Now what was that I was saying about how long it taken me to choose and then much I was enjoying life with the Cupra on other threads?
Friday the 13th
Well Friday the 13th has certainly struck for me today. The Cupra suffered a spectacular engine failure this morning and gave me a properly scary moment in the process. Tootling along in the morning traffic on the motorway at 40mph in eco mode I press the accelerator gently expecting the car to engage a gear and pick up speed slowly. Uh oh...
Instead I get the dash message "Restart engine manually". Uh...what...how...I try the key, nope, 'select P/N' (on DSG), eventually sort out moving lever in to N while trying to manage the car on a moving Motorway at varying speeds with no power. There are no warning lights on the dashboard at this point. The engine comes back to life unexpectedly as I desperately tried to fight my way across 3 lanes of traffic to the hard shoulder in the pouring rain but provides no power at all. The engine then does the following:
- Make a noise like an oversized dump valve letting off but at the volume of air brakes being let off on a truck - or in other words loud.
- Bellow a huge cloud of black smoke out of the exhaust, nuclear tests have nothing on the cloud that erupted.
- Makes a loud squeal something like the Starship Enterprise transporter room sound.
- Push enough white smoke out of the exhaust to screen a tank column advance.
In these few seconds I finally reached the hard shoulder and drifted to a stop a short distance from a recovery phone. How this didn't end in an accident I still don't know.
I get out of the car to make the emergency call and there are some serious pops and bangs coming from under the car and white smoke still pouring out. The burning smells are a mix of oven cleaner and oil.
Recovery
The AA were incredible 10/10, the car was on a flatbed truck within 15 minutes and I was in a nice warm cab.
SEAT vehicle replacement were absolutely useless 1/10. They took nearly 2 hours to find any local hire car place that could find a replacement. Did you know VAG group recovery means they will only allow you to drive another VAG car? I didn't and this was the major cause of delay, no one locally on my route had a VW car to loan out! Eventually they found me a boggo manual Polo but my appointment was more important than the car I arrived in so I took it.
Dr House does not work for SEAT
So what do we know now the car is back at SEAT Swansea:
Initial data check of the car: over 30 faults showing, misfire on all cylinders.
Diagnosis: Contaminated fuel. Yes, I know, I don't know where they get these ideas from either. The fuel looked a funny colour in the tank apparently. I was not remotely amused by this suggestion. Anyone else think the dealer was trying to place fault back with me?
Solution: Drain the fuel tank and add new fuel.
Result: New fuel in they start the engine followed by lots and lots of white smoke, 30 faults and a misfire on all cylinders. Lots more white smoke.
Meanwhile I've spoken to the manager of the Tesco where I filled up the night before with Momentum 99 to ask if they have had any reported fuel contamination problems. Oddly enough they haven't and as thousands of cars pass through their petrol station every day the chances of my car being the only one affected seem remote. Tesco manager politely suggests SEAT dealer is mistaken. I tend to agree.
Second data check: Same set of faults - fuel contamination now ruled out!
Diagnosis: They don't know what is wrong.
Next step: send all the data to VW technicians because they haven't seen any problems like this before. No one in until Monday wait until then.
To add insult to injury they can't offer a better car than the base Polo, a choice of basic Ibiza or Mii doesn't float my boat so I get to keep the oddly black mint with a hole for the weekend. Fantastic.
This could be my shortest ever car ownership. I'm still within the 30 day exchange period and at this moment it's going back from whence it came. Such a shame, a fine car but this is a shocker. The true irony is this car has lived the easiest life of any car I have ever owned. It's covered maybe 200 spirited, not flat out, miles the rest have been boring motorway and city traffic miles. By contrast my S2000 spent it's first week on 2 track days and never missed a beat.
My diagnosis? After years of being around cars here is my diagnosis:
- Blown turbo, the white smoke and strange noises suggest that but no one is listening.
- The misfires? Blown turbo doesn't explain that so some form of engine failure on one or more cylinders.
Watch this space folks I will keep you updated.
Mon 16th - confirmed as blown turbo on 'exhaust side', parts on the way. Should have the car back by mid week.
Friday the 13th
Well Friday the 13th has certainly struck for me today. The Cupra suffered a spectacular engine failure this morning and gave me a properly scary moment in the process. Tootling along in the morning traffic on the motorway at 40mph in eco mode I press the accelerator gently expecting the car to engage a gear and pick up speed slowly. Uh oh...
Instead I get the dash message "Restart engine manually". Uh...what...how...I try the key, nope, 'select P/N' (on DSG), eventually sort out moving lever in to N while trying to manage the car on a moving Motorway at varying speeds with no power. There are no warning lights on the dashboard at this point. The engine comes back to life unexpectedly as I desperately tried to fight my way across 3 lanes of traffic to the hard shoulder in the pouring rain but provides no power at all. The engine then does the following:
- Make a noise like an oversized dump valve letting off but at the volume of air brakes being let off on a truck - or in other words loud.
- Bellow a huge cloud of black smoke out of the exhaust, nuclear tests have nothing on the cloud that erupted.
- Makes a loud squeal something like the Starship Enterprise transporter room sound.
- Push enough white smoke out of the exhaust to screen a tank column advance.
In these few seconds I finally reached the hard shoulder and drifted to a stop a short distance from a recovery phone. How this didn't end in an accident I still don't know.
I get out of the car to make the emergency call and there are some serious pops and bangs coming from under the car and white smoke still pouring out. The burning smells are a mix of oven cleaner and oil.
Recovery
The AA were incredible 10/10, the car was on a flatbed truck within 15 minutes and I was in a nice warm cab.
SEAT vehicle replacement were absolutely useless 1/10. They took nearly 2 hours to find any local hire car place that could find a replacement. Did you know VAG group recovery means they will only allow you to drive another VAG car? I didn't and this was the major cause of delay, no one locally on my route had a VW car to loan out! Eventually they found me a boggo manual Polo but my appointment was more important than the car I arrived in so I took it.
Dr House does not work for SEAT
So what do we know now the car is back at SEAT Swansea:
Initial data check of the car: over 30 faults showing, misfire on all cylinders.
Diagnosis: Contaminated fuel. Yes, I know, I don't know where they get these ideas from either. The fuel looked a funny colour in the tank apparently. I was not remotely amused by this suggestion. Anyone else think the dealer was trying to place fault back with me?
Solution: Drain the fuel tank and add new fuel.
Result: New fuel in they start the engine followed by lots and lots of white smoke, 30 faults and a misfire on all cylinders. Lots more white smoke.
Meanwhile I've spoken to the manager of the Tesco where I filled up the night before with Momentum 99 to ask if they have had any reported fuel contamination problems. Oddly enough they haven't and as thousands of cars pass through their petrol station every day the chances of my car being the only one affected seem remote. Tesco manager politely suggests SEAT dealer is mistaken. I tend to agree.
Second data check: Same set of faults - fuel contamination now ruled out!
Diagnosis: They don't know what is wrong.
Next step: send all the data to VW technicians because they haven't seen any problems like this before. No one in until Monday wait until then.
To add insult to injury they can't offer a better car than the base Polo, a choice of basic Ibiza or Mii doesn't float my boat so I get to keep the oddly black mint with a hole for the weekend. Fantastic.
This could be my shortest ever car ownership. I'm still within the 30 day exchange period and at this moment it's going back from whence it came. Such a shame, a fine car but this is a shocker. The true irony is this car has lived the easiest life of any car I have ever owned. It's covered maybe 200 spirited, not flat out, miles the rest have been boring motorway and city traffic miles. By contrast my S2000 spent it's first week on 2 track days and never missed a beat.
My diagnosis? After years of being around cars here is my diagnosis:
- Blown turbo, the white smoke and strange noises suggest that but no one is listening.
- The misfires? Blown turbo doesn't explain that so some form of engine failure on one or more cylinders.
Watch this space folks I will keep you updated.
Mon 16th - confirmed as blown turbo on 'exhaust side', parts on the way. Should have the car back by mid week.
Last edited:
gutted for ya mate, as you seemed to be really liking the car. I hope they just take it back and give you a new one (assuming you would have it).
