Warrior193

When relative engine power is considered, it was pretty common in the past for a private taxi to have a 1.8 or a 2 litre NA engine - a modern 1.0TSI matches that at lower RPM !

Do you actually calculate your fuel consumption - or do you use the fuel computer figures? I use an app to calculate actual fuel use and it always shows the Octavia's fuel computer MPG figures to read high by at least 2mpg - so your real mpg figure could actually be lower than you think.

Fuel economy is highly sensitive to driving style - my 1.4TSI Octavia shows a long-term average of about 42mpg, including a lot of short trips; SWMBOs 1.0TSI Fabia easily gets high 40s, also on short trips. I'd consider 35mpg average to very low - how short are most of your trips - does the engine usually get up to full temperature?

I assume you have factored the lower cost of petrol against the higher MPG of a TDI? Four passengers with suitcases would suggest a Combi as opposed to a Hatch - If going down the TSI route, suggest looking for a 1.0TSI 110 or 116PS engined version, which, for a manual, have the 6-speed box.

Is that a round crater I can see in one of the valves (images 3&4)? A lot of pitting on piston crown - I'd suspect that could lead to issues given the conditions during combustion.

2011, so I assume this vehicle is not fitted with stop-start technology - is that correct?

Definitely not a DIY job, the system must first be vacuumed-out (usually for several hours or overnight) to remove any moisture after replacing the condenser and the drier - the vacuuming also confirms if the system will hold pressure or not - then the correct gas/lubricant charge has to be measured into the system. All the above requires specialist equipment.

Here's hoping there was enough oil left in the sump to avoid any damage to the engine by the time you arrived home!

Bugger, was the oil warning light showing on the drive home?

It is fairly easy to obtain led replacements that do not cause electrical issues though.

@Day40 How did the injector replacement go?

@FramusAz10 What did a battery test show? Have you made any progress on diagnosing your fault?

Does the alloy-block EA211 use cast iron liners?

Unfortunately a few miles, even at low revs is many thousands of piston cycles in the cylinder - and yours is an 'interference' engine, meaning there is almost no clearance between piston crown and cylinder head!

Welcome to the forum. The noise is probably the missing plug electrode bouncing around inside the cylinder - don't run the engine any more until any foreign bodies have been removed! I'd suggest using a borescope to inspect the cylinder head, valves and top of piston for damage. The missing outer electrode is possibly ferrous, you may be able to remove it using a magnetic probe.

In my experience, even running the tyres at 'Eco' pressures does not result in a 'harsh ride' on either the Octavia or Fabia - on 16" wheels.

Good morning Radek, although not a huge mileage, I'm not sure that attempting to raise engine output by that much would be a good idea for a long life.

It rather looks as if @JulianR has gone off radar.

Good afternoon Dave, is the 80Amp fuse link under where the nylon fuse extractor is? That missing terminal post nut clearly looks wrong - what does that fuse protect?

Even without the Silicate pouch or dispenser, G13 coolant is quoted as having a service life of two to three years. If doing your own coolant refill, be aware that persistent air-locks can be problematical unless either vacuum-filling or VCDS purging procedure is used. I intend to change to G12evo on my next coolant replacement - unless VAG decide to change, yet again!

Welcome to the forum. Usually the OEM EV is marked 'Mit Silicat' if they were fitted with the Silicate bag (or later) plastic dispenser. It's possible that EV is not original. If the bag is present, it can usually be seen if a light is shined through the EV wall, especially the double-walled type - the plastic dispenser should be visible by removing the cap and looking at the bottom - I'm not aware of any issues relating to the plastic dispenser type though. To be certain, why not just replace the EV for a new one when you change the coolant to G12evo?

Corrected post.

Ignore, I missed that it' a TSI! ☹️ I'd walk away from that - that yearly mileage for the past three years will not have done any favours to the DPF - if it's actually still in place (should be MOT failure if removed). DPF regen history would make interesting reading!

Extremely unlikely that the VAG product has any 'magic ingredient' in it, just buy a reputable silicone grease.

Welcome to the forum. Is this private or dealer sale? What is recorded mileage, does this match MOT history? I don't hear anything particularly unusual with that recording, possibly a little 'tappety' is there any record of excess engine oil use? Strongly suggest getting an independent vehicle inspection though.