A friend has been quoted £7k to replace the entire rear diff assembly after experiencing symptoms of what sounds like Haldex failure on a 2017 Superb 4x4.  What are the options?  Is anybody reconditioning these?  From what I understand, mechanical failure is very rare, but the garage say they've tried replacing the pump to no avail.

Nothing surprises me in terms of the costs of major line items. The manufacturers have always made huge profits on parts, but especially so on MLI. Let’s face it,18% of the original RRP of the car is ludicrous. 

Welcome to the forum. 

 

First the correct diagnosis is required.

 

The Haldex is not the Diff.   The Haldex Service can be done wrong and diff oil drained. Different Unit.

 

The Tech or Fitter,s bosses would be more than happy if the customer was just to splash out £7,000 for new parts fitted because they are not Mechanical Engineers that repair parts required just units. 

 

http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/504715-haldex-replacement

http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/485788-cracked-haldex-unit

 

 

Autohaus Edinburgh maybe can help, but busy because good and Edinburgh Main Dealerships are not so. 

http://autohausedinburgh.co.uk

 

Edited 7 March, 20242 yr by Rooted

21 hours ago, jetsetwilly said:

A friend has been quoted £7k to replace the entire rear diff assembly after experiencing symptoms of what sounds like Haldex failure on a 2017 Superb 4x4.

 

Please describe them, nobody can offer options until they know whether the problem is the Haldex or the differential.

 

Had your friend recently paid a garage to change the Haldex oil or was it done as part of a service?

Thanks for responses.  I can't provide full detail (not my car etc) but the symptoms were binding up at parking speeds esp reversing with the wheel hard over to the right.  I don't know why but this seems to be typical of haldex failure, right?  The garage changed the pump to no avail, the info I have is that 'the diagnostics report diff failure', but I'm unconvinced mainly because mechanical diff failure is virtually unheard-of.  In any case, the current garage want to replace the entire diff assembly, with either a new one or a scrap one.   There is no obvious route to getting Skoda to do anything - it is out of warranty, and despite full main dealer service history the request for goodwill has been refused.  There is no way to determine whether any negligence has occurred during servicing.  No haldex servicing has been done except within the dealer service programme.

 

My questions are not related to diagnosis or blame.  My questions are about treatment. 

 

Given that the failure (whether haldex or diff) is within the diff assembly, it seems to me that you either take the 'mechanic's route' of replacing the relevant assembly, in which case the question is, are reconditioned assemblies available or is it just new vs scrap?   Or you take the 'engineer's route' of stripping the assembly to fully diagnose and fix the problem, in which case my question is similar: does anyone know of anyone within the Dundee area that does this, and/or does anyone know if it's even feasible?  To me it looks like very simple engineering but if for instance vital seals or bearings are simply unavailable, then that approach is dead in the water.

15 minutes ago, jetsetwilly said:

were binding up at parking speeds esp reversing with the wheel hard over to the right

 

A common occurence due to the limitations of the pre-emptive engagement software, mine does it most times I reverse out of a supermarket parking space on full lock, not a failure, a "feature" in Skoda speak.

17 minutes ago, jetsetwilly said:

the info I have is that 'the diagnostics report diff failure

 

The vehicle diagnostics, fault codes from the controllers cannot indicate diff failure as it is purely mechanical, there is a Haldex controller which monitors hydrauilic pressure, pump current etc.

 

19 minutes ago, jetsetwilly said:

Given that the failure (whether haldex or diff) is within the diff assembly, it seems to me that you either take the 'mechanic's route' of replacing the relevant assembly, in which case the question is, are reconditioned assemblies available or is it just new vs scrap? 

 

I think that you understand that the Haldex and differential are completely seperated and sealed from each other and contained within the overall aluminium housing.

 

Nobody to my knowledge in the UK reconditions them, your options are new and second hand, you should not treat a second hand unit as scrap as they are massively robust and failure is nearly always a result of mistakenly draining the differential oil and leaving it dry.

 

A failure from that caught in time like my vehicle or a very very high mileage vehicle will only have wear on the smaller LH rear output shaft bearing, these are a standard bearing and cost less than £20 or £30, replacement is simple enough for the very few people around who still know how to set up the backlash and preload etc of a differential. What is not available are the oil seals.

@jetsetwilly  Members have purchased used units and had them fitted.

 

Who / where did the work so far and quoted £7,000 ? 

 

Was the Haldex Serviced @ 3 years / 30,000 miles at a Main Dealership? 

Edited 7 March, 20242 yr by Rooted

If the differential is not making any noise and the jerking is just annoying rather than total transmission wind up, if the vehicle tracks correctly on a wet and dry roundabout and does not feel like it is steering itself at times I suggest your friend lives with the idiosyncrasy like I do or disconnects the Haldex controller and have a 2wd vehicle which many are without the owners realising due to the filter gauze being blocked or pump failure.

 

Better still take it somewhere else that is not treating them as a magic money tree.

Plenty competent places around Edinburgh,

these will not include West End, or Arnold Clark.     

Edited 7 March, 20242 yr by Rooted

I can not recommend anyone in Dundee.

 

I can give you a number in Forfar but maybe he will be too busy.  Might recommend you someplace though. 

http://charlesbutlermotor-forfar.co.uk

Maybe Gavin next door has availability. 

 

 

 

 

Edited 7 March, 20242 yr by Rooted

Thanks all,

 

Its my car. I have navigated the Briskoda login network

 

Minor binding up in a carpark is one thing, but it was sticking a couple of times when straightened up, then functioning normally.

 

The Skoda dealer diagnostics report a fault in the differential, not resolved by changing the Haldex pump. I haven't questioned them again re whether the fault could be with the ECU, or whether it is specific to a mechanical failure in the differential.

 

If the clutch is failing in the differential, does the disconnect option leave me open to sudden catastrophic locking of the rear wheels at 70mph?

AFAIA, there isn’t a clutch in the diff; there is one in the Haldex. 

New question - this one is about blame!  If the dealer skipped the 3yr oil change, what are the chances of getting them to put their hand in their pocket to replace the assembly?

Sorry to answer a question with a question but what are your chances of proving that?

 

Are you yet another party regarding the same vehicle as JID and Jetsetwilly? This is getting a bit confusing, if you are someone else then you need to give a little more info on why you desire that a garage replace your differential or Haldex on a 13 year old vehicle, what oil change being skipped, did you pay for it etc.

Edited 7 March, 20242 yr by J.R.

Dealerships skip Haldex Oil changes, Brake Fluid Changes, DSG Oil changes all the time.

 

It is for the Car owner / Keeper to pay for what they want done. There is no guarantee they will know what needs doing or get told what should be.

 

 

They might get told brakes are 80% worn or the AC Service is every 2 years.

 

A Skoda Approved Used Car with a FMDSH does not mean serviced as per Recommendations, Guidelines or Schedule, or service items done before a dealership sell you the car. 

Thanks @Rooted.   The haldex oil change is not showing as done on @JIDs online service history so I was curious - last year I went through the JLR SDV6 crankshaft-snapping saga so I'm maybe a bit primed to try to hold manufacturers and their dealer networks to account!

 

@J.R. I am the OP - the question I posted was about @JIDs Superb as we are friends IRL and he was not a forum member, whilst I was.  In this thread I am not asking about my own Skoda Yeti (which I actually no longer own).  As @JID has now joined this august establishment, I should probably bow out.

Apologies for my confusion, I could have sworn that your posting had a 3rd different username and was a new contributor to this thread, I read back through all the names several times as well!

 

But I do recall the person asking the question had a 2011 Yeti so it was definitely my mistake and not a forum glitch.

 

What does IRL mean, my brain making lame excuses for itself is telling me that was the username I saw 🥴

No worries. IRL = In Real Life 🙂  

Can you get a bad bearing in the haldex unit, so it produces noise at speed, at 120 000 km, even with following the service schedule? Rear diff replaced with a renovated one but still sound.

Bearing replaced in the Haldex itself, or in the rear differential?

Rear diff replac

5 hours ago, Bap33 said:

Bearing replaced in the Haldex itself, or in the rear differential?

Rear diff replaced with a renovated unit, so new bearing yes. Haldex unit untouched.

It was the front passenger wheel hub.