore