So I was on my way home last night and opened my VRS up on a duel carriageway. It misfired and then the exhaust control system light started flashing for about 10 seconds then went out.

The car didn't seem to be in 'get home mode' and it was fine the rest of the way home.

It also missed fired a few days ago but it was far from being driven hard.

Started her up this morning, the light is staying out and the car seems to be fine.

I'm gonna pop in to my dealer to get em to plug it in and find out what happened but does anyone have any ideas on what it could have been?

Cheers

Just to update, took it to my old man to have a look at. He was a mechanic for about 10 years and he drove it and manage to replicate the fault.

The light didn't come on but the feeling that it was misfiring was present. Now he didn't think it was missing, he said it felt more like the car was hesitating while accelerating. Almost as if the TCS is kicking in / the car is holding back power briefly before carrying on.

Still going to take it in tomorrow for them to have a look for fault codes

Keep us posted, hope they can sort it in one visit.

what fuel are you using? mine has only done this once, and was when it was new, and dealer put £15 of 95 RON in...

I've always used Tesco momentum but I filled it this afternoon with Vpower, it was on just under a quarter of a tank when it started.

I personally dont think theres anything wrong with your car, my emmission light has come on as described, this is quite a common thing on the twincharger cars. If its not happening all the time this isnt something to worry about.

Regarding the hesitancy you describe under acceleration, thats the ESP (or more accurately the TCS and XDS elements of the system). The car has both traction control and torque vectoring capabilities as part of the ESP, like the MK6 Golf GTi. The vRS because of its forced induction has so much low end go that the car really struggles to put the power down when booted, particularly in the first couple of gears as they are really short. Initially the TCS will be preventing wheelspin by cutting power, then the XDS works to eliminate the torquesteer that the car would otherwise be quite badly afflicted by. Its effect can be described as hesitancy but its perfectly normal and you'll get used to it. I've had my ESP light flashing in 3rd gear in the dry under load quite often. Its a bit weird at first but I feel I can confidently say it very unlikely there is anything wrong with the car.

Personally.....I would avoid supermarket fuels like the plague. It Tesco Momentum may be advertised as 99 RON premium fuel but at the end of the day a Supermarket chain isnt a fuel refiner, they buy the dregs off of all the other refiners and sell it on cheap as it cost them less to buy wholesale. Fill up with reputable fuel and then stick to a brand where possible, if you cant stick to a brand at least stick to the same octane. 97 and 98 are fine, even 95 is OK so long as you are prepared to lose a little bit of power and maybe increase your economy slightly. I use BP Ultimate in ours and it runs great, cant say I actually noticed any difference when running it on V Power.

Right, took it in this morning and it's misfiring on cylinder 1. They've kept it to investigate and sent me home in a Yeti, fingers crossed it's an easy fix!

Right, took it in this morning and it's misfiring on cylinder 1. They've kept it to investigate and sent me home in a Yeti, fingers crossed it's an easy fix!

could be a simple as a faulty spark plug

could be a simple as a faulty spark plug

I think you might be right, they just rang to ask if one of their techs could take it home tonight for a decent test drive so I reckon they think they've sorted it

If one of the techs could rag it home more like :(

Sometimes a change in fuel can make it lumpy/hesitant but if its been diagnosed as a misfire then its coilpack/etc

If one of the techs could rag it home more like :(

Tell me about it! Mines fitted with a Roadhawk, so they'll probably be kinder too it.

Fed up with the dealer not returning my phone call's I called in for a visit this morning and they say the car was ready. Nice of them to let me know /sigh

So, they tell me that they couldn't find anything wrong with it (even though they found it to be misfiring one C1) but they've swapped the spark plugs around and it seems to be ok. In their words "Give it a try, but we'll probably see you again soon"

I have a sneaky suspicion it was dodgy fuel all along, it didn't start doing it until it dropped below quarter of a tank and now its stopped doing it 30 miles after filling it with VPower. Either way I'll stick with the VPower and see how she runs.

I quite often take customers cars home, it enables be to give them a run to try and replicate a fault without taking up lots of valuable workshop time. No point ragging a car home if the fault is one for example on light throttle. Also my licence and job are pretty important so we aint all mindless holigans

They were very gentle with it

Tell me about it! Mines fitted with a Roadhawk, so they'll probably be kinder too it.

I know OT but how have you found Roadhawk? How have you mounted it in the vRS? Always been tempted to get one

I know OT but how have you found Roadhawk? How have you mounted it in the vRS? Always been tempted to get one

Well it comes with a choice of using either a suction mount or a 3M sticky mount, I've gone with the sticky and its tucked above the rear view mirror. Its not at all in my way and has a great view of the road. I'll post some pics when I get home.

Currently I haven't hard wired it in, so I have to unplug it from the 12 volt socket every time I leave the car. I often forget, although its been left plugged in and switched on over an entire weekend without draining the battery. It's a great bit of kit, if I'd bought an estate I'd have put one in the rear window as well as Im worried one day I'll have to slam the anchors on and some <insert random profanity here> tailgating me will run straight into the back of me.

EDIT:

Ok here's some photo's of the roadhawk, I haven't hard wired it in as I don't really want to go near the wiring on the Fabia while its in warranty. I just have the cable tucked under the headlining and down the passenger A pillar, into the footwell then the cable goes under the floor mat and seat and comes out by the handbrake and of course plugs into the 12 Volt socket. It's been left plugged in by mistake over night and even over a weekend without draining the battery.

From centre

From drivers seat

And this is the view it gets in

Day

Night

I've currently got it on the medium setting as far as quality goes but it can go higher.

Edited 7 July, 201114 yr by LewJo

Ok, so put about 200 miles on her today and it hasn't misfired once. Considering by the time I took it to the dealer I could replicate it on demand I'm pretty sure its gone (fingers crossed). Now either by some miracle by swapping the plugs in cylinder 1 and 3 has fixed it... or it was the fuel.

VPower from now on me thinks

Edited 7 July, 201114 yr by LewJo

like the camera system....

So I was on my way home last night and opened my VRS up on a duel carriageway. It misfired and then the exhaust control system light started flashing for about 10 seconds then went out.

The car didn't seem to be in 'get home mode' and it was fine the rest of the way home.

It also missed fired a few days ago but it was far from being driven hard.

Started her up this morning, the light is staying out and the car seems to be fine.

I'm gonna pop in to my dealer to get em to plug it in and find out what happened but does anyone have any ideas on what it could have been?

Cheers

Mine came on yesterday but was flashing, which indicates a faulty sensor. Hoping it is just as the car is new and bedding itself in. Just stopped turned off car and back on light no longer flashing....

Mine came on yesterday but was flashing, which indicates a faulty sensor. Hoping it is just as the car is new and bedding itself in. Just stopped turned off car and back on light no longer flashing....

Flashing light is normally a misfire

As said in another thread, I had this twice, both times were as i jumped in the car turned on engine and shot off quickly. I think the engines don't like it cold. Sounds so much smoother when its been left to tick over for 30 seconds or so

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Edited 8 July, 201114 yr by janner_Sy

Mine came on yesterday but was flashing, which indicates a faulty sensor. Hoping it is just as the car is new and bedding itself in. Just stopped turned off car and back on light no longer flashing....

I have had this "fault ?" since the car was new in Feb.

The exhaust light would start flashing when I started the car first thing in the morning and backed out of the garage.

It never came on when I was driving. It did not come every time. In the last two weeks it has stopped happening.

The dealer said the fault code was a misfire ??

John

Yeah it flashes when you get a misfire, out of interest what fuel you using?

Yeah it flashes when you get a misfire, out of interest what fuel you using?

Shell V-power mainly BUT I put some Tesco momentum in about a week ago.

John

Hmm, perhaps it's the Tesco fuel then. I'll be sticking to the Vpower from now on then

Mine has never been fed anything other than vpower

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