Skoda Octavia VRS 2.0TDi 56 plate CAR FROM HELL

[Ajmal 786]

I have recently brought a used Octavia VRS 2.0 TDi in race blue with a BMN engine code.

It's the biggest mistake i ever made !!!!!

The very first problem i had was a big oil leak, turned out to be an oil filter casing gasket.

Brought the gasket from main dealer and had it fitted by a trusted Mechanic for £70.

A few week down the line after driving it approx 7k miles, i started getting white smoke coming from the exhaust loss of coolant and loss of power.

Took it to the garage again and it turned out to be a EGR cooler but, such bad luck for me it had damaged the cylinder head becuase this EGR cooler joins onto the manifold at the back of the cylinder head and whilst leaking coolant it had damaged the aluminum bearings at the back of the cylinder head. (apparently VW have now designed the head in a different way)

Brought a new cooler for over £300 plus labour.

Apparently the EGR cooler is a common fault on these cars and turned out it was not white smoke but steam as the EGR cooler sends the gas's into the exhuast but has coolant flowing through the outer walls some how.

Brought a used cylinder head also.

I have now spent near enough to £2000 on this car in 2 months and had 2 AA recovery's!!!!

Anyway gets the cooler and head fitted with new cam belt kit fitted and the same day i drove to Yorkshire to see a old friend and when i gets there the engine management light comes on!!! sounds light scary movie stuff to me at the time, either im jinxed or this car is.

Then after 15/20 miles the DPF light appers aswell, so i hit the motorway at once to burn the crap off but the DPF light has NOT gone off still after driving 10 miles at 3000 RPM!!!

I parked the car up and next day switched it on and i still have 2 orange lights on the dash!! ( engine management light and the DPF light) funny enough even at this moment the car drove ok, I hit the motorway again to see if i can burn the soot off but was Unsuccessful.

Got of the motorway parked up at a safe place switched the car off and started it again after 5 mins now the orange glow plug light is flashing and the car has gone into limp home mode!!! i can bearly get over 2000 RPM out of the s... thing.

Called the AA out agian and had 3rd recovery back home all in the space of 3 months.

Lucky enough for me a very good friend of mine is a master Technician for VW and advised me it is probably the DPF sensor that has failed causing all these orange lights to appear on the dash.

Im going to have it checked out soon wish me luck because since i have brought this bag of s... i have had nothing but problem after problem, even the AA are sick of me and the car.

I have a Octavia 1.9TDi on a 02 plate and that has been the best car i have ever had, just service it on time and put diesel in it, it has 195k on the clock and i have owned it since 2005, still drives like new, so why have Skoda made the new ones so CRAP? im loosing sleep over this VRS and my advise to anyone who is thinking of buying one is read the above and make your mind up.

[FazvRS]

Too late I've just bought one and It needs an injector already! Plus yesterday my coil light started flashing and engine management light also come on!!, unless that's summit to do with the injector!? Gonna get it checked out.

Anyways I know how u feel hopefully it should turn out well at the end

[skippy41]

You should have taken it back to the dealer to rectify the problems for free

[Nicky boy]

I had a whole host of problems on a mk1 vrs which cost me around 3k in 5 months and was still full of flat spots which the garage couldn't sort. I ended up buying a brand new vrs with a service plan just for the peace of mind, I have no regrets buying a new one but a used one I hated.

Good luck

[g_tee]

A 56 plate would suggest a PD engine with a DPF - they are more prone to problems than the newer CR type engines.

I'm on my 4th Skoda - only problem I've ever had was a cracked inlet manifold on my Mk1 that cost me damn near £600 just out of warranty to replace.

That was 5 years ago now, not had a problem with a Skoda since

[jrw]

I see that you are in Sutton? Take it to Midland VW in Cannock and get them to sort it all out! What he doesn't know about VAG engines isn't worth knowing.

Did you get it privately or from a dealer? If it was the latter i would be taking it straight back to them.

Some early 2.0PD's (up to 06 i think) are prone to a variety of issues including cylinder heads.

[weyland]

Where did you buy the car from, what warranty did it come and what's the service history like? If it was bought from a garage I would have returned it as soon as I started having problems with it and rejected the car under the sale of goods act.

[Ajmal 786]

Where did you buy the car from, what warranty did it come and what's the service history like? If it was bought from a garage I would have returned it as soon as I started having problems with it and rejected the car under the sale of goods act.

Thanks for all the speedy response and advise, i did not buy it from a car dealer or it would have gone back the same minute.

I brought it from a private seller, with very good main dealer service history, so i cannot get any money back.

Cam belt was done by Skoda Kings Heath in Birmingham 6 months ago and has only clocked 33k miles since, i have rebuilt the engine and replaced the cambelt and tensioner, (there was no way i would use same belt).

But the bright side is my mate who works for VW called round today at my house and brought a new DPF sensor plugged the car to his laptop with all dignostic software on it and the engine light has Disappeared which is good news, now we know the problem was the DPF sensor but its still in Limp home mode.

He said bring it in to his work place when his manager is not there and hes gonna plug it in to the VW computer and force the crap to burn. Hopefully that will make it in a better position to sell.

Im gonna get rid of it now and i havnt even had any fun in it.

[CorridaVRS]

Unlucky fella, I'm glad I opted for the tfsi as opposed to the tdi, havent had a problem yet apart from a dead brake light bulb! Sorry it's no consolation, there's sure been some nightmare stories about the diesel vrs's, probably why there were so many on the forecourt at my dealers for so long!

[Moley RUFC]

I see that you are in Sutton? Take it to Midland VW in Cannock and get them to sort it all out! What he doesn't know about VAG engines isn't worth knowing.

Did you get it privately or from a dealer? If it was the latter i would be taking it straight back to them.

Some early 2.0PD's (up to 06 i think) are prone to a variety of issues including cylinder heads.

Thumbs up for this advise. I had my Eibachs fitted there and I've never seen a garage turn round more VAG cars in a few hours. Great service and Jody is a top lad.

Edited 7 June, 2011 by Moley RUFC

[bond007]

very common for the sensor to fail which in turn doesnt regen properly and fills your DPF filter up, a new sensor should sort it with a forced regen

[weyland]

As another poster has said this is nop consolation to you but I think this is just pure bad luck. Chances are if you got another one you wouldn't have any issues, but problems like this can put you off a car for life. As has been mentioned, diesels seem more prone to issues as the tolerances are so tight to get the power and economy out of them. Hopefully your mate can get it sorted and you can off load it, though if he gets it fixed it may be worth running it for a while as get some money back out of it.

[PSM]

You appear to have gone through all the main issues with this car and unfortunately spent a fair bit of money too. Since these issues have now all been fixed it should now be less likely to go wrong hence I would be tempted to keep it to at least get the benefit of the money you spent. If you sell it and buy another secondhand car (no matter what make/model) you run the risk of buynig another car that is just about to start breaking down etc. Hence you could be spending out all over again!!!!! Unfortunately this is one of the pit falls of secondhand cars (can also affect neww cars but tends to be covered by warranty) that it can look great on paper (and in the flesh) but may not be so good underneath. Also owners may be trying to shift it because they know/feel it is starting to go wrong so they want to shift it before it costs them money (much like you will be trying to do with your current car although you have spent a lot on it putting it right).

I would not act in the heat of the moment and sell it so quickly but think about it carefully.

[hugothebear]

Sounds like you have been really unlucky, perhaps a warning to others about buying a car privately, even with dealer service history you can never tell how the car has been used in between services.... don't be put off Skoda by it though, I thought I would treat myself 3 years ago and bought a dealer showroom demonstrator Merc E class, hah some treat the bloody thing was always going back and forth with significant problems... even though it was mostly dealt with under warranty it got to the stage where I just never trusted and wasted so much time getting it fixed. I got rid of the bloated barge and came back to Skoda, my Vrs is a better thought out package than the Merc, better value for money, more interesting to drive and just more likeable. So I am put off Merc for life by the experience and even if I win the lottery it is the last thing I would chose.... I urge you not to be similarly put off Skoda by this unlucky buy.

[Awesam]

Thanks for all the speedy response and advise, i did not buy it from a car dealer or it would have gone back the same minute.

I brought it from a private seller, with very good main dealer service history, so i cannot get any money back.

Cam belt was done by Skoda Kings Heath in Birmingham 6 months ago and has only clocked 33k miles since, i have rebuilt the engine and replaced the cambelt and tensioner, (there was no way i would use same belt).

But the bright side is my mate who works for VW called round today at my house and brought a new DPF sensor plugged the car to his laptop with all dignostic software on it and the engine light has Disappeared which is good news, now we know the problem was the DPF sensor but its still in Limp home mode.

He said bring it in to his work place when his manager is not there and hes gonna plug it in to the VW computer and force the crap to burn. Hopefully that will make it in a better position to sell.

Im gonna get rid of it now and i havnt even had any fun in it.

I live just down the from this dealer, i wouldnt never take my car into them unless i had too! I travelled to coventry to get an oil service done from an independent!

[andyvee]

Did you get an AA check done on it as you were buying privately with no comeback?

Caveat Emptor!

I would never buy a used car privately without it being checked out properly by the AA or a very competent mechanic.

As others have said, you have gone through most of the common problems with this car. All you have to look forward to are turbo failures, DMF/clutch issues, ESP issues and injector failures on the PD170.

Get the DPF removed, take it to Ben at Shark performance for a DPF delete Stage 1 remap and enjoy it! You will never have DPF issues again as they are the weak point of the PD170 as it was never designed to run with a DPF unlike the later CR170.

If you sell it it is going to look very dodgy to any buyer as you will have only been the owner for a matter of weeks - that should set alarm bells ringing with any potential purchaser and knock the price right down, so you stand to lose even more money.

I bought my PD140 with 110K on the clock from a main dealer with 3mth warranty. In that time I got them to replace the turbo, DMF, A/C compressor, rear discs, rear quarterlight seal and heated rear screen. All on a car with Full Main Dealer History and supposedly checked out by them before selling. I drove the car before purchasing and no sign of clutch or turbo issues - they happened 1 week later!! Having worked in the motor trade previously for over 10 years and had plenty of hands on experience at a relatives garage I can spot most issues, but with modern cars you need proper diagnostic tools to get the full picture.

I felt like cutting my losses or just handing the car back, but almost a year later and I am glad that I didn't as it has been the best car I have ever had since the issues were fixed.

[suk]

Remember when doin a regen to keep it between 1800-2500rpm!!

[Stuart_J]

Take the DPF off & remap it, better car & no more hassles

[Raglits]

How many miles has the car done if it clocked 33k in the 6 months after the cambelt was changed?

[mlapicki]

My 2006 vRS PD has cost more to maintain than my old Lotus Elise did. About 2k + per year.

I was considering giving up and replacing it, but having 'invested' so much in repairing it, and balancing this against the cost of changing car, plus the risk that it's replacement would be equally unreliable I decided to just buy a warranty instead.

[DionJ]

I bought warranty direct for my Octavia vRS, £32 per month and there's not much it doesn't cover.

[Ajmal 786]

I have taken the car to VW and the DPF is at 90% full!!!

In other words it needs a new DPF, they did take it off and clean it which brought the soot levels down to 85% but it wont be long until it reaches 90% and im back at square one.

Does anybody know if there is a Permanent way of cleaning the DPF, or is there anywhere i can get a good used DPF with low soot levels?

[PSM]

Sounds a perfect time to remove the DPF and get a remap!!!!!!

[Stuart_J]

I have taken the car to VW and the DPF is at 90% full!!!

In other words it needs a new DPF, they did take it off and clean it which brought the soot levels down to 85% but it wont be long until it reaches 90% and im back at square one.

Does anybody know if there is a Permanent way of cleaning the DPF, or is there anywhere i can get a good used DPF with low soot levels?

There must be loads in the scrappies & you may be lucky to find one who dosent know what they cost, try & find out which other VAG cars have the same one as it wont be solely on the Octy, that will widen you search

Otherwise have the guts knocked out of it & the car remapped. DONT replace it with another pipe as at some point shortly the cars will have to pass a visual inspection for the presence of a DPF as part of the MOT

[g_tee]

Won't there be some kind of "physical" test for DPF presence in the future?

I'm pretty sure DPF is mentioned on most V5 logbooks....