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Skoda Fabia 1.4 16V 100hp Elegance common faults.

2000–2004, hatchback, petrol, 100 HP.

The fault list covers: AUB, BBZ engine, MQ200 transmission.

What you save stays on this device only. My saves

6 fault write-ups. 3 important. No recall on the list.

If you know the year, pick it. Faults for other years drop out of the list.

Before you buy

Known faults

3 important faults

expensive3

MQ200 / MQ250 manual gearbox: differential bearing and synchros

expensive

The light, magnesium cased MQ200 and the MQ250, sized for higher torque, are the most widespread manual gearboxes in the transverse engine VAG models. Both have the same two weak points, and both depend on use.

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The first is the differential bearing: as it wears you first get a droning, then a whine from the thrust bearings of the output shaft. Left alone, the planetary shaft can fail and in extreme cases punch through the gearbox casing: from then on it is not a repair but a replacement.

The second is the synchros: they can start crunching at around 50,000 km with aggressive driving. This type does not like dumping the clutch or slipping it, and on a used car that is exactly what you have to listen for.

above 50,000 km

What to check

  • On the test drive with the window down, listen to the gearbox both off and on the throttle: droning or whining is suspect
  • Shift up and down quickly, especially into 2nd and 3rd: crunching means synchro wear
  • Try engaging 1st and reverse when cold: resistance here means wear
2 more steps in the write-up

I: the manual gearbox synchros wear, the gear binds

expensive

In the manual gearbox of the early Fabia the synchro rings wear out: second gear binds or "crunches" when cold, later third does too. At first you only have to shift more slowly, and finally the gear will not go in at all. On a car used heavily as a driving school vehicle the synchros wear sooner, and a gearbox rebuild on a car in this price bracket can easily take half the value of the car.

What to check

  • Shift into second cold several times, quickly too: crunching means a synchro fault
  • Try the 2 to 3 and 3 to 2 shifts while driving, under load as well
  • Watch whether the gear jumps out on its own when lifting off
1 more steps in the write-up

Water in the footwell and ageing of the cooling circuit hoses

expensive

The water gets into the cabin through the windscreen drain or the door seal, and collects in the foam under the carpet. The first sign is a misting windscreen and a musty smell. The rubber hoses of the cooling circuit age and leak too. Greasy mist on the windscreen is antifreeze, plain mist is water.

What to check

  • Lift the carpet at all four seats and press the foam
  • Smell the cabin when cold, with the doors closed
  • Check whether the windscreen mists up greasily: that is antifreeze, not water
2 more steps in the write-up

comfort2

Coolant temperature sensor (G62) failure

comfort

The G62 sensor tells the engine control unit how hot the coolant is. If it is faulty, the control unit thinks a warm engine is cold, and runs it rich: hard warm or cold starting, a rough idle, markedly increased fuel consumption, and a dash temperature gauge that jumps around or never reaches its usual reading. The part is cheap and can be replaced in half an hour: the trouble is that many people do not recognise it and replace an injector or a lambda sensor instead. If the fault persists, the rich mixture can destroy the catalytic converter too.

What to check

  • Warm it up and watch the dash temperature gauge: the needle should sit steadily at the middle reading, not jump around
  • Watch a cold start, then a warm start after twenty minutes standing
  • With a code reader look for the 17664 / P1256 code in the engine control unit
2 more steps in the write-up

Secondary air system: pump and combination valve (P0411)

comfort

From the late nineties to around 2006, petrol engines used a secondary air pump to blow fresh air into the exhaust on a cold start, so the catalytic converter reaches operating temperature faster. The impeller of the pump rusts or its bearing seizes, soot clogs the combination valve (N112), and the rubber hoses crack. The control unit then stores the `P0411` code. It barely affects driving, but the engine warning light is on, and the emissions test can fail because of it, and the roadworthiness test with it.

What to check

  • After a cold start watch for 30 to 60 seconds: can you hear the pump droning from the engine bay
  • Check whether the engine warning light is on, and have it read out: P0411 (VAG code 16795) points to this system
  • Ask when the last emissions test was, and whether it passed first time
2 more steps in the write-up

cheap repair1

ABS sensor and central locking failure

cheap repair

The wheel speed sensor fails: the ABS and ESP lights come on, and the system drops out. The central locking actuators wear out, or the wiring breaks in the door hinge. The roadworthiness test can fail because of the ABS light.

What to check

  • After startup watch whether the ABS and ESP lights go out
  • Try the central locking on every door, from outside and inside
  • Open and close the doors, and watch whether the lock actuator hesitates
1 more steps in the write-up

Checklist

Skoda Fabia 1.4 16V 100hp Elegance

First what you would check on any car. Then the faults of this model.

Before you buy

Checklist

The printed sheet starts with what you would check on any car. What you tick stays on this device only.

On every car

Ask the owner

Faults of this model

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Engine and transmission

2 engines · 1 transmissions

AUB · 1.4

74 kW (101 HP) · petrol

MQ200 · 5- or 6-speed manual

manual · 5–6 speed

Torque limit200 Nm
MakerVolkswagen

We built the code from the model and the gear count. The factory sheet does not state it. More than one engine code is possible. The fault list shows the faults of each.

Variant data

What is in this version

Factory data

Trim
Elegance
Body
hatchback
Fuel
petrol
Transmission
manual
Engine size
1390 cc
Power
74 kW (101 HP)
Drive
FWD
Production
2000–2004

Factory service interval

The manufacturer specifies this for this version. Of the mileage and the time, the one that comes first is the one that counts.

  • Air filter

    • 60,000 km or 4 years

  • Cabin (pollen) filter

    • 30,000 km or 2 years

  • Engine oil and oil filter

    • LongLife30,000 km or 2 years(valid only with LongLife-approved oil)
    • 15,000 km or 1 year

  • Brake fluid change

    • first: 3 years, then 2 years(first change at 3 years, then every two years)

  • Coolant (antifreeze) change

    • first: 193,000 km or 10 years, then 97,000 km or 5 years(G13 / G12++: first change at 120,000 miles or 10 years, then every 60,000 miles or 5 years)

  • Spark plugs, petrol

    • 60,000 km or 6 years
All I versions

Information, not an expert opinion

We write the descriptions, and we put the source next to them. A person reviews them before they go out. They are still information, not a technical expert opinion.

  • A fault on the list does not mean the car you are looking at has it.
  • A fault missing from the list does not mean the model is fault-free. Write-ups are made model by model. Not all of them are done.
  • You decide whether to buy. This is no substitute for an inspection. That needs a workshop and a history check.
Details in the terms