golf plus 2.0tdi.... not too good on fuel

[sixaxles]

now then, we bought our plus when it was about 2 years old and had 20k on the clock as we were planning on having kids and the little 106 GTI was clearly not going to be big enough!! from the day we picked it up it averaged around 42mpg, which I have to say I wasn't thrilled by, I was expecting more like 50mpg, not enough of a problem to really start bothering anyone we've just used it like any normal car from then on, now having covered a further 65k with relative ease its now doing only 38mpg. further to this everyone I know with a 2.0tdi gets 50mpg at least - so now its bothering me, especially as I've stopped being the operator of lorries and have to actually pay pump prices like everyone else, the time has come to try and get it sorted..... where do I need to be looking? my gut feeling is that it needs setting up on a computer because the software that governs whats what is adrift somewhere?? all filters have been changed and the car is serviced correctly..... please help

[zollaf]

get it on a computer, vcds, see if any codes are stored and go for a drive whilst someone observes live data and see if all looks correct. obviuosly it needs to be serviced recently, mainly having a clean air filter, and all tyre presssures correct.

[sixaxles]

having read some of the other threads on fuel consumption it would seem the dash mpg can be a little "optimistic" and more true figures seem pretty close to ours, I still think it could be better. our dash is showing the correct figure though - I've worked it out the old fashioned way .