[netchef]

Originally Posted by ImmortalZ

Teflon is not recommended on T-BHP for a variety of reasons. I think the accessories thread has some discussion about the pros and cons.

Under body treatment is recommended before monsoons I believe. I thought about doing it, but decided not to at the last minute. The Civic's underbody is already coated with... something, so maybe I'll do it after a couple years when the Honda provided coating wears off.

ImmortalZ: Thanks for the tip, Sir. I shall peruse the debate anon. It doesn't surprise me in the least that Monsieur Honda San already thought of protecting the undercarriage of their cars, rather than leave it to post purchase expense for the customer, as well as the possible compromise on grade of coating. Hats off to the Jap finesse and thoughtfullness.

Overload:
I have an interesting and a little disconcerting story to tell. I was blasting Chris Rhea (Road to Hell, but of course) when there was a load BANG and the system went silent as the night. The ICE still started up and would switch between the radio and CD mode, even read the CD and display what was on it, but refused to emit any sound. I thought I'd gone and done it. Blown a fuse or whatever due to a scratch or aberration on the CD that spiked the output enough to unsettle something. My worry was I'd cooked the amp.

But here's what happened just afterwards: I stopped at a restaurant for lunch with a friend and when we emerged and cranked up the Fabia, the system simply played as usual. I think there is a reset that kicks in once the ignition is switched off and back on. Thankfully. Saved me a trip to TAFE to have it sorted, saved me a sleepless night worrying about it.

[naikpranav]

Originally Posted by netchef

It doesn't surprise me in the least that Monsieur Honda San already thought of protecting the undercarriage of their cars

I think there is a reset that kicks in once the ignition is switched off and back on.

There's an automatic reset for almost everything in the car, I overloaded my power windows once and they refused to move, all it took was a turn-off and on again.

About teflon: do not worry about it, skoda has provided for underbody panels and they do a teflon coat just before you get the car.

Update: I have fitted new badges for the car, and the damage caused by the bus has been repaired, Here's snippets of the steps taken

Steps: Take off double sided tape > stick masking tape on the car body > roughen both the badge and the car body making sure the car body isn't scraped but only the clear coat is roughened > stick with epoxy glue on both the badge and body > hold in place with masking tape.

[naikpranav]

New pics for all Fabiosi: this time in a dry landscape but yet majestic. We drove to Naneghat, which is an ancient toll booth, camped there, drove off to Nighoj the next day with excellent potholes in the riverbed, all in all the car performed brilliantly, no hiccups except a nail that got into the rear tyre, but I filled it up with air again and was good to go, I got a mileage of 19km/l overall and 24km/l on the second leg of the journey, the first leg had too much of rough roads and idling.

[netchef]

[quote=naikpranav;1109762]There's an automatic reset for almost everything in the car, I overloaded my power windows once and they refused to move, all it took was a turn-off and on again.

About teflon: do not worry about it, skoda has provided for underbody panels and they do a teflon coat just before you get the car.

Update: I have fitted new badges for the car, and the damage caused by the bus has been repaired, Here's snippets of the steps taken

quote]

naikpranav: Sir, thanks for that DIY on badges, pics and all. Most informative. How much did they cost you- if you don't mind my asking, and if you haven't already mentioned it?

Interesting engineering- and SMART as well- if they protect everything electric with an override/cut-out. BTW, how did you manage to overload the windows (just so I can take precautions and avoid doing the same meself)?

Teflon: got it.

Originally Posted by naikpranav

New pics for all Fabiosi: this time in a dry landscape but yet majestic. We drove to Naneghat, which is an ancient toll booth, camped there, drove off to Nighoj the next day with excellent potholes in the riverbed, all in all the car performed brilliantly, no hiccups except a nail that got into the rear tyre, but I filled it up with air again and was good to go, I got a mileage of 19km/l overall and 24km/l on the second leg of the journey, the first leg had too much of rough roads and idling.

naikpranav: That land is arid all right. Looks like the moonscape. And boy did you take her off road- the spots your Fabia are in seem so remote, so rugged. Lovely. 19-24 makes it real cheap too.

[ImmortalZ]

Originally Posted by netchef

Interesting engineering- and SMART as well- if they protect everything electric with an override/cut-out. BTW, how did you manage to overload the windows (just so I can take precautions and avoid doing the same meself)?

Hmm, I'm guessing there was some obstruction in the path of his windows and when he tried to roll it up, the finger guard feature activated. In my Civic, once this feature activates and stops the window from rolling up, the power window for that door is disabled. There is a procedure to follow to reactivate the power window function in the manual. If I remember correctly, it is not as simple as an ignition reset for my car.

Beautiful pictures by the way.

[netchef]

Originally Posted by ImmortalZ

Hmm, I'm guessing there was some obstruction in the path of his windows and when he tried to roll it up, the finger guard feature activated. In my Civic, once this feature activates and stops the window from rolling up, the power window for that door is disabled. There is a procedure to follow to reactivate the power window function in the manual. If I remember correctly, it is not as simple as an ignition reset for my car.

Beautiful pictures by the way.

ImmortalZ: Makes sense as there aren't many about that would like to go minus a digit. The circuit-breaker thingy is brilliant. BTW, have you driven the Hybrid Civic?

"Beautiful pictures by the way."
Truely. NaikPranav is a skilled photographer and an intrepid traveller which together make for startling pics from his camera. Every single time. This time although floored by the lenswork, I was mesmerized by the topography.

[ImmortalZ]

No, I haven't driven the Hybrid. I did ask for a TD at the local dealership. They were amused that someone even knew about the existence of such a thing. I didn't even get a TD of the A/T version.

[k_ajay]

Hello Dear Fabiosis,

Apologies for having been away from this thread over the last 2 days. I was in deep dilemma and hence, couldn't decide on what I had to post here.

I got back in town on the chilly morning of 29th, and the Uber Cool Hyundai i20 launched in India the same day. I checked the website out, saw snaps uploaded by our tbhpians too and it was all beautiful and lovely; fully feature rich too.

Over all of 29th, I was in deep pain and confusion, repeatedly pressing myself for making a choice between the already decided Fabia 1.4 MPi Elegance and the new i20. The i20 is sure a looker, is extremely loaded and feature rich [6 airbags, retractable ORVMs, steering mounted controls are all ones even the Fabia has given a miss], but then I put both cars on the evaluation board, compared, calculated, discussed and finally concluded that I will continue to stick with my decision.

So finally, it will still be a Fabia 1.4 MPi Elegance in White. I made the booking yesterday, on 30th Dec and paid up more than half the car's worth. I'm yet to pay a couple of lakhs more and the car should be delivered to us before the end of first week of Jan.

Needless to say, I'm very excited and we all are excited. Though this is not our first car, it definitely is out first 'premium n luxury' car. We're living a tough life right now spending through our nose for commuting everywhere by auto, so the first thing we need in the first week of 2009, is without doubt, the car.

I'm planning to start a new thread for the white beauty, so anyone looking for evaluating and tracking the ownership of a 1.4MPi can find a one-stop shop for it.. I'll of course also post here as always [How can I ever think of leaving the domain of the Fabiosis?]

Please do continue to write your opinions, suggestions and views. I greatly look forward to them.

Naikpranav: Nice pics and excellent locations. I'd be keen to take mine up some terrain like this, after a good 5K kms on the odo..

Rajeev G: I think I read somewhere that the Skoda keyfob costs around 20K-22K. I'm not too sure though, since I haven't made an effort to investigate that myself. I'm only sharing some info available a few pages prior, on this very thread. 10K I would say would not seem pricey for the quality of that keyfob, provided it comes with the remote locking security kit.

That's all Fabiosis. I'm extremely eager to join the Fab group and look forward to a positive and amazing ownership for years to come..

Thanks. ajay K

[k_ajay]

Oh btw.. I did forget to include information on the deal that I got with Tafe Access Ltd, one amongst the 2 Skoda dealers available in Bangalore.

I would like to call this a great deal, if you go by Skoda's standards of not offering discounts or freebies..

The Deal

1. Discount on 1st year Insurance on the 1.4 - Rs.20323
2. Fibre [not rubber] Mud Flaps [No car mats since Fabric mats come pre-installed on Elegance]
3. Sun Film
4. Teflon Coating
5. Steering Wheel completely Leather wrapped in Stanley Leather "Nappa Grade"
6. Rear speakers [the same front speaker set] to be installed in rear speaker door slot.

Final price I would be paying is Rs.791100/- [this is after deducting all chillar amount]. The car's actual invoice amount in B'lore is Rs.811590/- [tens rounded off to the nearest value I can remember]

I hope I'm not forgetting anything. I didn't ask them specifically how much fuel they would fill while handing over the vehicle, but I'd like to be positive that it would be enough for me to go fill the tank at a bunk I prefer. No expectations. If it's a gracious fill, it will only make me triple happy.

There may be individuals who may have bargained for more and got better deals, but I'm quite satisfied with the deal I've made for myself here, with Tafe.

I've also squeezed [lol, I've squeezed way too much for this Skoda] myself a bit and have decided to get custom interiors done. Not too grand at all, but a combination of Pure Leather and Art Leather, from Stanley Leather. It'll be mostly Black leathers [that match the interiors] and a touch of Beige off-white in some places, mostly touch areas. It should be done by the time I take delivery..

Happy New Year to you all Fabiosis and all TBHPians. Wish you all another 365 days of happiness, joyful motoring, good health and prosperity.

aK cheers:

[Mysticeyes]

Dear Fabiosis,

First of all, let me wish you all fabiosis, other TBHP members & your family a wonderfoooool prosperous new year!!! May many new current and potential fabia owners join TBHP in 2009 cheers:

Dear Ajay, finally, you crossed the rubicon and wish that the white angel would soon be at your garage. Once again, let me note that the similarities in our experience is almost identical, except you didn't have to start a fight with the dealer. The deal you got is just awesome. I'm sure that most of the fabiosis had to be contend with very minor deals.

Skoda would be Skoda always, in dealer experience or drivebaility.featurewise, i-20 is better than fabia,but the ultimate is the driving experience (discounting the rattles[if ever they come up. my baby is silent like a toddler in sleep now]). My cousins and dad have been using Hyundai for past couple of years. The initial 1-2 year experience is OK. but after that, the drivebality factor decreases eventhough the car is maintained properly. I can personally vouch for that from the experience of my dad's Accent.

BY the way, as mentioned the Keyfob is worth 22K.As one dear friend had mentioned, "it is the 'costly' dream of owning a Skoda".Took the baby for a 200km drive to tamilnadu last week. The Trivandrum-Kanyakumari NH is in a horrible shape and most times, i was stuck in 3rd or 4th. It was a temple visit and unfortunately, couldn't get the opprtunity to click few snaps.May be, next time i would be able to click and share with you guys. In between, I'd love to borrow the clicking finger of Pranav. Have you guys ever noticed which color of fabia is more in your city? It seems like grey is the color of the season now atleast in our city. Of all the new fabias rolling out, grey seems to be more.

General Netchef, its time to put on the uniform again. i-20 is in radar
erwecken Sie durch allgemeinen netchef, i-20 ist im radar

[MadRash]

Originally Posted by k_ajay

I made the booking yesterday, on 30th Dec and paid up more than half the car's worth.

hey Ajay, Congrats man. Welcome to the Fabiosi club. Even if you have to wait for a while, make sure you get a car that is manufactured in the year 2009.

Mysticeyes:
I totally agree with you. Fabia is a real "pleasure car". no doubt. When I saw the features of i20, for a moment I thought I should have waited for this car's release. But later when I was driving my baby, i realized that no other hatchback in India will be able to give me the comfort a Fabia gives.

[netchef]

Originally Posted by k_ajay

Hello Dear Fabiosis,

Apologies for having been away from this thread over the last 2 days. I was in deep dilemma and hence, couldn't decide on what I had to post here.

I got back in town on the chilly morning of 29th, and the Uber Cool Hyundai i20 launched in India the same day. I checked the website out, saw snaps uploaded by our tbhpians too and it was all beautiful and lovely; fully feature rich too.

Over all of 29th, I was in deep pain and confusion, repeatedly pressing myself for making a choice between the already decided Fabia 1.4 MPi Elegance and the new i20. The i20 is sure a looker, is extremely loaded and feature rich [6 airbags, retractable ORVMs, steering mounted controls are all ones even the Fabia has given a miss], but then I put both cars on the evaluation board, compared, calculated, discussed and finally concluded that I will continue to stick with my decision.

So finally, it will still be a Fabia 1.4 MPi Elegance in White. I made the booking yesterday, on 30th Dec and paid up more than half the car's worth. I'm yet to pay a couple of lakhs more and the car should be delivered to us before the end of first week of Jan.

Needless to say, I'm very excited and we all are excited. Though this is not our first car, it definitely is out first 'premium n luxury' car. We're living a tough life right now spending through our nose for commuting everywhere by auto, so the first thing we need in the first week of 2009, is without doubt, the car.

I'm planning to start a new thread for the white beauty, so anyone looking for evaluating and tracking the ownership of a 1.4MPi can find a one-stop shop for it.. I'll of course also post here as always [How can I ever think of leaving the domain of the Fabiosis?]

Please do continue to write your opinions, suggestions and views. I greatly look forward to them.

Naikpranav: Nice pics and excellent locations. I'd be keen to take mine up some terrain like this, after a good 5K kms on the odo..

Rajeev G: I think I read somewhere that the Skoda keyfob costs around 20K-22K. I'm not too sure though, since I haven't made an effort to investigate that myself. I'm only sharing some info available a few pages prior, on this very thread. 10K I would say would not seem pricey for the quality of that keyfob, provided it comes with the remote locking security kit.

That's all Fabiosis. I'm extremely eager to join the Fab group and look forward to a positive and amazing ownership for years to come..

Thanks. ajay K

k_ajay: If a case study were to be commissioned, your story would make the marketing gurus sit up and take notice all right. A new car is launched- stiff competition to our Fabia. You undertake a scientific evaluation, even find it offers heaps more in bells & whistles than our baby. You decide to go with your original decision. Improbable, impassionate, yet TRUE. Skoda Mktg. might well call on you, Sir, while their Kim-Chi counterparts tear their hair in despair.

What can I say but good decision, and glad to have you in our midst.

Thanks for the info on the key fob.

Originally Posted by ImmortalZ

No, I haven't driven the Hybrid. I did ask for a TD at the local dealership. They were amused that someone even knew about the existence of such a thing. I didn't even get a TD of the A/T version.

ImmortalZ: but they did have a sample of the hybrid for those eager to kick the tyres?

Originally Posted by k_ajay

Oh btw..
The Deal

1. Discount on 1st year Insurance on the 1.4 - Rs.20323
2. Fibre [not rubber] Mud Flaps [No car mats since Fabric mats come pre-installed on Elegance]
3. Sun Film
4. Teflon Coating
5. Steering Wheel completely Leather wrapped in Stanley Leather "Nappa Grade"
6. Rear speakers [the same front speaker set] to be installed in rear speaker door slot.

II've also squeezed [lol, I've squeezed way too much for this Skoda] myself a bit and have decided to get custom interiors done. Not too grand at all, but a combination of Pure Leather and Art Leather, from Stanley Leather. It'll be mostly Black leathers [that match the interiors] and a touch of Beige off-white in some places, mostly touch areas. It should be done by the time I take delivery..

Happy New Year to you all Fabiosis and all TBHPians. Wish you all another 365 days of happiness, joyful motoring, good health and prosperity.

aK cheers:

k_ajay: That's what I'd call a HAPPY New Year: you got a fantastic deal. The recession is really hurting these chaps. Cheers.

Originally Posted by Mysticeyes

Dear Fabiosis,

First of all, let me wish you all fabiosis, other TBHP members & your family a wonderfoooool prosperous new year!!! May many new current and potential fabia owners join TBHP in 2009 cheers:

General Netchef, its time to put on the uniform again. i-20 is in radar
erwecken Sie durch allgemeinen netchef, i-20 ist im radar

Mysticeyes: Ha ha. Sir, they are straying from the Flock only to return more emphatically and deeply-dyed in the Fabiosi-Fhilosophy!!

Originally Posted by MadRash

hey Ajay, Congrats man. Welcome to the Fabiosi club. Even if you have to wait for a while, make sure you get a car that is manufactured in the year 2009.

Mysticeyes:
I totally agree with you. Fabia is a real "pleasure car". no doubt. When I saw the features of i20, for a moment I thought I should have waited for this car's release. But later when I was driving my baby, i realized that no other hatchback in India will be able to give me the comfort a Fabia gives.

MadRash: Guys, I haven't even seen a pic of the Hyundai i20. Is it a 2 box or 3? What size of engine? Guess there must be a thread on Team-Bhp somewhere, but I haven't the luxury of time to chase it down.

Till our next exchange, take care and drive safe.

[gatsri007]

Naik !!! nice pictures.. Car looks awesom...

[k_ajay]

Originally Posted by MadRash

hey Ajay, Congrats man. Welcome to the Fabiosi club. Even if you have to wait for a while, make sure you get a car that is manufactured in the year 2009.

Hi MadRash: It won't be possible for me to get a 2009 manufactured 1.4 Elegance since the petrol elegance has been temporarily stopped now, by the Skoda management, owing to shortage of particular kits.

Originally Posted by Mysticeyes

Dear Ajay, finally, you crossed the rubicon and wish that the white angel would soon be at your garage. Once again, let me note that the similarities in our experience is almost identical, except you didn't have to start a fight with the dealer. The deal you got is just awesome. I'm sure that most of the fabiosis had to be contend with very minor deals.

Mysticeyes: Thanks and yeah, I think Tafe Access had to give me the deal just to push a sale in a virtually dead month for them. You wouldn't believe but there wasn't a single prospect in the showroom other than myself when I had stepped into their dealership during daytime, on two occassions [ironically, there are around 10-15 sales and other staff there]. I cannot wait for the white angel to come home [perfect timing with my house also getting ready by 1st of Feb]

Originally Posted by netchef

What can I say but good decision, and glad to have you in our midst.
k_ajay: That's what I'd call a HAPPY New Year: you got a fantastic deal. The recession is really hurting these chaps. Cheers.

Yes sir, the deal is good and thanks for your comments. I'm enormously pleased to join the esteemed Fabiosi group. Hope to be penning down my story and snaps of the vehicle soon.

[rockyb]

Wow - excellent pix - sell them to Skoda - I like the yellow tone - Where is this place? Naneghat and Nighoj?

regards

Originally Posted by naikpranav

New pics for all Fabiosi: this time in a dry landscape but yet majestic. We drove to Naneghat, which is an ancient toll booth, camped there, drove off to Nighoj the next day with excellent potholes in the riverbed,