Worrying Power / DSG problem

robertb24

Full Member
Mar 17, 2004
90
2
North West
I have had this issue once before and it happened to my wife today.
Driving my 2.0TDi DSG in 'D' mode doing about 50 mph and you put your foot down to accelerate. Not hard on the pedal but enough to make it accelerate without changing gear.
When you do it, nothing happens, so you put your foot down harder, nothing happens even if you put the box into manual and trying shifting down to 5th.
Basically you can't accelerate and the only thing you can do is stop, switch of engine, give it a minute and then start up and all seems fine.
Nothing is displayed on dash and nothing logged when checking with a VAS diagnostic tool.

Any ideas where to start looking for problem?
 
Dec 5, 2007
888
0
N W Leeds
Mine has done this once. It basically had no power so would not top 65 on the motorway and only did that by stirring the gears in manual mode. It would rev up to 5k but didn't have any power. It happened when I turned the cruise off at 80. As with you, it reset with ignition off.
Haven't checked with vagcom yet.
Suspect its a limp mode but what caused it?
Possible overboost on overrun? Sticky turbo vanes stuck open?
Basic ecu fault/glitch?
 

slippers

Guest
yes mines done this a few times. its a 2.0TDI DSG 54reg with about 55'000miles

it can often happen when overtaking i.e getting ya foot down
if i keep the power on the car keeps pulling and doesnt cut out
but when i lift my foot off the gas the car goes into limp mode. I suspect the vanes are sticky and are stuck in an agressive pitch when you lift off the gas, still flowing too much air when you lift off the pedal. could this be right ?

i spoke to the dealer who muttered something about the particulate filter causing this. i dont think so as the particulate filter would through up a light on the dash.

i bought my car about 2 month ago with a 12 month 3rd party warranty. spoke to the warranty company today and they have give me authorisation to take it to a seat dealer for them to diagnose. diagnostic fees will be covered.
its booked in next week so i'll report back with what they say
 
Dec 5, 2007
888
0
N W Leeds
Please do. If I can find time I will hook up vag com to mine.
Sticky valves are the suspect. Or a glitch in the ecu mapping.
Its unlikely your model has a DPF.....
 

slippers

Guest
will the ECU store the limp mode fault codes ?
the SEAT dealer will no doubt just connect VAGCOM and scan for error codes. if they drive the car it will probably be fine. it can go for weeks without happening
i suspect its going to be a tricky one to prove this
 
Dec 5, 2007
888
0
N W Leeds
There will be fault codes stored. Whatever caused the ecu to limp mode should show up. Of course it may not immediatly point to the problem but it can be a start point.
eg my alfa showed a throttle potentiometr problem - was just the connector coming loose - but a dealer who couldn't be bothered would replace the potentiometer 9and charge big money!)
keep us up to date.
 

slippers

Guest
just an update
car went into seat main dealer today for diagnostics checks relating to the limp mode.
they phoned a few hours later to confirm that the turbo is faulty and overboosting as thought. seat policy is not to clean or service 'sticky vanes' as the problem can re-occur
their policy is to replace the turbo at a cost of approx £1000 parts & labour

contacted 3rd party warranty firm. any claim over £500 has to be inspected by their technican. the car is to remain at the seat main dealer till the warranty people come out to check it before authorising the claim. it could take a day or 2 for this inspection to take place.

it is also worth noting that my car suffers from the 'owl' type noise as discussed previously (i can't post links!!) when i first bought it. when cold the noise is much worse and the turbo is quite rough on spool down. when the car warms up the noise seems to settle down
 
Dec 5, 2007
888
0
N W Leeds
be interesting to see old turbo when its off, if vanes are truly sooted up. Suspect VAG garages are taking the easy option these days. sure it will soot up again - but so will a new one!
 

slippers

Guest
well the chap from the warranty firm came out on friday to the dealership to inspect the car, he also requested to see all the service history which was duly handed over and photocopied. nothing much else was said other than a decision would be made this week.

the warranty small print does not exlude turbo chargers. however it does state that items will not be replaced due to fair wear and tear. I can only think the warranty firm have gone away to see if they can wriggle out of this by claiming that the turbo has failed due to fair wear and tear and / or has exceeded its normal working lifespan.

i've no idea how long a turbo should last but a would have thought 5 year and 55'000 mile shouldnt be a problem on a car with full main dealer service history every 10'000 mile.

anyway, that's where we're at and i'll hopefully hear back from them soon. the car is back with us and we're continuing to use it (gently)

:)
 
Dec 5, 2007
888
0
N W Leeds
You and I would like to think that a turbo is not a wear and tear item like brake pads or clutches but I suspect warranty may say it is. And unfortunately with the BKD engine it looks as though some do have a short lifespan.
Perhaps open a new thread on diesel section to get a list of who has and hasn't had to change turbo <50k miles?
 

k5roc

Rob O
Apr 17, 2008
39
0
Worcestershire
www.k5roc.co.uk
I have a 54 2.0 TDI Sport DSG on 66,000 miles and it has started doing this recently.
Should I get rid quickly?
I have had no end of problems recently, the AC Compressor failed (£420), it now needs a new Alternator clutch pulley which is squeaking like mad (£150) and a replacement AC Cooling fan which has failed (£210)

All common faults on this type according to our Aircon repair man. Those are his prices for repairs by the way, I dread to think how much VAG garages would charge
 

slippers

Guest
my turbo had the siren / owl type noise since we bought it, would also go into limp mode about twice a week when booting it to overtake etc
i posted a thread on here soon after buying the car. one day the wife came back from asda with this - link below of my car;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QhK1qMm8ds

this video was just taken on saturday 10th july, car is now unusable.

several people have mentioned innotech Turbo Cleaner which may help you, sounds like a good product,. you may want to look into this, only about £30 odd quid for the kit
http://www.seatcupra.net/forums/showthread.php?t=157275


warranty company backed out when mine slowly give up, but after a lengthly battle they are paying for a recon turbo from TurboCenter at a cost of £464 - includes 2 year warranty. i have to arrange fitting.
turbo will be with me tomorrow.

speaking to a local VW/AUDI/ SEAT specialist they've replaced stacks of these and said these turbos are weak and will only last a couple of year. i'm expecting mine to show bearing failure or foreign object matter when its removed but will post back the results.
The tips of the glow plugs can also become brittle over time and come off thus colliding with the turbo which will damage and push out of balance, this could have happened to mine causing the excess noise you hear. solution to replace glow plugs every few year and keep them in good condition.

i've also read about the air con compressor failing and also the oil pumps which will usually destroy the engine / turbo if engine not shut down quick enough.
i'd probably sleep better owing the older 1.9pd unit.

It has to be said that its only the unhappy people that speak up, theres probably 1000's of happy 2.0tdi owners out there. what i do see is every VAG forum littered with issues relating to the 2.0tdi (pd) lump
 

k5roc

Rob O
Apr 17, 2008
39
0
Worcestershire
www.k5roc.co.uk
that is a scary noise. Mine doesn't make any noises like that, its very quiet. Sounds like my AC Compressor failing has upset things. I'm in two minds now, sell it, or get a warranty immediately
 

slippers

Guest
i would do your homework / research before making any decisions k5roc

these are only my opinions and comments, its just a shame that i've had a such bad experience so soon after buying one. like i said theres probably heaps of happy 2.0tdi owners out there that have been running their cars for years without an issue - you generally dont hear from these people until something goes wrong

i've had quite a few second hand cars over the years and they've all lasted well, maybe it was my turn to buy the lemon :cry:
 

k5roc

Rob O
Apr 17, 2008
39
0
Worcestershire
www.k5roc.co.uk
thanks Slippers

weve had our Altea since 2005 and its been reliable up to now.

Ive been looking at Warranty direct and they do a full warranty for £370 pa, would love to sell the Altea and get a DSG Golf but I doubt we would get one without paying a fortune to change.

I think a warranty might be the way forward for now. Also thanks for the info on the turbo cleaner. that looks like a good idea, will probably try that after I;ve spoken to my mechanic.
 

slippers

Guest
i was speaking to a VW / AUDI specialist today who said the AA aftermarket warranty is best and the least hassle when something goes wrong.
i've had a right battle with mine. wont name them but it wasnt an RAC or AA warranty
 

k5roc

Rob O
Apr 17, 2008
39
0
Worcestershire
www.k5roc.co.uk
I know its been a few years but I thought I would give an update

we've still got our Altea, now with 132,000 and still in great nick.

the turbo "spike" was getting beyond a joke, so i engaged Arden Bridge Services near Redditch to replace the Turbo. They do about 2 VAG turbo swaps a month.

they got me a recon turbo using mine as p/ex and the whole job including an MOT was £600. A lot cheaper than the £2050 quoted by Listers SEAT in Worcester.

the car feels like new again, smooth, fast, although still quite thirsty, but that could be because we have power again and we use it.
 
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