3 months after spending £700 quid getting the head gasket sorted (130 PD AWX), I have another huge bill. And I thought the head gasket would be the end of my troubles.

Last week, the car started to judder and misfire, then it stopped and refused to start. So, off it went on the back of a tow truck to my freindly local specialist.

First of all, they tried a new tandem pump, which had no effect. Next, they changed the injector harness, which had no effect. Up to this point there were no fault codes present.

They eventually managed to get it started, and it threw a fault code on injector 4. So, we bit the bullet and fitted a new injector, and it's now running perfectly.

What is unbelievable is the price: £450 + VAT for 1 (yes one) injector, which is eye watering. In total, this means that I have spent £1500 in 4 months keepin this thing going, which officially makes it the worst car I have ever had!

I'm starting to wonder if it really is worth running a diesel, when a single fault can wipe out a years worth of fuel savings. What do other people think? With the mileage that I do, it will take 3 years to recover what I've spent so far, assuming nothing else goes wrong with it :wonder: .

The guys who fixed it still reckon the 1.9 is the best engine to go for, and everything newer is even more trouble! On the positive side, it's paid for, and it's brilliant when it's working .

Ouch. I feel sorry for you man.

The savings of having a diesel are almost wiped out by fuel price rises anyhow. At one time diesel was cheaper than petrol. These days it's more expensive. When you combine that with the fact that petrol engines are getting better and better mpg, it's about the same either way now.

As for your problems ... well a lot of people who know more than I do about the AWX engine say it's a very good, solid lump that'll do high mileage if maintained correctly. It also gives a good amount of power and mpg. That's not to say it isn't without it's faults though, most of which seem to stem from maintenance neglect ..... which could be the problem with yours perhaps? How many miles has it covered and what's it's service history look like?

Either way, hope this is the last big bill you get with it.

should have looked here mate.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Genuine-VW-Bosch-1-9-TDI-PD-Injector-PD130-BLT-AVF-AWX-ASZ-038-130-073-BA-/230903469127?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&fits=Car+Make%3ASkoda%7CModel%3ASuperb&hash=item35c2eb5447

My advice is change the workshop. At £450 per £100 injector they are hardly friendly.

On a 1.9 engine, diesel even at UK prices and including some old age repairs works out 10%-20% less expensive than current petrol offerings. Abroad it can be 40%-50% easily Newer diesel engines from VW are far worse than old 1.9. My wife's Roomster 1.6CR 105bhp already had DPF EGT sensor replaced after just 6 months/6k miles from new. And despite Roomster being 25% lighter and slower than the 2.5TDI V6 Superb, it uses only 10% less fuel in mixed cycle real-life use.

Since you had head gasket replaced and now an injector, I have to ask, is your engine chipped, or was the timing belt replaced a few months to a year before head gasket went? Because head gasket is a standard failure mode for 1.9 engines with some horse power slapped on top, and for 1.9 engines where engine head was not refilled correctly with coolant after a timing belt/water pump job.

1.9 engines have only one known frequent mechanical failure mode on their own, and that is cracked ring in the last cylinder in the block, this accounts for increased oil consumption on many of these engines but is relatively harmless otherwise.

Edited 17 January, 201313 yr by dieselV6

Thanks for the replies, some interesting questions there. As far as the history goes, it's a 55 plate and has done 97,000 miles. I bought it at 70k, one previous owner who had it for 5 years and had it serviced every 10,000 miles. Currently no wear on the camshaft, which suggests that the correct oil has been used. Engine pulls like a train, and doesn't sound rough in any way.

It isn't tuned in any way, standard spec. Interesting point about the timing belt - it was changed about 2 months before the head gasket issue started (very slow coolant loss, with no apparent leak).

The VAG specialist that I have been using are at the top end of the price spectrum (think they pitch the prices at Audi drivers with unlimited pots of money ). Having said that, I am very pleased with the quality of the work that have done for me, on both the head gasket repair and the recent breakdown (they didn't do the timing belt or previous servicing).

We did discuss cheaper options for the injector (used/reconditioned). They would have fitted a used injector sourced by me, if that was what I wanted, but at my risk. In the end, I went for a new one from VW, with the 2 year warranty.

The head gasket was then definitely caused by the bodged belt change, specifically by refilling coolant only through coolant bottle. 1.9 have air vapor lock in the upper tube from the radiator, and that prevents head from being filled properly. To fill properly, you need to disconnect upper radiator hose. Without filling properly, the engine head and gasket overheat.

Coolant loss is slow initially because the gasket only leaks exhaust under full load, e.g. entering motorway. The coolant is actually expelled from the bottle due to over-pressure caused by exhaust gases in coolant.

That's how my Mk1 Octy head gasket went, dealership bodged it.

Edited 17 January, 201313 yr by dieselV6

The head gasket was then definitely caused by the bodged belt change, specifically by refilling coolant only through coolant bottl. 1.9 have air vapor lock in the upper tube from the radiator, and that prevents head from being filled properly. To fill properly, you need to disconnect upper radiator hose. Without filling properly, the engine head and gasket overheat.

Coolant loss is slow initially because the gasket only leaks exhaust into coolant under full load, e.g. entering motorway. The coolant is actually expelled straight from the bottle due to over-pressure caused by exhaust gases in coolant.

That's how my Mk1 Octy head gasket went, dealership bodged it.

Interesting. I wonder if that cooked the injector (number 4) as well?

Had it back for 2 days, and love it again! It is by far the most comfortable car I have owned - had a MkII Octy before, and always felt cramped in it (the pedal positioning is awful).

My advice is change the workshop. At £450 per £100 injector they are hardly friendly.

I got a price from VW on a PD injector a while back and £450 is the going rate, it's what they cost. I can't see how you've arrived at £100 for the same part from a reputable supplier, brand new with a two year warranty, unless of course that you think that they should fit an unknown second hand part that could last a few months which is something that they couldn't put a warranty on.

We've just had to put camshaft and a set of followers in a 140,000 mile PD engine. It had worn a hole in one follower and rounded off the corresponding cam lobe and that's on an engine that's correctly serviced with the right oil. That bill was a lot of money, the camshaft was £400 alone.

I merely quoted that Ebay price from the link posted earlier. In any case, timing belt + head gasket + injector sequence of events strongly points to a bodged timing belt job (not refilling engine head with coolant properly). It's whoever did the belt who should have paid any costs, but good luck trying to enforce it.