Just got rid of my lovely A3 1.8T Quattro with lots of work done to it, making around 230bhp and replaced it with the Fabia VRS SE.

I cannot fault the cost of the Fabia for then options, but it drives like a load of ****. I cannot believe skoda had the cheek to keep selling these with this stupid stutter.

I wish I had spent a bit more and got the Leon FR 2.0Tdi.

I have read the 46 pages about the 'fix' and have no intention of trying to bodge it myself. It was a brand new car I paid top whack for and now feel like a mug.

My wife drives it every day and is now giving me grief about how bad it is and how she wants the Audi back. I did this to save me some money and get a decent car. Now I have a load of grief and not a decent car....

The car is going back to the dealer to see what they can do. What a surprise they have 'no idea' what it could be.

When I brought my Audi second hand the salesman made me feel like an important customer. The guy at the skoda garage made out like he was doing me a favour.

Sorry for the rant, just irritated as I have only had it since Friday and already want rid of it.:thumbdwn:

Keep your eyes peeled in the classified section...

Have you spoken to Skoda UK?

I'd also shame the dealer, or check out their feedback in the dealer section!

Did you not test drive before you bought it?

If you spend money on a car you need to make sure you have driven it comprehensively, and researched into this before you buy.

If you had done extenive reasearch you would have known the issues the engine has plus other minor issues the car has. The issues with the BLT engine were known a year ago (so have been known for a year) and there is plenty of info for it on the web.

Plus if you bought the same engine from Audi or seat the stutter would still be there but they don't even try to fix it. They said it was a

"characteristic" from day 1 where as skoda said "lets TRY to fix it atleast".

I have the same engine with the stutter and it's not noticeable. Infact it's a rare occurence now and the car is a dream to drive.

They DO know what the problem is.....there's a TI out on it at the moment telling the dealers to adjust the hole on EGR valve gasket. Thing is, to properly fix it would mean the car would fail on emissions and so they can only reduce the stutter.

Flog it and buy one with an ASZ engine. No stutter then!

On the positive side you'll definitely be saving a packet on fuel!

having driven a few cars with the BLT engine i can see why the stutter is so annoying. i found that you only experience it when driving it steady but when driving the car "hard" the stutter cannot be felt.

my brother has an ibiza with the same engine and has never even noticed the stutter so i guess that says something about his driving style

I can understand why your getting ****ed off tho, new cars shouldnt be stuttering.

I wouldn't accept a car that did this. I know SUK have more or less said it's more of a feature than a fault but it would still ruin my experiance and experiance is everything

Where's Welshy when you need him? I'm guessing he might suggest you replace it with a low miler diesel Beemer

Chris

Did you not test drive before you bought it?

If you spend money on a car you need to make sure you have driven it comprehensively, and researched into this before you buy.

If you had done extenive reasearch you would have known the issues the engine has plus other minor issues the car has. The issues with the BLT engine were known a year ago (so have been known for a year) and there is plenty of info for it on the web.

Plus if you bought the same engine from Audi or seat the stutter would still be there but they don't even try to fix it. They said it was a

"characteristic" from day 1 where as skoda said "lets TRY to fix it atleast".

I have the same engine with the stutter and it's not noticeable. Infact it's a rare occurence now and the car is a dream to drive.

Your trying to make out like it's his fault the car stutters , when he has every right to get a new car that works as it should

As has been said on here before , some seem to be fine , others suffer a bit and others are really bad.

Give them a chance to fix it & if they don't (which they won't because they can't!) then reject it. You're not the first & probably won't be the last.

I boorowed my dads 04 plate for a while and enjoyed it. I didnt realise as a 'special edition' they would make a crap one that drove like it ran on kangaroo fuel.

The Seat Leon FR has the 2.0tdi engine so there are no issues I am aware of there.

Just spoke to the dealer after another earful of abuse from the wife and he pretended it was the first he had heard of it until I mentioned looking on forums and the EGR valve. He is now talking to service to book my car in to be modified.

First impressions of skoda are not good at all, what a bunch of dodgy dealers.

Chris, why so grumpy? Did you thouroughly research the car, read about the stutter and then take the risk? No need to be quite so patronising. I thought forums were meant to help people, not berate them when that have a problem.

If I had known about it I would have got the Leon in all honesty.

But the mod can't be done, as it goes against the emissions?

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/fabia/re-2006-vrs-owners-stutter-skoda-uk-fix/54512/

Last 10 page seem to have the best info for you and dealer.

Can someone not summarise that thread with what it actually establishes as 46 pages of waffle could easily turn into a few paragraphs. A few people have had success and no one has said there car has actually failed on the emissions???

Sorry for not making myself popular after joining the forum, just annoyed.

I'm guessing it won't fail on emissions until it becomes MOT age?

Chris

That is what I was thinking. I wont have it then. If I do then I will get it MOT'd at the dealer / garage that carried out the work on the EGR.

And anyway , if this modification is reversable then you just take it off for the MOT , pass , then refit it

On the positive side you'll definitely be saving a packet on fuel!

Correct he won't bleedin drive it, by the sound of things:rofl:

Has anyone actually managed to reject a car because of the stutter? I know 1 guy was trying to and there was talk of court and all sorts but can't remember reading the outcome. Personally the stutter is not such a major factor as to disrupt my driving pleasure, if however your wifes driving style is such that it is then by all means try and get rid, it does sound like the dealer is being a bit of a ar$e but I can't believe that by now skoda aren't shipping the SE with the modified gasket in place as we know skoda cz have been involved in finding a cure from the start.

And anyway , if this modification is reversable then you just take it off for the MOT , pass , then refit it

Just what I was thinking. The dealer wont fix it completely as it'll fail an MOT to do so.

Instead, get your hands grubby and change the gasket yourself then change it back when it's due its first MOT.

Either that or use VAG-COM to turn the EGR valve right down.......I'm sure that'll have a similar effect. :confused:

Sorry if this has already been asked, however surely this engine (in Euro 4 version) is used in other cars within VW? If so, have VW/Audi/Seat got the same problem?

Yes , apparently they do , and like the VRS it seems to affect some cars more than others.

They don't seem to regard it as a "problem" , but a "characteristic" and don't have an official fix

Will it affect insurance with the modified EGR given that you are techincally making an engine modification?? :confused: Furthermore, even though you probably won't own the vehicle then, I certainly wouldn't want to do a modification to my vehicle that will make the car fail it's MOT when it comes just on the off chance I still own it.

Finally regarding the MOT, I had my EGR Valve turned down to it's minimum setting using VAG-COM and it would still pass an MOT test no problems, prehaps you could try this??

I feel for you Robert, but sadly I think the only thing you may be able to do is try and reject the vehicle, however proving that there is a fault would take some real efforts IMO.

Also, as others have stated the 04 reg you drove won't of had the issues as that had the ASZ engine, whereas you have the newer BLT one...

Finally I am sure you are aware but the 2.0 TDi engine as fitted now to many VAG cars is different in many ways to the 1.9 TDi engine fitted to the Fabia, therefore the stutter problem isn't an issue.

Chris.

If I had a VRS with the problem I'd be very tempted to visit some VW, Audi or Seat dealers to see what they had to say. Would be interesting to hear their responses. Sorry for sending the thread off-track a bit by the way!

I'd go the VAG-COM route then if it was me......if it will indeed pass an MOT then turn the EGR valve all the way down and have done with it. Saves you buying another car....

Finally I am sure you are aware but the 2.0 TDi engine as fitted now to many VAG cars is different in many ways to the 1.9 TDi engine fitted to the Fabia, therefore the stutter problem isn't an issue.

Stutter won't be an issue, but for god's sake, buy one without a DPF!!! :rofl:

Chris