In this case I'd stay well clear of the 204... mine's been in and out of the garage since October and it's still not working properly
TDI v Bi TDI
- Thread starter Damobristol
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- bi-tdi diesel engine turbo
An interesting discussion. I’ll add my 10 penny worth. My 204 with remap to circa 250 along with DSG remap runs perfectly and has had zero. Issues in 3 years. It drives amazingly well using the huge amount of torque at mostly low revs. I tow a loaded 2400kg trailer and fully loaded van on long trips across Europe where the engine excels on long stints between fuel stops. I am pedantic when is comes to services which my Indy does. Oil and filters every 5k DSG oil and filter every 20k as well air and fuel filters. I may be wrong but because my van works very hard and has extra services it does not suffer from any of the known issues. It’s a joy compared with my previous 180 Btdi CFCA which undoubtedly was a complete bag of sh..
Oh and I have extended the warranty for a further two years!
Oh and I have extended the warranty for a further two years!
An interesting discussion. I’ll add my 10 penny worth. My 204 with remap to circa 250 along with DSG remap runs perfectly and has had zero. Issues in 3 years. It drives amazingly well using the huge amount of torque at mostly low revs. I tow a loaded 2400kg trailer and fully loaded van on long trips across Europe where the engine excels on long stints between fuel stops. I am pedantic when is comes to services which my Indy does. Oil and filters every 5k DSG oil and filter every 20k as well air and fuel filters. I may be wrong but because my van works very hard and has extra services it does not suffer from any of the known issues. It’s a joy compared with my previous 180 Btdi CFCA which undoubtedly was a complete bag of sh..
Oh and I have extended the warranty for a further two years!
I think you're on to something there and they have to get proper hot to work properly, all this pootling around trying to be mpg friendly and short distances is what does no good to all the emissions crap they've got bolted on
The numbers of newer BiTDI's (204's defo) coming in to people like Retro Resus with big issues is increasing. Its not the same issue but similar. I follow their FB and Inst pages. For me wanting a t5.1/6 Caravelle 4motion I was always going to hit the BiTDI dilemma. I was going to gho and find a 204 Caravelle 4motion, but actually decided to sort my really nice 5.1 out instead. Better the devil I know and save a potential £20kAn interesting discussion. I’ll add my 10 penny worth. My 204 with remap to circa 250 along with DSG remap runs perfectly and has had zero. Issues in 3 years. It drives amazingly well using the huge amount of torque at mostly low revs. I tow a loaded 2400kg trailer and fully loaded van on long trips across Europe where the engine excels on long stints between fuel stops. I am pedantic when is comes to services which my Indy does. Oil and filters every 5k DSG oil and filter every 20k as well air and fuel filters. I may be wrong but because my van works very hard and has extra services it does not suffer from any of the known issues. It’s a joy compared with my previous 180 Btdi CFCA which undoubtedly was a complete bag of sh..
Oh and I have extended the warranty for a further two years!
I was chatting to a guy the other day with a 2018 204, sub 60k miles using 1ltr of oil every 600miles and he thought that was cool...
Its not just Transporters, so many Euro6 diesels are having EGR issues. I follow Mits L200 forums and they have a very similar problem, a year ago it wasnt a thing, now it is!
Euro6 and some Euro5 diesels are garbage when used mostly or all short journeys period. At best with every service of my old Mits L200's ERG/DPF needed attn every service and was sticking £350-£500 on every service. I gave up in the end and got rid of both our cars. Leased an EV for most of our journeys/short distances, and my Caravelle is an occational 2nd vehicle and bigger journeys and holiday fun bus. By accident this works brilliantly for us
PS - I have fitted a new DPFwatch like a hawk and blocked and mapped out the EGR, even on my new engine gone in this week.
Quite correct regarding the short journeys. Nothing new there. I remember years ago before emission controls the old cars used to get coked up on short runs and had to have the cylinder head refurbished along with other premature issues. I have a friend who sells lots of new Land Rovers and he regularly gets the school run car back with a blocked DPF and EGR issues.
This is it, data shows us the vast majority of journeys in the UK are less than five miles with many less than just one! A diesel will die an early death when used like this and be nothing but trouble along the way. All the exhaust gubbins are deemed necessary because most pollution occurs when engines are cold and it’s clear most driving is short city commutes and yet those gubbins add to the reliability issues created by short journeys!
Long trips are no problem for diesels and getting up to temperature, along with adequate maintenance (long life oil’s aren’t all that), is a massive advantage for reliability.
Some ‘mechanics’ used to try the old ‘Italian tune up’ to clear them out back then. Now they just wash the crud caught in the system into a nearby drain with a load of chemicals, and hope for the best.
Funny isn't it? I've had 3 (yes three) BiTurbos on the fleet since 2018... 2 x Caravelle and 1 x Kombi
Never had a minutes trouble, took the 15 plate to 120k miles, the 18 plate is on 70k and still climbing and the 73 plate is on 8k and climbing!
REGULAR servicing is the key to these BiTurbos - absolute max 10k/12mo intervals, more frequent if your pocket will allow and then you're pucker
(There's always one isn't there?!)
My old 204 was trouble free over 6 years (crank seal leak excepted), used around .5ltr of oil between yearly services, no smoke, no dpf issues etc.
Get them to temperature, let the regens complete, let it cool down after a run, use premium diesel and a squirt of Millers/Hydra and I don’t think the bi-turbo will give you any grief.
Get them to temperature, let the regens complete, let it cool down after a run, use premium diesel and a squirt of Millers/Hydra and I don’t think the bi-turbo will give you any grief.
Maybe I am the other one, but I don't want to jinx it by actually saying it. I am absolutely anal about not doing short journeys (have an iD4 for those) regular oil changes and the EGR is blanked.
Bought it at 17k now on 55k never had to put oil in between oil changes (touch wood)
Quite regularly rev it in a controlled way to the red line when its warmed up properly and try not to labour it.
But I think luck plays quite a part in the reliability issues. My mates 150 had the air con come loose, that belt shredded the cam belt etc,, very large bill, van off the road for months. We continue to live in hope not fear
Very interesting thank you.BiTDi, do a forum search for 'EGR Delete', cough, nothing to see here
I'm looking at a 204 that's remapped to 250. All the paperwork present. Done my mapro in Portsmouth who have good reviews. I will be doing shorter journeys so that's still a concern.An interesting discussion. I’ll add my 10 penny worth. My 204 with remap to circa 250 along with DSG remap runs perfectly and has had zero. Issues in 3 years. It drives amazingly well using the huge amount of torque at mostly low revs. I tow a loaded 2400kg trailer and fully loaded van on long trips across Europe where the engine excels on long stints between fuel stops. I am pedantic when is comes to services which my Indy does. Oil and filters every 5k DSG oil and filter every 20k as well air and fuel filters. I may be wrong but because my van works very hard and has extra services it does not suffer from any of the known issues. It’s a joy compared with my previous 180 Btdi CFCA which undoubtedly was a complete bag of sh..
Oh and I have extended the warranty for a further two years!
Thanks everyone for your comments. Very educational and illuminating. Perhaps a rare beast the TSI would suit me better.
It gives me hope that maybe one day when mine's running right again it might be trouble free for a while!
Another thing we can blame the government for, the way they price diesel and petrol and their tax bands puts people doing few miles in diesel cars.
I'm from the Netherlands originally where diesel is cheaper than petrol but the tax is much higher, making it only worth while owning a diesel car if you do more than like 20k a year, and the short journey cars will much more likely be petrol cars.
I remember when Diesel was cheaper by quite a margin here too. Then they realised it was filthy.
Which is why we have DPF's.
Isn't a lot of the allure with the 204hp that you're going to have sub 7 second 0-60 times and a mid 140s top speed but the reality is that you bottle out trying to get past that shiny brown camper doing 80 in front on the M5... and that's me in my 102hp pulling 80 up a slight slope but no badges to indicate I'm actually on the ragged edge and run out of gears.
I have got a 1.6 turbo Astra on a 68 plate too, 200hp, weighs about as much as the sliding door on a T6 does, that's nippy but you would need more than 300hp in a T6 for that sort of nippyness so I reckon 150 TDI with those 6 speeds should be the sweet spot.
I have got a 1.6 turbo Astra on a 68 plate too, 200hp, weighs about as much as the sliding door on a T6 does, that's nippy but you would need more than 300hp in a T6 for that sort of nippyness so I reckon 150 TDI with those 6 speeds should be the sweet spot.
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