Hi guys,

My wife's SEAT Altea 2005/55 has just turned 3 years old (on the 29th Sept this year in fact). I had it in to the SEAT dealer who we bought it from new and it has been serviced and MOT'd without incident. One week and a day later the emissions light has come on and using VAG-COM I have read the following fault code:

19617 - Linear Oxygen Sensor B1 S1: Pump Current Wire: Open Circuit
P3161 - 008 - Implausible Signal - Intermittent

I believe this is the pre-cat sensor (anyone confirm?) SEAT dealer has said that Seat UK "might" contribute some goodwill towards the repair but I would need to pay for the diagnostic fee to officially diagnose the fault and report it back to Seat. I said I could read fault codes and they said they "might" accept this but would probably need to diagnose it themselves...at a cost of £80 or so...

Anyway, does anyone know where I can get an oxygen sensor for this vehicle for a reasonable price? I want a genuine part as I have heard stories that aftermarket parts can damage the ECU - not a risk worth taking I think. Best price I've seen is about £120.

Any other advice on dealing with SEAT, removing and fitting sensor or anything else very welcome!

Thanks,
Craig.

Hi Graig,

Many years ago I bought the wife a Cooper (199?) and the alternator packed up when it was three years old (bear in mind this was when you got one year for a warranty). I suggested to dealer that Rover might like to consider the bad press, let alone brand loyalty this was worth. Rover paid most of the cost.

I'd suggest that you recommend to your dealer that they, let alone the manufacturer would benefit if they reconsidered their policy, especially now with internet forums etc etc.

How's the car coming along?

ATB

Simon

I would be inclined to ring Seat head office in the UK and speak to them. I would kick up a fuss and I reckon they will do you a deal by discounting the part or the labour for free.

I know this works as my mate did it with Seat.

Steve

I work for a main stealer (not seat) and know how these systems work. Basically they look at your service history which sounds good, they take into account the mileage of the vehicle send a claim to the manufacturer and at their end its usually agreed too.

I'd just take the car to them and make them aware that you're not happy to pay and they'd most likely get it covered for you.

Does anyone else have an Altea which is still under waranty so you can swap?

My Altea's just a bit older than yours, so I can't help with a swap, but I'd be tempted to take it to another dealer if there's one from another network. My local main dealers to be completely different - one franchise are pretty cool and give some latitude (albeit with one guy who thinks trim-removal is best done with a screwdriver...) but the other franchise is always on the lookout for a buck.
Or you could try vwaudiforum & see if one of the guys has a VAG-COM diag gazoobie and d-i-y - VW seem to be cheaper for parts...

I worked for a couple of years in the service department for a large UK motor manufacturer dealing with exactly this type of thing.

As you move up the line each person you speak to has a different level of authority.

The dealer is obliged to follow the strict letter of the law on warranty and can only ask the importer/manufacturer for help once the diagnosis/repair has been done. He will then fill in a PWCR (post warranty contribution request) or similar which is sent to the importer/manufacturer. These are generally dealt with, hundreds at a time, by what are no more than office clerks following an established routine for deciding how much to pay. This is based on how far out of warranty, mileage, service history and any other 'special factors' which can include known weaknesses of the model or having got out of the wrong side of bed that morning.

If you contact the factory yourself you will probably speak to the same people that make these decisions. Don't shout or slag of the car/make. Be cool and ask the person on the phone if they can help you. Very often with a close to end of warranty situation like yours they will agree to pay straight away. At worst they will explain the procedure outlined above. The difference being that when they recieve the PWCR they will be more likely to agree to pay than an 'anonymous' request. Confirm your phone call by mail or in writing. Again be polite and positive about the car. Most people that work in this type of job are sick to death of being attacked over the quality of 'their' cars. Lots of customers seem to hold any employee of the manufacturer personally responsible for the car breaking down.

The next step up is to use a solicitor but in your case it would not be worth it. Most manufacturers/importers have different people dealing with solicitors, celebrities, driving schools fleets and other 'special' cases.

I hope this is helpful. Please let us know what happens.

Cheers,

Mike

VAG customer services are known to be the worst of the worst.

They really couldn't give a toss. If you're on the phone to them and it starts looking like an argument, you've lost, face it. Put the phone down, go get a cup of tea and forget it ever happened, and in doing so, save yourself the stress of all those repeated phonecalls and pointless discussions

Edit: B1S1 is bank 1 sensor 1 which is the precat one. Did one on a 2.0 8v Bora not so long ago, it was £118 IIRC from VAG. Much cheaper in GSF but once right or twice shite you know...

[Edited on 10/10/08 by Stott]

Hi Guys,

Thanks for all your responses - excellent as always! Sorry I've not replied before now but this is the first chance I've had to sit back down at the computer...

I've taken on board some of the points made above and have sent a fax to the SEAT dealer who it should be said I have had an excellent relationship with for over 4 years involving 3 different cars. I've also bought 2 of those cars from them with total value of around £25k.

The Altea is below average mileage (28k) and has been serviced by this dealer every year. MOT was also done by them and emissions readings were lambda 1.00 and low HC numbers. As I may have already mentioned, the emissions light came on previously a year or two ago and was repaired under warranty. Apparently a recurring fault...

I've pointed out all the relavent facts on my fax and included the fault code read by my VAG-COM cable. I have also stressed my excellent relationship with SEAT and this particular dealer over the last few years and mentioned that I have recommended SEAT and this dealer to several friends and family. To make it clear I'm not going to go away, I have mentioned that I will take this up with SEAT UK directly if the dealer is unable to present my claim without charging me £80+ for a diagnostic session. Finally, I said that I would be happy to receive the new Oxygen sensor on a parts-only basis and I would fit it myself.

We'll see what happens - if I was the dealer I would just issue the new sensor FOC and either write the cost off or pursue a replacement through SEAT. I'm sure it wouldn't be difficult for the dealer to get a free sensor out of SEAT in any number of ways, legit or otherwise...

Thanks for the advice, I'll let you know how I get on.

Cheers,
Craig.