Fabia Vrs Oil Fix

[Ootohere]

Neilvrs,

  What did they do, fit a Short Engine or just new Piton Rings?

 

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/293041-excessive-oil-consumption

 

Did you check the Oil in the 800 miles after the the Engine got a new bottom end.?

Some garages do not even put in the correct amount of oil even after rebuilding or replacing an engine,

you need to be sure what is put in, then they should really advise to check after a few hundred miles to see the 

level is correct.

 

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/233266-check-oil-level-465-miles

[zom414]

The yellow oil light came on today, done 1183 miles since I got it. 

 

Do I top it up now whilst the engine is hot or wait till it's cold?

[Ootohere]

Have you never checked or topped up since new?

 

You needed to put some oil in as soon as you can, 0.5 litres would be a good start, that will not overfil it.

then top up properly when you can do it.

(it will possibly be needing from 0.5- 1.0 Litres, but you need to check.)

 

Be sure not to overfill.

 

*Fabia Owners Handbook, page 167*

 

george

[zom414]

Have you never checked or topped up since new?

 

You needed to put some oil in as soon as you can, 0.5 litres would be a good start, that will not overfil it.

then top up properly when you can do it.

(it will possibly be needing from 0.5- 1.0 Litres, but you need to check.)

 

Be sure not to overfill.

 

*Fabia Owners Handbook, page 167*

 

george

I did put .5 litre in to top it up and it's fine now.

 

I check roughly once a week and posted some pics here in post #735 of my oil level.

[Ootohere]

Cheers,

i have looked now at that post and seen your pictures.

I run with '3.7 litres' of oil put in after an Oil & Filter change.

**Oil capacity is 3.6 litres, so do not do as i do, unless you choice to.**

 

3.7 litres gives me a Level on the dipstick when Hot, as Skoda & VW say to do, (or with a cold Jabozuma check)

at the top of the cross hatch.

& a with a totally cold dip, it has the oil on the metal but just below the Top Orange Plastic.

Well above the top of the Cross Hatch.

[MartynVRS]

My oil light came on a few days ago for only the second time since I've had the car. My own fault as it's been months since I've checked. Always a problem with having time to do it, then having somewhere level and even then I'd only put about 200ml in. Topped up with 500ml, reread then topped up some more. I always have mine bang in between both markers as that's where it's been after the two services I've had with Skoda. I keep it there and it hardly uses any provided I keep an eye on it. Last time I went Skoda was for my service in the Summer. 

[desciple0]

I have been watching this post very carefully as my car a sept 2012 skoda fabia vrs is using in my eyes lots of oil.i got it at 5 months old an ex demonstrator and thought i bagged a bargain at £12.000 with only 4.500 on the clock.but i seemed to be putting lots of oil in.around a litre a month since i had it or around every 1000 miles i think this seems excessive.

i have had one oil consumption test which says its high but within the manufacturers tolerances. i was still not happy so went to skoda uk were my case manager is ok but i think i am being fobbed off.

if i was thrashing it everywhere i could understand the use but as i am not this is worrying.

i have another test tomorrow as i went last week for another oil weigh in and will get the results when i take it in tomorrow. i was told to do between 500 and 600 miles.

i have never had a car where i have had to carry oil in the boot before because i think i might on a long run somewhere be in trouble. i have no faith in the car or engine and regret the day i got it.

i think if its not sorted soon my days and skodas will come to a sad ending as i will never buy one again it may well be my first and last such a shame as i do love the car.

it also made me unhappy when one of the dealers said well there soft pistons mate and they do use lots of oil well if thats the case maybe they should tell you this when your buying one.

 

[Ootohere]

Welcome to the Forum.

 

Is it a CAVE engine or one of the first CTHE engines?

 

Sorry to hear that.

I would have asked the dealer to write down about the soft pistons, as that was him talking through the wrong hole.

Not Soft pistons, but poor Quality Control and tolerances with other parts.

 

& they do not all use lots of oil, but as you have seen now, a good few are and do.

 

What amount are they telling you is OK, 0.5 liters in 1000 km (621 miles)?  so 1 litre in 1242 miles.

 

If it uses 1 litre in 1000 miles to stay at the correct level of 3.6 litres then it can not be within any sort of 

acceptable amount they think off.

They need to actually state what is acceptable, and by the weighing they do in a proper test, they even get the weight of a litre of oil wrong.

(But the owners Hand book does say, 'May use more in first 5000 km, but you are passed that mileage.)

 

george

 

eg.

This is another members Oil Consumption Test, they charged him for this. Because they said it did not use too much oil.

That weight in Grams is Wrong for 3.6 litres of oil at the start, a Litre of oil does not weigh 1000 grams.

Even if weighed at 88*oC, a litre still in the plastic bottle does not weigh 1000 grams.

*The old instructions gives the correct weight of oil.*

1 litre of oil @ 15*oC weighs 856 grams.

[Th3Grinch]

Ive had the breather pipe mod fitted yesterday aswell as an ecu upgrade apparently, I was using around a litre every 1000km, took it to dealers and they booked it straight in for the breather, no oil consumption test or anything, just a bit of backwards and forwards with dealer and SkodaUK. In the end I only put my hand in pocket for the courtesy car, and new brake fluid which it was due. Hopefully this will be the end of my oil consumption issues, if not, I believe it will be a new engine job??

[Binzie]

once you stump £120 for your consumption test 

[Ootohere]

The Brake Fluid change is due at 3 years if you follow Skoda Guidelines, or sooner if someone tested and a Fluid change was advisable.

£45 for a Brake Fluid change with 'National Pricing', or cheaper even.

 

The ECU upgraded should have been done at the 2 year/20,000 mile service,

but the more often the merrier, if there are more recent ECU Upgrades requiring doing.

 

Skoda UK & Skoda Dealers service desk staff can often be spotted telling lies or just making it up as they go along,

it is if  their lips move.

 

george

[Th3Grinch]

haha ok then. i'll bear that in mind. bought it second hand and its my first skoda so new to the brand. Skoda have already said a consumption test will be paid for by them. I was suprised myself that an ecu upgrade hadnt been done but hey ho, it has now. Any ideas what the upgrades actually are?

[Ootohere]

It is basically an updated map to assist in fueling the engine correctly, injectors delivering fuel type thing.

 

A CTHE engine is not only different with internal engine parts, its ECU has a different map which effects fuel and gear changes etc.

 

VAG change the map/programme to try improve the CAVE engines performance,

(stop what ever is causing Bore Wash & high oil usage, rings and bearing wearing and failing, plugs fouling & burning out.)

 

if you get it wrong at first, try, try and try again, you might get it right in the end type thing.

Just treat the customers like Mushrooms while doing it, 'Keep in the dark and shovel with sh!te.'

[mousebat]

My 2011 Polo GTI is on it's second engine - about to go onto it's 3rd (just doing the oil consumption test now).  The car is on contract hire otherwise I'd have flogged it down the road ages ago.  

 

VW Financial Services (which is just a company called Mondial trading under the VW name) has advised me they won't accept our rejection of the car as it is over a year old - even though this has been a problem from new and we've spent that time jumping through all the oil consumption test hoops!

 

Currently the car is using 4 litres of oil every 1100 miles (2-4 weeks!) - it's always been the same, we dropped nearly 400 quid on oil in the first year - a cheque has yet to materialise from VW for it!  

 

They did the ECU update a few weeks ago and all it's done is make me lose 3-4 mpg (currently averaging about 32mpg, was getting a steady 36mpg before!).  I've had the breather pipe mod on the old engine and all that served to do was make the engine noisier.

 

I haven't even started on how abysmal the dry clutch DSG box is!  After 24,000 miles it's started juddering on engaging/disengaging like I'm driving over a cattle grid and it's always been a bit of an on/off switch, jerky and not smooth at all.  It's like having a 16 year old doing the left foot bit for you - and before people start bashing me for having club foot I've been driving for just over 15 years, motorsport experience and plenty of mechanical sympathy!  

 

I called VW customer services today and said if they don't convince VW Finance (Mondial) into releasing me from the contract it's just going to keep on costing VW the best part of 5 grand every few months to swap engines.  Any profit that was in building my car has probably been obliterated anyway so why don't they just cut their losses before it starts costing them money!

 

I enquired on the Honest John website to see if they knew where we could go with this and they advised me that VW are dropping the 1.4TSI in favour of a 1.6 unit for our cars (next model refresh) because they consume far too much oil.  This sounds like an admission that the engine isn't fit for purpose if ever I heard it.  They also said if we all get together (that's owners of the Fabia VRS, Ibiza Cupra, A1's etc...) we might be able to get something done about it.

 

It is extremely daft though: In the handbook for these TSI engined vehicles it states 1 litre per 600 miles is acceptable consumption.  I get about 300 odd miles to the full tank, 1 litre of the recommended fully synthetic can cost up to 20 quid if you go to thieves like Halfords. So every time I fill up with fuel - they think it's acceptable that it will cost me up to an extra tenner!?  Currently my car is expensive to run as the 335i we have on the companies fleet and that barely scrapes 30mpg.

 

Hope this isn't too negative for my first post! Give me my PD160 Ibiza or my old PD130 Fab back any day, never going petrol (or dry clutch DSG!) again...

[Ootohere]

Welcome to the forum.

 

Sorry to hear all that.

Could you please put your details and the engine change details in  the thread i started on the CAVE-CTHE Engine replacements.

It is posted to find out how many vRS engines among members here have been replaced, but many have not posted on theirs.

But really it is about the Engines in VW's, Seat or Audi's as well. 

There are a good few more that members here that got new engines that have not yet posted or maybe do not want to.

 

I would be grateful as Skoda/VAG seems to think the issues & their poor treatment of customers can stay hidden from the general car buying public

& the Motoring Press & Media seem to not take much interest in the plight of many.

 

Must be the power of VAG, or just there has not been enough stink raised or any UK court actions yet..

the '1.4 tsi in other Power Outputs' & only with a Turbo is not being dropped, maybe just the 'TSI 180ps Twincharger'.

(Owners of VAG engines with ACT or COD should be aware of how they might get treated when VAG technology goes wrong,

VAG Volkswagen Audi Group have long liked to use their paying customers as road testers for their new technology, and it costs the customer when they have got it wrong..)

 

There are members here that rejected vRS Twinchargers, 3 that i know of, and they were on Finance i believe.

 

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/294051-cave-cthe-14tsi-just-reply-please-if-you-have-had-an-engine-replaced

 

thanks.

george

[mousebat]

With pleasure George - the more people stand up and be counted the better.  

 

Although I doubt we'll ever get any kind of court action - history seems to be littered with this kind of thing. The swirl flap issues that randomly destroy those 3 litre BMW diesel engines, or the Rover K series engines used in the last of the MG's with the naff head gaskets.

 

Been a VAG enthusiast for years, feel like I've been punched in the balls by an old friend!

[Ootohere]

There has been a court action in Australia, but sadly the outcome was not good or the person taking it.

Same car as yours and they VW Australia had a very odd defence that worked for them.

 

Google, peackock vs vw australia

 

I think a Civil Action being raised in the UK, maybe in the Scottish Courts is not far off. Lets hope.

 

george

[mousebat]

Yes - heard about that and all the recalls of the DSG in China.  Like most things in this day and age it needs media coverage to be taken seriously, can't think where to start though...

[Ootohere]

A good start is Forum Threads with 'Key Words' that mean when someone googles Volkswagen, VW, Skoda, VAG etc.

the 1st page shows, VW high oil consumption.  CAVE-CTHE Engine replacements etc.

 

It does not take long from people clicking on untill everyone searching VW or Skoda online see Forum entries

on the first page of a google search,

then the Manufactures CEO & Media Department pick up on it. 

Unless they really are hopeless, and considering Skoda websites, information , images, pictures and translation,

they clearly are not the best.

 

The Skoda UK CEO or Brand Diector should be aware by now,

 and should maybe be getting some 'Media Statement' prepared,

"we will recall and check engines, extend Warranties, make sure our customers are not out of pocket.

only a very few were actually faulty of the Engine of the Year we built, from 2009-2013."

 

Also people can Email the Forum thread Links to Magazines, BBC Watchdog etc.  power of the net.

 

'SKODA UK BRAND DIRECTOR, ALASDAIR STEWART',

would be a good person to hear some statement from

on how SKODA UK & Worldwide are dealing with customers problems.

http://www.linkedin.com/pub/alasdair-stewart/27/a4/b4b

Maybe some of the other Skoda UK senior management you see on the link to

'ALASDAIR STEWART' are worth getting Emails of to.

 

The 'SKODA UK COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER, EMILY BURNS',

must be worth sending some Communications to.

 

 

Here is some of it with VW Australia, in a Briskoda thread.

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/265770-legal-action-vs-vw-australia

[mousebat]

Funnily enough...

 

I'm not at liberty to discuss how - but the company I work for knows the VW brand manager.  He advised us there was nothing he could do regarding our rejection of the car because it is in the hands of the finance company, Mondial (trading as VW financial services).

 

I'm currently awaiting a call back from a VW customer services manager for the third time so far, should be in touch by Tuesday apparently.  I'm going to put it to them that to keep me in this car it is probably going to cost them much more than the car has ever been worth.  Like I said - any profit that was made in my car must have already been overshadowed by the amount of warranty work I've had done.

 

I don't accept that VW have no control over the finance company they have appointed and allowed to trade under the VW monicker.  Of course the finance company don't care how many engines have gone into the car or how much of my time they've wasted.  It doesn't effect them one iota, so why should they care!?

 

VW on the other hand should be worried - I'm going to absolutely punish this little car until I reach engine number 10.  I'm going to red line it every gear and leave it in 3rd on the motorway so it's screaming it's nuts off and the oil temp goes over 120ºc.  Wonder what oil temperature will activate safe mode - anyone have a DAMOS file for MED17.5.5?! 

 

If they want to play silly buggers, then I can be silly too...   I've got earplugs, my company pays the fuel and the car is going back at the end of the contract.   So just like their appointed finance company - what do I care!

 

I'm pretty sure that the Tricore ecu's in these cars don't have any logging capacity to detect this kind of abuse?  I'm feeling all mischievous, now if I could only find my Guy Fawkes mask... 

[mertdem]

Here is my situation.

My wife drives the VRS for going to work. But the car is driven always in rush our which is a heavy start-stop trafic. You can not imagine how bad the trafic is in Istanbul.

But when we go on holiday and make about 1000km in one trip the car does not consume any oil at all. 

So my conclusion is the problem arises only in very heavy trafic. 

By the way this is my second VRS, the first one had the same problem. After nearly 2 years we replaced the car with the new one. After 2 years VW did not improve anything.

So i like the engine a lot and accept the fact that only way is adding some oil and driving happly

 

Mert

[mousebat]

I did one oil consumption test and it appeared that the consumption was just within threshold and I thought it was cured but this was because those particular 660 miles (or 1000km) were spent on the motorway.

 

Honestly - if you're on contract hire/finance and at the end of your tether, just screw the engine into the ground. As far as I can tell they have no way of monitoring your driving habits (would be tantamount to spying?).

 

There's only one thing the manufacturer will pay attention to and that's the 'bottom line'.  If it starts costing them money - a pencil pusher will get uppity and do something about it.   

 

That Australian Peacock vs VW was a bit naff - they refused to hand the car over to the technicians for testing and diagnostics?  From what I can gather It appeared that Peacock was just being awkward and it just ended up devaluing their case?  I don't know enough about it though...

 

I've done everything the dealer has asked for - it's not their fault after all, they have actually been really good and at a certain level I'm not bothered because the car get's a free valet every time it goes in!  I think I've only washed and vacuumed the car once in the 2 years of owning due to the frequency of it's visits to the dealer.   Every cloud has a silver lining eh?

 

You've got to play the game in this situation - begging, pleading and legal threats just don't seem to be how this game is played.  

 

Cruising for my 30 mile daily commute at a steady 7k RPM on the other hand is a tactic that might just work 

 

MB

[Ootohere]

I have never really bothered about the problems encountered by Business/Lease drivers and those handing a car back that they do not own, my reason being they have a very easy course of action if unhappy.

My concern was mostly for the person landed with a lemon, bought new, use ex demos and used traded in or rejected cars.

 

It is just a shame that VAG, Skoda, VW, Seat and Audi could have handled things so differently, 

identified the original problems, then the further developing problems, then the total failures.

 

Talking with Dealerships, Technicians & Customers could have reduced many owners problems & grief.

Translating  Owners Manuals correctly, Updating them, changing their rubbish dip sticks,

then communicating properly the Manufacturing and Design faults.

 

Among many problems are Technicians & Sales people that do not understand the engine or the importance of correct oil levels

and checking and explaining to customers and buyers.

 

First and foremost is Volkswagen Audi accepting they built and sold many Lemons.

 

george

[Big Sheep]

Here is my situation.

My wife drives the VRS for going to work. But the car is driven always in rush our which is a heavy start-stop trafic. You can not imagine how bad the trafic is in Istanbul.

But when we go on holiday and make about 1000km in one trip the car does not consume any oil at all. 

So my conclusion is the problem arises only in very heavy trafic. 

By the way this is my second VRS, the first one had the same problem. After nearly 2 years we replaced the car with the new one. After 2 years VW did not improve anything.

So i like the engine a lot and accept the fact that only way is adding some oil and driving happly

 

Mert

 

You may have hit the nail on the head. This engine appears to have a duty cycle problem. Drive long distance, drive the nuts off it or drive it on a race track and no problem. Subject it to daily commuting and stop/start driving in heavy traffic, then it has a tendency to use oil. I'm also convinced that gentle running in does this engine no favours.

[mousebat]

Trouble is George, it's a lemon regardless of who get's landed with it, company or not.  Let's not forget my wage get's raped via P11D.  Company cars are "indian-gives" nowadays.

 

I do feel sorry for the poor sod who buys the car from the dealer after as they won't know how many engine's the car's been through as I think they're not entitled to make it known at the point of sale.

 

Seems the only way to do this is to hit VAG where it hurts...

 

mb