[Vikas Arora]

My brother-in-law owns a 1.8 TSI (DSG) variant of Skoda Superb since Feb 2011 (oct 2010 manufactured). The car has run about 20K kms. He has had a trouble free ownership until this week when the ECL/alarm started beeping while driving in Delhi. The driver immediately stopped the car on the roadside and turned it off. Driver felt lot of vibrations in the car when he stopped by the road side and he also saw white fumes coming out of car's exhaust. My BIL contacted the dealer (FAHRENHEIT Skoda) on phone and those guys asked the driver to attempt a restart after 15-20 mins. Driver then attempted to restart but the car didn't start. Finally, the car was toed on a flatbed truck to FAHRENHEIT workshop. Its been 3 days and still no update from the workshop. They say that they have sent the engine scan report to Skoda and they are waiting for response from Skoda.

Considering the reputation of Skoda dealers we don't believe 100% what the dealer says. Meanwhile, we are trying to get a copy of scan report so see the details of errors that have been reported.

Has anyone ever faced a similar issue or know a case similar to this? From whatever little i know, white smoke in a petrol engine means that engine oil is getting burnt and this could be a result of cracked engine head/piston or some seal gone bad.

Experts please suggest what else we should do except waiting to hear from the dealer who is not providing any time commitment to resolve this problem.

[HKap]

Mechatronics strike again I guess. This might be the gearbox acting up.

[v&v]

Generally ECL light is a pointer to ECU related issue or wiring harness issue. Even it can be just a coil plug issue .

The diagnostic code can tell exact cause.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by Vikas Arora

Driver felt lot of vibrations in the car when he stopped by the road side and he also saw white fumes coming out of car's exhaust.

This is serious. It could be something relatively smaller like a faulty injector, a blown turbo or worse, a damaged engine.

Ask the dealer for the error code immediately. Just the fact that they've sent the data to Skoda means they need approval for a big $$$ warranty replacement. Thank God your car is still within the warranty coverage.

Originally Posted by HKap

Mechatronics strike again I guess. This might be the gearbox acting up.

No chance. The symptoms of a DSG gone bad are completely different.

Originally Posted by v&v

Even it can be just a glow plug issue too.

It's a petrol hence, no glow plugs.

[Sutripta]

Originally Posted by GTO

Just the fact that they've sent the data to Skoda means they need approval for a big $$$ warranty replacement.

Or buying time to work out how to reject a warranty claim!

Regards
Sutripta

[F150]

Hhhm. One more SKODA biting the dust. Subscribed to this thread. Keep us posted.

Jerking and white fumes indicate a blown engine after some googling.

[Vikas Arora]

Originally Posted by GTO

This is serious. It could be something relatively smaller like a faulty injector, a blown turbo or worse, a damaged engine.

Ask the dealer for the error code immediately. Just the fact that they've sent the data to Skoda means they need approval for a big $$$ warranty replacement. Thank God your car is still within the warranty coverage.

I suspect that its not faulty injector since it would have been easier to catch and the scan report would have clearly indicated it. Its definitely something more serious and that's why there hasn't been any response since last 4 days. Secondly, my understanding is that a blown turbo will not stop the car from starting.

I have told my BIL to find out about the error report whatever he can. The dealer is not ready to share the report. Error code can help us to gauge the seriousness of this fault.

Originally Posted by Sutripta

Or buying time to work out how to reject a warranty claim!

Regards
Sutripta

Well in this case the dealer didn't need to buy time to reject warranty claim Wrong date of purchase (Feb 2010 instead of Feb 2011) was entered in Skoda's system by the dealer from whom the car was bought. Finally the bill & other papers were shown to prove that the car is still in warranty. At least for the time being this concern seems to have been addressed and I hope this confusion is solved forever.

Anyways will keep you guys updated on the latest happenings on this front.

[1self]

Bad injector causing a fuel dump, which floods the engine & bends/ damages the valves? Maybe even the camshafts are affected. BIG MONEY likely. By attempting to restart the car, a bad situation would have been made MUCH worse.

[dkaile]

Originally Posted by Vikas Arora

Anyways will keep you guys updated on the latest happenings on this front.

If you feel that the service dealer is not giving you full disclosure or not taking care of your car properly, you may contact the following Customer Care Head at Skoda HQ -

Rahul Kulkarni | Customer Care
Skoda Auto India Pvt. Ltd.,
A 605, ICC Towers, S B Road,Pune, India.
HQ- A1/1, Five Star MIDC, Shendra, Aurangabad 431201, India
020-30931113 E-Mail: rahul.kulkarni@skoda-auto.co.in www.skoda-auto.co.in
customerCare@skoda-auto.co.in

Best of luck.

[Vikas Arora]

Got an update from the dealer today. My BIL spoke to the workshop GM today and they said that car will be ready by today afternoon. The injector system has been replaced under warranty. Also, the dealer said that you will need to visit us in few days to get the car checked again.

I have asked my BIL to get a detailed report of tests done on the car and also share the report with us. Basically we don't want the dealer to overlook any other damage to engine due to faulty injectors.

I also asked him to conduct a thorough test drive to check any engine vibrations/noise/loss of power before accepting the car. Are there any other points that he should check before accepting the car?

[1self]

You have to drive/ sit in the car yourself for a few days of use to see if the vibration has been rectified. Make sure you get the dealer to acknowledge this before you take delivery.

[Vikas Arora]

My BIL got his car back on Saturday evening. Dealer has released the car for test running only (i've never heard of this anywhere else). No paperwork has been done till now and he asked us to get back for a final checkup in a weeks time. They will run some diagnostics tests again and will complete the paperwork if everything is fine. The dealer also promised to share reports on the same day.

Meanwhile my BIL has been driving the car since last 2 days and he did not face any issues with the car - no vibrations and the drive has been pretty smooth.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by Vikas Arora

The injector system has been replaced under warranty.

Aha, my first guess was spot on.

Have they changed all injectors or only the faulty one(s)?

[Omtoatom]

Originally Posted by Vikas Arora

My BIL got his car back on Saturday evening. Dealer has released the car for test running only (i've never heard of this anywhere else).

That is ludicrous. What the heck is "test running only"?!! I've never heard of such a concept or practice. If the service center has released the car to the customer, then they believe that is repaired/refurbished satisfactorily and to the best extent possible. That it is in good working condition. So what are they talking about?

Originally Posted by Vikas Arora

No paperwork has been done till now and he asked us to get back for a final checkup in a weeks time. They will run some diagnostics tests again and will complete the paperwork if everything is fine. The dealer also promised to share reports on the same day.

Like I said, if they're releasing the car, it is with an explicit understanding that the car is in good working condition and has been serviced/repaired to the customer's satisfaction. The very fact that they haven't signed up the paperwork means they don't seem very confident about their job. I think your BIL should be wary.

Originally Posted by Vikas Arora

Meanwhile my BIL has been driving the car since last 2 days and he did not face any issues with the car - no vibrations and the drive has been pretty smooth.

Glad to know that the car is now roadworthy. But please ask him to ensure that he insists on closing the paperwork quickly. Even after the paperwork is filed, in the event that an issue develops with the car, the dealership is fully liable. Make no mistake.

[Vikas Arora]

Originally Posted by GTO

Aha, my first guess was spot on.

Have they changed all injectors or only the faulty one(s)?

No idea about this, will find this out and share it here.

Originally Posted by Omtoatom

That is ludicrous. What the heck is "test running only"?!! I've never heard of such a concept or practice. If the service center has released the car to the customer, then they believe that is repaired/refurbished satisfactorily and to the best extent possible. That it is in good working condition. So what are they talking about?

Glad to know that the car is now roadworthy. But please ask him to ensure that he insists on closing the paperwork quickly. Even after the paperwork is filed, in the event that an issue develops with the car, the dealership is fully liable. Make no mistake.

Even I had never heard about the "test running" thing earlier. Basically, according to my BIL the dealer is waiting for the following before closing the job card:
1. Feedback from BIL after a week of driving. Dealer will again run an engine scan.
2. Dealer also mentioned that he is waiting for some more inputs from Skoda (i forgot to mention this in my last post).

Another concern is that the car runs out of warranty in Feb 2013 since my BIL did not opt for extended warranty. So I have told him to discuss with the dealer and try to take in writing that if the replaced parts go kaput within 12 months then dealer will again replace them for free.