Did you know that 20% of female car owners feel uncomfortable taking their cars to a garage for repairs and servicing? And this means that even when they know something is wrong with their vehicle, they will delay going to a garage, usually until it’s too late and they have a much bigger problem with the car.
Then imagine if you were one of the 20% and all of a sudden your car lost power and your engine management light appeared on your dashboard? The key would be to find a garage you feel comfortable going to and one you know you can trust.
So when Mrs D had noticed these issues with her VW Golf, she immediately knew to bring her vehicle to Fitch Autos. She knew she was in safe hands.
All customers at our friendly and approachable Brownhills garage are made to feel welcome. Our teams are experts in fixing VWs and in making our customers feel at ease, explaining complex issues simply and helping our customers understand what’s required to keep them safe on the road. No jargon. No pressure.
Our expert technicians have seen this problem numerous times and luckily have the expertise to pinpoint the fault down to its root cause. So when Mrs D arrived at our garage, our team knew exactly where to start.
Mrs D advised our VW technicians that she had noticed that the power would drop whilst driving, and the VW Golf would become limp. At the same time as the performance drop, the Engine Management light would also appear on the dashboard.
The client also advised that she had noticed that if she turned the engine off and then on again, the golf’s performance would be back to normal for some time before returning to the limp power mode, and the Engine Management Light would appear again.
Realising that she had to get the car into a garage, Mrs D booked into our VW garage to let our specialist technicians have a deeper look into what could be causing the issue.
At Fitch Autos, we specialise in VWs. We investigate every fault using our 15-step diagnostic process to ensure that we get to the root cause of the fault, meaning that our clients benefit from a first-time fix every time. No guesswork. No unnecessary cost.
INVESTIGATION & DIAGNOSIS
Our VW Specialists took the VW Golf from Mrs D and began diagnosing the problem. With our previous experience, our technicians knew that the only way to get to the bottom of the problem would be to start running our diagnostic evaluation by looking into the vehicle’s software.
Accessing the vehicle’s serial data, our team found the fault code:
- P0403 00 – EGR Valve (N18) – Malfunction
The Exhaust Gas recirculation (EGR) valve is complex technology that can fail for various reasons, including electrical signals, mechanical malfunction or simply the valve becoming blocked.
Electrical failures within the EGR valve would produce the error codes:
- P0403 00 – EGR Valve (N18) – Malfunction
- P046C 00 – EGR sensor 1 – Implausible Signal
- P0407 00 – EGR sensor 2 – Signal too low
So from the download of the serial data, our VW specialist technicians knew they needed to investigate further into the EGR valve and establish whether it was an electrical fault or a blockage.
We carried out a visual check on the EGR valve and saw a clear build-up of soot around the inlet and outlet pipes on the VW. This showed our VW specialists a leak within the valve, and exhaust gases were escaping through small gaps in the gaskets and roller. These leaks appeared to have been caused by wear and tear as there was no further visible damage to the valve.
As an independent VW garage, we could access the vehicle’s data and conduct a systems test. The serial data showed that, when compared to the manufacturer specifications data, there was a problem with the electrical data coming from the EGR valve.
A check of the valve confirmed that the wiring to the unit was all intact. And we were also able to verify that the signals from the engine ECU to the unit were also good. The problem was that the EGR Valve was not responding electronically. This would indicate an internal fault within the electrical controls of the unit.
FINAL FIX
The electrical issue confirmed that the EGR valve would need replacing. And when our VW specialists removed the valve, they confirmed a substantial build-up of soot within the valve. Enough to cause the valve to fail and the VW to lose power.
Using genuine parts in our VW servicing and repairs, our team replaced the valve immediately. After replacing the valve, we ran the valve through basic settings and then road tested the VW Golf to ensure that our team had fixed the problem.
Our ability to make a complete diagnosis not only gave Mrs D that first time fix, saving her time and money without having to deal with a recurring problem.
FITCH AUTO – YOUR FRIENDLY VW GARAGE BROWNHILLS
Mrs D brought her VW Golf to our VW specialists as soon as she noticed the problem. And using our knowledge and expertise allowed us to get the VW Golf diagnosed, fixed and back to Mrs D within 24 hours and save her the money and inconvenience of significant car repairs.
So if you are noticing a lack of power within your Volkswagen engine, if you have a warning light that you don’t understand, or maybe your VW Service is due, Fitch Autos VW Garage is here for you. Our team of VW specialists are experts in servicing and repairs across the entire VW range.
Call Fitch Autos for all your VW servicing and repairs needs – 01543 452 630
