Have a Skoda Octavia Scout (2009) which has been a great car so far.

In the last 2 months, something has started to be 'not right.' Intermittent problem entailing a slipping of rear wheel(s) on moving up from 1st to 2nd gear and 2nd to 3rd, such that there is a slight loss of power. Bit alarming if pulling on to motorway with a French truck thundering up behind you. (And yes, I know there has to be an adjustment and so the Haldex is probably doing what it's meant to do but........)

Now I know I'm only a female, so what do I know about things mechanical, but I am not inventing this. My driving style has not changed and this has not happened before. My car-mad son also noticed this when in the care with me. So I take the car to local trusted dealer twice and local indy garage. Nothing. rein. Nada. Except a sweet smile and a pat on the head type approach. Last time, Skoda dealer changed Haldex oil at 39k miles.

But the problem is still there.

Any wise suggestions from you knowledgeable mechanics out there.............??

When you say 'slipping' do you think it feels like wheel spinning or is it a loss of power feeling? Does it do it with traction control switched off?

Are you thinking the car is stuck in 4WD? The Haldex shouldn't engage the rear wheels when the front wheels have traction as I'm sure you are aware.

Had a strange traction control oddity on my old legacy that turned out to be a clogged up rotation sensor on one wheel. A fault code showed this in the engine management system.

Edited 10 August, 201312 yr by paddypaws

I guess you need to explain slipping better- it sounds more like a hesitation of power supply-------there is always some drive to the rear(2-5%) which only increases when the front tyres appear to lose grip  --  hope you haven't got cheap suicide tyres on the front !  what engine and mileage do you have and have there been any other prob's  such as brakes   we're all somewhere on the learning curve :-)

Sure it's not the clutch slipping? Is the car manual?

Haldex is normally just along for the ride on those situations.

Really not sure why you think it is an Haldex issue?

Only time the haldex kicks in (which you won't really know about) and drives the rear wheels is when the front wheels start to spin, then power is transfered/increased to the rear wheels via the haldex unit, all within fractions of a second.

If you can hear/see the revs increase but the speed of the car is not increasing in relation to the increased revs, that is classic clutch/dmf failing.

And it does not always do it, usually you need to be in 3rd/4th gear at around 2000rpm and squeeze the throttle it will spin up as described above.

Other than that, I have no idea on the description you have given.

Sorry.

Thank you all for your helpful replies.

First off, we are talking about a manual Octavia 2.0TDi first registered Nov 2008, which I bought in 2009 with very few miles on the clock. Current mileage approx 39,000. Regularly serviced and, I think, looked after well. Does a bit of light towing and v little off-roading (unlike previous battered LR Discovery).

I should have said this problem arose after a really b awful noise started in the rear of the car, which has now disappeared.

When I first took car to Skoda garage, I did ask about clutch. But they said, 'No. If it turns out to be that, we will replace it.'

It's hard to describe, but it is a def feel of wheel slip/spin in rear, and often when go round corners or roundabouts when it feels less stable.

No, I do not have suicide tyres! Always very careful to check tyres and make sure they are ok and don't stint on buying good tyres. It's my safety we are talking about, after all!

Sorry there isn't much more I can report, but thanks for your help and suggestions. I should maybe try the 3rd/4th gear check....

you really ought to get a vag-com readout unless you know the stealership did one and found nothing-   it may be worth trying to drive gently in circles both left and right on some flat grass and have someone watch to see if the inner rear wheel is working overtime and skidding or behaving normally 

I should have said this problem arose after a really awful noise started in the rear of the car, which has now disappeared.

 

This set alarm bells ringing to me.

 

Rarely does a mechanical component make an awful noise and then cure / fix itself.

 

If the noise has stopped then it is fair to assume that the component making the noise has now failed or is no longer working as it should.

 

The noise and the issue you are describing do not sound coincidental either so they are likely to be related.

 

We all know Skoda dealers aren't mechanics, they are parts fitters. If when the computer is plugged in it doesn't tell them what the problem is they'll use the usual "bring it back if it gets worse" line.

 

The 4x4 / Haldex system is quite complex, I'd be researching a local trusted 4x4 specialist and taking it to them for advice.

Could this be a rear diff issue? 

 

When buying my 4x4 I remember looking at various information and diagrams about the Haldex, and seem to recall that the rear diff is a separate bit of kit (i.e. not built into the haldex) it may also not have electronics in it (like the Haldex does) and therefore not show any issue on the VAG-Com.

 

Just my thoughts.

 

)

there are instances of it's brain getting seized and needing a reboot there is also the "handbrake test"(don't know)   also on earlier ones a wonky earth lead (don't think it's on Gen iv)    may be worth pulling the fuse for ten minutes to reset     but the noise doesn't sound good  --      jus' tryin' to get a grasp on this stuff 

Pulling the handbrake on a notch disables the Haldex. So the handbrake test is to drive a (very!) short distance with the handbrake on (light on the dash) and see if it makes a difference.

 

However, if this problem occurs "on-power"  or at speed then please don't pull on the handbrake to see what happens - it won't end well.

Could this be a rear diff issue? 

 

When buying my 4x4 I remember looking at various information and diagrams about the Haldex, and seem to recall that the rear diff is a separate bit of kit (i.e. not built into the haldex) it may also not have electronics in it (like the Haldex does) and therefore not show any issue on the VAG-Com.

 

Just my thoughts.

 

)

altho' all in one, there are two "sections"  clutch and control which has the "Haldex" oil and the rest which is the more conventional diff'    same at the front changing the gearbox oil does not change the oil in the "Haldex"    front diff   which needs the same oil (front and back)   and is a different grade to the gearbox oil   don't ask how long it took to get to the bottom of that one !!!!!!!

Awful noises can be as simple as a stone that was caught in the brakes and now isn't.  Don't panic yet.

altho' all in one, there are two "sections"  clutch and control which has the "Haldex" oil and the rest which is the more conventional diff'    same at the front changing the gearbox oil does not change the oil in the "Haldex"    front diff   which needs the same oil (front and back)   and is a different grade to the gearbox oil   don't ask how long it took to get to the bottom of that one !!!!!!!

 

The front is the transfer box.  Yes I've had the same arguments with workshops on other 4wd cars.  It's too hard to change (have to lean over the engine, oh no) so they don't bother and tell you it shares gearbox oil.  But they don't.

Thank you all for even more replies which are all very interesting. After the Haldex oil was replaced there really isn't any improvement in the problem. If anything, whatever it is is getting worse. The car is due for a major service at 40,000 miles, and this is below av mileage for its age. But a big part of me is now thinking I should get shot of the bally thing and say Good-Bye to Skoda...... defeatist perhaps. 40000 miles is nothing for a good diesel engine........ there shouldn't be any niggles or problems.

Thanks anyway for your help. This is a very friendly forum.

one last go,    maybe you should change the rear axle (not Haldex)  oil   it's a quick job and only <1ltr    if it comes out with lots of bits--- then you KNOW you have trouble--   as you say the engine's only just run in   we're quite an inquisitive lot here (nosy)  but that's how we learn from each other  best of luck whatever route you take  

I changed the rear diff on my golf as it was making a real racket, when we jacked all four wheels up the transmission was locked, spin a back wheel the fronts turned, I have replaced the rear diff with a secondhand one and have a good working order spare now after a refurb if you need it.

Hi, i bought a 2008 2l tdi skoda scout 2 weeks ago and on way home in it it felt unstable "Loose" as though all the tyres were almost flat,i have informed the garage of this, straight away, have done a couple of hundred miles in it with passengers too and it is still doing this, at times it feels like being in a boat ! on a flat smooth road , if there is such a thing round here, its normal, going round a long sweeping corner it sways from side to side, especially on the back, like its driving on ice ?, could this be a stability sensor problem or something simple like shock absorbers ? it was only  MOT ed in dec so surely if a rubber bush problem or shocks they would have spotted this, could it be the "Haldex" clutch, as seems to pull away ok, any ideas ? ps it has 136k miles on the clock,

Hi, i bought a 2008 2l tdi skoda scout 2 weeks ago and on way home in it it felt unstable "Loose" as though all the tyres were almost flat,i have informed the garage of this, straight away, have done a couple of hundred miles in it with passengers too and it is still doing this, at times it feels like being in a boat ! on a flat smooth road , if there is such a thing round here, its normal, going round a long sweeping corner it sways from side to side, especially on the back, like its driving on ice ?, could this be a stability sensor problem or something simple like shock absorbers ? it was only MOT ed in dec so surely if a rubber bush problem or shocks they would have spotted this, could it be the "Haldex" clutch, as seems to pull away ok, any ideas ? ps it has 136k miles on the clock,

Could be worn bushes. I would get it checked over, also get a full wheel alignment done, if nothing obvious is spotted first.

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2 piece antiroll bars arn't unknown either   :p   if so it's a good excuse to put a slightly larger one in   

please see my post and see if you can advise thanks Colin

10 hours ago, colinpwest said:

please see my post and see if you can advise thanks Colin

 

The post in questionn is in the thread below:

 

 

On 10/08/2013 at 10:00, justjen said:

Have a Skoda Octavia Scout (2009) which has been a great car so far.

In the last 2 months, something has started to be 'not right.' Intermittent problem entailing a slipping of rear wheel(s) on moving up from 1st to 2nd gear and 2nd to 3rd, such that there is a slight loss of power. Bit alarming if pulling on to motorway with a French truck thundering up behind you. (And yes, I know there has to be an adjustment and so the Haldex is probably doing what it's meant to do but........)

Now I know I'm only a female, so what do I know about things mechanical, but I am not inventing this. My driving style has not changed and this has not happened before. My car-mad son also noticed this when in the care with me. So I take the car to local trusted dealer twice and local indy garage. Nothing. rein. Nada. Except a sweet smile and a pat on the head type approach. Last time, Skoda dealer changed Haldex oil at 39k miles.

But the problem is still there.

Any wise suggestions from you knowledgeable mechanics out there.............??

Hi, recently my 4x4 Scout has become completely unstable in the rear, it feels like a boat, especially above 60 km/h. It's almost unstable. I tried it without the center driveshaft, but it didn't improve much. Has anyone found a solution to the problem or issues described in this post?

Thanks in advance.