09 VRS Ltd Edition 2.0 Tsi Engine Gone Bang!

[Hedge]

I'm not clutching at anything nor am I arrogant enough to declare myself right.

[Grizzle]

I'm not clutching at anything nor am I arrogant enough to declare myself right.

Well think about it then...

Your car's engine goes pop manufacturing fault or not , you have mapped it they find out, they are not going to fix anything engine related, its not hard.

Jesus god.

Its a business not a charity.

[neil_f]

They dont have to prove the map caused the problem, if you modify any part of the car without an approved Volkswagen group/Skoda part then they will unlikely approve a warranty claim its quite simple really.

i've had experience, if they know or find out the cars mapped its working beyond its tolerances that they set out to design and manufacture wether you, me, tom, **** & harry know that it will easily cope it doesn't matter.

To be honest i dont have a TSI engine so i dont really care to much personally i think the TFSI engine is a better engine but thats just MY opinion.

If you challenge it legally you'll find the manufacturer has to prove that the modification has caused the failure. Had a friend with a range rover that had various issues and dealer blamed the remap. Car was still within warranty period but land rover washed their hands of it. Took him months of arguing and independent inspection and he actually ended up getting a full refund for the vehicle from land rover. Yeah it's a lot of hassle that most people couldn't be bothered with but you cannot make a statement that a modified car invalidates the warranty. Dealers all too readily play that card when it suits them

[neil_f]

We all modify our cars and except the responsibility of doing so. As said previous if the turbo went I wouldnt shout warranty but from experience I've had dealers trying to claim suspension parts etc aren't covered cause vehicle is remapped. How does that affect these parts? Agree it is a grey area if it is something engine related although in this instance how can a remap cause the timing to jump?

[Hedge]

Well think about it then...

Your car's engine goes pop manufacturing fault or not , you have mapped it they find out, they are not going to fix anything engine related, its not hard.

Jesus god.

Its a business not a charity.

So how does that work when you have Skoda dealers offering remaps?

[cheezemonkhai]

So how does that work when you have Skoda dealers offering remaps?

Well you'd sue the supplying dealer (not skoda) and the remapped you used, then let them slag out who caused your engine to go bang.

[Gti Jazz Blue]

Anyway as I said the tensioner is on its third design, I have the second design on my TSi, so will have to make an informed choice at the end of the warranty.

[Hedge]

Does anyone know when the designs were changed?

[Gti Jazz Blue]

From what I can gather searching around the net, the third design came out about June this year.

[tony2311]

does this only effect the 2.0tsi? as i have the 1.2

[mikey vrs]

I wonder how much it would cost to get the latest modified tensioner fitted?? if the chain isnt replaced i reckon its only around 1 hours labour plus the cost of the part. Maybe worth doing when car is nearly out of warranty for peace of mind. Glad i have a TFSI now.(thats had its cambelt ,idlers,tensioner & water pump replaced.)

[Chicane-UK]

Seems timing chains are something VW just never managed to get their head around. My Corrado VR6 has a timing chain system - they're known for wearing through the chain tensioners which can then, eventually (if you don't nip it in the bud and get the chains & tensioners replaced) cause them to break, causing a catastrophic failure of the timing system and engine failure. Not uncommon for them to be absolutely shagged by the 120,000 mile mark... yet strangely some wear before and some well after.

[kwabo]

This happened to my VRS which I purchased in March. In June the cam chain slipped, breaking the valves in a couple of cylinders, requiring a new engine. The dealer found no fault with any of the parts, and Skoda found out that the car had been used at Santa Pod a week before the fault occurred. That was the end of my warranty cover. In the end Skoda agreed to make a small goodwill contribution towards the £5.7k bill. Once repaired I sold the car.

[Chicane-UK]

This happened to my VRS which I purchased in March. In June the cam chain slipped, breaking the valves in a couple of cylinders, requiring a new engine. The dealer found no fault with any of the parts, and Skoda found out that the car had been used at Santa Pod a week before the fault occurred. That was the end of my warranty cover. In the end Skoda agreed to make a small goodwill contribution towards the £5.7k bill. Once repaired I sold the car.

I'm confused how using the car at Santa Pod would invalidate the warranty? Was the engine modified in any way? Presumably if you're using it within tolerances (e.g. you're not exceeding the rev limit - not that you could) and the car is warmed up, etc a quarter mile sprint or two is no different to a full bore launch from the traffic lights? I could understand it on a 1.2 litre Citigo or something but the VRS *is* the sporty version - do they expect people to be pootling around in them doing 60MPH all the time?

I'm sure Skoda are on very dodgy ground invalidating warranties in this way...

[cheezemonkhai]

I'm confused how using the car at Santa Pod would invalidate the warranty? Was the engine modified in any way? Presumably if you're using it within tolerances (e.g. you're not exceeding the rev limit - not that you could) and the car is warmed up, etc a quarter mile sprint or two is no different to a full bore launch from the traffic lights? I could understand it on a 1.2 litre Citigo or something but the VRS *is* the sporty version - do they expect people to be pootling around in them doing 60MPH all the time?

I'm sure Skoda are on very dodgy ground invalidating warranties in this way...

The warranty says your car is not covered (warranty void) if the car is used for motorsport or similar purposes. Standing starts at the pod fall into this, so you invalidated your contract. How you used it doesn't matter ig you yourself have taken leave of what they are saying is acceptable.

[Grizzle]

Precisely my argument regarding if you remapped it.

[Hedge]

:zzz:

[kwabo]

I'm confused how using the car at Santa Pod would invalidate the warranty? Was the engine modified in any way? Presumably if you're using it within tolerances (e.g. you're not exceeding the rev limit - not that you could) and the car is warmed up, etc a quarter mile sprint or two is no different to a full bore launch from the traffic lights? I could understand it on a 1.2 litre Citigo or something but the VRS *is* the sporty version - do they expect people to be pootling around in them doing 60MPH all the time?

I'm sure Skoda are on very dodgy ground invalidating warranties in this way...

The car was a DSG version with no modifications at all. The experience has taught me three things, firstly not to use my car at Santa pod, just to spectate, secondly that Skoda have no interest in brand loyalty (my 5th Skoda) or evidence (were unable to show me what i had damaged by using the car at santa pod or how this was related to the subsequent problem) in a case like this and finally never to set foot again in the Surrey dealership I happened to take the car to, the worst dealership I have ever dealt with in 25 years of car ownership.

[jbconno]

How did they find out you'd been to Santa Pod ?

[kwabo]

How did they find out you'd been to Santa Pod ?

I had stupidly left a business card for the photography company who operate there by the handbrake. A member of service staff at the dealer found pictures of my car on their website and told Skoda.

[blackspaven]

and which dealership is that??

[jmf]

I wonder how much it would cost to get the latest modified tensioner fitted?? if the chain isnt replaced i reckon its only around 1 hours labour plus the cost of the part. Maybe worth doing when car is nearly out of warranty for peace of mind. Glad i have a TFSI now.(thats had its cambelt ,idlers,tensioner & water pump replaced.)

There are some kits available in the states with the uprated tensioner, for 300->500usd + shipping. As far as I know the uprated OEM tensioner is not available from the dealers themselves.

As for work, from what I read, it's not a trivial job, requiring lifting the engine & stuff. That being said, if I do get the RS TSI I'm eying, this will be the first thing to do on my list.

[tony2311]

if the word goes out, prices for 2.0 tsi will drop a lot faster

[cheezemonkhai]

and which dealership is that??

If you didn't race, just watched and the dealer did that to you, I hope they go down faster than an unsinkable ship after hitting an iceberg in the Atlantic.

[Chicane-UK]

I had stupidly left a business card for the photography company who operate there by the handbrake. A member of service staff at the dealer found pictures of my car on their website and told Skoda.

Insanity. Again, like you say, I'd want them to demonstrate exactly how / why some full bore standing starts would cause the engine catastrophic damage that results in them invalidating your warranty. Honestly I they must be on shaky ground legally.

Taking it round a track is one thing - that's sustained, hard work for the engine - a few 1/4 mile sprints are nothing. I'd be interested to know if Renault would invalidate the warranty on Clio and Megane Sports cars if used on a track given that they're used by places like Palmer Motorsport and so forth, and are renowned as great track cars for track day enthusiasts, etc.