'03 Polo Playa 1.4 TDi - Please advise

[Delco]

Hi Guys

I hope someone could shed some light on some of my problems, cause it seems the VW-Dealers are out to rob me of my money!

1. I have the turbo that sometimes cuts out but has now after my service and a "reset to factory defaults" by the so experienced VW mechs gone to the stage where if I putt too much strain on the turbo, it just cuts out completely, any help?
2. The car has a strange tendency, when I start in the morning (I don't drive my cold car hard) between about 2 and 3km of distance travelled, the car starts jerking and couching for about a kilometre as if losing power (not even in the turbo powerband yet and sometimes not even foot on the gas) before it returns to normal, this makes my stomach turn cause I'm waiting to break down... any advise?
3. The following has happened to me once, I'd driven about 4km when I pulled into my brother-in-laws driveway and the car started shaking like these really old diesel models of the late '70 early 80's Passat models, I opened the hood and found that the engine was shaking in all directions as if something that needed to balance it had gone for a crap! Switched off, switched on, no problem and hasn't happened again, touch wood! Any idea?

I'm so fed up with these back yard mechanics, before my VW I had a BMW and those guys were taking me for every cent, now with the VW the dealers are taking every cent, every freakin service I'll hear from one or the other monkey that your turbo this, your turbo that... these include, the oil is running back into your turbo meaning the seals are leaking, this was 2 years ago, haven't had to replace the seals, then this other clown tells me with the last service that they don't change oil on the 1.4 turbo cause it runs on the same oil that runs the motor. And that if my car's turbo goes, it's gone cost me a liver on the black market to get it fixed and that I must sell it... These guys obviously don't buy there own cars, I can't sell cause I owe toooooo much on it! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE HELP IF POSSIBLE.

Thx.

[Crasher]

Did you get a fault code report with the service?

[Delco]

No, didn't get any error codes, they never showed me any report.

Oh, I also remembered...

4. Intermittant problem that occurs when driving, especially on the highway, the battery led on the dashboard will light up but flicker with no special pattern to it and then go away...

[Crasher]

Check the fuses on top of the battery and that the battery connections are tight. If all seems OK, get a fault code read done.

[Delco]

Hi, I hope this will shed light on someone elses problem in future. In my questions I asked, the solution or nr 2 and 3, was related to the injector on the 3rd cylinder, it was not firing. The VW agents were going to repair at a huge cost to me, however the technician put everything back again and the problem seem to have been resolved. I spoke to a guy who recons injectors, he told me that it normally is the electrical connector on the injectors that get dirty because they run in oil and opening and cleaning and reseating normally resolves this issue, however he also mentioned that in some cases it is the wiring harness that might also be damaged. Now getting back to the cost, actual injector R6,500.00 (GBP 433.00) in South Africa, total cost including labour, about R10,000.00 (GBP 655.00) from VW. The Bosch-Diesel Electric agents sell the actual injector R4,500.00 (GBP 300.00) but they will tell you that you need to replace all 3 on a 3 cylinder model etc. This however is not the case and besides who walks around with that kind of cash. Also finding someone who could recon them would be prima! I hope this will shed some light for someone else who might have a similar problem in future... As for the turbo cutting out, I haven't experienced this again either...
Have asfe journey!