03 Jetta Upgrade options

darwin1234

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 23, 2012
Location
Woodland,Washington
TDI
2015 Jetta Tdi SEL 6-MT .
I just bought a 03 jetta and i am looking to upgrade. It has 120k on it well taken care of and i have just changed the timing belt kit,Glow plugs and serp belt. Im looking to get better mpg a little more performance and would like the option to upgrade the stock turbo when it goes.

If i buy the Kerma Q loader will it have me covered for the stock turbo and a upgraded later?. I just want opinions befoe i buy I know if i ask KermaI it will be the best product out there. :) Typical ! I know i will need nozzles soon..:) im sure 520s.

I do have a Automatic btw...

Just looking for a few options and whats best to do. Im ordering soon...90 hp is not good....lol

Thanks in advance !
 
Last edited:

Fix_Until_Broke

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 8, 2004
Location
Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, USA
TDI
03 Jetta, 03 TT TDI
First make sure the car is operating as it should - take some VCDS logs, check for proper turbo operation, clean the intake manifold/EGR valve, insure the MAF is working properly, make sure the cat is not plugged, etc before going after more power. If the above is not working right, you'll end up frustrated at best or a blown engine at worst by adding tunes/fuel to it. I know it's not the fun stuff right away, but will save you $$ and frustration later on.

After that, I'd start with a manual transmission swap - either 5 or 6 speed with an upgraded clutch. The automatics from those years are not noted for great longevity and a manual swap is cheaper than repairing/replacing the automatic, plus you'll pick up ~5 MPG to boot.

At this point, you should decide how far you want to go down the power enhancement road. Go to a GTG and ask to ride/drive a few different cars with various modifications to see what you're after. How much do you want to spend? Power/torque get more expensive the more you want :) Gauges (boost, EGT) are a good thing to consider as well at this point.

After that, I'd suggest a tune and/or nozzles. Kerma has many satisfied customers as do many other tuners such as TDTuning, Malone, Rocketchip, etc. There are also a few nozzle choices - Bosio, Bosch, HiFlox, DSS also all have good feedback. Which nozzles will depend on your above goals. If you're thinking "just a mild upgrade, nothing major" then I'd go with PP520 or PP764's or their equivalent. If you're thinking "maybe a turbo", I'd go for R520's or equivalent.

Your car already has a 11mm injection pump which will help in the long run for performance.

Read, read, read, read, read and when you're brain is full, take a break and read some more. Your engine/car is one of the most popular and most modified of any TDI so chances are someone's done it already.

Lastly - stay away from CRAP (Chinese Replacement Auto Parts) - most of the vendors you see in the vendor section will sell you quality parts and deliver excellent service.
 

darwin1234

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 23, 2012
Location
Woodland,Washington
TDI
2015 Jetta Tdi SEL 6-MT .
First make sure the car is operating as it should - take some VCDS logs, check for proper turbo operation, clean the intake manifold/EGR valve, insure the MAF is working properly, make sure the cat is not plugged, etc before going after more power. If the above is not working right, you'll end up frustrated at best or a blown engine at worst by adding tunes/fuel to it. I know it's not the fun stuff right away, but will save you $$ and frustration later on.

After that, I'd start with a manual transmission swap - either 5 or 6 speed with an upgraded clutch. The automatics from those years are not noted for great longevity and a manual swap is cheaper than repairing/replacing the automatic, plus you'll pick up ~5 MPG to boot.

At this point, you should decide how far you want to go down the power enhancement road. Go to a GTG and ask to ride/drive a few different cars with various modifications to see what you're after. How much do you want to spend? Power/torque get more expensive the more you want :) Gauges (boost, EGT) are a good thing to consider as well at this point.

After that, I'd suggest a tune and/or nozzles. Kerma has many satisfied customers as do many other tuners such as TDTuning, Malone, Rocketchip, etc. There are also a few nozzle choices - Bosio, Bosch, HiFlox, DSS also all have good feedback. Which nozzles will depend on your above goals. If you're thinking "just a mild upgrade, nothing major" then I'd go with PP520 or PP764's or their equivalent. If you're thinking "maybe a turbo", I'd go for R520's or equivalent.

Your car already has a 11mm injection pump which will help in the long run for performance.

Read, read, read, read, read and when you're brain is full, take a break and read some more. Your engine/car is one of the most popular and most modified of any TDI so chances are someone's done it already.

Lastly - stay away from CRAP (Chinese Replacement Auto Parts) - most of the vendors you see in the vendor section will sell you quality parts and deliver excellent service.
Thanks for the reply....

I have everything done except the VCDS logs and Cat....Im almost thinking about removing that Cat anyway and replace the Muffler. I dont need it where i live... So the 6 speed is from a newer car? What years? Good place to buy Gauges? About the nozzles...Im looking to replace these stock ones and go up to the 520s. R520s will work with a stock turbo and tune? So when i upgrade the turbo i will not have to change the nozzles again? Should i use the Q loader? Or just tune everytime? How long is a turbo good for? Oil was dealer changed every 7500. Is it time for Nozzles?

Thanks for the help!
 

Fix_Until_Broke

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 8, 2004
Location
Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, USA
TDI
03 Jetta, 03 TT TDI
Cat removal is a popular thing to do.

6 speeds are from Europe - Check out darksidedevelopments (ryanp on the forums here) - they have everything you need in one shipment. jimbote has a .pdf write up as he's converted quite a few cars from automatics to 6 speeds.

Gauges are largely a matter of personal preference - VDO, Autometer, Stewart Warner, McNally, Isspro, etc all make good stuff. If you're going tune only you might be able to get by without gauges at all, but at the minimum I'd recommend a boost gauge and if you're pushing things at all an EGT gauge as well.

Yes, like a clutch, my opinion with nozzles is to do it once and go big. Any of the tuners should be able to tune for them accordingly. You will have lots of power and smoke (dangerous amounts) until you get a tune to match those nozzles. If you get them, resist the urge to use this power or keep boost below 15 psi until you get a tune.

If you're going to do this in stages then a loader is a good choice since as you add hardware, you can just get a new tune via e-mail and load it on the car yourself. The downside is the extra cost of the loader, but after a few times shipping your ECU back/forth and downtime, it pays for itself quickly. Some tuners offer a rental/loaner flash loader if you won't be doing a lot of changes.

Turbos will last for hundred of thousands of miles on stock cars - if you go with a conservative tune (15-16 psi) you won't appreciably shorten it's life if at all. If you start running 18-20 psi, you're going to shorten the life of your turbo.

At 120k miles it's probably getting time for nozzles - they're not junk and you will probably not notice if you put new OEM nozzles on (maybe a MPG or two increase, maybe not), but they have had a lot of fuel through them.

Oil changes are more than sufficient - you can easily go 10k+ on quality synthetic oils.
 

Sc0

Veteran Member
Joined
May 21, 2000
Location
Houston, TX USA
TDI
'02 Golf GL 5sp Candy White Tan cloth interior
Have $$$$? Automatics are not known to live very long with mods... RyanP can set you up with a 02M 6 speed, Darkside GTB turbo kits, exhaust, add a quality intercooler, Clutch kit, injectors, ARP headstuds, oil cooler, 3 bar MAP, with tuning and you should be good to go. After messing with a few Hybrid turbo's I think my next one will be a Garret GTB, mainly due to Garret assembling this cartridge so no balance issues and a longer life... The flange to flange bolt in is also nice compared to the integral turbine hot side of the VNT15/17 series.
 

darwin1234

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 23, 2012
Location
Woodland,Washington
TDI
2015 Jetta Tdi SEL 6-MT .
I wont be going to that extreme...:) But thank you for the thoughts..Sounds like fun! It will just be a small mod and turbo when this one blows...
 

darwin1234

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 23, 2012
Location
Woodland,Washington
TDI
2015 Jetta Tdi SEL 6-MT .
Cat removal is a popular thing to do.

6 speeds are from Europe - Check out darksidedevelopments (ryanp on the forums here) - they have everything you need in one shipment. jimbote has a .pdf write up as he's converted quite a few cars from automatics to 6 speeds.

Gauges are largely a matter of personal preference - VDO, Autometer, Stewart Warner, McNally, Isspro, etc all make good stuff. If you're going tune only you might be able to get by without gauges at all, but at the minimum I'd recommend a boost gauge and if you're pushing things at all an EGT gauge as well.

Yes, like a clutch, my opinion with nozzles is to do it once and go big. Any of the tuners should be able to tune for them accordingly. You will have lots of power and smoke (dangerous amounts) until you get a tune to match those nozzles. If you get them, resist the urge to use this power or keep boost below 15 psi until you get a tune.

If you're going to do this in stages then a loader is a good choice since as you add hardware, you can just get a new tune via e-mail and load it on the car yourself. The downside is the extra cost of the loader, but after a few times shipping your ECU back/forth and downtime, it pays for itself quickly. Some tuners offer a rental/loaner flash loader if you won't be doing a lot of changes.

Turbos will last for hundred of thousands of miles on stock cars - if you go with a conservative tune (15-16 psi) you won't appreciably shorten it's life if at all. If you start running 18-20 psi, you're going to shorten the life of your turbo.

At 120k miles it's probably getting time for nozzles - they're not junk and you will probably not notice if you put new OEM nozzles on (maybe a MPG or two increase, maybe not), but they have had a lot of fuel through them.

Oil changes are more than sufficient - you can easily go 10k+ on quality synthetic oils.
Maybe just a tune and some 520s. I dont need to drive the car so i can send in the ecm...Ill run the tranny until it drops or if i find a good deal on a 5 speed...Who do i call for Nozzles and tune? Ive seen 3 companys but who has the best tune and nozzles? Ill just send it all in at once then install it and should get better mpg and a little more power.
 

Fix_Until_Broke

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 8, 2004
Location
Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, USA
TDI
03 Jetta, 03 TT TDI
Best is subjective - I'd trust any/all of the below (and have personally purchased from most of them). Do your research and determine what is "best" for you.

Tunes:
Malone
Rocketchip
TDTuning
Kerma
Darkside


Nozzles:
IDParts
BoraParts
Kerma
Darkside
Whitbread

darwin1234 said:
I wont be going to that extreme...:)
Famous last words - good luck with that ;)
 

darwin1234

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 23, 2012
Location
Woodland,Washington
TDI
2015 Jetta Tdi SEL 6-MT .
Best is subjective - I'd trust any/all of the below (and have personally purchased from most of them). Do your research and determine what is "best" for you.

Tunes:
Malone
Rocketchip
TDTuning
Kerma
Darkside


Nozzles:
IDParts
BoraParts
Kerma
Darkside
Whitbread


Famous last words - good luck with that ;)
Thanks! I might need lots of luck...:)
 

3L3M3NT

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 16, 2008
Location
Sturgeon Bay, WI
TDI
04 Jetta GLS TDI, 04 RTDI
Since your located in Las Vegas you may want to consider going with TDTuning since they are located in Las Vegas and you might just be able to drive your car right to them for some on site tuning, which is a huge advantage if you ask me.
http://www.tdtuning.com/wp/
 

Bob S.

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 17, 2006
Location
Central MD.
TDI
A B4V, some ALHs & BRMs
Since your located in Las Vegas you may want to consider going with TDTuning since they are located in Las Vegas and you might just be able to drive your car right to them for some on site tuning, which is a huge advantage if you ask me.
http://www.tdtuning.com/wp/
The above is about the best advice you will ever receive, even if it was for free of charge. Highly recommended and very knowledgeable in his craft.
 
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