Mk7 Trannie 2.2 , Pinno.
Gave it the Italian tune up on Monday but it didn't cure it. It's 17 years old but has less than 60k on the clock. Have noticed a slight performance drop off in the last few outings but this week it's been breathing like a 90 year old asthmatic.
Hmm...
Problems, problems. At best, air filter. At worst, cracked cylinder head. In between those extremes is a long list of potential problems.
White smoke is generally a sign of unburnt fuel.
It could be injector foul up. In which case add some Forte/Redex fuel system cleaner and take it for a decent run. Take the air cleaner housing off and have a good look at it. It might be damp or clogged.
Those are the easy basic things you can do. The black smoke (which I presume clears) is synonymous with valve stem oil seal deterioration and seals within the Turbo - often only revealing when it's been sat for a while.
Otherwise, the good news is that you have a Duratorq engine which are bomb proof. My trannie I sold with 142k on the clock sold locally and it's just hit the 185k mark. Plus, spares for the Duratorq engine are reasonably inexpensive. Finding a replacement Duratorq engine with low miles in good condition is nigh on impossible as they are well sought after.