vwgolfman Posted August 30, 2006 Report Share Posted August 30, 2006 Hi I wonder if anybody can give me advice please?..... Golf Mk 4 1.6SE 16V. Recently my car has developed some slight running problems. 3 obvious symptoms (and quite possibly linked). 1) Engine surging; When I take up drive after letting the engine slow me the car surges at the point of take up. This is more obvious when I am just taking up drive and not jamming my foot down quickly to accelerate hard. The car seems to jolt backwards and forwards slightly on take up. The reverse seems to happen (only slight) when remove my foot from the accelerator. The engine 'drag' does not come on smoothly. 2) Car does not accelerate smoothly (pull is not consistent). If I am accelerting hard (foot down) then this is not so noticeable. It's more obvious if I am accelerating with the pedal say, halfway down. 3) Engine pinks/rattles when put foot down to accelerate when engine revs are fairly low. This occurs for about 1 second and then seems to ease. With regards to the pinking VW are now telling me it's supposed to and that I should be using 98RON Super Unleaded fuel instead of normal 95 RON Unleaded. My engine is a 1.6 16V (not a performance engine) so should this be the case? Inside the fuel cap it says 95 RON/98 RON so shouldn't my car run perfectly well on either? Sorry for such a long post but over the last 6 months VW have attempted to fix and then I believe fob me off with excuses as my car is still under its 1 year warranty. Today they have sent me a note explaining why I should be using 98RON. Many thanks, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pingpongpo Posted August 30, 2006 Report Share Posted August 30, 2006 I'm no expert but I thought cars can take a range of RON fuels as the engine management system adjusts the timing accordingly? I would suggest that VW are taking the proverbial Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eatmysmoke Posted August 30, 2006 Report Share Posted August 30, 2006 Your car should run fine on both. To prove it to them it should say what fuel to use in the handbook. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R32North Posted August 30, 2006 Report Share Posted August 30, 2006 Your car will be optimised for 95RON. It will run on both and you shouldn't notice any difference between the 2. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vwgolfman Posted August 31, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 31, 2006 I have been out in my car today with the senior technician at the dealership. I wanted him to experience what I am. However, he backs up what the service manager has told me; that I should be using Shell Optimax as it will cure all of my problems! I believe they are just trying to wash their hands of the whole episode because they have had the car in several times, each time replacing something different but have yet to fix it. They have replaced the following (probably other things which I haven't been told about also): Engine mount (because of the engine surge problem they thought a worn mount might be allowing the engine to rock). Throttle body (they say they took it off to ensure it was clean but replaced it anyway). Reset engine management back to factory defaults. Fuel something or other valve (some name with the letter E in). The note they gave me was taken from the VW central database to which only they have access. Here is its contents: Problem Description: The engine pinks (knocks) when accelerating from low engine speeds up to about 2300rpm. Cause: The engine is adjusted to the fuel Super Plus with 98 octane ROZ. Four-star fuel 95 octane ROZ or incorrectly two-star fuel 91 octane ROZ has been used. A knocking (pinking) causes the ignition to be taken back towards retarded. This is deliberate and allows an optimal use of the various fuel qualities. Production solution: No change. Service solution: By using Super Plus 98 octane ROZ the complaint is rectified. Accounting instructions: This is not complaint in the sense of warranty. _______ I shall be filling my car with several tanks of Shell Optimax or other quality fuel for the next few refills in order to see if this cures the problems. But should I really need to do this and are they trying to pull the wool over my eyes with such literature as the above? The car never surged or pinked for the first couple of months I had it and I have always used standard 95 RON Unleaded. I appreciate all of your opinions guys (and gals) as I am not very experienced in these things. Many thanks again, Graham Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rs32 Posted August 31, 2006 Report Share Posted August 31, 2006 I don't know of any naturally-aspirated 1.6 injection engine that has to run on 98 RON fuel to behave properly. If it must have 98 RON, why do VW put a sticker in the fuel cap saying 95-98 is OK ? am amazed that VW tech would say the same thing as the dealer - it's effectively admitting they designed the engine wrong. Perhaps they should refund you an amount equivalent to the extra you'll be spending per litre over the next 100,000 miles Or just fix the fecking car Good luck with getting things sorted Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shark_90 Posted August 31, 2006 Report Share Posted August 31, 2006 IIRC ROZ and RON are different ratings. Is that engine an FSi engine? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R32North Posted August 31, 2006 Report Share Posted August 31, 2006 [ QUOTE ] IIRC ROZ and RON are different ratings. Is that engine an FSi engine? [/ QUOTE ] Nah, its a 1.6 16V MKIV, don't think FSi cam ein those cars. And I'm preety sure that the 1.6 16V engine in the MKIV is not deisgned to run on specifcally 98 RON fuel, unlike S3 / R32 would be. 95ROZ is 98RON, IMO. Therefore, if its designed to run on 98ROZ that must be like 101RON or soemthing which is daft. Whats the exact wording / lettering on the inside of the filler cap ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vwgolfman Posted August 31, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 31, 2006 Thanks for your replies guys...... It's a 1.6SE 16V 105bhp. I'll have a look inside the filler cap in the morning and report back but I'm pretty sure it says 95 RON or 98 RON. It doesn't recommend the 98 over the 95. Neither does the handbook. That says that the car will run on either and it also states that a higher RON fuel will not give me any better fuel economy. So all in all they are expecting me to pay more for my fuel even though the car shouldn't need it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R32North Posted August 31, 2006 Report Share Posted August 31, 2006 [ QUOTE ] Thanks for your replies guys...... It's a 1.6SE 16V 105bhp. I'll have a look inside the filler cap in the morning and report back but I'm pretty sure it says 95 RON or 98 RON. It doesn't recommend the 98 over the 95. Neither does the handbook. That says that the car will run on either and it also states that a higher RON fuel will not give me any better fuel economy. So all in all they are expecting me to pay more for my fuel even though the car shouldn't need it [/ QUOTE ] Aye, 95RON is what your car needs. 98RON will work but its cost more, won't get better MPGs or HP, so no point really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shao_khan Posted September 1, 2006 Report Share Posted September 1, 2006 IT should work fine on 95 RON - unfortunately VW are again tryign to wriggle out of an obligation to solve a problem by making it your fault Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vwgolfman Posted September 11, 2006 Author Report Share Posted September 11, 2006 Well, I waited until my fuel was rather low and then pumped a full tank of Shell V-Power into it. I have since driven some 200 miles on that tank and have noticed no improvement on the engine surge problem. I shall be phoning VW tomorrow and having some words. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benjie Posted September 12, 2006 Report Share Posted September 12, 2006 Write a letter explaining everything with names and dates if possible, ask them what they intend to do about it, then end the letter by saying "I expect an appropriate written response within 7 working days" And take it from there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R32North Posted September 12, 2006 Report Share Posted September 12, 2006 [ QUOTE ] Write a letter explaining everything with names and dates if possible, ask them what they intend to do about it, then end the letter by saying "I expect an appropriate written response within 7 working days" And take it from there. [/ QUOTE ] Knowing VW, I'd make that 21 days ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benjie Posted September 12, 2006 Report Share Posted September 12, 2006 I think that if you write that, they are under some legal obligation to write back. I went to Citizens Advice once about my 02 mobile and that's what they told me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soundwave Posted September 19, 2006 Report Share Posted September 19, 2006 That is the most ridiculous excuse I've ever heard! For goodness sake, I could maybe understand it if it were a supercar of some kind like a Ferrari or Lambo or whatever that is definitely optimised for high octane fuel, but a 1.6 golf FFS?!! Seriously, you want to get yourself either to Citizens Advice Bureau or seek some legal advice. You should first get an independant mechanic to look at the car and to get a report from them. Second, you need to have some kind of witness statement to prove that the car does the same thing running on either fuel (although the mechanics report should suffice so long as he has seen it do it on both types of fuel). Then third, try to get some statements from fellow Golf Mk4 1.6 drivers saying that their car does not have this problem. And finally fourth, write a letter to VW warranties UK explaining the situation, and that if the problem is not resolved, that you will be using the evidence gathered so far to take them to court. I'm sure they'd rectify the problem after that. You are being fobbed off in an attempt to dishearten your resolve until after the warranty has run out. Don't let it happen. If you've been back to them that many times, then I believe you now need to take drastic action. Unless faults are really obvious, companies tend to fob people off because it's far too time consuming to find and fix the problem. Plus obviously, remedial work doesn't make any money, it loses it. Did you say you were still having all the problems as in your first post in this thread or is it still doing everything you said on both fuel types? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thorburn Posted September 19, 2006 Report Share Posted September 19, 2006 Doesn't 5to1 run his Gallardo on RON95 occasionally if he can't find any RON98 and Lamborghini told him thats fine. For a 1.6 to need RON98 is obscene. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shao_khan Posted September 21, 2006 Report Share Posted September 21, 2006 The 1.6FSi unit runs a lot better on 98, but the normal units should un ok on either fuel type. My 1.6 Beetle ran fine on supermarket fuel, or any other 95 ron I fed it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5to1 Posted September 26, 2006 Report Share Posted September 26, 2006 [ QUOTE ] Doesn't 5to1 run his Gallardo on RON95 occasionally if he can't find any RON98 and Lamborghini told him thats fine. For a 1.6 to need RON98 is obscene. [/ QUOTE ] Yeah I do. They told me its perfectly fine. Obviously you'll lose some performance, but it won't do any damage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now