EPC light, flashing engine light, no power, stuttering

[sitruz]

Hiya,

My stock Ibiza Cupra (2011) gave me a scare at the weekend. On the M1 in Sport mode and the gears didn't shift instead it almost revved into the red. I lost power, the EPC light and flashing engine light came on, and it limped home with some very excessive stuttering.

I managed to get it to my local garage to read the error code but it came up as Unknown Error/Fault. I was advised to take it to a dealer or a SEAT specialist.

I had booked in, but tonight came to shift the car around so my partner could park on the drive and I could barely get enough power to reverse off the drive (it's only a slight incline). Its also stuttering worse than before, barely any power at all (20 Mph max I think), and was very clunky/grinding between gears.

I've recently had to replace the water pump and 3 of the 4 coils. I lost power when each of the coils went, but the fault codes were read fine when that happened, also I don't remember the EPC light coming on for that???

Any thoughts on what that could be?

Cheers

 

[sitruz]

I've been told there is no compression in one of the cylinder's. I really just want to get rid now. They haven't taken off the head (I am not mechanical, but I've heard that buzz phrase used), and have just suggested to save money and buy a new engine which is not an option for me. I can't afford the £5000+ they've quoted.

What would be the best option here? To be clear I want to sell the car so I'm looking for the best solution to minimise my losses.

Should I pay to have it stripped first? Obviously depending on the problem, but judging by the history of these cars, could it be fixed / reconditioned for less than the cost of a new engine just to get it back to a position of being able to sell it in good conscience?

Is a second hand engine an advisable option? Where would be a good place to start for this option? Are there reputable companies that deal in second hand engines?

 

[RUM4MO]

I'm sure that someone with experience of that problem with these engines will eventually post something up in this thread, personally I know nothing about that engine - but from forum postings if it is the 1.4 twin charger code CAVE then it is, generally speaking, to be expected! (basic VW design issues, some survive many do not)

Where are you located, posting that up might help someone suggest where/what to do to minimum costs.

If it is the CAVE engine, also post up any repair/upgrade work that has been worked out on that engine already by SEAT dealer(s).

 

[sitruz]

I'm in the Nottingham / Derby area. It is the CAVE engine I'm told, and to my knowledge no work has been done on the engine over and above replacing the coils and spark plugs.

I have had people tell me that 5 years is not acceptable under law for an engine to go kaput, but I also have read the stories about SEAT not being the slightest bit bothered.

I'm told any chance of a goodwill gesture, would at the very least be the result of stripping the engine at a dealer.

I've looked at second hand engines on ebay and they are between £1000-£2000 difference, but I don't know if they are gonna have any problems with them.

I'm at a loss really. All I want is to get rid saving myself as much money as possible.

 

[Chiggers]

Doesn't sound good; just out of interest how many miles has it done? Does it get regular runs and get some decent speeds in? I had a Kia off my dad - he had hardly driven it and rarely above 30mph. In the outside lane of the M66 it started the same symptoms as you and then failed - totally. I was lucky to be able to roll across to the hard shoulder. Turns out my higher mileage and running speeds had dislodged the carbon buildup in the cylinders caused by dad's driving style; engine was a complete write-off and it cost £300 just to get home on the back of a recovery truck. Had a new one in (cost about £1k about 10 years ago) and then totalled the whole car into a field a couple of months later.

 

[sitruz]

Its done about 44K and is driven regularly. I do about 60 miles a day, most of that on the M1.

I've called SEAT and they have said they'll raise a case, and escalate it with the provision of dealer diagnosis date. My local dealer quoted £700 to strip the engine and diagnose.

So now I'm thinking do I just go with a new engine (£5,000+) at a local specialist garage, or take it to a dealer and pay the £700 to diagnose it on the off chance that SEAT might offer part payment towards a new engine.