Hey guys, I recently bought a wonderful Skoda Fabia 2011 1.6 Diesel (35k miles) from a private dealer back in June 2020. It was fine for a month and then the below issue started to occur.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0oydS6vvJo&feature=youtu.be

 

I've been quoted £780 to fix it, most of that being labour. It is what is it, I get it. However, I do worry that perhaps this EGR issue could be related to an emissions recall back in 2016? The vehicle has indeed had the service action "Diesel EA189".

 

As I have noted in my video's description, this faulty engine starting happens between 1 to 2 times NORMALLY, but the other day it happened at least 5 times before I could actually get driving. It's ridiculous, I shouldn't have to pray that my car starts when I need it to, especially after the money I've forked out for a quality car in such great shape.

 

What do you suggest? Is it worth getting this booked into a Skoda approved retailer for the relevant diagnostics? I've spoken to their customer service line and they said that's what would need to happen but there's no guarantee they will cover any costs, etc.

 

Or is it just not worth it? Should I just suck it up and pay the £780 at my local garage that I trust very much? It could very well be that the EGR valve does indeed need repairing after a good 35k miles, but it's a huge repair after just one month of ownership. And money is not abundant after such an investment and during a pandemic!

 

Thoughts?

Sounds a heck of a lot of money for an EGR valve... Is that what they said it was?

 

I would also have thought the dealer, private or main dealer, must give you some sort of warranty to ensure the car is fit for purpose! Usually, this will be a lowly 3 months but you have had it less then this and under the circumstances, I would have thought they would agree a few extra weeks any way!  First thing, charge the battery and have it checked for voltage, etc. Also contact the seller and make a polite but firm complaint.

 

Unless you agreed with the purchase as being (The normal term traders use, to sell on cheaper, potentially unreliable stock) "Trade sale". This implies they have sold it to you, with the understanding that you are willing to overlook faults and/or fix them yourself.

(I recon a decent solicitor would run rings around even this claim from them but that will cost buckets of cash).

 

Whilst doing all this, check places such as carparts4less, for an EGR to fit your car. Some are quite reasonable and some are easy to fit. I have no knowledge of your one.

Edited 23 July, 20205 yr by mrgf

Yep, unfortunately that's what is being quoted! I trust the garage, and the fella on the customer service line even said he'd thought it'd cost more!

 

So I did get a 3-month warranty with the purchase of this car but believe it or not, AA will not cover the cost of this repair as the warranty doesn't cover it. Frustrating! Is it possible the battery is causing this issue then? Is that why you're suggesting I make sure it's fully charged? And I was thinking about contacting the seller but figured I bought it as seen if you know what I mean? I imagine all they'll say is "Look, you've bought it, it's now your responsibility".

 

I would give replacing it myself a crack but it appears to be tucked around the backside of the engine, so I'm not touching that job with a 10 foot pole. I'm no mechanic and really wouldn't forgive myself if I buggered it up.

 

Cheers for your reply, mate

You have a 6 month warranty for a used car bought from a dealer.

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/buying-or-repairing-a-car/problems-with-a-used-car/

 

It is nothing to do with the AA warranty he has supplied.

 

Just speak to the supplying dealer clearly without loosing your rag & explain you want the car fixed at his expense.

 

 

Yes, the AA make small and/or temporary repairs, not proper mechanical ones. The actual warranty with the seller is whet you need here. I have seen many sellers offer as little as three months but if PipH is correct and citizens rights/and/or trading standards say you have a right to six, you should be covered and the car should be "fit for purpose".

That is a legal term and in this case, means the car should be drivable and safe. Charge the battery, try the car again and then go to the seller. This is going to be your first step.!

 

Oh and whilst being polite, keep mentioning fit for purpose and also, if they are calling you out or nor being helpful, mention trading standards! Be firm, hold ypur ground and also tell them you are on Briskoda, the Skoda owners forum. This will be helpful if they are s Skoda specialist.

Edited 24 July, 20205 yr by mrgf

I don't think it's the battery, I wouldn't waste any further money.

 

You need to drop the subframe and some will remove the exhaust and some will work around it.

 

I have replaced the clutch in mine and know how much work it take to remove the frame and also you will need to do a wheel allighment as it messes with the steering rods.

 

If you don't have the tools, jacks, space etc... pay the money.

 

Option 2 would be to map out the EGR for a fraction of the cost with a minor power increase. The only down side would be the Exhaust Gas Temperature will be on the high side but you will still regenerate the DPF.

 

 

Edited 27 July, 20205 yr by Bertie90

Thanks so much guys, I initially thought it would be a waste of time contacting the private dealer as I'd have "bought the car as seen", if you know what I mean. I just got off the phone with him and he was very sympathetic about the situation and he knows I really do love the car / want to keep it. He's told me he's going to get in touch with the AA about it and see if they will agree to help out and he'll get back to me.

 

If he calls me back saying there's nothing he can do (which I'm expecting to be honest), I'm going to then argue (as nicely as I can) that this is an unexpected issue and makes the car unfit for purpose because I can't guarantee it's going to work for me on any given day, and ask if I'm still within my warranty period with his dealership. I worry he'll argue it's just a "wear and tear" issue which could very well be true. How would I get around this point? The garage told me that they found the fault code for "EGR Valve - Faulty operation", so perhaps I could say that the word faulty makes me believe it's not wear and tear, more that the part itself isn't up to scratch?

 

The car honestly ran fine for a whole month after I bought it and boom, this issue out of nowhere. I am sure he had no idea about the issue when selling me the car, so I wouldn't be surprised if this is just how it is and I've got to suck it up.

 

I really appreciate your advice lads, honestly. Worst case I'll just have to pay it all myself but it is going to hurt! Even if the AA agreed to cover the £300 of it, that'd almost half the bill.

Well, knowing what I know now about these EGRs, I'd argue that it is a wear and tear item, however it's all relative since yours gave up around 30k. Maybe too much city use. I'd also buy a Bluetooth OBD2 dongle and download the DPFVAG app and look at the life of the DPF. It will give you a good indication of the life it had. 

 

So premature wear I'd go with. Mine failed at 60k so expecting it to fail again in about 10k times (I'm at 98k).

 

I know it seems like it's gone "boom" but trust me the engine itself it's probably fine. 

 

It's unfortunate I know but if you do get any money towards it I'd take it. 

Also, tell them you have "Consumer rights"... This is in addition to any warranty anyway. This is the fit for purpose issue and clearly, it was not, unless you thrashed the 🐴 off it!

The previous owner was apparently an older fellow so I imagine he didn't stretch the car as much as it would have liked. I think he barely drove it in all those 9 years of owning it. The car is in immaculate condition apart from the EGR valve! Thanks for your suggestions and advice Bertie, it's really appreciated!

 

And thanks mrgf, hopefully those extra key words will help my case! And I did wonder if perhaps my driving has just done the car over, I really have no clue! I've tried to stretch it here and there and not accelerate / rev too hard but boy the car likes / wants to FLY!

Hey there, what happened with your car in the end? Just started getting problems with mine :(, although it's at 107k, without the fix. 

Yeti discussion moved to its own thread:

 

https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/508236-yeti-4x4-egr-valve-needs-replacing/?tab=comments#comment-5706052