Car concern, on my own with dc and very stressed

[Un1678]

I know I may be spiralling with stress here but I am a single parent with limited knowledge of cars and I am completely reliant on my car for work and nursery.

Today mid way through a 25 mile drive, the engine light came on and said ‘maximum engine speed 4000 rpm’. Then there was another message coming up saying something like start up issue or similar.

I pulled over and switched the engine off and turned it back on and the light went off. It then came on again a few minutes later.

Put dc to bed and just driven it up and down the drive (have a long driveway) and it’s not come back on. I have been on the internet and it seems possible it could be a glitch caused by heat (been 35 degrees today) but if it’s not that, what does this mean? What will it likely cost to fix?

I could cry I feel so alone and stressed about this, have so much on with work and no support nearby. Thanks in advance for any advice

My Skoda goes into limp mode whenever my husband drives it because he forgets it has a 6th gear and drives everywhere in 5th and it seems to make it wig out. If I drive it properly it’s fine and the light will go out and then not come back on.

@cultureclash thanks. There was no loss of power, it all seemed normal.

@Whowhatwhere21 no it was driving as usual, no issues. It’s petrol

Is it a diesel? If so it could be your DPF (diesel particulate filter), when they get clogged it limits the power the engine can produce. Won’t cause you to break down but you’ll struggle to get much over 30mph until it’s sorted.

I would take the car to the garage that did the service. Call first and book it in, tell them that the EML came on and the message about 4,000RPM

They will be able to use an OBD reader to see any stored faults

I never rev my car over 4,000 RPM so until then I don’t think it should be too much of an issue with sensible driving. Or, you could just do nothing and it might never come on ever again. That’s unlikely though, I’ve seen cars at work with EML’s vanish and they usually come back eventually, something triggered it

Glad to hear it’s no longer showing. If it comes back and the car is a diesel it could be a blocked particulate filter.

I do actually have a classic sports car (30 years old) as well as my daily drive. One of us checks over all 3 of them on a Sunday (DD has been trained up and she isn’t old enough to drive yet.)

Help please! They’ve said it’s an oil separator and that it’s a known fault. Cost 330. Is this normal to change for this?! If it’s a fault why am I having to pay?

Is it under warranty? Unless it is subject to a recall, you will have to pay.

@LaliqueSaltGrinder not under warranty

I know nothing about cars but I asked chatgpt...

If the garage means:

"This part commonly fails on this engine." That's different from a manufacturer defect. Many parts have common failure patterns, especially as cars age, and owners are generally responsible for the repair once the warranty has expired.
"Škoda has acknowledged a manufacturing defect or issued a recall/service campaign." In that case, there may be circumstances where Škoda would cover some or all of the cost.

An oil separator (often part of the crankcase ventilation/PCV system) can cause a variety of engine management faults. If it fails, it can create incorrect crankcase pressure or air leaks, which may trigger the engine warning light and put the engine into a reduced-power mode. So the diagnosis is certainly plausible.

Is £330 reasonable?

For a 2020 Škoda in the UK, around £250–£400 for replacing an oil separator (including parts, labour and VAT) is within the range I'd expect, depending on the model and engine. So the price itself doesn't immediately stand out as excessive.

If it's a known issue

It's worth asking the garage:

Is there a Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) for this issue?
Is there any goodwill contribution available from Škoda, given the car is only a 2020 model?
Has the car been serviced according to Škoda's schedule?

If your car has a full Škoda service history and isn't very high mileage, it's sometimes worth contacting Škoda UK customer services and asking whether they'll offer a goodwill payment, even if the manufacturer's warranty has expired. There's no guarantee, but it can be worthwhile.

Could you tell me:

Which Škoda model is it (Octavia, Kamiq, Karoq, etc.)?
Which engine (e.g. 1.0 TSI, 1.5 TSI, 2.0 TDI)?
How many miles has it done?
Was the repair done by a Škoda dealer or an independent garage?

That will help judge whether £330 is fair and whether there's a realistic chance of getting Škoda to help with the cost.

Yep agree, something I’ve taught my daughter to check every time she uses her car. A 30 second walk around to visually check tyres and lights. Check other levels and pressures on a regular basis.