Misfires

[tiglon]

That's outrageous, they really don't have the authority to confiscate your car.

As for the original topic, call me cynical, but that explanation from the dealer could be interpreted as "we c0cked something up last time and don't want to admit it so here's a just about plausible explanation that doesn't make us look bad".

[ronk]

I think it’s an industry standard scam!
Our local Vauxhall dealer tried it on my daughter - they didn’t mention worn pads again.

[Busterboo]

All noted thanks..
An unusual for an N54 reason for a misfire AFAIK ...

Yes, I think you're right.

Just to re-cap, the car began to misfire a little when accelerating fast, then misfiring badly after starting. The AA took it to the AD, where it had new injectors, after which it ran well for 3 months. Then it began to misfire again when accelerating fast. The indy put in new plugs & coil packs, which didn't cure the problem. Finally, as I've reported above, the AD replaced the rocker cover gasket and the car's running sweet as a nut.

Whether the AD's done something else, I don't know, because it's not reported in the invoice, nor did the AD reception staff mention any other work.

[Pbondar]

All noted thanks..

An unusual for an N54 reason for a misfire AFAIK, can add it to the repertoire of things to check in that event

You can see why people get anxiety attacks going to AD for anything but servicing.

My Volvo dealer wanted £1,500 to change front n rear discs n pads and wouldn’t release the car because at 5mm pad left it ‘wasn’t safe’

That almost sounds like blackmail, did you manage to persuade them to return it?
Rob

Hi Rob, I did get it back but only by escalating the situation to the general manager…

To be fair when I later had an issue with MAP and temp sensors they cooperated much better…by then if you are talking to them about fault codes from your reader they may suspect you are not a newbie…

[Busterboo]

... The overall total was £2,679.28.

This was paid by my BMW Insured Warranty.

The cost to me was my excess of £250.

[R.E92]

Leaking valve cover wouldn't cause the misfire. They either fixed a mistake they made or the issue is still present.

[Busterboo]

Leaking valve cover wouldn't cause the misfire. They either fixed a mistake they made or the issue is still present.

Sadly, I think you're probably right.

Worse still, if the fault recurs, I'm stuck in a city with an AD and only one (reputably good) indy, neither of whom has cured it. That said, the AD claim they have, so at least I'll be able take it back to them.

[ronk]

I thought the fault codes stayed resident until wiped?

[flybobbie]

Replacing a gasket cured a misfire...more likely disturbing the plug wires cured the problem.
Even seen one guy on you tube not fit the plug back on properly caused a misfire, it wasn't fully clipped on.

[Busterboo]

On the plus side, I don't think it's my imagination that the £250 on new DCT gearbox oil was money well spent. The changes were good before: now they're almost imperceptible.

[Smartbear]

I thought the fault codes stayed resident until wiped?

What fault codes?
Rob

[ronk]

I thought the fault codes stayed resident until wiped?

What fault codes?
Rob

Wouldn’t a misfire generate a fault code in a module?

[Busterboo]

Not a reply, but just for information. The car would not record a misfire or multiple misfires unless the engine light came on.

(The indy read the code and cleared the record of the fault, but was unable to stop the misfires reoccurring. So, before taking the car to the AD, I had to make sure there was a fault showing. By this time, I knew how to make the car misfire - which the indy hadn't done during his final test - and the AD then had proof of the fault.)

[ronk]

At least you knew where you were with a distributor points and HT leads (often stranded ) but throw £20 at the problem and if was fixed for a few months before the tinkering had to start again!

[Smartbear]

I thought the fault codes stayed resident until wiped?

What fault codes?
Rob

Wouldn’t a misfire generate a fault code in a module?

Not always, an odd occurrence wouldn’t be flagged up unless it went past a certain threshold
Rob