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[stevey396]

Hi,
Took my car to Vauxhall main dealer with the following problem -
2001 2.2 CD auto petrol.

very rough idle on start up
poor acceleration.
ecu light on.
It feels like fuel starvation. I have to let the car warm up for 3mins or so before I can press the accelerator or the engine will cut out.
ECU light never goes out.

Vauxhall said I had a code for the O2 sensor which they replaced. This made absolutely no difference.
No they say it is the throttle body which needs to be replaced.

What makes me mad is they replace a part, it doesn't fix the car then expect me to shell out for another part which may or may not fix the problem.
What do you do in these situations? as far as I'm concerned the diagnosis was wrong and therefore I shouldn't have to pay for the o2 sensor.

Any advice gratefully accepted.
Thanks,

Steve
- now with fault code

[wakeyomega]

Steve
I agree with you, you shouldn't have to pay for their lack of diagnostic skills / tools. I had a similar situation. rear suspension wouldn't lower (same as problem recently logged on here by someone else). They changed the height sensor, then the compressor, creating a very large bill, and tried to tll me they had both gone faulty at the same time!

I didn't argue with the guys on the service desk. I simply requested a meeting with the service manager and as much as I was livid, I took a logical and unemotional approach to convincing him they were wrong. He accepted my rationale and gave me a credit. He also said he appreciated the way I had dealt with it. Personally I think a firm but non confrotational approach can have better results.

I would definitely not pay for the O2 sensor in your case.

Good luck, Pat

[stevey396]

Pat,
Thanks for the reply.
I would be interested to know if any of you guys have had the same problem with Vauxhall and what the outcome was.
As it stands my car still has a problem so any suggestion to the cause of it what be great.

Thanks,

Steve

[Taxi_Driver]

Hi and Welcome  

ECU error codes would be good  

I would say go back and ask vx dealer what the codes were......but they will either tell you the wrong one/s or not tell you all of them......might be better therefore to get yourself a cheapo 'tech2' code reader off ebay.....around £30 .....tho you will need a labtop with a serial port to use it.

Then post up the results here  

If it did give an 02 sensor fault....then that is what vx would do....change it......but did they change the right one? They are now guessing the throttle body......which if it is.....may just need cleaning and easy to do.....there a guide on here  

In fact clean the breathers at the same time......also a guide on here  

The two jobs are not difficult......actually very easy.....if i can do them  

Blocked breathers wont be causing the problem......but worth doing to stop the cam cover gaskets leaking  

If it still doesnt sort the prob......then getting the error codes is the next step  

[TheBoy]

You shouldn't be paying for their incompetence.

Did they take a live data reading to prove it was the lamda, or simply change because their Tech2 said o2 sensor out of range?

I would clean up throttle body, but also check for air leaks on the intake.  The cpp units have a habit of failing as well.

However, you (or the dealer) cannot change bits willy nilly, just because it is a possible point of failure.

[stevey396]

It says on the invoice ( I haven't paid yet)
Replaced o2 sensor as diagnosed with tech 2 test.
Reprogrammed engine ecu with latest software and carried out road test.
Noticed tick over was uneven on idle and suspect fault with throttle body housing.

I have over 20 years experience within the computer industry and diagnostic testers often get it wrong but the cost shouldn't be passed onto the customer as you could throw any number of bits at the problem before it is fixed.
Anyhow, I have no confidence that replacing the throttle body housing will fix the problem.

[TheBoy]

It says on the invoice ( I haven't paid yet)
Replaced o2 sensor as diagnosed with tech 2 test.
Reprogrammed engine ecu with latest software and carried out road test.
Noticed tick over was uneven on idle and suspect fault with throttle body housing.

I have over 20 years experience within the computer industry and diagnostic testers often get it wrong but the cost shouldn't be passed onto the customer as you could throw any number of bits at the problem before it is fixed.
Anyhow, I have no confidence that replacing the throttle body housing will fix the problem.

Sounds like they haven't properly used the tester - they have plugged it in just to read what the ecu thinks is wrong.  In cases like this, you need to read the live data being fed to ECU to make a reasoned judgement as to the fault.

[Kevin Wood]

O2 sensor is only active once the engine has fully warmed up and then only under cruising levels of engine load so it should have been obvious to anyone who understands how a modern engine management system works that that is not the main problem. O2 sensor code is probably a by-product of something else being wrong (throttle pot, air leak, MAF, poor fuel feed etc.) so they should have fixed the main problem and checked to see if the O2 sensor code reappeared.

Kevin

[stevey396]

Yeah you echo my thoughts (and I not a mechanic)
They plugged the tester in got a code and replaced the part without thinking about the problem itself - which I went to great pains to explain I might add. Is this normal for main dealers?
No payment for them!!
Anyone know someone reliable in Norfolk who can fix my car?

[TheBoy]

I'm afraid that is dealers for you  

[Auto Addict]

Clean out the throttle body and breathers, see here:- http://www.omegaowners.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1162397695

It's not a difficult DIY job.

Next make sure the air filter is clean, if not replace.

Also clean out the MAF with keyboard foam.

Check for water/oil in the plug wells, see here:- http://www.omegaowners.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1157117391

Cam sensor failing?

[stevey396]

ok, I just found the invoice for the diagnostic check which notes a fault code of p1130.
Any help?

Thanks,

Steve

[TheBoy]

ok, I just found the invoice for the diagnostic check which notes a fault code of p1130.
Any help?

Thanks,

Steve

Means the measurement from sensor was not consistent with readings from other sensors, eg, the measured air intake, calculated fuel delivery, say one thing, but o2 says emissions say another.  Hence why live data required.