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The problem is not solved -- it's just someone else's problem now.

Unless your TDI is highly modified, the stock air filter will allow as much air flow as your engine requires or the ECM requests. Most after-market air filter products allow more dirt to enter your engine, and you don't want that.

Only 3k miles a year? I would suggest that at least once a month you drive far enough/long enough to get the engine good and hot, so that any moisture that condenses in the engine will boil out of the oil. 30 miles or so ought to be enough. But this is necessary for any car which is used for...

Good luck with it, then.

As I said, you may want to be especially careful about this one, as it could end up costing you a lot more than think. In fact I advise against buying it.

You can start by pulling the valve cover to see what it looks like under there. If the top of the engine looks pretty clean, then the bottom end probably is too. I assume you taken it for a test drive. Does it seem to have normal power? Give it a hard workout and see if it runs or sounds...

It depends on the car you're buying. If it's a TDI (direct injection), then there are risks. If it's an older model with indirect injection, where the fuel and air are mixed before being drawn into the cylinders, then those are pretty safe. I will assume that you're referring to a TDI...

It depends on whether the powertrain warranty is no longer in effect. There are 5w40 engine oils that meet Daimler and BMW specs, and are very very similar to ones that meet VAG 507.00 -- basically the same additive package, just slightly more viscous base oil. You can compare various oil...

It is a bad idea to use veggie oil in any direct-injection diesel, whether TDI or one from another manufacturer. I understand the appeal of free or nearly-free fuel. But the amount you may save on fuel is not as much as you may lose because of damage to your engine and other components...

That sounds like a good plan -- use the WD-40 to free up the actuator, then lube it with something else.

I know that the old-style belts were smooth and shiny, while the newer-style belts had a rough finish. They are easy to tell apart visually. I know that in the US, some dealerships continued to install the old belts that they had in inventory... which was really a dirty trick to play on their...

Up until around 2001, the cambelts were made with a rubber compound, and the time in use was a factor that determined when to replace. But since then I think all TDIs have a belt made with Kevlar, and they really don't degrade over time, or they degrade very slowly. So how long should they last...

In North America, after a brief period of enthusiasm for the 506.01 oil about 3 years ago, there is almost no one still using it. Some folks ran used-oil tests and found excessive metal wear with the Elf Evolution 506.01. Others found that the only places that sold it were charging several...

You might need a custom remap to take full advantage of the new boost pipe and exhaust.

The glow plug fault is a red herring -- it has nothing to do with your problem. This sounds like a possible injector issue. If you have a pumpe-duse (PD) engine, then it might also be a cam lobe problem.

You might want to consider SMF options as well. Sometimes a little bit noisier when in neutral with pedal out, but you can get a kit able to handle a lot of power and it won't cost nearly as much.

In the US and Canada, we are starting to see a few more engine oils meeting the VW 507.00 specification -- or which are otherwise satisfactory though they meet other specs. For example, there is a Mobil 1 ESP Formula in the 5w30 viscosity which meets 504.00/507.00 and it is now available at one...

Removing the cat might permit a very slight increase in power. More noticeable, for those who have a temperature gauge installed, is that the turbo inlet temp is much lower with the cat removed and especially with a bigger downpipe. So you can run at higher speeds or with greater load for...

The 3-months and one-year charts here may help you see the underlying price trends. https://www.theice.com/productguide/ProductDetails.stripes?specId=909

Remapping is a software change, adjusting the actuator is mechanical. The people who know how to do the one thing do not know about the other.