Help me diagnose this check engine light error.

[brad]

OK guys need some advice ASAP if possible.

Just had it looked at by Peter Warren Skoda at Warwick Farm and they have quoted me $1172 to fix the intake manifold fault (apparently the $170ish inspection fee comes off this if I go ahead). When I asked about good will warranty I was quickly cut down as it is "way" out of warranty.

What are my options here?

It's not Peter Warren's call if it's a goodwill job or not. That's up to Skoda Australia. Time to start documenting & getting all the ducks in a row. You have statutory warranty rights under ACCC laws. That is "An item should last for a period of time as expected by a reasonable person".

1) Ask Peter Warren if they will make a goodwill submission to Skoda on your behalf. The warranty period is irrelevant.
2) If PW refuse then contact Skoda Customer Service direct. Ask them to create a case file.
Mention that this is a known issue. I think it's TSB 2019394/1 or possibly TSB #TB-01-11-25 but don't quote me as there appear to be dozens of TSBs on the Inlet Manifold Runner Control Motor & Position Sensor.
Ask them why this is covered under a 120,000MILE warranty in North America & not in Australia.

It will take a week or two to sort out so go & pick up your car & take it to the snow. No damage to your vehicle will result. If VW don't come to the party you can shop around for a good independant to do the job.

I had similar issues with an N75 Valve. I was a week out of warranty & the dealership flat-out refused to go into bat for me because I wasn't a regular customer. Direct dealing with Skoda Customer Service sorted it out.

Is this something I could get repaired significantly cheaper by getting the work done away from the dealership?

It depends. Certainly the part is cheaper from OS than direct from VW. Supply your own part & warranty is out the window though, so you have to weigh up if it's worth it.

When my independant guy does stuff like this, his qualified tech works on it, not the apprentice, so even if the $$$ are the same I think the independant does a better job.

Have to get back to them with an answer within a couple of hours so any advice is appreciated.

Tell them to leave it & as you wish to take it up with Skoda Customer Service

P.S During my reading I read something about the ECU may be flashed during the repair process. Am I going to need to obtain a new stage 1 tune off bluefin before I reflash it or is that irrelevant?

Just plug your Bluefin controller back in & reload the Bluefin map.

[drc13]

Time to start documenting & getting all the ducks in a row. You have statutory warranty rights under ACCC laws. That is "An item should last for a period of time as expected by a reasonable person".

Hi Brad,

Thank you so much for the very detailed answer I think I'm going to go down this route!

Interestingly enough I just got off the phone with my father who has just been at VW with a Golf TDI with 75,000km on the clock and guess what it has an engine light which points towards the intake manifold!

Ok so just to make sure I'm getting the process correct.

I will head back to PW and pickup my car (paying the $176 inspection fee) while there I ask them to lodge a case for warranty coverage with Skoda Australia before proceeding with any further repairs. If they refuse I will have to contact Skoda directly and decide how to proceed from there?

Thanks again

[brad]

Yes, as above.

It's not warranty, it's goodwill. One implies an admission of failure & liability, the other a gesture in order to cement a fine and ongoing business relationship

[vEnOm_oz]

I'm surprised how each state set their own law pertaining to safety checks. As far as I'm aware there is no such check in Victoria unless the car is being sold or re-registered or been issued with a notice of unroadworthiness. I personally think it is a good idea to have a mandatory safety check on cars after a certain age.

Oh didn't realised you had the DPF cut out. That's quite a big no no, surprised you found someone dodgy enough to do it. How does it pass the NSW rego inspections each year?

[woofy]

Do exactly what Brad said, especially if you have had the car serviced there the whole time. We had a $500 ($100job in the UK) covered at 5 yrs old for the diverted valve as it was a known issue with heaps of TBs. you are barely out of warranty so what a crap dealer to fob it off so fast.

Also on that note Brad said it's about time we got the same DSG warranties etc the rest of the world get.

[brad]

We had a $500 ($100job in the UK) covered at 5 yrs old for the diverted valve as it was a known issue with heaps of TBs. .

How on earth can they charge that? I changed my DV the other week. Aftermarket part was $120. 3x 5.5mm allen bolts. No panels need to come off. Relatively easy access from underneath. 45minutes labour for the most inept mech in the world.

[woofy]

Sorry it was the PCV not the DV. Either way when people in the UK see the symptoms I saw they just go buy the genuine ones cheap from SKoda and change them themselves. I laughed when they said it would be $500 which is why I got Skoda to pay. I think in the end they still conned $50 out my wife though they didn't mention until she got it done for "labour" as Skoda just covered the basics.

The dealer here used to be quite reasonable for things but has been bumping up the cost of everything. When we were saying how are they surviving I think the answer is via the high servicing, and with fixed service costs even that golden nugget will go.