Kodiaq overheating at "random"

[ianjohnston]

Hi everyone, 

My 2019 plate Kodiaq is overheating, but not always! 

I got mine brand new and never had any problems with it until it came to a service / MOT in March this year. The local dealership did a courtesy coolant change as they said it was contaminated. They warmed me that the coolant level might drop and if that happens I should simply top it up. They also warned me to call them back If it happens more than 2 times. As you can imagine it did, I called them straightaway and got it checked the following day. After a full day of checks they assured me there was nothing wrong with the car! 

Fast forward 5 months and I have driven another 3k miles - did a long trip from Edinburgh <> Manchester and Edinburgh <> Inverness and didn't have a single problem until 2 days ago. I was on my way to my local B&Q, which is 15 miles return trip, and as I was sitting in traffic the temperature went up and up and up! I pulled to the side of the road and immediately turned off the engine. After a quick phone call and 30sec on, I turned on the ignition and the temperature level had dropped to 110. I then started the car and left it running and the temperature went back to 90 degrees within another 30 seconds. Seen as I was in the middle of nowhere I proceeded to drive and keep an eye on the temperature levels. The temperature hit 110 on 3 occasions and once again I immediately pulled to the side of the road. Honestly within 15 secs idling the temperature went back to normal levels every single time.

The following day I drove around 25-30miles in central Edinburgh and had no problems at all! I was in traffic, it was a relatively warm weather, I was driving as normal, etc.  
I have also checked the coolant levels first thing in the morning and so far the level has stayed dead in the middle between min & max. 

I am unsure what's going on and will appreciate any help and tips on what to do! 
I have done some research and have narrowed it down to : 
* A faulty water pump - seems to be a problem with diesel Kodiaqs 
* A sticky calorstat - which will occasionally not open and thus make the car overheat.

I have called my local dealership and I am now booked for the 31st 🤦‍♂️ with a quote of £110 for diagnostics! 

However, I am considering my local VW/Skoda Garage as their prices seem more reasonable and have great reviews online (I know these can be biased)! I own the car outright, so going to a local garage won't be a problem. 

I have read the replies in these topics, but my issue seems slightly different to me: 
1. 

2. 

 

 

[Ootohere]

Welcome.

 

Best ignore the thread about a 1.5 TSI and water pump because that has no relevance to your 2.0TDI. 

?

Is your Local Dealer West End?

Ask if they are a participating dealership and the first 30 minutes of a diagnosis is £60, because that is as long as it should take and if they are doing the repair they can waive that.

 

Or

Maybe try http://autohausedinburgh.co.uk and get the job done for a fair price by fully qualified and experienced techs.

 

[ianjohnston]

Hi roottoot, 

Thanks! 
Yeah, it is West End I'll ask them tomorrow! 

Autohouse is the place I looked up actually. They are 10min along the road from me! I will also give them a call tomorrow! 

[KenONeill]

3 minutes ago, ianjohnston said:

Autohouse is the place I looked up actually. They are 10min along the road from me! I will also give them a call tomorrow!

Do it, and never use the main stealer again!

[Ootohere]

@ianjohnston

OT.  but has your Haldex been serviced yet.

If not i would not have West End doing it, use people that give a damn. 

[kodiaqsportline]

2 hours ago, roottoot said:

@ianjohnston

OT.  but has your Haldex been serviced yet.

If not i would not have West End doing it, use people that give a damn. 

 

Are you a customer of West End Root?

[J.R.]

Your problem will almost certainly be the solenoid actuated sliding shroud of the water pump sticking, a very common fault, if when its behaving normally (not overheating) you remove the wiring harness connector it will remain in the non shrouded position and give no further incidences of overheating although the warm up time and the time for the heater to give out heat will be significantly increased in winter weather.

 

Not a problem for now!

[Ootohere]

@kodiaqsportlineI am a friend of past customers of West End.  I am very familiar with the service or lack of service that some have had.

?

Are you recommending them as a good main dealership to use for a diagnosis, repair & servicing being done at? 

 

 

Edited 15 August, 2022 by roottoot

[kodiaqsportline]

6 hours ago, roottoot said:

@kodiaqsportlineI am a friend of past customers of West End.  I am very familiar with the service or lack of service that some have had.

?

Are you recommending them as a good main dealership to use for a diagnosis, repair & servicing being done at?

 

Unlike you I don't get my info from 3rd parties.  All my Skoda's have been serviced and maintained by West End and so far have not had any reason to complain about their service. There will of couse be others who do have reason - that's the nature of dealing with the public.

 

But the reason I asked you is this. Even with the evidence presented right in front of you, you completely ignore the OP. The OP writes:

 

The local dealership did a courtesy coolant change as they said it was contaminated. They warmed me that the coolant level might drop and if that happens I should simply top it up. They also warned me to call them back If it happens more than 2 times. As you can imagine it did, I called them straightaway and got it checked the following day. After a full day of checks they assured me there was nothing wrong with the car! 

 

Now whatever one's opinion of a dealership is, does that sound like a dealership who doesn't give a damn? Within a day of reporting the fault as instructed, West End  were running tests on the OP's vehicle.

 

It's probably best to think more before you accuse others because one of these days, a business may take offence and Briskoda could find themselves in an awkward situation.

 

I can understand a customer who has had a bad exprience accusing a business of not giving a damn, but what you're doing is spreading false info. which can't be right.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Ootohere]

@kodiaqsportlineLooking forward to you maybe making posts in the Dealer Review section of the places you use rather than trolling my posts. 

 

If the car was in for  Service and while under warranty that really was not a 'courtesy coolant change', 

that is what the Extra Scope is all about and checking things and dealing with them. 

 

*A full day of checks is quite a thing for a technician to be doing, many hours of whatever and doing a good few miles of driving.*

 

If the Contaminated Coolant was identified while the car was under the Manufacturers Warranty then it should be straight forward that the OP will not be paying for this diagnosis or repair if it is just to the contamination and they have just run the car with Main Dealer Servicing.

 

The OP will tell us maybe if the Haldex was serviced @ 3 years and the pump was cleaned.

That is where my reference to giving a damn comes in.  

Edited 15 August, 2022 by roottoot

[ianjohnston]

Hi everyone, 
Thanks for all the recommendations once again. I called Autohouse Edinburgh and I am booked in for Wednesday next week. I will post an update once I know more! 

 

20 hours ago, roottoot said:

@ianjohnston

OT.  but has your Haldex been serviced yet.

If not i would not have West End doing it, use people that give a damn. 

 

@roottoot yes it was serviced in Mar '22

 

18 hours ago, J.R. said:

Your problem will almost certainly be the solenoid actuated sliding shroud of the water pump sticking, a very common fault, if when its behaving normally (not overheating) you remove the wiring harness connector it will remain in the non shrouded position and give no further incidences of overheating although the warm up time and the time for the heater to give out heat will be significantly increased in winter weather.

 

Not a problem for now!

@J.R. thanks for the tip! I will resort to it if it overheats again before next week! 

 

[ianjohnston]

Just a follow up update: 

I had a call back from Autohouse Edinburgh and they've said it is the water pump. I have been quoted £575 for work & parts. 
However, turns out I have the 4 year extended warranty with Skoda West End Garage and Mark from Autohouse suggested I get back in touch with them.
What do people think, worth exploring further?
Skoda West End actually want me to pay £110 diagnostics fee regardless of the outcome! Maybe I can ask them to wave it if they also find the water pump to be the problem. 

[Ootohere]

Talk with the Dealer Principal, talk with the Warranty Manager and the Master Tech.

The car was in for a service and they changed the coolant and were aware of an issue, within the warranty cover period.

 

Was the 'Contaminated Coolant' they identified during the period of the cars 3 Year Warranty?

It was within the 4 years.

?

Why did they think it was contaminated, do they think you did it?

 

They are a Participating Dealer as far as Skoda Fixed Price Servicing and maintenance & the first 30 Minutes of a Diagnosis is £60.

 

If they are taking over 30 minutes then £110 it will be, and if it is a warranty claim and approved and they are charging for the Diagnosis then £110 be it, 

but the Water Pump will be covered so still a few hundred quid better off. 

SKODA_Warranty_Terms_November_2021.pdf

Edited 24 August, 2022 by roottoot

[kodiaqsportline]

7 hours ago, ianjohnston said:

Skoda West End actually want me to pay £110 diagnostics fee regardless of the outcome! Maybe I can ask them to wave it if they also find the water pump to be the problem. 

 

'regardless of the outcome'?  Somebody has their wires crossed.

 

Paying for someone's time to look at your vehicle is std practice, however, if the car is under warranty and it's found the failure is due to a warrantied part, then it's the warranty which covers the diagnostic costs.

 

West End have looked after three of my Skodas and one of my VW's and I've never once heard anyone mention 'regardless of the outcome'.

 

 

7 hours ago, ianjohnston said:

I had a call back from Autohouse Edinburgh and they've said it is the water pump. I have been quoted £575 for work & parts.

 

Whatever happens, my advice would be that if you're considering paying to have the waterpump changed then £575 sounds rather expensive, especially for a non-franchised place.

 

If you're not having the job done under warranty then I'd seriously consider changing the cambelt at the same time. ( worth asking Autohaus if their price includes a belt). Because you drive a diesel, they have to loosen the belt to get to the waterpump anyway so the only cost would be the price of a rubber belt.   In fact even if it was being done under warranty, I think I'd be having a word with the service dept and ask if I could pay for a new belt.

[silver1011]

Check the terms and conditions of your extended warranty. If the waterpump is covered then pay the £110 diagnotic fee. It'll be refunded to you as part of a successful 'zero cost to you' warranty claim. 

[Colmgaughan]

My 2022 is running at 105 all the time.  Did you get an answer 

[ianjohnston]

Hi all, 

I dropped off my Kodiaq at Skoda West End at 8.30am on Wednesday last week. Late Wednesday they had diagnosed the problem as being the water pump, but were unable to put a warranty claim as their systems were down. I left the car with them and on Thursday I got a call to say Skoda will contribute 70% towards any parts and 50% towards labour costs. I was quoted £270.99 for the work. I should also note that the water pump has a 2 year parts warranty and in case something does go wrong again it will be replaced for free!
I got the car back at 5pm on Friday with the water pump changed, tested for water leaks, etc. 

Overall, I am glad that it is fixed (lets hope), but If I have to be picky the comms could have been better on their end - I had to call and chase for an update on Wed & Fri; and also I was under the impression that I have a 4 year warranty, but they kept referring to it as "warranty contribution"! I could / should have asked for a courtesy car potentially, but when I agreed to leave the car overnight (Wed / Thu) I was told it will be ready for collection on Thursday after 5pm. 
 

 

 

On 24/08/2022 at 11:52, roottoot said:

Talk with the Dealer Principal, talk with the Warranty Manager and the Master Tech.

The car was in for a service and they changed the coolant and were aware of an issue, within the warranty cover period.

 

Was the 'Contaminated Coolant' they identified during the period of the cars 3 Year Warranty?

It was within the 4 years.

?

Why did they think it was contaminated, do they think you did it?

 

They are a Participating Dealer as far as Skoda Fixed Price Servicing and maintenance & the first 30 Minutes of a Diagnosis is £60.

 

If they are taking over 30 minutes then £110 it will be, and if it is a warranty claim and approved and they are charging for the Diagnosis then £110 be it, 

but the Water Pump will be covered so still a few hundred quid better off. 

I asked about that, but wasn't given a straight answer. I got the impression that they quote people the full amount i.e. taking over 30min just in case maybe? This is my personal believe / guess! 
 

On 24/08/2022 at 18:51, kodiaqsportline said:

 

'regardless of the outcome'?  Somebody has their wires crossed.

 

Paying for someone's time to look at your vehicle is std practice, however, if the car is under warranty and it's found the failure is due to a warrantied part, then it's the warranty which covers the diagnostic costs.

 

West End have looked after three of my Skodas and one of my VW's and I've never once heard anyone mention 'regardless of the outcome'.

 

 

 

Whatever happens, my advice would be that if you're considering paying to have the waterpump changed then £575 sounds rather expensive, especially for a non-franchised place.

 

If you're not having the job done under warranty then I'd seriously consider changing the cambelt at the same time. ( worth asking Autohaus if their price includes a belt). Because you drive a diesel, they have to loosen the belt to get to the waterpump anyway so the only cost would be the price of a rubber belt.   In fact even if it was being done under warranty, I think I'd be having a word with the service dept and ask if I could pay for a new belt.

Thanks for highlighting this! I called back, before I had to drop off the car at Skoda and a different person confirmed what you've said - They will "wave" / refund the £110 fee! I did ask the cambell - but didn't get an answer, so I need to follow up on this one! 


 

On 25/08/2022 at 21:13, Colmgaughan said:

My 2022 is running at 105 all the time.  Did you get an answer 

Yes, Skoda have confirmed it is the water pump, which has been replaced. 


TLDR
Kodiaq overheating was down to the water pump, which was replaced under warranty contribution by Skoda West End with a total fee of £270.99. 

[Avocet]

Is the 2 year warranty on the new water pump just for the part, or for parts and labour?  (A lot of the cost to replace a water pump will be labour)!  Might just be worth clarifying that with them.

Also, although your car isn't due for a cam belt change, the belt has to come off to do the water pump.  The belt itself is very cheap.  Are they going to put a new one on when they do the pump?  That will buy you another 5 years before the belt needs doing again.

[silver1011]

So, you have a four year warranty with Skoda themselves, yet you still had to pay £270?

 

"Warranty contributions" are when the dealer and/or manufacturer offer a goodwill gesture towards none or out-of warranty costs.

[ianjohnston]

Hi everyone, 

Apologies, I have missed the notifications on the thread. 

This morning I got a call from Skoda West End out of the blue. Guess what - they are going to refund me the £270 I paid. Apparently Skoda have decided to offer 100% contribution across the board! 

 

The 2 year warranty covers parts and labour.
Re: cam belt - I asked the Service rep about it this morning and I was promised a follow up call today! I will share what they've told me. 

On 08/09/2022 at 09:22, Avocet said:

Is the 2 year warranty on the new water pump just for the part, or for parts and labour?  (A lot of the cost to replace a water pump will be labour)!  Might just be worth clarifying that with them.

Also, although your car isn't due for a cam belt change, the belt has to come off to do the water pump.  The belt itself is very cheap.  Are they going to put a new one on when they do the pump?  That will buy you another 5 years before the belt needs doing again.

 

Yes, that's correct! I got the extended warranty when I placed my order. In my paperwork it says "4 year extended warranty" and it is not clear anywhere that it is a "warranty contribution". 

On 19/09/2022 at 12:45, silver1011 said:

So, you have a four year warranty with Skoda themselves, yet you still had to pay £270?

 

"Warranty contributions" are when the dealer and/or manufacturer offer a goodwill gesture towards none or out-of warranty costs.

 

[Avocet]

That's a result!  We had the cam belt and water pump done the other week and I asked for the old water pump back.  The shield in there does seem to be stuck!  I've tried putting a battery across the contacts for the little solenoid and the shield won't move.  I'll post up some photos when I get a minute.

[Avocet]

Well, that's not at all what I expected!

Here's the water pump with its shield retracted (i.e. full cooling)

 

 

 

And here it is with the shield extended (minimal cooling)

 

Edited 1 November, 2022 by Avocet

[Avocet]

Now, I assumed that the little solenoid on the side, pulled on some kind of link rod and mechanically moves the shield, but no!  It's a solenoid valve, which allows water to pass through an orifice (or not).

The impeller is moulded on to the shaft, so I cut it off and underneath, it's monumentally complicated!

 

 

 

 

 

Edited 1 November, 2022 by Avocet

[Avocet]

I then put an air line down the hole where the solenoid valve lives.

What seems to happen, is that when the solenoid valve opens, it disturbs the balance of pressure between the big chamber formed by the shield and its "lid", and a smaller chamber further down, almost inside the pulley.  I have no idea why it's been done like that, but I guess it's to save power.  The solenoid will only pull a tiny current, and the actual propelling of the sleeve is done by somehow creating a pressure differential between the large and the small chambers?  Seems a million times more complicated than it needs to be!  And I can't be sure, but the failure looks like it MIGHT be a slightly leaky diaphragm on the edge of the smaller chamber.  (Although I might have killed it by poking the airline down there at 100 PSI...)!

[SuperbTWM]

10 hours ago, Avocet said:

That's a result!  We had the cam belt and water pump done the other week and I asked for the old water pump back.  The shield in there does seem to be stuck!  I've tried putting a battery across the contacts for the little solenoid and the shield won't move.  I'll post up some photos when I get a minute.

It won't move because the water pressure is what moves the sleeve. The solenoid is only a pilot valve.

 

EDIT: Just read your latest post, looks like you had fun finding out for yourself 😂

Edited 1 November, 2022 by SuperbTWM