I just read the post about keeping your fabia above 2000 rpm.I keep my fabia vrs at around 2000 rpm when changing gears and it seems fine.I regularly see 55-60 mpg average on my run to work which consists of about 10 miles of motorway and 5 miles of country roads in reasonably heavy traffic.Whats worrying me now is am i doing my car more damage by driving it like this.I get a small puff of smoke from the exhaust under hard acceleration so is my fab all choked up?

ps.still getting squeaking from the dash,grinding brakes and a squeaky drivers seat despite having it looked at by the dealership.

No, the reason the say about 2000 rpm is because that is when the turbo kicks in so you have the benefits of that. Below 2000 rpm and the engine is running as an sdi so to speak.

Below 2000 rpm and the engine is running as an sdi so to speak.

Not strictly true - if this was the case, peak torque would not be at 1900rpm. The issue being discussed does to some extent relate to the engine being laboured. In reality, there is no problem with running the engine at a constant speed at 1600rpm in say 3rd/4th gear as long as the road is flat. This does not put undue strain on the engine. Doing the same thing up a steep hill is different.

Certainly when accelerating / overtaking, it is better (both in terms of acceleration and engine wear) to use >2000rpm. The same applies when going up hill or pulling a load (eg. trailer or even worse Caravan!!! ).

Take the revs up to and past 4k or so every now and again (or more often if you overtake a lot ) to keep the turbo healthy and clear out the EGR system. You'll know when the engine is under strain as it will sound uncomfortable. At this point, change down... Look after your car and it will look after you.