Technical Engine Light and loss of power

[Sausage]

Hi,

I don't do many long journeys and I rarely get up to 80mph, so it's possible my recent 50 minute journey and subsequent 50 minute journey home down the motorway was somewhat of a catalyst for this engine light coming on and the loss in power.

Anyway, I was 25 minutes into a 50 minute journey home down the motorway and my engine light comes on, the next thing I notice is the engine power is down about 20%. My car was hitting a maximum of 70mph with my pedal fully to the metal, and up hill it was dropping to 45mph with my foot fully to the floor. Also, when I came into my home town and was stuck at traffic lights it also pulled away around 20% slower than normal. That was yesterday.

Today, I just drove the car 1 mile and it was fine, no drop in power. Engine light is still on.

I have read about a 'limp home mode' where the engine will produce less power to protect itself as the system senses an issue. So maybe that's what that was.

I have a diagnostic device which came back with the code P0011. This relates to engine oil / camshaft / camshaft sensor.

-Oil level is fine.
-I unscrewed the cap and no froth/gunk - so looks fine.
-I see no oil leaks.

So I assume this is likely an issues with the camshaft.

I have 2 questions.

1. Is it odd that my car hasn't remained in limp home mode? or would it need to be run for a longer period of time, at faster speed to trigger it to activate again?

2. Is there anything else I should check before I take this to a garage?

 

[eeeno]

Stop driving the car and get it to a mechanic asap.

It has something to do with timing being over advanced due to a fault with the VVT system. Also timing belt might have jumped a tooth.

 

[Sausage]

Stop driving the car and get it to a mechanic asap.

It has something to do with timing being over advanced due to a fault with the VVT system. Also timing belt might have jumped a tooth.

Thanks.

Also, I have noticed no weird noises - the car sounds ok.

I will be taking it to a garage tomorrow morning.

 

[Sausage]

Stop driving the car and get it to a mechanic asap.

It has something to do with timing being over advanced due to a fault with the VVT system. Also timing belt might have jumped a tooth.

Oil control valve has been replaced, aka: Solenoid.

For diagnosis, replacement part and fitting it cost me: £310.

Seems expensive. Have I been ripped off?

 

[eeeno]

Did they also replace the camshaft pulley? If yes, then it is quite a cheap price.

It's a little on the expensive side if only the vvt solenoid on top of the valve cover was replaced.

However, I believe that they have probably used original parts and done proper diagnostics and checks and all that costs.

Thank you for letting us know the outcome.

 

[Sausage]

Did they also replace the camshaft pulley? If yes, then it is quite a cheap price.

It's a little on the expensive side if only the vvt solenoid on top of the valve cover was replaced.

However, I believe that they have probably used original parts and done proper diagnostics and checks and all that costs.

Thank you for letting us know the outcome.

They didn't replace the camshaft pulley as far as I know.

They phoned me saying 'we think it's the camshaft sensor that needs replacing and it will cost £174, but we aren't 100% sure if it is the sensor that's the problem'.....

Then they phoned me several hours later saying that when they replaced the sensor they realised the sensor wasn't the issue and then decided to replace the VVT Solenoid and that cleared the issue, but then told me it would actually cost £310 total.

I don't know if it ended up costing so much because of all the time they spent ordering and fitting a sensor which wasn't the issue, then having to order a VVT Solenoid and fit that.

I have no idea how garages work. I thought they could test things.... test the sensor? test the solenoid? instead of wasting time ordering parts and simply replacing them through trial and error?

 

[eeeno]

You probably won't be using their services again. Aftermarket parts would have been a lot cheaper. Solenoid screen can be cleaned too without having to change the part itself. Camshaft sensor very rarely fails. DIY guys start by changing parts and sometimes it works but it can get a little expensive. Customers very rarely are willing to pay for the work needed to find the actual fault and that's why many garages start with the most usual suspects.

The bright side is that your car now works. If you want to save money in the future, you can become a home mechanic too. All you need is Google.

 

[Sausage]

You probably won't be using their services again. Aftermarket parts would have been a lot cheaper. Solenoid screen can be cleaned too without having to change the part itself. Camshaft sensor very rarely fails. DIY guys start by changing parts and sometimes it works but it can get a little expensive. Customers very rarely are willing to pay for the work needed to find the actual fault and that's why many garages start with the most usual suspects.

The bright side is that your car now works. If you want to save money in the future, you can become a home mechanic too. All you need is Google.

I won't go there again.

They charged me a lot for an MOT once too, doing £700 worth of 'work' on my car, and now this.

For all I know, they could have just wiped the solenoid screen and not actually replaced it.

Thanks for your advice on this.