Octavia 4x4 with vibration while driving

[Bellof]

Hi, I'm new here and live in Norway. I have problems with my Octavia II and hope I can get some help here on this Skoda forum.

 

I have a 2012 Octavia 2.0 (110 bhp) 4x4 with 39.000 km (24.000 miles). The car has a vibration that is constantly present during driving. Gradually becomes worse when the engine/car gets hot. I have been in contact with two different Skoda workshops but they deny that it is a vibration and they will not help me figure out why the car vibrates. It is a very frustrating and difficult situation. The only advice I have received is to balance wheels and replacing tires. All this I have done several times but the vibration is still present, both with summer tires and winter tires. All eight tires are brand new to help eliminate the problem. There are eight original Skoda rims in dimension 15" (winter) and 16" (summer) and they have never had any form of damage. 

 

One can feel it in the whole car and the steering wheel. This is a sensitive issue but the mechanics who have test driven the car has not tested the car in a sensitive manner or long enough. Still they conclude that it`s nothing wrong, they don`t take this case seriously at all unfortunately. I've driven the car since new and obviously knows that there was no vibration earlier. It looks unfortunately like I have to figure out this myself and then tell them what is wrong with the car. It should not be like that. 

 

I live 2 1/2 hour drive from the nearest Skoda workshop so it is a big challenge in itself, especially when you do not get help. I've got a mechanic here where I live to test drive the car and he is quite agree with me that the car has a vibration. He does not think the vibration is coming from the wheels. He suspects that the vibration that one feels in the car and steering wheel comes from engine vibrations. The higher load the more vibration. And I am totally agree. He suspects double mass flywheel / clutch. I have told this to Skoda and they admit that this was a problem earlier with double mass flywheel but even then they will not check if this is the case on my car. There is no noise and clutch works properly. I do not think it's Haldex related, this seems more like coming in from the engine / clutch / gearbox but I can not be sure.

 

Is there anyone here who have had similar problems or have heard of something similar? And how was the problem solved? 

 

Skoda agrees to swap parts (or is it just talk?) if they know what the problem is. I definitely need some help here to solve this problem since Skoda has given up and is arrogant and unhelpful. They have just told me to contact the importer but it's not what I need, I need a mechanic. So I chose not to complain to the importer preliminary. The only help I've gotten so far from Skoda is to spend a lot of my own money on tires, balance wheels, hotel stays etc. It was not the experience I expected with warranty etc.  

Edited 26 November, 2014 by Bellof

[tyreman1]

Sounds like dual mass vibration to me but never heard of it doing it at a low mileage like that.

[Bellof]

Sounds like dual mass vibration to me but never heard of it doing it at a low mileage like that.

 

I tend to agree but if they will not change it it`s impossible to know for sure. 

[myheartbeatsfortwo]

worn dogbone (transmission) mount?I  recently had excess vibration from an aftermarket dogbone bush, so going back to standard item. Does the amount of vibration vary with engine load? Does the car shudder at pull off. not vibration but shudder? That is an idication the DMF is faulty, easy to check with a small test drive and there is an inspection hole to check DMF part number, or at least there was on an older PD140 based car I used to have.

[Bellof]

worn dogbone (transmission) mount?I  recently had excess vibration from an aftermarket dogbone bush, so going back to standard item. Does the amount of vibration vary with engine load? Does the car shudder at pull off. not vibration but shudder? That is an idication the DMF is faulty, easy to check with a small test drive and there is an inspection hole to check DMF part number, or at least there was on an older PD140 based car I used to have.

 

I have no idea since Skoda refuse to look at it again without having me to pay for every man hour. It`s an discussion going on which seems I`m going to loose, they run over me as they want. I just figured out from a VW dealer (they have the same database as Skoda) that earlier this fall the Skoda workshop have looked at the timing belt in another matter. To do so they have to loose the engine mount so that would be the first place to start looking. I`ve told them that I`ve figured out about the engine mount but still they will not look at my car without being paid for it. And that route I can not go because I certainly do believe this case is covered by warranty or warranty claims on previously performed work. 

 

I`m not sure about DMF as long as I know they have been touching my engine mount. There is no shudder. Yes it vary with engine load, it makes stronger with load. But the whole vibration is sensitive, a driver who is not clever to drive a car might not notice anything while a "normal" motorist will notice it. If you put a hand on the dashboard and revs 1500 rpm you can feel it, you don`t even have to drive the car to feel the vibration. I`m 100% sure that the vibration disappears when you press the clutch when driving and when the revs goes down to idle. In other words, the vibration decreases with rpm/load. 

 

I have no idea what to do with the people at Skoda, the situation is stuck and I do not know how to find the fault and repair it :(

Edited 8 December, 2014 by Bellof

[myheartbeatsfortwo]

The having to pay the man hours to look at the car even on warranty issues is quite normal. I have had the same, and always not paid the labour being due to whatever being covered under warranty so IMO it's not too much to worry about...

[Sire]

Hi, I'm new here too, from Finland - and I was wondering if you have made any progress with your vibration issue?

I've just bought a 2008 Octavia pd 140, and on my first long drive noticed that my elbows were getting sore. There is a very subtle high frequency vibration on the steering wheel which appears to be totally in sync with the engine vibrations. I don't think it would bother me except for the fact that I'm susceptible to tendinitis / tennis elbow.

I didn't notice the vibration being a problem when I tested the car before purchase, but of course that was only a relatively short drive.

I'm hoping that you found an easy fix, and that it will apply to my situation too. I have a 300km commute (not every day of course!) and need my elbows for work

[peterposh]

Driveshaft? Check the boots

[skomaz]

This may sound strange but I have a vague recollection of a couple of owners on here posting about Octavia scouts suffering from failure of flexible couplings in the propshaft to the rear differential that led to strange vibrations. I think the flexible coupling are effectively like rubber doughnuts with one at either end of the propshaft and the had hardened, split or failed in some way.

Could be worth checking

[brad1.8T]

If a dealer is unable to diagnose an issue then escalate the problem to whoever the National distributor is.  If they don't want to know then email Skoda CZ.  The support here in Australia is so variable that I've known of a couple of people that have escalated to Skoda CZ & received a response / technical input.

[BUGBEAR]

I have the issue like yours (sort off ) .

When I start my car it rattles seems like there is an eartquake, sometimes it does not even start after vibrating . When I press the clucth and start it then the condition improves but not  that much It still vibrates a lot while starting . After the start up when idle there is some vibration in the cabin . 

I contacted my local workshop they said it is the DMF . So I have to change the Clutch plate pressue plate and the flywheel . 

 

About the mileage I was monitoring the usage since I about the DMF issue at first I thought that my mileage is lower than the average . But It seems like that the way I was driving was giving the wrong average . Recently I managed to get 56 MPG (20KMPL) . 

[Seumas]

I'd suspect the engine mounts.  Is it not possible to have an engineers report produced on the problem you're experiencing.  If a definite  fault is identified ask Skoda to sort it at a main dealer, or have it done at your expense locally and send Skoda the bill.

[Sire]

Well, my vibration is very subtle, but it is nevertheless very noticeable. The vibration is there even when stationary which rules out driveline components.

I'm working in the UK /Europe this week but as soon as I get back to Finland I'll take it to my local skoda dealer and see what they say. Just to clarify, mine is a fwd version - I found this thread via Google - but the symptoms that the OP is describing sound exactly like mine so I thought I'd post here first. The OP doesn't seem to have been back though.

There certainly isn't any juddering or lack of smoothness with the clutch in my case; I'm hoping it's just the engine mounts as the previous poster suggested, or something equally straightforward

My fuel economy has been 5.7l/100km on the equivalent of UK A roads and dual carriageways - I was a bit disappointed with this figure too, as I was able to easily get much better on my previous car - an Astra G 2.0 TDI. that did 4.9 to 5.1L/100 but wasn't nearly as powerful of course, and was a little smaller too.

Edited 27 April, 2015 by Sire