Initial Concerns - Mk VII 1.4 TDCi

[Flash]

Hi all

Have now covered just over 1,000 miles in the new motor....and I have to say I am very impressed.

Just a couple of gripes which I would welcome comments on:-

1) There is a constant noise coming from the drivers side when the engine is running. This is noticeably louder when the engine is cold......but even after longer runs it is still there and is quite annoying. Dealer told me there was nothing wrong and it was the noise of the Power Steering! Not sure this is true as I can't believe they would design something with this kind of noise. Even after the Diesel rattle has subsided it is still there!!

2) Economy. The whole idea of getting this car was swayed heavily by the quoted figures. I previously had a Meganne R26 which returned only about 28Mpg. Now I am not so naiive to think I would be getting the stated 67Mpg straight away - or even after a while running in.....but at the moment, after 1,000 miles...... I am only getting 48Mpg. I have previously had a 2.0 TDi Golf...and that returned 50+ - surely a smaller car with a 1.4 engine should be more economical!!

The dealer wasn't interested - they simply told me how to calculate the Mpg.....quite obviously I had already done this or I wouldn't have known there may be an issue - and also that the engine hadn't "run in" yet.

Should I really be expecting such a dramatic increase as the miles grow?

Am going to take it back to another dealer to see what they think......but I cannot accept a difference of about 20Mpg from the quoted / advertised "Combined" figure. That's almost 200 miles difference per tank!!

Despite the above - I do actually love the car. Is a different experience than I am used to - driving becomes much more relaxed than in the Meganne. Just want to get rid of these niggling doubts.

Cheers for any comments

Flash B)

[Nipz]

Hey,

Regarding the mpg, it should get better over time as the engine gets warn in. Thats what my dad was told by merc when he got his new one.

Hope that helps a little

Ben

[hedgepig]

Hi Flash,

I agree with Ben about economy--it should get better as the engine gets looser.

I really hope so because Ford quote 47 mpg on combined cycle for mine and I'm only getting 38 mpg at the moment--to be fair though I've only done 550 miles so far!!!

Now, this noise, is it a constant buzzing which appears to come from the driver's side dashboard?

Does it do it when you first get in the car and does it do it when the engine's off?

If so, I've got this problem and I'm going to get it checked at the courtesy service.

Let us know what your dealer's thoughts are won't you?

[Flash]

Cheers for the replies.

The noise does seem to be coming from the drivers side. It seems to be worse when it is cold....but it never goes away until the engine is turned off. I had a look under the bonnet with a mate - and it sounds like some kind of belt slipping.....there are more belts on the drivers side as well.

As I said, the dealer took the car out and said they couldn't hear anything wrong....and it was likely to be the electronic power steering. I don't really buy this as most people who have been in the car can hear it.

I am going to take it back to another dealer - and ask them to start up an equivalent car to see if it is "normal".

Will let you know how it goes - and will also keep you up to date with the economy...i am a bit anal with logging mileage etc so will be able to have an accurate log!!

Flash B)

[hedgepig]

It's not the same noise as mine then--I did some tests this morning.

When you open the car door is when the buzzing starts and if you sit quietly without starting the engine after a few minutes it goes off.

Then when you turn the key to start the engine it comes back and is present all the time until the engine is stopped and the key is in the off position.

You open the door to get out and the buzzing starts again and once the car is locked I presume it goes off after a while but you can't check this of course.

From what I can tell it seems to eminate from around the steering wheel but directions of sound can be misleading...........

It will be interesting to see what they make of it at the 1500 courtesy check............