Advice required please!

[majorjonnyd]

Hi,

My 2005 GTi has suddenly developed a massive misfire / stalling problem, and I'm completely at a loss in terms of what to do next.

Here's what happens:

On extended runs (50 miles or more) the car develops a small misfire. At first, it's just a tiny vibration, but gradually gets worse until it's misfiring all over the place and there is a complete lack of power. When you pull in, the engine stalls. It always starts again.

The problem is that it is completely intermittent. I was on holiday in it recently and called the VW assistance out 3 times. The first two times, they hooked it up to the diagnostic machine and told me that there were no faults showing. The final time, I had the best roadside assistance man ever and he took me for an hours test drive in it and thankfully it started doing it again. The diagnostic at the time showed a turbo problem, along with misfires in all four cylinders. He escorted me while the car limped back to the VW garage to be looked at.

The problem now is that VW are telling me that they can't find a problem. It's been in two weeks now, and they tell me they've stripped the engine and can't find a fault. The warranty company won't pay for them to just speculatively look for a problem without the fault being established first.

The car is under extended warranty until next month, but all they keep telling me is that they are investigating the problem. Well, it's been in for two weeks now. It was also in for the same problem about 6 weeks ago for another two weeks.

Has anybody else had a similar problem? Does anyone have any ideas how I can get the garage to fix it?

I can't complain to VW, because as far as they're concerned, the car is perfectly OK.

Any help would be massively appreciated.
Jonny

[Teutonic_Tamer]

Johnny, welcome to the forum. 

Has any of the warning lights on the dash come on?

Has any of the garages or VW assist plugged in their computers to read the fault codes?

Does it feel as though it is a misfire due to a lack of ignition, or due to fuel starvation, or due to something else - or are you unable to determine?

It sounds as though it could be a fuel starvation issue.  How many miles has the car done, and what kind of service history does the car have?  If you are over 40k miles, I would consider getting the fuel filter changed - a very easy job for the dealer (or any garage), about 10 minutes total.  Also check the air filter element - they have a service life of 6years/60k miles - but this is way too long.


Your car clearly isn't correct, and I would personally threaten to get Trading Standards involved.  Of course, some problems can be very hard to find - but for them to simply wash their hands of it because they 'can't find anything wrong' is blatantly wrong.

HTH

[majorjonnyd]

Hi HTH,

Thanks for the reply.

That's the frustrating thing - no warning lights have come on, and so far only once have any fault codes come up on the diagnostic. This was during one of my numberous calls to VW Assistance. These were misfires in all four cyclinders and a turbo problem. The engineer said that these were just "symptoms" of a further problem. The garage haven't yet been able to find anything wrong with it.

It's only done 20k miles and has a full VW service history.

It feels to me (and I speak with no expertise whatsoever) more of a fuel supply issue.

However, the car seems fine when you first start driving it. It's only on these long runs that the problem starts happening, and it get's gradually worse the longer you drive it.

Any other thoughts gratefully accepted....

[jaydubveedub]

Hi HTH,

  HTH = Hope that helps.

I am amazed that the dealer didn't try changing cheap stuff like the fuel filter before 'stripping the engine'.

When VW Assistance came out did they give you some paperwork to confirm they experienced the fault? If so then you need to wave this under the dealer's nose and tell them that you don't want the car back until it's fixed. It is not beyond them to do an extended test drive.

[majorjonnyd]

Haha - sorry mate. I'm not familiar with the lingo.

Yes, the third roadside man who witnessed the problem gave me paperwork with the fault codes (which he thought were symptomatic of a further problem) and I left them at the garage when I dropped it off.

They've done extended road tests, but obviously haven't gone far enough. The problem only seems to start after about 80 miles or so.

J

[Teutonic_Tamer]

Johnny, ask for the fault sheet from VW assistance, and post the fault codes here.

HTH Sean 

[majorjonnyd]

Hi Sean,

OK, I've found an RAC report from the first time it happened about a month ago. I think my girlfriend might have filed the more recent one. I'll look later.

However, the problem was the same then, and it came up with 3 fault codes. i.e. 00256, 04248 and 12691.

Does this shed any light on things?

I'll post the others later.

Thanks,
Jonny

[Teutonic_Tamer]

Hi Sean,

OK, I've found an RAC report from the first time it happened about a month ago. I think my girlfriend might have filed the more recent one. I'll look later.

However, the problem was the same then, and it came up with 3 fault codes. i.e. 00256, 04248 and 12691.

Does this shed any light on things?

I'll post the others later.

Thanks,
Jonny

Right, I've only managed to find one code, but it would seem to fit your symptoms - 12691 relates to the intake manifold tumble flaps - http://www.golfmkv.com/forums/showpost.php?p=446407&postcount=2 - there is another thread about this very issue.

I'll try tomorrow to look for the other codes.

[Jammin]

I'm currently having issues with my GTi over here: http://www.golfgtiforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=124716.0, although mine is not as serious as yours. However, come to think of it, I too find that my problems manifest themselves more prominently towards the end of an extended drive (50 miles +) and it's been suggested that I should be looking suspiciously at the tumble flap motor. Just a thought.

[majorjonnyd]

The latest twist to this saga.........

Still no news from the garage. They refuse to allow one of their technicians to take it on a 100 mile drive to get the fault to recur, but are testing it daily and taking it on extended tests overnight. Hmmmmm.

They told me that the VW Warranty company have refused to pay for any further work until the fault is discovered again, so I've agreed to take it out of the garage and wait for the fault to occur again, at which point it will go back.

HOWEVER - and this is brilliant......

The first time it went in, the garage told me that VW Warranty had agreed to pay for the engine to be stripped to try to find the fault. Apparently they stripped it, but found nothing. Since then, the garage tell me that they've been asking the warranty company to sanction further investigation, but now they refuse.

The brilliant thing is that I've just phoned VW Warranty direct, and no claim has ever been made on the vehicle. Apparently VW (Alan Day City branch if you're interested) haven't even phoned in about the car. So they've been lying all along. Utterly, completely outrageous. It's probably just been sitting there in the workshop all this time (1 month, on and off).

I'm completely amazed at their incompetence / dishonesty. I'm trying to work out what to do next. I'm even thinking of getting trading standards involved.

As always, any comments welcomed.....