In the worst of the winter the car started to do microsurges and/or micro-dies.
In retrospect it would happen on very cold nights e.g. minus 5 to minus 7 prob just under 120 kph at about 2900 rpm.
Just before then it started to eat oil in a variable way.
By March- ish it had evolved into occasional more concentrated surges and dieing off a bit.
By summer it became such an issue that I went back to the garage about a month after a service in July.
It was happening wholesale - esp around 2000-3000 rpm - esp on slight upward inclines on smooth roads where you cold hear and feel it, esp around 3-5th gear and it was somewhat weather depdendent - maybe worse on colder wetter morning and certainly worse driving into wind...
(I know - sounds mad)
In the garage:
They suspected the MAF sensor, swapped with another car and I was sure it cured it in a 15 min drive - . They swapped my old one back in and even on the run home you could feel the difference.
Would have been 400 plus yoyos to get a new one.
Arranged with John (Froggy) to get an old one. Meanwhile tried the fixes on here, and on internet video websites, with Halford Electrical Contact Cleaner sprayed on
- might have been slightly better with that- but minimal and it didn't disolve the black stuff described below. It was prob just a placebo effect :-/
Piccy attached. I could see that the sensor looked - on one side of the nipple size amber element - that it looked carbonized - burned out like a match top.
You're warned not to too touch it but I thought it was burned thro the element.
Got the new one yesterday at Punchestown with John and put it in last night ( I buggered up the screws so I'll be asking John for the screws at come stage).
Today was first big test drive to work (160Km round trip a day
It it was 70% on Sunday of normal, I'd say I'm 98% happy today.
I actually think the economy is better as well cos the fuel gauge is above a notch where it would usually be on a Monday evening . . . .
Tonight I played with the old one cos touching it don't matter anymore - Could see that the carbonized sh*t flaked a bit where I touched it.
Got out the cotton Q Tips and the electrical contact cleaner - it was just a layer of black carbonized gunk...... and it all was cleanable off the sensor.
I can't be sure because i don't want to bugger the screws up any more, in testing the old one; but I'd say that was what did it.....
Anyway, happy outcome 
---SORRY POOR PIC - THE ONE ON THE RIGHT IS THE "NEW ONE" YOU CAN SEE SLIGHTLY THE AMBER SLIGHTLY TRANSLUCENT APPEARANCE. THE ONE ON THE LEFT WAS THE CARBONISED BURNT OUT ONE.
Oddly the oil issue seems to have improved hugely but time will tell and I'll have a better idea on fuel economy in a few days.
In retrospect it would happen on very cold nights e.g. minus 5 to minus 7 prob just under 120 kph at about 2900 rpm.
Just before then it started to eat oil in a variable way.
By March- ish it had evolved into occasional more concentrated surges and dieing off a bit.
By summer it became such an issue that I went back to the garage about a month after a service in July.
It was happening wholesale - esp around 2000-3000 rpm - esp on slight upward inclines on smooth roads where you cold hear and feel it, esp around 3-5th gear and it was somewhat weather depdendent - maybe worse on colder wetter morning and certainly worse driving into wind...
(I know - sounds mad)
In the garage:
They suspected the MAF sensor, swapped with another car and I was sure it cured it in a 15 min drive - . They swapped my old one back in and even on the run home you could feel the difference.
Would have been 400 plus yoyos to get a new one.
Arranged with John (Froggy) to get an old one. Meanwhile tried the fixes on here, and on internet video websites, with Halford Electrical Contact Cleaner sprayed on
- might have been slightly better with that- but minimal and it didn't disolve the black stuff described below. It was prob just a placebo effect :-/
Piccy attached. I could see that the sensor looked - on one side of the nipple size amber element - that it looked carbonized - burned out like a match top.
You're warned not to too touch it but I thought it was burned thro the element.
Got the new one yesterday at Punchestown with John and put it in last night ( I buggered up the screws so I'll be asking John for the screws at come stage).
Today was first big test drive to work (160Km round trip a day
It it was 70% on Sunday of normal, I'd say I'm 98% happy today.
I actually think the economy is better as well cos the fuel gauge is above a notch where it would usually be on a Monday evening . . . . Tonight I played with the old one cos touching it don't matter anymore - Could see that the carbonized sh*t flaked a bit where I touched it.
Got out the cotton Q Tips and the electrical contact cleaner - it was just a layer of black carbonized gunk...... and it all was cleanable off the sensor.
I can't be sure because i don't want to bugger the screws up any more, in testing the old one; but I'd say that was what did it.....
Anyway, happy outcome
---SORRY POOR PIC - THE ONE ON THE RIGHT IS THE "NEW ONE" YOU CAN SEE SLIGHTLY THE AMBER SLIGHTLY TRANSLUCENT APPEARANCE. THE ONE ON THE LEFT WAS THE CARBONISED BURNT OUT ONE.
Oddly the oil issue seems to have improved hugely but time will tell and I'll have a better idea on fuel economy in a few days.