I have a 1.6 CR90 TDI Fab11.

 

From new this has had recurring problems with the coil pre heater light coming on (flashing) intermittently (and going into limp mode occasionally)

Virtually every sensor has been changed, and every test carried out without lasting success. At the moment, the car is in the workshop having the under bonnet wiring loom replaced. On one occasion the RAC were called - used the analyser which indicated a fault with one sensor which was replaced - again this was not the answer.

They did comment that they were unable to clear the fault log during their test routine. Because of this they suggested that the ECU itself was the most likely fault.

Is anyone conversant with the test routine and its results able to offer any ideas. I am particularly interested in the fact that they were unable to clear the fault log - is this normal?

Thanks in advance for your comments. 

Edited 24 September, 201312 yr by 2ndskoda

Can't help with the answer I'm afraid. I have had a similar problem with my Yeti diesel since May this year, but I have had the ESC,brakes, engine management light, power steering, oil level and pressure lights, speedo/rev counter failure and failure to start, not limp mode just crippled mode. In the 12 months from new (sept 12) it's spent over a month in the workshop and it's still there since 13th Sept. Checks on wiring loom, earth points, can bus module swapped for new, now it's a new headlight module and speedo unit with no guarantee that this will fix the problem.

I sympathise with you, I am totally p***** off. Hope you get it sorted, I have, I've sold it.

Thanks for your reply Redcar_Reds

sounds as if you have had a right time of it as well !.

Visited dealer today (Third day of this current repair session - still not completed)

 

In fairness, I must say that my dealer has always been very accommodating, and this time have loaned me a Fab Estate TSI with just 395 miles on the clock.

My car was registered December 2011 - and had no problems until approx three months old - has just reached 12500 miles, and still this problem persists.

The technician is enjoying himself immensely (!!!!!) -  the workshop are apparently learning some new words emanating from a blue cloud.

As ex motor trade myself, I have the greatest sympathy for the guy. I wonder if any other forum member has had a new loom fitted at 12500 miles??.

I must say that I still feel the ECU is the faulty item - we shall see.

By any chance do you know/remember what the code that came up was?

Sorry DanSej6

unable to provide code number(s) on this occasion - I have (on purpose) stayed clear from poking my nose in on this one, and left it entirely to my dealers.

Instead of a complete rewire - dealer replaced just the harness that plugs in to the ECU. So after a week all is well (so far) - I really hope that this will be the lasting cure/answer to this long running problem.

Despite the problems - still love the car to pieces

.

There's 2 looms in the engine bay. One that goes from the engine control unit to the bulk of the wiring on the engine. The other one goes from the engine control unit, through the bulkhead and into the main interior loom.

Sounds like they'll have replaced the engine bay sub-loom. The other one would require pretty much all of the interior removing!

So - 

after two weeks with fingers crossed - out of the blue whilst travelling along at normal pace - the glowplug light started flashing once again!! Thankfully it did not go into limp mode.

I stopped, switched off, restarted and all has been well since.

Of interest, was the fact that during the same journey (just after the above) the car then went into regen mode.

Will contact the dealers once again.

 

Purgatory

Edited 12 October, 201312 yr by 2ndskoda

Probably nothing to do with anything, but do you use Supermarket Diesel?

 

Since its running OK just now,

Could you just try filling up some place else till things are fixed with the car at the Dealership?

 

george

Does it get driven enough to regen the DPF?  Could it be a DPF issue?  Every time the light comes on and it goes to limp mode, that is the failsafe?

Car 'repaired' last month!!! - new loom fitted to the ECU.

Today with car at running temperature - glowplug light suddenly started flashing, car instantly went into limp mode!!

As you can imagine, I am somewhat p****d off. This has been an intermittent fault since the car was approx 3 months old - thankfully my wife was NOT driving on this occasion.

If you have experienced suddenly going into limp mode, you will be aware of how dangerous this can be.

Once the ladies are aware of this fault - there is a continuing distrust and rejection of the car.

 

Although the dealership have been fantastic, I maintain that the plug-in analyser is only as good as the operator.

Regarding the DPF - yes,yes, yes it does go the required distance etc, and yes it does go into regen mode when required.

I am told that my dealer has never encountered a recurring problem of this nature. Yes they get the same fault, analyse it, change/adjust as required and that's it! This is of little consolation to me and the good lady.

I have been (I hope) the model customer, and shown all patience to date, and now feel I must take a more robust line.

 

Any other CR TDI user facing the same recurring problem?

Colin

Edited 18 October, 201312 yr by 2ndskoda

If I were you I would contact Skoda UK directly and insist they change the ECU under warranty.

Forgot to mention in my post dated 18-10-13 -a couple of hours prior to the failure to limp mode, the dash flashed up a warning that the key battery needed attention.

Having several new CR2032 to hand, I changed this and the warning disappeared. I felt this to be totally unrelated, and, 'one of those things'

Later I decided to meter the displaced battery, and found that it still gave the required full 3 Volts. This car has been such a problem, that every little quirk needs to be recorded. As the ECU (presumably) issues the warning from its monitoring mode? why did it decide that a perfectly good battery was suspect. The battery was properly located, so a open circuit was not really the case. Also the key fob did operate the doors without any problem.

changing the battery is not connected

 

The battery is for the remote, although I think it does power the transponder chip too.

 

Once the engine is started, the immo chip is not required again until you restart the car

transponder chip is passive, the sense coil round ignition barrel provides power through induction I believe you will find

 

as the transponder  is an encapsulated glass bead type device

Hi Bluecar1 - yes agree with you in total, however - 

as I asked - 

'As the ECU (presumably) issues the warning from its monitoring mode? why did it decide that a perfectly good battery was suspect.' - that was my query.

 

Update

Car went into limp mode three times this morning (between 7-00am and 9-30am) with my wife driving!

Car now back at dealers for indefinite stay.

Edited 21 October, 201312 yr by 2ndskoda

I don't know how long you've had it, but Sale of Goods act?  Your car sounds nadgered, they need to fix it or replace it.

 

Of course, if its now 2 years old....

Car in to dealer on the 21st Oct - it's now the 31st and no word from the dealer!

Running around in a Citigo Sport (not over fond of this car).

If I do a deal for a new car, how would you value a  2011 (DEC) registered CR90 TDI SE Plus with 13500 on the clock?

UPDATE

could not wait any longer - went to dealer. Apparently suspicion now points to turbo actuating rod position! :wonder: . As the problem is intermittent (and seems to be of a mechanical nature) this does not add up to my way of thinking

Therefore we have gone full circle. At the time of the very first dash into limp mode in early 2012, - a new turbo was fitted - some two months after, a further problem was identified with the turbo!!!

So here we are back to square one, with no assurance that our problems are at an end.

Now investigating P/X for a 1.2 TSI etc - if this goes ahead, I hope I do not have a repeat of the catalogue of disaster experienced with the CR90 TDI.

My original 3 pot 1.4 PD Fab 11 diesel was fault free from day one to its departure - this reliability prompted me to stay with a fabia diesel.

Problem hopefully solved !!!!

After almost 2 years of total unreliability (Three turbo's, countless sensors, 2 rewires + other items etc etc) My wife lost all confidence in this car. On the 21st Oct - it went into limp mode three times in 2 hours! - therefore enough was enough.

We discussed the total matter amiably with our local dealer in South Bristol (who have bent over backwards to look after us, and have been brilliant with loan cars etc etc) and Skoda UK - who came to the party also.

We have today ordered a new Fabia, this time a 1.2SE TSI 86.

Our original 3 pot  Fabia 2 diesel was exemplary from start to finish, but it's replacement - a CR1.6 TDI SE Plus has been disaster from day one.

I rather think that the older PD's would carry on for ever, whereas the later CR's with DPF are no longer a 'town car' - even if it is clogged every week to stave off the potential DPF problems.

We will of course notice the difference in fuel consumption - but what price safety?

How good to be treated as a valued customer at all times - my compliments to our local dealer.

Well, glad it's resolved for you. I don't think you will be disappointed with the petrol TSI. Nice engines and in fact, the way to go for many people for the next few years until they get the next generation of diesels sorted. I'm a diesel head, and even I have gone to a petrol engine after many years of driving my wonderful 1422cc 3 pot diesel Fabia Estate.  It was faultless. Having said that, my petrol Fabia Estate is a real gem too. I love it!  I wish you well with your new car and perhaps you can post back with some info on how you are getting on. Good luck!

Said goodbye to my 61 reg CR90 TDI SE plus last week - now booting around in a new 1.2 TSI 86. First impressions are that the 1.2 lump is a very smooth unit, with a surprisingly good performance.

Like the car enormously - only negative to date is that the Bridgestone Turanza tyres are even noisier than the Dunlops on the now displaced car!

Time will tell how reliable this one is - but wife is now very much at ease in 'a new car' - the former one was a disaster from the start.

I still remain a diesel fan, but the return to petrol has been an eye opener, a pleasant one at that!!

Watch this space

Hello, my skoda 1.2 tsi from 2011 has burned up its second ECU in less than 3 months. The dealer can't find a new one and it's obviously not interested in repair it (my car stationed there 2 months the first time it happened before I found the  ECUreplacement) , so I can't find the new ECU, but the question is: does anybody have a clue about what can damage the ECU in this way? Symptoms are: lights flashing, random horn sounds, in first case no way to stop engine with key, in the seconds it happened random. Have you ever heard anything like this? Thanks

 

No but I have no end of experience of incompetent dealers blaming everything that they cannot resolve on a failed ECU.

 

The actual failure rate of ECU's in service is infinitesimally small, you have more chance of extra terrestrials fiddling with your vehicle than ECU failure.

4 hours ago, EOM said:

lights flashing, random horn sounds, in first case no way to stop engine with key

 

None of these functions are controlled by the powertrain ECU, but it will have an input from the ignition switched positive feed.

 

The above sounds like a problem with either/or the alarm horn and the immobiliser in the instrument cluster but definitely not the powertrain ECU although garages will often diagnose that with the intention of making the customer take their car elsewhere as its the most expensive repair they can think of.

Edited 6 October, 20223 yr by J.R.

Thanks. 

But here it's not easy to find someone able to understand what happen in the car: 9 on 10, when the problem can be related to electronic system, tend to push you to the dealer assistance. I'd like to avoid demolition of my car for a thing like this. Anyway, I'll keep on digging. Thanks