Panda 2012+ New member advice needed please

[nickmow]

I have just bought a 2014 Panda multijet diesel 4x4 and it's great apart from a bit of an engine issue.
Now and again it hunts quite badly on light throttle and has quite a bad flat spot before the turbo kicks in.
It also rattles [diesel type rattle] more noticebly when it goes through the flat spot.
Most of the time it is fine and I could live with it if they all do it.
Could it be something to do with the EGR or DPF system?
Any advice most welcome.
Nick

 

[varesecrazy]

Hi

How many miles.. good service history..?

DPF set.up can be patchy with poor knowledge at service time

Charlie

 

[nickmow]

Hi!
It has 75,000 miles and seems to have a fsh but not with Fiat dealers.
Looks like mainly just oil/filter changes.
Does it sound DPF related?

 

[varesecrazy]

Hi!
It has 75,000 miles and seems to have a fsh but not with Fiat dealers.
Looks like mainly just oil/filter changes.
Does it sound DPF related?

Could well be .. get it into somewhere with the correct equipment to reset the DPF service parameters..may as well get the oil changed again..part of the set.up


https://www.fiatforum.com/doblo/351343-reset-oil-degradation-warning.html?351343=#post3490848


Charlie

 

[nickmow]

Thanks.
I'll get it booked in to get it set up.
Nick

 

[MaxHeadroom]

Welcome to the FIAT forums Nickmow - hope you manage to get the issue sorted out soon

 

[Al D]

As Max said, welcome. Where are you based as someone with MES diagnostics could give you figure of how full DPF is. Shell V Power Diesel maybe and bottle of this to go in it.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Wynns-Pr...280756&hash=item3a8d137e05:g:GfMAAOSwmU9eFbRQ

 

[Herts Hillhopper]

Both the Multijet 4x4s I’ve had have done this... at 1500 rpm on light throttle (so that’s 30mph in fourth or 40 in fifth) it’s as if the turbo can’t quite decide to spin up or not. It only does it on flat, level or ever so slight downhill roads. I don’t believe it’s DPF related, as the new one (when it was new two years back) did it from the outset.
And the rattle too... mine does this more or less depending on the fuel I think. Less noticeable when tank filled with Costco ‘Premium’ diesel, but that may be just a perception.

 

[nickmow]

Thanks for all the advice.
Somewhat reassuring!
Very impressed with its off road ability by the way.
Nick

 

[MaxHeadroom]

Just a quick comment on fuel...

I used to commute a 2 hour journey and lift-share with some friends/colleagues.

All of us owned and ran diesels. At the time mine was a SAAB 93.
We used to rergularly fill up at an ASDA fuel station in Wheatley as it was cheaper than anywhere else in that location.
I have to say, my SAAB ran like a bag of broken spanners on ASDA (or any other supermarket) fuel.
On the other side of the coin if I filled up at the Shell station on the edge of Oxford, the car ran smoothly.
If I was feeling a bit flush I'd fill it on Shell's super-diesel (is it V-Power?). What an unbelievable difference that made! Car ran like pure silk, and I seemed to get very marked improvement on mpg. This wasn't placebo effect - my colleagues noticed the big difference in smoothness too.

However... When my colleagues tried doing this themselves - a Rover 75, Vauxhall Astra and a Ford Mondeo (all diesel) their cars didnt respond as well as the SAAB seemed to so they continued going to ASDA.

Its probably 'horses for courses' but at the end of the day supermarket fuel must be cheap for a reason, and its probably missing some of the additives of the 'superfuel'. As a result I no longer head for cheap fuel, although with my last car (a Suzuki Jimny) superfuel made little or no difference, but smelled cleaner at the exhaust.

 

[Herts Hillhopper]

With diesel fuel, I believe the primary ‘added ingredient’ in the Premium grades is more cleaning ‘detergent’, rather than a higher centane rating (the diesel equivalent to petrol’s octane value). I wonder if the Saab ‘ran dirtier’? With petrol cars, the ‘super’ fuels have a higher octane value and, where the engine management allows, can perform better. Others the benefit is, reportedly, lost.

 

[MaxHeadroom]

With petrol cars, the ‘super’ fuels have a higher octane value and, where the engine management allows, can perform better. Others the benefit is, reportedly, lost.

Lost? Yikes at the cost of that you'd be gutted

 

[Herts Hillhopper]

Lost? Yikes at the cost of that you'd be gutted

As I understand it, unless you have a high compression petrol engine (the Panda hasn’t ) you will see little if any improvement from using a higher octane fuel (Super Unleaded /97 RON). There may be gains from something like V Power petrol, which has a Cleaning effect as well as raised octane... but only until things are as clean as they can be

 

[varesecrazy]

Im not sold on 'posh fuel..'

Only time I ve seen a marked improvement in a diesel was on French fuel..UK stiff it not that different

Ive run my TA for 52 of its 54 thousand miles on whichever supermarket unleaded was cheapest.. the odd run on Esso..BP or Shell.. no noticable difference

But.
The Panda TA.. lacking oomph anyway was lousy when the thing got filled at a Newbury supermarket..

Driver was much happier when I refilled at the normal place

VAG owners say they do get extra MPG with the expensive fuel.. but cost per miles works out the same..