Vrs oil issue

[Paul_M]

Just checking the oil level and found the following under the filler cap. Car is on variable serving, using Castrol SLX longlife III 5W-30, and has only done 2.9k miles since a dealer oil change. Any one any ideas as to what might be wrong, a college from work has suggested condensation in the oil.

[bahnstormer vrs]

That looks very much like emulsification caused by water in the oil; certainly more than 'a bit of condensation'. Last time I saw oil like that the car had a blown head gasket.

GET IT TO YOUR DEALER ASAP and drive it as little as possible (otherwise they might start shouting contributory negligence).

Better still call Skoda Assistance NOW get them to look at it and recover your car to your dealer.

[Sammycarp]

Yup, that 'Mayo' gunk is caused by water in the oil. Needs an oil change at the very least, and probably something sorting to stop it happening again. Drive it as little as poss until its sorted.

[Paul_M]

Thanks for the advise, annoyingly I’ve just come back form the dealer, were its been booked in for Thursday (no one around to have a quick look when it was there), but was told its ok to still drive, but wanted to get some additional advise. Another few calls to be made in the morning then to the dealer.

[Hauptmann]

Yes, that is 'mayonnaise' caused by water in the oil. Often forms naturally when a car is used for many short journeys and the oil never has a chance to get really hot.

That appears to be quite a bad case though, so there is the possibility that you have coolant leaking into the oil. Keep an eye on your coolant level and temperature until the dealer has a chance to look at itl

[cheezemonkhai]

Wipe it off the cap and as much as you can from around that area.

Check the coolant to make sure you don't have anything similar in there and that you are not losing any of it. If it's good go and take it for a long (greater than 25 miles) drive and make sure the engine is up to temperature for at least 30 minutes.

When you stop give it a bit to cool down and check the inside of the lid for deposits. That should have massively reduced.

If you're only doing short journeys that sort of build up isn't uncommon, but can very quickly block up the breather hoses and then make itself rapidly worse.

[gregozedobe]

Have the oil or coolant levels changed much ? If the coolant is down and the oil up then urgent mechanical attention is recommended. If they are much the same as usual AND you do lots of short trips then as others have said, it may be just condensation accumulating in the oil. If you do go for a long (preferably higher revs) trip, check the oil level again, as the condensation is burnt off the oil level can drop significantly.

Please let us know of the final diagnosis (it adds to the collective wisdom).

[dan_the_v8man]

if that was an older car I would have almost certainly said it was the head gasket that had gone

[bahnstormer vrs]

if that was an older car I would have almost certainly said it was the head gasket that had gone

Don't rule out 'Head gasket' just because the car is not 'old'.

Anyway around this 'problem' should not be there and car should be back to the dealer ASAP; it is under warranty after all!

[cheezemonkhai]

The thing is if the OP is doing short journeys only then the dealer would be within their rights to charge the OP for diagnostics etc.

Just check the levels and if all ok and no sign of mayo in the coolant tank take it for a good long drive. It really isn't uncommon on cars (esp petrol) that do only short trips in winter.

[mr_awol]

The thing is if the OP is doing short journeys only then the dealer would be within their rights to charge the OP for diagnostics etc.

Depends.

If i took my car to a dealer with that problem, and they agreed it looked like there might be a problem, but it turned out to be because i do a lot of short journeys, then i'd like to see thm get any cash out of me! Fair enough if they keep telling you it's fine, but you force them to inspect it though.

[cheezemonkhai]

A certain local dealer did to me.

They said we looked at it and there was no fault, so we are charging you for it. When it's £30 that is too small to go to court over and they won't give you your car until you have paid.

[dan_the_v8man]

Don't rule out 'Head gasket' just because the car is not 'old'.

Anyway around this 'problem' should not be there and car should be back to the dealer ASAP; it is under warranty after all!

im not, just if it was an old car I would say it was almost a certainty, with a car that's only a year or so old id be surprised to see the head gasket gone but its quite possible

[bahnstormer vrs]

Just checking the oil level and found the following under the filler cap. Car is on variable serving, using Castrol SLX longlife III 5W-30, and has only done 2.9k miles since a dealer oil change. Any one any ideas as to what might be wrong, a college from work has suggested condensation in the oil.

How have you got on? What has your dealer suggested?

We are all curious to know.

[willskoda]

I'm really interested to know how you've got on. Mine is booked in early January because of the same problem. I took it in a few weeks ago and they said nothing to worry about but the milky residue on the cap is getting worse and the car has stuttered a few times on first start so I'm starting to get worried now that the gunk in the engine is getting clogged up somewhere. Unfortunately I normally do short journeys but recently did a 300 mile round trip and hoped that would help things but it would seem not. I think the cold weather and short journeys have really upset my vRS. Really hope the dealer sorts the problem and doesn't try fob me off or indeed say that this issue isn't covered by warranty!

[_ZS_]

Common problem on some Vauxhall engines where the crankcase breather pipe gets clogged up with that gunk in the winter. Only thing to do is remove the breather pipe and clean it out, clean out as much gunk as you can from the rocker cover, and then make sure the car gets a decent run every few weeks.

[Superted]

Just checking the oil level and found the following under the filler cap. Car is on variable serving, using Castrol SLX longlife III 5W-30, and has only done 2.9k miles since a dealer oil change. Any one any ideas as to what might be wrong, a college from work has suggested condensation in the oil.

I think this is caused by PCV failure, replace valve and pipe with aftermarket version.

[cheezemonkhai]

If the gunk builds up because of lots of short runs you can easily find the breather system blocked up with it. Take the pipe off and clean if out with a suitable solvent, then flush through with water and leave it to dry in an airing cupboard overnight and things should improve.

I'd remove as much of the gunk as you can see and if there is still a lot there then do an oil change.

[willskoda]

If the gunk builds up because of lots of short runs you can easily find the breather system blocked up with it. Take the pipe off and clean if out with a suitable solvent, then flush through with water and leave it to dry in an airing cupboard overnight and things should improve.

I'd remove as much of the gunk as you can see and if there is still a lot there then do an oil change.

I'm no mechanic, where would I find the breather tube and is it an easyish job? And would anyone know if the addition of the under bonnet insulation would help with this problem in the future? Might be a good excuse to get the dealer to supply FOC perhaps?

[Paul_M]

Forgot about this thread, here's how I got on.

Diagnosis from the dealer was emulsification caused by water in the oil. Engine had not lost any coolant and power was not effected (at least to my knowledge). Was told that is was common'ish on petrol enginees doing short Jorneys, if in the words of the dealer "are not being ragged up and down the motorway". Dealer gave it a good clean and it has since been on a few extended runs on the motorway just in case. I've removed the short cut I was taking to work, which gives me a daily round trip of ~21 miles again (which I was doing in the previous vRS, which did not have this problem), and it seems to have almost gone, still a faint remnant on the cap now and again (but that might be me being paranoid).

[willskoda]

Took mine in for this issue for the sencond time yesterday, the dealer did a full check of the engine and coolant system to check for leaks and the head gasket etc. Nothing found so they put it down to condensation again. But the best news was that they flushed the engine and gave me an oil and filter change free of charge as a good will gesture!! They want the car back in a couple of weeks to check the situation and to clean up any emulsification from the cap that may re appear. The car feels great now, the change has made a big differance. Big thanks to the local Skoda dealer

[Micky 32]

Interesting. I found slight traces of that stuff on my filler cap. I do 700 miles a week and no short runs and i have no coolant loss.

[AndyRS]

Hi Willskoda,

Who was the dealer giving you the goodwill?

[willskoda]

Now that would be telling... DM Keith's Canal Road

[gregozedobe]

Interesting. I found slight traces of that stuff on my filler cap. I do 700 miles a week and no short runs and i have no coolant loss.

What speeds and duration of travel ? If you are doing mostly slow stuff at lower rpm your engine may still not be generating enough heat to vapourise ALL the condensates.