Have questions and need opinions

Hey everyone, I bought a '12 Jetta TDI with the 6spd manual back in March, it has 230k on it but looks and feels like 100k. The fuel mileage has been great, and aside from the ac compressor and basic peace-of-mind maintenance (oil, all the filters, timing belt), there has been no problems with the car. So here is where I need your opinions, I really, really want to like the car but it has yet to really grow on me, it's just a car and honestly kind of boring. It does everything well, it just doesn't have any character. I have thought about building it to be more fun through the twistys (tune, exhaust, suspension, tires/wheels, etc) but don't want to spend a lot of money and still be disappointed. I have thought about something more "out if the box" fun (legacy gt, civic si, Mazdaspeed 6), but I'll be spending more on fuel, as well as my insurance rates will be higher. I know it's a lot asking for a fun performance car that is comfortable and gets great mileage, but do you all think the engine/handling mods will get me there? What do you all think? Also, with 230k on it, will it hold together and continue to be reliable with all the mods? Thanks!

Since your car is a 2012 model, it was definitely covered by the Dieselgate settlement. Do you know if the exhaust repairs were done on that car? If so, is the extended warranty still in effect, or has it expired by now? If your warranty has expired, you may consider deleting all the exhaust doohickies and get Malone tune done. There is certain percentage of TDI owners on this forum who opted to have their vehicles "repaired" under the terms of the Dieselgate, collected the $5,000 incentive, and then within a few days spent about $2,000 of the incentive to delete and tune their rides.

I personally never underwent this process as I sold my Jetta back (I felt that this was the best option for me), so I cannot offer first-hand experience with this modification, but long before the Dieselgate blew up, I was determined not to spend a penny on repairs of the exhaust system once the DPF cracks (and I knew it would crack one day), and, instead, go for the tune.

The day never came, so I was spared all the trouble, but if you talk to people who had the tune done, majority are happy with it. Even those who only had Stage 1 done are reporting noticeable improvement in power and torque. This is due to the fact that with Stage 1, although you only disable all the sensors on the exhaust system, you also remove all the exhaust restrictions, so the engine no longer has to work so hard, and the result is more power, more torque, and, better fuel economy. There is plenty of info on this forum regarding the Malone tune and the various levels they offer, or you can go directly to them and ask any questions you may have.

Oh, and regarding the reliability - deleting the EGR, the DPF and all the associated sensors will, in my humble opinion, improve reliability of the vehicle. The reason is simple: in case of the EGR, all the nasty stuff that your engine generates is sent down the exhaust pipe, rather than rerouted back into the intake manifold, where it forms heavy deposits that will eventually impair normal function of the engine. In case of the DPF, it is an expensive component that seems to be failing quite often in those vehicles that had the VW fix done. Removing it and replacing it with a piece of stainless pipe means that this component can never fail again simply because it is not a part of the vehicle any more. And yes, all these modifications are illegal if you plan on driving the vehicle on public roads, but I am certain you already know that. On the other hand, none of the VW executives ever lost any sleep over selling millions of jinxed cars, so why should you?

Thank you for your help and information, I found some of the paperwork when I bought the car and the previous owner did go through with the "dieselgate repairs". I am pretty sure it is out of warranty so if i do decide to keep it, deleting and tuning will definately be the route I choose. I am looking at the malone stage 2, but am worried that it wouldn't be enough and I would be better off buying a more performance oriented car. Also, I have not heard about a lot of high mileage cars having the engine and suspension tuned/modified, so that is a concern as well. Right now I am leaning towards keeping it and modding it for handling, and of course more power, but my mind is back and forth.

Keep in mind.. certain mods will IMPROVE reliability..not to mention the "fun" factor! Have a 2001 jetta with a rocket chip II..wow what a difference!, Getting ready to do my 2011 jetta manual 69,000 miles loaded car with the delete and tune.. going with a stage II on that one..

The "fun factor" is really what I'm looking for, along with great mpg. My mother had a '98 tdi Jetta and I loved that car, I could throw it around and drive it however I wanted and still get 50mpg (unless she asked, then I drove it very responsibly). That car is why I bought this car, but this one feels much more sluggish and numb, so if you say a stage 2 tune will get me in to a quick and fun car, then that's what I need to know!