Kerma Tdi Review

Darth_Furious · Sep 25, 2017

It sounds like you will always wonder if you made the right choice. Over the last 7 years, (according to fuelly) I paid $0.09 per mile over 110,000 miles. My friend has a gti and logged $0.13 per mile over 80,000 miles. $0.04 x 110,000 miles is $4,400. Over the car's lifetime would be at least $8,800 saved by going with a TDI over a GTI on fuel.

The fuel economy is a pretty big deal when you save $8,800 on fuel from an $18k car. I wanted a fast car in college. Now I'm a dad of 2, I don't care about going fast like I used to. I know I made the right decision for me. Kids are expensive and I'm glad I'm paying less at the pump. what you want now may change as you get older. Either way, get what you want and don't look back or you will always live in regret.

740GLE · Sep 26, 2017

Another thing is the power delivery is hugly different, while I don't have a GTI but just the 1.8T of the TSI, it seems like you have to work the car to get the same feeling.

Yeah the TSI doesn't mind reving and pulls good if you're above 3K, but you get the same "feeling" from 1,800-2,500 in the TDI. This is even more noticable when the DSG wants to shift at 2K under "normal" driving.

Sad Panda · Oct 11, 2017

sportwagen3 said:
How's the tune treating you?

So I have had the tune for a few months, overall I am very happy with it. I did email Charlie a lot over a small problem with a power cut on shifts into 2nd and 3rd, it is very intermittent but very annoying.... Happens less than 10% of the time, both of us agreed that it must be the DSG at fault. Lately though I have started getting a shudder in the trans at 1800-2000 rpm at full throttle, this happens 100% of the time and am considering tuning back to stock until I can find a DSG tune for 2015 golfs.

The power is great, but I really think it would make much much more on a manual transmission without the DSG trying to fight it with torque limiting.

edit- I am also getting the 90 mph full throttle power loss that started that huge argument a few pages back. If I am on the highway at 70 mph and go full throttle to pass somebody, by the time I hit 85 I feel it, power surges on and off every second. I did log it but cant remember the temps off the top of my head, I am pretty sure it was between 1500-1550 EGT. It only takes a few seconds for the temp to creep up that high. This is not a big deal to me at all because it is predictable and I have never felt it below 70 mph. On top of that I dont have to worry about melting my exhaust that is under warranty for the next 150k miles or whatever it is with the fix. I see the point Shife was trying to make but it is nowhere near as bad as it sounded, it keeps your factory exhaust in one piece.

Darth_Furious · Oct 11, 2017

Sad Panda said:
Lately though I have started getting a shudder in the trans at 1800-2000 rpm at full throttle, this happens 100% of the time and am considering tuning back to stock until I can find a DSG tune for 2015 golfs.

The power is great, but I really think it would make much much more on a manual transmission without the DSG trying to fight it with torque limiting.

edit- I am also getting the 90 mph full throttle power loss that started that huge argument a few pages back. If I am on the highway at 70 mph and go full throttle to pass somebody, by the time I hit 85 I feel it, power surges on and off every second.

Just wondering how many people go full throttle? I have the kerma tune and haven't gone full throttle yet (got it in August). I had a fuel rail pressure warning when I had REVO on my 2010 one time when I went full throttle. After that experience I never went full throttle in the past 5 years. I haven't had any problems with Kerma yet (or REVO other than that one time)

Sad Panda · Oct 11, 2017

I go full throttle every day, and most times that I merge on the highway. Also every time I pass. I would never have considered a tune if I did not use all the power that was available, I don't really follow why you would spend $600 for more power if you don't even use all the power that it comes with stock....

And to update again, I emailed Kerma today a few minutes before my last post and already got a reply with an updated tune to correct the shudder at low rpm. These guys rock, that was like 1 hour turnaround lol.

Darth_Furious · Oct 11, 2017

Sad Panda said:
I go full throttle every day, and most times that I merge on the highway. Also every time I pass. I would never have considered a tune if I did not use all the power that was available, I don't really follow why you would spend $600 for more power if you don't even use all the power that it comes with stock....

And to update again, I emailed Kerma today a few minutes before my last post and already got a reply with an updated tune to correct the shudder at low rpm. These guys rock, that was like 1 hour turnaround lol.

The "fix" made the car feel so sluggish and weak at half throttle. I recommend a tune (from any of the different tuners) to make the car feel much better. It's not like a tune takes the car from 0-10 and adds an 11 on power. At any throttle level there is a very noticeable difference, whether a quarter throttle or full. It affects the entire power band. If it were just to allow extra fuel to be dumped in, there would be no reason for most people to get it as they would never take advantage of it. I drive with MPGs in mind like most people on this forum and I am getting 40-45 per tank so far. That means I go light on the throttle and yes there is a very noticeable difference with the tune. For that reason alone, it is a good reason to get any kind of engine tune, not just those who drive aggressively.

[I am writing all this because many people post "should I get a tune..." and for those people reading, yes get a tune even if you don't plan on using all the power or even half the power. It is worth the money!]

Thanks for the update, I'll have to email Kerma for an updated tune to avoid shutter, should I ever have a need to use full throttle. It's nice to know just in case

Sad Panda · Oct 11, 2017

Darth_Furious said:
Thanks for the update, I'll have to email Kerma for an updated tune to avoid shutter, should I ever have a need to use full throttle. It's nice to know just in case

Just to clarify, you will not feel that shudder unless you go full throttle from under 1800ish rpm. If you have it in auto mode and simply floor it, the trans will downshift and you will be well above the rpm range where this is an issue. So even less people will have this problem(that has been fixed as far as i know).

St.Hubbins · Oct 11, 2017

i'm leaning toward a Kerma, but may wait until part 2 of the "fix" - perhaps they'll have a DSG tune ready by then to consider.

to be clear - y'all are talking about the "stage 1" equivalent, yes?

Sad Panda · Oct 11, 2017

Ya it's stage 1, but honestly no reason to wait. Part of buying the tune is that you get the Q Pro flash module, so you can flash it yourself and flash it back to stock any time you want to. With the ****storm that happened with the recall, I don't think they can even consider looking at the flash counter on your ECU because who knows if the tech had to try 3,4,10 times to do it because it was his first car for the recall.
This is the best time to get a tune in my opinion.

sportwagen3 · Oct 11, 2017

Sad Panda said:
So I have had the tune for a few months, overall I am very happy with it. I did email Charlie a lot over a small problem with a power cut on shifts into 2nd and 3rd, it is very intermittent but very annoying.... Happens less than 10% of the time, both of us agreed that it must be the DSG at fault. Lately though I have started getting a shudder in the trans at 1800-2000 rpm at full throttle, this happens 100% of the time and am considering tuning back to stock until I can find a DSG tune for 2015 golfs.

The power is great, but I really think it would make much much more on a manual transmission without the DSG trying to fight it with torque limiting.

edit- I am also getting the 90 mph full throttle power loss that started that huge argument a few pages back. If I am on the highway at 70 mph and go full throttle to pass somebody, by the time I hit 85 I feel it, power surges on and off every second. I did log it but cant remember the temps off the top of my head, I am pretty sure it was between 1500-1550 EGT. It only takes a few seconds for the temp to creep up that high. This is not a big deal to me at all because it is predictable and I have never felt it below 70 mph. On top of that I dont have to worry about melting my exhaust that is under warranty for the next 150k miles or whatever it is with the fix. I see the point Shife was trying to make but it is nowhere near as bad as it sounded, it keeps your factory exhaust in one piece.

What do you use to measure your EGT?

Sad Panda · Oct 11, 2017

I am a master ASE tech and have a few scanners, normally I use an Autel wireless scanner but for the daily commute I just use the torque app...

Darth_Furious · Oct 11, 2017

Sad Panda said:
Just to clarify, you will not feel that shudder unless you go full throttle from under 1800ish rpm. If you have it in auto mode and simply floor it, the trans will downshift and you will be well above the rpm range where this is an issue. So even less people will have this problem(that has been fixed as far as i know).

It sounds like you are lugging the engine when you go full throttle at less than 1800. It's bad for the engine and puts a lot of stress on components. Through the tdi forums over the years I read a lot of people warning against it. If I were to ever use full throttle, it would be in the power band, at least 2k rpm before I even consider pressing hard on the accelerator. It means a quick paddle downshift and then go.

That shutter should be a warning to not lug the engine at low rpms before the turbo spools up.

A shutter at 2,500 rpm and full throttle happened to me once on REVO on a 2010 tdi with flashing dash lights. That is concerning and should not happen from the tune. Shutter from lugging the engine makes sense

Darth_Furious · Oct 11, 2017

St.Hubbins said:
i'm leaning toward a Kerma, but may wait until part 2 of the "fix" - perhaps they'll have a DSG tune ready by then to consider.

to be clear - y'all are talking about the "stage 1" equivalent, yes?

Why not get it now and then the dsg when it comes out. You can ask Chris at Kerma if he would be willing to give you a discount on the dsg tune if you buy the engine tune now and dsg later as a separate purchase. He could make the price the same as a package in the end. The tune makes a big difference.

If I were you, I would see if there is a black friday sale or email them for a black friday price/discount if you are willing to wait 1 month. 10-15% off could be pretty nice.

They only have one tune and yes it would be a stage one. It's comparable to a stage 2 Malone I heard. They claim It's the most power while keeping the dpf and stock setup

Sad Panda · Oct 12, 2017

Darth_Furious said:
It sounds like you are lugging the engine when you go full throttle at less than 1800. It's bad for the engine and puts a lot of stress on components. Through the tdi forums over the years I read a lot of people warning against it. If I were to ever use full throttle, it would be in the power band, at least 2k rpm before I even consider pressing hard on the accelerator. It means a quick paddle downshift and then go.
That shutter should be a warning to not lug the engine at low rpms before the turbo spools up.
A shutter at 2,500 rpm and full throttle happened to me once on REVO on a 2010 tdi with flashing dash lights. That is concerning and should not happen from the tune. Shutter from lugging the engine makes sense

Peak torque is at 1800-2000 rpm..... that is nowhere near lugging the engine. Cruising at 60 mph the engine is at about 1800 rpm in 6th, making about 320 ft/lbs you can just hit the throttle without downshifting to make a quick pass. Lugging this engine would be down around 1200 rpm or so, and the shudder is not from the engine, it is from the transmission.

I did reflash last night with the update I got in the email and I did still get a very small shudder once in second gear for a split second but holy crap, EGT is WAY better now. Hammered on it from 70 to 110 and had no power loss, huge difference compared to the drive home last night.

740GLE · Oct 12, 2017

Sad Panda said:
Just to clarify, you will not feel that shudder unless you go full throttle from under 1800ish rpm. If you have it in auto mode and simply floor it, the trans will downshift and you will be well above the rpm range where this is an issue. So even less people will have this problem(that has been fixed as far as i know).

I've felt the 1800 RPM shudder under less than full throttle, just normal aggressive highway on ramps, agreed if it's in sport mode the RPMs are kept higher it won't be felt.

Solution was a mild detune from stage 2 to avoid the peak torques.

sportwagen3 · Oct 19, 2017

740GLE said:
I've felt the 1800 RPM shudder under less than full throttle, just normal aggressive highway on ramps, agreed if it's in sport mode the RPMs are kept higher it won't be felt.
Solution was a mild detune from stage 2 to avoid the peak torques.

Yea I had the same issues and Kerma said it was due to the DMF. Had adjustments done and it's a lot better though I lost some torque.

Sad Panda · Oct 20, 2017

sportwagen3 said:
Yea I had the same issues and Kerma said it was due to the DMF. Had adjustments done and it's a lot better though I lost some torque.

When did you get the adjustments done? I just got a "version 2" update from them after asking about the shudder, I am not sure if this was just a change to my specific file or if it is their new public release. Just mentioning it because they also lowered the DEF usage which went WAY up with the recall flash.

sportwagen3 · Oct 20, 2017

Sad Panda said:
When did you get the adjustments done? I just got a "version 2" update from them after asking about the shudder, I am not sure if this was just a change to my specific file or if it is their new public release. Just mentioning it because they also lowered the DEF usage which went WAY up with the recall flash.

I just sent Charlie an email explaining the problems I had and then he gave me a new modified file. He did mention that some cars are more sensitive compared to others in terms of how much torque it can take.

BorisBug99 · Nov 6, 2017

I have the Kerma tune on my 1999 Beetle with the 1019 nozzels and was wondering how much HP and Torque i gained?
just had this done but forgot to ask. anyway, it runs great! very fun.

740GLE · Nov 6, 2017

You gained like a bazillion torques but only 2 HP.

Best bet is you ask Kerma, they will give you ball park guestimate.

BorisBug99 · Nov 10, 2017

740GLE said:
You gained like a bazillion torques but only 2 HP.

Best bet is you ask Kerma, they will give you ball park guestimate.

Took your advice and they came back with: "140 hp and 280 tq
so quite a bit! (stock was 90 hp and 155 tq)

St.Hubbins · Mar 19, 2018

Technically, a tune is a "luxury purchase" - but after installing the Stage 1+, it feels like an absolute necessity. pre-tune, the car got us from point A to point B and that's about it. a sweet spot could be found in manual mode between 2nd & 3rd going up a curvy incline. after-tune, the family wagon is for all intents and purposes a proper sports car. seriously, i knew it'd be an improvement, but S mode (not to mention manual) with this tune is an absolute gas! it pulls like a little beast off the line to the point that my co-pilot gets queasy.
D mode is vastly improved as well, although i've barely used it yet since S mode is so fun. the DSG shift points are way more logical from a performance standpoint - makes you wonder what the DSG tune will bring to the party. GTD-esque, perhaps?
just be prepared to adjust your tire budget accordingly. Interstate onramps will feel the wrath!

Darth_Furious · Mar 20, 2018

It's kinda hidden away in this forum but try this:
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showpost.php?p=5389118&postcount=21

Doing this with kerma (or even without) is a very nice mod

740GLE · Mar 21, 2018

I'm surprised a tune doesn't automatically change that setting. I wonder if the same mod applies to our '15 Passat with Malone. It def made an improvement on our Alltrack ans was well worth breaking out the old XP machine to code.

bmwM5power · Mar 21, 2018

Darth_Furious said:
It's kinda hidden away in this forum but try this:
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showpost.php?p=5389118&postcount=21

Doing this with kerma (or even without) is a very nice mod

why is it buried under steering response?

1854sailor · Mar 24, 2018

bmwM5power said:
why is it buried under steering response?

Who are you to question VW engineering?

St.Hubbins · Mar 26, 2018

alright, just coded the mod - i can definitely perceive better shift points in D (i think)... will have to spend some time switching between modes while trying to avoid speeding tix.

St.Hubbins · Apr 16, 2018

pre-tune i was averaging like 29mpg with 80/20 city to highway... since it's been right at about 40. how can this be? weather has been colder than average, and it's not like the engine suddenly hit its prime break-in at only 12k!
could my MFD be so off? guess i can do my own math and see how the numbers line up.

loving this car now.

740GLE · Apr 17, 2018

I believe kerma toggled the DPF regens to happen at soot load rather than fixed hour/time distance. So it'll help save a little bit of fuel.

Another thing, Kerma tunes have been notorious for giving way better MFD mileage vs hand calc (not sure if this is still the same). You may want to do a couple tanks and check that MFD to actuall miles consumed per gallon.

Sad Panda · Apr 17, 2018

I think a lot of the fuel mileage improvements are due to kerama's changes to dpf/regen. I get double the mileage between regens now, went from about 200-220 miles to 460 miles. Also during cruising if you monitor your dpf with the VAG DPF app you can see that there is much less post injection happening at light cruising speeds like 65 mph and less, which I think is used to keep the dpf temp. My MFD is still off a bit but less than 10%, his early tunes were way way off but I remember him telling me that when he sent my tune. I think that the less you are WOT the more accurate the MFD is, maybe its just not good at accounting for way more fuel than pretune.

For reference I went from about 34 mpg to around 47, 80% highway.

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