Biturbo or not biturbo (and dsg?)

[Jonnyhotrod]

Hi - brand noob to Transporters, looking for the right day van or something to make into one.

A couple of people we've spoken to have said single turbo manuals are better because they're more reliable and more efficient. Is that true and to what extent, ie are biturbos a nightmare and dsg never over 30mpg?

We've seen one converted by T5 Alive with Caravelle seat rails and a California electric roof. It's much more than we wanted to spend but also it's awesome. But it's BiTDi and dsg, so maybe we shouldn't...

 

[Salty Spuds]

I bought a bi-turbo DSG once…..and then bought another.

 

[RunDSG]

I’ve got a BiTDI. It’s bloody quick. Loads of power available all the time. Top speed of…
who the hell knows… got up into triple digits and it showed no sign of slowing.

But!!!

The engine uses a litre of oil every 1,000 miles. No smoke. No leaks. Runs great. No idea why.

I’ve heard the BiTDI use oil. I’m just hoping it’s not a sign of problems to come.

 

[Jonnyhotrod]

Does it let you know it needs oil or am I going to forget to check and kill it after 1500 miles?

 

[RunDSG]

Does it let you know it needs oil or am I going to forget to check and kill it after 1500 miles?

It lets me know. I plan for it now by keeping 3-4 litres in the van on big road trips.

No trouble otherwise.

 

[VanDamMan]

BiTDI with Dsg + TVS (remap ) ….What’s not to like ……Fun Fun Fun

Mines good on fuel even with towing On longer journeys ….but if you don’t need all that Torque and power then don’t get the bigger engine ……Its really the drivers bad habits that cause poor fuel economy on any size engine…..but id never change what I have

 

[RunDSG]

BiTDI with Dsg + TVS (remap ) ….What’s not to like ……Fun Fun Fun

Mines good on fuel even with towing On longer journeys ….but if you don’t need all that Torque and power then don’t get the bigger engine ……Its really the drivers bad habits that cause poor fuel economy on any size engine…..but id never change what I have

Good on fuel when towing?! I’ve just done this once (caravan) and got 19mpg on the MFD.

 

[Jonnyhotrod]

Good on fuel when towing?! I’ve just done this once (caravan) and got 19mpg on the MFD.

Can mpg be improved with a remap?

 

[VanDamMan]

Good on fuel when towing?! I’ve just done this once (caravan) and got 19mpg on the MFD.

We tow a small trailer ( we also load every thing you can think of plus the kitchen sink ) The gearbox remap helps a bit and balancing the weight distribution between Van and trailer helps ……The van was x demo and purchased at 4 month old …4 years on Runs very well ….oil change and all filters changed every 12 mths and I use a fuel additive…..but don’t get me wrong it does give lower economy in stop/start traffic but I tend to average over the longer journey.……I do find the bigger engines need a blow out once in a while and i try to avoid short trips……next time I’m out ( Camper Jam ) feed back the fuel figures

stopping for essentials ( beer )

 

[RunDSG]

Can mpg be improved with a remap?

I’ve done a Revo remap. No difference.

I really really wanted to see an improvement, but if anything it might be very slightly worse. It will definitely be worse if drive in such a way that you ENJOY the extra power!

End of the day, speed is the biggest factor. If you’re willing to drive slower, mpg rises significantly at 60mph (up to 40mpg) and increases massively at 50mph (up to 50mpg).

At 70-80mpg I get low to mid 30s.

 

[WinFreak]

All depends on how you drive it

 

[Salty Spuds]

I’ve got a BiTDI. It’s bloody quick. Loads of power available all the time. Top speed of…
who the hell knows… got up into triple digits and it showed no sign of slowing.

But!!!

The engine uses a litre of oil every 1,000 miles. No smoke. No leaks. Runs great. No idea why.

I’ve heard the BiTDI use oil. I’m just hoping it’s not a sign of problems to come.

odd! Mine doesn’t use any oil. I’ve never topped it up between (10k) services. That been the same with both of them, the T5 180 & the T6 204.

 

[RunDSG]

odd! Mine doesn’t use any oil. I’ve never topped it up between (10k) services. That been the same with both of them, the T5 180 & the T6 204.

Really wish I could say the same.

 

[RunDSG]

All depends on how you drive it

Absolutely… with diesel at nearly £2/L I’m basically hypermiling.

 

[Johnboy57]

I don't have the bi-turbo, however my 150 California has given huge variations in fuel economy. One day I achieved 44mpg one way and 32 mpg return journey. Same road, same speed, same day..... I concluded it was all down to the wind as it makes a massive difference. So you have to use your long term data to be realistic.

 

[Jonnyhotrod]

Is yours manual or dsg?

 

[Johnboy57]

Manual. Long term the fuel consumption is about 33mpg, but obviously that is all types of driving but does mostly include a roofrack and roofbox.

 

[Dev]

Hi - brand noob to Transporters, looking for the right day van or something to make into one.

A couple of people we've spoken to have said single turbo manuals are better because they're more reliable and more efficient. Is that true and to what extent, ie are biturbos a nightmare and dsg never over 30mpg?

We've seen one converted by T5 Alive with Caravelle seat rails and a California electric roof. It's much more than we wanted to spend but also it's awesome. But it's BiTDi and dsg, so maybe we shouldn't...

Well I bought a 2018 T6 204 DSG Highline (see my thread) and it’s been off the road for 10 weeks now. At 31,000 miles having an oil change with fully synthetic oil yearly the low boost turbo has melted. Very luckily the turbo fins have not entered the engine as that would have meant a new engine too. The DPF was cleaned before any work was carried out as it had become clogged. No DPF warning light came on to warn me and it wasn’t too bad anyway but that cost me £491 to be cleaned. I’m now having to buy a new turbo and it’s costing me £3,700 to replace including a new starter battery all parts and labour. A van that cost me £49,000 should not have turbo failure at 31,000 miles bi turbo or standard turbo, what a joke.
VW are supposed to be reliable but this is not reliability. The mechanic at a VAG garage said it’s been a nightmare to get to the biturbo and has had to remove a lot of parts to get to it. I’m considering selling it now and buying something that is hopefully more reliable.
Maybe I was just unlucky but also my friend has the 150 DSG 2017 and he’s also had issues and now spent £7,000 at 70,000 miles.
Apparently the part number for my biturbo has changed twice now so obviously been issues that VW know about.
I would suggest the 150 bhp manual is your best bet or not a VW.
Sorry for the negative reply but be warned.

 

[Dev]

Well I bought a 2018 T6 204 DSG Highline (see my thread) and it’s been off the road for 10 weeks now. At 31,000 miles having an oil change with fully synthetic oil yearly the low boost turbo has melted. Very luckily the turbo fins have not entered the engine as that would have meant a new engine too. The DPF was cleaned before any work was carried out as it had become clogged. No DPF warning light came on to warn me and it wasn’t too bad anyway but that cost me £491 to be cleaned. I’m now having to buy a new turbo and it’s costing me £3,700 to replace including a new starter battery all parts and labour. A van that cost me £49,000 should not have turbo failure at 31,000 miles bi turbo or standard turbo, what a joke.
VW are supposed to be reliable but this is not reliability. The mechanic at a VAG garage said it’s been a nightmare to get to the biturbo and has had to remove a lot of parts to get to it. I’m considering selling it now and buying something that is hopefully more reliable.
Maybe I was just unlucky but also my friend has the 150 DSG 2017 and he’s also had issues and now spent £7,000 at 70,000 miles.
Apparently the part number for my biturbo has changed twice now so obviously been issues that VW know about.
I would suggest the 150 bhp manual is your best bet or not a VW.
Sorry for the negative reply but be warned.

And I’ve never done more than 340 miles on a tank of diesel cruising at 70mph either.

 

[Vanderlust]

Can I ask when you say “ At 31,000 miles having an oil change........ yearly “ do you mean despite having an oil change yearly or is the annual oil change a causative factor in the turbo failure. I get my oil/filters done every year as I hoped clean oil would help avoid premature failures and I’ve never gone along with this long life oil malarkey.