59 plate 2.0 TDI 170 bhp problem Help please!

[Hillc1988]

Recently purchased this car privately, stupid mistake i think it may have been as within 4 hours it had broken down.

Travelling about 80 mph on motorway, i bought this car knowing it needed a service straight away which was booked the next day.

Car got up to about 80 mph, started to judder then from what i remember and this could be in a different order, started to judder, rev counter went up which stunk of clutch and then warning lights started appearing on dash. Main fault that came up was Fault:esp. But im pretty sure oil, abs, traction control, battery lights all came on aswell. The voice activation started calling random people aswell.

This is where i cant remember, i dont know if the car shut down or i actually used the clutch to change down and pull over. All happened in about 15 seconds. Pulled over, car wouldnt start again.

This happened 3 days ago and the costs are already mounting up. I towed it to F1 autocentre when it first happened as was due to have service there and i thought orginally it was the clutch due to the smell. Turns out they wouldnt touch it. Towed it to mr clutch who firstly put a new battery in £156, but said because it woudnt turn over they wouldnt put a clutch in it which was probably the right move.
Towed the car to a vw diagnostic bloke who hooked it up. He did a relative compression test which showed cylinder compression was bad. Cylinder 1 was normal, 2,3,4 were not providing any if not a lot.

Ive spoken to a lot of mechanics who all are saying the same thing, theyve never seen 3 cylinders fail like this and believe these diesel engines are very reliable. Its currently with a mechanic who works with german cars a lot, waiting to hear some news but its just so frustrating as this has happened within a day of buying it. The private seller is helping as much as possible but until i know whats wrong with it its hard to know where i stand. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Also im aware of the problem with some of the 1.4 engines, i didnt think this extended to the diesel ranges aswell though?

[whiteDevil_170]

Hi and welcome.
thats extremely unfortunate luck there mate.
1st i have heard on here with problems on the diesels. Hope u manage to get it sorted soon mate.

[matt_j_smith]

£156 for a bloody battery. what a joke.

Take it straight to VW mate. Why mess about with people who don't work on these cars every day. It will be a false economy by the time you have been through a few garages who just sit there, scratch their heads, and hand you a large bill. I am gutted this has happened to you pal, this is the kinda shite luck that I get. Hope you get it sorted asap.

[Hillc1988]

The lads I've stuck it in with do boast to be specialists with the group so I'm trusting that.
Should find out some news tomorrow. It's unreal
The luck I have had with this car, guessing I won't regret it afterwards unless it turns our for worse.

Lot of news on recalls and such and I think I've seen every site that gives out Info on them, can't find our specifically if it relates to my car. The old owner said be never received anything.

[Gaz r]

Even a private sale is covered by the sale of goods act. If it's not of merchantable quality you're entitled to your money back. Get some advice. If they refuse, I think it's small claims court.

[Hillc1988]

Even a private sale is covered by the sale of goods act. If it's not of merchantable quality you're entitled to your money back. Get some advice. If they refuse, I think it's small claims court.

I don't know if that would apply here though. To this guys knowledge and I do actually believe him is that the car was fine. Everything has been serviced and maintained by the book and until I find the problem I can't really do anything. If it is a problem with the engine who would be liable? I can't see a court ruling in my favour as I'm
Sure private sellers are protected as it's pretty much bought as seen. Dealers are liable though and that's where this annoys me. I'd rather vw sort it.
I may drop into citizens advice tomorrow. I do kind of need an idea of what's wrong with the car though before I do. Any other suggestions?

[Hillc1988]

You will not have these rights if:

there is nothing wrong with the goods – you have just changed your mind about wanting them
you examined the goods, or a sample of the goods, when you were buying them, and the fault you want to complain about was so obvious that you should have noticed it
the trader pointed out the defect that you now want to complain about
you have damaged the goods yourself
the problem is the result of normal wear and tear
the goods have lasted for as long as could reasonably be expected.

[Gaz r]

Just looked at the citizens advice website and your rights are different from a private sale. I suppose once you know what's wrong with it, depending how much you will be out of pocket, you could ask the seller for a contribution to the repair! Good luck buddy.

[Hillc1988]

Just looked at the citizens advice website and your rights are different from a private sale. I suppose once you know what's wrong with it, depending how much you will be out of pocket, you could ask the seller for a contribution to the repair! Good luck buddy.

Yeah, sadly if it was from a dealer id already be getting it fixed as i wouldve revolted outside their dealership. Even if i thought this guy has stitched me up which i dont, my rights are more or less zilch.

Have you ever heard of 3 cylinders failing on this kind of engine. 4 different mechanics ive spoken to havent, very rare for tdi engines but they also cant pinpoint what else it could be.

[Hillc1988]

http://www.bestbikingroads.com/external ... DI-SSP.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Interesting read on the engine. I think it could be a number of things. From as little as a faulty sensor, blockage or a banged up cylinder. Has anyone ever heard of these diesel engines failing? It needed a service, which would mean glow plugs, If i rememeber right, the roadside assistance bloke pointed out that they were buggered but then its kind of being overlooked.
Anyone care to shed any light on this? Just trying to understand how these engines work and what it could possibly be.

[Cuprabob]

Glow plugs are not changed as part.of a routine service and have no bearing on how the engine runs. They are used to heat the fuel/air mixture to aid cold starting. In a diesel, the fuel air mixture ignites on compression and doesn't need a spark like a petrol engine.

From your description of the issue, I doubt it's anything to do with the car needing a service.

[Hillc1988]

Thought that was the case. Just got to wait for the phonecall of doom to tell me that the car I bought and used for less than 4 hours now needs a new engine. Not bad for £9000

[xjay1337]

£156 for a bloody battery. what a joke.

Take it straight to VW mate. Why mess about with people who don't work on these cars every day. It will be a false economy by the time you have been through a few garages who just sit there, scratch their heads, and hand you a large bill. I am gutted this has happened to you pal, this is the kinda shite luck that I get. Hope you get it sorted asap.

Why take it straight to VW?
VW are just as clueless, if not more clueless, than a decent independent dealer.

Unfortunately sometimes you get a banger when you buy, it could have been a completely random failure of something like a valve or conrod or something and not related to how the car's been serviced or used or likewise something like a sensor or fuel system issue. Glow plugs are only used when the coolant temperature is less than 5 degrees and are completely unrelated to the way the engine runs once started.

Could be anything.

[matt_j_smith]

I personally think you get, and personally have got a far higher, quicker and more efficient standard of care from VW. I could take it to a 'specialist'... or I could just take it straight back to the manufacturer.

It's down to experiences and of course all garages are different, but on 99% of the issues on my car I can think of, VW would have it back. I would take it back to them, because I know I wouldn't get it back without being fixed.

[xjay1337]

I personally think you get, and personally have got a far higher, quicker and more efficient standard of care from VW. I could take it to a 'specialist'... or I could just take it straight back to the manufacturer.

It's down to experiences and of course all garages are different, but on 99% of the issues on my car I can think of, VW would have it back. I would take it back to them, because I know I wouldn't get it back without being fixed.

Lol.

Fair enough bud. Your opinion

[Cuprabob]

There are good dealers and bad dealers, just as there are good and bad indies. What's important is you take your car to someone you trust and hipefully build a rapport with over time.

[Hillc1988]

Ive found out the damage.

Basically this problem was present before i bought the car, couldnt of possibly of happened in the 15 miles i drove it for.

The dpf needs replacing, turbo, and and a new engine. The vw specialist i have it with does play everything by the book mind, and i dont really have the 7k he has quoted. Getting it towed for a second opinion to a guy the orginal owner knows. Hopefully this willl sway him into putting some money into it as it was totally unfit for sale regardless of whether he knew or not.

Photos are too large or id upload them. Anyone know any reputable engine remanufacturers/reconditioners.

[xjay1337]

Ive found out the damage.

Basically this problem was present before i bought the car, couldnt of possibly of happened in the 15 miles i drove it for.

The dpf needs replacing, turbo, and and a new engine. The vw specialist i have it with does play everything by the book mind, and i dont really have the 7k he has quoted. Getting it towed for a second opinion to a guy the orginal owner knows. Hopefully this willl sway him into putting some money into it as it was totally unfit for sale regardless of whether he knew or not.

Photos are too large or id upload them. Anyone know any reputable engine remanufacturers/reconditioners.

Can you actually explain what the problem is?
To require a new turbo, DPF AND engine is quite a big thing..............

[matt_j_smith]

very big - unless the engine has failed and knocked the turbo out on its way.

I'm not too clued up on dpf's but this all sounds bloody unfortunate chap. sorry to hear it.

[Rob]

I'd be tempted to get your money back off him and look elsewhere