xman

Cylinder deactivation works only between 1,400 and 4,000 rpm and when the engine torque (presumably taken from the ecu map) lies in the range of 25 Nm to 75 Nm. Bear in mind that max torque for 1.5tsi/1.4tsi is much greater, 250 Nm, so ACT is only activated between 10% and 30% of max available torque In practice I find it needs 1500 sometimes 1600 rpm to trigger and will hold on to 1400 rpm only if the revs drop slowly enough without dipping below the threshold. It will also remain active even if you lift the throttle completely (zero torque) subject to rpm and the the caveat I explain later in this post. Its important to understand the relationship between torque and power. Power = Torque x rpm So for the same power output, torque is 33% lower at 2000rpm than at 1500rpm.........and so on...... When you are in 4th gear, you may satisfy the criterea for 2 cylinder mode, but when you change up to 5th, either the rpm drops too low, or the torque demand increases too high, even though the power developed is the same or lower. I have found there is at least another condition where ACT deactivates. If going downhill, and it is steep enough for the car to start accelerating on its own without any throttle, and the braking provided by the micro hybrid energy recovery is not enough to stop it accelerating, then ACT will deactivate to increase engine braking. Other factors are also taken into account. A minimum time after an engine start, it will delay after deactivating before reactivating, it will stop for a longer period if its being asked to activate/deactivate too frequently. And no doubt other factors too. Despite what the gear suggestion may say, its often more economical to hold onto a lower gear to keep rpm well above 1500rpm and keep torque low. Another big advantage to keep rpm high and so torque at the lower end is that it reduces the vibration caused by the inherent imbalance of 2 cylinder operation. This not only is more pleasant from a NVH point of view, it also reduces the stress/work demanded from the DMF and reduces torsional vibration through the gearbox and driveline, possibly leading to less wear on components Its easy to see the advantage using the instantaneous mpg display. I find the fuel saving at 1500 rpm can be marginal between the 2 modes, but change down and take it up to 1800 and higher and the saving is much more substantial and obvious (as well as being more pleasant). 2 cylinder mode gains most of its economy advantage by allowing a wider throttle plate opening which reduces pumping losses (and engine braking). Note this is all done automatically and is not related to the throttle position under your foot . Gear suggestion doesn't seem to take any account of ACT in my experience. Hope you understand all this.

Has Skoda have produced a unicorn remap specially for Shy? AFAIK 2.0tdi superbs in any version have never been as low as 101g/km in any test cycle. Heres the current brochure figures

I may be wrong but I think Shy has hinted at the real reason for the sudden and unexpected change. I just hope he doesnt start another thread, "Living with a 150ps diesel Superb SEL with adblue", that, with all that "First Word part x" residential care home stuff would be too much. He should perhaps instead start a Youtube or Instagram channel and make £££ driving around for free, a sort of Mrs Hinch of the Skoda Superb world. Who knows, he make even make national tv !!! Fortunately I don't watch TV.

Don't worry, I got the joke .....

According to the dealer training manual*, he's only supposed to say that to women and under 21's, needs retraining obviously. I'd laugh if it wasn't so serious. * under " Chapter 3: 10 ways to fob off a customer and send them on their way”

You've turned on Autohold. Press and hold the bottom row left button on the centre console until it stops being illuminated to disable it. The one with the A to the left of the P

Not sure this of use in your case. Both cases were raised where the (same) car was out of warranty were failures that occured shortly after repairs (3-9 months) The first case it was initially a warranty (known) issue repair that subsequently failed again within a few months, this issue recurred four times until eventually the car was out of warranty and I was told that any further obligation under warranty had ceased. Not accepting this, I stood my ground and eventually Skoda UK (not the dealer) authorised a wider repair which it turned out was where the fault lay all along. Unfortunately when I drove the car out of the dealer, within a mile it became obvious there was now a very serious problem with gearbox/final drive. Immediately returned the car to the dealer who gave me a courtesy car while they investigated (which found a broken differential) There then followed one long stressful week of telephone discussion, the dealer denying any responsibility, "just a coincidence", I demanded Skoda UK involvment and eventually Skoda UK authorised a full rebuild of the gearbox and arranged a VW finance courtesy car while it was done. I had then just recently bought a new Superb and ran 3 other Skodas one of which I told them I was on the brink of changing for another new Skoda. That last bit seemed to sway Skoda Uk. Im not sure if I would have succeeded otherwise.

As the dealer has been informed of the modifications they must be under some obligation to pass that information to subsequent customers, their warranty department etc. If it sold as is, then it follows the customer must inform his insurance company. Too complicated for a dealer to worry about I think....

Do you really think a main dealer is interested in selling such a modified car and the consequences to their liability? If they decide to retail it, they will likely just reflash the ecu back to standard, and say nothing. No main dealer would market this as is as the power and torque exceeds the manufacturers design limit of the DSG, Haldex etc. All warranty is void on engine and transmission, full stop. To hide it from Skoda would be fraud. There is more to this sudden change of heart by Shy that meets the eye. We will probably never know the full story.

Indeed your health, both physical and mental is ultimately much more important than this car situation. You need to step back a bit, wind down and relax/prepare yourself for whatever your health procedure is, fingers crossed that all goes well for you. The car can wait, it is not going anywhere and they cannot demand you remove it. When they do call, remind them constantly of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and you firmly believe this situation os as a direct result of incorrect and negligent servicing of the Haldex. You have sought technical advice which confirms its highly probable they drained the differential instead of the Haldex which is known to lead to exactly the damage observed. Demand the dealer raise a "case" with Skoda UK technical and that Skoda UK contact you directly. Only a dealer can raise a case with Skoda UK. You then should eventually be contacted by a case manager (mine were always based in Sheffield). Make sure to keep notes of all that is said by everyone. Again repeat what I advised you to say in the previous paragraph Note that raising a case is not the same as you contacting Skoda Customer Care, which is merely a PR telephone helpline for for answering simple queries and has no real clout to resolve disputes. Tell them you are unavailable for the period you are in hospital/under treatment. Wait until you have exhausted this route before moving to the next level.

I believe the car was recovered to the Skoda dealer that did the service, which is exactly the right thing to do. So long as the recovery was professionally carried out (RAC) there should be no problem. They also had the first opportunity to inspect the car and discuss a resolution.

Any courtesy/hire car should be only be provided by the dealer/garage or Skoda UK with no strings attached (make it crystal clear) By very wary if an insurer or third party offers a courtesy/hire car, if the legal claim is unsucessful, the OP will end up paying for it at massive cost as its provided speculatively through a third party arrangement at a premium rate. There is also a legal precendent in common use nowadays that limits a claim for costs of hire cars in unresolved insurance claims to a maximum of seven days hire.

I would imagine if you cancel cover with your existing insurer, their liability stops immediately as far as providing any services, even through third parties that they ultimately pay to provide services (breakdown, legal etc). A new insurer/policy will not consider any event that occurred prior to commencement of cover. Maybe RAC or his insurer told him otherwise, but why on earth did he do it? He seems to allowing himself to be bamboozled by the dealer. Service history/recalls etc have nothing to do with this. It is simply a claim of gross negligence that occurred when the car was in their paid care and paid for work was incorrectly and negligently carried out leading directly to catastrophic failure. The garage/dealer should have liability insurance to cover this kind of event. A new Haldex/differential and any other part (coupling) damaged to be fitted and appropriate compensation for inconvenience caused should be the very least they should fund. They should also provide a courtesy/hire car while repairs are carried out (but watch out for insurance arrangements) I've been though a similar experience with a manual gearbox differential broken while having other work done at a Skoda dealer. A few controlled face to face and telephone stand offs repeating basic facts and consumer law, finally involving Skoda UK, who conducted a short investigation and agreed to fund the repair fully and provide a hire car while repairs done (car was out of warranty) If the OP has had an independent expert report that draws the right conclusions, I would think his legal cover team (if he still has one) would have adequate ammunition to make the right noises without him having to take the flak personally from anyone

Was it wise to cancel your cover? Surely that also cancels your legal cover too?

Errm....AFAIK you can't add your own sim on these latest greatest models, they have an esim integrated nto the electronics and again afaik its preactivated by Skoda UK to use their services exclusively. All part and parcel of monetising infotainment to the max. Three ways round possibly but someone needs to read the manual and experiment. Use Android Auto/Apple Airplay and ignore the Skoda garbage, this uses your mobile phone data. Maybe use your phone in tethered mode using wifi/bluetooth/cable connection to provide a data connection. See if you can discuss with and obtain a PAC code from Skoda or whoever is in charge of such things and somehow get the esim telephone number (if it has one) moved along to another provider. Unlikely skoda will do this even though it may be against Ofcom's rules if they don't let you move. Be careful you don't as a consequence lose services and or functionality (emergency or otherwise) that might be difficult or expensive to restore. Hopefully someone will be along shortly and tell me I'm wrong and its easy, just do this or that.......

They are obliged to keep printed copies of the emission results for a minimum of 3 months and (maybe) also log them in the DVSA system which records all MOT results. They should have attached a printed copy to your VT30 (refusal of MOT certificate). Sounds a little fishy to me. If you ask for them, remember to get both sets, as they tesed twice and refused twice.

First of all congratulations, bet that's a relief. It passed CO and HC emissions with near perfect scores! Lambda was at upper limit but still passed (running slightly lean) Please post the results from the garage that failed you so we can compare.

Fingers crossed it passes! If there is a big difference in emission figures between garage a and garage b (they are obliged to give you the emission test result sheet with all the emission figures), then lodge a complaint to https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/complain-about-an-mot Keep the results as evidence. They may have faulty equipment, calibration or procedure, or deliberately manipulated results in order to fraudulently attempt to con you out of several hundred pounds. (Let DVSA decide this) The fact you are a woman may have something to do with it......don't forget to mention it to your cousin too!!! Let us know what transpires.

This looks like a 1.2tsi 90bhp EA211 engine, correct? Unusual for a close coupled catalytic convertors to fail especially at this age and mileage (about 38k iirc according to MOT history) First question I would ask the tester is, "Is there any evidence the catalytic convertor has been tampered with, removed or replaced with a non original unit?" What I'm getting at is has it had a decat or sports cat fitted. If so then previous owner(s) has made an illegal modification to the car and you should perhaps persue that line of enquiry. Is the MOT station a reputable place? Dealer, national network , trusted independent? I checked using your reg on autodoc.co.uk and yes those cats are expensive. I would still be wary of changing it until other possibilities have been ruled out such as fauty lambda (oxygen) sensors. Has it had the engine or EPC warning light on when running?

Just thinking out loud...... Antiseize or grease on spark plug threads is a bad thing on the EA111 engines. Grease interferes with electrical and thermal path to the head and if it is something like copperslip, electrolytically corrodes threads in the aluminum head. The fact the sparkplug came loose could mean thread is loose/damaged or............. You say you had problems putting the connector back on the no.1 plug as if somethings in the way. There is very little clearance around the metal boot, so maybe the plug is not true in the head, due to someone crossthreading/damaging/recutting the soft thread in the cylinder head? Maybe thats why theres a lot of grease in there.... Due the waste spark ignition design on the 1.2tsi, if you haven't got the boot fully down and properly connected then, you will get misfires shown on both no.1 and no. 4 cylinders. (electrically they are in series connection) This reminds me of my experience of a Polo decades ago. That in the end was due to a damaged/burnt exhaust valve seat which I found with a compression test. Something small had lodged on the exhaust valve seat on its way out I think. That used to jolt (badly) whenever I tried to accelerate under load. Hope this gives you some ideas on tracking this down. Q. Does it burn/use oil?

Stepping on/off the gas will close/open waste gate (electric actuator) and increase/decrease airflow and exhaust flow but in my experience its inaudible Check your boost pipework/joints and intercooler carefully for air leaks. Also check exhaust joints and pipework from turbo onwards for holes/leaks including the flexi joint in the exhaust.

You should really change down gear at 40km/h. From my experience with our 1.2tsi fabia 86ps, it is unreasonable to expect a smooth experience accelerating from 1000rpm in 4th gear unless very very gently. From my recollection it can be pretty rough if you try to accelerate hard like that and the engine vibrates and complains a lot until you get to 1300 rpm or above. It wont do your hydraulic? engine mounts any good either. In any case its best to keep the engine revs above 1400 rpm, as it is far more efficient in that region and use less fuel than slogging it. Will also reduce long term nasties such as carbon build up and possible fuel/oil dilution. Have you checked whether the small pcv valve located in the back of the cam cover to the right is still intact? These often break off and hang down on the flexble rubber hose going to the air box. I wouldn't have thought this would make a difference to cold starts though. Sometimes running issues are caused by a history of excessively slow gentle driving. Have you tried an "italian tune up"? If you dont already know, this is just a phrase used by some to describe hard acceleration from say 1500- 4500 rpm several times (I recommend 3rd gear) developing max boost to clear out soot and debris from the engine. Only do this with a warmed up engine though and where it is safe and legal to do so!

It may be worthwhile to disconnect your battery for 5 minutes to reset the ECU learnt parameters. Also have you checked your air filter is reasonably clean?

If in doubt, consult the manual.....periodic wiping is dependent on the driving speed......hmm.....

Not unlike what Shy ate for dinner last night, or where his next holiday will be, all of which keeps us enthralled on a daily basis.