DPF Delete or try to trade for a GTI

[ephemeross]

Hello :)

I've been indecisive about this for the past couple months and with Christmas expenditure coming to an end I shall be looking to start spending money on the car again in the new year.

I have a 56 plate GT TDI 170 (BMN) and the DPF isn't a problem as such since I do long enough trips, but as it was poorly designed for this engine it's really frustrating me with the issues it has during regenerations. Smoke, diesel smell, running lumpy, etc.
Outside of a regen cycle I really like the car :/

Basically I have a choice for the new year, get the DPF + EGR deleted & mapped out (+more power ofc!), or see if I can trade it in for a GTI instead.

I'm just kinda sceptical about removing the DPF due to the new laws, not so much MOT checks, but what happens if they decide to do more than a visual check next time they revise the laws?

Technically it wasn't the law for that engine to have a DPF when it was made anyway, but I presume that loophole is covered somehow, haha.

[flashp]

Do you want/need a diesel? Otherwise it's comparing apples to oranges. Maybe you need to answer this fundamental question for yourself first. 

[Shoduchi]

I think having a diesel only makes sense if you make enough miles to justify it.

You can always store your DPF intact and fit a delete DPF pipe in the meantime. You'll be able to revert to stock if needed.

[V3trox]

Drive a gti first. It's a different animal.

If u decide to keep the diesel then it's your call to keep or remove dpf. Just removing the dpf and egr doesn't really gain you much raw power by itself.

I had a customer come to me with a dpf delete and the guy who gutted the dpf did a great job. You would never know it had been removed. Just make sure to get a reputable place to map it out as some people don't disable them correctly from the ecu and you end up with warning lights and limp mode

[flashp]

I think having a diesel only makes sense if you make enough miles to justify it.

You can always store your DPF intact and fit a delete DPF pipe in the meantime. You'll be able to revert to stock if needed.

Is it built into the downpipe or removable as a separate item? If op does lots of miles this'll be cheaper than changing I guess. Maybe most buyers would be glad of the potential headache being removed. Just the mot to contend with.

[Shoduchi]

I think having a diesel only makes sense if you make enough miles to justify it.

You can always store your DPF intact and fit a delete DPF pipe in the meantime. You'll be able to revert to stock if needed.

Is it built into the downpipe or removable as a separate item? If op does lots of miles this'll be cheaper than changing I guess. Maybe most buyers would be glad of the potential headache being removed. Just the mot to contend with.

It's built into the downpipe. I don't think a delete DPF downpipe it too expensive. It's a bolt on option.

[ephemeross]

I do 10k-12k+ a year, so a diesel is quite beneficial imo. Most of my trips are 30+ mins as well.

If I get the DPF removed it will be getting mapped on a RR for stage 2, so hoping for around 210-215 BHP and will have the torque curve sorted to how I like it.

My local VAG specialists can either gut the DPF, or I can get the Darkside downpipe with the fake DPF on it (~£300) & have them fit it for me.
The cheaper option is to obviously have them gut it, but I'd lose out on being able to swap it back if the law changed to more than a visual inspection.

I'm just torn between whether it's worth the risk of getting rid of the stupid DPF on this engine or giving up and getting a GTI instead.
Can you even get insured with the DPF removed now? (I'm with a broker, not a mainstream company)

[Ditto]

With 12k a year the difference in fuel is about £350 (with a 6p difference petrol/diesel in prices), assuming 35mpg for the petrol and 49mpg for the diesel.

If you do the mods to the diesel, it still is a diesel underneath.... If you're considering the GTI perhaps it's worth a slight sacrifice in running costs for the benefits over the TDI? Recommend giving one a try :)

[ephemeross]

With 12k a year the difference in fuel is about £350 (with a 6p difference petrol/diesel in prices), assuming 35mpg for the petrol and 49mpg for the diesel.

If you do the mods to the diesel, it still is a diesel underneath.... If you're considering the GTI perhaps it's worth a slight sacrifice in running costs for the benefits over the TDI? Recommend giving one a try :)

Thanks for that, it's actually not as bad as I thought it would be. Currently I'm only working part time due to studying, but should be back in full time work come summer that will make it less of a problem as well.

True, one of my friends has a GTI, perhaps I should see if he'll let me test drive it

What are the differences in tax? Mine is £180 for 12 months, or £189 if paid monthly. Guessing insurance would be very similar.

[Ditto]

From looking at Parkers it reckons 47mpg for the TDI so with that taken into account, there'd be even less difference in fuel than I stated.

Car tax is £265 for the GTI and £180 for the TDI.

Cheers

[ephemeross]

Yeah I pay 180 atm for the TDI, so tax isn't much different.
My overall average mpg is around 43.7 due to the short trips offsetting the long trips. Sometimes it's ~40 other times I've done close to 60,

Going to check out some GTI's and then weigh up everything, thank you :)

[prp74]

The GTI, will be a bit more to run but the smile it puts on your face is defo worth it.

Had mine for 3 years plus and it never fails to put a smile on my face. I'm sure the rest on this forum would agree.

Test drive the GTI and take it from there 

[Ditto]

Totally agree @prp74 best thing I did was swap my old diesel for the GTI. You'll love it!

[rich83]

DPF delete is illegal and will cause you MOT headaches