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First Fabia Mod...

...yes, that old favourite of mine when the patient is a VAG TDI - an el cheapo resistor mod 'tuning box'.

Definitely more grunt low down - cleanly accelerated up quite a steep hill near here last night from a 50mph rolling start in top.

It did this pre-tuning box, but not with quite as much urgency.

Motorway work, the computer reckons it's returning around the same as before... slightly slower single carriageway A-roading though, it's reporting back a fair bit more mpg, so all in all I'm pretty chuffed.

In fact, and I throw open the doors to the usual 'It's s**te' banter, but I'm actually pretty impressed with the car, full stop... bar maybe the brakes - they definitely feel like they could do with a bit of beefing up.

They've definitely focussed on the comfort aspect of things rather than handling when it comes to the ride / handling compromise, but it does actually go round corners if you ignore all your built in instincts to back off. ;-)

I'll be investing in some alloys next - the jury is still out on whether to get a set of vRS ones, or stick with something closer to the original 14" steels.

I'm getting old... I like my main runabout to be more comfort focussed than track spec. ;-)

-- JackH

Reply to
jackhackettuk
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Accompanied by the sound of a chisel on slate snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.co.uk, managed to produce the following words of wisdom

I had the use of a Skoda Felicia 1.6 last week, first time I've spent any real time in one, but I was actually pretty happy with it. Ok, hard-touch dash and no cupholders, but Czech roads are very similar indeed to UK ones and it seemed happy enough despite 250,000 Km up on the clock, being thrashed mercilessly for most of its life and spending half its time on gravel roads. Understeered if given serious stick and the synchro on 2nd was knackered, but decent enough.

Not particularly quiet engine wise, but the ride was fine, seats were comfy and it did the job just dandy.

Reply to
Pikey Pete

my sis has a fabia 1.4 petrol, it's ok but i hate the understeer and the silly light steering! but then i guess i'm to used to RWD and the BM's heavy feel on the steering

Reply to
Vamp

So long as you didn't pay any more than 5 or 6p for the resistor! People sell them on ebay for £40.

rubbish! Learn how your engine works and how adding a resistor doesn't do anything noticable.

The car is OK, sadly you don't seem to be!

Save your money, buy a car with the bits you want on it.

No danger of that then.

Reply to
Trev

My mum has a Favorit estate, it's also utalitarian but more than serviceable. 120,000 miles, still starts and stops as it should. Second gear synchro is also buggered, and has been for close to a decade. Think it is a common feature to those gearboxes. It is an OK car as far as doing it's intended a-to-b-ing.

Just showing old Skoda solidarity!

Reply to
conkersack

I beg to differ... and it has done on the last, hmm... five VAG TDIs that I've used tuning boxes with.

Higher top speed, more torque (i.e: a *lot* more torque), and if you take it easy, more MPG.

I don't make or sell these boxes for a living, I'm just passing on my experiences of having used these type of devices on both non PD and PD VAG TDis.

(Note: I'm referring purely to TDis, not petrol cars, where I believe adopting the same kind of methods to try isn't nearly as effective or safe for the engine)

*sniff*

Mmm... stinky bait.

I have, thanks... bar the wheels and the tuning box, I'm otherwise happy with it and don't see an issue with spending =A3200 on it (if that) getting it just how I want it, not least given the add-ons concerned are bolt on and can be removed and sold on if / when the car gets traded in against something else.

HTH

-- JackH

Reply to
jackhackettuk

Aye, you would find them quite different animals... probably because they are. ;-)

-- JackH

Reply to
jackhackettuk

One can moulding in the rear of the centre console on this, but other than that, no cupholders!

They were an option apparently, believe they were standard on the vRS.

The dash though... is the same sort of soft touch plastic as found in a Mk4 Golf etc.

I had a Felicia briefly ages ago... seemed pretty well screwed together, but being the 1.3, was hopelessly underpowered.

-- JackH

Reply to
jackhackettuk

yeah slight difference in price both new and used too hehe

Reply to
Vamp

I had one of them for a week once, N plater 1.3 LXi it was, with alloys. My god it was s**te :)

Reply to
Iridium

...and at the petrol station. ;-)

-- JackH

Reply to
jackhackettuk

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