Hi, wanted to ask a question of those in the technical know! 
 

My Kodiaq (2yr old, 31000 miles) flashed a warning to me last week after having been driven only 5 miles on the day that the engine had overheated and that I should pull over immediately and seek assistance, which I did (worried slightly that something was going to burst into flames!...). I called Skoda assist and the AA arrived quickly - after an on-site diagnostic the technician said it seemed like a temperature sensor had failed and it had to go to the garage. When he did the IR thermometer on the engine it didn’t seem overly hot (then again the engine had been off for 40mins or so). However, when he had his computer plugged in he showed me that one of the sensors was showing minus 37deg...

 

They shadowed me to my local Skoda dealer. On the way there (only 10miles or so from where I broke down) the engine temp was reading ‘normal’. The car was looked at this morning and the garage has just phoned to say its a failed water pump (thankfully covered by warranty).
 

Is it normal for a water pump to fail after only 31000 miles? My wife’s Superb hasn’t needed this and it’s done 120,000 miles. Can I be certain that they’ve found the exact cause and that it’s not also a dodgy sensor somewhere?

 

Thanks

Andrew

My son had the same on his previous car - a 2013 Diesel Octavia, so it's not unknown.

This, whilst not common is not an unknown issue, even on the Kodiaq.

 

The MkIII Octavia issue was far more widespread and relatively well documented...

 

 

It shouldn't come as a surprise that the pump used in the Kodiaq isn't that dissimilar, especially one that is two years old, and that was probably built 6 months before that date.

 

The issues will come when they fail outside of warranty, and how Skoda deal with it.

 

Edited 13 November, 20196 yr by silver1011

Thanks again silver1011, that’s appreciated. Can I assume (or have any optimism at all) that any ‘new’ water pump may have a better life expectancy? I got the Kodiaq second hand just two months ago....

Absolutely, the cost to Skoda to change water pumps is pretty big. The cambelt needs removing, and in some cases the coolant renewed. Labour intensive, plus the cost of the new pump and a full cambelt kit.

 

You can bet your bottom dollar that they'll be working hard to reduce their warranty costs, hopefully meaning that the remedial design work was quickly implemented to the pump itself.

 

The issue on the MkIII Octavia seems to have largely disappeared and the fact it first reared its ugly head a good few years ago should offer reassurance that the issue has been resolved. This is VAG though, so anything is possible 🙂

 

Might be worth when booking it in asking what the fix will entail. If they are indeed having to remove the cambelt I'd be insisting that they also replace the tensioners and belt itself. It is very bad practice to reuse these components once they've been removed and de-stressed / tensioned.

 

Edited 13 November, 20196 yr by silver1011

Car was already in garage unfortunately. Arnold Clark Skoda. I phoned them to get a status check and they’re awaiting some nuts and bolts. I chatted through the cam belt thing ....but they are refusing to change it eventually saying that there’s nothing wrong with it and therefore if I want it changed I will have to pay that part myself. Which I’m not going to do. I’ve only had the car for two months and it’s only 2 years old. That’s ok though! I have a carefully recorded hand written note of my discussions with them, time, date, service agent etc that I will keep with my service book and if anything goes wrong out of warranty (12 months away yet) I’ll be knocking their door! Thanks for all your advice! A

You should contact Skoda UK.

 

The customer service representative you speak to won't know, so you'll have to ask that they consult their 'technical department' (their term, not mine).

 

It is very bad practice to replace a removed cambelt, especially one that you know has been fitted for over 2 years. The belt is tensioned using a series of rollers and tensioner's. When the belt is removed it relaxes, when the same belt is refitted, understandably it is re-tensioned. This relaxing and re-tensioning can stress the belt, especially one with wear, thus making it's potential premature demise all the more likely.

 

Cambelt change intervals vary by mileage, but Skoda UK apply a 5 year blanket time interval, so a good two years outside of their warranty period.

 

How would you feel if your weakened belt failed in either year 4 or 5?

 

If Skoda UK's policy is that the original belt can be reused, fine, but what reassurance can they give if the belt fails before the 5 years limit, but after the three year warranty, given that you know it to have been weakened due to a manufacturing defect elsewhere that necessitated it's removal?

 

I would be insisting that Skoda UK acknowledge your concerns and have it put in writing. In the unlikely event of the belt failing later in life, you will therefore be armed with something that could help convince them to offer some level of goodwill contribution towards the cost of a new engine.

 

I'll leave the Arnold Clark element out of this for now, the fact they've started the job without having all of the parts available says enough.

 

If you're at a computer, you can use Skoda's Live Chat feature. Afterwards you can select to have emailed to you a transcript of the conversation...

 

 

If not then best giving them a ring, their email response times are quite slow. ideally this wants resolving before the job is complete...

 

 

https://www.skoda.co.uk/discover/contact-us

 

Good luck, if you decide to pursue this please let us know how you get on.