VW Up Injector Problems: Rough Idle and Poor Starting

As someone with basic DIY maintenance experience, I had nearly identical issues with my 2013 VW Polo. The symptoms you describe match exactly what I experienced, poor starting, increased fuel consumption, rough idle and engine performance issues. My car was diagnosed with clogged fuel injectors causing unusual misfires. The workshop performed a thorough fuel injection system cleaning and testing. The total repair came to 515€, which included: Professional ultrasonic injector cleaning, New seals and gaskets, System diagnostics, Test drive verification The difference in engine performance after the service was remarkable. The rough idle disappeared completely, and fuel economy returned to normal levels. To help provide more specific advice for your situation, could you share: Current mileage, Service history (especially fuel system maintenance), Check engine light status, Type of fuel you typically use, Whether symptoms get worse during cold starts These details would help determine if your Up might benefit from the same solution that worked for my Polo. Regular injector maintenance can prevent these issues from recurring and maintain optimal engine performance.

Thanks for the input. My mileage is 83782km and last service was done 6 months ago. Check engine light started flickering last week, mainly during cold starts. The emissions symptoms got worse gradually over the past month. I usually fuel up with standard 95 octane gasoline from major stations. The engine misfire happens most noticeably when the engine is cold, and it smooths out somewhat after warming up, though the rough idle persists. The repair cost you mentioned sounds reasonable if it fixes these issues. Did you notice any improvement in cold start performance after the injector cleaning? Also wondering if replacement might be needed given the severity of the symptoms.

Thanks for those details. Yes, the cold start performance on my Polo improved dramatically after the injector cleaning. The engine misfire and emissions issues disappeared completely, especially during those tricky cold starts. Given your mileage and symptoms, particularly the worsening performance and check engine light, your Up seems to be showing classic signs of injector problems similar to what I experienced. The gradual decline in performance often indicates carbon buildup or clogging rather than complete injector failure. In my case, cleaning was sufficient and replacement wasnt necessary. The workshop confirmed the injectors were just heavily deposited, affecting the spray pattern and causing the diesel engine performance issues. They did mention that if cleaning hadnt resolved it, replacement would have been the next step at roughly 900€ for all injectors. Since your symptoms match mine closely and the timing of deterioration is similar, Id suggest: 1. Get the diagnostic codes read first 2. Try the professional cleaning service 3. Only consider replacement if cleaning doesnt resolve the issues The cold weather performance improvement was the most noticeable change after my repair, no more rough starts or uneven idling. Fuel consumption returned to normal within about 2 tanks of fuel.

The detailed feedback on the cleaning service is really helpful, especially knowing the cold start problems cleared up completely. My situation sounds nearly identical to what you experienced with your car. Based on your repair experience, I will schedule an appointment to get those diagnostic codes checked and try the injector cleaning service first. The 515€ cost for cleaning is much more appealing than 900€ for full replacement if we can avoid it. Makes total sense to start with cleaning since the gasoline engine problems developed gradually rather than suddenly failing. Good to hear your fuel economy went back to normal quickly too. The increased fuel consumption has been frustrating to deal with. Will definitely monitor the engine performance and misfire symptoms after cleaning to make sure everything is resolved properly, especially during those troublesome cold starts. Thanks for walking through your repair process, really helps to hear from someone who successfully fixed such similar injection system issues. Will update once I get the service done to let others know how it worked out.