Volkswagen Golf IV - Would diesel engine wear show in the MOT smoke tes

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Sat 12 Oct 2013 19:54
Volkswagen Golf IV - Would diesel engine wear show in the MOT smoke tes - ChiefCakeEater

Hi all, I'm new to the forum and wondered if someone could help me with a diesel engine question.

I've spotted a VW Golf E SDI I like. It looks reasonably well cared for, and only about 70000 miles for a car over 10 years old. Unfortunately the service history is a bit patchy. The general condition of the car suggests the receipts were lost or not filed rather than the servicing was never done, however, I'm slightly wary in case it's the latter.

The most recent MOT smoke opacity test gave a value of 0.58. Does anyone know if engine wear would have shown up in this test? Is 0.58 a good, middle or bad value? Or am I just trying to read too much into one number?

Thanks for any help

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Sat 12 Oct 2013 20:31
Volkswagen Golf IV - Would diesel engine wear show in the MOT smoke tes - dieselnut

Engine wear that caused it to burn oil would show, but 0.58 is a very good figure so that shouldn't be a problem. Having poor service history could mean there is a problem proving the mileage is correct. Check back on the on-line MOT records & try to establish the mileage is correct. Otherwise they are a good reliable, economical, allbeit relativly slow car.

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Sun 13 Oct 2013 17:10
Volkswagen Golf IV - Would diesel engine wear show in the MOT smoke tes - The-Mechanic

Yes, 0.58 is a very good result. To give you some idea, a turbo diesel registered after 1st July 2008 has to be below 1.5. For a non turbo registered before 2008 the limit is below 2.5 so 0.58 indicates that at time of test is was running well.

As has been said, these engines will never set the world on fire with it's performance. ( around 67 bhp ) but they tend to suffer less problems than the turbo engines as they are relatively unstressed in comparison. We have, at work, a 2002 Caddy van with this engine and it has covered over 255'000 miles and is still going strong so they are reliable and able to cover large mileages.

The Golf tends to hide it's age well and still look good with some mileage / wear on them, but a rough one should stand out with rattles, shonky paint and noisy engines / gearboxes.

Judging by your description this one sounds like a sound 'un. Just use your eyes and ears on a roadtest and see how it goes.

Edited by The-Mechanic on 13/10/2013 at 17:13

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Sun 13 Oct 2013 18:19
Volkswagen Golf IV - Would diesel engine wear show in the MOT smoke tes - jc2

A diesel with 70,000mls. is barely run-in!!!

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Sun 13 Oct 2013 18:35
Volkswagen Golf IV - Would diesel engine wear show in the MOT smoke tes - injection doc
One important point to remember is a sporadic service history could be a mask for a clocked vehicle !
You have been warned !
There are plenty of cars out there for sale without buying one with a chequered history !
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Tue 29 Oct 2013 20:05
Volkswagen Golf IV - Would diesel engine wear show in the MOT smoke tes - ChiefCakeEater

Thanks for all the helpful replies.

I checked the mileage records on previous MOT tests, and paid for some more mileage checks that pre-dated computerisation of MOT tests. All of the mileage checks were in order, and the gearbox is still fairly tight (gear stick can't be moved in a large circle, unlike my old car), so I decided the car was genuine mileage in reasonable condition and bought it.

Thanks again to everyone who contributed :-)

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