Bad Idle - Barkers Grimsby had for nearly three weeks and nothing improved

[Prasg]

Just a rant. I reported a very shaky idle (car vibrates) to this forum in April (ish) when I got the car (vrs SE). They laughed at my wife when she suggested the flywheel. It's been back to the garage 3 times now and is still there after nearly 3 weeks. I phoned today to see what they've done. "They have done all that Skoda have told them to do". Which is not much because they have not replaced anything and they say it is still the same as when it went in. I asked why they hadn't replaced anything and they said, "what do we replace". I said flippantly , 'the engine if you can't find the offending part that is not to spec'. They gave that short shrift.

Barkers said I could contact Skoda Customer Servives and they would know all about it. They didn't but are looking into it.
The only satisfying part is they've loaned a car to my wife - a C1 (with seatbelts that are half way up the neck).

I'm worried about what will happen when I try to trade it in.

Rant over.

[VRStu]

Does the whole car vibrate or is it coming from the gear lever area?

There is a fix for vibration of the gear linkage.

[Prasg]

VRStu, it's the whole car - but is from the engine. As I mentioned in an earlier thread it improves when the air con is on and months ago they altered fuel flow etc. but it is still not satisfactory.

[Rustle]

Take your car to Dennis Horton in Lincoln fantastic service & help, they will get to bottom of problem. Voted best Skoda dealer last year & have been a Skoda main agent for donkey's years.

[Prasg]

Ageed, they are helpful but I believe in this instance Skoda have been telling Barkers what to do and try but with no success. Last time they tried reprogramming and tuning. Thanks for the suggestion but I took it back to Barkers because I bought it from there and first complained to them. I will see what Skoda Customer Care find out. I'm annoyed that I had to contact Barkers after such a long time and they didn't contact me.

[Prasg]

Skoda C C just told me the area manager will look at it on Thursday and report back to technical.

[Rustle]

Know what you mean about YOU getting back to them, Hortons are the same I have to keep contacting them when my motor is in but it's their only failing so far, but it is small things like contact with the customer that can lead to a bad reputation IMHO

[Prasg]

The technician in charge phoned me and said tightening the engine mountings had helped but it is still bad. They have done many tests given to them by Skoda. At one point he said Skoda are going to say it's a 'characterisitc of the car'
(Now that sounds a familiar get out i.e. the other characteristic of the infamous 1700 rpm stutter) I asked him if he would accept a car that is as rough as mine at tick-over and he said he wouldn't. He is reporting back after the Area Manager technician sees it.

[west sussex mt]

Hi all i'm new on here been reading about blt eng code problems everyone is finding. I work in the network (vw/skoda) and also have seen this problem or similar. There is an adaption to be carried out if the customer complaint is rough idle by changing the adaption values in engine electronics using VAS 5051A/B and raising the idle slightly but a few times a have found this to be no better. Futher investigation found the air flow meter to be faulty causing the engine ecu (J248) to think to much air is entering the engine causing over fueling and rough idle(no fault code) and drove fine . Not saying this is your fault as i'm sure grimby have checked relevant MVB's but it may be worth mentioning when the tech phones you back. His name wasn't simon was it ?

[Prasg]

Thanks for the Info. west sussex mt. I will print it out and check.
Name was Sean or Shaun - don't know the spelling.

[west sussex mt]

ok thats great ask him to check mvb 03 in engine electronics (EGR) if he hasn't already he may find the air mass in field's 2 and 3 to high at idle even after blipping the throttle!
Worth a try

[Prasg]

west sussex mt
Thanks again. I've passed the info on for Sean and he has just phoned saying he is showing it to Simon. So you did know the name of teh person at Grimsby

[west sussex mt]

Thats great yer thought i got the right dealership . I passed my mastertech with him last month

[Prasg]

An update and a question.

Now been over 4 weeks and the area manager has given permission to delve deeper. They have replaced a flow sensor and are trying West Sussex mt ideas but I do not know the result as the two main technicians have gone on holiday. There is no Service manager (been off ill for many weeks now). The will do compression tests if the new sensor doesn't help. Anyway, my question is:

Bought the car in April - reported idle problem in first week. They said run it for 1000 miles to see if it improves - but it didn't.

Been to the garage 3 or 4 times (each time 180 miles i.e. there and back, then there and back to pick it up). This last time we ahve been without it for over 4 weeks and it's likely to be much longer. They have loaned a car - a small petrol Citroen C1 emblazoned with large letter advertising on all surfaces with things like 'Price from £xxxx etc. We feel we are not getting value from a new car (it is the vrs SE) in terms of it is devaluing without getting the driving pleasure. Do you think we should ask for some money off its first service?

Thanks for any advice given.

[Big Mikey]

To be quite honest, I'd be asking for a new car. The car you've been sold clearly isn't fit for purpose and I'm surprised at the shoddy service you've received so far. You've certainly got a case under trading standards laws.

[Prasg]

Thanks for the suggestion. I had thought of this but for three reasons did not pursue:

1. The 'Stutter' problem of most vrs SE's (which mine also has) was not a 'reject' reason according to this forum because it was a 'characteristic of the cars'. Someone tried to say my idle was also a 'characteristic' but I said I wasn't going to accept that excuse as other's don't have the problem. I thought the idle problem would be easily fixed.

2. With it being an SE they would not be able to get another.
and there is nothing comparable at the moment.

3. To reject it should be within a few weeks of purchase. I left it too long because again I (and they) thought it would be easily fixed and they said leave it 1000 miles to run in.

[Big Mikey]

There's a new SE (well - it's being used as a demonstrator at present) in stock currently at Alex Lawrie Liverpool where my bro works - I was going to buy it myself, it looks amazing, but it was just slightly out of my price range. I agree that nothing compares though - but look at it another way - nothing compares to one that runs the way it should, not one that stutters like Gareth Gates giving a best mans speech.

I don't think you've left it too long mate - the car was not fit for purpose when they sold it to you (as the problem will have been documented back then) and you took their 'expert' advice and ran it in for 1000 miles. Ordinarily when it comes to rejecting a car, you get four weeks if it's not fit for purpose, however, you've taken their advice and done everything they have told you. The car has been in the shop for months now hasn't it? Getting repaired and stuff? I'd say you have a case.

[Prasg]

Thanks. We'll have to make a decision after the Bank Holiday. I will also talk with Customer Services.
thanks again.

[chris22]

Just wondering how rough is the idle? My vRS has a rough idle, and it feels like the car is "jumping" about sometimes. I suppose its not really bad but sometimes I think to myself "this feels a bit rough".
I mentioned it to the service manager and he told me that because its a diesel it will be rougher idleing than a petrol. Was I being fobbed off? Is it really worth it for them to mess about with it and possibly make it worse?

[Prasg]

Chriss22 we've had two other Fabia vrs cars and one is still in the family. The faulty SE we have now has much much more vibration than either of the other two. It can shake the occupants a bit like an old bus does. The vibration becomes less when the air con is put on. The garage decided that the extra loading of air con altered the fuel flow rate so they changed mine bu it was still unsatisfactory.

Try that turning on your air con when it is vibrating badly to see if it alteres it. If possible try and sit in another vrs to compare yours, but from what you have said it does sound to be worse than the norm.

[Prasg]

Now 5 weeks. Spoken with Customer Services who say that if the cause of the fault can be found they will look into compensation, but and I repeat 'but' if it is a 'characteristic of the car' (we've heard that before - stutter), they can do nothing. I said I wont accept it is a 'characteristic of the car' because other SEs are OK and so mine must have a fault and it is not like the stutter problem which affects many cars due to physical changes for emissions. I also mentioned that the technician told me he wouldn't put up with the problem if it were his car. I mentioned I may reject the car and have sent my disapproval off to Skoda.

BTW they are testing something under compression for leakage next.

Anyway, just an update. No comments / replies needed thanks.

[Phil_Peck]

Can you keep us posted. I picked up my new VRS SE on Saturday and have noticed this. It's terrible when the car is in neutral and the AC is off. Girlfriend's mother has the same sort of problem. It seems to disappear when the accelerator pedal is depressed slightly though.

[Big Mikey]

What kind of a vibrate are we talking about here guys? Is it constant or intermittent? When I'm in neutral or sitting at lights in my vRS (not the SE), every now and then I notice a slight vibration - it's not majorly uncomfortable, but it is noticeable. It doesn't vibrate constantly.

[Phil_Peck]

Mine is sometimes there and sometimes not. More often than not though. If the AC is on it's better. But it's enough to notice quite a lot. Been in an 04 plate vrs for long enough to notice!

[Prasg]

I will keep updating (as asked) when I have news.

The technician said recently that there now seem to be a number of cars with idle problems (and gear problems) and no one can understand why because the engine is supposed to be identical to the engines just before the SE came out.

Just to recap for those that have recently posted with vibrations:

Mine was very bad when idling at say traffic lights in neutral. It happened about 90% of the time The vibration was very noticeable and the worst I've known in 30 years of driving - the car shook. Activating the air con does help due to extra loading and more fuel. The garage did reduce the vibration a little by altering various flow settings but it was still unacceptable. One worry was when I trade it in and someone/garage tests it and says there is a fault. Also, comparing it with the stutter it is worse because the stutter is short lived when around the 1800 rpm range yet the idle is fairly continuous whan stationary, so is worse and embarrassing if there are passengers.