AnnoyingPentium's Adventures - Sprucing!

[Sunny Jim]

It'll be the Trigger's Broom of Fabias 🧹🚗💪

[big_al_granvia]

who tested it, geordie in cotrin??

 

[AnnoyingPentium]

27 minutes ago, big_al_granvia said:

who tested it, geordie in cotrin??

 

Got it done by my usual bit in Dalmellington, Al.

[AnnoyingPentium]

Been gathering up some parts for this one recently. Mostly to do a service before Skodafest next month.

Yuck.

That's another service done though, creeping up on 100k miles now.

In addition, I managed to bag a front bumper for it from one that was sitting in the U-Pull-It yard.

Less lacquer falling off that one and it fits better around the wings.

[Yoss]

3 hours ago, AnnoyingPentium said:

Been gathering up some parts for this one recently. Mostly to do a service before Skodafest next month.

Yuck.

That's another service done though, creeping up on 100k miles now.

In addition, I managed to bag a front bumper for it from one that was sitting in the U-Pull-It yard.

Less lacquer falling off that one and it fits better around the wings.

I haven't been to a Skodafest since before lockdown. I either forget or only find out afterwards, so thanks for the unintentional heads up. If you can make it down from Ayr then I have no excuse not to make it up from Southampton. 

[AnnoyingPentium]

2 hours ago, Yoss said:

I haven't been to a Skodafest since before lockdown. I either forget or only find out afterwards, so thanks for the unintentional heads up. If you can make it down from Ayr then I have no excuse not to make it up from Southampton. 

This'll be my third one as well!

[Bmwdumptruck]

Was that the estate you pulled the bumper from?  I’m looking for a set of roof bars for mine, but there’s no way I can justify running to Edinburgh to pull the ones of that one.   Must have been a fair treck for you wasn’t it?

[AnnoyingPentium]

6 hours ago, Bmwdumptruck said:

Was that the estate you pulled the bumper from?  I’m looking for a set of roof bars for mine, but there’s no way I can justify running to Edinburgh to pull the ones of that one.   Must have been a fair treck for you wasn’t it?

Aye, was a red estate that was there. I got a couple of others parts off it as well. The roof rails shouldn't be too difficult to remove if you're alright with dropping the headliner.

It's about two hours either way to get to Inverkeithing, where the yard is. It paid off this time as there was three Mk1s in, so I was able to pull parts from each one.

Interestingly, I have only a photo of the reg for the last one, which was a top spec Elegance TDi with side airbags and other rare options.

[Bmwdumptruck]

We’re booked to be up in Berwick mid july for about 5 nights, but we’ll be in our Moho towing the bike which is then our transport.  Although I’m actually then heading off to FtBill on the bike leaving the wife to chill for 3 of those nights while I meet up with a bunch of biker mates.  So even if the rails are still there the chances of being able to go a get them are so slim!!  Need to find some nearer home really.  And in truth there’s no great rush.

[AnnoyingPentium]

3 hours ago, Bmwdumptruck said:

We’re booked to be up in Berwick mid july for about 5 nights, but we’ll be in our Moho towing the bike which is then our transport.  Although I’m actually then heading off to FtBill on the bike leaving the wife to chill for 3 of those nights while I meet up with a bunch of biker mates.  So even if the rails are still there the chances of being able to go a get them are so slim!!  Need to find some nearer home really.  And in truth there’s no great rush.

Do you do Facebook? If so, get yourself on the Fabia Owners Club. Seems to be the least chav-centric one of the lot (unlike the PD owners group etc...) 😂

[AnnoyingPentium]

Time to post a writeup of sorts, whilst I'm still (barely) awake. Been on the go since 04:00 hours.

Third year I've went to Skodafest, this time with our wee squad once again growing.

Three Mk1 Fabias, one Mk3 Fabia, a Mk2 Octavia, and a Suzuki Swift. Most of us arrived/left at separate times or on different days, but the main thing is that we met up today for the show. A good turnout, once again well spaced out. Serious lack of the 'second generation' rear-engined Skodas, unlike when we went in 2023. Some older stuff there, but mostly front engine stuff. Some familiar faces were there today as well. A lovely chat with @Yoss was to be had, and later on with @LoftyvRS. Finally great to put faces to names and suchlike.

Will say, Lofty's car doesn't pass for very AS material, but I have to appreciate just how tidy it is. Certainly puts my one to shame!

Moving back to mine for a moment (pictured below), a milestone was achieved today!

Not bad considering I've tried to kill it... as @PicantoJon can testify.

Shuffled along great at 70mph. Just keeps going. Repping the AS sticker too, of course!

I've other photos from today, in a Flickr album, if anyone is that way inclined.

I'll report back tomorrow after I return home as well. Currently writing this from a hotel near Stafford, absolutely shattered now.

[AnnoyingPentium]

Oh and before I forget, I met up with @Lord Sterling to pass over some Vectra B parts I'd hoarded previously. I got a shot of that utterly sublime Vectra too. Thank you kindly, Mo, was great to sit and chat for a bit too.

[Lord Sterling]

Wait, was @PicantoJon with you? 

[AnnoyingPentium]

2 minutes ago, Lord Sterling said:

Wait, was @PicantoJon with you? 

Not today! I was referring to Shitefest 2023 when I had a little bit of an oopsie with a ditch...

 

[LoftyvRS]

It was good to finally meet you flesh to flesh on Sunday Ryan, in that remote Shropshire field (sounds like an erotic novel there) and i admire the commitment you Scots put in driving to such events.

Twas a good day, and yes while my own garage ornament is not prime AS fodder I get just as much fun looking at things that would easily win an AS Concours event, especially the beautiful Favorits there on the day.

Looking forward to the next one

[AnnoyingPentium]

Things!

They have been a-happenin'.

Now done 50k under my 4 ½ year tenure. I've bought A LOT of parts for this to finally get a sprucing up. It's getting left with my mate next month for some well-deserved work to be done when I go away for a holiday.

Also been earning its keep lately, been shiteshifting some stuff up to my mate's as we're going into a new wee venture soon, hopefully.

[Bmwdumptruck]

On 28/04/2025 at 12:08, AnnoyingPentium said:

Do you do Facebook? If so, get yourself on the Fabia Owners Club. Seems to be the least chav-centric one of the lot (unlike the PD owners group etc...) 😂

Yes I am on a Facebook Fabia Owners Club, whether it’s the same one??  I am also on a spares forsale and wanted one too.  
Not done much to mine lately, just used it a bit. Wifes doing one day a week to work to satisfy her being the lead driver on the insurance,  then I just use it when I want to.  Still looking for roof rails and really need to get my alloys sorted and fitted. And we’re contemplating doing the clutch. It’s not slipping as such but is very high.  Not till after our holiday though.

[AnnoyingPentium]

33 minutes ago, Bmwdumptruck said:

Yes I am on a Facebook Fabia Owners Club, whether it’s the same one??  I am also on a spares forsale and wanted one too.  
Not done much to mine lately, just used it a bit. Wifes doing one day a week to work to satisfy her being the lead driver on the insurance,  then I just use it when I want to.  Still looking for roof rails and really need to get my alloys sorted and fitted. And we’re contemplating doing the clutch. It’s not slipping as such but is very high.  Not till after our holiday though.

Sounds decent enough. I can speak to my mate and see if he has a set of roof rails from his dad's old car.

[AnnoyingPentium]

More mad bastard stuff going on here. Left the car with my mate, I fucked off to another country, then came back to get the car. He's done a cracking job, just some stuff that I'll do as well since I've had a delay in stuff arriving and suchlike.

Black headlining and pillar trims pulled from a VRS have went in. The headlining has sagged due to the heat, and now full of thumb tacks so I'm no longer generating static electricity every time I move my head. Going to try and dye the beige one that came out. 

Black door seals here too, but that requires disassembly of the interior again. I'll wait until the headliner is out and sort that one.

Rear electric windows in and working fine off the rear doors and doing the 'global close' thing with the key.

The front control on the driver's front door doesn't operate them though, due to wiring changeover between the pre and post facelift Mk1. Earlier cars had the windows running independently on a two-wire CAN line, whereas the facelift uses a single wire LIN system with the window motors running on a master/slave setup. It's at this point I realised I'd have been as well buying an older Fabia Elegance and calling it a day, but I'm too far into this now. Fortunately, we've got the wiring to convert the front doors to run on the CAN system instead of the LIN one, so can eventually get everything talking on the correct line, and hopefully working as intended.

I've also had my mate retrofit the wiring looms for the heated front seats - which don't work. However, fear not, this is actually due to a duff control module on the passenger side which seems to be upsetting things. I've messaged someone local who is selling a set of Fabia Elegance heated seats to see if they know if the heated modules work okay. That way I can even just transfer the upholstery cloth from my earlier seats over after giving it a bloody good clean.

It's not all just been cosmetic/interior work, things have been busy mechanically too.

New rear shock absorbers and a Whiteline rear anti roll bar, to try and deal with the body roll somewhat. Feels so much better to drive now. 

Beyond that, all I've done is expertly* painted the front grille surround in anthracite*, so thats something.

It's coming together now, lots more to do, but getting it to a point where I'm happy. Sure, I could have just went and bought another Fabia, but that wouldn't have made for as much of an interesting* write-up.

[Tenmil Socket]

3 minutes ago, AnnoyingPentium said:

More mad bastard stuff going on here. Left the car with my mate, I fucked off to another country, then came back to get the car. He's done a cracking job, just some stuff that I'll do as well since I've had a delay in stuff arriving and suchlike.

Black headlining and pillar trims pulled from a VRS have went in. The headlining has sagged due to the heat, and now full of thumb tacks so I'm no longer generating static electricity every time I move my head. Going to try and dye the beige one that came out. 

Black door seals here too, but that requires disassembly of the interior again. I'll wait until the headliner is out and sort that one.

Rear electric windows in and working fine off the rear doors and doing the 'global close' thing with the key.

The front control on the driver's front door doesn't operate them though, due to wiring changeover between the pre and post facelift Mk1. Earlier cars had the windows running independently on a two-wire CAN line, whereas the facelift uses a single wire LIN system with the window motors running on a master/slave setup. It's at this point I realised I'd have been as well buying an older Fabia Elegance and calling it a day, but I'm too far into this now. Fortunately, we've got the wiring to convert the front doors to run on the CAN system instead of the LIN one, so can eventually get everything talking on the correct line, and hopefully working as intended.

I've also had my mate retrofit the wiring looms for the heated front seats - which don't work. However, fear not, this is actually due to a duff control module on the passenger side which seems to be upsetting things. I've messaged someone local who is selling a set of Fabia Elegance heated seats to see if they know if the heated modules work okay. That way I can even just transfer the upholstery cloth from my earlier seats over after giving it a bloody good clean.

It's not all just been cosmetic/interior work, things have been busy mechanically too.

New rear shock absorbers and a Whiteline rear anti roll bar, to try and deal with the body roll somewhat. Feels so much better to drive now. 

Beyond that, all I've done is expertly* painted the front grille surround in anthracite*, so thats something.

It's coming together now, lots more to do, but getting it to a point where I'm happy. Sure, I could have just went and bought another Fabia, but that wouldn't have made for as much of an interesting* write-up.

Looking good mate 👍🏻

*Is that a load of stick men running around on the door cards?

[AnnoyingPentium]

3 minutes ago, Tenmil Socket said:

Looking good mate 👍🏻

*Is that a load of stick men running around on the door cards?

Cheers!

Indeed it is! The seats have the same pattern too. Pulled the lot from a couple of early top spec cars as its much more exciting* than the fully black interior I had before.

 

[Yoss]

This is all good work and worth doing. I know you say it would be easier to just buy a top spec car but mk1 Fabias are now getting seriously scarce, let alone top spec ones, (unless you live in CZ) so I doubt that is a realistic option. 

[Markeh]

I'm surprised you didn't come back from Prague with a suitcase full of Fabia bits.

[AnnoyingPentium]

7 minutes ago, Markeh said:

I'm surprised you didn't come back from Prague with a suitcase full of Fabia bits.

So am I 😆

[robt100]

Looking good! Can confirm whiteline rollbars on Skodas are awesome, had one on my mother-in-laws octavia and it had amazingly neutral handling. 
As for the heated seats, I think the heated fabia seats are the only time I've had to discreetly make sure I haven't had an accident instead of it being the heated seat. They warm up a bit too quickly to not second guess yourself🤣

[AnnoyingPentium]

On 21/07/2025 at 14:52, AnnoyingPentium said:

The headlining has sagged due to the heat, and now full of thumb tacks so I'm no longer generating static electricity every time I move my head. Going to try and dye the beige one that came out. 

I folded, and did a near 200 mile trip to Dalkeith and back with this:

To get this:

Other parts have been sourced as well, but that headlining was the main thing to get. Will be fitting it soon, along with the new door seals sourced by a mate on the other side of the country.

Also going to be fitting the Blaupunkt that I purchased from @gm - might be in there a week, but either way it'll be nice to have all eight speakers properly singing.

I'm after a set of those six-spoke alloys in better nick. Was tempted to have the current ones refurbished but when tidy Bohemia/Sport alloys do pop up, they're normally a good few quid cheaper than what I'd be having all four tidied up.