Atty's GTI

[Atty]

Lol atty I remember we bought gtis at about the same time. Have you been stage 1 for 8 months? I'm just stock with an upgraded rsb and alk. The v12s are nice, I have a set.

Have you had any problems with stage 1?

Just saw this reply!

I went Stage 1 in December of '12 and finally went Stage 2 in July I think. Stage 1 was great but a bit peaky(?) if that is the right word? It felt like there was a lot of boost and a big surge of power but not a lot of longevity in it. Even with just the down pipe before the Stage 2 tune file was uploaded the car was a different animal, down low it just felt more free. It felt like I had 2 clicks of E-brake on all the time in stage 1.

Stage 2 is...something else. I left the dealer to get on the road, by the time it warmed up I had a good stretch of road to try and use the new power. As soon as I got up into the boost area I felt like the front tyres grabbed the road and hurled me forward. There was so much torque and power and it doesn't end until I'm at redline. It's almost too much torque in most situations, since I spin the wheels in third gear - though I think its because of the crap tyres.

 

[Randum]

Just saw this reply!

I went Stage 1 in December of '12 and finally went Stage 2 in July I think. Stage 1 was great but a bit peaky(?) if that is the right word? It felt like there was a lot of boost and a big surge of power but not a lot of longevity in it. Even with just the down pipe before the Stage 2 tune file was uploaded the car was a different animal, down low it just felt more free. It felt like I had 2 clicks of E-brake on all the time in stage 1.

Stage 2 is...something else. I left the dealer to get on the road, by the time it warmed up I had a good stretch of road to try and use the new power. As soon as I got up into the boost area I felt like the front tyres grabbed the road and hurled me forward. There was so much torque and power and it doesn't end until I'm at redline. It's almost too much torque in most situations, since I spin the wheels in third gear - though I think its because of the crap tyres.

I second all of what you are saying

 

[FearoftheNight]

Just saw this reply!

I went Stage 1 in December of '12 and finally went Stage 2 in July I think. Stage 1 was great but a bit peaky(?) if that is the right word? It felt like there was a lot of boost and a big surge of power but not a lot of longevity in it. Even with just the down pipe before the Stage 2 tune file was uploaded the car was a different animal, down low it just felt more free. It felt like I had 2 clicks of E-brake on all the time in stage 1.

Stage 2 is...something else. I left the dealer to get on the road, by the time it warmed up I had a good stretch of road to try and use the new power. As soon as I got up into the boost area I felt like the front tyres grabbed the road and hurled me forward. There was so much torque and power and it doesn't end until I'm at redline. It's almost too much torque in most situations, since I spin the wheels in third gear - though I think its because of the crap tyres.

Are you planning to get new tires? would love an update on your view of stage 2 w/ better tires..

 

[Atty]

Are you planning to get new tires? would love an update on your view of stage 2 w/ better tires..

Yes, I will be getting new tires inevitably. I am waiting for these stock all seasons to need to be replaced, I can't justify getting rid of good rubber.

Bad news though, car has been at the dealer for the past week now. Ever since I got it its gone though quite a bit of oil. Everyone told me it was supposed to and thats what I should expect with a 2.0T. Well, finally got the dealer to investigate. They did an oil consumption test and compression tests. The results came back and they determined it needed new piston rings, a common issue for 2.0Ts when they burn oil. Bad rings are always the cause...well, they started the tear down and found this...

...and there is where all my oil has been going!

I don't think it should look like this.

What it probably should look like...

What it looks like now! New head and every gasket, seal, and bolt in this engine are being replaced. Plus a new fuel pump because my pressure regulator wasn't doing its job properly.

All covered under the warranty and its all being done by the dealer. I know the service technician working on my car and he's great, does fantastic work but I miss my car!

What it looks like right now, all deconstructed.

Full album with 50 high res pictures of everything going on in my engine right now.

E: This issue presented way before any tuning was done or any parts were added. Wasn't in any way related to that.

 

[Randum]

Holy crap!

You should see, if you need the fuel pump replaced....if you pony up for the APR high pressure fuel pump, you'll be ready for any additional upgrades in the future?

Also, nice dealer, that is really a rare find - I know mine just jumped out of warranty but the dealer I use in the Chicago area is top notch, and I wouldn't hesitate working with them for out of warranty work too.

Be sure to post on the mk6 forums as well, spread the good work being done.

 

[cbrsurfr]

Holy crap!

You should see, if you need the fuel pump replaced....if you pony up for the APR high pressure fuel pump, you'll be ready for any additional upgrades in the future?

TSI doesn't need the HPFP upgrade, only FSI did.

Glad to see the dealer took care of you. That was always a problem when I had my GTI, bad dealers and getting them to do work that should be covered.

Hopefully they clean the valves while they're in there.

 

[Atty]

Holy crap!

You should see, if you need the fuel pump replaced....if you pony up for the APR high pressure fuel pump, you'll be ready for any additional upgrades in the future?

Also, nice dealer, that is really a rare find - I know mine just jumped out of warranty but the dealer I use in the Chicago area is top notch, and I wouldn't hesitate working with them for out of warranty work too.

Be sure to post on the mk6 forums as well, spread the good work being done.

Already have!

As for the fuel pump, I don't have plans to add any power. I'll leave it stock unless it ever goes out of warranty. I'm not sure how far out of warranty I'll keep this car, even though I have the 100k mile extended warranty I might get a different vehicle before its elapsed. I was plenty tempted to ask the dealer to wait a few days so I could just install a K04 turbo though. Would have been extremely easy with all the parts taken out already haha.

Hopefully they clean the valves while they're in there.

Aren't the valves in the head? They are replacing the cylinder head with a whole new one, so new valves then right?

 

[JCH13]

The valve buildup is pretty common on DI engines. The excessive buildup is explained by extra blow-by from possibly bad piston rings. All wraps up nice and neat with a little bow on top.

 

[SearchMaster]

I'm glad you have a dealer who stands behind their product.

A friend of mine had a brand new Passat that had sludge build-up after only 10K miles. The dealer wanted to bill him for an engine rebuild. He had a friend work on it and it ran fine afterward until he got rid of it several years later.

 

[Atty]

The valve buildup is pretty common on DI engines. The excessive buildup is explained by extra blow-by from possibly bad piston rings. All wraps up nice and neat with a little bow on top.

The dealer says the piston rings themselves were fine but that something on the head itself was causing the oil to leak into cylinder two. Thoughts?

I have some detailed shots from the top of the block. Not sure if there is anyway to tell for sure from those.

As for the build up on Cyl 1,3,4 - now that I'll have a new head I'll start following a practice the guys at the Mk6 forums have had success with. Every few thousand miles doing an "italian tune up" or just running the care above 3k for 15-30 minutes. I would just run in 5th @ 70mph on the interstate. It has helped clear the build up enough to extend the amount of time before needing to do a cleaning. I might just do it with every oil change, every 5k. Do the run and then change the oil afterwords.

E: Bonus good news - my head was attached using the only method which would, under heavy loads, cause oil leaks around the rear of the engine and when it got worse enough, could cause other parts to fail due to oil leaking. The new head has a new type of sealant method to avoid that. Along with all new revisions for the gaskets they are using to replace the old ones. Most powerful 25,000 mile service...in the world!

 

[JCH13]

Valve guide seals and other seals in the head can leak oil in. I suppose there is evidence of something like that happening.

I would also suggest a seafoam intake treatment and/or water treatment. Both will dissolve carbon built up on the valves and pass it through the engine. I personally prefer seafoam and do each of my cars 1-2x/year

 

[cbrsurfr]

Oops glanced over that they're replacing the whole head. Build-up won't be a problem for awhile then.

 

[T2urtle]

kinda of bummer on the repairs.

I've heard of a lot of the FSI motors burning thru oil.

While we all know the tune didn't cause this, you cant help but think it broke the last straw it was standing on tho.

Oil burning thru bad rings or DI systems have happened in the past and will happen in the future, i just never understood why some engines are WIDELY known for it. Like this FSI motor and the Nissan VQ35 i have.

I was at the dealership with my friend, there were 3 VW passat 2.0T along with theirs and all pretty much was the same song. Burning way more oil then it should. I think VW's spec was 1qt/1000 miles is within specs. WTF.


That build-up is crazy, i wish i saw the pictures of my friend's motor when they took it apart.

 

[Atty]

kinda of bummer on the repairs.

I've heard of a lot of the FSI motors burning thru oil.

While we all know the tune didn't cause this, you cant help but think it broke the last straw it was standing on tho.

Oil burning thru bad rings or DI systems have happened in the past and will happen in the future, i just never understood why some engines are WIDELY known for it. Like this FSI motor and the Nissan VQ35 i have.

I was at the dealership with my friend, there were 3 VW passat 2.0T along with theirs and all pretty much was the same song. Burning way more oil then it should. I think VW's spec was 1qt/1000 miles is within specs. WTF.


That build-up is crazy, i wish i saw the pictures of my friend's motor when they took it apart.

The build up in cyl 1,3,4 is actually pretty normal for 25k, from what I understand.

That is bad build up. Ew. That car is 2 years older than mine, around 60k miles.

On a happier note, I am considering doing a cup kit. Instead of doing lowering springs or coil over I would be getting a pair of matted springs and shocks. I would get a street kit, just enough to decrease wheel gap without making the care unbearable in town or causing any fitment issues and give it some better handling. Any thoughts on these?

I'm trying to avoid the epic cost of coil overs and the less than perfect pairing of lowering springs on stock shocks. Currently have my eye on the H&R touring kit.

 

[T2urtle]

I've heard great things about cup kits. Don't know the cost vs coilovers. I'm just used to spring for coilovers naturally.

But in ur case, the cup kit would be an ideal setup.

 

[Atty]

I've heard great things about cup kits. Don't know the cost vs coilovers. I'm just used to spring for coilovers naturally.

But in ur case, the cup kit would be an ideal setup.

Coilovers is going to be over $1,000 no matter what, more so for more quality. Cup kit is $500-$700.

 

[coxmaster]

Coilovers is going to be over $1,000 no matter what, more so for more quality. Cup kit is $500-$700.

Personally, I've done both, so I can help shed some light on this..

I went from stock suspension to FK Coilovers, they rode ok, but the roughness got old. Adjustability is nice but in reality you're not going to do it often, especially since the rear is a huge pain.

After my coilovers I went to almost a cup kit, I bought Koni Yellow struts and Vogtland lowering springs. I would seriously recommend Koni Yellows+whatever springs over a true cup kit, the yellows just ride so much better than the cup kits

 

[T2urtle]

Coilovers is going to be over $1,000 no matter what, more so for more quality. Cup kit is $500-$700.

Which is what i thought the prices would be. It would almost be a no brainer. Because honestly i have coilovers and many of my friends do as well. And after its been said and done after the intital install, we rarely adjust ride height. I personally dont ride slammed, so a simple spring/strut would of worked for me. My friends who aren't into the slammed looked are also the same.

 

[nerp]

Wow, that's what happened with my 2003 Golf back in the day. Massive gunk buildup. They refused to fix it under warranty. Granted, I was at about 80,000 miles when it happened. But it was a problem that I bet they saw getting worse when I went in for regular maintenance and didn't bother telling me despite my complaints about it being down on power and using oil. I know we're talking totally different engines and cars, but I know of about 5 other VWs built in the last decade that were scrapped before 100k because of engine sludge.

 

[Imported]

I've used H&R Cupkits and Bilstein PSS10 coilovers in different setups. Vastly preferred the coilovers, but they aren't cheap and any cheap coilover will just suck.

 

[cbrsurfr]

I had PSS10's on my GTI and thought they were too harsh for DD. Great on the track, but even on their softest setting I thought it was too jarring (shitty IL roads didn't help). Despite my best efforts the threads rusted to hell in winter and they became non adjustable.

 

[Atty]

Thanks for the advice on the suspension. I keep hearing so many mixed reviews and experiences its hard to nail down exactly what I want to do. It will take some time to figure it out, I don't want to rush or jump into anything too quickly.

Got the car back today. Runs great but needs new spark plugs. New plugs come in tomorrow and I'll install them saturday. I'm going to pick up R8 coil packs too but probably next month as my current ones are fine.

I finally went ahead and did a full turbo back exhaust. Its a 200 cell catted down pipe to a magna flow catback exhaust. The issue is that I don't have any resonators, just one muffler before the exhaust splits off into a V for the exit on the bumper. From what I read on the Mk6 forums purchasing a vibrant resonator and welding it into the mid pipe (behind the cat, before the muffler) drastically reduces drone and gives the exhaust a pleasant respectable sound. Anyone have experience doing custom resonator installs? I'll be using an exhaust shop to do the work and I'll install it in the modular mid pipe area so worst case, I can scrap that piece and replace it with another one for $40.

 

[Vdubchaos]

Sorry to hear about your troubles.

I will highly recommend getting rid of this car vs fixing it. Besides what you already experienced, VW/Audi (MB/BMW as well) have some MAJOR carbon build up issues and haven't really been able to get it right.

If you don't, your wallet will hate you (heck it already does I'm sure).

Also, don't waste a dollar into a car. Keep it A to B transportation. Every dollar into car = dollar down the drain.

Mess around with modifying cars once you own a house.....have a garage.....and A to B commuter car.

Best advice I can give you as I've been down your road already and have seen MANY do it as well.

PS. Back when I was like you Techtonics made the best exhaust systems for VW. Not really sure if they are still in business etc. I have it on my Passat and it's over 10 years old, still like new. Ditto on H&R Springs and Bilsteins as well.

 

[FuzzyDunlop]

Sorry to hear about your troubles.

I will highly recommend getting rid of this car vs fixing it. Besides what you already experienced, VW/Audi (MB/BMW as well) have some MAJOR carbon build up issues and haven't really been able to get it right.

If you don't, your wallet will hate you (heck it already does I'm sure).

Also, don't waste a dollar into a car. Keep it A to B transportation. Every dollar into car = dollar down the drain.

Mess around with modifying cars once you own a house.....have a garage.....and A to B commuter car.

Best advice I can give you as I've been down your road already and have seen MANY do it as well.

PS. Back when I was like you Techtonics made the best exhaust systems for VW. Not really sure if they are still in business etc. I have it on my Passat and it's over 10 years old, still like new. Ditto on H&R Springs and Bilsteins as well.

lol what? Ok Dad.

Atty, do what you wanna because fun.

back on topis: that was some naaasty build up.

EDIT: do you have a sound clip of it now, without a resonator?

 

[Atty]

lol what? Ok Dad.

Atty, do what you wanna because fun.

back on topis: that was some naaasty build up.

EDIT: do you have a sound clip of it now, without a resonator?

No, not yet. I'll get a friend to record me doing a drive by and holding it steady for in car recording. I haven't had time lately.

I'm also not sure what you're on about Vdub. Carbon build up is normal in any DI engine and with proper maintenance and care you won't have any adverse affects. I haven't paid $0.01 to this car for maintenance or warranty work since I got it. This would be an entirely different story had this been out of warranty.

E: According to the service invoice the issue was, "Intake valve guide seals on cylinder 2 faulty...removed head and found oil on cylinder 2 intake valves."