I left my car with a local mechanic yesterday and got it back in the afternoon in exchange for a £ 330 cheque, obviously not pleased as I only purchased it mid March.

A warning light came on a few weeks ago, but the car was driving perfectly and the fuel economy unaffected. The fault code was P2100, Throttle actuator control motor circuit open. The mechanic checked it out and had to replace the unit which cost £300.

The VAG Dealer had 4 units in stock which tells a story, and sells 2 or 3 weekly!

Can anyone advise,what is the purpose of this unit and, could I have ignored the fault?

Incidentally my mechanic is a Renault electronic expert, brave man considering their reputation. He also earns a lot of money repairing window regulators, especially VAG units which seem to be especially troublesome.

Oh dear, sorry to hear about your problems, in't your car under warranty?

Could you have not gone back to dealer and claimed under SOGA? No way would I pay out for anything on a two year old car!

Oh dear, sorry to hear about your problems, in't your car under warranty?

Bought from independent dealer in Birmingham, 90000 miles so outside Skoda warranty. The Dealer was offering an insurance warranty but when he checked up, it only applied on mainland UK. To be fair he gave me extra discount in lieu and the car only cost me £7300 and there was a towbar fitted which I needed in any case.

On the plus side my insurance came in today at £134, comp, £100 excess with protected NCD and full recovery cover. Must be a mistake somewhere but all details correct so I phoned up and renewed quickly. It's with one of the best companies, NFU Mutual, and I was expecting over £300. My mood has now improved somewhat.

Bought from independent dealer in Birmingham, 90000 miles so outside Skoda warranty. The Dealer was offering an insurance warranty but when he checked up, it only applied on mainland UK. To be fair he gave me extra discount in lieu and the car only cost me £7300 and there was a towbar fitted which I needed in any case.

On the plus side my insurance came in today at £134, comp, £100 excess with protected NCD and full recovery cover. Must be a mistake somewhere but all details correct so I phoned up and renewed quickly. It's with one of the best companies, NFU Mutual, and I was expecting over £300. My mood has now improved somewhat.

That'll be the ying-yang balance kicking in I expect

But seriously, sorry to hear about the problem and hope it's the last one you have, overall the octy is a great car as I'm sure you're finding out (apart from the obvious!). As to the refused extended warranty I've never understood why these companies discriminate against non-mainland uk as for the life of me I can't see what difference it makes if you are driving around in antrim or lancashire - a road is a road and a car is a car after all...

A warning light came on a few weeks ago, but the car was driving perfectly and the fuel economy unaffected. The fault code was P2100, Throttle actuator control motor circuit open. The mechanic checked it out and had to replace the unit which cost £300.

This fault intrigues me as, this was the most consistent of the opcodes on my Vauxhall that I got rid of for my Octy. I traded it in more because of the dreadful mpg and the dealer quote of £1700 for an exhaust, but the car drove just the same after the warning light came on as it did before.

Maybe I'm dumb, but the "Throttle actuator control motor circuit " sounds like something important, and the cost of the replacement complete Vaux throttle assembly was much more than £300, so one would think a fault would make a big difference. It wasn't the cause of the poor mpg, as that was the same pre-light as after.

Must try NFU next time for the Octy. They have always been great for the Land Rovers, but were hopelessly overpriced when I tried to get a quote for a Fiests. I like the way you talk to a real person who has to walk over to a filing cabinet.

This fault intrigues me as, this was the most consistent of the opcodes on my Vauxhall that I got rid of for my Octy. I traded it in more because of the dreadful mpg and the dealer quote of £1700 for an exhaust, but the car drove just the same after the warning light came on as it did before.

Maybe I'm dumb, but the "Throttle actuator control motor circuit " sounds like something important, and the cost of the replacement complete Vaux throttle assembly was much more than £300, so one would think a fault would make a big difference. It wasn't the cause of the poor mpg, as that was the same pre-light as after.

Must try NFU next time for the Octy. They have always been great for the Land Rovers, but were hopelessly overpriced when I tried to get a quote for a Fiests. I like the way you talk to a real person who has to walk over to a filing cabinet.

I've put the problem down to bad luck as the cars have a good reputation.

As to the NFU, I must admit I'm biased as I was an Agent with them for 21 years and retired early a few months ago to take life easier and restore a Fiat 128 3p and (dare I say it) a Vauxhall Firenza.

I was always supportive of the NFU, we were often expensive, but I can remember claims being paid to loyal customers where many other companies would certainly have declined cover.