What to do. Any help appreciated.

[Col_ossus]

Hey guys,

Recently I've had a few troubles with my 06 vRS, and wouldn't you know it, just out of warranty. I'll explain my problems, and any advice/help/suggestions any of you might have would be greatly appreciated.

About 3 months before the warranty was up, the coolant warning light came on with a three beep warning. I checked the level, which was fine, and the warning light went off, so thought nothing more about it.

Over the next two months it started coming on every so often, but again, levels remained fine, and the warning light went off. The week running up to the warranty running out, the light came on every time the car was switched on after sitting for a while, but again, levels were fine and the light turned off.

The Saturday night before the warranty ran out the light came on, and wouldn't turn off, even after re-starting the engine after a while of driving. Yet again, levels were fine, but it just wouldn't go out.

I planned to get to the garage on the Monday morning first thing, my problem was, it was a bank holiday weekend and the garage was shut. That Monday the car cut out completely and would turn over, but not start. I checked the levels, but this time the coolant bottle was completely dry. A quick phone call to a friend who has a vRS, and a bottle of water later, and I was moving again. I phoned the garage the next morning and arranged to bring the car over that Thursday. It was given a thorough check, and put on diagnostics, and the fault was traced to the water pump, which was going to cost £440 to replace. As for the warranty. Tough ****. I rang customer services and they looked into it for me, eventually as "a good will gesture" paying for half. I agreed, and got the garage to change the timing belt at the same time. (Besides the point I know, but it ended up costing me another £110, money I wouldn't have spent otherwise, but I'd been told I might as well get it done now otherwise it would cost me a fortune ina few years time.)

The work was carried out and all seemed well; for two weeks. After one long run, I returned to the car after a round of golf, turned the ignition on and heard a familiar *beep* * beep* *beep* and the warning light came back on. I checked the levels and the coolant bottle was bone dry again. I filled it up, headed for home and went to the garage the next morning. The car was booked in for a few days later for a pressure test.

The day of the pressure test, the car was left in first thing and immediately hooked up, to be left all day. I went back before the garage closed and was told that the car had lost no pressure all day, and no signs of a leak. The guy in the servicing department said there was only one thing he could suggest. He took a new plastic lid from the coolant tank of a brand new car in the showroom, and put it on my car, told me to try that and see what happens. And the car has run faultlessly for well over a month, until this week. The warning light and beeps are back and the levels are fine. This morning the level was down very slightly, but when I took the lid off to fill it, there was a release of pressure, and the level returned to normal. Consquently the warning hasn't returned all day.

I was already thinking of writing to SKoda UK's customer services to complain that it appears that I've spent a vast sum of money fixing something that hasn't been the problem in the first place, and that a new plastic lid has worked better. The guys who work in servicing agree that Skoda should have stood over the full cost of the initial repairs, but now the problem has resurfaced.

Has anyone else came across the same problems?

What should I do?

Do I write to Skoda UK as I had originally planned? £220 was a lot of money at the time to spend on something that didn't solve the problem I had.

What is the problem likely to be?

I'm now getting very frustrated with this car. I love it to bits, but am getting ever more fed up with these problems.

Any help much appreciated. Many thanks.

[ric04vrs]

you should really have had the Skoda dealer look into your original problem , level warning beeps, before the warranty ran out , then you wouldn't be in such a predicament now,

the level sensors go faulty in the coolant bottle , giving false warnings

[_VRs_]

The sensors seem like they are working, because he is loosing water. Sounds like you have a small leak somewhere and over time it just getting lower and lower until the sensor alerts you. I would keep an eye on the levels regularly, otherwise you could do more damage. Have you tried looking underneath after it has been sitting for a while, notice any wet patches and try and trace it back to the leak.

From what you have said I take it does not overheat, have mayo type gunk on the oil cap.

[ric04vrs]

The sensors seem like they are working, because he is loosing water. Sounds like you have a small leak somewhere and over time it just getting lower and lower until the sensor alerts you. I would keep an eye on the levels regularly, otherwise you could do more damage. Have you tried looking underneath after it has been sitting for a while, notice any wet patches and try and trace it back to the leak.

From what you have said I take it does not overheat, have mayo type gunk on the oil cap.

but as the OP stated , they had the beeps , then checked the level and it was ok , this happened on numerous occasions and as the sensors do go faulty , i was just pointing them to their error of ignoring a fault when they could of had it repaired for free

pointless looking underneath the car if its fitted with an undertray as the water/coolant just drys off on that

[Col_ossus]

In two checks at the dealerships, there was no visable signs of a leakage found.

I know I should have got the problems checked before the warranty ran out, but with the warnings disappearing, I just figured there was nothing wrong.

[Woolfy]

As far as I know the warning light is re-set by the bonnet being opened, hence it going away when the levels are checked (which i think is also the case with the oil level sensor). Somebody on here will correct me if I am wrong.

If the sensor is completely knacked then it may just trigger again as soon as the re-set is applied, hence the warning light not going away.

From what you describe you obviously had a leak (as you lost coolant), that the water pump change may have cured, or it may have not. The drop in levels a month later could have been down to not properly bleeding the coolant system when the pump was changed (the fact that it was after a long run that the coolant level dropped, ie the air was driven out to the expansion bottle, would suggest that as a cause), although you could still have a leak. It is difficult to guess at that, especially as the dealer says the pressure test was fine.

Have you been checking the coolant levels anyway, or only when the sensor triggers the warning light?

If only when the warning light comes on, then you could have had low coolant for quite some time after the water pump change before you noticed it as if the sensor is faulty, then you will get false positives and negatives (ie low coolant and no warning light). If there was still enough coolant in the system the engine temperature may not noticeably increase, depending on it's use.

I would swap the sensor in the coolant bottle first to discount that from the equation, especially as it was giving false warnings for quite some time before the coolant actually dropped as far as you know. Don't assume that the new coolant sensor is working fine, check the levels yourself for a while.

If you notice no further drop in coolant then it was the sensor. If the coolant drops, then either the bleeding of the coolant system was terribly done and the heater matrix/radiator or anywhere where there is a trapping point is full of air, or you have a leak.

Coolant goes kinda crystalline when it dries in the air, so any leak on a hose or join should be apparent. If you have drips under the car or in the engine undertray, then you will also notice the coolant level drop.

If your system is full of air then it needs bleeding. I'm not sure about the fabia, but with most cars you need to get it up on ramps or jack it up at the front so that the radiator cap or bleed nipple/screw is the highest point of the coolant system and then run the engine with the heater full on, with the expansion bottle cap off and the radiator cap off or the bleed nipple/screw open whilst checking the levels and waiting for the hissing of air to stop. I might be wrong about this though, as it is quite some time since i've done it.

I'd still write to Skoda about the water pump failing just outside of warranty though, as you don't get if you don't ask.

Hope it works out ok in the end, and I stand corrected if any of this is bs

Edited 20 August, 2009 by Woolfy

[_VRs_]

but as the OP stated , they had the beeps , then checked the level and it was ok , this happened on numerous occasions and as the sensors do go faulty , i was just pointing them to their error of ignoring a fault when they could of had it repaired for free

pointless looking underneath the car if its fitted with an undertray as the water/coolant just drys off on that

Sorry wasn’t getting at you. It’s like an episode of Colombo trying to piece together the crime (problem). Wolfys seem like a good explanation, with a series of problems, including the sensors. Good luck sorting it out.

[Woolfy]

Sorry wasn’t getting at you. It’s like an episode of Colombo trying to piece together the crime (problem). Wolfys seem like a good explanation, with a series of problems, including the sensors. Good luck sorting it out.

But at least on Columbo you know who did it at the beginning:rofl:

[Col_ossus]

Diagnostics show no problems with the sensors inside the bottle. A new plastic cap fitted, as the old one didn't seem to lock into place quite as well as a newer one. Will see how this one goes now. Still intend to write to SkodaUK though.

[Col_ossus]

As far as I know the warning light is re-set by the bonnet being opened, hence it going away when the levels are checked (which i think is also the case with the oil level sensor). Somebody on here will correct me if I am wrong.

Woolfy, the guys in servicing agree that an oil level sensor will do this, but opening and closing the bonnet shouldn't re-set the collant sensor warning light, just the oil.

I didn't have a leak. Even while inthe garage there was no visable signs of a leak, just for some reason on two occasions the water and coolant drained from the bottle. Just those two times. Every other time the levels have been fine.

Since the water pump was changed I have been checking the levels on a regular basis, and everything has been fine. The sensors have been checked with diagnostics and everything seems ok. Only thing the garage has been able to suggest is to try another new cap.

Will give this a few weeks and see what happens, and I will keep a close eye on the levels for a while and see if they change at all.

[ap0gee1978]

Sounds to me like tow different problems setting off the same warning light. Level sensor failure is very common (they're shorted on both our Fabias as you actually need a whole new expansion tank, and I can't be bothered with the hassle - my grandad didn't have a level sensor, why should I? :P ), as is the O-ring on the cap degrading over time leading to drops in coolant level due to evaporation. But we're talking max-min over a matter of weeks or even months IME if the seal on the cap's gone, not the full contents of the expansion tank over a weekend - especially as it's evaporation, so only occurs when the engine's running...

You would know if the coolant hadn't been bled properly, as there's no need to put it on ramps or anything like that. The expansion tank is where it is for a reason, and once the engine's been run up to temperature and the thermostat's opened (signified by the radiator fans also coming on), the level won't drop any further...

[national]

£11 for a new expansion tank with sensors, would be a cheap way of eliminating lose filler caps etc

After that it would be down to leakage somewhere if you ARE losing fluid

National