What did you do to your MkVI-A6 today?

tjg

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 8, 2019
Location
Ft. Hood, TX
TDI
'13 TDI A3, '14 TDI Sportwagen
What problem did you have with your catalytic converter?

My car smokes on hard acceleration occasionally and I've been getting a CEL for EGT's when regenning lately. I figured it was just a problem with the DPF or EGR, but I'm curious about problems with the Cat.

I, too, would just delete everything, but I already have the Kerma tune, and my impression was that they are not ones to support the deletion of emissions related devices.

I'll preface this with the note that most of my driving is 70-80mph highway.


I was returning from a 6 hour round trip and the DPF light came on.
The next morning I went to refuel and put it in sport mode and drove aggressively, but that didn't clear the light.
I went into the dealership the next day (now with a CEL as well) and the tech had the car for about 3 hours, driving and pulling codes. He said that it wasn't the DPF but the CAT...

The symptoms I was running into was about 30mpg and the aux fan? kicking on after about 3 minutes of driving. The car stayed at a constant 190 degrees, but after parking, you could feel the heat emanating from the engine bay and under the car.
There wasn't a noticeable decrease in power.


I still haven't got an ETA on the part yet...
 

USMCFieldMP

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 30, 2011
Location
Fort Worth, TX
TDI
2014 Jetta TDI
Interesting; good to know. Mine started acting up during a 6,000 mile road trip around the western US. I drive it hard too, so I know it's not a problem of the DPF not getting up to temp; WOT and spirited driving is a daily occurrence.

My stock tune is going on and it'll be at the dealership next week, most likely. I haven't had the DPF light come on though, so I suppose that's maybe my only saving grace.
 

97B4TDi

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 5, 2007
Location
Wisconsin
TDI
1997 B4 Passat, 2013 Jetta Sportwagen TDI
Replaced the air filter, checked the oil.

Gave it a thorough wash + vacuum after a week up north.
 

USMCFieldMP

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 30, 2011
Location
Fort Worth, TX
TDI
2014 Jetta TDI
Flashed back to the stock tune in preparation to take the car in for a smoking issue. Stock tune feels sooooo sloooooooow. I miss that torque punch already.
 

97B4TDi

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 5, 2007
Location
Wisconsin
TDI
1997 B4 Passat, 2013 Jetta Sportwagen TDI
Installed the P2015 Code Repair Bracket for Common Rail TDI with Aluminum Manifold from DieselGeek to fix the “hunting” the motor does around 1900-2200 rpm when crushing in 3rd or 4th gear.

I’ll report back with an update. Next up some LED DRLs
 

97B4TDi

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 5, 2007
Location
Wisconsin
TDI
1997 B4 Passat, 2013 Jetta Sportwagen TDI
Wash + vacuumed

Cleaned out all the junk and foam that collects in the front fender corners:




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97B4TDi

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 5, 2007
Location
Wisconsin
TDI
1997 B4 Passat, 2013 Jetta Sportwagen TDI
Completed my first extract/fill oil change!


I was able to extract 4.5l + a little that was in the filter housing. Pretty happy with that method.


Next up will be some under coating and 3M PPF film on the front bumper before winter hits here in the Midwest
 

Vpstang

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 16, 2019
Location
Dfw, texas
TDI
Jetta Sport wagen
Tried to fix the Pano shade, unsuccessful and managed to drain the battery. Man this car is hard to jump start, my S6 wouldnt provide enough to start it
Now i have a bunch of faults, hopefully they will clear out soon


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ttcheung

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 20, 2004
Location
Sudbury, MA
TDI
2011 TDI Sportwagen 6MT
I also tried replacing my panoroof shade. Managed to get everything installed, but then the operation failed as the fabric wouldn't retract. I think i had one small detail incorrect when installing the tray. Oh well, another roll of fabric and I'll try it again.


BTW Vpstang, do the interior lights on your car shut off after "x" amount of time?
 

Joe Romas

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 13, 2000
Location
Columbus, Ohio USA
TDI
2014 Jetta Sprotswagen
I reset the throttle from a tip else-ware here and it now has consistent throttle response and the DSG shifts better too.

(procedure, hold peddle to the floor, turn ignition on but don't start, hold for at least 15 seconds, drive easy for a while)
 

Vpstang

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 16, 2019
Location
Dfw, texas
TDI
Jetta Sport wagen
I also tried replacing my panoroof shade. Managed to get everything installed, but then the operation failed as the fabric wouldn't retract. I think i had one small detail incorrect when installing the tray. Oh well, another roll of fabric and I'll try it again.


BTW Vpstang, do the interior lights on your car shut off after "x" amount of time?


Yes the lights **** off after a bit, not sure the exact amount of time.
I did find out my battery was weak, had it tested and it failed, so battery was replaced this past weekend


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Drclaw

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 29, 2018
Location
ME
TDI
2014 Jetta Sportwagen
Installed koni reds and vw towing springs in the rear. While I was in there I pulled out the tire well liners and cleaned out behind the mud flaps , found a few acorns in the driver side. Also cleaned the rear sunroof drains out, driver side was clogged, and then cut the tips off of them. I also out goop around the fitting and tube on the driver drain since I had it pulled out.

Going to tackle the front suspension (koni reds and Tiguan springs) next weekend. Driving a hot wheel around for the week.
 

FJ40Jim

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 2, 2002
Location
Lancaster, Ohio, USA
TDI
'01 Golf GLS 5MT, '12 JSW DSG
Busy last 2 weekends.
First weekend: Did 40K service, DSG fluid & filter (top fill method), engine oil & filter, air filter, remove & discard HAI system & snowscreen, fuel filter.
As seen above, removed both front fender liners, discarded soggy foam & dirt, removed foam triangle from top of wheelwell on driver side. Did pass. side first & didn't notice the foam at top of wheelwell. Will remove it when snows go on in a few months.
Rotated tires, aired up original spare (was down to 25psi), correctly installed tools & strap in sparetire.
Fixed a bunch of loose plastic & missing torx fasteners on splash pan, fender liners, mud flaps...

Yesterday: R&R DSG transaxle and replaced clanking DMF. It's a big, heavy trans, definitely harder to handle than an 020 or 02J. Tips: use ratchet straps between engine crane & trans to stabilize it on floor jack; while DMF is off, trim separator plate so wheel flange doesn't hang up on it during install.

Next: timing & serp belt change.

This is the crap that comes with buying a "cheap" TDI.
 

Drclaw

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 29, 2018
Location
ME
TDI
2014 Jetta Sportwagen
Busy last 2 weekends.
First weekend: Did 40K service, DSG fluid & filter (top fill method), engine oil & filter, air filter, remove & discard HAI system & snowscreen, fuel filter.
As seen above, removed both front fender liners, discarded soggy foam & dirt, removed foam triangle from top of wheelwell on driver side. Did pass. side first & didn't notice the foam at top of wheelwell. Will remove it when snows go on in a few months.
Rotated tires, aired up original spare (was down to 25psi), correctly installed tools & strap in sparetire.
Fixed a bunch of loose plastic & missing torx fasteners on splash pan, fender liners, mud flaps...

Yesterday: R&R DSG transaxle and replaced clanking DMF. It's a big, heavy trans, definitely harder to handle than an 020 or 02J. Tips: use ratchet straps between engine crane & trans to stabilize it on floor jack; while DMF is off, trim separator plate so wheel flange doesn't hang up on it during install.

Next: timing & serp belt change.

This is the crap that comes with buying a "cheap" TDI.
Doesn't that foam serve a purpose?
 

Pharcyde145

Veteran Member
Joined
May 27, 2018
Location
Salt Lake City, UT
TDI
2011 JSW 6MT
Doesn't that foam serve a purpose?
Best guess is that it's there to insulate road noise from the cabin. But I do know from experience that if you live in predominantly damp/wet climates like the PNW, New England or the Canadian Maritimes they will eventually soak up moisture and road salt/liquid salt brine and deteriorate, while at the same time helping oxidize and rust the metal of your fender that it remains in contact with.
 

FJ40Jim

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 2, 2002
Location
Lancaster, Ohio, USA
TDI
'01 Golf GLS 5MT, '12 JSW DSG
Doesn't that foam serve a purpose?
Yes, the giant slab of foam all the way down the A-pillar is a noticeable sound deadener. After cleaning out the dirt & discarding foam, there was a little more tire or wind noise at the front of the cabin. A fair trade for reduced rust potential.

The smaller foam blocks at the top of the fender lip don't have any noticeable effect on sound level.
 

97B4TDi

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 5, 2007
Location
Wisconsin
TDI
1997 B4 Passat, 2013 Jetta Sportwagen TDI
how did you take apart the fender cover to clean it?
Lock the wheel in a direction so you have better access to the torx at the bottom rear of the wheel well, remove the two there. Then remove the torx directly above the wheel. By that point you should be able to shift the wheel well liner to get/break the foam out.
 

DerekG

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 8, 2013
Location
Oklahoma
TDI
'13 4dr Golf TDI 6-speed manual
New AGM battery and tires




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FJ40Jim

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 2, 2002
Location
Lancaster, Ohio, USA
TDI
'01 Golf GLS 5MT, '12 JSW DSG
Yesterday the timing belt, WP, accy belt & tensioner assy got changed out at 135K.


2 of the TB idler rollers were feeling a little tired, but the belt and tensioner still looked good. Overall TB swap on the CJAA is simpler than ALH.


The serp belt was also original, and looking a little dry & cracked. The tensioner pulley was loose & dry feeling. A Uroparts tensioner assembly was installed, because it was relatively inexpensive but had a good quality NSK bearing & pulley. Unfortunatley, the new tensioner was defective. It had been pressed together a little too far and would not pivot freely. Of course, this was not discovered until after R&R of the tensioners. Fortunately the OEM tensioner was still in good shape, so the new NSK pulley wheel was swapped onto the original tensioner and installed.


The car is officially caught up on it's 120-130K repairs & maintenance, so we are now free to start modding!
 

JD_2012GolfTDI

Well-known member
Joined
May 5, 2019
Location
CA
TDI
2012 Golf Kerma tuned
Added 15mm spacers to the rear Salamanca wheels (17" x 7.5, 51mm offset). The spacer kit from Deutsche Auto Parts came with the extended bolts and they are hub centric too.
This update effectively created 36mm offset and a more flush/aggressive look. Not sure I'll be able to feel any handling differences, but in theory I guess the wider wheel track should provide added stability at the rear, but transfer more to the front and cause added understeer. Front spacer are next and should even things back out.


 
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crashtested

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 15, 2010
Location
Nelson, BC
TDI
2016 Q5 TDI Technik, 2014 GSW CL 6MT (RIP), 2004 Jetta GLS 5MT (sold), 2010 GSW HL 6MT (buy back)
Picked up a HEX-V2 Enthusiast cable for $150 yesterday! Not a lot of tweaks I want but some I've been waiting for a while!
 

calimustang

Veteran Member
Joined
May 17, 2010
Location
Central FL
TDI
2011 JSW DSG (buyback, RIP), 2014 JSW TDI, 2015 Passat TDI, 2013 Jetta TDI.
Picked up a HEX-V2 Enthusiast cable for $150 yesterday! Not a lot of tweaks I want but some I've been waiting for a while!


Wow good price! I got mine with unlimited vin version for $200 few years ago.


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FJ40Jim

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 2, 2002
Location
Lancaster, Ohio, USA
TDI
'01 Golf GLS 5MT, '12 JSW DSG
Most recent round of repairs, and first mod:
R&R center console, change out rusty P-brake cables & adjust. As others have noted, the P-brake was adjusted too tight from the factory. Working great now.

Car made ocassional "Skraang" noise around corners, found both rear coils had broken at the bottom pigtail. R&R springs for new German Febi coils, which looked notably better in the pigtail area. The springs are for golf plus, and had slightly larger minor diameter, same number of coils. They seem stiffer?

Replaced original rear shocks with new KYB airshocks, using same recipe developed on forum for Mk4.

RSB was hella rusty where it went through one bushing.
Removed bar, removed rust, primed & painted, reinstalled w/new poly bushings.

Keeping me busy....
 

97B4TDi

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 5, 2007
Location
Wisconsin
TDI
1997 B4 Passat, 2013 Jetta Sportwagen TDI
Removed and vinyl wrapped my interior trim pieces in 3M 1080 Shadow Black








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97B4TDi

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 5, 2007
Location
Wisconsin
TDI
1997 B4 Passat, 2013 Jetta Sportwagen TDI
Went around the car with Fluid Film & CRC Coating before winter fully hits here in the Midwest.

I was pleased to find the lower front fender corners free of any heavy road grime build up after removing the foam liners.

Applied Dr. Beasley’s Leather Lock to the front seats, armrest & steering wheel.

Drained about 1/3 of a cup of water from the lower radiator hose. I considered putting a pinhole in it but didn’t have a drill bit small enough on hand.

Added some flair to the OEM rear tail lights with some gloss black vinyl.




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tjg

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 8, 2019
Location
Ft. Hood, TX
TDI
'13 TDI A3, '14 TDI Sportwagen
Knocked out the 80k mile service as well as replacing the front pads and rotors, replacing the caliper bushings with Tyrolsport brass, installing the dieselgeek manifold fix (as a preventative measure), and rotated the tires.












https://imgur.com/0f63D3Whttps://imgur.com/0f63D3Whttps://imgur.com/0f63D3W[

Tyrolsport kit:





*edit: resized the images because apparently this forum doesn't automatically do that.
 
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97B4TDi

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 5, 2007
Location
Wisconsin
TDI
1997 B4 Passat, 2013 Jetta Sportwagen TDI
What're you're thoughts on the Tyrolsport Kit; I've read mixed thoughts on them?





Knocked out the 80k mile service as well as replacing the front pads and rotors, replacing the caliper bushings with Tyrolsport brass, installing the dieselgeek manifold fix (as a preventative measure), and rotated the tires.












https://imgur.com/0f63D3Whttps://imgur.com/0f63D3Whttps://imgur.com/0f63D3W[

Tyrolsport kit:





*edit: resized the images because apparently this forum doesn't automatically do that.
 

tjg

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 8, 2019
Location
Ft. Hood, TX
TDI
'13 TDI A3, '14 TDI Sportwagen
What're you're thoughts on the Tyrolsport Kit; I've read mixed thoughts on them?

I've got them on my S4, my ALH golf and now the sportwagen.


I like them... the difference may not necessarily be noticeable, but it's a nice bit of preventative maintenance in regards to one less rubber bushing to wear out.

I've done braided steel lines and brass caliper bushings on all my vehicles.
 
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