We are talking worldwide.. thats alot of cars! :shock:

http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=688650

http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=688508

http://dealer.vw.com/vwpress/fullStoryA.html?release_id=5824

here in sweden it was announced around 5 o'clock today.

All cars made, 2001, 2002 and some early 2003

Mattias, did they mention Skoda in the press release, I have not heard/seen it yet, apart from the american stories

yes, skoda, seat, audi and VW

We all get new coilpacks :lol:

I wonder if that is why there was a coilpack shortage as VW have been stockpiling them to get ready for this recall.

Bring on the coilpacks

My dealer has'nt heard a thing!!

Steve

Here is the story from bloomberg.com

Volkswagen Recalls 850,000 Cars to Fix Ignition Coil (Update1)

By Patrick Donahue

Wolfsburg, Germany, Feb. 4 (Bloomberg) -- Volkswagen AG, Europe's largest carmaker, is recalling about 850,000 Audi, Seat, Skoda and Volkswagen-brand models because of defective ignition coils. Volkswagen shares dropped as much as 6.7 percent.

Models equipped with 1.8-liter turbo, V5, V6 and W8 gasoline engines and built in 2001 and 2002, as well as a number from early 2003, are being recalled, with 280,000 Volkswagen-brand vehicles affected, said Hans-Gerd Bode, a spokesman.

The coils, which ignite spark plugs to start the engine, have a ``higher-than-normal failure rate,'' the company said. Volkswagen is assigning employees to work overtime and recruiting a second supplier to deliver new coils ``in the coming months.''

The recall is the second in almost two weeks by the Wolfsburg, Germany-based carmaker. Volkswagen on Jan. 23 said it will cover the cost of repairing motors of the popular Golf model and other cars that were damaged by ice buildups during recent cold weather. Models built since 1997 are affected.

About 530,000 cars in the U.S. are subject to the ignition- coil recall, Volkswagen's Web site said.

Volkswagen shares fell as much as 2.60 euros to 36.25 euros and were down 6.4 percent at 36.38 euros as of 5:46 p.m. in Frankfurt. The stock is up 5.8 percent this year.

[/quote:786bfa7c76]

Have just emailed Skoda Customer Services on the website to ask when UK owners will be notified of the recall and when we can get them fitted. Will post their response as soon as received.

Notice the message posted earlier says 2001 onwards cars. Mine is a late 2000 model and has already had one coil pack failure - looks like I have to pay for mine :cry:

I've just called Skoda Customer Services regarding the coil pack problems, and to put to rest any fears I had about taking the car on a driving holiday across Europe in the summer.

The lady I spoke to said that the problem was caused because the coil packs had an adverse effect to the damp weather. There is not going to be a recall to solve the problem though.

However, she did say that coil packs are now coming into the country in large amounts, ready to repair cars that are currently off the road and to provide spares for any others that have problems.

This is as per my local dealer this morning. He said Skoda are not doing a recall on the coilpacks.However, he did offer to do a full diagnostic check the car and replace any coils that are faulty when they are available.

I've just called Skoda Customer Services regarding the coil pack problems, and to put to rest any fears I had about taking the car on a driving holiday across Europe in the summer.

The lady I spoke to said that the problem was caused because the coil packs had an adverse effect to the damp weather. There is not going to be a recall to solve the problem though.

However, she did say that coil packs are now coming into the country in large amounts, ready to repair cars that are currently off the road and to provide spares for any others that have problems.[/quote:fdaecd80fb]

This statement given to you by Skoda UK customer services sems to fall in line with the following statement that was made by Skoda Auto CZ for that market. Remember its not a statement from Skoda UK. The "recall" statements seem to have originated from rueters interpritation to a VW press release that didn't mention a recall specifically.

For those who have Skoda Assistance cover, the answer then is to call out the AA each and every time you suffer coil pack failure, and to make the maximum use of the cover provided. Don't try and drive to a dealer because, to quote the Owner's Manual "....the catalytic converter may be damaged as a result of overheating." Looks like we will all need to start putting pressure on Skoda UK.

I received a phone call from BBC Watchdog today who seem to be quite interested in this. They too thought that the Reuters statement indicated a total recall until I explained the stance being taken by my local dealer.

He felt there was no way that the VAG group could possibly wriggle out of a total recall said that he felt the case for a recall was cast iron. He was going to put a call into Skoda Customer Services to test the situation

Will report back if I hear further

RondotheTurk,

I hope watchdog run an article on this in the near future. I too from reading the statement assume recall, otherwise what was the point of makeing the anouncement in the first place. it seems to be business as usual as far as coils go for now.

And what happens if I have a failure abroad, say in southern spain. will skoda cough up the dough to get the car back to the uk.

I really feel that " damp weather " is nothing short of the company trying to deflect the blame away from the manufacturing problem and hence Skoda etc.......

Mine went on an engine that had been running for 2 hours on a summer day in a dry spell .

Sounds like the wrong type of snow to me ........

If WW/Audi (and SEAT) but not Skoda change the faulty coil packs, it is going to make Skoda look like cheapskates in comparison and won't do Skoda's reputation any good at all! It takes a long time to build up a good reputation but it can be lost in an instant. And risking losing the goodwill of existing customers is foolhardy in the extreme, not least because I am sure we all try to promote the brand. I hope that Skoda UK monitors this forum and takes our views firmly onboard.

I've just come from my my local skoda dealer, and he said that no recall had been announced yet. However he said that any car manufacturer that announced a recall without having the parts to fix the problem would be a little bit strange.

Skoda UK apparently have 6000 coils on delivery for next week. I bet they make an announcement then.

ncarring - Hmm.. thought I was ok- my slxi turbo has done nearly 50k with no sign of coil-pack trouble.

Nice to see a fellow slxi - what colour is your interior?

Lem,

Well SLXi's have the same old engine so I guess the coil packs are equally vulnerable. Mine failed on the 4th December - pretty cold but don't remember it being particularly damp. My local dealer had obviously never heard of this problem because it took them 2 days to diagnose it - at first they thought it may be a valve gone. Once they diagnosed it, however, they had a part installed in one or two days - can't remember exactly now. I wonder if they had to rob one off a showroom car?

My interior is black leather, pale grey carpet, light/dark grey plastic.

Have you had your SLXi tweaked in any way?

[b:faffc752bd]VW and Audi recall[/b:faffc752bd]

[i:faffc752bd]05 February 2003

Advice [/i:faffc752bd]

[b:faffc752bd]Massive VW Group engine recall[/b:faffc752bd]

The Volkswagen Group is instigating a worldwide recall of 2001, 2002 and early 2003 models with engines including the 1.8T turbo unit. This includes models from Seat, Skoda and Audi, as well as Volkswagens - this engine has featured in a huge number of different vehicles, including the Audi TT, Volkswagen Golf, Skoda Octavia and Seat Leon. Other engines affected are the W8 unit in the Passat, the 2.8-litre V6 as in the Golf and Passat V6 4MOTION and the 3.0-litre V6. The recall is to replace ignition coils, which have been found to fail. Warning signs of coil failure include a blinking warning light on the car's dashboard, a loss of power and rough or uneven power delivery and idling, but all ignition coils will be replaced regardless of any signs of failure. The companies involved are contacting owners over the next month, but anyone concerned should call the relevant customer services department for further advice.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/CARS/news/news-centre/news-template.jsp?dbid=15460

Heres a copy of the letter sent out by VW America re coil pack failures - again no mention of "recall" and seems to follow Skoda Auto CZ and UK comments

[img:a30812b6e3]http://www.btinternet.com/~john.stopani/photos/letters/vwlett.jpg[/img:a30812b6e3]

AudiUSA's Press Release states:

"VOLKSWAGEN AND AUDI TO REPLACE ALL IGNITION COIL PARTS

The companies are currently notifying all customers potentially affected and are initially replacing those ignition coils that fail at no cost. [b:1bd0231221]The updated customer service action, replacing all ignition coils whether they fail or not, will be implemented in the coming months[/b:1bd0231221]."

(My bold print to highlight the main item of interest).

The full press release is here:

http://www.audiusa.com/about_pressrelease_detail/0,,articleId-20000362_countrycode-1_subUsageId-9999999498_,00.html

Interestingly, the letter above gives no indication of any intention to replace those coil packs eventually.

Written reply from Skoda UK Customer Services:

"Thank you for your email regarding the ignition coils for the Octavia VRS.

The quote that you have specified [bBC quote] is from the press and not a statement from the Volkswagen Group. I can confirm that the factory has not identified an inherent fault with the ignition coils and no recall has been issued at this time. We are currently dealing with a supply issue with this part that SkodaAuto and the VW Group are working to resolve as quickly as possible.

I hope that this has reassured you regarding the current situation, however, should you require further assistance please do not hesitate to contact me. I shall be happy to assist you.

Yours sincerely,

Rachel Moore

Customer Services Specialist".

Following the email, I phoned them as well and the bloke said that basically it was a major supply issue - they didn't have the coil packs available and until they were available they couldn't do much (although did say that if any went on your car you would be put on a priority list). Basically, from his comments it was clear that they know there is a problem but couldn't do anything about it until they get enough coil packs manufactured.

I can confirm that the factory has not identified an inherent fault with the ignition coils and no recall has been issued at this time.

I hope that this has reassured you regarding the current situation, however, should you require further assistance please do not hesitate to contact me. I shall be happy to assist you.

Yours sincerely,

Rachel Moore

Customer Services Specialist".[/quote:3e91b2ab3e]

Can someone helps me with this? How can there be any reassurance in the comment that "the factory has NOT found an inherent fault". I thought they HAD found an inherent fault. Is it a question of not declaring a recall until they have the parts in stock to deal with the likely demand? I am without my car because of a parts shortage, though not a coil pack problem. I'm following this item with interest to see how they deal with "vehicle of the road" situations. At present I'm not too impressed.

Paul

Next time your on the phone, ask them if as per the letter to the US clients, you pay to get somebody to replace all your coils, *because you have a problem* for the newer J types, would they reimburse you?

I think this is the avenue I will take.

Because, okay I'm off to NZ next week, I set of to the airport with 3hrs rto spare, bang a coil goes on the mway, I wait 40 mins for AA man, he potters to the airport gate closed I miss flight and prob get a black eye...all for a part that is historically failing, is massed produced yet no stock ever leaves the factory...argh If the above were true I wonder what customer service would say...

Gone are the days of doing the right thing....the right thing is to recall the effected vehicles and swap out, proactive rather than reactive is the keyword....watching your 2grand flight to NZ leave without you because of a 50 quid part is going to end in tears.

BTW I'm not off to NZ next week, much as I would love to...swapping my coils at the garage..lol no not even that, sorry.

Regards,