Minimoke

Interesting thread revival - I solved the problem over 3 years ago by p/exing the Octavia with a Merc C Class Estate !!!!

My local indy tells me that compression on three cylinders is circa 195 but is only 135 on the fourth (number 3). So suspect either a bent valve or carbon build up. If bent valve then I'm puzzled. VCDS confirms car not breached rev limiter, and the cam chain was changed 10,000 miles ago by the main dealer. It was replaced by what is still the latest version of the chain and sprockets. So unlikely to be that the valve has touched the piston because of the well known chain issue. And carbon build up typically causes misfires rather than compression problems. Wish VAG supported their main dealers with walnut blasting on DI engines as BMW and MINI do, but as usual VAG try and pretend its no great problem on their engines. I'm dubious about the real value of an "italian tune up" - that will not help a DI engine clear the valves of carbon as the injector ports are on the "wrong" side of the inlet tract. So fuel never touches the valves and thrashing the engine or using different fuel makes absolutely no difference to the carbon build up - its mainly a design problem and is one of the reasons for moving to dual injectors (both before and after the valves) on later generation engines. May ask for a borecsope examination before going much further. But am still interested in hearing of anybody who has lifted one of these cylinder heads and how much the work cost.

Hi 2010 Fabia with 1.2 TSI engine. Cam chain replaced by main dealer under warranty 2+ years ago. 28,000 miles to date. Owned since new. Now got loss of compression on cylinder 3 - might be the dreaded gummed up exhaust valve issue. So head off and clean required at a minimum. Anybody had this sort of problem fixed by a independent, and if so at what cost? Car is only worth circa £3K as a trade in so unsure whether to reapir or not anyway. Regards Minimoke

I don't know where you get 3.5 hours from. I had the official Skoda timesheet for this job attached to the invoice and its 5.9 hours. My main Skoda dealer charges £75 ph before VAT so this gives £442 before VAT and £531 with VAT. The reason I got a copy of the official timesheet attached to the invoice was that Skoda UK paid the dealer for the labour for the job, and I hardly think Skoda would let the dealer charge more time than they allow. I only paid a small fraction of the total invoice price as Skoda made a goodwill contribution despite being out of warranty by 2 years. I was told by the dealer at the time that the full price for doing this job at a main dealer would be £700 including VAT. I repeat this is a non trivial job (if done properly).

Only £355 to fit a new timing chain????? I'd grab that offer with both hands. I would expect a main dealer to charge nearly £500 plus VAT for labour alone. Its a non trivial job to change the chain.

All petrol you buy now has ethanol up to a minimum of 5%. If and when the ethanol separates from the petroleum you end up with an ethanol rich/water layer at the bottom of the fuel tank. This can start to happen within 30 to 60 days of the fuel purchase if the conditions are right. Its not a rare occurence but the eco lobby likes to keep quiet about it and the problems it causes. Look up "seperation phase" in connection with bio fuels. Ive just spent an unhappy few hours clearing this crud out of the bottom of the fuel tank on my bike. Thats whst got me thinking and asking the question.

If it is a long service item that says to me the filter just deals with any crud in the fuel rather than with any methanol/water. .

Do any of you knowledgeable people know if Skoda/VAG deploy any traps or filters in the fuel lines of their petrol engine cars designed to trap water in the fuel that can occur because of the ethanol content? The reason I ask is that I've recently encountered a couple of petrol engined cars (not VAG) that have become verey difficult to start. This has been diagnosed as being due to water in the fuel which can happen if the ethanol content "phase separates" from the actual gasoline.

To get some perspective try reading this: http://gabriel.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/TECH-_01_09.pdf

Which is exactly why I took the 2 year extension to the manufacturers warranty when I ordered mine. I would not run a DSG without a warranty, but sods law I've never had any problems with both the 6 and 7 speeders I have owned.

Final point. I've just checked and they do have to drop the old oil to reach the crankshaft pinion. So you will have to add oil and filter to the budget for this job.

Which is why I always use the fixed service regime on any make of car I own. In my opinion you cant beat a regular oil/filter change every 12 months at least. Cam chains are normally reliable and can do a lot of miles in normal service, but dirty oil is their enemy.

Why on earth wouldn't Skoda use the latest repair kit? The earlier kits are known to fail again which is precisely why they issued a kit revision! You will require more parts than just the kit alone. For example there is special grease for the camshaft and sealent for the cam cover etc. Total for all parts and materials for changing mine by a dealer was £136 excluding 20% VAT. £100 to fit it????? Crikey, I know labour rates in Poland are lower than here in the UK but that works out at £16 per hour! As I posted in another answer it requires 6 hours labour. I'm not normally a huge fan of dealers, but in this case (and for peace of mind) I would get a dealer to do it for the reasons I gave in an earlier post. Whoever you choose my advice is get it done without delay. A rattling cam chain on these engines is indeed a potential timebomb.

My experience is that changing the oil etc will disguise the problem for a while but the rattle will return. Personally I would not let an independent garage do the work unless they really know what they are doing. The latest repair kit involves changing both the camshaft and crankshaft sprockets so it is essential that both camshaft and crankshaft are "locked" so that the valve timing is not changed. If the timing is changed then the engine will likely go bang very quickly. I spoke to several independent garages at the time and both claimed NEVER to have changed a camchain on a 1.2 TSI. I think they really meant they didn't want the job because they didn't know how to do it. The main dealer who changed mine said their workshop had done loads - he knew immediately what the problem was when I took it in to be inspected and lodged the warranty claim with Skoda about 2 hours after I dropped the car off for inspection! Having said that the main dealer who I used prior to that consistently denied there was a problem whilst it was under warranty and it was "not a known problem". Just quote the TPI to any dealer who takes that line - they cannot deny the issue. I think the dealers have access to special tool from Skoda to do this job. I'm not 100% sure but I think the generalised tool they use to lock an engine when changing a cambelt is not suitable. Anyway these engines are camchain so they don't normally require a locking tool! So I would be inclined to take it to a main dealer. They know what needs to be done, have access to any special tools they might need and will have to warrant their work. The cost of the job on mine done by a main dealer was £700 (including 20% VAT). That includes 6 hours of labour. But I only actually paid a fraction of that. You may get lucky with a "goodwill" payment from Skoda if the car is out of warranty. Mine was out of warranty for over 2 years, but it had always been serviced by a main dealer. I think you will be lucky to get any contribution if the car has been serviced outside the dealer network. Best of luck. I would get it fixed without delay - camchain failures can frequently wreck the motor, and if that happens the cost of replacing just the chain will look very cheap! EDIT: I forgot to say that the cost does not include the cost of any oil. I'm not sure if they have to drop the sump to get to the crankshaft sprocket, in which case an oil change is obviously also required. In my case I asked them to do an oil/filter change whilst it was in the workshop (it was due an oil change the following month anyway) so I paid 100% the cost of the oil. This was included in the total invoice so I can't tell whether they would have had to fill up with fresh oil as part of the cam chain job. You will have to ask the workshop to clarify this point as it may add to the costs I quoted.

Not sure about the Mk3 but they were just a push fit on the Mk2.

I think that you are right that the link is a little out of date. The latest repair kit has a different number. The chain design is on its third revision. I posted a picture of all types in another thread on this forum. Search on my user name. Regarding the chain jumping the sprockets. I dont think this is an issue with the latest revision. At one stage the TPI mandated fitment of a revised cam chain cover to counter this but that is no longer the case. If you have a rattle that only lasts 1-2 seconds after start up it is almost certainly from the cam chain. Injector rattles are a constant feature on these engines and the noise from them is always present.

Just to chip in here. I agree with Xman regarding the oil change regime. Extended servicing intervals on these engines is not a smart idea in my opinion. In June 2015 my wifes Fabia had what was the latest chain/sprocket/tensioner kit (part 03F198158B) and this seems (touch wood) to have fixed the problem. Now absolutely no rattles on start up - the difference in noise was very noticeable. Earlier repair kits are reputed to also fail so the very latest kit is essential. Changing just the tensioner provides no long term solution - I know as I tried it.

I beg to differ.Went from an Octy3 estate to a C Class estate fitted with Airmatic. The Octy had a great engine (1.4TSI) but the road noise and rough suspension/ride was not acceptable. Pity really as I had numerous Octys before the Mark 3 which didnt have these issues. I dont think the MQB chassis cuts it in Skoda form. On the other hand VW MQB vehicles are noticeably better. For one thing VW didnt forget to fit sound proofing. I have have no complaints about the Merc except for the very expensive main dealer servicing costs. Its miles better in quality in my opinion. But then it also costs significantly more than the Skoda.

Do it for old times sake! Still got the Skoda shopping trolley/dog transporter.

You're having a giraffe. I sold the Octy 7 months ago!

1. You cannot modify statutory provisions through contract terms. 2. Racking up mileage. It happens all the time. Thats one reason why the rest of us have to pay interest charges that are higher than they need to be. 3. Just consulted on VT statistics. According to the finance companies 80 to 90% of VT's are believed to have nothing to do with debt relief.

Because as I said, every finance company uses their own criteria when assessing the granting of credit. Normally the criteria is reviewed on a regular basis through a committee dedicated to the purpose. A credit score is only one part of the overall criteria. Other obvious indicators are age, occupation, post code, marital status, frequency of change of address and so on. The list can be quite long. A VT can (and in some cases already is) be one of those indicators. The point is your score will NOT change if you VT but it will be held on file for 6 years. I think you need to ask yourself why it is being recorded if you think it does not matter to every finance company. I can guarantee you that credit assessment criteria WILL be assessed from time to time by every finance company, and they may decide at some future point to lend greater weight to VT data even if they do not do so now. If that be the case, and there is a VT on the record, then credit may be refused at some stage in the next 6 years. Frankly I don't care whether anybody VT's or not. It's their right, but they have to make their own informed decision. All I was trying to do was point out that VT may not turn out to be the risk free choice some people on this forum are blithely assuming. That is why I made the comment in an earlier post about Russian Roulette.

Or alternatively the finance company could think "...another customer who has deliberately lied about their expected mileage at the commencement of the agreement, racked up a starship mileage, and then avoided the excess mileage by VT'ing." The VT flag on the credit file will only show whether the agreement was paid up at the time of VT - it would be unusual if it were not paid up else the VT could be rejected. However this might conceivably occur after the 50% threshold has been reached. But normally you have to be up to date to VT, payment difficulties or not. There are no reasons held on file to indicate why the VT has ocurred. So the finance company is therefore entitled to view it as prima facie evidence that the customer has experienced financial dicfficulties and proceed with the application accordingly.

It may not impact your "score" but it may affect your ability to obtain credit as it is flagged on your credit information which can, and is, used by some finance and mortgage companies when considering a credit application. The information is on the record for a reason - the colour is not relevant. People fail to understand that simply because if your "score" is OK you will then be able to access credit automatically. That is not the case as a whole range of other indicators (not all of which is on a credit scoring company's score sheet) can also be considered at the time of application. VT was intended, and introduced into legislation, as a form of primitive debt relief for those who get into genuine payment diffculties. As we know it has been substantially abused in practice, and the finance industry has been lobbying for it to be removed from legislation. So far without success. However - and this is where its getting interesting - finance companies may nevertheless increasingly use this information to refuse credit. The rationale will be that as the debtor has VT'd, it is an indicator that he has previuously run into payment difficulties so the question arises as to whether he can afford new credit. The crunch will come when a debtor, who has VT'd a previous debt, defaults for real on a subsequent credit agreement. The finance company could then find itself on potentially unsafe ground if the debtor claims that he was granted credit which the credit company should have known was unaffordable due to the information that was avaialble to it at the time of granting credit. At the moment not all finance companies are using the VT data, but some are. Personally I think more will as the risks to them become higher. Alternatively interest rates will be hiked for all customers. As these indicators stay on record for 6 years, I personally would never VT unless I had to. It smacks too much of Russian Roulette.

Excellent news but I see that VWFS and the dealer are covering the cost. That looks like "goodwill" to me, so Skoda themselves still appear to deny any responsibility for a manufacturing defect in their own product. Not that it makes much difference to you I suppose!