Hi

Skoda V6 2,5 TDI 2007. Just had intermediate service also replaced brake pedal senor and also both CV boots. Also MOT

Got the car home noticed oil on the driveway. Took it back to independent dealer he kept for two days looking for the cause of the leak.

Tells me it ahs nothing to do with the work they have undertaken. The oil is apparently coming from the V between the cylinders. Wants to take it apart

to locate the problem. Also whilst that is being done change the cam belt and water pump, this I understand and makes sense, However, is this coincidence or could they have done something to cause the problem. Prior to the service the cars running like new.

Any help from you knowledgeable experts would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks in advance

John

Crankcase breather? Middle of V.

Turbocharger drain pipe seal? at back of V, turbocharger sits in the V.

Another possiblity is vacuum pump at back of engine, use hex key to tighten the bolts, but first locate the leak.

Finally, the other camshaft end (without the pump) is plugged with a plug that's supposed to be replaced at each cambelt change.

I would not use the dealer for any car brand, not just Skoda, to perform any maintenance on the car after warranty.

Go to a reputable independent VW specialist or DIY.

Methinks I would smell a big rat on this one.

You take it to a dealer who works on the car and the previously oil tight engine miraculously develops an oil leak while sat at the dealers? You take it back to the dealer and he decides that he fancies another £600 of your money doing the cambelt and water pump, none of which gets anywhere near the oily part of the engine?

Could it be that they drained the oil without removing the undertray and that oil is still dripping off the undertray onto your drive? Could it be that they didn't seat the filter housing properly (which lives in the V). Could it be that the oil is coming from the drain plug because it hasn't got a washer fitted?

Could it be that he saw you coming?

I would not use the dealer for any car brand, not just Skoda, to perform any maintenance on the car after warranty.

Go to a reputable independent VW specialist or DIY.

I love quotes like this, why not use a main dealer?

I love quotes like this, why not use a main dealer?

Skoda Octavia, 1.9TDI, bought new in 2002

80000 miles of happy trouble free motoring in 4 years, then a TB job at a main dealer workshop in summer 2006.

TB and WP changed, but head not refilled with coolant properly. I had to add coolant at the dealership car park. The car was apparently "test-driven", resulting in overheated head gasket and tiny coolant leak wihich progressively got worse and really manifested itself in winter 2007/2008, where entering motorway acceleration would cost 1.5-2l of coolant.

Cost me £500 to put right at an independent VW specialist. That workshop did replace gasket correctly, but did not tighten all injector union nuts. Resulting in diesel spray over the engine and severe fire risk 3 weeks later. Ironically (and luckily),I did not use the car for 3 weeks as I was abroad, and I was going for an MOT when they refused testing on grounds of diesel smell in engine bay.

After this pain and cost, I decided to DIY everything from next car onwards.

Same car, 2010, I decided to replace control arms front suspension, as at the time my garage was stuffed with junk and could not do it myself. So I went to my local Skoda dealer, and paid for the job, supplying arms bolts and nuts myself. When I collected the car, it had all old bolts put back in, and tightened with oversized air wrench to over 400Nm in cases where torque was 40Nm-70Nm. I complained and resolved the matter satisfactorily. At least the mechanic who did the carnage got sacked a few months later, apparently after more similar complaints on his (lack of) competency.

My other car (Skoda Superb Mk1, bought new in 2006), I did everything myself from day 1, including the 2.5TDI V6 timing belt job. No problems with the car in 100k miles so far, and I expect no problems till at least 2015. The only jobs I do are maintenance and wear and tear (CV boots, brake pads), plus in spare time any electrical mod I can think of.

However, that Superb got driven into the tailgate in April 2009, and went to insurer approved repairers to have tailgate replaced. After it has come back I counted no less than 15 faults in the repair, the most serious of which was that the tailgate lock would open with remote but not with the key (they put the actuator cable the wrong way)

So in summary, I would never use main dealer again, based on my personal experience, paid by my own money.

If I really have to use a mechanic, I'd use an independent VW specialist garage, cautiously, rechecking the job afterwards. Otherwise DIY wins.

Edited 24 March, 201214 yr by dieselV6

I can only agree completely with the above.

The dealer business "model" can't possibly work in the interests of the customer if you think about it. The overheads of the premeses far exceed those necessary to do competent repairs - you don't need pot plants, coffee or superfluous staff.

Much more seriously, look at the calibre of the mechanics employed by the dealer. Go round the back at lunch time or observe how they test drive customer's cars for instance. Then look at the qualifications of these people and the ways in which they are motivated (joke) to do a good job by their management. It just can't work and it doesn't.

Then consider the position of the Independent with his own maintenance and repair business. His business survival depends on doing a good job for a fair price and getting repeat work. He won't employ monkeys because his business would not survive - just as I don't employ any in my own business.

The icing on the cake is that the dealers are poisoned by the corporate line. How many "Skoda" dealers are going to tell you that unmodified Mk 1 Superbs are dangerous unless modified (water ingress rusts servo) or that the 2.0 PD engines fail?

I vote with my cheque book.

rotodiesel.

The other consideration for an oil leak is the oil cooler. Had a few of these leak and thy can be a nightmare to trace. The cooler is tucked away on the n/s/f of the engine behind a mounting bracket. Normally the seal inbetween the cooler and block leaks but the oil runs down and out in a very different place.

And not all of us dealer techs are muppets.

Many thanks to you all for your contributions.

Went back to the dealer and asked him to go through the options with me, letting him know that I not a complete dunce when it comes to mechanics.

The final upshot is there is a small seal at the botton of the filter chamber connecting the filter chamber to the oil pipe. Apparently, there is a bracket holding the oil pipe to the engine and this has 'worked loose'

causing the seal to leak... huummmm.

Mechanic said is was not as a result of the work they had done and he had spent 1.5 hours doing the repair. Works fine now. Not had the bill yet.

He needed to take off the injector unit to gain access.

The dealer has been looking after my car for two years with put any issues I want to believe he is OK perhaps I was just unlucky and the servicing did loosen the seal.

He is a member of the Good Garage Scheme

Once again thanks to all

John