My vRS didnt make it back from the seaside....

[studmuffin]

My vrs died on Sunday on the way back from Scarborough, staxton hill to be precise...

I still had 147 miles to drive to Hinckley, when it conked out on the hill with loss of power. i did manage to restart the car and drive to a nearby lay-by when i rang the AA. When the aa turned up he couldn’t find a fault as it was running fine at that time and his diagnostics reader showed no fault codes. as it had been losing power for the last 40 miles on the way up to Scarborough i said there’s no way im driving it back to my house if he cant fix it. so to cut a long story short, it was recovered back to Hinckley on the back of a recovery truck, it took the aa 6 and a half hours to do that, and my letter of complaint will be with them very shortly, but that’s another story....

my vrs had been losing power and had the same symptoms{losing power intermittley with no dash warning lights} about 6 weeks ago and i had the lambda sensor replaced but when Skoda did the diagnostic check it also showed a ignition switch fault. i did not have the switch done as the mechanic who does my car said, that the ignition switch fault is so rare, he said to run it and see what happens...well it run fine until Sunday with no problems !

So my car has sat on my drive and not moved since the early hours of Monday morning. with the bank holiday all the garages have been shut, so tomorrow morning i will be ringing the lion garage in Hinckley who are a local indy garage who deal with the vag group, never been there before so will give them a try, got to be cheaper than the main dealer..

Here is my post on the when it first started losing power

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/234760-vrs-pd-losing-power/

it did have the injectors replaced under recall last December and they have now done nearly 9k since then.

When it is fixed, i am going to serious thoughts as to whether to get rid as i can see large repair bills looming as things start to wear out. its a 57plate pd vrs its done 91k. My annual mileage is 18k.

It needs 2 new front tyres within the next 8 weeks and possibly clutch and dmf within the next 12 months. dpf is behaving itself at the moment but i have had problems and have read on here that they do have a shelf-life and don’t last forever.

it also has a severe vibration through the steering when accelerating hard from 70-90, have been told could be driveshaft’s but haven’t really looked into the vibration fault as its rocksteady at normal speeds..

so there we have it, going to have to make a serious decision as to whether to get rid, its a pity really as its the car ive always wanted, its a fantastic car, but i can see that i going to have to spend quite a bit of money on it soon..

[studmuffin]

well car is still at the garage, they have found 2 faults....

1. fuel pump or fuel pump relay.

2. lamba sensor bank 1.

the lamba sensor was done 6 weeks ago when it was losing power and the car has been running fine until last Sunday...

the guy did take the car for a drive and it did lose power when he was driving it and he did say it was pretty bad as well. he did say that when it did lose power, he could hear something clicking...like a relay, behind the dashboard.

so how common is the fuel pump or relay fault on a vrs ? anybody else had similar faults on a vrs ?

[jrw]

You should have taken out Skoda Assistance instead of AA cover....too many complaints of 'no fault found' when they plug their generic readers in.

[studmuffin]

You should have taken out Skoda Assistance instead of AA cover....too many complaints of 'no fault found' when they plug their generic readers in.

Not sure what skoda assistance is ? Can you please explain ?

I have a feeling I may need it in the future....if I keep the car..

I am afraid to say that I am starting to lose faith in this car and I just don't want the hassle or cost of breaking down and being stranded somewhere, also can see large wear and tear bits and pieces that will need replacing soon and I don't think that's going to be cheap...

I am going away to the IOW on Saturday about a 400 mile round trip and unfortunately I am not looking forward to driving the car, which is a pity really because the vrs is a fantastic machine, mine must be having a mid-life crisis at the moment !

Edited 6 June, 2012 by studmuffin

[jrw]

Its full breakdown cover.

http://www.skoda.co.uk/gbr/owners/roadside-assistance/Pages/default.aspx

its also cheaper than aa and rac for the cover provided and they have skoda trained patrols.

[silver1011]

You should have taken out Skoda Assistance instead of AA cover....too many complaints of 'no fault found' when they plug their generic readers in.

Those Skoda trained technicians are your day-to-day RAC patrols though...

"We've chosen the RAC to provide the service for us, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It doesn't matter who's driving your ŠKODA, they can call if they're in trouble. So if you are one of the few unlucky ones, at least help can be on its was with one phonecall."

Didn't realise it was cheaper though. I've just renewed my RAC membership for £65.00 (roadside and recovery).

[james_19742000]

I had to call out Skoda assist on Monday, they use the RAC, the guy did spend an hour or so trying to fix the fault but to no avail, he carried a selection of basic parts for basic repairs, in the end I had to be recovered to my local garage, they then paid for a taxi to take me home, then for teh rental car place to get a car arranged within a few hours to replace my car whilst its off the road, that was Monday afternoon, considering it was a Bank Holiday Monday the whole thing went very well and Skoda kept me updated at every step of the way.

My rental car is a Saab 9-3 turbo auto estate and I have that until mine is fixed which I have been told will be next week.

So all in all I would say certainly worth buying Skoda assist in, it was an excellent service and sorts everything out for you.

[studmuffin]

Its full breakdown cover.

http://www.skoda.co.uk/gbr/owners/roadside-assistance/Pages/default.aspx

its also cheaper than aa and rac for the cover provided and they have skoda trained patrols.

My AA renewal is not due until December and if I have still got the car I will definatly cancelling the AA and going with skoda assist instead.

AA, should stand for absolutely abmissmal because that certainly proved that beyond all reasonable doubt, when it took them 6 and a half hours to get me home 147's miles on sun/mon morning. And even than my car was not even on the back of a AA truck, it was a private breakdown company doing all the the donkey work and they did a superb job, it was just the AA idiots in the callcentres who didn't have a clue what was going on with their own patrols and generally the quickest and most directs routes for getting me home.

I have made a complaint and they are paying for meal expenses, but nevertheless it was a stressful long evening travelling back on Sunday night more stressful than what was actually wrong with my vrs !

The AA...the 4th emergency service ???

They are having a laugh....

Only one word for this cowboy outfit.....SHOCKING !!!

Edited 6 June, 2012 by studmuffin

[jrw]

Those Skoda trained technicians are your day-to-day RAC patrols though...

"We've chosen the RAC to provide the service for us, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It doesn't matter who's driving your ŠKODA, they can call if they're in trouble. So if you are one of the few unlucky ones, at least help can be on its was with one phonecall."

Didn't realise it was cheaper though. I've just renewed my RAC membership for £65.00 (roadside and recovery).

They are RAC patrols but they also have VW Assistance techs that will come out if the call centre deem it to be a more technical VAG specific issue.

I think it is around £165 for 2 years full cover which includes europe and car hire, onward travel etc etc.

[silver1011]

I think it is around £165 for 2 years full cover which includes europe and car hire, onward travel etc etc.

That's very good value. I see on the link you posted that it's available as a continuation after the standard '3 years from new cover' expires.

Like you mention there is a choice of 12 or 24 months.

The £65 I just paid gets me roadside and recovery - nothing else. The extra £15 is worth it for the European cover alone nevermind the courtesey/rental car.

[jrw]

That's very good value. I see on the link you posted that it's available as a continuation after the standard '3 years from new cover' expires.

Like you mention there is a choice of 12 or 24 months.

The £65 I just paid gets me roadside and recovery - nothing else. The extra £15 is worth it for the European cover alone nevermind the courtesey/rental car.

yes, it isn't very well advertised......Same with VW....All my family and friends use it now....even mother in law that insisted on AA cover on her brand new Golf that came with one years VW assist 'cos she gets a good deal cos she's been with them for 24 years and never let her down'. It wasn't until i showed her her renewal price vs 2 years cover with VW that she took out the VW cover

[cheezemonkhai]

Can I just check the obvious...

PD vRS and Lambda sensor?

Is it a PD or a Petrol vRS?

[Phil-E]

Can I just check the obvious...

PD vRS and Lambda sensor?

Is it a PD or a Petrol vRS?

Lol I thought the same but didn't want to say anything for fear of looking stupid. Hehe

[silver1011]

In the OP it mentions that the lambda sensor has been replaced, are you saying the second one could be faulty?

Its been read for fault codes, does the lambda sensor not log a code if its faulty?

[studmuffin]

Can I just check the obvious...

PD vRS and Lambda sensor?

Is it a PD or a Petrol vRS?

its a pd vrs and it had the lambda sensor replaced 7 weeks ago when the same loss of power first happened. it has been fine for the last 7 weeks apart from maybe a couple of moments of hesitation.

have just spoken to the garage, who have now had the car over 24 hours and he is now saying, that if he looks any further for the fault, maybe a couple of hours work, its going to cost 50 quid on labour plus the 20 quid diagnostic price...

he has found 2 faults, lambda sensor and fuel pump or fuel pump relay, he thinks its more likely to be fuel pump or relay related as he thinks the lambda sensor would not make it lose power so severe, which makes me wonder whether ive wasted my money when i had that replaced 7 weeks ago..

he said there is a lot of clicking behind the dashboard when it is losing power and if you drive it gently it doesnt lose power as much when you drive it hard. so i have asked him to change the fuel pump relay as that is the cheapest option and see where we go from there...

[studmuffin]

In the OP it mentions that the lambda sensor has been replaced, are you saying the second one could be faulty?

Its been read for fault codes, does the lambda sensor not log a code if its faulty?

That is a very good question.....

I have a couple of questions and thoughts....if the lambda sensor is faulty would it make the car lose power? And secondly, if the original fault is not the lambda sensor, whatever the original fault is....would that cause a fault code in the lambda sensor, if you understand what im getting at????

[studmuffin]

well the car is still in the garage waiting for the relay part to be delivered..

the car has been in the garage 2 days now and we are no further forward....

[dunc69]

Sorry to hijack - I am 2 yrs into the free 3 year Skoda Assistance cover.

Does anyone know, would they cover a second car in the family if it is not Skoda, or would I need another policy (AA or RAC) for that?

Thanks.

[silver1011]

I don't think you can cover a non-Skoda car.

Full terms and conditions here:..

http://www.skoda.co.uk/GBR/Documents/ŠKODA_Roadside_Assistance.pdf

[cheezemonkhai]

its a pd vrs and it had the lambda sensor replaced 7 weeks ago when the same loss of power first happened. it has been fine for the last 7 weeks apart from maybe a couple of moments of hesitation.

have just spoken to the garage, who have now had the car over 24 hours and he is now saying, that if he looks any further for the fault, maybe a couple of hours work, its going to cost 50 quid on labour plus the 20 quid diagnostic price...

he has found 2 faults, lambda sensor and fuel pump or fuel pump relay, he thinks its more likely to be fuel pump or relay related as he thinks the lambda sensor would not make it lose power so severe, which makes me wonder whether ive wasted my money when i had that replaced 7 weeks ago..

he said there is a lot of clicking behind the dashboard when it is losing power and if you drive it gently it doesnt lose power as much when you drive it hard. so i have asked him to change the fuel pump relay as that is the cheapest option and see where we go from there...

I'm 99.9% certain that a PD doesn't have a lambda sensor.

I've certainly never seen one on a derv, so if the PD170 does it's news to me.

There are some exhaust gas temp sensors, but I have to ask what they actually replaced.

I can't say I've got a huge amount of confidence in your garage from what they're telling you and you're relaying here.

A fuel pump relay won't hurt to change at a low cost, but the extra for this and extra for that, seems a bit mad.

You might want to get somebody in your area with VCDS to check the MAF sensor output and also see if there is a boost spike from the turbo, perhaps leading to an over pressure, that's causing a limp mode or similar.

[studmuffin]

I'm 99.9% certain that a PD doesn't have a lambda sensor.

I've certainly never seen one on a derv, so if the PD170 does it's news to me.

There are some exhaust gas temp sensors, but I have to ask what they actually replaced.

I can't say I've got a huge amount of confidence in your garage from what they're telling you and you're relaying here.

A fuel pump relay won't hurt to change at a low cost, but the extra for this and extra for that, seems a bit mad.

You might want to get somebody in your area with VCDS to check the MAF sensor output and also see if there is a boost spike from the turbo, perhaps leading to an over pressure, that's causing a limp mode or similar.

Well the fuel pump relay has been changed and the loss of power is still happening, cost me 70quid.... He now thinks it could be a crankcase sensor even though there are no fault codes showing !

I have now got my car back and my regular mechanic is now going to have a look, as he is now back off holiday.

Whatever sensor or wotever is fixed, I'm seriously thinking of getting rid, my car has been off the road nearly a week now, and I always said, the first sign of trouble I would get rid well this is the second time in 7 weeks, I now think its time to cut my loses...

It's a pity really...

Edited 9 June, 2012 by studmuffin

[silver1011]

I'd be asking for the original fuel pump relay back and a refund for the cost of the new one then.

I'm all for trial and error diagnosis but not at my expense!

[cheezemonkhai]

I'd also be asking for the lambda sensor that they replaced and the proof they fitted a new one, because I don't think your car has one.

Personally I think the car is fine, and it's the garage who is taking you for a ride.

FWIW, did the loom get replaced when you had the injector recall carried out?

[studmuffin]

I'd also be asking for the lambda sensor that they replaced and the proof they fitted a new one, because I don't think your car has one.

Personally I think the car is fine, and it's the garage who is taking you for a ride.

FWIW, did the loom get replaced when you had the injector recall carried out?

Yeah loom was changed, 100% certain that lambda sensor or oxygen sensor has been changed as I was given the old one back by my mechanic who changed it 7 weeks ago. Now thinking its more likely it could be a mechanical fault rather than electrical...

I just hope its fixed for sat as I'm driving to IOW on holiday, a round trip of about 400 miles, 400 miles I am not feeling very confident of driving in this car....I've fell out with it big-time !

Edited 9 June, 2012 by studmuffin

[max69vk]

Reading through this it sounds like your car is going into limp mode, the AA don't tend to pick up the fault as when you switch the ignition off & on again it resets itself.

Chances are the limp mode is being caused by the vanes in the turbo being coked up & sticking, the actuator won't be able to open them up so the clicking you're hearing behind the dash is actually the N75 valve (solenoid) in the engine bay trying to operate the vacuum for the actuator.

Lean over the back of the engine when it's cold and have a look at the turbo, you'll see a vacuum line going to something attached to the turbo, and a metal rod going from this to the turbo. This is the actuator rod. Reach down & move the actuator rod with your hand, it should move smoothly & reasonably easily, if not this confirms the vanes are sticking & the turbo needs cleaning (google 'innotec', it seems to work). If the actuator moves smoothly & freely trace the vacuum line back to the N75 valve (located at the back of the engine bay) and pull off the vacuum hose at the N75, suck on the vacuum line & you should see the actuator rod move, if it doesn't & you've managed to move the rod with your hand then this means there is either a hole in the vacuum line or the actuator is damaged internally.