Just bought a 2001 Octavia TDi Estate Ambience

[smiler03]

Hi everybody, just bought this car a few days ago and made a longish journey in it of about 400 miles. It was apparent to me shortly after collecting the car that somethiing was amiss. Just to elaborate, I have owned a turbodiesel 1.9 before, a Xantia.

As I live in the Durham dales, there are lots of steep hills about. My Octavia can barely exceed 50 mph up a hill, and that's in 3rd gear.. on the gradient scale, I'm talking about a 1 in 20 hill, or 5% as I think they're now classified as. Downhill it is fine, but the turbo never seems to kick in, except when the engine is cold. Something, and I don't know what happens about 4000rpm, the engine acts as if the rev limiter has been hit and then it just has no power at all. On the flat I doubt it could exceed 80 mph, and tackling the M62 highest part was a nightmare, I had to use the inside lane all the time.

So have I got a known turbo fault? Or is it probably knackered? I doubt the dealer I bought it from will be interested as I never got to test drive it and believe I have no warranty.

The car has 83,000 on the clock, one previous owner from new, and a fully stamped up Skoda service manual, but no receipts. The car got a new 12 month MOT the day before I collected it.

Oh, and I'm fairly mechanically inept, I want to keep this car for years and keep it main dealer serviced.

I'd be very grateful for any feedback from anybody, apart from derisory comments of course. I was in a huge hurry when i bought the car and the dealer was very good at seeing the sale through very quickly.

Cheers,

Ian

[chasb]

It sounds to me l like you have a problem with your MAF

Mass Airflow Sensor

I had the same problem on my tdi Octavia

it seems this is a common problem across all VAG tdi's, I have seen a lot of discussions of this in the internet

my symptoms were, after about 3500 revs the engine lost all power.

funnily enough if you stop the car and restart the engine the sensor will be reset and things might be ok until it goes wrong again

the repair, a new sensor cost me 100gbp

Chas.

[heresmo]

:wavey: Hello Ian

Lots of people here will try to help if they can and I see chasb has replied already. Occasionally people do pull each others' legs, though all in good humour as it is an informal forum.

Can I suggest you copy your post into the dedicated Octavia forum (you can use cut and paste) where the Octy owners tend to hang out?

Good Luck

Mo

[Dr Zoidberg]

The dealer can't get away with saying that the car was sold as seen so the first step should be to go back to them.

As has been said the MAF is a likely cause.

Can you hear the turbo spin up at all?

Start the car with the windows down and rev the engine and you should hear it whistle at about 1800 rpm

[smiler03]

Dear chasb, heresmo and Dr zoidberg, thank you all so much for your replies

I spent a long time last night reading all over the forum and found a wealth of advice. Including the reference to the MAF sensor.

I'm fairly sure that's what it is. Today I drove about 20 miles up hill and down dale and deliberately avoided going over 3000 rpm, and yes, my turbo works!!! It's when I hit somewhere between 3500-4000 rpm that the engine goes... urrghhhh, then no more turbo at any revs. My old Vauxhall Omega petrol had a similar problem and went into limp home mode. I think that's what is happening here.

The forum is great and I will be a regular reader, thank you all so much for your help, I'll keep this page updated to let you know, it's just finding enough time in the days of the week to take it into the local dealer

Oh, and I'm loving the car, She's everything I ever wanted, but don't tell the Wife

Regards,

Ian

[DGW]

Welcome to Briskoda. Did you buy the car from a Skoda dealer?

[gayle_vrs]

welcome:)

[smiler03]

Welcome to Briskoda. Did you buy the car from a Skoda dealer?

No I didn't Denis, I bought it from a dealer in Chester-Le-Street, Co. Durham. They "specialise" in cheap cars at no haggling required prices, I still haven't contacted them to see if they'll pay for the repair. Who knows, maybe they will... at this point I have no gripes with the dealer at all.

Regards,

Ian

[smiler03]

welcome:)

[smiler03]

welcome:)

Many thanks Gayle, I'm beginning to feel at home!

I bought the TDi for the most obvious reason, fuel economy, and it's working. I'm a boy racer at heart. My third ever car I bought was a Peugeout 205GTi. That was hast as hell, it's hard to imagine what a 180bhp Octavia must be like. Care to swap cars sometime? lol, just kidding, I should be so lucky, lucky lucky lucky!

Ian

[smiler03]

Hi Everybody

Since I posted my original problem with my turbo (as in diesel), the problema has REMARKABLY and thankfully cured itself. Maybe there were some cobwebs or something?. It now shoots up hills as it should do, and I also recorded my first 100mph on a local A road (but don't tell the Old Bill )

Many thanks to you all for the help you gave when I asked for it, as Ali G would say... RESCPEC!!!

Ian

PS Averaging 52mpg on a run, and about 48mpg on local commuting, what a marvellous car!!!