Martin Vaculík’s bazaars

After more than twenty years on the market, we can talk about the Škoda Fabia as a legend. There are bazaars full of them, but which one is the right one?

Generation I (1999–2008): … and suddenly rup!

We have written many times that the first generation Skoda Fabia is one of the best quality cars ever made. On the other hand, it is already so old today that surprising and often dangerous defects occur.

As Czechs, we have experienced falling wheels with cars on a mass scale three times. For the first time with the 742 series, popularly known as the 120s from 1976 to 1990. The economical design of the rear axle, where the drive shaft (half axle) also directly held the wheel by a combination of friction (cone) and shaped (wedge) connection, was difficult for mechanics to understand and maintain. And so when these cars came of age, their rear wheels fell off massively.

And now the front

The second time was when, after the coup, the most successful of us from the West imported used Mercedes W 201 and 124. While the design of the 1920s was quite adequate for the fatal flaw, here it was not only neglected, but simply completely lacking in maintenance. The Czech car mechanic was not yet well acquainted with the issue of encapsulated ball studs (cars in the RVHP used to be vertical) and certainly not with the specific design of the Mercedes axle, where the spring is outside the shock absorber and acts directly on the arm, so that when the wheel is lightened, the stud is strained by tension. He wouldn’t really need to know anything at all if once a year he went through the undercarriage with a spudger and revealed the play that was there long before the wheel finally fell off.

For twenty years she gnawed…

For the third time, cars with a tilted wheel propped up in the wheel arch began to appear on Czech roads five years ago. These are the first generations of Fabias (from 1999) and Octavias (from 1996), considered indestructible until now. Again, no ancient design failure is to blame, but simply age and lack of care. Paradoxically, the manufacturer’s efforts for low repair costs, where the ball joint and the silent blocks are separate parts, have paid off. When play occurs in them due to operation, the entire arm does not change, but only the affected parts. The sheet metal part remains. No manufacturer “sharpens” the anti-corrosion protection of these parts by relying on the strength of the material. The auto mechanic is so used to it that they are always sharp. And he has trouble knowing which rust is still superficial and which will really weaken the supporting part. The result is broken wheels on cars that otherwise look nice from the outside and drove flawlessly until the last moment.

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2023-07-07 16:56:14
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