Intermittent Starting Issue (Garage struggling to fix)

[Remag]

Hi guys,

I've got a 2011 Mk6 GTI which I bought from 1 previous owner about 3 weeks ago. I noticed there was an issue starting the car and the starter motor seems to turn 6-8 times before starting SOMETIMES.

It is by no means an exact science, sometimes it starts straight away, sometimes it does the turnover before starting.

Anyway, I've taken it into a Volkswagen service centre several times. First they changed the spark plugs/ignition coils (which I had to pay for), then they changed all 4 fuel injectors (free) and most recently they have changed the High Pressure Fuel pump (free).

So my question to you guys....what else could it possibly be....I figure I should ask here because I'm certain there are some highly experienced people here.

I look forward to hearing from you guys.

Regards,

Will

[RocketRossUK]

your garage working backwards or something. Would they not try the stater motor first?

[Remag]

Well, it also occasionally splutters a bit straight after starting, the RPM will dip, sometimes it will cut out, sometimes it will recover. Again, this is intermittent so It's basically impossible to reproduce, as it doesn't matter whether the engine is warm or cold.

So far I'm thinking it could be a problem with the Battery, maybe the fuel filter or low pressure fuel pump. I'll mention the starter motor to them though. Any other suggestions?

Regards,

Will

[ajmoir36]

Its not white is it? My next door neighbour had one Gloucester area. He had it from new and it did this, it seemed to go away at some point for a year, then came back near the end of the three year warranty period. VW had it for months and months then eventually they paid him off and took the car back as they couldn't fix. Although thinking about it I swear it was a 10 plate.

[Remag]

Its not white is it? My next door neighbour had one Gloucester area. He had it from new and it did this, it seemed to go away at some point for a year, then came back near the end of the three year warranty period. VW had it for months and months then eventually they paid him off and took the car back as they couldn't fix. Although thinking about it I swear it was a 10 plate.

Mine is black. I tried 2 service centres. First one I went to about 3 weeks before the warranty expired and they couldn't "reproduce" the problem and the diagnostics came back fine so they didn't do anything. The second service centre,which was Alan Day, I went to 1 day before the warranty expired and they manually checked it as well as diagnostics and they originally said the spark plugs and ignition coils were worn, so I had to pay for those to be changed as they are considered wear and tear.

I then told them the problem was still there, so they took it back in AFTER the warranty had expired and since then they've changed the 4 fuel injectors and the hpfp free of charge as a gesture of good will, apparently VW warranty wouldn't cover it because it was past the warranty time.

I'm not sure how that actually works though, because I made them aware of the problem BEFORE the warranty expired. What are your thoughts on that? I feel a bit bad that the service centre is having to pay out of their own money.

Regards,

Will

[RedHP]

I've had issues with multiple VW service centre's too.
I suggest taking it into a independent VW/German Car Specialist and see what they find. Trouble with large centres such as VW is that (a) they're always under time/cost pressures (b) their diagnostics tests seem to be concentrated

Red

[Remag]

I've had issues with multiple VW service centre's too.
I suggest taking it into a independent VW/German Car Specialist and see what they find. Trouble with large centres such as VW is that (a) they're always under time/cost pressures (b) their diagnostics tests seem to be concentrated

Red

Yea fair enough. I've got some new parts out of them at least. I've asked them to arrange for VW to deal with it directly now so that will be arranged soon I think.

They've had enough time on it to fix it and they haven't managed to so time for the big guns to have a go.

Cheers

[davidk]

May not be relevant but I had a similar problem with a MK4 V6 4Motion, after a lot of visits to the dealer it turned out to be a crack in the starter motor relay. Never showed up as a fault ended up being traced using the old fashioned circuit diagram and checking everything in the staring circuit(s).

HTH

Dave

[topher]

based on your description it is probably worth changing the coolant temp sensor just to eliminate that as a possibility. It's an inexpensive part and can cause some of the symptoms you describe. It can be very difficult to trace intermittent issues like yours though

[Remag]

A small upate for you. They did another road test whilst running diagnostics and it came back that a fuel pressure sensor linked to the high pressure fuel pump was faulty.

They've replaced that and it SEEMS (not really tested it enough to be sure) to have got rid of the RPM drops/stalling after starting. However the engine is still turning several times before starting.

I'll mention the coolant sensor and the starter motor relay.