Pretend you’re me. What upgrades would you do to my TDI?

BobnOH

not-a-mechanic
Joined
May 29, 2004
Location
central Ohio
TDI
New Beetle 2003 manual
Stage 2 tune (may or may not overstress clutch), skid plate if you do much high speed urban driving. My mechanic says the EGR delete is the best thing you can do for the health of the motor. I've kept mine, it is dialed back, cost a bit of money to do it correctly.
 

Zak99b5

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 30, 2021
Location
Albany NY
TDI
2003 Jetta TDI
Stage 2 tune (may or may not overstress clutch), skid plate if you do much high speed urban driving. My mechanic says the EGR delete is the best thing you can do for the health of the motor. I've kept mine, it is dialed back, cost a bit of money to do it correctly.
What's the correct way to dail back EGR? I just used VagCom to set it to the minimum duty cycle.
 

Andyinchville1

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 7, 2016
Location
Virginia
TDI
2003 Jetta TDI wagon, 5 sp, 226K miles
better headlights, skidplate.

i'd skip the 5th gear swap and go straight for the eurotuning.cz 6th gear add-on if you do a lot of highway miles. god i wish i had done that years ago rather than dinking around with 5th gear swaps. of course, it's not cheap, especially if you can't do the work yourself. but man is it awesome, i couldn't imagine tdi life without it... i would want to pull my hair out. of course a peloquin at the same time would be ideal. but both are costly.. but soooooo nice. i seriously cannot imagine driving without the 6th now. i've driven one with a stock 5th and i literally felt fidgety, twitchy and uncomfortable lol. the 6spd kits comes with a new 5th and 6th gear, you can easily sell your old stock 5th to a gasser person for $250.

ditch the hubcaps and keep the steelies i say :)

then of course 11mm pump, .230s, ideally a "17/22" size turbo + real tune with egr delete, pd150 intake manifold + race pipe and 2.5 straight exhaust :)
HI,

The 6 speed conversion sounds interesting ( I read the info on the website) you listed

How did you get the kit installed ? Was it very difficult ?

How many extra MPGs did you get?

Thanks

Andrew
 

hskrdu

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Oct 17, 2003
Location
Maryland and New England
TDI
2003 Golf GLS 4D 5M, 2015 GSW SE 6M
Here's the larger threads we have concerning the eurotuning 6 speed:
 

Andyinchville1

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 7, 2016
Location
Virginia
TDI
2003 Jetta TDI wagon, 5 sp, 226K miles
Here's the larger threads we have concerning the eurotuning 6 speed:
thanks!
 

Ragdude

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 18, 2021
Location
Phx
TDI
2015 VW Golf SEL TDi
Obviously modifications are best determined by your driving style, needs, and preferences, but if it was mine (and since I own a beautiful original-owner Reflex Silver '03 Golf 5M with "tasteful and preventative maintenance") mods:

Preventative:
1) Maintenance: As said, make sure all maint is up to date, including some items that could use a refresh at 20 years/200k miles, such as suspension, all rubber bits, and some of the "additional" items often done at TB change. LRR tires will increase FE (Nokians for the win). This list could go on and on, which is why it's first. Even on a well-maintained car, time will take a toll on everything from the rubber antenna mast and base, to wiring in the engine bay and hatch, to plastics and hoses and tubing. Have you done a refresh of all the vacuum lines? Cleaned behind the wheel well liners? 200,000 mile diesel purge? Greased / lubed all the hinges and contact points, inspected the CV boots, replaced the GPs with a touch of anti-seize on the new ones, and installed a new tire on the spare wheel?

2) Skid plate: IMO, a Panzer or equivalent skid plate is high on the preventative list for most MkIV owners, and if it saves you a single time, it's worth it.

3) VCDS: Add a Ross Tech cable to your tool box, if you've not done so already.

Tasteful:
1) If I lived in Florida, I would tint the windows. Tint comes in a full range of VLT, including almost clear, so there's no need to think of it as an aesthetic mod, but obviously a darker tint will provide additional privacy, and keep prying eyes away from the interior contents. High quality tint, regardless of darkness, will lower interior temps, decrease AC use, and subsequently (in the heat) you'll see a FE bump. Even a 50% tint (what she has on her Mk7) is only slightly noticeable from the inside, yet makes the interior a significantly nicer place to be on a warm/hot day, and a cop would never be more inclined to pull you over (not that it happens much in FL, where limo tint seems common). You may also find that a slightly darker shade really shows off the Reflex Silver (mine are 40%, which is a world away from limo 5%, and it makes the silver pop).

2) OE VW alloy wheels. Losing weight at the corners will increase FE and you'll notice a bit more eagerness in stop and go driving. The heavier steel wheels can be replaced with lightweight VW Avus (or other style) to keep things stock (since I loathe aftermarket additions), and you may be surprised at how they refresh the appearance after 20 years. I have found the VW steel wheels seem to dent rather easily, and hubcaps crack, get lost, and to my eye, say "GL" model.

3) Lighting: I'm a big fan of lighting mods, and the NA Jetta/JW headlights are terrible. It's late in the game to easily get new OE Jetta lamps, but I'd find Hella or Valeo units, maybe E-Codes, with integrated driving lamps, add a Euroswitch, and wire them up. As long as you're replacing the switch, find one with rear fog lamp position, and convert your tail lamp to mimic the proper European style. A rear fog light has saved me several times in heavy rain/fog/inclement weather. I'd also add Hella DEs to the lower grills, but as said, I enjoy lighting mods.

4) I'd swap the OE 4 spoke vinyl steering wheel for a MFSW (or 3 spoke GTI wheel is you prefer). I never like the OE plastic wheel, and the steering wheel and stick shift is what hands grip most often while driving. I'd also swap those seats for the black cloth GLI/GTI high bolster sport equivalents, or add lumbar, but that's a body shape/seat preference.

Other thoughts:

1) A roof rack typically isn't necessary (especially for a wagon) unless you have a moving/long trip planned that requires additional space. Even an unloaded roof rack can seriously lower your FE, so leave it off unless needed.

2) Engine: If your engine is running well, I wouldn't change a thing unless it was part of maintenance. The nozzles may be tired after 200k miles, so one size up would bump usable power and increase FE, and make sense as part of routine maintenance. IMO, the EGR delete hasn't been an issue since ULSD, (I believe it both for a minute and for the last decade, at least for my car) and keeping the emissions system intact helps when laws, locations, or situations change. IMO, the VNT15 is perfect for daily driving, and proven both reliable and helpful for engine longevity. A mild tune, especially in conjunction with new nozzles, might help with FE and power, but wouldn't at the top of my list. As far as I have seen, excessive engine mods tend not to correlate well with longevity.

3) Transmission/clutch: I wouldn't change the clutch until it's needed (or required due to the slippery slope of various other engine mods). A different 5th gear only helps if you are on the highway most of the time, and you may be annoyed by the gap between 4th and 5th. A 6 speed swap is a costly but attractive alternative, and lower RPM may increase your FE at highway speeds, as well as lower engine drone.
^ what he said
 

pedroYUL

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 8, 2011
Location
MI, USA
TDI
2015 Passat CVCA; 2015 GSW CRUA; 2012 wagon CJAA; 2004 wagon BEW
With those prices for the 6spd conversion, I fail to see the value over what the dude in the Netherlands can get you a used complete 6spd TDI gearbox...Dutch autoparts or something like that, a vendor here.
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
We are receiving an increasing number of calls from customers with 02M conversions looking for axles. Nothing is available anymore, neither axles nor CV joints. So keep that in mind.
 

Andyinchville1

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 7, 2016
Location
Virginia
TDI
2003 Jetta TDI wagon, 5 sp, 226K miles
With those prices for the 6spd conversion, I fail to see the value over what the dude in the Netherlands can get you a used complete 6spd TDI gearbox...Dutch autoparts or something like that, a vendor here.
HI ,

I was debating between the 2 myself .... (lookimg to get one if I can find an installer .... )

I think the PRO of adding the 6th gear to the 5 speed would be you are working with a known tranny (your own) whereas getting a used 6 speed kit I guess you are getting something with possible issues ... maybe it's fine .... maybe it's not ...

On the other hand , I think there was a thread where somebody did a 6th gear add on to their 5 speed tranny and had issues ... faulty initial trans ? Faulty install or faulty kit parts ? who knows ....

I think the factory 6 speed may be a tougher transmission strength wise but maybe does not feel as nice shifting ( I think I read that somewhere on here) BUT I think a big CON of the factory 6 speed may be trying to get replacement parts (axles, starters etc are all euro spec pieces that I'm guessing would be hard to get from your local VW dealer or local parts supplier (don't break down in the middle of nowhere or for that matter even somewhere if you cannot source parts locally).

I personally am kinda leaning towards the 6th gear add on to my 5 speed (since I have a recent clutch , axles and my tranny seeks good) BUT at 456K miles it may be nice to freshen it up a bit but then again ..... if it ain't broke ..... well you know..

Any other thoughts on this?

Andrew
 
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