Altea tdi 105ps lack of power/mpg + idle judder

[teal]

Hi fellow owners, from a new member!

I have had an Altea stylance 1.9 TDI 105PS 2006 for nearly a year, but can't get over 40MPG no matter how I drive it. Also, the acceleration is sluggish, and the engine seems to shudder unevenly when warm in neutral. The engine is generally very noisy.

Numerous visits to the dealer were a waste of time ''computer says no''!!

Has anyone else experienced/solved similar engine problems?? It's still under warranty.

[sr-performance]

Hiya mate,
put a bottle of diesel injector cleaner in tank when you go to fill up, might just be carbon soot building up on egr valve. if it does run better when you've done a few miles then put a bottle in once a month to keep it clean..
hopefully that will cure it.


steve

[andre 2000]

Hi fellow owners, from a new member!

I have had an Altea stylance 1.9 TDI 105PS 2006 for nearly a year, but can't get over 40MPG no matter how I drive it. Also, the acceleration is sluggish, and the engine seems to shudder unevenly when warm in neutral. The engine is generally very noisy.

Numerous visits to the dealer were a waste of time ''computer says no''!!

Has anyone else experienced/solved similar engine problems?? It's still under warranty.

Have heard of assorted pipes coming loose, but also check your air filter - Seat don't change these until 40,000 miles - yes really! Found this out the other day when mine went in for a service [want to protect warranty] and saw it wasn't included. Popped into GSF on way home and did it myself in 5 mins flat. Old filter was black, completely clogged up with dust/grit, certainly affecting performance and economy.
Ridiculous to run a paper filter for so long.
I do long runs so may or may not be good benchmark but I have plenty of power and get between 50 - 58 mpg. 50 is easy to achieve, 58 takes a lot of effort and discipline with the right foot!
Hope this helps

[teal]

Hi Andre,

Thanks for taking the trouble to reply.

Yes...I agree, 40K miles is too long to change such a vital - and relatively cheap - part. I'll check it out! If that doesn't work, I'll be looking to sell it if you know anyone who's interested?

Cheers!

Teal

[andre 2000]

Also try the Passat B5 forum - loads of 1.9TDI stuff on there ref this sort of thing.
Engine judder at idle is well covered.
Post your symptoms and someone will give you a logical steer through the usual suspects eg MAF sensor, dual mass flywheel, engine mount etc. It makes no difference that it is an Altea, just post as a 1.9TDI.
If nothing else it will give you some direction to take with the dealer.

Don't give up on it - these engines are proven for 300k plus, yes they are a bit tractor like but at the risk of inviting the critics from what I have read I actually think they are well proven and less problematic than the 2.0TDI as a long term ownership prospect.

[teal]

Thanks again for the help & suggestions.

Having had an Audi A4 with the same engine for many years, I agree with your sentiments...as it was a beautiful ride, economical & powerful. This experience made me choose this engine in the SEAT...but it is still yet to deliver.

I'll try the other forum and see what transpires. I'm just so disappointed with the attidude of SEAT, and with the number of times it's been in to have various remedial warranty work done...which included engine mount, DMF, clutch & electrical faults.

After all this trouble, I'm wondering what sort of bills I'll be facing when the warranty runs out in December?!?

[andre 2000]

Once I am out of warranty i'll take it to an independant such as Awesome GTI, but for regular servicing will do it myself. If I get any of the probs on these forums I may well cut my losses and get rid, I do 1000 miles a week and can't afford time off road.

I've also had DMF [at 17k!] which is a worry for the future. Problem is, when I researched alternatives including Japanese, they're all failing!

Personally, [I'm sure I will be hammered for this], I think the 1.9 represents the point where diesel technology and design was able to balance power, emissions and reliability. Especially the pre DMF units. After this point it all seems to have pushed it too far to reduce emissions further whilst increasing power.

For my next car I am likely to by a petrol auto and balance out the higher fuel consumption with lower servicing [and fuel costs]. Either that or go for an older tdi such as your A4 and keep it forever!

[teal]

Hi Andre,

You sound like a man who knows his engines...I just wondered what your views were on having the car tuned/re-mapped after it's out of warranty?

It was another option I have considered...but it means waiting until the warranty has expired, which is obviously not ideal if it doesn't work and I need to sell it!

Thanks,
Teal

[andre 2000]

If I'm being honst I'm not sure I would.
It's a hot topic on here, but as a mechanical engineer for me it doesn't sit comfortably with the problems some people are having. EG if your clutch is struggling with 100 BHP why put 30% more through it.......

I guess it depends on what you want to achieve. For me, if I wanted more power then i'd buy a more powerful car, I'm more about economy and big miles, which I am hearing conflicting info on.
Claims are often increases in economy, but if you have more power you are tempted to exploit it.
My last co car was a mini cooper and apparently it could do 50mpg. I wouldn't know because I drove it like a loon everywhere.

So its a few hundred quid to get it done properly, then theres the insurance, then the questions around warranty or longevity - do these things actually stack up financially?

Unless a cabbie wants to "chip" in [sorry] who's word is gospel as far as I am concerned around such matters, I think they are for the Cupra crew!

The main caveats are that it is doubtful it will cure your symptoms around juddering, and stay away from those ebay £20 "chips".
Hope this helps!