modern problem

[stuffedpike20]

My modern car (2008) has got a16v 1.4 VW petrol engine in it.
Recently it will only start on the second turn of the key.
I have changed the plugs and air filter. There are no codes stored according to my very cheap diagnosing tool.
Why does it only start on the second go?

Thanks
John

[Chief]

Why does it only start on the second go?

Because it's not a Minor

Looking online, one recommendation is you should wait 10 seconds before trying to start it and see if that fixes it.

Others discovered it was a bad fuel pump, some their keys needed re-coding.

The above was for Audi, but probably no different to VW at the end of the day.

Is it possible the cars' battery is old or low being winter time. Modern cars don't like low charged batteries.

[stuffedpike20]

Why does it only start on the second go?

Because it's not a Minor

Looking online, one recommendation is you should wait 10 seconds before trying to start it and see if that fixes it.

Others discovered it was a bad fuel pump, some their keys needed re-coding.

The above was for Audi, but probably no different to VW at the end of the day.

Is it possible the cars' battery is old or low being winter time. Modern cars don't like low charged batteries.

Thanks for that. The battery is fairly new, but the fuel pump might be a factor.
I always wait a few seconds after the first position of the key, and can hear the fueling process.

You are right that nothing starts as well as a minor, but in the recent cold weather my battery was completely dead, and it would not start with the handle. I jumped it from a leisure battery, and the battery was so low when I drove off that the indicators did not work until I had done a few hundred yards.

[Sleeper]

Try this, Crasher's great...

https://www.volkswagenforum.co.uk/forums/

John ;-)

[michael4]

I wonder... Does a petrol VW of that date have a crankshaft or engine speed sensor?

OK so ours is a diesel Skoda but it never starts first time and can get quite awkward sometimes.

Temperature makes no difference.

The theory is that the engine is turned by the starter, the crankshaft sensor senses this movement and activates the fuel pump and then the thing starts.

If the sensor is 'lazy' and doesn't sense the crank moving then the fuel pump doesn't get the go message and the engine doesn't start.

If it gets worse you'll need to do something, I'd be quite happy if I knew our car would always start second time!

As the garage man said, don't block the Minor in with the car, you may need to get it out...

[stuffedpike20]

I wonder... Does a petrol VW of that date have a crankshaft or engine speed sensor?

OK so ours is a diesel Skoda but it never starts first time and can get quite awkward sometimes.

Temperature makes no difference.

The theory is that the engine is turned by the starter, the crankshaft sensor senses this movement and activates the fuel pump and then the thing starts.

If the sensor is 'lazy' and doesn't sense the crank moving then the fuel pump doesn't get the go message and the engine doesn't start.

If it gets worse you'll need to do something, I'd be quite happy if I knew our car would always start second time!

As the garage man said, don't block the Minor in with the car, you may need to get it out...

Very wise michael.
Crank sensors do seem to be the weak link in a lot of modern cars, but I thought they either worked or didn't work. with no in-between.

[michael4]

Well ours is working today, beyond that who knows...

[michael4]

Just to finish this off...

We have replaced (well the garage did it) the crankshaft sensor on our car. It now starts first time every time, something it hasn't done for months and months.