Golf-Fiend

Sadly said goodbye to my beloved 2.0TDi BKD Mk2 of the last 18 years on Sunday. It was a very sad moment. Almost like grieving a relative. At 22 years old she was still a stunner. It was the best car I ever have owned. It was loved, cherished and pampered. Always reliable. Always started (except when I left the lights on). Comfortable. Solid. Economical. I wondered why I was getting rid as I drove it to Oxford and back last Saturday. Alas, she is gone..... Not moving far from the fold though. Getting a MK3 Estate on a 2020 plate so last of the MK3's before the MK4's Not picked it up yet but hope it's every bit as good as this one.

On side of cylinder head towards battery under the MAF ducting. Fairly easy to replace but you'll lose some coolant. Pop an ice cream tub under it to catch coolant. Bosch or Febi equivalent.

I believe the 2.0 16v TDi doesn't have a copper seal. Well it's not in the seal kits that are available for the BKD engine. See: Seal Kit

Yes and No. On the wife's Polo it was transformational. Reception was crystal clear. On mine it seems the reverse! It is worse and the secret menu shows ANT OFF. Maybe it was a duff base. I had bought one that suited the Octavia from the 'bay. Now bought the same one I used in the Polo so when I get a chance and the weather permits I'll swap it over and let you know.

2004 2.0TDi BKD engine. My car was feeling a little sluggish and producing quite a bit of black smoke and the mpg had dipped so thought I'd refresh the MAF and whilst at it the MAP sensors. I bought some cheap-ish ones from Autodoc. They were apparently the same as the OEM items. They seemed fine and fit well. The car drove well but something felt a bit 'off'. Couldn't put my finger on it but it had the occasional hic-cup at lower revs in traffic. Bit the bullet and bought Bosch replacements and immediately the car felt better, smoother and quiter and that was just starting it and idling. On a test drive it felt smoother with a little more low down torque. Maybe placebo but better than the cheap parts. Lesson learnt - don't buy cheap sensors. They are not as good. Also the MAP sensor was a pig to get to.

Yeah! Tried one on wife's car with adjustable grips. It was a PITA. Did mine a few weeks later and bought a cheap 22mm and made life a lot easier.

Easy to do but the headlining is quite stiff. Easier if you remove the plastic C Pillar trims either side. Also a 22mm open end spanner is really useful to loosen and tighten the nut.

Hi. Depends on age of car but my '54 Plate 2.0 TDi had a coolant bottle that had fatigued over time and the side had gone porous. I thought I was losing a bit of coolant due to a headgasket fault or a waterpump leak. Turns out it was the expansion bottle. Got one from Autodoc for around a Twenty and fitted it. Topped up with 1 liter of red coolant G12+ and it's been fine.

Mine disintegrated years ago. Just took the remnants off and vaccuumed the top of the engine to get the foam bits off. Can't say I noticed any difference in noise etc.

Clearly the solution is to buy another Skoda. Skoda drivers are Happy Drivers!!

Scotland and around and back. About 1200 miles. Didn't miss a beat and returned about 57mpg. Happy days!

Just had MOT today. Passed. No advisories! I love this car. Best car I've ever owned. Had it for 17 years and found no reason to change it. Bought it at 4 years old with 27k on the clock. Now done 140k. Not bad for a 21 year old, eh?

Don't buy cheap ones. They are either too strong and a PITA to close and they don't open smoothly. They also might be wrong and you'll have to send them back. Don't ask how I know. I still have the cheap, correct ones fitted and keep meaning to refit the old knackered ones as they were better. Also the cheap ones rust more compared to my 21 year old struts.

It wouldn't pass an MOT with a split cv gaiter. So it either has or hasn't an MOT? How long ago was MOT and how long ago did you notice gaiter split?

On cold engine. Start car and let it idle. Place palm of hand (gloves optional) over each pipe You'll soon tell if it's fake or not.

7 Miles in reverse? Its not that far.

I'd never have anything other than a VAG brand. I've had VAGs for 40 years. Always bought 2nd hand and always used a VW independent for repairs if i cant DIY it. Parts are cheap, reliable and plentiful. Well engineered and mostly well thought out. Current Octavia is now 20+ years old. A smooth and economical drive. Won't be changing anytime soon. There's genuine bad luck and then there's bad luck brought on yourself.

Glad to hear the BKD has improved. Mine smokes under hard acceleration but it has since I got it at 26k miles. It's only the first couple of times. After that it's Clean. I try to do this as often as possible when on dual carriageways etc. I get slightly better pence/mile using Supreme Diesel. Very similar. My worst pence/mile is using standard diesel according to my Drivvo app. It cheaper than buying expensive additives.

But then VAG go and do something really stupid like the changing of headlight bulbs on a Polo 9n3 TDi offside cluster!!! If you've done it you'll never forget!!

Very very easy to do. Probably the easiest thing to do on a Skoda. I can't think of an easier job. Easier than the easy headlight bulbs. Mine was making a noise but all speeds were working so I just dropped it out and used some engine oil on the bearings and popped it back in. Been quiet ever since. If noise returns I'll keep doing the same until it dies.

I have a BKD on 110 000 miles. Had the turbo replaced at 30k Miles under warranty thank god at main dealers. That was 2009 and cost £1200! What mpg are you getting? Actual via filled tank etc not the onboard display which is vastly over optimistic. I get from 39 mostly urban to 63 on long M-way journeys. Which I think shows a fairly healthy engine.

Can't recall I'm afraid as it was agt least 7 years ago now. My mate plugged it in and it was easy to navigatge to injector info. It shows variation on one of the blocks. Usual it will be +/- 1.0 or less. One of mine showed 3 which is maximum deviation so identified the injector for replacement. However I was getting quite a bit of smoke at start up in the mornings where the injector had leaked into the cylinder. Hope this helps?

Really you need to get a VCDS scan and check injector quantities for variation. I bet one has a bad spray pattern or is leaking. Bad thing about PD injectors is that they are hellishly expensive to buy new. Good thing about them is you can buy them cheap 2nd hand. You'd need a diesel specialist to check spray pattern before fitting if this is required. I did this several years back and it was fine.

Yeah, condensation is a thing with these older cars. Mine's 20 and I've grown used to it now. I change my pollen filter regularly, carpets are dry, door seals lubed with silicone spray, aircon running most days, windscreen kept scrupulously clean inside and out and yet some mornings I have thick condensation on the inside and have to wait 5 or more mins for it to clear. One annoying thing is on those days where there might have been condensation or there is a tiny bit and I drive off and the aircon kicks it it immediately obscures my windows!! So much so I have to stop and let it clear. Only in extreme situations do I use a Squeegee on the inside of the window.

Apparently Archoil Diesel additive is good. Also when was air filter last changed? Maybe a new one or remove it completely for the test. Use Diesel Supreme for a bit. My 2.0tdi actually costs less per mile to run on that stuff according to my fuel app.