I have an Octavia TDi 1.9 estate, 2002. I've noticed today that the car seems to be lacking power.

Q. Is there any easy way to check to see whether the turbo is working properly?

I didn't feel any extra 'pull' when I accelerated and I can't recall hearing the whine of the turbo. Is there a more scientific way of checking that all is OK that doesn't involve taking the car to bits?

I've had some problems in the past two weeks which may be connected?

Coming home from work the coolant light came on. I pulled over and added coolant, only to see it pool on the ground next to my tyre.

Got car to the garage who looked at it and told me that the radiator had split due to rust. This was replaced.

Collected the car from the garage and the coolant light came on again - just as I was getting back home. The following morning I opened the bonnet to find that the hose at the top RHS, which should connect to the radiator was disconnected. Garage collected car. Hoses reconnected. Pressure test seemed OK. Head gasket check - all OK. Garage could only suggest that they had not connected the hoses (both had come off) properly . This was a week ago.

Sounds like another case of an inept mechanic - probably left something else disconnected or something got hot & wet that shouldn't have, 'probably' nothing serious though.

Do you want to go back again? Best chance of getting it fixed free I suppose.

Or go somewhere else and send them the bill if it was their incompetence (don't expect them to settle without a fight though and you'll probably 'have' to give them first refusal to fix it F.O.C. themselves).

Go somewhere quiet, with a handy wall.

Position your car with the driver's side next to the wall.

Drop your window.

Accelerate from rest, changing up at about 2_000 rpm.

You should hear the turbo coming in and out as the revs build and drop (it works on my 110, even with the CD player going).

I think Kandy's covered everything else pretty adequately. I'd be low on confidence about the garage in question too.