GT TDI 130, 150,000milies remap?
Discussion
Hi, I have a gt tdi 130 on an 03 plate. The car is very well maintained and everything is done when needed. The car clockes up around 12,000 miles a year, I have had the egr valve blocked off and the I have had the cat removed and a straight pipe put through. I had the idea of getting a 50/50 eco power remap, I was just wondering if I would have any problems or has anyone had any past experiences of a remap at this sort of miles and should I get it done or not? Thanks, replies appreciated
I wouldn't bother personally. Purely because the amount it will cost will take an age to recover @12K a year, and at 150K already, although well-looked after, is it really going to last much longer?
Save your money & halve the oil change intervals, it'll probably have a similar effect!
Save your money & halve the oil change intervals, it'll probably have a similar effect!
Engines love fresh oil. Changing it more often will reduce the amount of crap floating around the oil system that will harm the engine so it will run smoother.
As for fuel economy, it would probably save you a couple of quid per fill-up, so if the remap costs what, £200, how long will that take you to recoup?
Personally I wouldn't bother but that's not to say you wouldn't appreciate the extra little bit of grunt it will give you (and it will be a little bit on 50/50 map on a 150K car).
As for fuel economy, it would probably save you a couple of quid per fill-up, so if the remap costs what, £200, how long will that take you to recoup?
Personally I wouldn't bother but that's not to say you wouldn't appreciate the extra little bit of grunt it will give you (and it will be a little bit on 50/50 map on a 150K car).
So should I reduce the oil changes from 10,000 we have a garage replacing the oil and filter doesn't make a difference and a decent map I can get for £125 they say they keep everything g with in it's tolerances and that cars in this country are de tuned and that the same car in another country would be quicker us this true that they would only map within there tolerances?
Centurion07 said:
I wouldn't bother personally. Purely because the amount it will cost will take an age to recover @12K a year, and at 150K already, although well-looked after, is it really going to last much longer?
If it's been well looked after, there's no reason why it shouldn't do the same again without major issue. Obviously a remap for power will reduce the overall longevity, but not by a significant amount unless the OP suddenly starts using all the available power all of the time.I wouldn't recommend a map for reasons of 'saving money on fuel', but if it's to improve drivability, then I'm all for it.
Super Slo Mo said:
If it's been well looked after, there's no reason why it shouldn't do the same again without major issue. Obviously a remap for power will reduce the overall longevity, but not by a significant amount unless the OP suddenly starts using all the available power all of the time.
I wouldn't recommend a map for reasons of 'saving money on fuel', but if it's to improve drivability, then I'm all for it.
True, but when I asked how much longer it was going to last it was from a "how much longer are you going to keep it" POV rather than just "when it is going to die". I wouldn't recommend a map for reasons of 'saving money on fuel', but if it's to improve drivability, then I'm all for it.
If you think over 12,000 miles a difference of 2mpg would be £60 a year in fuel so potentially if the economy is improved by on average 4-5mpg the map pays for itself.
The big danger with remapping the car is that any potentially weak points are likely to be exposed once the power is up because generally speaking, people have their car mapped and want to give it some grief to feel the difference! Hence you hear of a fair number of people who put aggressive maps on old diesels and smash the clutch within a few days/weeks
The big danger with remapping the car is that any potentially weak points are likely to be exposed once the power is up because generally speaking, people have their car mapped and want to give it some grief to feel the difference! Hence you hear of a fair number of people who put aggressive maps on old diesels and smash the clutch within a few days/weeks
I chose to remap my T5 transporter not long after i bought it at 150k as it was slower than a slow thing.
I dont drive it hard but the extra torque is welcomed.
Not had any real problems in 2 years but lately the transmission has started to make a slight bearing type noise which may or may not be related to the remap.
I dont drive it hard but the extra torque is welcomed.
Not had any real problems in 2 years but lately the transmission has started to make a slight bearing type noise which may or may not be related to the remap.
Depends if you think you're going to be using all of the torque/power regularly.
If you are, then yes, maybe a slight reduction in peak torque to 275 - 280 lbs ft (not 'torques', this isn't top gear), would help preserve the drive train.
This is making the assumption that the guy doing the remap has calibrated measuring equipment that's accurate enough to be able to make those changes.
If you are, then yes, maybe a slight reduction in peak torque to 275 - 280 lbs ft (not 'torques', this isn't top gear
), would help preserve the drive train. This is making the assumption that the guy doing the remap has calibrated measuring equipment that's accurate enough to be able to make those changes.
A friend of mine was going to have a similarly engined Seat Leon remapped. When they came to do it, the clutch would slip to had to abandon the remap (the clutch was fine under the normal map).
All else being well, the remap could be the straw that breaks the camel's back (e.g. puts the clutch out etc.) or it may all be fine.
Has it had a new clutch recently, if so then you may be OK. If it's an old/original clutch then it could be on its way out so why rush that process?
You may find that you enjoy the extra performance and start using that more, thus negating any potential fuel savings.
Personally, on a car that age/mileage, I'd just service it regularly and not take any chances, however slim.
All else being well, the remap could be the straw that breaks the camel's back (e.g. puts the clutch out etc.) or it may all be fine.
Has it had a new clutch recently, if so then you may be OK. If it's an old/original clutch then it could be on its way out so why rush that process?
You may find that you enjoy the extra performance and start using that more, thus negating any potential fuel savings.
Personally, on a car that age/mileage, I'd just service it regularly and not take any chances, however slim.
regular oil changes (8000 miles) with good (and fully synthetic) oil will help your fuel economy, as will keeping an eye on tyre pressures, as well as perhaps trying different tyres. You can have your alignment checked too, as geometry issues can lead to increased fuel consumption. Any brake calipers binding? Have them cleaned up so they work as intended.
Little things really will help quite a lot; I noticed a substantial drop in my fuel economy going from fully to semi synthetic (one interval).
I'd do it, just get ready to replace the clutch with a Sachs clutch. If you're intercooler isn't in good health (likely) your turbo will most likely go pop if you're being enthusiastic for a prolonged period of time. Just weigh up whether the price of the remap a clutch and a turbo are worth the extra 45hp.
thatdude said:
regular oil changes (8000 miles) with good (and fully synthetic) oil will help your fuel economy, as will keeping an eye on tyre pressures, as well as perhaps trying different tyres. You can have your alignment checked too, as geometry issues can lead to increased fuel consumption. Any brake calipers binding? Have them cleaned up so they work as intended.
Little things really will help quite a lot; I noticed a substantial drop in my fuel economy going from fully to semi synthetic (one interval).
While I'm all for giving the engine the best oil you can, and keeping the intervals short (10,000 should be adequate with the VW 1.9 tdi engine), using better oil, and shorter intervals must surely wipe out any fuel savings? Little things really will help quite a lot; I noticed a substantial drop in my fuel economy going from fully to semi synthetic (one interval).
I'd look at it as a small cost to prevent expensive engine failure later on, and any saving in fuel goes some way to balance out the extra spend on oil.
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