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The marvellous Skoda Fabia 1.9 SDI

I'm not sure about "based on" the Dauphiné. The 1980s Skodas, the 105/120/130, were based on the 100 and 110 of the 70's and the MB1000 before that in the 1960s. All shared the R/R layout. Skodas prior to that were conventinal F/R layout, as the "original" Octavia.

Wikipedia suggests that the R/R layout was forced upon the Czechs by the Soviets, which rings true. At that time most Russian cars were F/R or R/R, with R/R remaining popular, and the R/R layout was used by the Imp, the Beetle, and as you say the Renault, along with the Simca 1000, so it was hardly unique at that time. It is suggested that Skoda wanted to go with a F/F layout, which was established by the early 1960s as a good layout and used to good effect by Citroen (2CV, ID19) and of course Austin in the Mini. Even in darkest Czechoslovakia the engineers would have been familiar with how effective the Mini and 2CV were as small cars, but they apparently lacked the engineering skills at that time to produce an effective F/F transmission of their own and the Soviets didn't want them producing anything that might outperform their cars of the time. Buying the technology in from the West was of course out of the question, so the rear-engined Skoda was born.

As a result of this I'd be more inclined to say that the 120 (Estelle in UK) came out of the 100/110 and MB1000 of the 2 previous decades, and that the connection with the layout of the Dauphiné is incidental. The Dauphiné came out of the 4CV and yielded the R8, but after that Renault abandoned the layout. I do agree that the MB1000 styling is very much based on the Dauphiné.

I read that there are 3 Estelles remaining in the UK. A few more Rapids, long may they run. I read also that prices are rising. Good for them, though I'll be saving my money. There are (much) better cars out there for £2-3k.
 
I bought a low milage MK 2 Fabia 1.2 SE earlier this year. This is a well put together car with many good features. It is let down by the very noisy 3 cylinder petrol engine and this is the reason I will not be keeping it.
 
david ellwood said:
Never change the cambelt on a vw pd diesel without also changing the water pump.

Well looked after the engine will last as long as the flywheel lasts. Once the dmf dies it generally scraps the car.
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Depends how reasonable your mechanic is, I changed the DMF and clutch earlier this year as the old one was getting noisy enough a I thought a 5000mi round trip to Italy was pushing my luck!
 
What does a DMF cost? As a general rule they seem to pack up around the same time as the clutch and you do the lot in one go. Only a fool does one and not the other if they have both done ~100k miles. I do agree though, it's often the end of the line for old cars. A bill of £500-600 and they are done for, which is a shame but nothing lasts for ever.
 
Zeusum said:
I bought a low milage MK 2 Fabia 1.2 SE earlier this year. This is a well put together car with many good features. It is let down by the very noisy 3 cylinder petrol engine and this is the reason I will not be keeping it.
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I thought the thrum of that engine would be the best bit! Certainly when I hired Citigoes and Seat Mii(e?) about 4 years ago to thrash them around rural Ireland that eager buzz was good fun. Shades of Minis and hot (ish) hatches that I used to thrash round in my youth.
 
Tony Lockhart said:
To be fair, the Mk4 only needed minor chassis improvements to totally transform it. A cheap remap took it even further.
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Absolutely, Eibach/Bilstein suspension and ARB components on mine. Polybushed throughout. Also a K04 turbo and a high flow catalytic converter (but a nice quiet exhaust, I'd rather hear the noise from under the bonnet... its running about 210bhp and will leave a MK1/2 GTI in the dust. It's also more fun than the newer GTI models in stock form IMHO. A true pocket rocket.
 
Waldteufel said:
Odd how we accept a noisy engine in a Porsche Carrera or Ferrari, but want a runabout to be quiet.
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With many sports and supercars there's at least the option of a switchable exhaust. Nice n quiet when starting up in the garage or on the motorway, grin-inducing when enjoying a blat.
 
Waldteufel said:
Odd how we accept a noisy engine in a Porsche Carrera or Ferrari, but want a runabout to be quiet.
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To be fair, the sound from a Porsche flat six is wonderful, as opposed to a small four pot fart box with a dodgy aftermarket big bore. It goes from a low burble to a throaty rasp to a howl as it climbs through the revs and it puts a big smile on your face.
 
The Rover K series can be made to sound pretty special at between 5000 and 7000 rpm. A bit of induction hammer doesn't detract from it, surprisingly. An ally inlet manifold, 4-1, no cat and a single box is all you need. It even has a tasty "blob-blob-blob" at idle.
 
stevec67 said:
The Rover K series can be made to sound pretty special at between 5000 and 7000 rpm. A bit of induction hammer doesn't detract from it, surprisingly. An ally inlet manifold, 4-1, no cat and a single box is all you need. It even has a tasty "blob-blob-blob" at idle.
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Tuned versions of the K series have made it into some pretty awesome cars... Lotus Elise and Caterham 7 anyone? :)
 
Come on everyone, you are getting off topic -the mighty SDI Skoda is the subject.

In all seriousness, the 1.9 (or 1.7 in its short stroke version) VW cast iron block Diesel is an astonishing engine. It came with various levels of power, with internals and flywheels adjusted accordingly, from 60 through to 130 bhp and could be tuned to silly levels. Taxi drivers used to love the SDI engines because of legendary ability to exceed 250,000 miles.
 
250k? So could most NA petrol engines of the 90s, and without turbo headaches. I had any number of friends run Cavs, Astras and Mondeos beyond 150k miles, often 200k, without taking the cam cover off. By that time the rest of the car fell apart under them. In contrast I had 2 friends do the same with Golf TDis, both ate a turbo and lunched the engine by consuming all the sump oil somewhere between 150 and 200k. New turbos were £1k fitted, which finished most cars.
 
stevec67 said:
250k? So could most NA petrol engines of the 90s, and without turbo headaches. I had any number of friends run Cavs, Astras and Mondeos beyond 150k miles, often 200k, without taking the cam cover off. By that time the rest of the car fell apart under them. In contrast I had 2 friends do the same with Golf TDis, both ate a turbo and lunched the engine by consuming all the sump oil somewhere between 150 and 200k. New turbos were £1k fitted, which finished most cars.
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One of the reasons the SDI engines were so popular with cost conscious Taxi drivers.
 
Any engine that isn't serviced properly and driven properly will cause problems. 20k mile oil changes applied to the wrong engine will result in great expense further down the line.
 
linnfomaniac83 said:
It goes from a low burble to a throaty rasp to a howl as it climbs through the revs and it puts a big smile on your face.
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Presumably you mean the driver, not the poor sap who was walking up the hill from the postbox to his house at 5pm this afternoon and feared for his hearing?

OK, I admit that was a personal gripe.
 
Snufkin said:
One of the reasons the SDI engines were so popular with cost conscious Taxi drivers.
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Oh, was the SDI a non-turbo? In that case I imagine that it would last for ever. Rather like the Perkins donkeys in black cabs. If the engine didn't last for ever, it felt that way to the driver at least.
 
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