[V-16]

I have a 2006 Skoda Laura L&K. Got it pre-owned when it had clocked 40k kms and was really a very clean car. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the Laura came with the usual bells and whistles which could put many of its imported premium brethren to shame. It was an absolute dream to drive.

It has now done some 70K-odd, kms without any trouble.....till now. Of recent i found that the car looses power and shifts late and erratically. It also refuses to go above 90-100kmph. Got it checked from Skoda and was told its a mechatronic failure. Im told it costs upwards of a Lakh to procure from the company.

I have certain questions which the company could not answer me, hence i turn to the forum.

1) Can the mechatronics be fixed/repairs (i believe not but theres no harm in asking)

2) Is it available somewhere? If so, where and for how much?

3) Are all mechatronic boxes same for all DSG Lauras or are they transmission specific. In that case< will i have to give the transmission number or the Chasis number/Engine number will suffice?

4) If in point number four, the answer is that all mechatronics in the particular model of the Laura are the same, then Im sure there are breakers in UK/Prague where i can lay my hands on a cost effective option. Does any one have clues on where to source this thing from.

Id be much obliged as now the car is just parked at my place and is not being driven. Need feedback asap please.

Thanks!!

[Akshay1234]

Sir please post this query on briskoda.net. They will certainly be able to help you since its a forum dedicated to Skodas.

From what ive heard. The mechatronic unit is not repairable.

[Randhawa]

If I was in your shows then I would get a second opinion from someone who can plug into the system and has knowledge about it too.

I have heard in the past with auto gearbox acting up simply because of dirty gearbox oil although its supposed to be sealed for life without any need to change the oil.

I agree with Akshay, briskoda.net is among few where you can get sound technical advice.

In UK, you can get reconditioned auto ECU but not sure if they have the mechatronic's ecu as well.

From vin no you can trace the part no along with the version of the ECU used. Thats all you need.


You can try this http://www.carpartseuro.com:80/

Although not sure by what name Laura was sold in UK.

[V-16]

Thhanks Akshay. I could not find anything on the Briskoda forum. I registered but an unable to start a topic as of now and the topics re the mechatronics all speak about the same behaviour in their cars. Still all of them speak about getting it from the dealers.

Thanks Randhawa. The Laura is only named as such in India. It was the new Octavia elsewhere. I think the Octavia II but im not sure.

[techn0l0gist]

Originally Posted by V-16

1) Can the mechatronics be fixed/repairs (i believe not but theres no harm in asking)

If you can find a person who is good with electronics and has the right tools(people who fix industrial control systems, laptops and computer motherboards might have/know someone) - he might just be able to fix the problem with a some amount of time. It would take quite a bit of enthusiasm and lots of patience though to trouble shoot and repair the problem and also you'd have to help him figure out how the mechanicals work with the electronics.

[flipsyde]

Isn't the mechatronics failure a commonly reported problem on Skodas? I am asking this so that maybe you can talk to your A S S about footing half the cost based on good will gesture.

[Ravindra M]

Dear V-16,

Mechatronic is a very generic term. It would be better to know which component has failed ? DSG ECU ? Any sensor ? What is the Error Code ( called as P-code ) read by the VAG Diagnostic Tester ? Please insist to get this data.

I won't believe it is Rs 1 Lakh problem -Most likely the root cause will be improper electrical connection - loose connector or wires bitten by rats. Please have a thorough visual inspection first - from top as well as by lifting the car on lifts.

I know the VW in Bangalore replacing a turbocharger of Touareg for Rs 3 Lakh at owner's cost for a simple issue of cut cable.

Please don't give up. Please PM me your contact number in case you feel discussing with me.

[CRDIsamir]

Is the problem with gearbox only ?

The problem could also be due to engine not developing enough power especially due to pump and injector failure. Is your Laura PD or CRDI ?
Please consult an Bosch Authorized dealer for his opinion on FIE.
Keep posted on the developments.

Samir

[Randhawa]

@v-16- I asked my mechanic who is a skoda expert, according to him it's a oil problem or gearbox itself and nothing to do with ecu. Although ecu is available for Rs 35k+cost of cooding. On skodas there is only one ecu unlike bmws or mercs where there are two ecus.

Just get the oil changed first and then see it later.

[anandpadhye]

I read on t-bhp that JMD is a good dealer (i.e. honest).
Did you take the car to them and get their opinion? And what are the error codes from the scan? Did someone really try to diagnose so far?

Please keep us posted.

[getanilkhanna]

Dear V16 ..seems to me u have developed a problem with what is called a valve body here in our country...oil change will not help as the damage has been done already, the reason is that since the oil was not changed at 30K and again at 60K the oil has developed sludge which has accumulated on the valve body shorting 1 or more of the solenoids.....if you are in delhi I can put you to an expert who fixed mine, the advantage is that he has a couple of scrapped cars available and could replace the valve body and re program the ECU using a VAG analyser however as our friend quoted its going to cost you approximately 1 lakh which includes the overhauling of the entire transmission and labour. Time will be between 1 month to 2 as this guy is patient and does not bow to stress.

[scooby05]

I am Sure with all His Knowledge, V16 would hae done the oil/filter flush and change. Yes the 'valve body' could be choked and needs to be cleaned. Is ultrasonic or solvent cleaning possible on the valve bodies?

[V-16]

Right Scooby, I have changed all oil, filters etc and the car was sent to Poona at Asset motors through Karl. They diagnosed it as a mechatronic failure. Also it is not an openable unit. It may be the ecu o fthe gearbox but im not sure if they are the same thing, though i believe it is. One has to open the housing on the side of the gearbox (the black housing) and this unit is fixed in it, via two or three nuts.

[androdev]

V-16,

Sorry to hear that the car is acting up.

I would strongly recommend that you get hold of your diagnostic scan report. You just google for the fault codes reported in the diagnostic scan and you will find lot of information relevant to this issue. The expertise in India on these cars is not that good - dealers are too quick to suggest replacing parts because they don't time and expertise to diagnose correctly.

If googling with fault codes doesn't give anything useful, you can post your problem along with the scan code on vwvortex.com - which offers official tech support from ROSS TECH that makes the non-OEM diagnostic software for VW group cars.

Hope you get the car back in shape without spending much.

BTW, the scan report for DSG should read something like this:

Address 02: Auto Trans Labels: 02E-300-0xx.lbl
Control Module Part Number: 02E 300 041 H HW: 02E 927 770 L
Component and/or Version: GSG DSG 0617
Software Coding: 0000020
Work Shop Code: WSC 44551 111 44551
2 Faults Found:
18148 - Clutch Temperature Monitoring
P1740 - 012 - Electrical Fault in Circuit - Intermittent
17100 - Transmission Input Speed Sensor (G182): Implausible Signal
P0716 - 000 - - - Intermittent

[rg_chn]

V-16, I'm considering buying a used Laura when I come down to India for a few months, preferably the DSG. Were you able to fix the mechatronic or did you have to replace it? And what were the costs like?

Btw, do you mind telling me how much you paid for your car and how old it was when you bought it?