Hello folks,

Have finally got the SLX TDI estate on the road 3 months after expected as i was sent away for work. Any way, decided to christen it with a 400 mile drive and found the performance rather lacking to the extent of really missing my faithfull citroen zx 1.4i when ever i needed to overtake!!! (Only just crawled past a 1992 1.4 fiesta up a slip road, nearly cried!)

Have checked the actuator on the turbo which seams to move easily enough even without dissconnecting the vacuum hose, how easily and how far should it move??

Next step is definately a bit of VAGCOM action, hope it is just the MAF thats gone.

Another issue is a sort of intermittent judder from the brakes when slowly coming to a halt, feels a bit like warped discs but it is only intermittent and there arnt any dodgey noises etc, it only seems to do it when its out of gear, sure i read somewhere the vacuum for the brake servo can be affected by a split/leaky hose that can also affect performance.

The car is 1999 and has covered 63K miles with a FSSH but has rarely exceeded 2500rpm, economy seems ok, managed 57MPG at around 70MPH.

Finally to the point....Does any one know of a skoda specialist in cornwall/plymouth? Reluctant to visit the main stealer after they charged my dad

Sounds definately like a faulty MAF. However I was unable to move the actuator on the turbo without disconnecting the hose (not that I got around to disconnecting the hose though!). Unplug the MAF and take the car for a drive - if the performance is still the same (ie. cr@p), then you have a pretty good indicator as to the problem..... New MAF from ebay, or exchange via a dealer.

I bought my 2001 nearly 2 years ago (about 2 months shy) with about 70k on it (FSH) - now up to 104k without FSH - but since then have done virtually everything myself! I am based on Dorset, and would struggle to recommend a decent dealer in their area!

Have always done everything myself too but the octy is still a mystery to me under the bonnet. Bit more complicated that the 205 diesel and zx i used to drive!! Still trying to memorise the haynes manual.

I'm hoping it is the MAF sensor too, its never quite the same whenever i drive it, sometimes it pulls strongly but only between 1900 and 2100 rpm, otherdays its just flat all the time. Think i'll prob just get a new MAF and see wot happens! Unfortuneately i have never driven it with all systems go so to speak!

If you can get to me near Exeter, I'll gladly do a vag com scan for you to see what's been logged.

Thats great, may well take you up on that sometime soon. I'm always passing exeter. Where are you exactly?!

Thats great, may well take you up on that sometime soon. I'm always passing exeter. Where are you exactly?!

Dawlish, just down the A379 from Exeter.

Have always done everything myself too but the octy is still a mystery to me under the bonnet. Bit more complicated that the 205 diesel and zx i used to drive!! Still trying to memorise the haynes manual.

I'm hoping it is the MAF sensor too, its never quite the same whenever i drive it, sometimes it pulls strongly but only between 1900 and 2100 rpm, otherdays its just flat all the time. Think i'll prob just get a new MAF and see wot happens! Unfortuneately i have never driven it with all systems go so to speak!

Oh dear... that sounds like how mine was once... and I was told I needed a new turbo Mine still plays up, but I am now inclinded to believe the issues with mine are vacuum related.

Hope and pray its not the turbo, old car cost about

My mechanic changed the turbo in 3 hours (never having done the octy before in his life), and that was the same lenght of time quoted by a skoda dealer. One dealer suggested removing a driveshaft to make it easier, but my bloke did not bother.

If replacing then you need new gaskets, and quite possibly a new oil feed pipe as well (they quite often break), my mechanic did not break mine, so my spare is sitting in the garage!

My last car never cost me anything apart from MoTs, tyres, brake pads, oil, brake fluid, filters and diesel. Shame the same can't be said about the Octy (and my previous car was a Fench!), infact the previous two cars never cost me any more than the consumable parts listed above!

My citroen zx was the same, Visted a garage once for a new clutch in the past 45000 miles, old 205 just as reliable. Think french cars often get alot of undue bad press, except renaults:D

I'd agree that PSA cars get slated when they really don't deserve it.

Certainly true in the case of the older dervs anyway.

and then I sold my 306 to my brother and it started to break:

- low pressure fuel pump

- drivers electic window

- rear wiper

hehehe!

Bit of an update......

took the MAF out today just to have a look at the blighter and read the part nos off it just in case..Put it back and took the car for a run, sounded rougher and was defo slower than before.

Then i reconnected it and the performance was much better, even a bit of occaisional wheel spin in second uphill on a damp road. Think i'll leave it till after christmas before i investigate further