Why is my Volkswagen Golf diesel so easy to stall?

After many years driving petrol-injected engines (Volkswagen, Vauxhall and BMW) I changed to a Volkswagen Golf 2-litre diesel turbo (140bhp) last year. It is a lovely car but I find that it is very easy to stall it by letting the revs drop, when pulling away from junctions or stopping suddenly (pheasant in road), or even cornering at low speed. Is this likely to be my poor technique or a characteristic of the engine, or fuel flow being poor? The problem does seem to be getting worse but a recent service found nothing.

Asked on 19 July 2010 by bonxie

Answered by David Ross
These engines aren't usually easy to stall, it's just that when they do it's a lot more sudden than a petrol engine. We doubt it's your poor technique if you've been driving for many years, but you may possibly need to adopt a different style than before, by ensuring the revs are a little higher or maybe dropping down a gear more than usual. However, it does sound more likely to be a problem with the engine in our opinion so it could be worth getting a second opinion and asking a competent and experienced mechanic to not only inspect it, but also take it for a drive to experience the problem.
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