Hi everyone,

 

Just bought my first Octy vRS after 3 months of looking!

 

Anyway after 2 days of purchase on a private sale, the Engine Exhaust Contol System Warning Light has come on.

 

From reading other posts I know there could be a number of reasons for this, probably and hopefully something minor.

 

As I am somewhat of a car novice (but keen to learn), I just want to know what to do next?

 

There does not seem to be any loss of power or any physical issues.

 

I know the obvious answer is take it to the nearest Skoda garage and that is what I am intending to do, but are there any better options in terms of price and quality of diagnosing and fixing the problem?

 

Are specialist indys better? I live in Oxfordshire so any info and feedback would be much appreciated.

 

Thanks.

Welcome.

Ask Skoda UK / Main Dealership to print out the Service & Warranty History they have for the car, you can do this,

Then,

Go to a good Independent VW Specialist and get a diagnosis done with any fault codes read and any remedial actions taken if required, 

(Likely not £85 plus and hour minimum plus VAT for a Skoda Main Dealer technician just to plug in to their diagnostics.)

 

and then have them do the Servicing & Maintenance, maybe required now because even if it has had Full Main Dealership Servicing / History that might not mean much, 

as Full Dealership Servicing might mean Oil & Filter Changes and Reports & Wash & Vacuuming and not that much checking of issues, 

replacing spark plugs or the likes.

Edited 10 October, 20178 yr by Headinawayoffski

Could just be minor, mine shows up if idling at traffic lights or junction for a while after driving for a while, I have had it checked and always the same code indicating a discrepancy between the lambda sensors, the independent I go to says the car does not like me achieving readings of 45+ mpg so when it idles it thinks there is a problem.

I have owned it for 5 years in November, it has passed the emissions on the MOT with flying colours, and performs well.

A previous MK1 estate did the same and sensors and catalyst were changed but it still threw up the same code, so every so often read code when notified, same old erased code and carried on, The estate is still running around somewhere near Huddersfield 3 years on.

BTW 1.6 FSI hatch on 55 plate.

Welcome @TheShrew,

 

For starters, you need faults read from a garage or to get yourself a half decent fault reader / app and dongle or even better, but more expensive, a VCDS diagnostics lead.

 

It literally could be anything, without the fault codes reading no one can really give advice. You list your car as a TSI so I am assuming it is a facelift model with the EA888 engine family CCZA engine?=> Do not ignore the engine light, it can be a warning of timing problems that point to timing chain / tensioner issues.  You should read the sticky engine failure thread  at the main page of these forums and consider if you should undertake any preventative replacements. 

 

Equally, as pointed out by others, it could well be something very minor / sensor related that may even resolve from a fault clear.  Either way,  you need to find out and should make yourself aware of the inherent issues in the engine failures thread if you have not already done so..

 

If not wanting to do diagnose yourself find a good independent or skoda dealer.  You may still need one even after obtaining the fault codes depending on the nature of the fault, clarity of the root cause and your mechanical competence..

 

There are also users on here who have VCDS and their location listed in this thread, some may be willing to scan car for some minimal compensation: Contact Through PM probably best: 

S

Edited 10 October, 20178 yr by TheClient

Thanks for the informative replies so far.

 

@TheClient Thank you, yes it is the TSI facelift model. I was aware of the timing tensioner issues, the car was previously owned by @piv34uk who had the timing chain, tensioner and oil valve fitted under warranty at 38,000 after suffering an issue.

 

For the moment I don't believe buying my own reader would be the way to go as my competance is in the early stages. In regards to this I assume that even after a diagnostic reading, some of the faults may be ambiguous in terms of what exactly needs to be fixed? Even if you are confident in reading fault codes and replace a specific part, what happens if the fault code still appears?

 

Anyway I have taken the car to a local 'VAG Specialist', first time using them so a bit of an unknown but good reviews online- THG, Oxfordshire, (no affiliation).

 

The charge is £35 + VAT for the diagnostic and this will be waived if any repairs are completed by the company. I will update on the result and interested to here more advice for my learing process.

 

On another note, this is only my second car coming from a 2005 1.3 Mitsubishi Colt. Obviously the power differences are huge and the car is lovely but in someways it feels like I am only half driving the Octy.

 

I mean the use of electronics in modern cars, in general terms how do the electronics in modern cars effect driving in comparison to the 'raw' feeling of driving my simple Colt?

 

 

2 minutes ago, TheShrew said:

I was aware of the timing tensioner issues, the car was previously owned by @piv34uk who had the timing chain, tensioner and oil valve fitted under warranty at 38,000 after suffering an issue.

 

For the moment I don't believe buying my own reader would be the way to go as my competance is in the early stages. In regards to this I assume that even after a diagnostic reading, some of the faults may be ambiguous in terms of what exactly needs to be fixed?

 

Anyway I have taken the car to a local 'VAG Specialist', first time using them so a bit of an unknown but good reviews online- THG, Oxfordshire, (no affiliation).

 

The charge is £35 + VAT for the diagnostic and this will be waived if any repairs are completed by the company. I will update on the result and interested to here more advice for my learing process.

 

 

 

 

OK, well that is sounding more re-assuring. Forwarned is forearmed.

 

That is true about diagnostics but some faults can be very specific, whilst others can lead you round in circles by a fault codes pointing to one part or part group but it could be caused by another dependent / interrelated system or part.  You have to start somewhere though, and with today's vehicles, it is not a bad idea to carry some diagnostic ability with you.

 

Of course the AA / RAC should be also able to do the same, with what should be more experience, assuming you are a member.

 

That diagnostic charge sounds reasonable and it is fair to roll it into the repair charge if you go ahead.  I have no experience of that garage but it all sounds ok on the face of it, let us know how you get on.

Bad News.

 

Garage have told me that it is an issue with the inlet manifold.

 

What he told me was - the swirl flaps open or close based on performance, these are made of plastic (which can sometimes stick open).

 

This is causing a problem with the inlet manifold and will need replacing. The quote is £585.00.

 

Having checked previous posts, I can see this is a normal price for a big job.

 

Please can someone give me more information on this issue. Why it occurs in a little more detail? Also would this issue just arise all of sudden out of nowhere?

 

Thanks.

The mechanic also mentioned there was an issue with this part in general, not sure if this meant the swirl flaps or the inlet manifold?

 

How reliable is the replacement going to be?

 

Thanks.

I would also like to know if this fault code was raised previously and deleted, would there be a history of this logged in the computer?

 

If fault codes have been cleared, you won't get them back...

 

As for the intake manifold, this video might give some ideas as to how it can fail:

 

 

edit:

Looks like there is a revised part to address some of these issues:

 

 

Edited 11 October, 20178 yr by langers2k

Common problem. Cost prob about right. It is quite possible for it to have been happening for a while and clearing gets rid of it for a while days or weeks.  The changeover is something around 3000 rpm.

 

The revised part is different but still engineered with a lot of plastic read all plastic. The flap actuator also can fail. None of the parts are available separately. All come complete with the manifold. Cost is like £400 plus from memory just for part. 

Edited 11 October, 20178 yr by TheClient

Yea, I have no qualms with the cost, as I checked other posts.

 

Could you explain 'The changeover is something around 3000 rpm'.

 

I saw the mechanic again and he explained the same thing regarding clearing of codes, cannot be traced back due to triple security.

 

Also confirmed the poor manufacturing of the part relating to the plastic, apparently he's seen plenty of VAG cars with the same issues. BMW's had a better replacement issued.

 

He also mentioned the possibility of claiming part cost from Skoda due to the unsuitable nature of the part. Is there any evidence of successfully going down this route?

 

Any other comments and information are welcome.   

The flaps (inside the manifold) change position through the vacuum operated actuator operating at 3800rpm (a bit off with my recollection guess).  You can monitor with VCDS or even rev car to see the actuator operate.

 

It is a common failure and poorly engineered part set. Having purchased privately, your recourse options are limited. Skoda goodwill?  You can try, I think it would be very very unlikely.

 

I think the problem was even worse with some BMW engines as the engine inhaled the swirl flaps that dislodged and trashed the cylinders...No experience of it, just seem to remember reading something like that...

Edited 11 October, 20178 yr by TheClient

Hi @TheClient yes mechanic confirmed the worse issues with BMWs and the ingestion of the swirl flaps into the cylinders. Also confirmation of the common fault with this engine of the coked up inlet valves causing fault with the inlet manifold.

 

Is there any point in only cleaning the inlet valves? The cost of doing this will be a few hundred anyway..... If the flaps on the manifold are the issue then cleaning the inlet valves would surely not sort this problem?

I can't give you much more detail really than in those videos.

 

The manifold can fail in a variety of ways, runner valve mechanism sticks (probably made worse if carbon build up is a severe issue), the actuator can get a diaphragm leak, the actuator arm can pop out, the runner position sensor may have failed or reads incorrectly. 

 

For some of those cleaning up may help but for how long you don't know? And it is quite a big job getting the manifold off, And the parts aren't available from VAG separately to rebuild items separateley anyway... So normal advice is to replace following removal if a fault is clearly evident on inspection.

 

The inlet valves are the ones that suffer, so it is a good time to do it as well, especially if they look bad and probably they will!  That won't solve an existing manifold fault though.

 

 

 

 Can I shove my oar in here as this sounds very like my car's problem.  A few weeks ago my VRS TSI (2009 Facelift owned from new) started to display the engine exhaust control light occasionally and within days the light was on all the time. Diagnosis showed a P2105 fault. Inlet manifold was replaced and the valve stems cleaned as far as possible. Car now shows no faults on the diagnostics but the damn light is still on. Car was running perfectly before and after the manifold change. Any ideas please?

Need to properly clear the old fault? Did a garage do this work, if so take it back and get them to sort they should of cleared the light when completing the job. The light can't be on without a fault causing it....

Thanks but that seems to be the case!

If using a generic scanner I'd probably try a proprietary one like VCDS to make double sure if any codes on any sub system present and the old ones definitely cleared properly. Other than that ..... scratching head,......  Sometimes there have been issues solved with an ECU update.

 

Could try removing battery power for a few minutes and seeing if a reset helps. Note: your radio shouldn't lose the security code as it is stored, but there are occasional cases where they have and you'd need to have the code or procure one from a dealer.

Sorry for delay in replying and thanks again for your thoughts. We did some head scratching also, the scanner was a generic one, Snap On, so a VCDS scan could be worth a try. Car is due a service soon and I will let the specialist in Darlington look at it.