2008 VW Polo 1.4 Petrol - Doesn't Start Sometimes

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Mon 7 Oct 2019 16:50
2008 VW Polo 1.4 Petrol - Doesn't Start Sometimes - Gemalto
I'm having an intermittent fault where the engine won't start first time. It turns freely for as long as you'll let it, just won't fire. If you stop and try again straight away, it fires up fine.

No error codes or warning lights. Battery is good. Car runs fine otherwise. Seems totally intermittent - regardless of wether engine is hot or cold, and damp weather etc.

Any ideas what I can check?

Edited by Gemalto on 07/10/2019 at 16:52

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Mon 7 Oct 2019 16:58
2008 VW Polo 1.4 Petrol - Doesn't Start Sometimes - kiss (keep it simple)

It could be related to the immobiliser key reader. Had the same issue with an older Polo. I just re-seated the connector which lived inside the steering column cover and the fault went away.

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Mon 7 Oct 2019 16:59
2008 VW Polo 1.4 Petrol - Doesn't Start Sometimes - Gemalto
Ah thank you...didn't think of that!

I'll try the spare key too for a while as the normal key is a bit worn (to rule that out) before I go poking around in the column.

Edited by Gemalto on 07/10/2019 at 17:00

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Mon 7 Oct 2019 19:54
2008 VW Polo 1.4 Petrol - Doesn't Start Sometimes - elekie&a/c doctor
Can’t see it being the immobiliser , if it was , then the engine fault light would flash , and the engine would start for a few seconds then cut out. I would strongly suggest you don’t poke anything around the steering column , lots of delicate electronics here. Fault could be crank sensor . A good scan tool may pick this up .
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Tue 8 Oct 2019 00:33
2008 VW Polo 1.4 Petrol - Doesn't Start Sometimes - Gemalto
Thank you...I'll check it out!
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Fri 11 Oct 2019 12:01
2008 VW Polo 1.4 Petrol - Doesn't Start Sometimes - Gemalto
So yesterday, the car took ages to start and when it finally did it was very lumpy for about 20 seconds. Still no error codes coming up.
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Fri 11 Oct 2019 13:18
2008 VW Polo 1.4 Petrol - Doesn't Start Sometimes - elekie&a/c doctor
Fault/error codes are only a rough guide. The real time data needs to be analysed to establish what is not working within parameters.
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