URGENT!!! Issues after cambelt change?

[alpenweiss2]

Hello all. Passat 1.9 tdi 110BHP AFN. We had our cambelt and other belts replaced a week or so ago by a French mechanic who came highly recommended to us. He's not a gargae but works from home. Loads of French take their vehicles to him, including much newer cars than our Passat.

He also replaced a faulty air con compressor and we are just waiting to get the system regassed. Obviously communication is difficult with him because of the language barrier. My wife speaks good-ish French but doesn't know the French words for all the engine parts etc.

So the problem: since we have had the car back it has been driving really badly (down on power , feels sluggish). It is going into limp mode on virtually every hill or if you give it some decent throttle? It starts okay but fuel economy seems seriously down?

I don't know if he used a special VW locking tool when he changed the belt so I am worried the cambelt timing is out? What would be the symptoms of this? If the timing is out how can it be sorted? Does the belt have to come off again and be reset?

Just to note the car was occassionally (rarely) going into limp mode before. I supplied a new EGR blanking plate to him and asked him to clean out the exhaust manifold. He said he has done this and showed me the old plate he had removed, the old one was stuck tight, but he got it off. However now it is going into limp mode on every hill or under any serious acceleration?

Please help! We're in rural France so it is tricky!