So, 9 months after purchasing the VRS and 15k miles done (most miles in last 5 months) EPC light comes on!

 

On the way home yesterday on M4, EPC and engine management light come on, in outside lane! I pull over to find out what it is from the manual, ohh..... Turn off ignition, restart car and it's like nothing happened, and drove home all good and dandy (wasn't far left on my journey)

 

Called Skoda and managed to get the VRS in today for diagnostics (£51) which was speedy, my local dealer have always been quite good.

 

Diagnosis was misfire cylinder 2, they have, quoted from receipt:

 

"check for engine light/epc light on

Confirms sporadic misfire cyl 2

Light was off at time of test

with no fault found. Swooped number 2

coil with number 3/number 2 plug moved

to number 4. Customer to monitor"

 

Additional information:

 

2013 VRS CTHE Engine - FSH

 

Since I purchased it:

 

All of those 15k miles have on Tesco Momentum 99RON (except £5 emergency ASDA fuel to get me to Tesco garage)

Full Skoda service and AC Service July 18 at 36k miles

Interim Skoda Service Nov 18 at 45.5k miles

DSG service campaign completed Oct 18

MOT (by Skoda) Nov 18 flew through

Current mileage 50k

 

I have topped the car up with oil from half way twice in addition to the service

 

Only modification is that a previous owner removed the middle silencer 

 

I took out a full comprehensive Skoda warranty after purchasing

Edited 30 January, 20197 yr by Chipup

So likely the Waterpump / Supercharger Magnetic Clutch if the Spark Plugs and Coils were OK.

 

Misfires might continue to be logged if enough in a cycle.

 

?

Has the coolant dropped even a little.

?

Was this an experienced Master Tech familiar with TwinChargers doing the diagnostics.

Familiar with Timing Chains as well with the CTHE?

 

I will bump the Water Pump thread for you. 

If not replaced already maybe brace yourself for £500 spend or so.

 

PS  EDIt.  Warranty.

Warranty might cover it, should cover it. 

some Technicians support that, and some say not covered, if you have a Skoda Full Parts Warranty the Water Pump is covered.

Edited 30 January, 20197 yr by Skoffski

PPS,

Maybe get that £51 back if it needs to go in again and them diagnose the Water Pump which they will want money for as well.

They can get that from Skoda under the warranty when they get paid for doing the Water Pump.

Thanks Skoffski

Haven't noticed any change in coolant levels.

 

The master tech guy I spoke to on the last 2 services, (didn't get to speak to him today) seemed knowledgeable on the twinchargers (not sure how much but we did discuss last service about oil, oil level issues, servicing and general, he also mentioned that it was timing chain not belt and we discussed CAVE/CTHE engines, not in detail, just about revisions from CAVE

 

Ohh, I did hear him tell the service desk in person that the 2 plugs they removed were fine and not sooted up or burnt etc

 

Guess water pump isn't part of the comprehensive warranty then! Bugger

I really do love this car, but with doing 25k miles a year at least, I'm thinking of changing if this is the start of things!. However..........the VRS juts puts so many smiles on the face. I test drove a VW Arteon recently, nice car but no fun, OK for wafting around.

 

I'm actually considering a Volvo V40 D4 R-design for work (cruiser, gadgets and fun) and keeping the VRS for summer fun and short work trips in the summer

Just seen your update, yes, I took out a full comprehensive (full parts) warranty with no excess, so thought pump would be included with that

Edited 30 January, 20197 yr by Chipup

http://insurewithskoda.co.uk/extended-warranty

3 T&C booklets to download..

 

The 'Skoda Warranty'  they sell has replaced Water Pumps. 

 I can find members that have had the Water Pump paid under the All Parts Warranty.

The Car Plan ltd one, Skoda Approved Extended Warranty would not.

 

Once you get this sorted out, 

be sure to use 5w 40 FS oil / VW502 00 and not 5w30 FS LL VW504/507.   Talk that over with the Technician.

& get DENSO spark plugs if you still use NGK's.   Talk that over as well with the technician.

 

 

Edited 30 January, 20197 yr by Skoffski

Yep, that's the warranty, and just checked and it does cover the water pump

 

Under "Components Covered"

 

"Engine: All internal components; timing belt and tensioner;
turbocharger; supercharger; all solid-state sensors and control
units (including immobiliser ECU) of the engine management
system including supply relays; ignition switch; petrol or diesel
injection lift pumps; fuel injectors and fuel pipes; starter motor;
starter motor relay; alternator; water pump; thermostat; and
engine mountings."

 

Regarding oil, the technician said at last service 5w 40 would be ok for variable servings but as I'm doing so many miles he recommended I stay with the 5W 30 and to stay on the fixed servicing (I have been using Castrol Edge Titanium)  Will have another chat with him about the oil and the plugs

Edited 30 January, 20197 yr by Chipup

VW502 00  so 5w 40 FS IS NOT OK FOR VARIABLE SERVICING.   Fixed Servicing only, 9,400 miles / 372 days or less.

For Variable that must be 5w 30 FS Long life.  But never do variable servicing with Twinchargers.   My Opinion on Variable.

 

Castrol is crap IMO, and 5w 30FS LL is part of the issue with 1.4 TSI / TFSI 132-136kw Twinchargers and oil consumption.

Long Life Oil / Higher Octane Fuel & Bore Wash.

Edited 30 January, 20197 yr by Skoffski

Maybe I got that bit confused, but using what they recommended Castrol Edge Titanium 5w 30.

 

And yep, he said the same thing about variable servicing, actually now remembering when they looked on the system it wouldn't let them select variable serving for a VRS anyway (It's all coming back to me now !)

OK. 

So 'they' have all the gear and no idea.   You need to know what to do to set variable servicing and considering that is the day job 'they should know how.

 

Anyway, 

if you use oil you go for 5w 40 FS.   Many Techs know that but VW never put out a TPI, so Fully Trained Techs do what they are trained to and use the crap the garage stocks.

 

So you need the diagnosis on the water pump or 'they' need to find why Misfires.  Do not boot it about, as in Supercharger & Turbo, it can go into limp mode.

it will disable the Turbo and it can shut down 2 cylinders.

 

 

Thinking the last bit may be difficult cruising on the motorway when needing to overtake! bit more cautious!

 

What i mean is do not boot hard down a slip road to merge or hard in the outside lane.

I have done that, uphill 'spirited' and into limp mode.

*Brown trouser moment or 3..*, someone going to be up your chuff quick & accelerating & not expecting your speed to be cut and people in the inside lane. 

 

There is no Supercharger after 3,500 rpm,  there is Supercharger boost to 2,400 rpm, then Super & Turbo and then just turbo.

Just easy ozzie until you see all is well.

 

If you have cruise control and use it that is sometimes when the EML or the EPC light will show if it is the Water Pump / Supercharger Magnetic clutch throwing a fault signal.

 

I hope the spark plugs were closely inspected and the 4 gaps checked. 

 

All the best with it.

Edited 30 January, 20197 yr by Skoffski

Thanks Skoffski

 

Don't fancy that at all, was OK testing on the way back from garage, although not too much opportunity to open the taps

 

Tech did say the two plugs he removed all looked OK, no soot or burning

 

If I experience another error dealer said they'd look into as part of my £51 diagnostic today, if this is happens then I will be asking them to check all the plugs for soot, burning and dimensions. Then potentially to replacing all the spark plugs as they only replaced them 14k miles ago at the full service, and IMHO they should last the 40k specified thus faulty and not my cost

3 plugs will last 40,000 possibly, sadly 1 can burn the top long before 20,000 miles & the engine can be toast..

 

There is why you have a CTHE and the CAVE was discontinued, but then that was not the end of things, the same inlet manifold in on the CTHE. 

 

There is a thread 'pinned' up top on spark plugs, and i just asked about any update from the member with a failed plug at the weekend.

Oil use is a problem, and plugs get fouled, and they get cooked in the one cylinder and there are a few hundred dead Twincharger engines in the UK due to this.

Edited 30 January, 20197 yr by Skoffski

So, did a 200 odd mile round trip to the coast this weekend………

 

Engine management light flickered after about 50 miles, then went out and didn’t return, however it doesn’t feel right. Pottering around in low rev’s fine and pulls nice, but in sport mode or dropping down gears there isn’t the umph there, no shove in the back.

 

Did lots of experimenting:

 

In sport mode no thrust, just steady acceleration 

In drive, car pulls until rev’s get to about 3900

Cruising along the motorway around 80 felt normal and pulled, but dropping down a gear or two it didn’t give me the shove in the back and blot off 

Car driving fine, not lumpy of anything

 

My take was/is that the car in low revs pulls as normal, but when the turbo should cut in it doesn’t, and when in the turbo rev range no umph, just steady acceleration, so my conclusion, turbo has gone (IMHO, i'm not expert, but that's what is seemed to me)

Not the Turbo gone, very likely the Supercharger magnetic clutch is gone.   

The Turbo disables to save it and your engine.

Thanks Skoffski for your knowledge, appreciated

 

Update

 

Took it back for diagnostic, which showed misfire on cylinder 3 this time. It was cylinder 2 last time, and they swapped the coil pack from 2 to 3. So they ordered and replaced the coil pack the following day and all is tip top again.

 

Had a lengthy chat with the lead tech who had been doing my car about all VRS things, he knew his stuff, and actually said he'd replaced 3 CAVE engines a few years back. TBH I have received really good service from my local dealer, and they have been OK with diagnostic costs etc.

 

So, with all the miles I'm now doing for work I have purchased another car, and have been alternating between the two the past week, and with a heavy heart the VRS is going!! Best smiles per miles and price point I can remember, I'm just doing too many miles now............(keep thinking to keep both tbh!)