Ignore me, just being paranoid

[Space Coyote]

My Leon TDi 140 is 3 years old early next month and therefore is ready for its first MOT. I've been thinking about getting it checked over before the warranty expired and the other day I got a letter from GK Group in Derby saying they'd do just that at the same time as my MOT.

Took it in yesterday and left it with them for the day.

Picked it up last night just before the dealer shuts - everything is fine - passed MOT no worries.

So I get in to drive home, flick the computer to average MPG (my usual setting) and notice that it is currently reading 8 MPG

Now I have never, ever had it that low in the 3 years I've owned the car, but didn't think too much about it and set off home. While driving I got to thinking about 8 MPG and the only conclusion I could get to is that someone has ragged the absolute arse off it. Even when I drive "enthusiastically" it only drops t0 28-29 MPG.

Anyway, I noticed this evening that the bonnet has developed a whole bunch of new stone chips (probably 5 or 6). Now I do get a lot of stone chips and consequently I keep a close eye on them - with a view to getting them all sorted at the same time and these are definately new ones.

My question is, can someone suggest how I proceed with the dealer? I am going to ring them in the morning to talk to the service manager and find out:

1. Was my car road tested?
2. Why was my car road tested?
3. Who road tested it?

But after that I'm not sure what my next step should be.

I'm just angry that I've taken my car in for a routine MOT and end up with additional paint damage and a suspected ragged car.

Any thoughts would be gratefully received.

 

[andycupra]

lol

getting 8 mpg while a car has been serviced and MOT'd is no indication that it has been ragged.

Think about it, the car will be at a standstill for a significant amount of time and will cover only a few miles.
If you take a car to a drive through MOT testing place thats fairly efficient, it could be sitting running for 20-30 mins and cover no more than 50 yards, which is more than capable of returning single MPG figures.
Then there is the service part of the process, again the car will be running but not moving for a significant part of, then manouvering around the garage and car park etc.

Some dealers will test drive cars, usually around 5 miles. Some dont Some processes will require a test drive afterwards. an example is brake fluid change procedure which actually states that a test drive including ABS activation is completed afterwards!

 

[Space Coyote]

Yeah, good point - hadn't considered that.

Pretty sure it had about 20 miles extra miles on it though - can't be sure.

 

[Marshall]

Is it not just that the computer has reset itself as they do after 99 hours of driving or so? That would explain it then sitting idling etc would make it this low. Lets face it to drop to 8 mpg you would need to drive it flat out for hundreds of miles to drop that low. I f you look through your trip computer it will tell you how long in hours that figure is taken from. Think your looking for something thats not to be honest. Sorry Kev

 

[Space Coyote]

It was the instant average, not the overall average MPG - the one that resets itself after being stood for a couple of hours.

Thinking about it I guess it probably does stand with the engine running for a while during an MOT for the emissions test.

Still seems to be a coincidence with so many new stone chips!

 

[Maximus2000uk]

Is there any damage inside the wheel wells? I was just thinking that stone-chips and a low MPG would perhaps indicate driving the car on a track, or a gravel pit...especially as the car would be losing grip but still trying to put the power down hence lots of fuel being used to go nowhere.

Anyway, just a thought.

 

[Bedlam]

ummm......doesn't the MOT brake test require a road trip, usually with two people (one to steady the test guage thingy)?, thats why there is usually a load of rubber on a quiet straight road near car dealers.

Also could the dealer have reset the MPG, Trip, Average speed etc.
I did this last week, about 200 miles ago, when I disconnected the battey, and have been getting really low overall MPG figures ever since during very low mileage trips.
After 10 minutes or so it reverts to a more meaningful overall MPG, about 30 in my petrol tfsi.
Perhaps the average MPG calculation requires several hundred miles to register and be stored correctly, maybe even a refuel or two, neither of which I have done since battery disconnect.

Just my uninformed opinion

 

[andycupra]

ummm......doesn't the MOT brake test require a road trip, usually with two people (one to steady the test guage thingy)?, thats why there is usually a load of rubber on a quiet straight road near car dealers.

nope, they usually have calibrated rollers installed to test front / rear and individual wheels. Ragging it down a raod and slamming on the brakes is not a test.

 

[Bedlam]

I live in North Yorkshire mate, where they have not long had stationary roads let alone rolling ones

 

[Nath.]

They probably did an ecu reset as part of the service and that would reset your fuel computer.

The MOT on a diesel car involves them revving the engine to high revs to check for smoke.

These 2 things would give a low average reading.