Slown ranger

I am having trouble with my 2006 VW Golf TDI and wondered if you might have any thoughts. I am not technologically literate, but I understand that the engine has a turbo so that when you press the accelerator you can feel a real surge of power. Unfortunately, this does not happen on a regular basis and when travelling up a hill (particularly with a passenger or passengers), the car will not respond and I am lucky to get 20mph out of it. The car is an automatic and sometimes in this situation, it will rev loudly as if out of gear, but does not go any faster. The problem is most noticeable, as I say on hills when the car is perhaps labouring, but it can happen anywhere. I have had the car checked over when it was last serviced. The explanation given for the problem was that since I am an OAP and drive fairly carefully (you know, the type who irritates other drivers by sticking to the speed limits) the car is not operating at its optimum and so the turbo is getting clogged up. The engine was given some kind of chemical wash and the garage thought that this had dealt with the problem. Unfortunately, it seems to have made little difference. After 18 years and 172, 000 miles of trouble-free motoring (apart from having to replace the clutch cable on a couple of occasions) in my lovely Rover 218 SD, I feel thoroughly disappointed with the VW. With only 22,000 miles on the clock, I have had to have a new cam belt (service requirement) and now have this problem with the turbo. Any suggestions would be gratefully received; even if it is to recommend an alternative vehicle, which would be more suitable for an old couple who just want to tootle along to the shops and have an occasional day out.

Asked on 9 January 2010 by NP, Dorking,

Answered by Honest John
Repair and replacement costs for a diesel are now so high that unless you are doing more than 15,000 miles a year they cannot be financially justified. In your case, either the EGR valve or the diesel particulate filter or both are getting choked because you are not driving the car far enough and at sufficiently high engine revs after cold starts. Better stick to petrol because though fuel costs are higher, overall running costs are now much lower. A far better bet is the Honda Jazz, which once again comes with a CVT-7 transmission in place of the somewhat disliked I-Shift. Other contenders are the Nissan Note 1.6 auto, the KIA Venga 1.6 auto or the Hyundai ix20 1.6 auto.
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