Page 1 of 2

Exhaust emission warning lamp

Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2008 1:01 pm
by titan619
does anyone know what needs to be fixed when the Exhaust emission warning lamp stays on constantly? and how much should it cost to fix?

Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2008 5:20 pm
by Ben M
mine came on and my car didn't drive right (i drove it 10 metres and noticed it wasn't right) and it was the cylinder coil.

Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2008 5:21 pm
by Ben M
oops double post

Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2008 9:19 pm
by M7
could be one of the coils, the cat or the head gasket

theyre the 3 probs i've had when the light has come on. all 3 were done on warrenty at the time

Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2008 10:11 pm
by peterbuk
Mine was a cylinder coil, had 2 get a nu set

Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2008 10:55 pm
by titan619
how much is for a cylinder coil? if you continueing to drive with it on will it damage your car?

Posted: Tue Feb 05, 2008 5:23 pm
by GaryUK
When mine came on was just a faulty sensor, best get it checked out though!

Posted: Tue Feb 05, 2008 9:50 pm
by ihpj
You'll need to see if there is a fault code as if you go replacing items willy-nilly then it might cost you more in the long run, and if the fault persists despite you changing unknown parts, you might do further damage to the car. Get the fault code read mate and go from there.

As for coils...shouldn't they be replaced in sets and wasn't there a recall for dodgy coils by VW on the Polo?

Posted: Tue Feb 05, 2008 10:12 pm
by AKs_SlickPolo
It could really be a whole heap of things. But normally it will be either the coilpack or the lambda probe. But, it can just in some cases be a 'false alarm'.

I agree with ihpj - get a diagnostic scan of your car then take it from there.

Posted: Wed Feb 06, 2008 5:50 pm
by FUTUMSH
mine was a hole in a vacuum hose which went to the turbo,(diesel 1.9 model).

Posted: Wed Feb 06, 2008 8:55 pm
by Ben M
titan619 wrote:if you continueing to drive with it on will it damage your car?
yes.

as people have said, get a diagnostic machine on it.

Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2008 10:47 pm
by titan619
i have got a M.O.T next week will they find the problem then..

Posted: Tue Feb 12, 2008 11:19 am
by Harald73
I had the warning light on and the reason turned out to be the EGR valve.

Had it replaced (for not so reasonable price of 310€ (50€ for diagnostics and 260€ for the valve + work) and avot, works like a clock.

P.S. Depending on the reason, it might not be so dangerous to keep driving even with the warning light on but it´s better to have it checked asap.

Posted: Tue Feb 12, 2008 9:12 pm
by RUM4MO
ihpj wrote:You'll need to see if there is a fault code as if you go replacing items willy-nilly then it might cost you more in the long run, and if the fault persists despite you changing unknown parts, you might do further damage to the car. Get the fault code read mate and go from there.
As for coils...shouldn't they be replaced in sets and wasn't there a recall for dodgy coils by VW on the Polo?
If the car is out of warranty then I'd just change the faulty coil(s) - then maybe buy a new old stock one from ebay for next time - that is all I've done, luckily bought the spare before it was needed and at a good price.

Posted: Thu Feb 28, 2008 3:54 pm
by Dubnutty
AAAAHHHH stop driving it!!!!
misfire on 1 cylinder=fresh fuel getting spilled into very hot catalytic converter = instant destruction!!
as soon as you get any kind of misfire on an engine with a catalytic converter, you should try and avoid driving it, and if necessary, DO NOT THRASH IT!!!! (thats what I did on my 1.2 polo coz I was SOOO ANGRY and ended up with a near £500 bill!!