Golf TDI MKIV UPGRADES - HELP WELCOME

This is my first post on TDIClub and my first TDI...so be nice, please!

2004 VW Golf TDI - 1.9L BEW

Planned Upgrades:
VNT-17/22 Turbo - purchased
Southbend Stage 2 Endurance Clutch Assembly - purchased
Bosio R783 Nozzles - purchased
Malone Stage 4 ECU Tune - not purchased

I would like to upgrade the intercooler, but that won't be for a while and I'm not sure how much improvement it will add.

Can anyone advise on anything they see wrong with my planned upgrades? Any other suggestions for mods for the future?

In addition, I'm questioning the purchasing of the nozzles now. I have no idea what injectors are in my TDI. Do the BEW Golfs all come stock with PD100s? I've read that PD100s with the R783 can outperform PD150s with similar nozzles based on the smaller plunger in the PD150s. That may not be accurate at all.

Also, does anyone have a similar build? What kind of bhp do you get out of it? I'm curious to know what I'll be sitting at after the planned upgrades.

I'd appreciate any feedback, suggestions, criticism.

Sub'd.

So I've got the turbo, clutch, and nozzles in.

Just looking for a little advice on the following:
I do plan on a stage 4 chip tune.

Do I wait until I'm ready to do the tune, to install everything?
Do the upgrades I'm doing require anything extra (mapping?) or is it plug and play?
If I would install everything I have now without doing anything else, would there be any issues?

Thanks guys...your advise is greatly appreciated!!

When you stomp it to the floor with the stock inter-cooler, PP520's, VNT15 in moderately warm weather the stock inter-cooler heat soaks in like 6 seconds and the fueling starts to drop off as the intake air is getting hot.

IMHO if I were to do my mods again I would have put the FMIC in earlier.

Thanks Chris!
I might just hold onto everything until March when I get my tax refund...then get the inter cooler and chip tune in the car at the same time as everything else.

What are your goals?

With the hybrid turbo and those nozzles, I would go stage 5

Also, you'll need a better intercooler and a better exhaust/downpipe and a 3-bar MAP sensor

I run this one: http://www.fixmyvw.com/upgraded-smic-intercooler-for-alh-tdi/

I also have upgraded(larger) intercooler pipes and a larger turbo intake pipe (from air filter to turbo)

All of this is assuming your vehicle is in top running condition and up to date on maintenance. (Cam wear? Timing belt done?)

I have an 05 BEW jetta with a stage 4 tune with vnt-17

PGM, firstly thank you for the advice.

I hadn't considered doing the timing belt or camshaft yet. I bought the car at 142k miles (currently at 158k) and the guy I bought it from stated that he had all the regular scheduled maintenance kept up with by the vw dealership. So I would expect that he had the timing belt done at 100k... Normally I wouldn't have believed that from a seller, but he seemed very meticulous and the car was in amazing condition. I'll at least check the timing belt and cam for wear and see if they are ready for replacement.

The ALH intercooler you linked fits in the BEW? I was looking at a BEW intercooler and the one I found was $800. IDParts shows that the upgraded intercooler pipes wouldn't fit my BEW unless I have a turbo exit, EGR, and intercooler that will accept regular pipe fitting instead of clips.
I had no idea about the intercooler that's in there now or the EGR, so I only got the lower inter cooler hose.

Correct, the BEW uses clip connectors.

They are notorious on becoming loose and leaking. Also, the vnt17/22 doesn't have a clip connector, it has the clamp style. So you'll have to convert over either way. idparts says they won't fit because they are not clip pipes. I have the exact pipes from idparts on my bew with that intercooler...I just converted to the clamp style.

You definitely need to check your cam and lifters. I had to replace mine last year due to lifters starting to pit. Franko6 on here is the one to go to when it comes to cams/lifters. I also suggest running Rotella T6 5w-40 you can get from Wal-Mart pretty cheap

You might as well go ahead and due an EGR delete. It's free when you buy your tune. It's cheaper than having to buy a special lower pipe to fit your turbo. And you don't have to worry about emission testing where you're at.

You'll also need a boost gauge with that turbo and tune

Don't forget the 3bar MAP

Oh and after you get everything installed, you'll need VCDS to take logs and send to Malone. That way he can adjust your tune specifically for your car

I sent you a PM earlier

Well then, I gotta see if IDParts will ship me the upgraded intercooler pipes (minus the lower hose) minus what I already paid for the lower separately.

I was def gonna have the EGR delete mod done with the tune, but down the road some
I'm thinking about eliminating it all together, adding a race pipe, and really cleaning the soot out of all the intakes.

I got the boost gauge with the turbo. I'm thinking I want to have Ben at VWdiesel.com do the Malone tuning so I have an accurate dyno. I was thinking whoever did the Malone tune would do the 3 bar mapping and vcds lodging, but I may be wrong.

I've still got a long road ahead of me. And apparently a lot of stuff still to buy.

PGM jetta said:

You might as well go ahead and due an EGR delete. It's free when you buy your tune. It's cheaper than having to buy a special lower pipe to fit your turbo. And you don't have to worry about emission testing where you're at.

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Do you have cold weather? Do you find with the EGR delete it takes longer to warm up?

I'm from TN so no I haven't noticed any difference at all. I have a frost heater to install that will definitely eliminate any cold coolant.

The 3bar MAP is an actual sensor, not a tune http://www.idparts.com/bar-map-sensor-p-655.html


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Also, I got just an EGR delete instead of the racepipe. That way I still have the anti shudder valve to aid in shut down and prevent runaway. The EGR is different on the BEW than the ALH. You only need this to delete it instead of a race pipe: http://www.fixmyvw.com/egr-motor-block-off-plate-by-buzzken-bew-bhw-egr/

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Well that EGR plate is a much more cost effective option at only $21, and will help free up some room.

As for the 3 bar map sensor, I know it's a pyshical part, but I'm not doing the tune myself. Ben's TDI (referenced above) will do clutches and turbos...as well as Malone ecu tunes. I assume he does enough boost gauges and map sensors that I'll just have him do mine while he's tuning.

I would have really liked to do all the other hardware myself before taking it to him for the tune, but it doesn't sound like it will drive properly until getting some of the other stuff...like an intercooler, pipes, camshaft, and possibly even a timing belt. And if I have to do the timing belt, I'll jus end up doing do the water pump and serpentine belt too...all of which is starting to get kind of overwhelming.

I will definitely do the clutch myself, since the vehicle will operate the same after making that replacement. I guess I'll just have to save up for an intercooler, pipes, camshaft, and lifters before the turbo and nozzles...perhaps even some new glow plugs (all before tuning of course).

Is that how you would do it?
And I appreciate it again.

You could go ahead and install the EGR delete(it will throw a CEL but will not affect anything) and install the intercooler, pipes, and even the turbo a day or two before you get the tune. The car will run a little laggy but will be fine.

The clutch could be put off for a little while until your stock clutch starts slipping bad. Which it will only slip when you hammer on it in a high gear. I had a stage 4 tune on my stock clutch for almost 3 months before I had time to put in a stronger one.

Ben is a great guy. He'll get you fixed up and you'll love your new ride

Edit: Be prepared to drop some serious coin getting those nozzles mounted and balanced

Anyone else find it odd that a guy who signed up in the forums yesterday has so much in-depth knowledge of a certain group vendors and "how perfect" they would be to "recommend"

KERMA said:

Anyone else find it odd that a guy who signed up in the forums yesterday has so much in-depth knowledge of a certain group vendors and "how perfect" they would be to "recommend"

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Jealous much?

Just because I have recently joined as a member does not mean that I'm a new vw owner or that I'm new to tdi's. I simply said "Ben is a great guy and will get you fixed up"

I've had several dealings with most of the vendors here(even bought some stuff from you Kerma) and other places that are not venders here.

I recommend Ben because he's done some work for me before. (That's called first hand experience if you're wondering) you can also read his reviews and will find he's a top notch mechanic and a great guy.

Kerma, I would think that with what the OP said in the first post that you would try to actually help him with his build. Not question other's knowledge.

OP don't get discouraged, most vendors are more than willing to help

PGM Jetta know anything about 2.0 CR TDi?


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Fire&TDI said:

PGM Jetta know anything about 2.0 CR TDi?


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I have limited experience with the CR TDIs. However, there are many on here that know all the ins and outs of them. Check out the model specific forums on here to get answers to any questions you may have and tips/tricks.

Also, there are many GURUs in the east TN and NC area to assist you.

Now, let's get back to the OP!

Edit: just for Kerma's sake, I know there are many GURUs in that area from searching on here and reading people's first hand experience from this forum and other sources.

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Not discouraged in the least.
Things will probably be delayed for a bit...maybe tax refund reason, but not a big deal.

Kerma...unfortunately I have never purchased anything from kermatdi. I was suggested to IDparts immediately after buying my TDI from a friend who owns one. He also suggested TDIClub. Needless to say I've went to IDparts for most things for my car. Unfortunately for IDparts they don't have much in the aftermarket performance category. Yeah I bought the clutch, turbo, and nozzles from them...but they don't have the intercooler or cam shaft I'm gonna be getting. I see that kermatdi does. Clearly you guys are good vendors and have a good thing going, but you need to introduce yourself to potential customers in a positive manner, not through childish finger pointing on IDparts.

As for PGM, I can't say with 100% certainty that he's not a vendor multi, but he didn't suggest Ben to me or any one vendor for parts. He has been very helpful with his advice and I've researched a little further on every piece of advice he's given and it's all legitimately good advice that I needed to know.
Regarding Ben at vwtdisales, I had already been emailing Ben about doing my tune and a few other things. I saw he has a shop in Chattanooga and would even be willing to travel an hour to me if needed. I also read some reviews on him which all seem to indicate that he's an awesome mechanic and a real good guy.

Correction: I bought the turbo from Kermatdi. Thank you and you're welcome! You should give me a discount on the intercooler, upgraded pipes, 3 bar map sensor, and colt stage 2 cam.

mkiv_kid said:

I was def gonna have the EGR delete mod done with the tune, but down the road some. I'm thinking about eliminating it all together, adding a race pipe, and really cleaning the soot out of all the intakes.
I've still got a long road ahead of me. And apparently a lot of stuff still to buy.

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Just a thought, (and I am in no way affiliated with them) but Kerma does "free" tunes when you buy your upgrades from them. Then you can kind of buy what you want/as you can afford, and have your tune updated to match at no additional cost.

turbovan+tdi said:

Do you have cold weather? Do you find with the EGR delete it takes longer to warm up?

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I live in Wisconsin, and although I don't have a comparison to how it was before, it takes forever to get to full operating temp. That's kind of part of a diesel I feel, as every other diesel I've driven was that way (EGR deleted or not). It's not rediculous, but I can drive about 5-8 miles (70 MPH) before it gets there.

KERMA said:

Anyone else find it odd that a guy who signed up in the forums yesterday has so much in-depth knowledge of a certain group vendors and "how perfect" they would be to "recommend"

Click to expand...

I didn't until you mentioned it...but he seems legit.


In Kerma's defense, I have seen the aforementioned astroturfing on this forum quite frequently. So I feel your bashing of them is uncalled for. You may think he is overreacting but I can understand the skepticism. Mostly because most new members are noobs (myself included sometimes) and don't do the proper research before asking questions. I had kind of a "bad" first experience with them (really long shipping timeframe ~ 3.5 weeks almost). HOWEVER, their customer service is TOP NOTCH and I would highly recommend them to anyone. I was given more than fair "compensation" for the long lead time and will most definitely be purchasing products from them again.

mkiv_kid said:

This is my first post on TDIClub and my first TDI...so be nice, please!
2004 VW Golf TDI - 1.9L BEW
Planned Upgrades:
VNT-17/22 Turbo - purchased
Southbend Stage 2 Endurance Clutch Assembly - purchased
Bosio R783 Nozzles - purchased
Malone Stage 4 ECU Tune - not purchased
I would like to upgrade the intercooler, but that won't be for a while and I'm not sure how much improvement it will add.
Can anyone advise on anything they see wrong with my planned upgrades? Any other suggestions for mods for the future?
In addition, I'm questioning the purchasing of the nozzles now. I have no idea what injectors are in my TDI. Do the BEW Golfs all come stock with PD100s? I've read that PD100s with the R783 can outperform PD150s with similar nozzles based on the smaller plunger in the PD150s. That may not be accurate at all.
Also, does anyone have a similar build? What kind of bhp do you get out of it? I'm curious to know what I'll be sitting at after the planned upgrades.
I'd appreciate any feedback, suggestions, criticism.

Click to expand...

So apparently I've bought the turbo, clutch, and nozzles from the 190hp kit from Kerma.
http://www.kermatdi.com/190hp-kit-for-2004-2006-bew-engine-manual/

I'm gonna do the egr delete mod and block plate instead of the egr pipe. Don't think I'm doing the exhaust either...at least not yet.
What about the OMI, old man intake?

Are any of these actually key to the build (absolutely critical)?


This would have me only having to purchase the FMIC, camshaft, timing belt/water pump parts, and tune...still a **** ton of money.


What about the Kerma FMIC with complete plumbing? Does that mean I wouldn't need upgraded inter cooler pipes...or still yes?!
http://www.idparts.com/product_info.php?products_id=1229{52}186{65}105{138}60

My advice:

Crowdsourcing on the forums is absolutely the worst way to plan purchases. Anyone with a keyboard can post and there is no accountability. They won't have to live with the consequences of your decisions, and won't be there to support you and answer the phone when you have questions after the sale. Buy from my friend... no buy from MY friend, he is so professional... no my friend is a great guy, puh-leeze spare me. Are you looking for a new friend or are you shopping for parts for your car?

The forums are so impersonal. You can't look anyone in the eye and get a feel for who they are and the motivation, especially for a new guy. You have no way of knowing who it is behind that keyboard. It's great when you can look someone in the eye and deal with a real person- but the next best thing could be a phone call. Call and talk to someone. Ask questions. Then call back and ask some more. If you want, start with an e-mail and see what responses you get, and how long it takes to answer, and the quality of the answers, because THAT could indicate the quality of the follow-up you can expect after the sale.

We have a staff that answers the kinds of questions you have. We do this all day, every day, and they guys work really hard to earn your business.

To answer the specific questions: the FMIC kit comes with full piping.

Once you get the basic fueling/turbo (tune, injectors, turbo) then the rest just adds to the quality of life so to speak. More airflow lets you have more smoke free performance with less EGT with more duty cycle. (IOW duty cycle = use the performance or not)

KERMA said:

My advice:

Crowdsourcing on the forums is absolutely the worst way to plan purchases. Anyone with a keyboard can post and there is no accountability. They won't have to live with the consequences of your decisions, and won't be there to support you and answer the phone when you have questions after the sale. Buy from my friend... no buy from MY friend, he is so professional... no my friend is a great guy, puh-leeze spare me. Are you looking for a new friend or are you shopping for parts for your car?

The forums are so impersonal. You can't look anyone in the eye and get a feel for who they are and the motivation, especially for a new guy. You have no way of knowing who it is behind that keyboard. It's great when you can look someone in the eye and deal with a real person- but the next best thing could be a phone call. Call and talk to someone. Ask questions. Then call back and ask some more. If you want, start with an e-mail and see what responses you get, and how long it takes to answer, and the quality of the answers, because THAT could indicate the quality of the follow-up you can expect after the sale.

We have a staff that answers the kinds of questions you have. We do this all day, every day, and they guys work really hard to earn your business.

To answer the specific questions: the FMIC kit comes with full piping.

Once you get the basic fueling/turbo (tune, injectors, turbo) then the rest just adds to the quality of life so to speak. More airflow lets you have more smoke free performance with less EGT with more duty cycle. (IOW duty cycle = use the performance or not)

Click to expand...

I could have done without the first two paragraphs.

I'm starting to like everything I see about KermaTDI except for the guy running the TDIClub forum account. (so you don't have to diagnose and reverse engineer my post...you).

I'm digging kermatdi.com right now just scratching my head at what I want to buy first. If you don't mind I'd like to hear from people about their experiences with similar upgrades.


The best advice you can give is how I can get a discount code on my purchases from kermatdi.com and stop posting on my threads.


You haven't exactly shown your technical understanding/expertise with my specific tdi...many of the so called astroturfers have been very helpful "guiding me". Something you apparently know nothing about.

The first 210 hp build in a BEW was back in April 2008.

It had R783, hybrid turbo (similar to the K3 turbo), FMIC, exhaust, long runner intake manifold, tuned by yours truly.

The injectors are the key to making more than about 150 hp. BEW injectors with R783 will make more power than PD150 injectors with the same nozzles.

Turbo will affect the max power you can make. The exhaust restriction is the determining factor here, not the compressor. More boost does not necessarily equal more power, especially if your exhaust pressure goes up 2x the boost. The exhaust backpressure fights the boost and ultimately limits what you can do. The tradeoff for a bigger turbo is slower low rpm response. There is about a 2000-2500 rpm useable band and it shifts up or down in rpm and that is the tradeoff. generally speaking, Smaller turbo = bigger torque numbers (or more power at lower rpm if you will) and bigger turbo = better power at high rpm. Choose 1500-4000 rpm, 2000-4500 rpm, etc. There was a forum fad for a while of 6000 rpm ALH, but just about every one of those blew up sooner or later- and the power showm on the dyno always tapered after the aforementioned 2500 rpm useable band.

Cam is a breathing mod that helps with smoke, turbo spool, and responsiveness. It also lowers peak cylinder pressure because of the extended intake valve opening duration past TDC. So a cam is very helpful for engine longevity when you are using higher boost and or lots of timing.

FMIC is likewise a breathing mod that helps you keep full power instead of having it cut back from heat soak. It's been described as having a car that drives like it does in a cool autumn morning instead of a hot summer day.

Exhaust is very helpful for turbo efficiency. the less back pressure the better. Some will tell you that boost creep is inevitable like death and taxes in a stock BEW turbo, but that is a strictly a function of the tune. (the N75 duty cycle is not the ONLY thing that controls the turbo boost!)


Once you get to 150 hp that's about the safe/practical/physical limit of the stock BEW injectors. If you want more than that, you need bigger injectors. R783 are good to about 250 whp, if there is ideal backpressure/VE conditions in relation to boost, and it is likely that you will be giving up some low rpm response with a large enough turbo like a 2260. (this is a controversial statement but (IMO based on what I've seen in actual cars). 250 whp turns into 350-400 whp with nitrous.

Everything between 150-250 hp is a sliding scale that depends on exhaust backpressure in relation to boost, which determines the amount of air that can be crammed in the cylinder to burn more fuel supplied by bigger injectors. Intake manifold, intercooler, cam, and exhaust play a role.

Purchase order:

I would go with your basic 150 hp kit mods: turbo, tune, clutch to hold it, 3bar map sensor. Braided oil line is nice for ease of installation. You will need the gaskets. You may need an oil return line depending on the condition of yours. You will need to clean your intake manifold and intake ports in the head if you want the best results. You will need a good tune or the other mods will not add anything. Everything depends on the tune pulling it together. Q-loader for that, saves shop labor charges and delays and you avoid the canned tunes that come from the online database of those other guys. (unless you pay extra w/delays for custom)

Next step will depend on your ultimate goals, the "end game".

PP1043 are good up till about 200 whp on BEW injectors, with ideal backpressure conditions. IOW cam, big turbo, exhaust, long runner manifold.

R783 are good to about 250 whp in theory, but that's harder to achieve in practice. Head work will be needed and high boost along with everything else. A big enough turbo for 250 whp will trade off low rpm torque.

200 whp is the practical limit for most daily drivers.

hope this helps.

mkiv_kid said:

So apparently I've bought the turbo, clutch, and nozzles from the 190hp kit from Kerma.

I'm gonna do the egr delete mod and block plate instead of the egr pipe. Don't think I'm doing the exhaust either...at least not yet.
What about the OMI, old man intake?

Are any of these actually key to the build (absolutely critical)?

This would have me only having to purchase the FMIC, camshaft, timing belt/water pump parts, and tune...still a **** ton of money.

What about the Kerma FMIC with complete plumbing? Does that mean I wouldn't need upgraded inter cooler pipes...or still yes?!

Click to expand...

From what I have read on the forums, and I have no personal experience or proof, you don't really need a cam or CAI (cold air intake). Adding an aftermarket cam "doesn't do that much" for these cars, and neither does a CAI. The stock air box supplies plenty of air for around 150-200 hp (or so I've read). Although the stock piping is a bit restrictive, and the OMI will provide better flow. If you haven't already done so this is a good read: http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=290373

As for the intercooler, it depends on how much money you want to spend on upgrades. If you want to just get by for now, the stock pipes and your upgraded cooler will be fine. Further down the road it would be a good upgrade to go large front mount. The intercooler is was cools the intake air. Cooler air means more density, which means more power essentially.

So as for a basic necessity list, I would recommend: turbo (since you bought it already), injectors, tune, clutch, and mufflerectomy (if you don't want to buy an exhaust right now) and de-cat. Less in the exhaust provides less back pressure. Having just a tune and larger injectors will be a relatively large increase in power over stock.

All that being said, I have their 150 hp + kit:
-Garrett VNT17 Turbo
-Stainless Oil Supply Lines
-Fratelli Bosio DLC 1019 injector nozzles
-South Bend Stage 2 Daily clutch kit
-3 Bar MAP (boost) sensor
-Q-Loader

As well as:
-2.5" straight pipe exhaust
-Aftermarket sidemount Intercooler
-EGR Delete

In August I went to the dyno and pulled 111 whp, and an estimated 205 wtq. Very disappointing in my opinion.

Give this thread a read: http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=281762

Much better than dropping $800

I plan on doing this to mine when I get Bosio 1043s.

To tag on to what vdubwannab was saying, after the stock intercooler "heatsoaks" The ECU reads the hot air and begins to cut back fueling. So the cooler the air, the more fuel the ECU will give.

x2 on the cold air intakes, don't waste your money. Several of the highly modded tdi's on here still have the stock airbox.

I have an OMI that I bought from a member on here, I can't say for sure if it's "needed" or not. The butt dyno likes it and I like to think it would aid in spooling. (though nothing to back this claim up)

KERMA said:

Cam is a breathing mod that helps with smoke, turbo spool, and responsiveness. It also lowers peak cylinder pressure because of the extended intake valve opening duration past TDC. So a cam is very helpful for engine longevity when you are using higher boost and or lots of timing.

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Kerma - I hope you mean BDC instead of TDC, otherwise, you'll have other problems

mkiv_kid - to some degree KERMA is right that you need a good filter to crowdsource answers to any problem, however the flipside is also true that taking advice from the guy selling the parts can have it's own risks. Either way, you have to do your own research and come to your own conclusions as to what the "best" way is to accomplish your goals.

My approach to this has been to use data to support/refute the rumors and marketing and opinions. There is very little hard data to support ANY of the modifications on your TDI. Let's take your intercooler question for example - I've run the same turbo as you for 100k miles on a stock SMIC. Yes, if you're on a dyno with a fan blowing across the intercooler, you're going to get very high IAT's - approaching 100F over ambient temps. If you're driving on the highway at any speed with a SMIC, your IAT's will be 10-15F over ambient. If you do an on-ramp full throttle blast through the gears to 100 MPH, your IAT's will be 30-40F over ambient by the time you get to 100 MPH. Even on the dyno when my IAT's were 180F+ I was recording VCDS data and never saw any indication of fuel reduction on 3 different tunes from 2 different tuners looking at back to back runs where the first run had lower IAT's than the 2nd/3rd runs. Curious Chris was there recording the IAT's. I've got a 2nd TDI that has a very large FMIC (probably 10x the size of a stock SMIC) - IAT's are 5-10F over ambient driving down the road, 20-30F over ambient to 100 MPH. Better than a SMIC? Yes. Is it worth ~$400 and all the hassle of the plumbing and installation? What real world hard performance gains do you get for your $400?

These are the questions to ask anyone who's giving you advice - what real data to you have to support your claims? What does "better" mean? Why is it better?

Since you already have your turbo, clutch and nozzles - the rest is just putting it all together and tuning is a very important part of that. I've had tunes from Rocketchip, Malone and TDTuning and they all have their advantages/disadvantages depending on your goals. I've not had a tune from KERMA, not that I think they're bad, just never done it.

There's a handful of builds similar to yours by members 3L3M3NT, danielhf and many others. I'm guessing (no data to back this up, what a hypocrite I am ) that you'll be in the 175 HP/325 ft-lbf range with a light haze behind you.

Another option, a bit from left field, but before you start down what can be a very deep and expensive rabbit hole - Insure your car is running it's best in stock form, get a tune only from any of the tuners mentioned on this site and see how you like that. It will really transform your car. That single modification will be the best HP & TQ per $ that you'll ever see. You'll have to put the $3k of parts that you have already purchased on your car to get the same performance increase again that you got initially from just the tune for 10% of the $ spent. If you're happy with the tune, then return or resell the parts and get most of your money back.

Thanks everyone for the technical advice. You too Kerma!! Very helpful stuff.

@fixuntilbroke...my original plan was to do the clutch and a 1.5 tune...but I started picking up some other parts to go to a stage 5 tune. I think I'll be happiest with a complete overhaul to the performance components of my tdi.

Thanks to the longevity of the tdi, I'm going to focus on standard maintenance...and careful selection of the performance parts I purchase. I think I'll slow my role just a bit and make this more of a long term project car.

I've got big plans to increase performance by double (190-200bhp) and then work on the appearance. I've done little external appearance stuff which makes me happy driving the car daily, but in several more years I'd really like to have a nice whip that looks badass and can perform similarly!!

vdubwannab said:

In August I went to the dyno and pulled 111 whp, and an estimated 205 wtq. Very disappointing in my opinion.

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We have not started the troubleshooting process after you contacted me last month- you did not even know if your mechanic had looked at the timing and IQ. There are a host of things that will lower power on a 5 year old build that you bought 2nd hand. We are to help but we are very busy and tuning customers get my first priority. (You are not a kerma tuning customer if you did not buy a tune form us, and 2nd hand does not count) There have been tune updates since that car was first tuned but form your e-mails it does not sound to be up to par mechanically at this time. That needs to be addressed and throwing tunes at it is not the answer (but an update will be in th cards once it is running ok again).

Unplug the maf for starters and see ho w it runs. Quick and easy test.

Fix_Until_Broke said:

Kerma - I hope you mean BDC instead of TDC, otherwise, you'll have other problems

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OOps, late night posting. good catch.