[chetan]

Netchef ya i guess madhus still exists .

fi.Robin can please tell me exactly where this nose is coming from , are you sure its from the suspension , is it from the left side my cousin is facing this problem for a while, even after three to five attempts to to make it vanish there's no results its quite frustrating given the engine noise and now this .
TAFE said one if their engineer is flying down to come and get this sorted out . I told my cousin to forget it but he is like " when a pay 8lakh plus for a car and blah blah blah "

[FARDAN]

Invisible: that's right i meant 1.4Tdi.

Firstly it was gifted to me by my dad for my 20th birthday.

Booking & Delivery: the car was booked on the 2nd December and since i was on a vacation i wanted the car as early as possible. henceforth i got the car delivered on the 12th of December at around 7 pm. it was a very good experience with the dealer except they were not able to get the original documents for the registration on time, i had to drive home with a duplicate copy of the Temporary Registration.

Drive & Mileage: Ever since i test drove the vehicle i loved each and every aspect of the vehicle that includes the Ride, Driver seat position, Music system, Sunroof and the fuel efficiency (around 18Km/pl). i loved driving the car so much that i covered 1400KMs within 5 days of delivery. however i covered 3500Kms in 1 Month and 3 Days.
I absolutely agree with their Add campaign 'car that makes you feel special'. you actually get a special feeling when you drive a fabia or even when you see a Fabia.

Negatives: The only issues that i had with the car was the noise from the dashboard which caught my attention 30minutes after the delivery. the next day i had informed the service center and they had requested me to get the car to the showroom, but since i was on a 30 days vacation i did not want my car rest at the showroom even for a day. the noise has been fixed now.

the second negative thing about fabia is the rear seat comfort. the rear seat as complained by my passengers is really uncomfortable when you go for a long drive like for around 120Kms.

i'll be posting the pics of my ride soon..

[fi.robin]

Fardan: Welcome to you sir.

Invinsible: Indeed it is a dashboard noise and not from suspension area. Took the car to TAFE yesterday and showed your analysis. They worked on the shockers and found something defective which they replaced under warranty, but it solved some other problem which I noticed after the servicing last week. So one problem tackled.

Chetan: Even I was called by the TAFE saying a technician has come and wants to have a look at my car for the dashboard problem. They kept the car for two days and the end result was Zero. So yesterday I had a long discussion with the manager at the workshop. I gave him the print out of Invisible's Analysis. Sensing that either they are not euipped to solve this problem yet or they don't want to do it all, I advised them not mess with the dash anymore for the time being. I am pretty confident that in the process of rectifying this particular one they may induce more critcal problems as that part contains lots of important electrical wirings. This is the last thing I want to happen.

Since the dash problem is not a critical performance issue, I don't really mind it. And it is not at all a bother when the music is playing . What's more, it has accompanied me on all my memorable trips. It is also an invisible ghost which I talk to when I am alone . What makes me happy though is that even with this issue, my car has aged well in comparison to other cars. My father in law's Dezire is a case in point. At just 2000 kms it had more issues than my car at 9000 kms. And the fact that apart from this one no other problem has shown its face (touch wood), my confidence in the quality of skoda still remains intact. Although I can't say the same for their service .

[VKJ]

Folks!

I am back after a long pause! I know I have a lot to catch up on this thread.

My Fabia is completing 10 months today, I am a bit concerned since I have not clocked many miles and only use her once in a while! Experts please advice if I need any service/replacements at this point in time. Thanks.

Kudos to Netchef and others who have taken this topic to new heights!

[netchef]

Originally Posted by shykrish

Sir, your memory is extraordinary, I have trouble finding my car key most mornings.



What happened sir, extremely philosophical? as someone said, change is the only constant. Also is not that which makes life all the more thrilling, smile and move on - dont feel sad.



Very true, last month I spruced it up, added 2-Way Component Speaker System to the rear doors, JBL 12inch subwoofer and XPlod amplifier at the boot. The OEM player is quite capable and the output is quite nice. Only grouse being that they have not provided line outs for any of these(the circuit diagram has that but the Skoda guys have simply closed those slots) luckily the person who did this was talented, ingenious to be more precise and accomplished it well. Total cost about 15k.

Missing the eloquent write-ups from Robin, Mysticeyes et al - guys please ...

shykrish: "... I have trouble finding my car key most mornings...." Ha ha.

"...change is the only constant..."

I know it on an intellectual plane, yet there is a yearning for the familiar. Got to reprogramme the Java or C++ or whatever.

Great to have your feedback on the music system as I was about to pose the very question:

Spoke with a dealer in Banashankari- OverHaul- and he said he'd need to check if there was a line out to hitch up an amp and speakers for me. Could you please give me more details? It's not a priority, but I'd like to do it some day. Did you also hook up the 4 front speakers to the new amp?

Robin, Mysticeyes et al - guys please

Yeah, well I've been missing the stalwarts too. Perhaps they are busy running up some scenic miles and will soon return all juiced up with their adventures.

Originally Posted by anekho

excellent write up netchef sir, i always look forward to reading your posts!
please post some photos of your fabia when possible!

cheers

anekho: Thanks, shall get round to shooting some pixels soon. I actually have little excuse since I was recently gifted a hi-tech digital camera by a baby cousin in the US, so aside from figuring out how to use the thingy, I'm on it.

Originally Posted by Invinsible

COMPLETED 23000kms from June 20th 2008.

UPGRADES COMING UP SHORTLY: A new custom made intake with green cotton Storm filter, and a new head unit.

NETCHEF:
Good to know that your car still smells all new even after completing a year, with completing just 6800kms am sure it would still look all new and not just smell fresh. Few pics would be great.
Regarding the tyres, well they are Asymmetrical design so getting the rotation done will be a difficult job by removing the tyres from the wheels and interchanging them. All I did was shuffled the front wheel with the ones at the back.

P.S: here's the link to the website which has loads of info on VW diesel car and not just the limp mode. Would suggest everyone to take some time out and give a good read to it.
Fixing limp mode in the VW diesel TDI

1000 answered questions about your diesel - FAQ and how to index

Invinsible: Well caught. Well researched. Well fixed!! Thanks for your inputs now down for posterity- and indeed for anyone facing similar problems. I loved the specifics: will mean those of us that follow the yellow brick road to our respective dealers for such problems will stun them with Skoda-specific jargon/terminology instead of vague groping. Sure to impress them.

"Regarding the tyres, well they are Asymmetrical design so getting the rotation done will be a difficult job by removing the tyres from the wheels and interchanging them. All I did was shuffled the front wheel with the ones at the back."

Ah, I didn't suspect they were asymmetric. EYE opener.

Thanks a tonne.

Will be interesting to hear how your Green Cotton intake manifold shapes up. Good luck!

Originally Posted by fi.robin

Love again
It is 6.15 AM on 25th November 2008, in the parking bay of my apartment, two sundered hearts reunite after almost a week, to resume weaving the love threads. The rich key fob sends out a radio signal and the beauty responds by unlocking her heart. The 300 litres boot gleefully swallows our luggage and asks for more and more. As we ensconced ourselves in our fully adjustable darling seats, the aroma of newness greets us. What a way for two hearts to unite, I think. A romantic playful twist breathes life into the beauty. The humming motor does the duty of rolling down the windows. The cool morning breeze being an earwitness to the clear melody of “The sound of silence”, the elegant info display on the Dance screen too vouching for it, the beauty blissfully responds to my advances like a lover. I depress the clutch and marshal the gear knob in the first slot, the beauty launches forward like a belle. Woila! we are on our journey to Goa. Within minutes we hit the wider and smoother roads of Bangalore. “The sound of silence” gives way to “Cecilia” …. “… Jubilation, she loves me again…”. How true !

The Journey
My wife and I had decided to enjoy the journey too instead of rushing to the destination. According to the plan we made booking in Taj from 26th onwards and halt on 25th at Hubli.

The Journey till Hubli was not much of a stress, except for incomplete patches between Chitradurga and Haveri. This was the first time I was driving on a well laid GC highway. My last adventure was in the rudimentary stage of GC in 2004 on Chennai-Bangalore stretch (it is a dream road now). Along the way we were greeted by pleasing sights of sunflower fields, cotton fields, wind mills, buffalos etc. All along we were being pampered by the beauty. In return I caressed her well on the rough patches but occasionally hitting the 120 mark on the smoother ones, she happily responded to all my moves with aplomb beauty.

We reached Hubli at 2.30 pm, had lunch and decided to move on as we had plenty of time before dark. At Hubli we exit the GC and hit NH 63 for Karwar. The road was mostly good with occasional potholes here and there. A large part of NH 63 is through the scenic jungle of the Western Ghats. It was a first for us.

We made a halt at Karwar to avoid night driving and the dirty truck traffic on NH 17. The good hotels were all occupied and we had to settle in a below average lodge for a paltry sum of Rs 500. It was in total contrast to what we were going to get the next day. We didn’t have much to complain though as the stay was peaceful. But my right knee was aching. I wish for Cruise Control as well in Fabia.

Next morning we started early, beating the sun comprehensively. The scary NH 17 of last night turned into beautiful winding road with absolutely no traffic.

On our return journey we stuck to the same route and made a halt at Hubli. This time we were fortunate to get a nice place.

Thus completing our first long and ever memorable trip.

fi.robin: Lovely write up. Happy journe-ying ON!

Originally Posted by FARDAN

hey guys even i am a Fabiosis since the 12th December 2008. i have been reading through this thread since i had decided on buying the car.
my car is a 1.9Tdi Elegance (white color).
i've been facing this dashboard noise since the day of my delivery itself. any how the car was dropped at the service centre yesterday and got it back today after fixing up the issue.

FARDAN: Congrats. I too wondered about the 1.9Tdi, but you clarified to someone later on. Happy driving.

Originally Posted by chetan

Netchef ya i guess madhus still exists .

fi.Robin can please tell me exactly where this nose is coming from , are you sure its from the suspension , is it from the left side my cousin is facing this problem for a while, even after three to five attempts to to make it vanish there's no results its quite frustrating given the engine noise and now this .
TAFE said one if their engineer is flying down to come and get this sorted out . I told my cousin to forget it but he is like " when a pay 8lakh plus for a car and blah blah blah "

chetan:/GUYS

I was invited to the Superb launch- cocktails and Dinner- last night at Eagleton, but sadly couldn't attend. They informed me there were going to be senior Skoda execs there from Czech- real pity I could not make it as I was keen to pose some of these issues (being faced by many of us) to them and fish for some answers.

Originally Posted by FARDAN

Invisible: that's right i meant 1.4Tdi.

Firstly it was gifted to me by my dad for my 20th birthday.

Booking & Delivery: the car was booked on the 2nd December and since i was on a vacation i wanted the car as early as possible. henceforth i got the car delivered on the 12th of December at around 7 pm. it was a very good experience with the dealer except they were not able to get the original documents for the registration on time, i had to drive home with a duplicate copy of the Temporary Registration.

Drive & Mileage: Ever since i test drove the vehicle i loved each and every aspect of the vehicle that includes the Ride, Driver seat position, Music system, Sunroof and the fuel efficiency (around 18Km/pl). i loved driving the car so much that i covered 1400KMs within 5 days of delivery. however i covered 3500Kms in 1 Month and 3 Days.
I absolutely agree with their Add campaign 'car that makes you feel special'. you actually get a special feeling when you drive a fabia or even when you see a Fabia.

Negatives: The only issues that i had with the car was the noise from the dashboard which caught my attention 30minutes after the delivery. the next day i had informed the service center and they had requested me to get the car to the showroom, but since i was on a 30 days vacation i did not want my car rest at the showroom even for a day. the noise has been fixed now.

the second negative thing about fabia is the rear seat comfort. the rear seat as complained by my passengers is really uncomfortable when you go for a long drive like for around 120Kms.

i'll be posting the pics of my ride soon..

FARDAN: Waiting for your pics, Sir.

Originally Posted by VKJ

Folks!

I am back after a long pause! I know I have a lot to catch up on this thread.

My Fabia is completing 10 months today, I am a bit concerned since I have not clocked many miles and only use her once in a while! Experts please advice if I need any service/replacements at this point in time. Thanks.

Kudos to Netchef and others who have taken this topic to new heights!

VKJ: Welcome back. I'd begun to wonder what had become of you.

PS.
The same dealer-Overhaul- quoted Rs 2250 to tint the windows and rear shield with 3M, and Rs 6000 to do the front screen.

I've 2 questions:

1) Is 3 M the best Brand to go with?
2) Is his pricing ok for the Brand?

Take care guys- drive safe.

[fi.robin]

Originally Posted by netchef

fi.robin: Lovely write up. Happy journe-ying ON!

The same dealer-Overhaul- quoted Rs 2250 to tint the windows and rear shield with 3M, and Rs 6000 to do the front screen.

I've 2 questions:

1) Is 3 M the best Brand to go with?
2) Is his pricing ok for the Brand?

Take care guys- drive safe.

Thank you very much sir.

Regarding sunfilm, my knowledge says 3M is a good brand.
You need to look out for 3 things:

• UV rejection
• Visual Light Transmission (VLT)
• Infra Red rejections (IRR)

Most sunfilms will have 95-99% UV rejection so nothing much to choose there. In the low end films (the dyed one), VLT and IRR are inversely proportional. What it means is that in order to gain high IRR, VLT is reduced , which means darker films. As one moves to better sunfilms, high VLT in combination of high IRR is achieved. In short, if you want a film which rejects good percent of IR and yet allows considerable light transmission, you will have to shell out more. That explains 6k for the front screen as it has to have high VLT with high IRR.

Putting a sunfilm on the front screen may not be great idea as it often cause problems driving at night.

What is worth considering is the VLT limit allowed by the local RTO.

I opted for V-Kool Goldust with 75% VLT and 70% IRR (approx, I don't remember the exact figures). It cost me 8000 for windows and rear glass. I didn't apply on the front screen. This results in cool cabin at the back, but direct sunlight in hot days reduces the effect of AC in the front.

Happy Shopping.

[Invinsible]

ROBIN: They worked on the shockers and found something defective which they replaced under warranty, but it solved some other problem which I noticed after the servicing last week. So one problem tackled.

Please to know that your problem has been solved and you enjoying your drive way better. Indeed the service guys are not well equipped at all nor are they well verse with the car. One the service advisor din't know that the fabia doesn't come with temperature gauge and actually came with me to check it in the car. It's sad they don't even know their basic but it was funny, I couldn't stop laughing

ROBIN: I gave him the print out of Invisible's Analysis. Sensing that either they are not euipped to solve this problem yet or they don't want to do it all, I advised them not mess with the dash anymore for the time being.

Am sure they havn't done their homework. Why don't try and show your problem at some other workshop. If it yet doesn't get solved, call up Skoda customer care at Aurangabad and make a complain about this. They will follow up with the dealer and you might get a call from the dealer regarding bringing your car to rectify that problem. I did the same for a my friend's Octavia and his problem was solved in next few days. Also, once they have the company following up the problem the dealer tries and be extra careful with their job. Am sure this might help you.

VKJ: My Fabia is completing 10 months today, I am a bit concerned since I have not clocked many miles and only use her once in a while! Experts please advice if I need any service/replacements at this point in time. Thanks.

Well you haven't mentioned how many kms it has done, whether you have done 1st or 2nd service ? By the way do you have a diesel or petrol ?
Incase a diesel onething I would tell you do is to get the EGR valve cleaned up. This really does help with the power delivery, less turbo lag, much better fuel economy.

NETCHEF: Could you please give me more details? It's not a priority, but I'd like to do it some day. Did you also hook up the 4 front speakers to the new amp?

It comes with just one preout. One would need a low level line output converter. Something like this Scosche SLC4 Four-channel line output converter at Crutchfield.com
I am using this and connected to my Kicker EQ which has 3 RCA preout. Which in turn connects two of my amps, Alpine and Kenwood. 1 RCA preout for front sp., 2nd for the back sp. and 3rd for SUBWOOFER.
I tried the high level line output converter but was getting some ignition noise so switched back to low level line output converter. Also, one would have to give seperate power on/off button for the amp. Since, the headunit does not support it. I am using the 2 way comp in front and 2 way coaxial at the back in stock location.
Just getting the Clarion head unit DXZ785USB from US in coming days which has 3 preout.

NETCHEF: I was recently gifted a hi-tech digital camera by a baby cousin in the US, so aside from figuring out how to use the thingy, I'm on it.

Once you do please post the pics of your baby, I know you have celebrated her 1st bday, but would like to drool over her once again

NETCHEF: Will be interesting to hear how your Green Cotton intake manifold shapes up. Good luck!

Not exactly, it's a custom made cold air intake kit, manifold remains the same. Will post some pics once it's done.

NETCHEF: The same dealer-Overhaul- quoted Rs 2250 to tint the windows and rear shield with 3M, and Rs 6000 to do the front screen.

Well I got LUMAR film done outside, costed me around 9K which includes all 4 sides, back and front along sunroof too. It is from their top of the line available. Works really great keeps the car really cool even in mid noon with temp rising 36 deg here. I keep the AC at speed 1. And not that they are dark has a visibility of 65%. one to go for surely recommend it.

ROBIN : Putting a sunfilm on the front screen may not be great idea as it often cause problems driving at night.

Have been using the front film from LUMAR right from the day one I bought the car, never had any issues even when driving in night. Infact it cuts the glare of those truck's light a bit when driving on the highway. Definately recommend this. Really helps in hot summer days a lot.

SHORT UPDATE :
My Fabi is doing just great. Pick up has improved tremendously. I think slightly more than what I found on day one I had remapped at almost close to 5000kms. The power delivery is just seamless. The car just pulls like crazy in 3rd gear from 2200 rpm. The midrange is much much stronger then ever before. The other day there was a CIVIC and CRV right at signal stop revving their engine and I happen to be behind the civic. Once the light went green they floored the pedal. Both had a great start with me right on their bumper but once i got the way i floored the pedal in 4th gear and pulled away from them atleast 2 cars away and in no time as I changed to 5th I was doing 150kms and they were left behind but eventually slowed down.
Whatever it was it got the civic guy really pissed and once i slowed down he took off in desperation. Guess all he badly needed was wings to get past the Fabi
As per the mileage i suppose it has improved quite a bit at cruising 100 it is consuming 3.6L/100KM as compared to 4.5 before. Will get to know how much it does in fuel tank in a weeks time. Am sure city mileage has gone up by 10% or so. I guess thanks to the EGR valve and Intake manifold cleaning which was choked thanks to the carbon deposit.
She drives much much smoother now. I wonder how she would do with custom intake and green cone filter, can't wait to see that

Cheers!

[VKJ]

Netchef,

Apart from 3M, Garware, Lumar you might want to consider V-kool which has excellent effect. Alternatively there's another good brand marketed in india by Opulent, its called Hüper Optik from germany.

Invinsible,
Well you haven't mentioned how many kms it has done[I have clocked 3K+ kms], whether you have done 1st or 2nd service[So far no service] ? By the way do you have a diesel or petrol[Diesel 1.4 TDI] ? Incase a diesel onething I would tell you do is to get the EGR valve cleaned up. This really does help with the power delivery, less turbo lag, much better fuel economy. [How much would this cost me ;-(]
[Apart from the above point you have mentioned, anything specific/general I need to have them look at]

[netchef]

Originally Posted by fi.robin

Thank you very much sir.

Regarding sunfilm, my knowledge says 3M is a good brand.
You need to look out for 3 things:

• UV rejection
• Visual Light Transmission (VLT)
• Infra Red rejections (IRR)

Most sunfilms will have 95-99% UV rejection so nothing much to choose there. In the low end films (the dyed one), VLT and IRR are inversely proportional. What it means is that in order to gain high IRR, VLT is reduced , which means darker films. As one moves to better sunfilms, high VLT in combination of high IRR is achieved. In short, if you want a film which rejects good percent of IR and yet allows considerable light transmission, you will have to shell out more. That explains 6k for the front screen as it has to have high VLT with high IRR.

Putting a sunfilm on the front screen may not be great idea as it often cause problems driving at night.

What is worth considering is the VLT limit allowed by the local RTO.

I opted for V-Kool Goldust with 75% VLT and 70% IRR (approx, I don't remember the exact figures). It cost me 8000 for windows and rear glass. I didn't apply on the front screen. This results in cool cabin at the back, but direct sunlight in hot days reduces the effect of AC in the front.

Happy Shopping.

fi.robin: Sir, much thanks for the info. It will help a great deal when I make a decision.

Where did you get V-Kool? This OverHaul chap only has Lumar and 3M. Guess if I want to evaluate other options, I'll need to talk with a few other shops.

Originally Posted by Invinsible

It comes with just one preout. One would need a low level line output converter. Something like this Scosche SLC4 Four-channel line output converter at Crutchfield.com
I am using this and connected to my Kicker EQ which has 3 RCA preout. Which in turn connects two of my amps, Alpine and Kenwood. 1 RCA preout for front sp., 2nd for the back sp. and 3rd for SUBWOOFER.
I tried the high level line output converter but was getting some ignition noise so switched back to low level line output converter. Also, one would have to give seperate power on/off button for the amp. Since, the headunit does not support it. I am using the 2 way comp in front and 2 way coaxial at the back in stock location.
Just getting the Clarion head unit DXZ785USB from US in coming days which has 3 preout.

Once you do please post the pics of your baby, I know you have celebrated her 1st bday, but would like to drool over her once again

Not exactly, it's a custom made cold air intake kit, manifold remains the same. Will post some pics once it's done.

Well I got LUMAR film done outside, costed me around 9K which includes all 4 sides, back and front along sunroof too. It is from their top of the line available. Works really great keeps the car really cool even in mid noon with temp rising 36 deg here. I keep the AC at speed 1. And not that they are dark has a visibility of 65%. one to go for surely recommend it.

Have been using the front film from LUMAR right from the day one I bought the car, never had any issues even when driving in night. Infact it cuts the glare of those truck's light a bit when driving on the highway. Definately recommend this. Really helps in hot summer days a lot.

SHORT UPDATE :
My Fabi is doing just great. Pick up has improved tremendously. I think slightly more than what I found on day one I had remapped at almost close to 5000kms. The power delivery is just seamless. The car just pulls like crazy in 3rd gear from 2200 rpm. The midrange is much much stronger then ever before. The other day there was a CIVIC and CRV right at signal stop revving their engine and I happen to be behind the civic. Once the light went green they floored the pedal. Both had a great start with me right on their bumper but once i got the way i floored the pedal in 4th gear and pulled away from them atleast 2 cars away and in no time as I changed to 5th I was doing 150kms and they were left behind but eventually slowed down.
Whatever it was it got the civic guy really pissed and once i slowed down he took off in desperation. Guess all he badly needed was wings to get past the Fabi
As per the mileage i suppose it has improved quite a bit at cruising 100 it is consuming 3.6L/100KM as compared to 4.5 before. Will get to know how much it does in fuel tank in a weeks time. Am sure city mileage has gone up by 10% or so. I guess thanks to the EGR valve and Intake manifold cleaning which was choked thanks to the carbon deposit.
She drives much much smoother now. I wonder how she would do with custom intake and green cone filter, can't wait to see that

Cheers!

Invinsible: You, Sir, are giving Civics and CRVs grief? They must be nursing broken hearts by now
I think it's fantastic validation of the Fabia's torque.

Amp: Most of that is Greek to me. Or, what the Hell- ALL of it is Greek! But thanks for the tips- now the Dealer cannot pull wool over my eyes.
Anyone on our Gratis section giving away an amp?

LUMAR: I have heard good reports of the Brand. Perhaps I'll swing that way.

Pics coming up. I'll aim to boot the camera this Saturday and then should be fine to go.

[Invinsible]

NETCHEF : Not just just civic last night it was mighty Audi Q7 4.2 tdi with 325 hp and 700 nm of torque. The guy in audi was pulling on every car until i decided to pull one on him. after which i did i stayed ahead for quite sometime, was almost neck to neck till 130 after which he went passed thx to enormous torque. But it wasn't so difficult to stay close to it, thx to it's weight Q7 has power to weight ratio of 135bhp per ton compared to 98 in mine. But that might beast did spin fast once after 100.
After that short sprint we just stopped by to complement eachother and than went our way, am sure he must wondering how did a fabia with pony little engine manage to do that.

[MadRash]

Originally Posted by Invinsible

SHORT UPDATE :
My Fabi is doing just great. Pick up has improved tremendously. I think slightly more than what I found on day one I had remapped at almost close to 5000kms. The power delivery is just seamless. The car just pulls like crazy in 3rd gear from 2200 rpm. The midrange is much much stronger then ever before.
Cheers!

Hi Invinsible:
I too noticed this strong mid range in the recent days though my TDI wasn't remapped. My Fabia has completed 13500+ KMs.

I remember yours is a TDI. What is the highest speed achieved in TDI? Im able to go upto 150. But due to engine noise, I reduce the speed immediately. Hopefully it could touch 160. AFAIK.


To all:
I would like to get more info on the following

1. Headlight upgrade - Mine is a classic model and does not have the projector lens. I wanted to go for either 100+ W bulb or for HID. I dont know how reliable the HIDs are. Will it last long? Will it melt the wiring/the headlight housing? etc. Someone already done it please through some light.

2. CRUISE CONTROL - I see this feature in Europe Fabias and in Indian lauras. I'm sure this feature will increase my comfort in highway drives(also the fuel efficiency). Is it possible to retrofit the Cruise Control in Fabia? Will the dealer do it? Invinsible, any ideas?

3. Horn -Its loud enough for a mono horn. But want the sharpness of the twin horn. How much will a laura's horn cost?

[netchef]

[quote=VKJ;1214633]Netchef,

Apart from 3M, Garware, Lumar you might want to consider V-kool which has excellent effect. Alternatively there's another good brand marketed in india by Opulent, its called Hüper Optik from germany.
quote]

VKJ: Oh, great. The more the merrier. I'm sure the Germans have a handle on this tech - as they tend to do in so many areas.

Need to explore if it's sold in Bangalore.

Originally Posted by Invinsible

NETCHEF : Not just just civic last night it was mighty Audi Q7 4.2 tdi with 325 hp and 700 nm of torque. The guy in audi was pulling on every car until i decided to pull one on him. after which i did i stayed ahead for quite sometime, was almost neck to neck till 130 after which he went passed thx to enormous torque. But it wasn't so difficult to stay close to it, thx to it's weight Q7 has power to weight ratio of 135bhp per ton compared to 98 in mine. But that might beast did spin fast once after 100.
After that short sprint we just stopped by to complement eachother and than went our way, am sure he must wondering how did a fabia with pony little engine manage to do that.

Invinsible: You smoked a Q7 till 130? I'm sure the gent went raving mad and pulled out his hair trying to figure a 'repent-at-leisure' of 68 lakhs vs. 8! It's the weight disadvantage the bigger barge has.

[quote=MadRash;1214788] What is the highest speed achieved in TDI? Im able to go upto 150. But due to engine noise, I reduce the speed immediately. Hopefully it could touch 160. AFAIK.

To all:
I would like to get more info on the following

1. Headlight upgrade - Mine is a classic model and does not have the projector lens. I wanted to go for either 100+ W bulb or for HID. I dont know how reliable the HIDs are. Will it last long? Will it melt the wiring/the headlight housing? etc. Someone already done it please through some light.
quote]

MadRash: I'd love to know how much an upgrade to the full projector units of the Skoda Fabia would be.

Speeds: I've read of gents from the North doing 180Kmph.

[Invinsible]

Originally Posted by MadRash

Hi Invinsible:
I too noticed this strong mid range in the recent days though my TDI wasn't remapped. My Fabia has completed 13500+ KMs.

I remember yours is a TDI. What is the highest speed achieved in TDI? Im able to go upto 150. But due to engine noise, I reduce the speed immediately. Hopefully it could touch 160. AFAIK.

Well i have managed to achieve 185 when it was touching red line limit. So backed off after which, but think if I had another gear would have easily crossed that mark. Din't find my engine make an noise, i guess remap would have cured that problem. Naikpranav has managed to get 180 in his Fabi which is completely stock. My car goes to 160 with ease, after which takes a bit of time to reach around 180.

To all:
I would like to get more info on the following

1. Headlight upgrade - Mine is a classic model and does not have the projector lens. I wanted to go for either 100+ W bulb or for HID. I dont know how reliable the HIDs are. Will it last long? Will it melt the wiring/the headlight housing? etc. Someone already done it please through some light.

I am having the HID's fitted right from day one in my fabi which has projector lamps and not had any sort of issue. HID bulbs are 35Watts but due to being gas discharge bulbs they create 3 times the light of normal 55W halogen bulbs and are much colder so no problem of heating up. I would suggest you to source for HID kit which throws 4000K light or 4300K. They are not completely White as compared to 6000K HID Kit which is common. Finding one with 4000K would be little difficult or may be one might have to get it from abroad. With 6000K I have which is a single filament bulb works for both low and high beam, have found little difficulty in heavy rains. So, suggest to get 4000K which is off white in color. Will be getting one before rains. Projector lamps cost around 30000 each.
Best solution will be to change the bulbs to 55W philips or Osram. Going 100 will burn off your headlamp clear glass which is not exactly glass but made of plastic, due to excessive heat they land up burning it up and gets smokey/dull. A friend of mine did that in his octavia and within weeks time the bulbs had burnt his headlamp. He eventually switched back to 55W. But, HID works best with projector lamps not that it will not give result with the Basic headlamp assembly.


2. CRUISE CONTROL - I see this feature in Europe Fabias and in Indian lauras. I'm sure this feature will increase my comfort in highway drives(also the fuel efficiency). Is it possible to retrofit the Cruise Control in Fabia? Will the dealer do it? Invinsible, any ideas?
It is possible to get cruise control retrofitted from outside but the company will never do it. There are CC kit available in europe which can be fitted but it's one task to get it as you have to place the sensor on to the wheels and program the ECU along with it. It will be difficult to do it due to reprogramming the ECU which the dealers are not equipped with. Though it's possible in the end with lack of expertise here in reprogramming the ECU sounds it cannot be done.

3. Horn -Its loud enough for a mono horn. But want the sharpness of the twin horn. How much will a laura's horn cost?[/]
Last when I enquired with Skoda for laura's horn they said that it would cost around 4000 along with the horn cost which is 2500, wiring and labour.
Better alternative would be to get a horn from bosch and hella. But make sure there is no cutting of any wiring and stuff as it would void the warranty. Just take off the exisiting horn and replace them with the new one with the same wiring and connectors. No need to have a relay. It already has one.

NETCHEF: I have experienced V-kool the top of line range and they seem of great quality in controlling heat. However it cost around 25000 or so. Compared between LUMAR and VKOOL there's barely any difference and din't find worth spending 25000 for it as against 9000 for LUMAR.

[MadRash]

Originally Posted by netchef

MadRash: I'd love to know how much an upgrade to the full projector units of the Skoda Fabia would be.

netchef:
When my car met with a small accident 6 months back I paid approx. 10K for the normal headlight assembly. Like Invinsible said the projector ones will costs around 20/30K per piece. So its to better stay away from it.

I have 3M sunfilms in my car for the windows and the windscreen. Go for lighter shades. I went for 50% visibility film for the windows and found it a bit difficult to see in the dark. Reg the windscreen, i read some where that Fabia's windscreen protects from UV rays. But haven't confirmed it.


Thanks a lot Invinsible for your valuable inputs.

[MadRash]

[quote=netchef;1214893]
MadRash: I'd love to know how much an upgrade to the full projector units of the Skoda Fabia would be.
[quote]
netchef:
When my car met with a small accident 6 months back I paid approx. 10K for the normal headlight assembly. Like Invinsible said the projector ones will costs around 20/30K per piece. So its to better stay away from it.

I have 3M sunfilms in my car for the windows and the windscreen. Go for lighter shades. I went for 50% visibility film for the windows and found it a bit difficult to see in the dark. Reg the windscreen, i read some where that Fabia's windscreen protects from UV rays. But haven't confirmed it.

Thanks a lot Invinsible for your valuable inputs.



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