So who REALLY knows about car engines - injection systems

[planetgeli]

I don't know of any mechanics here but I'm trying my luck.

My car got an amber light last week (see a garage, not immediate stop). "Check injection systems".

Luckily my car was up for a service and MOT today. So I took it in my very expensive (but good) Renault garage. And now I'm confused. It passed the MOT. But they've diagnosed a DFP (which I presume means Diesel Fuel Pump) split pipe. The thing is...two things.

1) It passed the MOT. They let me drive it away. It drove like a dream. Last week, when I had to drive it once, I could feel the problem, a lack of acceleration when needed. Not total, but enough to feel a pull on the car. Now that isn't happening.

2) There was a post-it note attached to the documentation about the 'split pipe'. It said, and I quote. Part =£53. Labour..."could be one hour, could be six". Apparently because of how difficult it may be to free a bolt. Could be jammed/corroded on or something.

They are ringing back tomorrow because a technician wasn't available to tell me. But

a) why is my car driving 'normally' now?

b) how am I supposed to say yes to something that may cost the difference between £80 plus parts and £480 plus parts?

All advice, preferably from people who know what they are talking about, welcome.

I am not in a great way. This has largely sent me over the edge in the 'have no ability to cope with this' stakes. I'm not just car dumb. My partner died this year and any little thing throws me off balance into heart attack territory. This is not an exaggeration.

Don't know what to say to them when they call tomorrow.

Help? Please? I have so much going on I'm finding it hard to cope.

 

[two sheds]

Could you ask them to let you know if the bill is going above £160? Although the downside is if they phone you and you can't afford any more you've paid £160 for a non-repair.

 

[WouldBe]

Are you sure it's a dfp and not a dpf? As a search for the former brings up nothing but there is loads for the later. A dpf is a diesel particulate filter that can get blocked if you only drive short distances. It can be cleared by driving 30-60 minutes on a motorway. If it needs replacing (unlikely as they are supposed to last 100,000 miles) it could cost up to £3000 according to the RAC.

 

[MickiQ]

I'd shop around if I was you looking for someone to offer a fixed price, It should be 2 or 3 hours I would expect someone to quote on the basis of 3hrs, take the profit if it is 2hrs and eat the loss if 4hrs.
Saying it will take anyway between 1 and 6 and thus cost that sort of range is a bit iffy.

 

[planetgeli]

Could you ask them to let you know if the bill is going above £160? Although the downside is if they phone you and you can't afford any more you've paid £160 for a non-repair.

Not sure I understand you. I have the car. I'm not paying for a non-repair. I AM confused it drove perfectly on the way home, up a lot of hills where it previously struggled after the fault became apparent, and it passed the MOT. I don't know if they did a 'temporary fix' but they didn't tell me they did.

Are you sure it's a dfp and not a dpf? As a search for the former brings up nothing but there is loads for the later. A dpf is a diesel particulate filter that can get blocked if you only drive short distances. It can be cleared by driving 30-60 minutes on a motorway. If it needs replacing (unlikely as they are supposed to last 100,000 miles) it could cost up to £3000 according to the RAC.

You're probably right about dpf. Not right about 3K. The part costs £50. It's the labour, allegedly to do with taking a bolt off, that is the problem. The car's done 47000 miles in 8 years. I don't see why the bolt should be corroded (?) on making it so difficult.

It began after I'd done loads of motorway driving.

I'd shop around if I was you looking for someone to offer a fixed price, It should be 2 or 3 hours I would expect someone to quote on the basis of 3hrs, take the profit if it is 2hrs and eat the loss if 4hrs.
Saying it will take anyway between 1 and 6 and thus cost that sort of range is a bit iffy.

Totally agree with your second sentence. Thing is, they are THE Renault dealer around here (and there's not much else choice) , known to be expensive, but also known (by me) to keep my car on the road. For years they've been expensive (but not 6 hours expensive) but great mechanics.

There's little elsewhere to look but maybe I'll try depending on how the call goes tomorrow.

 

[spitfire]

DownwardDog may have some insight on this but not sure how many Renaults there are in the outback...he knows his engine onions though.

Anyway, hope you get it sorted out and keep buggering on brother.

 

[two sheds]

Not sure I understand you. I have the car. I'm not paying for a non-repair. I AM confused it drove perfectly on the way home, up a lot of hills where it previously struggled after the fault became apparent, and it passed the MOT. I don't know if they did a 'temporary fix' but they didn't tell me they did.

Sorry I must have misunderstood - I was thinking you might have to pay to have the pipe repaired.

But I now also read in your original post

All advice, preferably from people who know what they are talking about, welcome.

So I'll back out

 

[WouldBe]

What's the make, model and year of the car?

 

[planetgeli]

What's the make, model and year of the car?

Renault Capture 2015

 

[DownwardDog]

Are you sure it's DFP and not DPF. DPF is Diesel Particulate Filter and a split pipe there would mean it would sort of drive normally for an undefined amount of time.

I assume it's not pissing diesel everywhere so a split fuel line seems very unlikely.

Get the garage to explain exactly what they mean is the best advice I reckon.

 

[spitfire]

Are you it's DFP and not DPF. DPF is Diesel Particulate Filter and a split pipe there would mean it would sort of drive normally for an undefined amount of time.

I assume it's not pissing diesel everywhere so a split fuel line seems very unlikely.

Get the garage to explain exactly what they mean is the best advice I reckon.

Thanks DD.

 

[T & P]

I know fuck all about car mechanics, so don’t take my advice seriously, but if if the car is driving okay, I’d say put a plaster over the warning light and file it under the ’fuck it’ area of your brain for the time being.

In any case, nothing surprising about passing the MOT, as it checks essential safety features only. Unless someone here with good knowledge tells you the issue is likely to cause irreversible damage if not corrected immediately, I myself would ignore it until at least the end of the month if skint, and then longer still if the car was still running okay

 

[DownwardDog]

a lack of acceleration when needed. Not total, but enough to feel a pull on the car.

On reflection, an exhaust leak near the DPF would cause this due to insufficient backpressure for the turbo. No idea why it's intermittent.

 

[planetgeli]

Still not sure what to do.

The guy explained it's a split pipe that goes from the back of the engine to the exhaust manifold. If they can just 'move the engine forward to get at a nut' it's £250. If the nut splits or breaks it's 'remove the whole engine (to get at the nut)' and £850. He said he'd give me time to think about it then never rang back last night with a date like he said he would.

My service is done and the car drives like a dream again. He too could not explain this intermittence. And I don't have an amber warning light saying 'check injection system' anymore but would they have just turned this off?

They are THE major dealer around here. It's hard to think they'd risk reputation by doing unnecessary work. Isn't it?

Any more advice on what I've just written is welcome.

 

[Sweet FA]

Can you take it to another mechanic and get them to have a look?

 

[spitfire]

It may be wrong but I know what I'd do.

I'd keep going until the light comes on again. It sounds like it may be an annoyance rather than a catastrophic issue when it does happen again.

It sounds like they are telling the truth, the worst thing with main dealers is they charge 2 or 3 times what a mechanic under the arches would charge but maybe I'm just being naive.

 

[spitfire]

Can you take it to another mechanic and get them to have a look?

And this.

 

[Sweet FA]

Agree with spitfire re main dealers and the pisstake costs. I took my X5 to a main dealer once for a service. Never again; back to my local mechanic. Then it got nicked which saved me the cost completely. I did the same when I got my T5 - once to a VW dealer then scurried back to the local bloke. Also ime, they're not arsed about risking reputation. All the main dealers get shit reviews on social media and still have full bookings and charge top dollar.

Unless you've got a big trip coming up and it's driving fine with no warning lights, I'd carry on driving until it happens again then take it to a decent local mechanic and see what they say.

 

[DownwardDog]

Hmmm... According to this...

https://eltrasteroloco.files.wordpress.com/2019/01/167475512-k9k-engine-tech-note-6006a-renault-dci-1-5-diesel-kxx-repair-manual.pdf

It's quite likely to be the EGR (exhaust gas recirculation) pipe that goes from the exhaust manifold to the cold side of the turbo. Here's what I reckon: he's told a customer it would be 250 quid then the bolt has snapped turning it into an 850 quid engine out job and the customer has cracked the shits. So he is covering his arse in case that happens again.

An exhaust leak there is not ideal, it certainly won't get any better on its own and will probably get worse but it's not catastrophic if it is EGR related. It's just making the car emit more particulates (through the leak) than would otherwise be the case.

Yes, they will have cleared the Injection Fault code which was probably not related to the EGR business - if that's what it is.

I note that 2015 diesel Capturs go for surprisingly (to me) strong money on Autotrader so an 850 quid repair is certainly not a waste of money if that's what it takes.

You can always get a second opinion from somebody else (maybe an indepedent diesel specialist) if you think he is taking the piss but the prices quoted don't seem outrageous to me.

Best I can do, I'm afraid. Good luck.