durhamfisher

Dont get stiffed by the garage. I got mine for £365 (1 year warranty) and fitting was about 4 hours labour. This was for 2.0tdi. Speaking to the mechanic it wasnt a difficult job, just access was awkward. IMHO I wouldnt risk getting one from a breakers yard http://www.turbocharger-solutions.co.uk/

Read a few other posts and I think the answer to my question is that they changed the method on the face lift. My car is 2005 with the standard display. Is this correct?

I use Halfords 5/30w for top ups. It conforms to the VW spec, see no reason why there would be a problem with it.

Is the method different between maxidot and DIS? I have DIS and hold the trip reset in for 2 seconds and its displayed. I thought the twist reset the counter back to fixed.

I once changed from diesel to petrol but changed back six month later. I just couldnt stand the lack of torque on the petrol engine. Just checked out the torque stats on the 1.4tsi (200/1,500-4,000) and it isnt far behind the 1.9tdi (250/1,900). Plus its 2s quicker 0-60. Maybe its time for me to have a rethink.....

One of the down sides of the recession is that its pushed up the price of used cars. To put this in context I paid £9800 for a 1.5 year old 2.0tdi ambiente (not estate) with 9K on the clock three years ago. I spent two months in Nov/Dec looking to change but there was nothing in that ball park.

You could speed up the reset process by following this thread: http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/146724-re-map-not-feeling-like-it-used-to-read-on/ Although you dont have a remap, it should work for resetting the driving style "memory" from the previous owner. Dont by a £30 tuning chip from ebay, loads of posts on here on why you shouldnt. Dont see the logic around the MAF disconnection, surely if it was working OK and you disconnect it, you should see a difference in performance? Did you discuss the starting issues with the garage?

Tbh, used cars are pretty expensive at the moment, getting a good deal isn't easy.

I'd be concerned about diesel contamination on the cambelt. I'm no expert but I would have thought that oiling a cambelt could well cause it to slip. :(

Thanks for the feedback, I'll give it a miss. Hot water bottle option looks worth a shot. You could defrost the window then sit on it to keep warm. Maybe a sideline for custom Briskoda water bottle covers?

If its dripping every 2-3 seconds you should be able to collect a reasonable amount in a container and get a better idea what the fluid is. Also, you could trace the pipe back and put a rag around it to try and trace the source of the leak e.g. if the drips stops the source is further back to the rag and vice versa.

Can you not get advice from the organisation that issues your operators licence? They must have some guidelines on these situations. I understand peoples comments on false imprisonment etc. However, think about this. If you were at work and someone took an hours money off you without you being able to prevent it, would you want to take as many steps as possible to prevent it happening again? I'm sure many of us would.

I was hoping for a bit less heat than a car fire........

Anyone tried an in car heater? Such as http://www.cn-ice.com/car-heater-p-91.html?gclid=CLHjz9uDmJ8CFWlr4wod513HJA As I see it, you can start the car, then run this to heat up the interior, which will defrost the windows quicker. As a derv driver, it takes an age to get any warmth through the blowers on a morning. You would need a pretty strong battery to cope with the load from the heater element, but you could balance this by not running the fan and / or air con while it is running. The one in the link is pretty ugly but you get the picture.

You need to focus on any repeatable faults with the dealer. In your case this is the poor starting. You should also be able to show them the eratic idle. Sort these issues out and your mpg may improve as a result. You can check the air filter yourself easily. Read this post for assistance: http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/148602-dumb-guys-asks-how-do-you-change-the-air-filter-on-a-mkii-octavia/ Is it due for a service? Did they not service it for you before delivery?

You could try changing the brake fluid as it absorbs water over time. Skoda advise changing it every two years. Isnt too expensive to do.

Creaking suspension.

I dont think thats too bad for any turbo. Thanks for the poll susi, i think it will confirm my suspicions about variable servicing!

Diesel engines take much longer to warm up than petrols. I tend to keep the car in one higher gear than normal on a morning to quicken getting the car up to temperature e.g 4th rather than 5th. Your down hill stretch then flat wont really be working the engine which is why it is taking its time to get warm. I wouldnt be unduly worried if it was my car.

Yes, almost certainly the turbo I had the exact same problem. Dont pay more than £600 for a recon unit fitted. Its not a huge job for a garage who knows what they are doing. BTW, as a matter of interest, are on fixed or variable servicing?

egr valve makes this noise after you switch off the engine. Mine tends to whistle for about 20s then clicks off (diesel engine). Comes from the engine compartment, not the offside light area though.

Agree that cold weather affects mpg but your car should start first time. Suggest starting problem + juddery performance + poor mpg = fault. Keep the pressure on the dealer until he sorts it out.

Washer feed pipe popped off in the boot is a good starting point. If you have water in the boot, under the carpet, left hand side when looking into the boot, its the cause. You can fix it yourself in 10 minutes if it is the problem. Dont pay for it, its really easy to do. As for screen wash, I have used Halfords premium screen wash with no problems, as have many on this forum.

I've a good mine to go round there and shove my failed turbo up where the sun dont shine. As for driving style, to be clear: I now need to drive low revs until I reach 90 degrees, which in these temperatures means about 5-6 miles or more; but now my DPF is starting to clog up, so I need to drive at high revs after this to clear it; But I need to be careful that I dont accelerate too hard below 2k revs as it will break my DMF; by this time I'm at my destination but need to sit in the car for two minutes with the engine running while my turbo winds down. OK, I'm off down the dealership to buy a petrol.... (btw, no offence meant tom1362, all light hearted!)

The true test of a batterys performance is when under load, especially starting on a cold morning followed by immediate drain from the lights, air con, blower fan on 4, rear heater wind screen, radio etc. If its been surviving that, I wouldn't worry about it. Enjoy your new car