Jumpy loss of power jerking

Hey, that sounds familiar. I had a similar problem with my old Opel Astra, although it was a diesel. Loss of power, jerking, and even some smoke. Eventually, it turned out to be knocking combustion. Do you hear any unusual noises from the engine, like a knocking or pinging sound, especially when it's under load? It might be worth checking if you have deposits in the combustion chamber, leading to pre-ignition.

Thanks for the quick reply! Knocking combustion sounds scary. I haven't really noticed any distinct knocking sound, but maybe I haven't been listening closely enough. How did you figure out it was deposits in the combustion chamber? And what did you do about it?

Well, with my Astra, the mechanic ran some diagnostics and scoped the cylinders. He found heavy deposits. Those deposits can create hot spots that ignite the fuel-air mixture too early, causing that knocking combustion, and ultimately, the symptoms you're describing. Honestly, it’s not something I could fix myself. You really need to have someone check the cylinder heads. I would suggest you bring it to a workshop before something gets damaged for good.

Thanks a lot for the advice! I took it to the workshop, and you were spot on. They checked the cylinder heads and found a lot of deposits in the combustion chamber, causing pre-ignition. They cleaned everything up, and it's running great again. Cost me 425€, but it was worth it to get it sorted. Cheers!