Hello - I would be grateful for expert advice.
I have a 2012 Octavia 1.6tdi - my first Skoda and first diesel.
From picking it up, I noticed that quite frequently, when I lift off the pedal, the car will drive itself for quite a few seconds. If I depress the clutch, revs fall to idle. It has driven itself along at 40mph, and also ´taken off´in car parks, which is quite disconcerting.
Skoda tell me it is normal and due to regeneration and diesel torque. My local, trusted garage tells me otherwise. I know little but it sounds odd that it would regenerate so often and have this effect. Never come across this in any other diesel.
Am I being told the kind of thing you get told just before a warranty runs out?
Any good advice gratefully received

I don't own a Derv but unless its an auto with some sort of tranny issue that does'nt sound like a regen. You get the fans coming on, a burning smell and poss a light on the dash. I would not even drive it as it sounds a death trap. Which "skoda" told you this? Was it a dealer or customer services? Try another dealer, or get a written report from an automotive engineer and send it to skoda.

 

How did you pay for the car? Is it on finance? Did you buy it new? Has it even been into the dealers for diags?

You get a programed regen about every 400-600 miles, the engine revs will go up to 1,000rpm and the radiator fans will kick to clear the heat, lasts about 10mlns, if you switch the engine off and stop the regen, the fans will run for about another 3mins or so. Most of the time you do not know it is happening you only know when in slow moving traffic or stationary, stop the regen too many times then you get a yellow light on.

Edited 12 June, 201412 yr by Yorkshire

Id be worried if its driving itself under a regen... mine does a regen like mentioned about every 1000 miles or so depending how its driven and when doing so lurches and drives like crap a bit, but certainly doesnt drive itself!!!

 

I would be taking it back and getting them to sort it as thats def not a Regen issue

on another note it could be sticking turbo vanes if you have a VNT turbo... if they stick you get more pressure in the turbo than you would once you take your foot off the accelerator..

What gear are you in?

 

This could be the anti-stall kicking in if you're in too high a gear for the speed.

Driving a diesel is different to a petrol. In a petrol, if you lift off, the car will still carry on freewheeling, so to speak. Lift off in a diesel and it will stop pretty much straight away. Handy when you're going up a hill and saves using the brakes. If it's doing a regen and you stop it before the cycle has finished, the fans will come on and stay on to cool it down. 

I can pull away on normal tickover/idle and get to about 3rd/4th gear without touching the accelerator but that is just messing around and doing it on purpose, using the torque etc. That is in my Vrs not a 1.6tdi not tried it.

Under normal driving using the accelerator; As someone has said being in too high a gear and the anti stall kicks in but other than that, as soon as you lift off the car should start to slow down.

The problem you mention is it like it 100% of the time or is it on the odd occasion?

If 100% I would suspect the anti stall, doing its job.

Worth googling "diesel anti-stall" if you have not driven a modern diesel all will become apparent. In fact the first post on a driving instructors forum complaining about anti-stall is a VW polo 1.6tdi, the same engine you have so worth reading uup

Edited 12 June, 201412 yr by Defenderben

If you have never had a diesel before it will be strange, but most will pull away from tickover revs due to the torque and wont stall like a petrol would.

 

as stated you can pull away and move up the gearbox with out using any gas, just by changing gear. Its probably this that you are experiencing.

Since you posted this, I have googled around and read up, as I thought it was the anti -stall which it sounds like it is but the very common theme is the VAG 1.6tdi engine seems to display the symptoms worse than most others.

Often giving the car an increase in speed after braking etc.

Sorry can't help any more than that :(

Id say its the anti-stall. Ive got a caddy with the same 1.6tdi engine and it does lurch a bit when the anti stall kicks in

There have been quite a few posts on this specifically on the 1.6 TDi CR105.

 

All down to the anti-stall feature as already mentioned. You'll soon get used to it.

Many thanks for all these replies. I didn't even know I had an anti-stall device! I wonder why Skoda didn't mention it.

Have a read here, it involves the Rapid but the same engine / characteristics...

 

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/288002-please-confirm-i-have-a-problem/?hl=%2Brunning+%2Baway#entry3417887

Instead of going in 2' in parking lots at 10km/h use first gear. Being in regeneration or not. In another terms use the gearbox as if you were driving a gas engine.

This is also partly due possibly to the way some modern driving instructors teach people how to drive:

When I learnt to drive (in military) I was taught to use the gears to offer additional braking (engine braking) by selecting a lower gear or 2 when approaching the roundabout/junction.

One of my daughters has recently passed her test (last 5years) and she was made to stay in the higher gear and approach using her brakes and as she almost stops to then select the appropriate gear.

Now I'm not sure if this is modern standard practice or just my daughters instructor but to me to not utilise the engine to remove speed is ludicrous.

Also anti -stall is common on all modern cars including petrol/gas or whatever else you call it, this technology is not solely on diesel cars!

If you are driving the way my daughter was instructed then you will really suffer the effects of the anti-stall pushing you on through until you depress the clutch......just a thought

Edited 13 June, 201412 yr by Defenderben

Yes I agree.

 

Also gear change indicators telling you to upshift at 1500rpm really don't help.

This is also partly due possibly to the way some modern driving instructors teach people how to drive:

When I learnt to drive (in military) I was taught to use the gears to offer additional braking (engine braking) by selecting a lower gear or 2 when approaching the roundabout/junction.

One of my daughters has recently passed her test (last 5years) and she was made to stay in the higher gear and approach using her brakes and as she almost stops to then select the appropriate gear.

Now I'm not sure if this is modern standard practice or just my daughters instructor but to me to not utilise the engine to remove speed is ludicrous.

Also anti -stall is common on all modern cars including petrol/gas or whatever else you call it, this technology is not solely on diesel cars!

If you are driving the way my daughter was instructed then you will really suffer the effects of the anti-stall pushing you on through until you depress the clutch......just a thought

 

My brother was taught to drive on the brakes not the gears, so it's not a one-off with the instructor.

That's probably the driving instructor trying to preseve his clutch and gearbox.

 

An extra set of pads and discs will be far easier and cost effective to change that some major oily bits

Not wanting to go off on a tangent but I can confirm that 'modern' teaching is to slow down using the brakes and then, once you are at the speed you want, select the appropriate gear. In some cases the use of an 'intermediary' gear is necessary (because of the reasons described above) e.g. in sixth gear on approach to a roundabout - in which case you would drop to four or five, say, and then slow to the roundabout on the brakes or by lifting off, and then either dip the clutch and come to a stop or select the right gear to continue onto the roundabout. Apologies for length of post and probable apparent lack of relevance.

That's probably the driving instructor trying to preseve his clutch and gearbox.

 

An extra set of pads and discs will be far easier and cost effective to change that some major oily bits

 

Thats exactly the way I was taught to drive and that was 20 years ago so you guys must be ageing dinosaurs :-) 

 

The reason I was given is exactly as state, its far easier and cheaper to replace a set of brake pad/discs than it is to replace a clutch or gearbox due to additional stress on them.. and to this day it still rings true in my head, although what 20 years driving has taught me is to match my gears on downshifts better... you live you learn so they say...

 

As for paddle shift gearboxes, I think these double clutch ones are so good now it wouldnt make a difference

^^^^^^^^^^^^ I was taught to downshift through the gear-box to use the power of the engine to brake, be in the right gear and stop premature wear of the brakes.

 

The oily bits should be more than capable of dealing with what load is put on them, as you'll put greater load on when accelerating.

 

The only thing I can see about brake braking over engine braking is the brake-lights will come on, showing the car behind that you are braking. Which I suppose is good thing for the less observant behind you. However, there are quite a few people I see braking whilst going down-hill: if you're in the right gear, the engine will hold the car back from running away and you'll have less chance of cooking the brakes. (Obviously this is not an issue in Anglia, as there are no hills ;) )

My driving instructor even told me to press in the button in on the handbrake to save the life of the teeth on the ratchet mechanism.

 

I still do it to this day

My driving instructor even told me to press in the button in on the handbrake to save the life of the teeth on the ratchet mechanism.

 

I still do it to this day

 

Me too! Sod's Law dictates that it would fail on the day that you're running late and have to park the car on a hill ;)