Malone stage 1/rawtek dpf delete review?

[Porch]

Can anyone share their experience with a rawtek dpf/egr delete and malone stage 1 tune? Searching the internet, I can't find any reviews of that setup. Am I the only person in the world going with this combo? (Currently waiting on parts so it hasn't happened yet) In any case, I'm pretty excited and would love to hear anyone's experience with that combo.

 

[JELLOWSUBMARINE]

Your car will thank you. Wink nod. It's a touchy subject that the EPA has come down hard on the U.S. suppliers and in the deep communist states, like here in Ca., even the owners. That said: Let freedom reign

 

[Porch]

All I'm asking is, does anybody on this forum have that setup? There's plenty of reviews for delete+stage 2,3,4, but I've never heard from anyone with the stage 1 tune. And yeah my car will be just for driving around the, um, farm.

 

[roadlust]

My experience with MK4 tdi's is the higher the tune the more fuel efficient it is when driven normally. There is no more stress on the engine unless the extra power is used. It is logical that the same holds true with the MK6.

Why not get the highest tune your hardware can take? The car is more efficient all the way around.

 

[Porch]

My idea with stage 1 is to keep myself out of trouble, and not put too much more stress on the turbo or clutch or steering/suspension/tires/etc. If there's more power, I'll use it and wear the car out faster. For reference, most of the cars I've owned have been old carbureted subarus, so my JSW already feels like a luxury rocketship from outer space compared to any of my old cars. So I think I'll be quite happy with stage 1.

 

[ksing44]

My experience with MK4 tdi's is the higher the tune the more fuel efficient it is when driven normally. There is no more stress on the engine unless the extra power is used. It is logical that the same holds true with the MK6.

Why not get the highest tune your hardware can take? The car is more efficient all the way around.

I'm also very interested in this subject and I don't care about going faster on my farm. I'd just like to get maximum mpg out working in the fields repairing the fences from sun up to sun down. With significant improvement in mpg I think I'd feel good about a modification even from an environmental perspective. Also, like the OP, I'd like it if the modification didn't increase stresses on the car.

I also thought the higher number tunes were associated with different hardware, e.g., a bigger turbo being needed for Stage 3 or more.

Also, is it not true that the "ecotune" is the best for mpg? Why is it called the ecotune if it's not the best for mpg?

 

[ksing44]

I may have answered my own question about the ecotune. And after some additional reading, it sounded like a delete with Stage 2 might be the best mpg without the need for other new hardware. Does that sound correct?

I've been a Malone dealer in Lousiville KY for quite a while and have tuned too many cars to keep count of. For the ALH like OP has, the stage 1 performance tune is about as good as it gets for fuel economy. The "Eco tune" for the ALH was largely a marketing experiment having to do with price point. That said, Mark Malone told me stage 1 Malone tuned ALHs get better FE than Malone "Eco" tuned cars.

Feel free to contact me via link in my sig if I can be of service.

 

[tjg]

I may have answered my own question about the ecotune. And after some additional reading, it sounded like a delete with Stage 2 might be the best mpg without the need for other new hardware. Does that sound correct?

I had just the eco tune + delete on my sportwagen for a few months (the DCT tuner was going to take a while to receive at the time).
I had absolutely zero complaints about it and the car ran like a champ. I got more or less the same highway mileage with it as I do the stage 2.

 

[ksing44]

I had just the eco tune + delete on my sportwagen for a few months (the DCT tuner was going to take a while to receive at the time).
I had absolutely zero complaints about it and the car ran like a champ. I got more or less the same highway mileage with it as I do the stage 2.

What is the highway mpg with Stage 2 and delete? Of course it will be less around the fields of my farm, but it would still be helpful to have the highway mpg as a reference point.

My own mpg is significantly lower since they "fixed" my car.

 

[tjg]

To be honest, I cant really tell you. They were close.
With the delete and eco tune, driving 70-80 on the highway between Louisville and Cincinnati, I was getting around 42-45mpg
Stage 2, I was getting about 42-45mpg in those same conditions.

Both tunes yielded 48-52mpg driving from Louisville to Rhode Island, and about 45mpg from Rhode Island to Lousiville

 

[Porch]

We're getting closer- anyone ever had a delete/stage 1 on an mk6 2.0 tdi? I will write a review when I get mine done, and unless I hear from someone on this thread, it will be the first ever write-up on the stage 1 tune for these cars.

 

[Wilkins]

What is the highway mpg with Stage 2 and delete? Of course it will be less around the fields of my farm, but it

I am very happy with the economy, everyone drives differently and in different conditions but on a recent trip to Calgary and back, about 525 highway miles one way, I used 10.8 us gallons over 555 miles for 51.4 usmpg and on the way back I used 9.96 gallons over 525 miles for 52.7 usmpg. Obviously I was driving quite conservatively, sometimes cruising just under 110 km/hr (68 mph) but also with about 200km each way, (125 miles) just under 60 mph. Interesting part was running the last section into Calgary on an apparently level section of road with the economy readout steady at about 3.5 l/100km and the speedometer needle sitting just under 120. Scratch head, that’s 78 mpg! I must have been delusional and not realizing I was downhill with a tailwind. The final reading was actually pretty close to the calculation both ways.
The car has a fresh timing belt, new thermostat and wheel alignment. Before all of that I considered 43 mpg to be normal highway mileage with the tune and delete. I’m also running 215-55-16 Passat wheels/tires, with the cluster coded to recognize the larger tires. The cluster speedometer reads 6% high while the Polar speedometer reading which bypasses the cluster ’adjustment’ is very accurate as far as I can tell from GPS comparisons. I’m assuming that means the odometer is accurate. The claimed distance to Calgary is about 50 km less than I measured but I had three detours along the way plus I was going to the airport which meant I had to drive completely across town. I don’t think the odometer was out by more than 2% at the most, probably less. The speeds above are from the Polar.
I think the mileage I saw really requires the stars to align well, but it is also just about the same as my BEW’s best performance on the same trip.

BTW I really like the tune. Smooth and loads of power but it doesn’t feel like you have to use it. Just surprises on those passing maneuvers when the other vehicle gets sucked backwards.

 

[x1800MODMY360x]

We're getting closer- anyone ever had a delete/stage 1 on an mk6 2.0 tdi? I will write a review when I get mine done, and unless I hear from someone on this thread, it will be the first ever write-up on the stage 1 tune for these cars.

From Stage 1 to 2 is just a little more hp and little more tq. The only difference if you WOT you won't get that power if only running the Stage 1 vs Stage 2.

And for FE, it all depends on your driving habits. Both tunes will get the same MPG as long you ain't lead footing it.

 

[Porch]

What I'm most looking forward to, is being able to putz around at low rpm's like you ought to be able to in a diesel, without having to worry about clogging the dpf. And the return of the torque at the very bottom end that was tuned out for the dieselgate "fix". Starting on a hill still stumps me sometimes after 4 years and 100k miles because of the lack of torque at the very bottom.

 

[Wilkins]

The low end torque is better but not back to pre fix level

 

[ksing44]

We're getting closer- anyone ever had a delete/stage 1 on an mk6 2.0 tdi? I will write a review when I get mine done, and unless I hear from someone on this thread, it will be the first ever write-up on the stage 1 tune for these cars.

I'm looking forward to your review! I'm excited about possibly breathing new life into my car at 200K miles. It would certainly be wonderful to get back the higher mpg from before the fix! It would also be great to get rid of all the strange running behavior form the regeneration cycles for the DPF and the NOx trap.

What I'm most looking forward to, is being able to putz around at low rpm's like you ought to be able to in a diesel, without having to worry about clogging the dpf. And the return of the torque at the very bottom end that was tuned out for the dieselgate "fix". Starting on a hill still stumps me sometimes after 4 years and 100k miles because of the lack of torque at the very bottom.

I also love the low end rumble of the engine when driving at low rpms. It's a very powerful sound from my little motor. It will be great to get a review from someone like me that's not looking to turn the TDI into a race car. I just want a reliable efficient car that's fun to drive.

Please come back and let us know how it goes with your modifications!

 

[Porch]

I'm looking forward to your review! I'm excited about possibly breathing new life into my car at 200K miles. It would certainly be wonderful to get back the higher mpg from before the fix! It would also be great to get rid of all the strange running behavior form the regeneration cycles for the DPF and the NOx trap.



I also love the low end rumble of the engine when driving at low rpms. It's a very powerful sound from my little motor. It will be great to get a review from someone like me that's not looking to turn the TDI into a race car. I just want a reliable efficient car that's fun to drive.

Please come back and let us know how it goes with your modifications!

I'm at 187k miles and climbing, I see the delete as the only option at this point. Dpf's don't last very long and are just as expensive to replace as getting a delete/tune. I got the clamp/gasket where the dpf meets the turbo replaced (hundreds of dollars btw) recently, and they said "you've got at least 30K mi left on this dpf". That was 23k mi. ago...

 

[ksing44]

I have 191K miles, but my rate of accumulating miles dropped dramatically the last 3 years, first working from home for a couple of years and then retiring last year in April of 2021. With the extended warranty after the "fix" at 153K miles in September of 2017, I received a free new DPF and clamp and gasket at 161K miles in August of 2018. I suspect the second DPF won't last as long as the original and my warranty is now done, so I'm planning for the future. I also got a free new throttle body in October of 2020 and I had a CP3 HPFP installed before the settlement, so at least those two things should be good for a long time.

I still love driving my car so I'm thinking about keeping it for a long time, even though I have to admit I've also been looking at new MK8 GTI and Golf R cars and also at slightly used versions of the MK7.5 cars. Even though I can afford those options the prices seem ridiculous. They're also mostly not very available, so that's another reason to maybe just keep on driving.

Another thing is I'm probably going to make some cross-country trips for fun and I think a new car might give me a little peace of mind. In the past I also had a few times when finding diesel fuel at a regular pump was challenging when I was far away from home. Regular gas is always available and now it's also so much less expensive than diesel. Here in southeast Pennsylvania diesel is a dollar more per gallon than regular fuel. My mileage also isn't great since the fix. If I got back to mid 40's on the highway and 600 miles per tank then the TDI would still be a very good option, but right now it doesn't seem great except that I still enjoy driving the car. There is something special about that low rumble when my car is pulling at low rpms and I love that the rpms stay low even at significant highway speeds.

 

[Porch]

I have 191K miles, but my rate of accumulating miles dropped dramatically the last 3 years, first working from home for a couple of years and then retiring last year in April of 2021. With the extended warranty after the "fix" at 153K miles in September of 2017, I received a free new DPF and clamp and gasket at 161K miles in August of 2018. I suspect the second DPF won't last as long as the original and my warranty is now done, so I'm planning for the future. I also got a free new throttle body in October of 2020 and I had a CP3 HPFP installed before the settlement, so at least those two things should be good for a long time.

I still love driving my car so I'm thinking about keeping it for a long time, even though I have to admit I've also been looking at new MK8 GTI and Golf R cars and also at slightly used versions of the MK7.5 cars. Even though I can afford those options the prices seem ridiculous. They're also mostly not very available, so that's another reason to maybe just keep on driving.

Another thing is I'm probably going to make some cross-country trips for fun and I think a new car might give me a little peace of mind. In the past I also had a few times when finding diesel fuel at a regular pump was challenging when I was far away from home. Regular gas is always available and now it's also so much less expensive than diesel. Here in southeast Pennsylvania diesel is a dollar more per gallon than regular fuel. My mileage also isn't great since the fix. If I got back to mid 40's on the highway and 600 miles per tank then the TDI would still be a very good option, but right now it doesn't seem great except that I still enjoy driving the car. There is something special about that low rumble when my car is pulling at low rpms and I love that the rpms stay low even at significant highway speeds.

Like I say, I'll leave a review when I get it done, just waiting probably another month for the parts to come in. But man I gotta suggest, if you have golf r money, get an audi a8 tdi and delete/tune that thing! It's my absolute first purchase when I hit the lotto

 

[ksing44]

^^I'm sure the Audi A8 TDI is an amazing vehicle. I hope you get it one of these days!

For me, however, I know I want a smaller car and I want a manual transmission. I owned a 1995 Mercedes E320 (W124) Special Edition that I loved for a very long time. It was truly a magnificent automobile! But getting into my current VW Golf TDI with a manual transmission was a joy and made me feel like a kid again. I test drove one at a local dealer and then found mine on a ship headed to Atlanta Georgia and then they sent the car to me in Pennsylvania in April of 2010. It's been a great car. I'll keep driving it or maybe get one more VW Golf (GTI or Golf R) to have one of the last manual transmission cars before they're gone. The Golf R is the ultimate, but it gives me pause to get something that is so much more than I need. It's just not necessary for me to enjoy driving. Like you said, I'm very happy to putz around at low rpms...

I'm looking forward to hearing all about your experiences with your mods and the mileage driving around your farm!

 

[hamilgs]

I too am interested, '14 JSW, TDI, MT6, at 140K miles

 

[mittzlepick]

I have a mk 4 alh wagon 180 200 hp. With 17 in tires. Pulled 700 mile tanks ventected so 15.6 gallons +/- . Road trip running hard january northeast. Other mk4 mild tune bew 675 best ever tank. Mk4 stage .5 malone 650 averaged. I plan to go malone highest stock tune with dsg tune. Making my own 2.5 pipe can see paying out for what i can make at 1/3 cost. Rawtek make a nice looking unit worth the money if you can't tig or mig. I will enjoy driving my private 50 mile road course with no check engine lights and clogged exhaust.

 

[Porch]

I wrote a review on a new thread, for those that were interested. It's awesome except for the smell. Definitely opt for the high-flow cat if you go with rawtek.

 

[Zabel51]

I installed the Malone stage 2 about three years ago and was very happy with the boost in performance. Recently i was told that the flex joint was broken and the DPF was part of the flex (about$4000). I was about to drive about 10,000 km to the SW states so I got a Rawtek pipe with the high speed cat. Installation went smoothly and got the Malone delete.
The car works great, I'm in the middle of my trip (3200KM) and I've averaged 5.2l/100 cruising at 120kph. There is some additional rumble at idle and there is some diesel smell at idle.

The only issue I've had is that the engine speed is slow to return to idle until the car comes a full stop. I only noticed this when the car was at high altitude (above 4000 ft). Even creeping in first gear will cause the idle speed to increase. I'll have to wait until i get to a lower altitude to see if the idle returns to normal. Anyone have this experience?

 

[Porch]

I installed the Malone stage 2 about three years ago and was very happy with the boost in performance. Recently i was told that the flex joint was broken and the DPF was part of the flex (about$4000). I was about to drive about 10,000 km to the SW states so I got a Rawtek pipe with the high speed cat. Installation went smoothly and got the Malone delete.
The car works great, I'm in the middle of my trip (3200KM) and I've averaged 5.2l/100 cruising at 120kph. There is some additional rumble at idle and there is some diesel smell at idle.

The only issue I've had is that the engine speed is slow to return to idle until the car comes a full stop. I only noticed this when the car was at high altitude (above 4000 ft). Even creeping in first gear will cause the idle speed to increase. I'll have to wait until i get to a lower altitude to see if the idle returns to normal. Anyone have this experience?

Can you elaborate on the exhaust smell? I'm going to get the rawtek high flow cat, because the fumes without any emissions stuff are way too much for me. It comes into the car every time i come to a stop and is honestly affecting my breathing. My boss has a straight-piped diesel chevy truck that doesn't smell nearly as strong as my car.

 

[Zabel51]

It's something close to the smell of a candle that's been blown out. I notice the smell for a little bit when i first start the car and if I roll down the window to talk to someone beside the car. It's not overwhelming, but I'm certainly glad i got the cat

 

[jesus_man]

I may be jumping on the "Delete" bandwagon. Every winter, I am running into DPF issues, this one being the worst as it went into limp mode. I cleared the codes that night and drove my normal commute the following day in "manual mode" with higher RPM's and the DPF light went out and has stayed off. I don't feel like this should be necessary.

Here is where I am stuck... Based on this thread by Mark of Malone (https://forums.tdiclub.com/index.php?threads/dynamic-egr-control-for-tdis.305248/#post-3251138) he's stating that there are advantages of the EGR when the engine is cold. But...the only way to make that happen is to gut the DPF and tune it out. The folks who make the delete kits don't have just a part that replaces the DPF and maintains the EGR do they? I am probably showing my ignorance because I don't know how it is all interconnected. But as per the usual, I am hoping to have my cake and eat it too! Or maybe I am way over thinking this and should just order the kit and be done with it all? My plan was to add the CAT, but retain factory muffler.

 

[ryansportwagen]

I just got the Malone dynamic egr and I'm keeping my dpf. I'm hoping it will help preserve my dpf. I noticed better mpg during a test drive but haven't driven it any appreciable distance since then. There is more exhaust smell, I guess the cat isn't able to react with all of it.
I don't have any other tunes or mods, just the dynamic egr by itself.

 

[jesus_man]

@ryansportwagen Thank you! I'd appreciate any other feedback between now and black Friday when this stuff goes on sale. Thanks!

 

[JELLOWSUBMARINE]

I'm looking into the dynamic egr also after reading the benefit it gives on warm up.

This could allow states requiring biannual smogs and a non delete to live in harmony in a tree huggers world.