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well, i have just returned home after about a week cruising from central coast QLD to cairns and kuranda. my 2.0 TDI now has approx 2500km on the clock, she is run in - in every aspect; tyres, brakes, engine, etc...
up until this point i have alternated revs/engine loading - not letting it tick over at a steady 2000rpm on the highway, slipping it from 6th down to 4th, via 5th and back up again the whole way up. according to other forums i have read this will help seat in rings/engine internals (i am no mechanic though hehehe) and get the variable geometry turbocharger running as it should.
i have noticed that the fuel economy is improving somewhat as i go - as the internal resistance of the engine reduces. the temp guage sits on a shade above 90C in tropical/central QLD summer temps. on the trip computer my average fuel consumption was showing as 5.6l/100km at the end of my journey. that is a fraction under 1000km to a tank on the highway.
i use BP ultra low sulphur diesel and nothing else. it has a cetane rating of 51 and meets the DIN EN 590 standard that VW suggests in the vehicle handbook. no other diesel here, that i know of, meets this criteria. using this particular brand of diesel is said to prolong the life of the diesel particulate filter and promote better performance. as a bonus it is far far better for the environment.
i have had no real issues with the car so far - the cruise control had a minor lapse south of cardwell, but evaluating the situatiuon with reason (and a bit of knowledge of cruise control systems - i would need both hands and feet ++ to count the number i have installed) i tapped the brake pedal, tried again and was pleased to see it working again.
my only other issue is that the speedo seems to show too high. the dealership checked this out and confirmed that it is really doing 56km/h when it shows 60km/h. i was advised that this is a factory standard and it is part of the VW safety program - er... huh??
the words below are possibly fictitious and are not meant to encourage unsafe use of a motor vehicle in any way. i accept no liability for persons acting out or trying to reproduce these possibly fictitious scenarios.
acceleration from standstill will leave other motorists way way back in the rear view mirror. wheel spin is a problem even with the ASR (traction control) turned on. it may be said that having no ASR in the wet would be a bad thing.
not being a boy-racer, i am not too keen on collecting scalps at the stop light grand prix, except when challenged. i have yet to come away second best. i think that over distance i would be trailing - but off the mark over a couple of blocks or so, the tdi will do just fine. lots of torque from low rpm is a very nice thing indeed. other than that, the car is unbeleivably stable in at very very high speeds.
the vehicle accelerates rapidly and safely. stability is no concern when overtaking. it was found that acceleration from approx 90km/h would result in immediate loss of license if observed by authorities. this loss of license would occur after a matter of seconds. it has been suggested (by unknown parties) that at autobahn speeds the vehicle is quite sure-footed and capable. i cannot deny these suggestions... twisty bits/curving uphill runs are also a delight - though caution should be applied on unfamiliar or busy roads.
leaving the vehicle in D is good for economy, but early upshifts - it looks for the highest gear if left in D to maintain economy - can be a little frustrating. the box will kick down a gear, or two, when pushed but using the DSG box for what it was made ('manual' operation) is much more rewarding. It is the best option.
leaving the vehicle in S is also a good option, a rather nice note is the result when you take your foot off the accelerator. In S the DSG box holds gears longer and keeps it right on the sweet spot for best acceleration.
If left in S, 'manual' mode is not available. You can only slip it into 'manual' when you have D selected. changing from S to D on the fly has not/will not be attempted... activating the cruise control in S sees the DSG box look for the highest gear - much like when you put it into D.
gear changes are seamless and very very fast. 1/300 to 1/400 of a second. the only possible issue with the DSG box is that it is only rated to carry/transfer 360nm of torque. the TDI puts out a maximum of 320nm of torque.
up until this point i have alternated revs/engine loading - not letting it tick over at a steady 2000rpm on the highway, slipping it from 6th down to 4th, via 5th and back up again the whole way up. according to other forums i have read this will help seat in rings/engine internals (i am no mechanic though hehehe) and get the variable geometry turbocharger running as it should.
i have noticed that the fuel economy is improving somewhat as i go - as the internal resistance of the engine reduces. the temp guage sits on a shade above 90C in tropical/central QLD summer temps. on the trip computer my average fuel consumption was showing as 5.6l/100km at the end of my journey. that is a fraction under 1000km to a tank on the highway.
i use BP ultra low sulphur diesel and nothing else. it has a cetane rating of 51 and meets the DIN EN 590 standard that VW suggests in the vehicle handbook. no other diesel here, that i know of, meets this criteria. using this particular brand of diesel is said to prolong the life of the diesel particulate filter and promote better performance. as a bonus it is far far better for the environment.
i have had no real issues with the car so far - the cruise control had a minor lapse south of cardwell, but evaluating the situatiuon with reason (and a bit of knowledge of cruise control systems - i would need both hands and feet ++ to count the number i have installed) i tapped the brake pedal, tried again and was pleased to see it working again.
my only other issue is that the speedo seems to show too high. the dealership checked this out and confirmed that it is really doing 56km/h when it shows 60km/h. i was advised that this is a factory standard and it is part of the VW safety program - er... huh??
the words below are possibly fictitious and are not meant to encourage unsafe use of a motor vehicle in any way. i accept no liability for persons acting out or trying to reproduce these possibly fictitious scenarios.
acceleration from standstill will leave other motorists way way back in the rear view mirror. wheel spin is a problem even with the ASR (traction control) turned on. it may be said that having no ASR in the wet would be a bad thing.
not being a boy-racer, i am not too keen on collecting scalps at the stop light grand prix, except when challenged. i have yet to come away second best. i think that over distance i would be trailing - but off the mark over a couple of blocks or so, the tdi will do just fine. lots of torque from low rpm is a very nice thing indeed. other than that, the car is unbeleivably stable in at very very high speeds.
the vehicle accelerates rapidly and safely. stability is no concern when overtaking. it was found that acceleration from approx 90km/h would result in immediate loss of license if observed by authorities. this loss of license would occur after a matter of seconds. it has been suggested (by unknown parties) that at autobahn speeds the vehicle is quite sure-footed and capable. i cannot deny these suggestions... twisty bits/curving uphill runs are also a delight - though caution should be applied on unfamiliar or busy roads.
leaving the vehicle in D is good for economy, but early upshifts - it looks for the highest gear if left in D to maintain economy - can be a little frustrating. the box will kick down a gear, or two, when pushed but using the DSG box for what it was made ('manual' operation) is much more rewarding. It is the best option.
leaving the vehicle in S is also a good option, a rather nice note is the result when you take your foot off the accelerator. In S the DSG box holds gears longer and keeps it right on the sweet spot for best acceleration.
If left in S, 'manual' mode is not available. You can only slip it into 'manual' when you have D selected. changing from S to D on the fly has not/will not be attempted... activating the cruise control in S sees the DSG box look for the highest gear - much like when you put it into D.
gear changes are seamless and very very fast. 1/300 to 1/400 of a second. the only possible issue with the DSG box is that it is only rated to carry/transfer 360nm of torque. the TDI puts out a maximum of 320nm of torque.
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