RE: 2006 vrS OWNERS STUTTER - SKODA UK FIX

[Kerry]

Gazzer

I have the same as you, bought at the same time, I'm going to the dealer on Saturday morning for an appointment with the general manager, I'd be really interested to know how you get on, I have had a gasket modification, but it's still the same, if not worse. Have you been fobbed off by your dealer saying put a few miles on it etc.?

I'm debating with myself wether to reject the car! What's your thoughts?

JulieB

If you opt for rejection you need to be really quick; keep the car too long and you're deemed to have "accepted" it. If you can get the dealer to take your rejection you will be OK, but if they decide to fight and get Skoda UK involved you are in for a huge scrap as Skoda UK are entrenched on this issue and will not accept rejections or offer any sort of compensation or help (other than the 14.5mm gasket, which doesn't work).

I took my dealer and SUK to the county court, but was unable to convince the judge that the stutter meant the goods were of "unsatisfactory quality". Obviously, I think he reached the wrong decision, but after three hearings over the space of a year, 176 letters exchanged, two

[Monty]

wotcha people,

just hit the 4000mile in my '439' fabia an I can't say I've experianced a shudder?!? Although I do experiance smoke out of the exhust!

=======

I can appreciate both sides on this issue, but it does appear to vary from car to car and driver to driver.

I traded in my 04 VRS for a SE VRS on 8th June, no problems for two weeks and to be honest after reading all the comments in hear I was really waiting for it to show up.

In the third week I noticed a slight hesitation a few times around the 1800rpm range, called and booked it in with the dealer who installed the 14.5mm thingy and so far no hesitation and long may it continue.

So how come some people are seeing the problem and some aren't ? when the cars are using the same Euro IV engine ?

This might be total rubbish but the service guy at the dearlers was saying that the hesitation only seems to be noticed by people who have had a pre 05 Fabia TDi or VRS previously.

What about a poll to see what the proportion of cars exhibit the problem and how many don't and how many work with the 14.5mm gasket etc. etc.

[Kerry]

Skoda UK's technical representative said in court that all Fabia vRSs and 100BHP TDis were the same; they all had the "characteristic" to the same extent and it was a matter of "customer perception" as to whether it was acceptable, or not. I tend to agree and it does depend on what type of driver you are and what sort of journey you are making. A steady driver, trying to be smooth, in an urban situation is about the worst combo. Flat out, couldn't care less, on a high speed run and the car is fine. I just think it should be able to do both.

I've not owned EUIII vRSs, but I did test drive two EUIIIs before buying the EUIV (although I didn't realise at the time this is what I was doing) and immediately noticed the fault when I picked mine up.

[JulieB]

I bought a new vRS SE in May and I'm not getting any where with my dealer, they have tried one fix, (gasket) and it's no better, if I had found this sight earlier I would have rejected the car, I might be too late now. I too thought I was buying realiability etc. I noticed the hestitation on the day of pick up and reported it to the dealer, I too was told to put a few miles on it!!! I have put over 2000 on it and it's worse. It hestitates everyday, on most journies, and when you can predict it it is more annoying than ever. Not too happy as you can tell, I'm meeting the dealership general manager tomorrow morning, I will post on the site what the outcome is. Good luck with yours.

JulieB

[JulieB]

=======

I can appreciate both sides on this issue, but it does appear to vary from car to car and driver to driver.

I traded in my 04 VRS for a SE VRS on 8th June, no problems for two weeks and to be honest after reading all the comments in hear I was really waiting for it to show up.

In the third week I noticed a slight hesitation a few times around the 1800rpm range, called and booked it in with the dealer who installed the 14.5mm thingy and so far no hesitation and long may it continue.

So how come some people are seeing the problem and some aren't ? when the cars are using the same Euro IV engine ?

This might be total rubbish but the service guy at the dearlers was saying that the hesitation only seems to be noticed by people who have had a pre 05 Fabia TDi or VRS previously.

What about a poll to see what the proportion of cars exhibit the problem and how many don't and how many work with the 14.5mm gasket etc. etc.

I'm up for a poll, out of 1000 cars how many have this (I can only describe it as a fault)

Count me in.

I'm new to this site, but I wish I had looked at it before buying my vRS SE in May, your dealer is talking total rubbish/B******S as I had a 04 polo 1.4TDI before, in my opinion it just depends on your standards and types of driving and if your aware and interested in your cars performance. I noticed my cars hesitation on day 1 and reported it to my dealer. The change in thingy/gasket hasn't made any improvement to my car, infact it is worse when cold now. My cars hesitation was also around 1800 rpm but it has now happened betwwen 1600-20000rpm.

I spoke to Skoda UK customer services this evening and Mitchel seemed to know what I was decribing and he said he would phone my dealer, but not until Monday, alot of good to me for tomorrow, not!

JulieB

Let's see what my dealer will say/do tomorrow!!! I don't hold out much hope.

[JulieB]

wotcha people,

just hit the 4000mile in my '439' fabia an I can't say I've experianced a shudder?!? Although I do experiance smoke out of the exhust!

Lucky you, it might feel more like a flat spot, or you didn't change gear as smooth as you could have, if it happens when changing gear.

I took a trip up to Yorkshire at Whitsun and my brother was also travelling up in another car, usually behind me I must say, but then he did tell me that when I shot off there was a little puff of smoke. It's difficult to know otherwise isn't it!!! I've done 2200 miles and the exhaust is always black, has been from day 2.

JulieB

[Kerry]

I'm up for a poll, out of 1000 cars how many have this (I can only describe it as a fault)

Count me in.

I'm new to this site, but I wish I had looked at it before buying my vRS SE in May, your dealer is talking total rubbish/B******S as I had a 04 polo 1.4TDI before, in my opinion it just depends on your standards and types of driving and if your aware and interested in your cars performance. I noticed my cars hesitation on day 1 and reported it to my dealer. The change in thingy/gasket hasn't made any improvement to my car, infact it is worse when cold now. My cars hesitation was also around 1800 rpm but it has now happened betwwen 1600-20000rpm.

I spoke to Skoda UK customer services this evening and Mitchel seemed to know what I was decribing and he said he would phone my dealer, but not until Monday, alot of good to me for tomorrow, not!

JulieB

Let's see what my dealer will say/do tomorrow!!! I don't hold out much hope.

I'd love to be more positive about this, but I've had over a year of grief over the stutter. You're totally wasting your time with SUK customer services; they couldn't care less about you now you've spent the money and will do absolutely nothing. Your only hope is persuading your dealer to do the decent thing; some have done so, with at least three people successfully rejecting their cars over the stutter. Mine (Winchester Motor Company, Hampshire) was a complete git and wouldn't budge. On the plus side it cost them and SUK nearly

[JulieB]

I personally found that the 14.5mm gasket reduced the torque slghtly and made it less fun to drive.

IMHO the official Skoda fix is a waste of time. Makes the engine rough and un-responsive. The stutter improved, but only after 10 mins into journey, and even then it would show it's ugly face from time to time.

Terefore, I would say - Yes, it does affect performance in my experience.

Big thumbs up to the 9mm. Been using it for about 2000 miles and so far so good.

What is IMHO?

JulieB

[sharkrider]

in my honest opinion

[ScoobyChris]

in my honest opinion

or humble - none of my opinions are honest

Chris

[markyvrs]

If the stutter is an issue, and you are not happy with the fix from Skoda, then there is 1 easy alternative:-

Get a 9mm gasket from skoda which costs about

[ScoobyChris]

Yes, skoda should be the ones to fix it, but when the fix is that easy there is no point getting stressed about it.

But isn't the problem that this no longer makes the car compliant with Euro IV?

Chris

[Kerry]

But isn't the problem that this no longer makes the car compliant with Euro IV?

Chris

. . . and invalidates your warranty.

[sparkes1]

Hi everyone

I've had my se since April and have not had any serious problems. Sometimes there is a slight hesitation around 1800rmp but to be honest I probably wouldn't have taken any notice if I hadn't read this thread.Still the best car I've driven

[markyvrs]

But isn't the problem that this no longer makes the car compliant with Euro IV?

Chris

I'm sorry, you seem to have mistaken me for someone who gives a s*it!

Seriously though, yes you are correct, and it will proably invalidate a claim for a new egr valve. But, whack the 16mm in before you go to the dealer and Bobs yer uncle!

[I hate golf]

I bought my vRS second hand and it hesitated quite bad in traffic on a steady throttle! it also ran on for a split second after turning of the ignition off and tick over used to shake the whole car. After reading through this rather large topic I have fitted a gasket with a 9mm hole in place of the 20mm one and its a different car, smoother more responsive and no stutter, It's an easy job and the positives far outway the negatives

[markyvrs]

Good stuff!

Another happy 9mm gasket customer!

[sooz]

Took my new 'special' vrs in for a minor repair and mentioned the stutter thing - hadn't really bothered me but always seem to happen at around 1800 revs or so. Anyway they 've replaced the EGR gasket - presumably for the 9mm one and it seems that Skoda now say it supercedes the previous one. Not only is there no stutter, it drives even better than ever!

[Phil.G]

I experienced this now and then on my SE too and wasn't too sure what it was initially but after reading this thread the other day I got in touch with the local Skoda dealer who supplied the car. They confirmed roughly everything that I'd read here, and were happy for me to bring it down more or less right away to fit the EGR gasket. It now seems to have cured the problem completely and accelerates much smoother, though idle is a little lumpier.

[GeordieJohn]

so what do u guys mean by stutter? i hav a w reg fabia lol not a vrs and wen on drive and got engine on sittin in car my car vibrate for about 3 secs then stops, i see the rev counter go from 1 up a little but not much but the whole car shakes abit

[BrOwS]

The stutter occurs at 1800rpm not when idling. However the whole car rattling issue has popped up before on another thread, worth searching for...

[simtub]

As there seems to be some confusion about where the gasket goes I have attached a picture which I hope will help. The TSB states that the gasket should be fitted between the EGR and the Inlet Manifold. This doesn't seem possible to me.

Position 6 has the part number for original gasket - 069 131 547 D. Position 11 has the part number 069 131 547 A. So it looks to me that it would be position 6 but that's only my guess.

My mate who has just recieved his brand VRS SE just tried to do a DIY job of changing the gasket at position 11 on the diagram with his 9mm part. There was no way in hell to access the gasket and unbolt it as it was too fumbly.

Can anyone who did a DIY mod of the gasket explain their step by step instructions? The cables and tubes around the engine are so tightly packed he couldnt reach his hand on the underside to unscrew anything.

Any help would be greatly appreaciated.

[Guest]

My mate who has just recieved his brand VRS SE just tried to do a DIY job of changing the gasket at position 11 on the diagram with his 9mm part. There was no way in hell to access the gasket and unbolt it as it was too fumbly.

Can anyone who did a DIY mod of the gasket explain their step by step instructions? The cables and tubes around the engine are so tightly packed he couldnt reach his hand on the underside to unscrew anything.

Any help would be greatly appreaciated.

If you're having problems doing it yourself, bear in mind that you should have no problems getting it done under the warrenty terms.

[simtub]

If you're having problems doing it yourself, bear in mind that you should have no problems getting it done under the warrenty terms.

for the 14mm fix yes, but not the 9mm as I've been reading in the last 50 pages...this voids your warranty no?

[markyvrs]

My mate who has just recieved his brand VRS SE just tried to do a DIY job of changing the gasket at position 11 on the diagram with his 9mm part. There was no way in hell to access the gasket and unbolt it as it was too fumbly.

Can anyone who did a DIY mod of the gasket explain their step by step instructions? The cables and tubes around the engine are so tightly packed he couldnt reach his hand on the underside to unscrew anything.

Any help would be greatly appreaciated.

Unfortunately, there is no easy trick to doing it. It is quite awkward.

You need to remove the engine cover (just in case you hadn't). It's best to use the allen key to just loosen the bolts until they can be unscrewed by hand. It is difficult to undo a bolt from behind and you do end up with a bit of an achy wrist.

Putting it back together is just as tricky. I found it hard to align the holes, thread in the bolts and make sure the gasket didnt fall out all with one hand. Got there in the end though and it took about 15 mins.

Make sure you do up the bolts tight. I didn't and leaked a bit of gunk. Nothing major though.