Car issue

[choppertastic]

Hi all,

my car is in the mail dealer today for a service and for them to look at an issue when warm starting. Sometimes when the engine is warm it can be difficult to get it started (a bit like when a glow plug is out). They have come back and said its something to do with a cam belt sensor... this to me sounds like total shite and having googled for the issue I have a feeling that it is something to do with the mass air sensor.

My question is (a) is the dealership talking bollox and (b) could it be the air sensor?

Cheers
James

[kylelnsn]

It does sound a little dubious, but I'm no trained expert.

What make and model is it? What fuel type? Any other symptoms?

[choppertastic]

It's a VW Touran 2.0 Diesel.

[astra 8vt]

it could well be the mass air meter or the cts ( coolant temp sensor ) or even the cam sensor but usally with the cam sensors they have a fail safe map so if it packs up it runs in a limp mode but it shouldnt have naff all to do with it starting when its warm i take it its ok when cold ??

i would say its one of the 1st 2 i said main dealers are compleat c$%&s for things like this

but you were prob right with the mass air sensor as they have a temp sensor in them so if that goes tits up it will give the wrong reading so there for it wont start when warm

[choppertastic]

I feel that all the dealers want to do is rip you off. They were a keen as mustard to try and replace the worn (3mm remaining) tyres and charge for a brake fluid change (which they also said was included in their service plan which I had in writing)

[kylelnsn]

As said before, if you unplug the cam sensor of the mass air sensor the car would revert to the limp mode ecu map. As previously said start with the first two and see. Also if they are unsure i always start at the cheapest.

[astra 8vt]

they do and will do :) used to work for a dealer ( not saying what one ) just for an instance cam belt on a car autodata says 6 hours i could do it in 1 or if had problems 2 max you would still get charged for the 6 hours even though the cars been sat doing nothing and to be honest i did my head in !

also mass air sensor wont show up some times with the ecu light or a tec 2 either vauxhalls are sods for it but not 100% sure on a vw but they are all basicly the same

also ask them for the old part back as well brake cleaner is good for makeing old parts look like new :)

[CChris]

I had a VW 2.0TDI Touran that had a manifold flap fail, but a simple scan of the fault codes showed the cause of the problem. Have you scanned your cars fualt codes?

Chris.

[rachel]

I really don't know what dealer you worked for but I have to say that I with two generations of experiance and 35 years working on all makes have forund Autodata to be reasonable and very seldom gives over the odds as far as time goes ?!

To be honest I find your experiance to be not the norm, and actually gived a poor representation of a very maligned trade anyway.
I have found that to work on modern computer laden , eco freindly cars I have to be nothing short of a brain doctor :-)

Anyway to the OP I work very closely with the RAC Audi VW tec so if you have any problems just PM me I will ask the question for you.
Oh just to throw somthing in the mix maybe a stuck EGR valve???

Good luck X Rachel



.[QUOTE=astra 8vt;755105]they do and will do :) used to work for a dealer ( not saying what one ) just for an instance cam belt on a car autodata says 6 hours i could do it in 1 or if had problems 2 max you would still get charged for the 6 hours even though the cars been sat doing nothing and to be honest i did my head in !

also mass air sensor wont show up some times with the ecu light or a tec 2 either vauxhalls are sods for it but not 100% sure on a vw but they are all basicly the same

also ask them for the old part back as well brake cleaner is good for makeing old parts look like new :)[/QUOTE]

[choppertastic]

[QUOTE=CChris;755112]Have you scanned your cars fualt codes?

Chris.[/QUOTE]

Is this something I can do without a specialist bit of kit? If so how do I do it?

[rachel]

[QUOTE=choppertastic;755148]Is this something I can do without a specialist bit of kit? If so how do I do it?[/QUOTE]

No you need a code reader, you can get a cheap one on flebay, but If you are in the rac / aa call them and they will read it for you.
good luck

[speedy jon]

It could be a cam sensor.
On the 2001model 2lt mondeo's there is a known concern with cam sensors.
Don't be quick to have a rip at dealers. I know many smaller garages I would steer clear of.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[3d_willz]

I'm a vehicle technician and if the main dealer say it's the cam sensor then let them fit it. Don't listen to therubbish that want to be mechanics think is wrong or put on forums. We get so many people tell us what is wrong with the vehicle because they have looked ok the web. They try to save the money so the diag equipment isn't used.
Sometimes I wish I could just listen to the customer and fit thebsensor they say it is and still charge them whenit's not fixed or let them use the diagnostic equipment to fix it. Maybe then we won't be told how to do our jobs
Rant over lol

[3d_willz]

[QUOTE=astra 8vt;755094]it could well be the mass air meter or the cts ( coolant temp sensor ) or even the cam sensor but usally with the cam sensors they have a fail safe map so if it packs up it runs in a limp mode but it shouldnt have naff all to do with it starting when its warm i take it its ok when cold ??

i would say its one of the 1st 2 i said main dealers are compleat c$%&s for things like this

but you were prob right with the mass air sensor as they have a temp sensor in them so if that goes tits up it will give the wrong reading so there for it wont start when warm[/QUOTE]

The maf sensor can be unplugged and the car will still run and start. The basic way it works is it gets warm and the airflow cools it down and this is how the ecu reads the amount of air passing through. So low flow lean engine high flow richer engine. All measured in ohms

[procol]

If it was me I would let them change the part they think it is, if it doesn't fix the problem then a) they look bad and risk loosing a customer, or more then one if you tell enough people about it, b) loose the upper hand when quoting for the real fix, and c) loose workshop space so they can't book another car in, loosing them more money.

But it could be something simple like a dodgy connection that is not good enough when hot and could be fixed with a pair of pliers, but like me, you would have no way of knowing, unless you are willing to pay a second company to redo the diagnostic work your choices are limited at this point. (that was ment as an extreme example and proberly unlikely)