additional fuel filter on MK7?

bigb

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 15, 2018
Location
Arizona
TDI
2015 Sportwagon S
Has anyone looked into adding a filter such as the Racor with the clear bowl to the fuel system on the MK7, specifically the 2015 Golf? Is it even possible? I am very careful where I buy fuel but still I got bad fuel once in my Mercedes that was real bad and once in my Powerstroke that was not too terrible but had to change filters. I had a Ford 6.9 once and got some really bad fuel in Texas that almost shut me down on the side of the road, barely made it to the next town for a filter. So I am a bit paranoid about my fuel and if it were possible to add a Racor to the Golf I'd be all over it. Especially since it could be serviced on the road unlike the factory filter unit.
 

JM Popaleetus

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 15, 2010
Location
Connecticut
TDI
Signature.
You might be able to find a kit from a person here named “2micron”.

That said, I wouldn’t touch anything that VW could possibly blame to avoid warranty work.
 

1854sailor

Resident Curmudgeon
Joined
Aug 10, 2004
Location
Westerly, RI
TDI
2015 Golf SE SportWagen, 2015 Golf SE Hatch Back.
...That said, I wouldn’t touch anything that VW could possibly blame to avoid warranty work.


I asked about the 2Micron at my dealer when I first got the car and it just so happened that a VW service engineer was there that day. I got to speak with him and he said that it would void the warranty. He went on to say that the HPFP in the CRUA is different from the older versions in the MK VI, which had a high failure rate.
 

Lightflyer1

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Sep 13, 2005
Location
Round Rock, Texas
TDI
2015 Beetle tdi dsg
Carry your own filter with you then you have no need to "make it to the next town". Being that you have already had 3 issues with bad fuel it seems you might need to make better fuel supplier choices. Supplier issues wouldn't just affect you either. Anyone that got fuel there would have an issue and the company would be liable. Almost 20 years now driving diesels and never got any bad fuel.

I have one of 2microns complete setups I bought some time back for my car. It will be some time before it ever gets installed. Unless VW gives me some unworkable issue with the warranty.
 

bigb

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 15, 2018
Location
Arizona
TDI
2015 Sportwagon S
Carry your own filter with you then you have no need to "make it to the next town". Being that you have already had 3 issues with bad fuel it seems you might need to make better fuel supplier choices. Supplier issues wouldn't just affect you either. Anyone that got fuel there would have an issue and the company would be liable. Almost 20 years now driving diesels and never got any bad fuel.

I have one of 2microns complete setups I bought some time back for my car. It will be some time before it ever gets installed. Unless VW gives me some unworkable issue with the warranty.
36 years driving diesels so I don't think 3 times is too awful, not always easy to know the quality when traveling cross country. I try to visit newer, busy stations. Back in the eighties and early nineties diesel passenger vehicles (pickups) were not as common as they are now and there weren't always many choices where to fuel. Borrowing from the Barbara Mandrell/George Jones country duet I like to say I was driving diesels when diesel wasn't cool. One thing I really like about the Mercedes is the clear primary filter that would stop the crud first and a quick look under the hood would verify it.

Another thing to be aware of is water in the underground supply tanks in areas that have flooded....been there done that. I remember one year after major flooding in Iowa the Iowa City FD didn't think about it and filled all the trucks from water contaminated underground tanks. When the water in fuel alarm went off on the first truck the mechanic happened to be there and ordered all the tanks drained.
 

RIP TDI

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Feb 16, 2000
Location
Santa Barbara, CA
TDI
'15 GSW SE 6MT...... '01 Golf GLS 5MT.... '96 Passat Variant....
Borrowing from the Barbara Mandrell/George Jones country duet I like to say I was driving diesels when diesel wasn't cool.
And now you are again :D. I recently exchanged my personalized license plate "TDISEL" for a generic plate in order to minimize the chance of getting keyed. :(
 

bigb

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 15, 2018
Location
Arizona
TDI
2015 Sportwagon S
And now you are again :D. I recently exchanged my personalized license plate "TDISEL" for a generic plate in order to minimize the chance of getting keyed. :(
Seems most people are oblivious...many seem to have forgotten the scandal, or never cared about it. Most don't know that a TDI is a diesel and many don't remember that the scandal involved the TDI. Not a single person I have told about my new TDI has anything negative to say about it, pretty sure the stigma is mostly over.
 

bigb

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 15, 2018
Location
Arizona
TDI
2015 Sportwagon S
I did some Googling and it seems many people change the filter without doing the VCDS fuel pump test that the manual recommends. I was led to believe that was a no no by a local independent VW shop. Seems people just cycle the key to push the air out and all is fine. If this is the case I will just carry a spare filter.
 

Lightflyer1

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Sep 13, 2005
Location
Round Rock, Texas
TDI
2015 Beetle tdi dsg
Some earlier cars you could just cycle the key several times and be okay. Even earlier ones required manual priming. These cars by the book require the VCDS cycling to remove air and prime. Some do get by with just filling the filter canister and trying to start. Depends on how much you want to follow the manual. I have VCDS in my car with me at all times loaded on a windows 10 tablet with keyboard I picked up just for this purpose (less than $100). I keep it and my VCDS cable in the car at all times. I am kind of a by the book kind of guy so VCDS cycling is the way I do it. Being that they had issues with the HPFP I choose not to do anything to potentially aid in its destruction.
 

turbobrick240

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Joined
Nov 18, 2014
Location
maine
TDI
2011 vw golf tdi(gone to greener pastures), 2001 ford f250 powerstroke
If you look at the Bentley manual fuel filter r&r procedure, it says nothing about vcds fuel pump priming. I believe a lot of folks are misinterpreting instructions for priming when the high pressure side of the system is opened up.
 

JM Popaleetus

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Joined
Mar 15, 2010
Location
Connecticut
TDI
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Thinking more about this, if I were a service writer or VW. I would just say: “Well you see, the extra filter you added strain to the pump and starved it. That caused it to implode and well, warranty denied.”

Of course that’s total nonsense, considering Andrew/2micron has done more for our HPFP’s than VW ever did. But yeah.

Also, I wonder if them never admitting to the HPFP design flaws was in an effort to hide Dieselgate?
 

Lightflyer1

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Sep 13, 2005
Location
Round Rock, Texas
TDI
2015 Beetle tdi dsg
Thread here:

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=489075

I was always looking for one of those old armor grade indestructible ones I think were meant for combat/police/harsh use. Couldn't find one cheap and they were mostly old and broken to some extent. This one seems to be able to do the job although it isn't for harsh use I would imagine. As long as it survives the heat I should have no issues.
 

bigb

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 15, 2018
Location
Arizona
TDI
2015 Sportwagon S
Thread here:

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=489075

I was always looking for one of those old armor grade indestructible ones I think were meant for combat/police/harsh use. Couldn't find one cheap and they were mostly old and broken to some extent. This one seems to be able to do the job although it isn't for harsh use I would imagine. As long as it survives the heat I should have no issues.
I saw the link you put in the last post but that one is out of stock as well. I may have to go with something with a bit more storage as I'd really like to put my AutoEnginuity on it too. I have my AE on an ancient Acer Aspire that needs another battery (will be the 3rd one) but it still works with the power adapter. I bought that originally and did just what you do, I carry it in my Powerstroke when travelling.
 
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