bigjohn

I asked just in case as with old fashioned engines it wasn't unknown for mechanical oil pressure release valve to fail. The 1.2tsi (not this engine) can have oil pressure issues if the oil filter is mis fitted but don't think this engine is fitted with the same oil release valve. Presuming monitoring is indeed correct and the oil pressure is very low then from my own experience low oil pressure when warm usually indicates something very worn in the lube circuit be it big end / main bearings etc. It could be turbo bearing failure but I'd expect massive plumes of blue smoke out of the exhaust if that was the case. If it was a blocked oil pickup strainer I'd expect it to be worse when the oil was thicker/cold. Many moons ago I had the engine fail in an old banger Datsun 100A where the big ends eventually started knocking (death rattle) when warm but worked perfectly when cold - if it's getting this bad the oil has a "distinctive" smell.

Doesn't this engine have an oil pressure control valve?

The tsi is well known for producing water& vapour out of the exhaust - my CAXA does this sometimes especially when cold but mine doesn't loose coolant. Have you checked the water pumps (there are two) as these are a known fail? I believe this engine has a fairly small water capacity so is rather sensitive to coolant level. Worth checking before you start removing the engine. It has two cooling circuits with the two water pumps & thermostats - designed for rapid warm up to reduce emissions etc. What state is the radiator in - with previous issues it could be partially blocked? When warm is the temperature consistent across the core? Also any staining at the edges where it joins the core - common leak point. I does sound as thought he engine has had a previous major fail though and the way the bores are designed could spell bad news although this would possibly have show up with the compression test.

Funnily enough I drove up from Somerset to Yorkshire today, I don't know whether it was the awful weather or I had half an eye on on the fuel crisis and was driving slower than usual and my overall range combining miles done and range left in the tank crept up to 600 miles - it's normally in the 500's. Not bad but I still miss the 750mile range I could get out of my mk I Superb. Still cant put much more than 50l into it though.

Power fluid made of grapes!🍇

Hence my original question. I was wondering if there was a way of re-calibrating with VCDS etc? I've noticed the mkIII seems way better re "real life" capacity

I'd be happy with that with the lovely v6. When I bought mine price / economy was important as it was to be pressed into service on a long commute and pre dieselgate it was way cheaper by many £1000's to buy the petrol compared to the diesel. I calculated that the price difference v petrol mpg would take 15 years to equalise and by then it'd be well past the scrap stage. What I didn't factor on was how economical the 1.4tsi was going to be in real life - way better than my original sums. Courtesy of Covid my long commute is no more - v6 could be a consideration now!

That sounds something is wrong? Unless clutch is goosed and slipping it should not affect performance. In a Superb I've had a 1.9 pd diesel and currently have a previous generation EA111.4tsi petrol - the diesel was more economical but not by as much as I expected, 1.9 diesel - 50mpg whatever whereas 1.4tsi 45-50mpg sensitive to driving conditions . Deisel :- Better low rev torque Slightly better economy Petrol Sooo quiet Petrol zap - I'd forgotten the way petrol engines really pick up as the revs rise but turbo also gives good pull at lower revs No DPF no DMF(manual) The EA211 1.4 tsi seems to be one of the "good" engines External slave cylinder (2.0 CR diesel is concentric - within bellhousing) Myself - I will not buy a diesel going forward unless my annual mileage exceeds 20k miles - until Covid I was doing about 16k miles / year

I'd start cheapish - the PCV valve is know to fail and can cause crankcase pressurisation that will push oil past seals/gaskets - inc valve seals and rocker cover gaskets! I think your initial rocker cover leak might be a clue. PS If the engine has really worn pistons/bores/rings then this can also cause crankcase pressurisation.

The mkI Superb 2.0 PD (Pumpe Düse duse) has a bit of an odd ball engine that's an 8 valve implementation (most 2.0 pd cars- eg Passat had 16 valves) and is fitted with a bodge on DPF setup that also uses EOLYS fluid as part of the regen. In addition it also has been fitted with the dreaded balancer module that uses the same drive as the oil pump which self destructs either the drive chain or hex drive shaft - there are modified parts available and probably most alive these days will have probably been sorted. For me - one to avoid

I certainly got the full 62l into the mk1 - if not a bit more! and it was a little bit more economical compared to the petrol - almost always got 50mpg out of the mkI but get 45+mpg out of the petrol mkII sometimes approaching 50mpg on a good run.

My favourite now is the Michelin Crossclimate. Perfect for British weather, especially in rain but also good in cold conditions. Coped well with high temperature/speed continental runs. On my poverty spec I've also found them to be soooo quiet.

I've never really managed to get much more than 50 litres into my mkII even though it's a 60 litre tank. It might be because I stop at the first click but I suspect there is a fair bit of petrol left when my on board computer shows you have near zero miles left. Is there a procedure to check calibration? I can't complain too much as this gives me a 500+ miles range but I really miss the 700+ mile range of my old 1.9pd Superb mkI. This issue has resurfaced as I'm on a many 100's of miles UK holiday during a fuel crisis!!! I used to love getting off the ferry in Zeebrugge knowing I could get to my destination without ever having to think of filling up!

I once ran out of petrol in my mk I Octavia. The day before I'd been driving like the Pope through endless miles of speed controlled roadworks coming back to Yorkshire from Stanstead Airport - no low fuel light. The next day I tried to drive about 10 miles into town through heavy traffic- orange light came on and I fully ran out about 7 miles later before I had chance to fill up. The fuel gauge was on zero but I hadn't noticed really without the light coming on. I wondered if it was because the car computer was presuming that I'd still be maintaining the very high mpg from the previous journey. Another clue was I was driving up a hill when I ran out -there was no spluttering - it just stopped. I / it didn't do it again in 19 years of ownership!

Something isn't right there, sounds like an issue with brake servo or vacuum. I'd put the tandem pump high on the suspect list! But it could be the servo/pipework etc... Under new ownership my previous Superb 1.9pd mkI's tandem pump started failing and caused "intermittent " braking issues similar to yours getting worse over a few years - solved by replacement. It also eventually developed a diesel leak from the same pump. My Superb 1.4ts mkII doesn't have a pump as it uses good old fashioned petrol inlet manifold vacuum - working rather well although probably due some rear pads/disks now approaching 100k miles ( still fitted with originals)

Is it 4x4?

Yup - it's been a while

Oh dear that puts me in the getting on a bit phase of life then! Lapped in quite a few valves in m time. A couple of notes of caution:- Is it an Aluminium head? Carefully does it! - before getting stuck in check how air tight it is - or liquid tight to test. It might not need much doing. After lapping in make sure all trace of the lapping in paste has been thoroughly cleaned away - you don't want it grinding in/wearing out other parts of the engine - esp valve guides! I ONCE made this mistake on a Morris A series head!

Don't forget you have rights - especially in the first 30 days:- https://www.theaa.com/car-buying/legal-rights Saying that a failing battery on a car that's been sat around in the dealer system for a while is common- When my son got his 2016 Octavia at just over 3 years old it was bonging low battery even after a drive. We insisted on a new battery. It's been perfect since. PS if stop start it will be EFB or AGM and will need coding to the car.

Multiple faults inc stop/start on a car that's been stood around at a dealer for a while - my first port of call would be a new battery. If you have just bought it I'd say it's the selling dealers problem.

Fault's like this can also indicate the car battery is on the way out - errors caused by too low a voltage to run various modules etc.

I totally agree the pd was not originally designed with a DPF in mind and there were also some issues with DPF's being bodged on way to far away from the exhaust manifold meaning it never really achieved passive regeneration especially in the colder UK. The problem I mentioned with re cam shaft was that in the base pd design the unit injectors were not being pressurised mechanically by the cam when extra injection would be called for relating to active regeneration during the exhaust stroke to send diesel down to the DPF - bodge no 2 required! As you say the CR engine was designed from the ground up re DPF with a close coupled DPF / EGR - the only issue being if any of these components fail due to the close coupled nature they are between the engine and the bulkhead so difficult to get at and expensive to change (transverse engines) At the end of the day that's why the late great pd engine was quickly phased out. One other slight complication - the Superb mk II was also introduced with a 2.0 pd diesel , fairly quickly phased out!

I thought on a pd engine the mechanically driven Tandem pump was the primary fuel pump and also a vacuum pump for the Brake Servo and Vacuum System. I seem to remember that when diagnosing a vacuum issue with my mkI 1.9 pd Superb - wasn't that the reason it was called "Tandem" as it performed two functions?. Because of the North / South arrangement of the engine on a mkI Superb the tandem pump was wedged between the back of the engine (cam) and the bulkhead so a bit of a swine to get at. Was it different on the mkII 1.9pd Superb re pump type?

Isn't there a vent hose through a charcoal cannister filter?