amstel78
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Jan 24, 2012
- Location
- Shohola, PA
- TDI
- 2012 Golf TDI [buyback completed 14/1/2017] 2006 S65 AMG
A day at Diesel Dubs aka GDM (DPF and ASV/EGR valve delete)
Some of you might remember reading a few of my threads regarding issues I've been having with my DPF/EGR system. Rather than having the system fixed (I'm out of warranty), I decided to go with "plan B" which was to delete the DPF and EGR.
Being said, here's my little disclaimer; the DPF delete performed on my vehicle was done solely at my request. I'm fully aware of the Federal emissions law governing these vehicle systems. Conversely, I'm fortunate enough to live in a state where diesel passenger vehicles are exempt from emissions testing. I would not suggest you doing something like this if you live in a state that requires emissions testing for diesel passenger vehicles!
Now that the disclaimer is out of the way, I can begin. Hopefully, this thread can help answer some questions out there for anyone considering going this route. If there's something you need answered that I didn't cover, feel free to ask me.
Probably the most difficult decision for me to make once I decided to delete my DPF was with which vendor to go with. To me, there were really only two viable candidates; Diesel Dubs and Rawtek. I won't go over the material differences between the two systems since they've been hashed over quite well already, but in the end, I chose Diesel Dubs for three reasons:
1. DD is local to me (ok, not that local but a 3 hour drive is still better than Canada), and I like to support local PA businesses.
2. Price. The 2.5" DD pipe was several hundred dollars less than a comparable Rawtek. This translates to an overall lower out of pocket cost.
3. DD offers a turnkey solution meaning that everything is done in one day, in one shop. That includes the tuning also as DD is an authorized Malone dealer.
Once I got to the shop, Les began working on my Golf by removing everything that needed to be taken off before putting the car on the lift. In this photo, you can see the air filter box, air box inlet tube, high pressure EGR tube (the metal tube covered in cheese cloth), the EGR and anti-shudder valves that sit before the intake plenum, and some other assorted bits and pieces.
Once those parts were off, the car was then rolled over to the lift. The subframe did not have to be loosened or removed to drop the DPF filter. Instead, Les chose to loosen the passenger front hub at the ball joint and remove the drive axle instead. Once that was done, the DPF was removed. That's Les in the background...
Here's a shot of the parts that came off the car. You can see the DPF filter, EGR filter, and primary and secondary cat with exhaust flapper. Behind that you can see the passenger side drive axle. The DPF unit alone is a lot heavier than it looks. I'd estimate it to weigh at least 45, maybe 50 pounds. All those components together and it's probably about 70-80 pounds.
Here's a closeup of the Diesel Dubs turbo downpipe before it got installed. Some may say they're not quite as pretty as the Rawtek pieces (the welds on the Rawtek is a work of art), but I think they look great - definitely beefy, thick-walled stainless steel and well constructed with smooth mandrel bends. The bung placement on the DD pipe was also very well thought out.
Another shot of the entire downpipe:
And here's the final picture I snapped that day. I wish I had brought my Canon 5D instead of just my cell phone and taken more pictures. If anyone wants, I can take some better hi-res photos later this weekend and post them. Of course, I don't have a lift at home so what I can take pictures of will be limited.
As you can see from the above shot, the EGR and anti-shudder valves that used to hang off the intake plenum are gone. In their place is Les' new intake "Race Pipe" which does away with the EGR system entirely. The only EGR component that's left in place is the EGR cooler behind the block and under the turbo. Les has told me that they may eventually have a solution to remove the cooler as well once they've come up with an elegant way of rerouting the EGR cooler's liquid coolant lines.
I'm not sure if the race pipe I have is considered a prototype... I think Les said they have 3 (including mine) in the wild already. The only downside to the race pipe is that the oil dipstick tube is only secured by one nut at the bottom rather than two. The oil dipstick tube is normally attached to one of the EGR valves. Les did say that they're working on either a V2 pipe or some sort of bracket to address this issue.
So how does it run?
The tune I got was a Malone stage II with econotune and EGR delete. The DD pipe has no cats or resonators and goes straight back to the OE exhaust. It's not loud and there's no drone. Stomp on the gas though, and the exhaust noise turns into a violent melody. Turbo whistle is also very audible now. The best part? The Golf can now spin its tires in 2nd and 6th gear passes are a lot of fun. Les seems to think the car is generating over 350 ft. pounds torque as I can feel the DMF dampeners chattering in 6th when torque peak is reached and the engine is under load; i.e. passing up a hill.
I'll have to get the car dyno'd to confirm but my seat-of-the-pants dynamometer is telling me that something is seriously different. The car had spunk for a diesel before, but step on the long pedal now and it's like a pissed off cat with its tail on fire.
Finally, gas mileage? I'd be lucky if I averaged 41-42 per tank in the past. With what I've seen so far, I think high 40s to low 50s is easily attainable. Nothing but grins on my face, and definitely well worth the money. Les is also a great guy, easy to talk to, and takes pride in his work. I highly recommend him and DD for any sort of TDI work.
Some of you might remember reading a few of my threads regarding issues I've been having with my DPF/EGR system. Rather than having the system fixed (I'm out of warranty), I decided to go with "plan B" which was to delete the DPF and EGR.
Being said, here's my little disclaimer; the DPF delete performed on my vehicle was done solely at my request. I'm fully aware of the Federal emissions law governing these vehicle systems. Conversely, I'm fortunate enough to live in a state where diesel passenger vehicles are exempt from emissions testing. I would not suggest you doing something like this if you live in a state that requires emissions testing for diesel passenger vehicles!
Now that the disclaimer is out of the way, I can begin. Hopefully, this thread can help answer some questions out there for anyone considering going this route. If there's something you need answered that I didn't cover, feel free to ask me.
Probably the most difficult decision for me to make once I decided to delete my DPF was with which vendor to go with. To me, there were really only two viable candidates; Diesel Dubs and Rawtek. I won't go over the material differences between the two systems since they've been hashed over quite well already, but in the end, I chose Diesel Dubs for three reasons:
1. DD is local to me (ok, not that local but a 3 hour drive is still better than Canada), and I like to support local PA businesses.
2. Price. The 2.5" DD pipe was several hundred dollars less than a comparable Rawtek. This translates to an overall lower out of pocket cost.
3. DD offers a turnkey solution meaning that everything is done in one day, in one shop. That includes the tuning also as DD is an authorized Malone dealer.
Once I got to the shop, Les began working on my Golf by removing everything that needed to be taken off before putting the car on the lift. In this photo, you can see the air filter box, air box inlet tube, high pressure EGR tube (the metal tube covered in cheese cloth), the EGR and anti-shudder valves that sit before the intake plenum, and some other assorted bits and pieces.
Once those parts were off, the car was then rolled over to the lift. The subframe did not have to be loosened or removed to drop the DPF filter. Instead, Les chose to loosen the passenger front hub at the ball joint and remove the drive axle instead. Once that was done, the DPF was removed. That's Les in the background...
Here's a shot of the parts that came off the car. You can see the DPF filter, EGR filter, and primary and secondary cat with exhaust flapper. Behind that you can see the passenger side drive axle. The DPF unit alone is a lot heavier than it looks. I'd estimate it to weigh at least 45, maybe 50 pounds. All those components together and it's probably about 70-80 pounds.
Here's a closeup of the Diesel Dubs turbo downpipe before it got installed. Some may say they're not quite as pretty as the Rawtek pieces (the welds on the Rawtek is a work of art), but I think they look great - definitely beefy, thick-walled stainless steel and well constructed with smooth mandrel bends. The bung placement on the DD pipe was also very well thought out.
Another shot of the entire downpipe:
And here's the final picture I snapped that day. I wish I had brought my Canon 5D instead of just my cell phone and taken more pictures. If anyone wants, I can take some better hi-res photos later this weekend and post them. Of course, I don't have a lift at home so what I can take pictures of will be limited.
As you can see from the above shot, the EGR and anti-shudder valves that used to hang off the intake plenum are gone. In their place is Les' new intake "Race Pipe" which does away with the EGR system entirely. The only EGR component that's left in place is the EGR cooler behind the block and under the turbo. Les has told me that they may eventually have a solution to remove the cooler as well once they've come up with an elegant way of rerouting the EGR cooler's liquid coolant lines.
I'm not sure if the race pipe I have is considered a prototype... I think Les said they have 3 (including mine) in the wild already. The only downside to the race pipe is that the oil dipstick tube is only secured by one nut at the bottom rather than two. The oil dipstick tube is normally attached to one of the EGR valves. Les did say that they're working on either a V2 pipe or some sort of bracket to address this issue.
So how does it run?
The tune I got was a Malone stage II with econotune and EGR delete. The DD pipe has no cats or resonators and goes straight back to the OE exhaust. It's not loud and there's no drone. Stomp on the gas though, and the exhaust noise turns into a violent melody. Turbo whistle is also very audible now. The best part? The Golf can now spin its tires in 2nd and 6th gear passes are a lot of fun. Les seems to think the car is generating over 350 ft. pounds torque as I can feel the DMF dampeners chattering in 6th when torque peak is reached and the engine is under load; i.e. passing up a hill.
I'll have to get the car dyno'd to confirm but my seat-of-the-pants dynamometer is telling me that something is seriously different. The car had spunk for a diesel before, but step on the long pedal now and it's like a pissed off cat with its tail on fire.
Finally, gas mileage? I'd be lucky if I averaged 41-42 per tank in the past. With what I've seen so far, I think high 40s to low 50s is easily attainable. Nothing but grins on my face, and definitely well worth the money. Les is also a great guy, easy to talk to, and takes pride in his work. I highly recommend him and DD for any sort of TDI work.
- these modifications are a violation of federal emissions regulations
- neither TDIClub nor any person taking action or inaction on its behalf, other than the content poster, will be held accountable for the content in the these messages
- it is up to each individual vehicle owner or operator to take responsibility for his/her actions
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