Engine light

I have a 2003 Jetta TDI with manual transmission. It has 218,000 miles, mostly expressway driving. My daily commute is 160 miles.

I have had the car in for service because the engine light comes. Though it’s been diagnosed and “fixed” several times, it keeps coming on.

The light seems to always come on when I am driving at a fast speed and am in 5th gear and I accelerate quickly, as if to pass a car. When I depress the gas peddle to get some speed the car bogs down perceptively for a few seconds, then the engine light comes on within a few minutes and stays on for a couple of days.

I have probably had the car in for this problem 6 or 7 times. Can anyone help me figure this out? Thanks!

Nobody on this forum–or any mechanic–can really help until the car’s OBD system is scanned to determine which trouble code(s) are present.

Go to Auto Zone, Advance Auto, O’Reilly, or another parts retailer that does these scans free-of-charge, and then come back here to report the codes.

Ausfart immediately. How long do you want to keep the car? 218,000 miles means that the repairs are going to be coming in bunches.