Engine wobble

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SMM1975
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Joined: Thu May 13, 2021 7:05 pm
Drives: Polo Match 2014
Location: London

Engine wobble

Post by SMM1975 »

Hi,

New VW owner here (my daughter actually). We bought a Polo Match 1.2 from a local garage, but within a couple of weeks, the car developed a worrying wobble at idle which is so severe, it verges on stalling. I opened the bonnet and it looks like there's an engine mounting problem. The garage owner told me the mounting on the bottom had just been replaced and the wobble was probably it just 'settling in'. I think I've managed to post a link to the video. Can anyone offer any views as to what it might be? https://youtu.be/jauVC85EQpw.

Many thanks!

SMM
CarbonChaos
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Drives: 2015 6C GTI DSG Oryx white 3 door.
Location: South west uk

Re: Engine wobble

Post by CarbonChaos »

I suspect it’s a misfire , being only a 3 cylinder engine it can make them jump around
As a new owner and presumably with a warranty of sorts just drive it back to the dealer and kindly as them to rectify this, don’t get fobbed off again be willing to leave it there ‘until it’s sorted’ in a polite way , they should supply you with a loan vehicle
Brian422
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Drives: 2013 Polo 1.2 Match Edition
Location: Bristol

Re: Engine wobble

Post by Brian422 »

If still under warranty Dealer should be able to scan system for any errors and provide printout.
SMM1975
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Re: Engine wobble

Post by SMM1975 »

Thanks both. We're taking it back in again on Wednesday, so I'll update here with the outcome
Banditboy67
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Location: Barnsley

Re: Engine wobble

Post by Banditboy67 »

Hi.
Did you find out what the problem was?
Daughters car is similar but not as bad, driving me nuts trying to fix it because buying parts are expensive guesses..

John
SMM1975
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Re: Engine wobble

Post by SMM1975 »

Hi,

Should find out on Wednesday (19th). I looked up misfire. It seems to be a common problem with these cars. It's not been as bad since to be fair, but it's still noticable.
SMM1975
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Re: Engine wobble

Post by SMM1975 »

Garage replaced the coil on cylinder 1 after the diagnostic showed misfires there. Will report back if still an issue.
CarbonChaos
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Drives: 2015 6C GTI DSG Oryx white 3 door.
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Re: Engine wobble

Post by CarbonChaos »

Banditboy67 wrote: Sun May 16, 2021 5:02 pm Hi.
Did you find out what the problem was?
Daughters car is similar but not as bad, driving me nuts trying to fix it because buying parts are expensive guesses..

John
John your first job should be to have the vehicles systems scanned or codes read using a OBD reader this will at least eliminate some guess work and give you a starting point.
If you issue is the same but you are unable to get a scan done then plugs and coils are a good start.
SMM1975
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Re: Engine wobble

Post by SMM1975 »

More drama.

Car was fine for a bit, but still sluggish and losing power going up hills. Eventually, it broke down and the garage sent a mechanic. It was towed away and turned out to be an alternator fuse that had blown (in the engine bay apparently).

A couple of weeks later, same thing: car lost power. Lit up like a Christmas tree and beeping, no power at all, power steering went, and then just stopped and broke down. Garage towed it away again. They replaced the alternator and battery - said it was the alternator 'surging' which had caused the fuse to blow last time.

Went to pick the car up and it was still wobbling around like crazy - to the point of it feeling like something was going to fall off/vibration sickness. Garage said that it was normal for small 3-cylinder engines... I asked if they had done another diagnostic. The response was 'Why would I do that? It was the alternator'. Then said I was being condescending. This is on a 9N 1.2L 3 cylinder (6v) car. I know 55bhp is not much, but my lawnmower feels more powerful than this has ever felt. It struggles to get up small hills with more than 2 people in! It's my daughter's first car. She's saved up nearly £5,000 for this and it's broken down three times already. The garage has refused a refund and she hates it now and is scared to drive it in case it breaks down again. We've paid for Green Flag Recovery...

Being a bit dubious after driving another 1.0L car with 3 cylinders which drive like a dream, I took it to a local garage with a good reputation. They looked at the wobbling engine for 2 seconds and said immediately that it was misfiring. Within 20 minutes, after checking coils, spark plugs and then a compression test, had diagnosed that it was very likely a burnt out exhaust valve caused by worn valve guides. Cylinder 1 was reading <100psi. Cylinder 2 and 3 were both 150psi. They said it would cost £700-800 to repair.

I'm taking it back to the garage that sold it with a 3 month warranty tomorrow (for the 4th time!!). Warranty runs out next Tuesday.
CarbonChaos
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Re: Engine wobble

Post by CarbonChaos »

Glad you finally found a good unbiased garage without an agenda (we are out there contrary to the internet) and got to the bottom of this issue.sadly this can be a common issue with these engines.
In all honesty if I was you I would be asking for a full refund on the car and be walking away from this dealer especially as it’s for your daughter and all you want is a reliable car and no hassle
SMM1975
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Re: Engine wobble

Post by SMM1975 »

Thanks. Yes, I already asked the garage we bought the car from for a full refund and he's refused, quoting his legal rights to me - 30 day refund in full, which we didn't ask for, so his only obligation is the 3 month warranty.

I could ruin his reputation easily by giving him a bad reviews everywhere and taking court action if he refuses to fix this latest problem [I've got plenty of energy and patience to make his life a misery], but it's not the point. I just want a reliable car for my daughter.
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