I am the retired owner of an 02 1.9TDi comfort estate and would like to know if there are any ways to minimise the expensive replacements detailed on this forum.

The car has done 40K carefully driven miles with FSH and shows no signs of problems at the moment.I use Castrol Edge engine oil and BP ultimate diesel with Millers Sport 4 additive.

The parts that concern me from reading the forum are: Turbo charger,Fuel injection pump,Clutch,Dual mass flywheel,Power steering pump and sensor.I think that's all But if any knows of any more dubious bits please tell me.

I have recently had a new Anti roll bar and it is about to go in for a new cambelt and tensioners on the 4year rule.Having read the forum I think I will have a new water pump at the same time.

The standard door leaks have all been cured with Tiger Seal!

I bought the car expecting long trouble free life from a diesel,but the members experiences make me wonder if a high tech diesel is worth it over a petrol for a low mileage driver like me(8K per yr).I don't normally use the power so does the steady driving help or is there more I can do.If I am still likely to face hefty bills,on balance would I be better off selling it and replacing with a similar aged petrol motor.

What about the pensioners Mr. Brown!!

I think the majority of people who report parts failure are the ones who tend to 'abuse' their cars, and expect more of them than they reasonably should.

I only do about 8k miles a year, and although I tend to drive enthusiastically, I treat my mechanical bits with respect, and ( touch wood ) have had no problems at all with the 4 Skodas I have had in the last year, all diesel btw.

Just drive smooth, keep up the service history, and make sure you use all the power from time to time to keep the engine sweet

As Tom says, driving slowly all of the time can be bad for a turbo charged engine. It is worth pushin gthe car hard right through the rev range occasionally to ensure you reduce the risk of deposits inside the turbo.

Make sure the engine is fully warmed before doing this though.

Based on your estimated mileage I would suggest that you're best off keeping the current car. That engine should be good for 100,000+ miles.

I have to say the TDi engine is pretty much bulletproof... 100k miles on my tuned Fabia vRS and im still on std clutch, flywheel and turbo... ive had no problems whatsoever.. there have only been very few cases of major mechanical failure on these cars that have not been due a remap.. you have nothing to worry about

Just drive smooth, keep up the service history, and make sure you use all the power from time to time to keep the engine sweet

And also to ensure that the variable vanes in the turbo don't stick

Chris

Allow the turbo to cool by letting the car idle for a little while after a run. It's fine after round town driving but after a motorway run or something, let it tick over for about a minute before shutting the engine off. This will prolong turbo life to a degree.

Thanks for all the helpful advice,most reassuring.

I shall keep the car and feel much less worried about doing so.

Cheers

No probs. There's tons of stuff you can do, but mostly it's along the lines of doing preventative maintenance when required and on time, and also not abusing the car in order to provide maximum lifespan on the various components. Cleaning it regularly, having things fixed/ serviced promptly and regularly and not asking things of the car that it's not meant to do is the key IMO.

Also, make sure your driving habit's don't involve flooring it at low revs in high gears and don't ride the clutch.