Hey guys! I am a NEW owner of a 2004 VW Jetta GLI 1.8T. Didn't really know too much about these cars until i purchased them 3 weeks ago from a private party. Carfax report is good and the car has been running smooth until 4 days ago. The check engine light turned on and since then, the car seemed to have trouble breathing and have been shaky during idle and it definitely lost horsepower and the turbo doesn't seem to kick it. I'm not sure what could be wrong with it and I haven't checked the spark plugs or the coil to start with. I thought you can use a regular 87 octane but apparently not. The same day I put 87 is the same day it came up with the check engine light. I guess I didn't research enough and took the seller's word because he said that he uses regular gas. Any help will definitely be appreciated. Will using an 87 octane damage the car immediately? It's probably causing the computer to read incorrectly since it's less quality. THANKS in advance fellow VW Jetta users!

 

I wouldn't think that regular gas would throw up an engine code. You can take your car to whatever parts store you have in town and they will scan it for you or rent a scanner to you and if you can tell me the code or codes I can help you out much easier.