911hillclimber

The place that installed the battery is a large tyre, maintenance place with 10 bays, so I'll trust they have it right! If not, what would be a tell tale sign of all is not well? The first thing they asked after the car reg was if it had stop start.

Busy day, and frustrating getting the battery sorted. All done now: Garage at first could not fit the AGB spec Bosh ordered as they needed the radio/security code, and only Skoda can give me that for them. So, drove all the way back on the old original battery. Called Skoda dealer who said this was so, and for £20 they could unlock the radio system after the new battery was installed. Nice, you have to pay to have YOUR car 'unlocked', that niffed me off. They reluctantly agreed to squeeze me in tomorrow pm to have this done, so i was forced to book it in. All VAG products are this way apparently. Back to the garage, battery fitted in 5 mins and off I drove. The car caught-up with the tyre pressure sensors AND the radio/sat nav etc all WORKED. Went through the car, locking works, radio, lights etc all ok, and the stop-start function works too. Thus, job done, saved £50, but, as ever, NOTHING IS SIMPLE ANYMORE. Now with fresh Dunlops and a fresh battery life should be back to normal with the car.

Thank you both. Read, after posting, that a poor battery will make the car drop stop/start. New battery tomorrow morning, £170 fitted. Didn't fancy fitting it incase I lost god knows what code for this that and everything in the universe! Skoda dealer quoted £270 inc fitting but could not promise a fitting until late next week (maybe) if they can fit it in.... The new battery arriving for tomorrow is a Silver Bosch AGM with a 5 year warrantee. Fingers crossed, but I think the new batt will fix it. Will let you know! Graham.

My suddenly troublesome Superb is 2014, 64K miles 4x4 Tour de France, manual box, lovely car. About week ago the stop start function stopped occurring and the engine runs while in traffic with the engine hot etc. when it would normally shut down until the clutch is depressed. It only did this when towing, but always worked while doing normal duties. So; what might have gone wrong? It's not a big deal, but irritating that it does not work at all. Switching the function on/off using the button by the gear lever does nothing to change this failure. Sort of at the same time the battery tries hard to start the car from overnight cold, and it's having a new battery (AGM) tomorrow, just mention it just in case it has something to do with the car. Everything else works on the car, no dash lights etc. Hope someone can help please! Graham.

Thanks for the tip. I've seen that on a few videos on FWD Superbs doing this job, get that L shaped bracket free, do the gasket/clamp tight and get the bracket back on. With the 4x4 box in the way it has to be done blind... Not particularly looking forward to doing it unless the specialist comes back to repeat the job for me, but not holding my breath.

Thank you for these links. You are dead right to get it all true and tight and then snug tight the mountings. Iam giving the garage until Wed to offer a solution, doubt they will respond. Went to my local Skoda dealer this morning and bought a new gasket and clamp ring, cheaper than eBay, VW parts. Have found a local place where I can hire a car lift for a day for £40, so plan to book a day and do it my self. The only reason I took this to the specialist was getting access to the underside esp as the 4x4 makes the area under there very tight indeed.

Thanks for your reply. By the absence of responses it this a rare problem? When the specialist took the old clamp off he had already 'felt' with the engine revving the bottom connection, the flex joint and then this top joint. He and the other mech decided it was the leak area. The old parts came off and the steel metal gasket had been blowing past the lower half as evidenced by the soot and similarly the clamp all round, black with soot (I saw the parts that came off). Thus they changed the gasket and clamp. Being a 4x4 there is very little space up there, but he had to free the DPF/downpipe to move it sideways to get access to the turbo/dpf joint. He is now really saying they did the right thing, changed the parts they felt were at fault and the fact it is leaking is one of those things. They also said I was confusing the general cabin smell with the exhaust fumes and set a CarPlan odore pack off in the interior which has made the inner space a very unpleasant place to be, never asked if this was ok, but they felt it was actually what was wrong....I have not paid for this magic cure. Considering hiring a car lift at a garage near me and doing the job all over myself, but feel very aggrieved.

2014 Superb Estate, 4x4 @ 63K. Exhaust diesel fumes entering cabin with car standing still, engine running. Indie replaced the clamp ring and metal gasket disc which showed signs of blow by on 1/2 the gasket face and all the V segments of the clamp. Parts replaced with genuine VW parts. Leak still there. Indie does not know what to do next, said he would 'research' into it but basically thanks for the money, go away. They are an VAG specialist. Anyone have a similar technical issue (as opposed to garage attitude) and found a solution please? I can only think of changing the parts again. Thanks, Graham.

Thanks Dave, mine has been faultless until the last month, but Ineed the car for towing and it does that'superbly' too! I like the no fuss of the car, it simply gets on with it. The parts were a lot and the indie squeezed the labour too. the clamp ring was thick with soot, the old haldex filter well contaminated, but the pump works. I think it is important to expose these mini adventures so others can benefit too.

Total silence from the forum is not a good sign... Just got the car back. Clamp from turbo to exhaust was leaking and leaking past a steel thin shim that was a pig to get out so,, the cost went up. Also, had the rear prop damper changed, that was awkward...and the Haldex Mk4 filter changed, the one that VW say does not exist. The old one was totally blocked. Cost me £50 from Haldex and then of course the magic oils etc and the bill was a huge £810 but smell free now. Apart from regular services and tyres this car has cost nothing, as in not even a light bulb, making up for it now @ 63K miles, but will keep it for several more years.

Hello, my 63K miles 14 plate Tour de France is going in to the indie for a repair to the turbo/exhaust down pipe clamp/seal and the small screw-in sensor (what does that do?) as we think there is a leak in that area that lets spent diesel fumes into the cabin via the 'fresh-air' inlet. Can anyone give advice what that sensor does (temp sensor?) and if anyone has had a similar fault? The fumes suddenly became apparent a few weeks ago literally overnight and 1 week or less after same indie did a routine service @ 62K which I think is a co-incidence as a service would not touch this area of the turbo pipework. Any info or advice or experiences most welcome. Graham.

Thanks, and sorry for the delay to your post. Finally made some progress. Found a good sloping grassy area to test the haldex. Got on the wet grass area, in 1st, dropped the clutch to induce wheelspin with Trac Control OFF. Fronts span for about 1 to 2 seconds, bit of a 'bump' in the drive train and the car simply went up the slope. Did this several times, same reaction every time. Decided to change the filter (Haldex Gen4, £47.50) when the car goes in for some other repairs that have manifested themselves, the rear rubber/steel resonator disc that is badly cracking it's rubber bond and a bad exhaust leak on the turbo clamp/sensor, the ingress of fumes into the car is acute.... The car has been faultless until the last 1000 miles, so doing well I think.

How does a filter get so clogged? Great trick with the cord on the loom! Other question for me is why the pump has gone open circuit. Wheelspin check tomorrow I hope.

Hope it is still wet tomorrow, can quickly see if I get wheelspin. Never drive it that hard normally (oil burner) but if the wheel spin is excessive then I'll talk to the guy who has just serviced it. By this info you have all given me I can point him in the right direction back with a good understanding of the device.

Too much info is just enough! Again, thank you all so far. In this wet weather I'll find a quiet spot and abuse the start to see if I have 2 WD and not 4x4. Decided it's best to keep this car rather than find20K to replace it with another or similar. The prop damper disc is cracking up also so may as well get the pump, that filter, and the disc all done. I don't have a ramp and don't have the 'youth' anymore to clamber under the car only as high as my axle stands go (about 15") Will need a set of tyres before long for the winter, so in for a penny, in for about £1000!

This gets better! Thank you for all this info. Mad that the dash tells you a bulb has blown, but nothing about 4x4 failing! The handbook has no mention about the Haldex either..... If the car says the pump in Open circuit I presume the wiring has blown, and resistance will be infinity. Changing this filter is a good move while in there.

Good info, thank you. He said the diagnostics said the pump was open circuit intermittently. He did not pop the connector and measure the resistance, but the car has never put a message on the dash that the haldex is faulty. Time to test the car will link to 4x4 on a good gravel patch or wet grassy area and see if the rear wheels take up drive if the fronts are spinning. If 4x4 is not in action, I'll take it back for replacement as I don't have the Vcds obviously. I doubt the filter has ever been cleaned since new. Skoda serviced the Haldex to schedule about 20K miles ago. The propshaft damper seems an easy task, but can't be more than an hour to do as the same time. Techie is a VAG specialist. It comes to the question of selling the car and buying something else or the same with low miles or spending £1000 and keep it. The car has been trouble-free from new, but nothing lasts for ever.

Thank you, just spotted it on the google vids, the filter can block. Is it just unscrew, clean test the resistance and if good bolt back in? Is there any electronic messing about? If simple I can di the change, if complex needing diagnostic etc, then deal stuff and the cost of about £500.

Just had my great Superb serviced @ 62K miles. Car has been faultless. Technician says the Haldex pump is "intermittent" on the diagnostics, checked when the Haldex oil changed (to schedule) today. Thus, it is possible the 4x4 is not working. Tricky to test unless I can find a muddy slope. Assuming the car needs a new pump which are readily available for about £150 new is this an 'un-bolt, bolt new back on DIY job or is it far more complicated/ I'm ok with spanners but don't want to start something I can't finish on my driveway. Thanks, Graham.

Drove the car today just to make sure it wasn't a fluke! All quiet, as silent as when new. This is the bit I cut off the bump stop foam :

Agree, totally unacceptable. The box should be smooth and work correctly every time for many more mile than yours has run. Wife's Citigo is only 9K miles/4 years but is a great box BUT the clutch (release bearing?) is a bit of a noisy thing compared to any car I've owned, but gear change quality hot or sub zero is perfect, no glitches. Move the problem up a gear so to speak. Good luck with the dealers/organisations.

SORTED! I have a Monte Carlo that is as silent as a dead mouse. Found out what it is gents. I took the damper dirt/dust/bumpstop cover off the new damper on the rear driver's side, the creaking side that was not fixed with a new damper set. I removed the thin plastic sleeve off the steel top disc (wriggle until it is off) to bare the bump stop. I then cut the bump stop shorter by 15/20mm and re-assembled the lot back into the car. The plastic sleeve simply taps back on over the steel disk, friction fit. SILENCE no matter the speed or road surface, just like new. No creeks when you pull away, no creeks when parking etc. The Monte Carlo is lowered by the factory by 10mm over a standard Citigo but they left the bump stop length the same, the nose of the bump stop 'just' contacts the top of the damper body and you get a creek-creek at low speed. With just the driver in, the contact surfaces come together more than the passenger as the suspension sags under the weight of the driver. Did the passenger side too so to even things up though it was silent. Anyway, this is my proven fix to the car's issue. The car still has the collapsing bumpstops so safe it just comes into play with greater suspension deflection. I'm sort of happy Spent £60 on new dampers where not needed and with 60mins under the car, a sharp blade, you can fix this issue. German engineering is lacking in places. Hope this helps others out there!

No, far from it. the rear or creaks more than ever with the new dampers! I have a stepped plan.. replace the our ith the previous quiet nor damper. If it changes demo creaking to quiet then the dampers are faulty. or reove the new oar damper. Remove the splash sleeve come bump stop and replace as an experiment with a steel disk to replace that assembly, refer the bushes and see what happens. if it goes quiet then the fault is with the sleeve rubbing on the damper main bodytube. I can't see why the main beam bush is worn, it is only 9 k miles old and the creaking became appent suddenly. Drives me mad, wife far far more tolerant. I think it is something simple and no need to drastic bush changing etc. we shall see, going to give it a go next week.

Well.... New Monrow dampers arrived today, fitted both, and the noise is STILL THERE. Only noticeable at slow ie less than 10mph speeds, faster and all is well. Not impressed. So, with the original damp out of the car there is utterly no noise. With either damper in the noise is there, thus the damper is noisy in action! Wife says I should now leave it which I will but irritating. all was quiet untill about 3 weeks ago.

Last week the wife's Citigo, 9K miles old, 66 plate started creaking in the OSR corner. Not an uncommon prob it seems. NSR all quiet. Pointless going to Skoda despite the low miles so decided to investigate, thought this would be of use to others: Removed the damper, greased the dry rubber top bushes and steel sleeve. Re-assembled, no change, maybe slightly better, but marginal. Removed the damper and took the car for a gentle drive around the estate, a route that had the creeeking. No noise whatsoever. Plastic trim cover still off the car. Replaced the damper so the car can be safely used, creeking back, trim cover still off the car. Replaced trim, same creeking as above. Thus, 2 new dampers just ordered, £52.80 Skoda quality slipped down the ladder I think, my Superb could be due to be replaced, 14 plate/61K miles, perfect 4x4 Tour de France, but doubt the quality of new Skodas. Small things that go wrong pre-maturely just turn you off. Wonder if Skoda thing about that? Will up-date when new dampers are on both sides (of course).