Fabia VRS oil consumption..........What is acceptable?

[lordsummit]

It was by twice running mine down to the light I got the figures that proved mine was an oil user. I'd suggest doing that to anyone in that position. If every 600 miles the check oil light comes on, it proves the problem. My progress to a new engine was smooth from there on in.

[Sittingbull]

"Looks like a new engine"

 

Those were the words that greeted me upon collecting our Vrs from the dealer today after they had it in on completion of the oil consumption test. I asked for figures and data so that I could take them away and absorb them but none were available, so I will try Skoda and/ or Warranty to get the information.

 

Been told to wait for further contact from Dealer as they expect to hear from Skoda regarding results, and to monitor oil usage as I have been doing. 

 

I've been told already by Skoda that they would contact me tomorrow for an update and discussion on what will happen next, Skoda told me this last week. I'm pretty sure they normally try for an engine breather modification and ECU Software update going by posts on here, but is it the case that they can go straight to ordering a new engine after the first test? In one sense I hope so in order to have the car the way it should be, in another I'm not entirely confident in dealer ability to successfully carry out the replacement. Maybe harsh, very harsh, but the service manager hasn't done anything to endear us to him.

 

If it is to be a new engine I've been told to prepare for the loss of the car for up to a week.

 

Will keep you posted. In brief though, car failed the test.

 

Apologies also for the poor grammar, especially moving between I, we and ours. Car is my wife's but its been me dealing with this.

[sharkrider]

sorry to hear of everyones problems :(

[Sittingbull]

Been confirmed to me today by Skoda UK that an order has been placed for a brand new engine that will be replaced under warranty following the failing of the first (and looks like only) oil consumption test yesterday. New engine to be imported directly from Germany, no date been given as yet as to when replacement will take place but it is expected to be soon.

 

New engine to come with two year warranty, courtesy car to be provided free by Skoda UK, all costs of oil to be refunded as a starting point, and open line to discuss other unsatisfactory issues that have arisen throughout the process including the performance of the retailer in question. Other costs that have arisen to be covered.

 

Sorry to say I don't have detailed analysis of test so can't advise how badly it went, or if it was close to a pass or otherwise. I would suggest that going straight to an order for a new engine means it wasn't close and that any breather mods etc was only serving to delay the inevitable.

 

Of course, it could be that the dealer is so hacked off that they just want this over and done with.

 

Thanks to all on here who have helped us a great deal when we most needed it.

[Sittingbull]

Not sure how StirlingMG is getting on, keen to hear how his case is progressing. My short update now may not best please him if he is still tangled in the processes.

 

Skoda UK have called and advised that our new engine will arrive here in UK on 3 September (this year I hope) and that dealer will be in touch soon to arrange time etc for car to go in.

 

Hopefully StirlingMG is there or thereabouts to getting this kind of resolution soon.

 

Richard

[vrskeith]

Not sure how StirlingMG is getting on, keen to hear how his case is progressing. My short update now may not best please him if he is still tangled in the processes.

 

Skoda UK have called and advised that our new engine will arrive here in UK on 3 September (this year I hope) and that dealer will be in touch soon to arrange time etc for car to go in.

 

Hopefully StirlingMG is there or thereabouts to getting this kind of resolution soon.

 

Richard

That is a very quick delivery from Germany,as Caroline suggested that it was being sourced from their. (Arrive in UK or at the dealers?)

 

Think they still have UK stock, as that is about the same period it took for my Partners to be delivered to dealer

[vrskeith]

We're back to monitoring at the moment.....................first 5 or 600 miles was shocking (over a litre) but dipped last night after 2 weeks & 216 miles & level wasn't bad, not up to the mark but didn't warrant a top up, so will keep an eye on it & if it's no good it'll be going back. She has already spoken to the dealers again so they know about it. Funnily enough there's a VRS parks just round the corner from my place & he drove past last night so I accosted him & asked if he was having any trouble to which he replied he was & the dealer told him to let it run until the light comes on again & then take it in......................I advised him to ignore that advice & do what we are doing & dip it once a week & note the usage per mile

SterlingMG,

 

Would be good to hear from you and your latest status of Mum's car,as  Sittingbull suggests.

 

Hope you get a similar outcome to him and his better half! 

[Sittingbull]

That is a very quick delivery from Germany,as Caroline suggested that it was being sourced from their. (Arrive in UK or at the dealers?)

 

Think they still have UK stock, as that is about the same period it took for my Partners to be delivered to dealer

I thought it was rather quick as well so asked the specific questions; was it indeed a brand new engine or was it a reconditioned one held here in UK? Caroline stated definitely a new engine, definitely coming direct from the factory with a UK arrival date of 3 September 2014 with the dealer to obtain delivery there or thereafter and make arrangements with me for work to be done.

 

I also asked about parts associated with the engine block such as plugs and belts and was told they too would be renewed along with filters, I've asked for this in writing as well as confirmation of the 2 year guarantee and commitment to refunding costs incurred. I will let the forum know how that works out.

[vrskeith]

Also fresh oil, if the sump still has test oil in it, as there may be metallic elements in suspension in the oil. Similarly agreeing with you, could be particles trapped in filters.

[Ootohere]

VW have a Plant in Bauntatal , Kassel Hesse,

 & it is where the DSG is fitted to 4 Cylinder engines, & where engines are remanufactured.

 

I just wonder, since they have a Remanufacturing Plant where the Engines from it go to.

Where do they get sold or fitted to vehicles.

 

Worth asking Skoda UK Customer Services to ask the Technical Department, are these Base Engines that are Delivered 'New' as in First Use of the Engine Block.

or are they 'Remanufactured.'

 

Nothing wrong with Remanufactured Engines from the Manufacturers Production Plant.

But then they are not 'New'.

[StirlingMG]

Nothing much to report at the minute, been really busy at Stirling MG & at normal work so not been on here...................................our monitoring has so far revealed 1/2 litre usage per 350-400 miles which is a vast improvement over what it was but still not good enough. My mother's off on holiday again but when she comes back she's taking the car back in to the dealers

[Sittingbull]

VW have a Plant in Bauntatal , Kassel Hesse,

 & it is where the DSG is fitted to 4 Cylinder engines, & where engines are remanufactured.

 

I just wonder, since they have a Remanufacturing Plant where the Engines from it go to.

Where do they get sold or fitted to vehicles.

 

Worth asking Skoda UK Customer Services to ask the Technical Department, are these Base Engines that are Delivered 'New' as in First Use of the Engine Block.

or are they 'Remanufactured.'

 

Nothing wrong with Remanufactured Engines from the Manufacturers Production Plant.

But then they are not 'New'.

 

I will ask this specific question when in discussion with them over the next week or so. Wee car goes in on 15th September for the engine change, we suggested the date to help retailer out of a hole so to speak as they were having trouble sourcing an automatic for us to use as a courtesy car. I'll keep the forum posted on how the engine change goes. I've asked formally for written confirmation of work to be done, and guarantees etc including extended warranty.

 

 

Nothing much to report at the minute, been really busy at Stirling MG & at normal work so not been on here...................................our monitoring has so far revealed 1/2 litre usage per 350-400 miles which is a vast improvement over what it was but still not good enough. My mother's off on holiday again but when she comes back she's taking the car back in to the dealers

 

Keep plugging away Stirling, your usage mirrors ours and we have ended up in the position of a new engine being fitted. I think our consumption worked out at around 0.5l per 388 miles which seems similar to yours. Main difference is the reaction of the retailer handling ours, they chose to go straight to a new engine as the next step thereby bypassing breather modifications etc.

 

Hopefully you are getting closer to a successful resolution and your mum can start to enjoy the wee car as it was meant to be.

[StirlingMG]

Yeah it would be nice to be able to have a bit of faith in the thing, but using oil at the rate it does or did meant you couldn't really go any distance without keep stopping to check..........................be good to be able to start it up & drive straight to Cornwall in one hit without the fear of the light coming on.

Hopefully it sounds like she's in with a good chance going by your result

[the mad monk]

in my case the long distances didnt use it, it was all those short shopping/school trips that made it worse but just in case i always carry a few ltrs in my boot

[vrskeith]

I thought it was rather quick as well so asked the specific questions; was it indeed a brand new engine or was it a reconditioned one held here in UK? Caroline stated definitely a new engine, definitely coming direct from the factory with a UK arrival date of 3 September 2014 with the dealer to obtain delivery there or thereafter and make arrangements with me for work to be done.

 

I also asked about parts associated with the engine block such as plugs and belts and was told they too would be renewed along with filters, I've asked for this in writing as well as confirmation of the 2 year guarantee and commitment to refunding costs incurred. I will let the forum know how that works out.

Richard,

 

Is all on schedule, engine delivered etc.

 

Hope all goes well, not long to go now.

 

 

 

Take photos of the engine and documentation whilst it's in the transport frame. 

 

We can the correlate the source of supply in relation to the one my partner had fitted. I sent a copy to George so that we could use it for later reference .

 

My dealer had no problem with me doing this.

 

Get your oil claim in now ,as it actually take 6 weeks and not 3  that Tom Chadwick suggested.

 

Dealers don't trust Skoda UK CS to pay them , as they are asked to send a cheque to you.

 

Why Skoda UKCS can't do a direct online payment to the Customers account I will never know- that would be 1 week max. (Systems, process and procedure and internal politics)

Edited 10 September, 2014 by vrskeith

[PaddyVRS]

Had an interesting experience in the local dealers today. After servicing my car they wanted me to monitor the oil levels, I last checked using my normal (hot engine switch off and wait 5 mins then check levels) method and it was above the max mark by a good bit. So I went to the garage today and informed them they have overfilled the car, techie took it round the back and told me I "should not wait" as it means oil is draining out of the engine and sitting in the sump rather than staying in the internals. I see his point but its completely different to the manuals description and what everyone else does...

[Ootohere]

Stone cold oil check before starting it.  

 If it is not constant & consistent on a car parked on the level (flat) then something is odd.

 

Skoda Manual says Warm,  VW says Operating Temperature.   It is for loads of different engine types.   Skoda say 'May',  & VW say 'Must'

 

Cold check on a Twincharger has the Oil high up on the dipstick that VW use in various different engines when the correct maximum amount of oil is in.

 

Looking forward to reading cover to cover a 'New Fabia' owners manual.

See if after all the time they have had the Translation will be correct.

&

The Skoda Manual in English reads the same as a VW Polo FL Manual on how to do things..

[Sittingbull]

Richard,

 

Is all on schedule, engine delivered etc.

 

Hope all goes well, not long to go now.

 

 

 

Take photos of the engine and documentation whilst it's in the transport frame. 

 

We can the correlate the source of supply in relation to the one my partner had fitted. I sent a copy to George so that we could use it for later reference .

 

My dealer had no problem with me doing this.

 

Get your oil claim in now ,as it actually take 6 weeks and not 3  that Tom Chadwick suggested.

 

Dealers don't trust Skoda UK CS to pay them , as they are asked to send a cheque to you.

 

Why Skoda UKCS can't do a direct online payment to the Customers account I will never know- that would be 1 week max. (Systems, process and procedure and internal politics)

 

Hi Keith,

 

Engine was delivered on September 3 as suggested, delay in fitting is one I agreed to due to dealer having difficulty sourcing a courtesy car that was automatic.

 

I would love to take photos of the engine and documentation whilst its in the transport frame but I think there is more chance of hell freezing over than me being allowed to do that by the dealer in question given their previous attitudes towards me. I will ask and see what happens but don't know if I could force them to allow me to do this. I would like to do it for peace of mind as quite frankly I wouldn't put it past the dealer to keep the car for 4 days change the oil and filter and send it back out without an engine change. Harsh I know but the service manager destroyed a working relationship before it got started really.

 

To be fair to David at the dealer, who has been dealing with it after Skoda UK invited the service manager to stay out of the case, David has been most helpful and business like to deal with. I still think I'll struggle to get through to the workshop though.

 

I have all the receipts and will letter Skoda now to claim for oil and any other out of pocket expenses, is it Skoda UK who refund for oil or the dealer? I would have thought it was Skoda UK.

 

I will keep the forum updated as to how things progress, could be interesting few days coming up.

[vrskeith]

Hi Keith,

 

Engine was delivered on September 3 as suggested, delay in fitting is one I agreed to due to dealer having difficulty sourcing a courtesy car that was automatic.

 

I would love to take photos of the engine and documentation whilst its in the transport frame but I think there is more chance of hell freezing over than me being allowed to do that by the dealer in question given their previous attitudes towards me. I will ask and see what happens but don't know if I could force them to allow me to do this. I would like to do it for peace of mind as quite frankly I wouldn't put it past the dealer to keep the car for 4 days change the oil and filter and send it back out without an engine change. Harsh I know but the service manager destroyed a working relationship before it got started really.

 

To be fair to David at the dealer, who has been dealing with it after Skoda UK invited the service manager to stay out of the case, David has been most helpful and business like to deal with. I still think I'll struggle to get through to the workshop though.

 

I have all the receipts and will letter Skoda now to claim for oil and any other out of pocket expenses, is it Skoda UK who refund for oil or the dealer? I would have thought it was Skoda UK.

 

I will keep the forum updated as to how things progress, could be interesting few days coming up.

The dealer will pay you directly, after receiving payment from Skoda UK CS themselves.

Hence the reason it takes so long,as previously mentioned.

 

Are they inspecting your Catalytic Convertor. Ours was visually checked, not sure if that is good enough to confirm it's performance to manufactures/skoda spec.

Edited 11 September, 2014 by vrskeith

[Ally_bassman]

Had an interesting experience in the local dealers today. After servicing my car they wanted me to monitor the oil levels, I last checked using my normal (hot engine switch off and wait 5 mins then check levels) method and it was above the max mark by a good bit. So I went to the garage today and informed them they have overfilled the car, techie took it round the back and told me I "should not wait" as it means oil is draining out of the engine and sitting in the sump rather than staying in the internals. I see his point but its completely different to the manuals description and what everyone else does...

That's daft advice! If you dip before the oil drains to the sump, you will think you have less oil than you actually have, no? If I dip straight away, then again after 10 mins, then again 10 minutes after that, you can see the level on the dipstick going up!

[Ootohere]

A technician doing an oil change or a Consumption test is putting in cold oil,  they know how much oil.

They dip it, they heat it a bit, but 5 minutes running is not up to temperature,

The Road Test should then have it at Temperature,  then they should check the level again.

They do not have all day to mess about,

so it gets done like most cars get done.

 

If you collect the car, unmoved and with Cold Oil, then there is your level,

You get an idea if they have enough or not enough in.

 

If you drive it home and get it hot, and check after 4-5 minutes like you would on a trip and filling up with fuel,

or at the end of a trip, you should know 2 levels,  Hot Check, Cold Check.

Check it colds before you drive, then you know where to put it up to when cold, in the future hopefully.

 

Too often more than 3.6 litres has been put in.

Sometimes at Service / Oil changes, even sometimes at Oil Consumption tests.  

It can be 3.9 litres in, and i have see a Technician out in 4 litres & say thats fine, they use oil.

[Sittingbull]

And so the time has nearly arrived, wee car goes in for engine change tomorrow. I've taken a few photos of the block, particularly where the stickers are detailing the engine number etc and date of production as previously advised. I will ask about photos of the new block and documentation but as already said I don't hold much hope of getting those.

 

Been told to expect the car will be away for up to a week, will keep you all posted.

 

As an aside, and just to confirm that the oil consumption hasn't stopped while I awaited the engine change, I can confirm that the oil usage has been much worse since it was in at the dealer for the oil consumption test. I have no idea if they did something that would cause this, but the amount of oil gone through has risen from what was already a worrying level.

 

In addition, I have noticed a lot more puffs of smoke from the back end since they had the car in for the test. Most noticeable when you have slowed down to a junction for example and then pick away at a relatively low speed. More often than not now there is a puff of smoke, not always sooty looking.

 

So it looks like the engine change is coming at the correct time.

[vrskeith]

And so the time has nearly arrived, wee car goes in for engine change tomorrow. I've taken a few photos of the block, particularly where the stickers are detailing the engine number etc and date of production as previously advised. I will ask about photos of the new block and documentation but as already said I don't hold much hope of getting those.

 

Been told to expect the car will be away for up to a week, will keep you all posted.

 

As an aside, and just to confirm that the oil consumption hasn't stopped while I awaited the engine change, I can confirm that the oil usage has been much worse since it was in at the dealer for the oil consumption test. I have no idea if they did something that would cause this, but the amount of oil gone through has risen from what was already a worrying level.

 

In addition, I have noticed a lot more puffs of smoke from the back end since they had the car in for the test. Most noticeable when you have slowed down to a junction for example and then pick away at a relatively low speed. More often than not now there is a puff of smoke, not always sooty looking.

 

So it looks like the engine change is coming at the correct time.

Richard,

 

Hope that you will soon be singing the praises of the new motor.

 

Hope all goes well,it was 4 days for us.

[Sittingbull]

Richard,

 

Hope that you will soon be singing the praises of the new motor.

 

Hope all goes well,it was 4 days for us.

 My hope as well as we do really enjoy the wee car and it does seem to fit our needs perfectly.

 

Best of luck to others in a similar position, I know we have been fortunate not to have been in the system long before getting to the stage of an engine replacement, and that others are still battling. Vrskeith and george have been exceptional support for us, with very good information on how to approach all of this, and the technical side.

 

Again as an aside, I was working this morning and waiting for the folks coming out of the church and while waiting a youngish lad in an 10 plate Ibiza bocanegra happened to park next to me. I got chatting to him and asked him about oil consumption. Guess what? Correct for all those who said he has had some issues with it. Uses a litre every 1000 or so miles he reckons, but he doesn't mind as the car is worth it. He decided that since his car was out of warranty and he wouldn't get anywhere with a rammy with Seat that he would modify his, his motto being what's the worst that could happen? 

[Sittingbull]

Well, the wee car is back home with me tonight. It's not that they carried out the engine swap in F1 style. Far from it.

 

Despite several weeks notice, and promises made by both Skoda UK and dealer, no courtesy car was available for us to allow us to continue our normal business uninterrupted. Chap at service desk told me straight away the courtesy car hadn't turned up and Skoda UK would talk to me direct about it, which they haven't. So, as I had to be back at work for 11am I had to take my own car back home. We are now trying for tomorrow, although this time I haven't to go down until I hear from the dealer.

 

I asked about the engine block, had they received it on 3rd Sept. Didn't know date it came in. Asked if it was still in transport crate - yes. Did it have documentation with it - yes. Could I see it - no need. Could I be told if it was cthe or remanufactured cave - no idea. Could the answer lie in the paperwork - no idea, still inside all the packing on the transport crate.

 

Then I got back to yard to discover someone had absconded with my bus.

 

Happy days all round.