Major Engine Issues

**TKM** · 05-12-2013,10:20 PM

Hello All!

Had my car for about 6 months, in that time I have spent an absolute fortune on it (around £2000 to be exact.. which on a car that cost £4000 seems huge!).

I had it booked in to get the lower arm, CV boot and rear anti-rollbar link changed as it had those issues. 2 days before it went in the front drivers side light went out (the whole mechanism), the engine decided to start not playing ball on starting up (taking ages to start) and the engine struggled and juddered above 2500/3000rpm under load of acceleration. (making a 200 miles journey home on motorways with lots of weight, LOADDDS of fun.)

The car went in and for the sum of £800, the garage apparently fixed everything, including doing a full service (they changed the spark plugs too - mine is the engine which you have to disassemble the top of the engine to change them apparently - which is why it cost so much money - however it hadn't had them changed so with the cold weather coming I felt it best to get this done). It came back but suddenly the engine management light started coming up saying 'emissions' - last time this happened the EGR valve was loose. The engine still struggled but less so - it got worse so I took it back. They reset the light and it went away.. but then it came back.

It was nothing major, something I could live with. However, earlier today my engine took a major turn for the worse. It developed a major major misfire, no power.. but no warning lights either.. bar the already illuminated engine check emissions light (odd). It was very lumpy, the engine was shaking around the enginebay like mad.. it sounded like it was misfiring heavily.. and it sounded like the pistons were knocking too. I rung my old next door neighbor who's a mechanic and asked for him to have a look - he couldn't sus out exactly what it was - however when he took the oil cap off while the engine was running, oil spat out out everywhere with steam following it. The car is also horrifically gassy, I'm getting about 15mpg, and it's eaten all of its oil.

Any idea what this could be?

The car has 210,000, but a full service history - only had faults since using this garage. It's done 800 miles since the service.. surely this is something they could've spotted?

Darn VAGS!

**Guest 2** · 05-12-2013,10:22 PM

Give us a hint, which engine is it including engine code?

**TKM** · 05-12-2013,10:26 PM

Hello!

Sorry for the lack of actual car information ha.

It's a 2006 Passat Sport Estate 2.0 TDi 140 (not sure of the engine code as I know there were loads of different 2.0s).

**Guest 2** · 05-12-2013,10:28 PM

Engine code will be on the data sticker in the spare wheel well.

You say they changed the spark plugs, diesels don't have spark plugs?

**TKM** · 05-12-2013,10:32 PM

Sorry, meant glowplugs - ha.

The car is currently at my mums, couldn't drive it any further as I don't think it would've made it! I couldn't find out any other information till the morning - the AA are also doing a homestart assessment and taking it back to the garage.

**fat controller** · 05-12-2013,11:19 PM

Bet a pound to a penny its got a BKP engine in it. Personally, I wouldn't faff about with it any more, and get it looked at either by a VW dealer or a good VAG indy.

**martin1810** · 08-12-2013,11:00 AM

The car needs a proper fault code read and you need to check with the garage. What glow plugs did they fit. You can only use NGK or VW. No others.

**TKM** · 12-12-2013,03:29 PM

Update:

The car does have NGK's in it, however apparently it was a faulty glowplug which lead to the catastrophic misfire (on more than 1 cylinder), white smoke out of the exhaust, the engine darting around the engine bay like nothing else etc.. doesn't make sense.. but anyway.

The car is now getting rubbish MPG (since coming back anyway), 35mpg city driving when it use to be 45mpg, and now the 50mpg motorway driving is going to be 40 or less! I'm worried something more serious has happened..? I'm buying a cable to read my fault codes, however it's now not creating any.

Although it struggles to start (I'll attach a video soon of it being good and starting, but you can tell it's still not happy) it isn't creating any faultcodes to my knowledge.. maybe the garage have hidden them!

**TKM** · 12-12-2013,03:44 PM

Update: Videos

Video 1 (the car struggles the start, only been like this since it's got really cold but apparently it's down the wiring loom to the injectors - if I can prove it is, VW will fix it for free!)

Video 2 (the engine is a lot noisier than when it first went in, I've taken the cover off so all can be seen. It's got the right amount of oil, water etc.. not sure why it's got noisier. Almost sounds like tappets/cam noise.)

Still don't know what's going on with the rubbish MPG though..

**martin1810** · 12-12-2013,05:34 PM

When was the cam belt looked at/changed. It almost sounds like the cambelt has slipped a tooth and put the timing out. Can you list exactly what the garage have done to the car. I would expect to find fault codes. Most garages don't have equipment or knowledge to hide fault codes, so that shouldn't be a problem unless previous owner had codes switched off.