[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by Gansan

All brands extensively test and adjust their vehicles for India. It goes without saying they should take in to account the quality and RON of fuel available as well. ... ... ...

Absolutely agree. If the thing cannot be driven here and run on fuel available here, it is unfit for purpose and the sale itself is a fraud.

It is like selling some apparently tough tool and then saying it can only be used in a cleanroom!

I do not see how it is possible for any vehicle, petrol or diesel, not to have some water in its fuel. Bottom line: condensation happens in fuel tanks.

[Gansan]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Bottom line: condensation happens in fuel tanks.

Absolutely. Especially with ethanol legally blended to petrol nowadays.

[The Mechanic]

Doesn't Skoda have any sort of sensor in the fuel circuit to prevent anything like this in the first place.

I have seen the case of a Mahindra Bolero m2Dicr showing "Water in fuel" sort of warning in my neighbors vehicle after his 2 sons and nephew decided to fill the fuel tank with water from tap. The vehicle refused to start until a local mechanic apparently "drained" the fuel filter and error went away. I am not aware of the amount of water went into the system but I am told that he did not clean the tank instead his mechanic asked him to fill up the tank and drive the car. This happened 3 years back and the car is fine so I guess it worked.

Also on FIAT Punto diesel filter there is a removable sensor that is transplanted to new filter every time filter is changed. I am told this sensor is to detect water in fuel. ( Correct me if I am wrong )

[universal]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Absolutely agree. If the thing cannot be driven here and run on fuel available here...

Extremely noteworthy points there. Your post could be an apt epilogue to the thread.

[Sree73]

Saw this remark from Zac on FB page.

[Seacat]

Hi, Had a similar issue with my Old Skoda Laura about 5 yrs ago. Was told that the entire fuel system had to be changed due to adulterated fuel. Bill would be 3.70 lacs.
I told them that I only fill fuel from ONE pump which is a COCO pump and can prove it to them with all fuel bills etc. and if they wanted we could take a joint sample of fuel from the pump and get it analyzed. Refused to take the car back as I had extended warranty and was still within the warranty period.
Finally they relented but still paid 70K .

Take my advise- ALWAYS fill up from a COCO pump. Sometimes its a pain but worth the extra effort.
regards,
Seacat

[Kosfactor]

Zac Hollis seems to be reading this thread - Is Goodwill another word for Recall my friend?

Certain points to consider -

1. Direct injection diesel is not an exotic technology.
2. Majority of the diesel motor fuel is consumed by Indian brands due to commercial use and seems to do just fine with the quality of diesel.
3. Common contaminant of diesel is - Water.
4. Skoda injector problems are there from Octavia Mk1.
5. TBHP forums as well as outside have numerous posts about injector failures in the TDI engines, disproportionate to their sales figures.

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by Kosfactor

Skoda injector problems are there from Octavia Mk1. 5. TBHP forums as well as outside have numerous posts about injector failures in the TDI engines, disproportionate to their sales figures.

All diesel and dare I say even petrol vehicles experence some amount of moisture or water in their fuel. Water leakage into underground storage tanks is a known risk during the monsoon. Is it that only VW/Skoda's vehicles get affected the most? Do other manufacturers use injectors that are more resistant to corrosion?

[Kosfactor]

Originally Posted by R2D2

All diesel and dare I say even petrol vehicles experence some amount of moisture or water in their fuel. Water leakage into underground storage tanks is a known risk during the monsoon. Is it that only VW/Skoda's vehicles get affected the most? Do other manufacturers use injectors that are more resistant to corrosion?

Yes both fuels can have this problem, Ethanol mixed petrol can hold water in soluble form much like diesel.

The VW \Skoda & Renault have this injector business pretty much figured out, have a look at this!

[universal]

Finally got my car back on 29th September (50 days in all).

I had to pay ~24,000 INR after multiple rounds of quibbling. Charged for child parts + consumables + taxes.

A massive thanks to the TBHP community for your efforts. Shout-out to Mr.Boss, Jeroen and humyum for their pointers. Special thanks to GTO.

My car runs fine now, 2 wonderful years of motoring until this happened. Hoping for a smooth ride with Skoda here on.

[bhp_maniac]

Happy to hear that your Red beauty is back to her full glory.

It was Deja-vu for me when I searched for Rapid Monte Carlo injector failure and this thread came up from TBHP. I have the exact same ride, from Sep 2018 and had to go through the exact same ordeal last Saturday. I was driving peacefully on Saturday afternoon with wife and my 9 year old daughter, when there was a sudden jerk followed by loss of power in my TDi DSG. The glow plug lamp came up on the instrument cluster with a chime. After some time, the CEL also came up. Initially, I suspected DSG as he's the notorious kid from VAG, however quickly got to know that the engine is running rough and was not going past 2000 rpm. I gave a call to the EVM Skoda service in Kochi and the SA advised me to shut down the car completely for 5 minutes and try again. Tried it, and the behavior was same

As my home was around 20 min drive from there, I drove back home in manual mode and putting the hazard lights on. (DSG was hunting for gears when put in Auto). There was only usable power in the 1500-2000 rpm range and it definitely was a test of my shifting skills. After reaching home, I hooked up the OBD scanner and on the Torque app, the error code came up as P0203 which translates to an injector failure in Cylinder 3.

The next day, I gave a ring to the Skoda RSA and asked them to send help on Monday morning. Around 9:30 in the morning, a flatbed came to my home and towed her to Kochi which was around an hour and a half away. Truth to be told, I was a bit worried since I read this story and was wondering if I would also have to fight the same battle. Two days later, I got a call from my SA saying that the injector on 3rd Cylinder failed and that would be replaced under warranty. There was no drama afterwards, I got the job card and invoice in e-mail stating 0.00 INR as the final payment. I was relieved to read that.

Two things I'd like to highlight from my overall experience. The RSA experience was excellent, everything right from the first call to the flat bed experience and the crew, I was impressed by their professionalism. For both calls I had made, I was put on hold for only <1 min. On my Rapid, I had to replace an ABS sensor and now an injector within the span of the first 2 years. Both were covered under warranty and I never spent a penny on them. These are fragile electronics and they can fail, I get that. However, the reliability of these components leave a lot to be desired I guess. The injectors on my decade old Swift DDiS have still not shown any sign of age.

On a side note, learned that a colleague's Polo TDi also had an injector failure on the same day and he had to shell out ~25k to get it fixed as his ride was out of warranty.The FNG guy, as per him told that ever since VAG moved to Continental injectors, he's seeing lot of these failures. It's a matter of worry! I have the 4 year warranty + RSA + Skoda maintenance package which I am planning to extend to the 5th and 6th year at the earliest!

Being said all these, the Rapid MC DSG brings a wide grin whenever I take her for a ride on the highway. I would happily forgive her for these niggles and tantrums as long as she keeps me happy as a driver

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by bhp_maniac

On a side note, learned that a colleague's Polo TDi also had an injector failure on the same day and he had to shell out ~25k to get it fixed as his ride was out of warranty.The FNG guy, as per him told that ever since VAG moved to Continental injectors, he's seeing lot of these failures. It's a matter of worry!

Add me as another example. I also got my Polo TDi fixed by an FNG, who said, it is a cost-skimping design problem.

NB. I got a reconditioned injector fitted for half the cost. It iw worth knowing that such options exist. It is a gamble, but my man told me that even the original VAG part would come with no warranty.

[AMG Power]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

.. my man told me that even the original VAG part would come with no warranty.

All VAG / Skoda parts other than routine wear and tear items such as brake pads / clutch / rotors carry a 2 year warranty from the date of the ASS bill. This warranty is valid regardless of the age of the car / mileage the car has covered.

However to encash on the warranty the car must have its annual service only at the ASS and there shouldn't be any unauthorised parts on the car.

[bhp_maniac]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Add me as another example. I also got my Polo TDi fixed by an FNG, who said, it is a cost-skimping design problem.

NB. I got a reconditioned injector fitted for half the cost. It iw worth knowing that such options exist. It is a gamble, but my man told me that even the original VAG part would come with no warranty.

Any idea on what exactly is this design problem. Also, my friend was quoted 19k for an aftermarket injector so he went ahead with the VAG replacement at 25k which carries a 2-year warranty

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by AMG Power

All VAG / Skoda parts other than routine wear and tear items such as brake pads / clutch / rotors carry a 2 year warranty from the date of the ASS bill. This warranty is valid regardless of the age of the car / mileage the car has covered.

However to encash on the warranty the car must have its annual service only at the ASS and there shouldn't be any unauthorised parts on the car.

Thanks. I had already decided to get some bodywork and the service done at an independent garage. Their first question was if I wanted to take it to VW and try to get warranty replacement. But I think the car is easily two years out of warranty; I didn't want to.