My wife has a 2001 Fabia with AUB engine which she bought second hand about 3.5 years ago. When she bought it the engine management warning light was on, and eventually they replaced a lambda probe under warranty and it the light stayed off until recently. It has now done 76,000 miles.

We took it in to a local Audi dealer last week, who claimed to be Skoda experts. They said the EGR valve needed replacing, so we had this done. The warning light came back on almost immediately, and they put it back on their computer and they said the first lambda probe needed replacing, but even if it was replaced, the fault would recur within a few months unless the piston rings were replaced at a cost of £1650 - i.e. not much less than the car is theoretically worth.

I have been scanning these forums for a couple of days now looking for other solutions.

I can probably replace the lambda probe myself - it is covered in the Haynes manual. I tried to get the heat shield off this afternoon to have a look but failed - the fixing bolts don't seem to agree with the Haynes manual. Do I need to get one of the slotted sockets to replace the sensor?

I had a look on the GSF web site and their price was £99.35+vat, which seemed a lot. Is this reasonable or should I look elsewhere?

It appears my car has an oil separator - someone posted a picture of one and I found it hiding behind the engine, although it seemed tricky to get at. I am assuming it is worthwhile removing it and cleaning it out. Is this easier from under the car or is it possible from the top?

Someone suggested fitting an oil catch tank, and I found a link to a uk company selling one :-

Forge Motorsport | Alloy Fabrication

Would this be a solution? I am not clear where it would be fitted.

It there any point at all in trying to get something out of Skoda for selling a car with a manufacturing fault? I suspect not.

If the piston rings are shot anything you do will be a waste of time as the engine will be burning a fair bit of oil and that knackers the lambda sensor and cat. Did the garage do a compression and leakdown test? If so what figures did they get?

I don't know what tests they did.

Is your car a 1.4 16V 100HP ?

Roger

Is your car a 1.4 16V 100HP ?

Roger

It will be as it is the infamous AUB code.

My BBZ code 100Hp engine showing the same symptoms. EPC and Engine management light come on. EPC light goes out first, usually on next restart and then, some time after, the EM light goes out. Whether that's attributable to piston rings I don't know.

But I thought that the piston ring problem had been solved by the later coded engines (Which I believe BBZ is).

Surely Piston rings is entirely a Skoda GB issue in terms of cost. Bearing in mind that the design for this series of petrol engines was lifted straight out of the previous generation of VW Polo, and that didn't have any piston ring probs. So Skoda must have changed something - probably the materials spec on the rings/bore, in order to save a bit of dosh. QED design fault and therefore their liability.

Strangely, in the last year, I keep on getting calls at work from AA warranties asking whether I want to take out a warranty with them (The Skoda GB mechanical warranty finished in 2003). Do they know something I don't ?

If excess "Blow-by" oil scr*ws the catalytic converter will it result in an MOT failure?

What's to prevent you (Apart from the Type Approval Regs, excess exhaust gases and poor consumption) replacing the cata exhaust with a standard bit of pipe and disconnecting the lambdas ?

Nick

I would not point the finger at Skoda completely on this one, Seat and Volkswagen also use these BBZ engines - might not be a piston ring problem though, now you're getting me worried, my wife has a BBY in her Polo!

Sometimes these AA "breakdown insurances" can look very temping, don't worry, I've had a chance to take that offer up and my car is a 2000MY Passat 2.8 V6 - but there again they might not know that!

I would not point the finger at Skoda completely on this one, Seat and Volkswagen also use these BBZ engines - might not be a piston ring problem though, now you're getting me worried, my wife has a BBY in her Polo!

Sometimes these AA "breakdown insurances" can look very temping, don't worry, I've had a chance to take that offer up and my car is a 2000MY Passat 2.8 V6 - but there again they might not know that!

Thinking about it, the design of those Polo engines is probably old enough for them to have originally been spec'd to be lubricated with 20W-50 oil. And if those engines have been lifted straight out the Polo with little alteration . . . .Now they're running on the "Kitchen oil", 10w-40, of the sort I used to put in my Honda CB 125 30 years ago.... hmmm. It didn't matter with the Honda 'cause their tolerances were carp as were the cylinder blocks but things have moved on . . . .and who recommends the oil . . . Skoda GB.

Nick

I replaced the Lambda probe as recommended a few days ago and the warning light has now gone out and the car is running better.

I contacted Skoda to ask what they were prepared to pay towards the cost of replacing the piston rings and to my surprise they did not tell me to get stuffed, but asked for more information, which I gave them. Not receiving a reply I followed this up yesterday, and they said they had to raise a technical query, and would get back to me. I still don't expect anything useful from them.

Maybe I should just get rid of the car while it is going well.

What was your EGR error code? I have an excessive flow problem and wonder if the lambda probe could solve it? Piston rings have been suggested but the car runs fine and it seems unlikely.

We had the piston ring problem on our Skoda a few years back and the car was out of warranty. The garage quoted a similar amount to fix it but Skoda actually put their hands up and did it for nothing. Maybe there's some hope for you.

Edited 23 January, 201016 yr by jwat