Let's play a guessing game...

[ParaBul]

That is a load of rubbish, some dealers are just either plain dumb, stupid or think their customers are. Pull the computer out and put it in another car, we do it all the time with any component we need to test. Do not put a known good component in a car with a fault always the other way round.

Really? You're calling me dumb or stupid? Have we met?

Modern cars typically have 8 (if not more) ECUs all interconnected on a CANbus system. For many cars, if you try to swap one without coding it properly the others detect a problem and the immobiliser won't let the car run - see ECU Replacement - VW GTI MKVI Forum / VW Golf R Forum / VW Golf MKVI Forum / VW GTI Forum - Golfmk6.com for an example. You get in an expensive contractor to re-code ECUs all the time?

Anyway, Solitaire came through with a loan car last Tuesday - I picked up a Polo Bluemotion with DSG on Wednesday morning. Impressively economical (almost as efficient as the GTD when driving gently) and enough power / throttle response to keep up with traffic. Not overly impressed by the response if the transmission if I asked it to go in the wrong gear, but the GTD probably only feels better because I typically drive it in manual mode and use the flappy paddles.

The Golf came back today. Phone call this morning to say the new ECU fixed the problem, then they completed a service and even gave it a wash - which is good, because the poor thing had been looking embarrassingly unloved.

The first couple of times I braked it pulled up hard - I guess the Polo has a higher pedal pressure, not that I noticed while I was driving it. I already miss the Polo's MFD & dash unit - I find it staggering how much better a current base model Polo is when compared to a Mk6 that (I thought) was a high-end model. All in all, I'd rather have the GTD - but (for various reasons - not just this experience) I may put it on the market soon.