Has my Turbo blown

[gazman1]

2009 1.4 tdi 80bhp, was getting 60+ mpg but last few weeks has seen a dramatic decrease in MPG and now performance, mpg yesterday on a motorway run of 30 miles returned 25 mpg at 60 miles per hour but wont rev past 3000rpm under load, today it refuses to go past 2000 rpm and wont go up a hill, even just revving the engine when stood on my drive is a struggle to get past 3000 rpm, only thing ive ever noticed on any previous car ive owned similar to this was a blown turbo, is there anything i can test myself

thanks

[vRSy]

sounds like the car is in limp mode. if the ECu detects an issue, it will limit the output to protect the engine, and allow you to get the car safely out of the traffic so you can get it either recovered or driven slowly to a dealership

[rchhiba]

Could also be turbo. I had a blown turbo in a diesel a few years back with the same symptoms of not being able to go above 3000rpm. The intake turbine inside the turbo broke possibly due to oil starvation. Best thing to do is get it checked by the dealer.

Also had problems with a map sensor before which can give similar symptoms

Edited 24 April, 2011 by rchhiba

[JerryT]

as per Janners comment, sounds very much like limp home mode has been enabled, and the only way to find out what is really wrong is get it hooked up to some diagnositcs. could be a whole host of things, but the good news is that you are less than three years old (well the car not you) and it should be covered by warranty. Well i hope it will be now i have said this.

Had a similar problem a few years ago on a Peugeot HDI and it was a worn pipe to/from the turo that was easily replaced. So hopefully nothing major that is easily sorted under warranty.

[gazman1]

Thanks guys, ill get it booked into my nearest dealer tomorrow/Tuesday

hopefully a warranty item as well.

[rchhiba]

Thanks guys, ill get it booked into my nearest dealer tomorrow/Tuesday

hopefully a warranty item as well.

Be extremely interested to know what the outcome is pls update once you find out from the dealer.

[Guest]

On such a young car it's probably not the turbo as such but more like the airmass sensor gone out to lunch...but there are several options on this as the guys are saying. If you would let us all know what transpires that would be great. It will be covered under warranty for sure. Good luck Gazman1

[JerryT]

On such a young car it's probably not the turbo as such but more like the airmass sensor gone out to lunch...but there are several options on this as the guys are saying. If you would let us all know what transpires that would be great. It will be covered under warranty for sure. Good luck Gazman1

had one of those go on me in a TDI Astra, couldn't pull the skin off a rice pudding. RAC guy cleared the fault and then showed me where to disconnect the cable back to the ECU if it failed again. after the reset back to normal and drove to Sheffield and back no problems (350 mile round trip)

[gazman1]

Just had the Skoda assist RAC technician at my house, he run loads of tests and there was a fault with the ERG valve which was sticking, he put a manual pump on it to free it up however it still doesnt pull like it should so he says it needs to go into the workshop tomorrow for investigation on the turbo itself as boost pressure is low.

[JerryT]

Just had the Skoda assist RAC technician at my house, he run loads of tests and there was a fault with the ERG valve which was sticking, he put a manual pump on it to free it up however it still doesnt pull like it should so he says it needs to go into the workshop tomorrow for investigation on the turbo itself as boost pressure is low.

Hi Gazman, any further news on getting the Fabia sorted?

[gazman1]

Hi Gazman, any further news on getting the Fabia sorted?

Not yet, took it in this morning and told they might not even get to look at it until Wednesday/Thursday, got a brand new Focus Sport Tdi as a loaner from Skoda Assist for now.

[harryweld]

Not yet, took it in this morning and told they might not even get to look at it until Wednesday/Thursday, got a brand new Focus Sport Tdi as a loaner from Skoda Assist for now.

Skoda Assist and they gave you a Focus

[JerryT]

well, at least you have a set of wheels to run around in, even if it is a fraud.

hope all goes well, and the problem is easily sorted and under warranty for you.

[gazman1]

well, at least you have a set of wheels to run around in, even if it is a fraud.

hope all goes well, and the problem is easily sorted and under warranty for you.

Me too but the Breakdown guy didnt have much hope for me, he said here arent any traditional mechanics nowadays at main dealers, theyre all technicians and they only act on what a computer read out says, after he ran all the tests and reset the fault codes or whatever it came back as nothing wrong with it even though the ERG valve was sticking, he attached a manual vacumn pump and freed it off, he did all he could but he says its still 30-40% underpowered, he checked every single pipe for holes/wear and all were good, he then took it for a 5 mile test run on flat roads and only returned 5 MPG!!!!!! when i took it into the dealers this morning which is along a 5 mile route i regularly travel i only managed 26 MPG where i would normally get around 55-60 on that route and it struggled to pull in 4th or 5th gear so much so that i had to gear down to 3rd, im not optimistic about this one.

[Guest]

Me too but the Breakdown guy didnt have much hope for me, he said here arent any traditional mechanics nowadays at main dealers, theyre all technicians and they only act on what a computer read out says,

Gaz, don't worry, they'll sort it. If it's that much down on power it'll be easy peasy to find the fault. I can think of several issues that will cause the symptoms you speak of, all simple to diagnose/check and easy to fix, but cost is an unknown. Thankfully, virtually all mechanics are technicians these days and many are very highly qualitfied indeed. Yes...I know there are apprentices too, most very keen and good at what they do. Not sure why but for some reason some people think techs are not proper mechanics. I think the breakdown guy was probably just making idle chatter or he just needs to get out more. I speak as an ex-motor technician and ex-aero engineer (airframes & turbines).

Good luck on that and do keep posting back with your results.

[gazman1]

.

Edited 23 May, 2011 by gazman1

[Guest]

Gazman, that's brilliant news! Sounds like Skoda have also been brilliant with the compo too.

Do you know what oil had been put into your car instead of the correct stuff?

Gaz, maybe you could start a new thread to warn everyone about the importance of getting and using the correct oil. For the garage to make that mistake is very very unusual and unfortunate. But many owners do it all the time in my experience...they often think oil is oil. A new thread would give it maximum coverage and get the message across. Anyhoo, well done and great that all is going to be ok.

[pipsyp]

Sounds about right, PD's are very sensitive and only VAG approved oil can be used. Does knacker things if the wrong oil is put in. I always used Castrol Edge that was PD engine approved in ours (sure it was the 5w 40 turbo diesel deriviative but dont quote me on it - its been a while!)

[JerryT]

Gazman, in answer to your original question, yes your Turbo is blown. however, it looks like your are being treated really well and your dealer is making it up to you for the mistakes of others.

Oil choice is very important but not sure another thread is required, but try these two to get an idea; vRS oil and some good information here oil questions. I noted that for one of the Mobil 1 oils, whilst having all the ticks in the boxes for the various VW specs, it then went on to say not for use in the PD engines.

[rchhiba]

Great news Gazman. I think Skoda have done a great job in identifying their mistake and going some way to make up for it by giving you the extra warranty - which is not cheap to buy seperately.

[delta925]

Good to hear no quibble about getting everything done under warranty and the extra 2 years warranty very reassuring as any other problems could not show for some time.

The worrying part is that a Skoda dealer used the wrong oil, any VAG group garage ought never to make this mistake.

[gazman1]

Good to hear no quibble about getting everything done under warranty and the extra 2 years warranty very reassuring as any other problems could not show for some time.

The worrying part is that a Skoda dealer used the wrong oil, any VAG group garage ought never to make this mistake.

Picked it up this morning, still seems underpowered but will keep it for a few days before i make a final decision as to wether it goes back. annoyed that they put well over 100 miles on it while they had it, thats some bleeding test drive, front footwell also covered in greasy boot prints as well as drivers mat and front alloys were disgustingly filthy and a scratch/scuff on one wheel i swear wasnt there before, not happy at all and they also put a fuel filter in and charged me for it without asking.

[JerryT]

Picked it up this morning, still seems underpowered but will keep it for a few days before i make a final decision as to wether it goes back. annoyed that they put well over 100 miles on it while they had it, thats some bleeding test drive, front footwell also covered in greasy boot prints as well as drivers mat and front alloys were disgustingly filthy and a scratch/scuff on one wheel i swear wasnt there before, not happy at all and they also put a fuel filter in and charged me for it without asking.

oh dear, not what you were expecting. glad you got the car back, sorry i would appear that it hasn't been treated with respect that it deserves

[gazman1]

They also made some reccomendations as to work doing as well, apparently my handbrake needs adjusting (couldnt they just do it there and then, its a 30 second job) rear brakes need work and also a full brake fluid change, thay also said i needed 2 new front tyres and are happy to charge me £96 for the priveledge of fitting them as well as money for other work as well, they did say they would repair my broken rear parcel shelf fixing under warranty and will do the other work at the same time, erm, no thank you.

give with one hand and take with the other, i will now go to unfranchised dealers for any work in future and so long as they fit genuine parts my warranty will still be valid.

took it on a run this afternoon, a quick 30 mile run on the motorway, kept to under 70MPH and fuel consumption is a shocking 34MPG still lacks power and refuses to pull from below 2000 RPM

[JerryT]

Oh dear, looks like the problem isn't fixed then. Sorry to hear that.

All the other 'little' jobs are no different to any other garage. Unfortunately, my experience has been that they will concentrate on these little points rather than doing the necessary work which may save you real money, or cost you a lot more if not done properly.

Adjusting the handbrake, inho should be a standard serving job, and perhpas something that could be done in a short space of time.

Rear brakes needing work? what work did they identify that needs doing? However, this is a safety aspect and should not be ignored if it is necessary

Brake fluid should be changed every two years - you can probably stretch this a little further but it will depend on your driving style. Again though, a safety aspect and should not be ignored

Tyres, are also always a good one, but best to shop around to get the best deal possible

However, and not trying to add fuel to the fire, isn't it nice to be presented with a whole new list of work to be done, when they haven't even sorted out the original fault. Who do these people think they are?