[lazer]

Greetings, everyone.

This is my first post and I just wanted to take a moment to say how much I love reading all the forums and posts that have been shared here. It's really nice to be a part of this community and to see how much knowledge and experience is being shared among fellow enthusiasts.

Today, I have a few questions that I'm hoping someone here can help me out with. Firstly, I'm trying to determine whether my VW Jetta 2015 TDI DSG Highline has an EA189 or EA288 engine, and I'm interested in learning more about its capabilities on the particular engine, as it's currently running on a Stage 1 tune by TuneOTronics remap done by ICD Chennai, which roughly puts out 185 horsepower and 390 Nm of torque.

Additionally, I'm looking to upgrade my tires and I'm wondering if anyone has any recommendations. I'm currently running on Continental UC6 tires, which are phenomenally soft and provide a cushioning effect, but they don't offer much in the way of traction. So, what are some good tires I can upgrade to that will provide better traction without sacrificing ride comfort?

Moreover, as outdoor temperatures can run up to the top 40 degrees Celsius at times, I'm interested in knowing what modifications I can add to my engine to make it work more efficiently under such conditions. Any advice on this matter would be greatly appreciated.

Lastly, my suspension has worn out almost completely and I'm looking to replace the whole set. Has anyone had any experience with this? If so, could you please share how much it cost and what I should keep in mind while changing it out? I'm hoping to find a good balance between stance look, comfort, and performance, so any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Adding some images of my car too!

One of the first pictures that I took after getting the car

At Kodaikanal


One with our Duke at Coorg

Night time interior

[VW2010]

Was your model part of the dieselgate? If so then your engine is the older EA189. If your model was not recalled for the dieselgate fix then it is the updated EA288 engine. MK6 should not have the EA189 but vcds scan should give you more details including engine type

[vishy76]

The Jetta Mk6 uses the EA189 series TDI engine. The major changes to the 288 as compared to the 189 were the addition of VVT on the exhaust cams, use of an electronic water pump instead of a purely mechanical one, a charge air cooler integrated into the intake manifold instead of having a separate intercooler and a few other minor changes.

The 189 in itself has a lot of potential on the stock CR140 turbo. Another advantage is that it has a separate intercooler which can be upgraded easily if the need be. What you do need to be aware of is that that there's a lot of tuners out there and numbers quoted vary a lot. Just as an example, I am running a stage 1 Quantum map which is claimed to make 180hp and 400Nm. I believe Quantum has also proved that these figures are true (in fact slightly underquoted) on a dyno.

On the other hand, I know folks whose cars are making 200+hp on stock turbo and about 420Nm torque with a stage 1 map but with a different tuner. Power outputs can vary wildly depending on how aggressive the tune is. I also know Jettas which make 500Nm on stage 2. Personally, I prefer to run a milder tune for two reasons:

- Being a FWD, I find 400Nm of torque itself to be quite a bit. You do feel a fair amount of torque steer and sometimes even wheel hop under hard acceleration

- The clutch and DMF on my manual anyway shudders slightly under full load in higher gears. The only way to mitigate this issue is throw in a $1700 Sachs performance clutch kit and DMF capable of handling 500Nm

In terms of performance under higher ambient temps:

- Better intercooler: Highly subjective but I find the stock intercooler to be below average even on my stage 1. With ambient temps beyond 35 degrees, I feel a fair amount of drop in performance. However, this is an expensive mod and the gains are not proportional to the cash you spend. A good quality intercooler is upwards of 35-40k. Not sure if it's worth it spending so much money.

Suspension

Lot of options here. I firmly detest lowering springs like Cobra. Have had a couple of folks try it out and they ended up selling the damn things in less than 300 km. Stick to the stock suspension or go the whole hog and get coilovers. Unfortunately, coilovers are delicate darlings for the Indian subcontinent. A good compromise are Bilstein B6 dampers. Eye wateringly expensive, but you retain your stock ride height, overall ride isn't bone jarring and you gain a lot more in terms of handling. You can also consider switching to a Euro spec suspension which includes changing the springs and dampers or a GLI spec setup where you put springs from the American spec GLI variant. That will lower ride height and improve the stance but overall ride will remain acceptable

If you do want to stick to the stock suspension here's what you should replace. Do it ALL AT ONCE. DO NOT do it in bits and pieces else you will end up wasting time and money.

Dampers: Sachs is what I trust. No other damper comes close for me. However, there's an extremely important thing to keep in mind. Most FNGs will make a goofup while sourcing the front dampers. I will elaborate below:

- Sachs 317 575: 9/10 Jettas I see which have had suspension replacements at FNGs use this damper. Yes it works, no doubt. However, this is the wrong damper for the Jettas spring. It's originally meant for the Audi A3. The ride on this one is 20-30 percent stiffer as compared to the stock ones and you also get discomforting thuds over sharper potholes. FNGs use it because suppliers tend to push it and it's 2K cheaper per damper as compared to the correct one which is...

- Sachs 317 575: This is the damper the Jetta came with when it rolled out of the factory. It mates perfectly with the stock spring and the ride and handling balance is retained. It is expensive at 14-15K a pair as compared to the 11-12K for the 575, but well worth it in my opinion

The dampers also have supporting ancillaries such as the strut bearing, strut Mount, bump stops and the dust cover. Change all of this even if it's in good shape since dismantling the strut is a labourious task. The strut mount, bearing and the dust covers shouldn't be more than 8-9K all in for both sides

Control arms: Every component on the control arm is replaceable. Do not throw the entire arm out under any circumstance. For each control arm you have:

- A donut bush which is the most common failure point

- A cylindrical bush which doesn't usually go bad

- A ball joint which attaches it to the spindle

All three are changeable. The bush kit consisting of 2 donut bushes and 2 cylindrical ones comes for about 4-5K (Borsehung, Febi, Meyle are known brands).

The ball joint is bolted on unlike other control arms where it's built in. 3-4K for a pair is the right price

ARB: Tricky. Follow these instructions to the T. The Jettas ARB comes with integrated bushes. Most FNGs will cut the stock clamps and put new clamps and bushes. This in hindsight is a foolish move because the aftermarket clamps most FNGs get hold of are very bad quality. They don't hold the bushes in place, and the bushes eventually move around, abrade the clamps and excess play in the ARB also ends up screwing your link rods.

The correct way to do this is to carefully drill out the rivets on the stock clamps and reuse them with new bushes. Ofcourse you can get a new Borsehung ARB for around 7000, but if you can reuse something and save money why not.

Link rods: Use any good make (Febi, Meyle, ZF Lemforder). 3-4K for a pair is the expected price.

Tie rods: The outer tie rods have a ball joint with a boot. If the boot is cracked and is leaking grease change both. The inner ones don't generally go bad very soon, but if you do want to replace they usually come for a good price together. So it's prudent to do the inner and outer together. I scored a set of tie rods for 4500 bucks. Make: Febi

This pretty much sums up your front suspension

Coming to the rear multilink suspension, it's an absolute pleasure to use, but an equal pain to work on

Bush kit: The rear suspension also uses control arms with a subframe and an ARB or anti roll bar. There's a 16 piece bush kit which you get for all the arms and the ARB by Febi. Get it and change all bushes if you can. If your mechanic says they are fine, you can consider neglecting this and leaving it for later

Link rods: Easy to replace and fairly cheap at around 2-3K for 2. Change them

Dampers: Unfortunately, it's difficult to get the exact dampers that the Jetta came with from the factory in the aftermarket unlike the front. If you can, put Sachs 315 950. Slightly stiffer but they are the only option apart from going to the dealership and having them replaced. These also get a bump stop which is some 2K for a pair

Some points to remember when doing up the suspension:

- Never allow your FNG to use an impact gun on any of the bolts. These are anyway one time use. Can be used a second or third time but never blindly use an impact gun on these.

- The subframe needs to come off to replace the ARB bushes. Do due diligence and inspect the subframe mounts. They are notorious for wearing out the most out of all mounts. If they are gone, replace them. 3-4K of expense. The alignment of the car is something which is changed every time you remove and reinstall the subframe so change all these parts such that you don't need to lower the subframe again for the next 85k km

- Check the engine and transmission mounts. The passenger side GB mount is notorious for conking off very early. Around 5-6K for a ZF Lemforder mount

Other than this, there isn't much left to check. If there's anything else I can help you with feel free to DM. If you do all of this, your suspension will again last for another 85-90K km without a hitch.

In terms of tyres, the most VFM ones are MRF Perfinzas. 205/55 R16 is the stock size and I frankly recommend sticking to it. If you want more comfort, get 205/60. Continentals come in 2nd. Michelins are not worth the 10-10.5K most dealers ask these days.

[Bibendum90949]

Welcome to the forum Lazer.

These Euro cars were superbly built in that era and can last longer and serve you good if maintained and cared well. Moreover, considering the prices of new cars, it makes all the more sense to retain such timeless beauties by giving it the overhaul job it deserves.

I've been owning a Laura TDI MT since 2011, which has clocked 2.05 lakhs kms till date.It's been a great sailing so far with diligent upkeep and preventive maintenance. It had undergone a total suspension overhaul two years ago when the odo read 180k kms. It lasted that far purely because the car was 90% used on highways, and largely on TN highways to be precise.

Vishy76 helped me immensely during the whole process. I followed his advices to the T and boy the car drives like new even today. I take this opportunity to thank him once again for his time and effort. The work was carried out at my trusted FNG in Bangalore. He has in detail listed out the things to watch out for. Do ensure you source the parts from a trusted source.

I too had gone for the stock Sachs dampers and extremely happy with them. The things were too complex to go for options other than stock. It was not worth the effort to play around with a 10 year old car. And I had gone the full distance and replaced all that was listed by Vishy in his post above. The cost was 1 lakh including labour in 2021. Guess spare part costs have shot up since then.

Trust me, your car will be back to her singing best after this suspension job. And the mod potential for these cars are huge. There are many threads in the forum around that. Study them and do what works out best for your requirements. Glad to see a fellow member realising the worth of a car and going all out to bring it back to it's pristine best. Good luck.

Cheers,
bibendum.

[lazer]

Originally Posted by VW2010

Was your model part of the dieselgate? If so then your engine is the older EA189. If your model was not recalled for the dieselgate fix then it is the updated EA288 engine. MK6 should not have the EA189 but vcds scan should give you more details including engine type

Upon reviewing the service records of my car, I discovered that it has been subject to a recall campaign called 23R7. This indicates an emission recall, and therefore, confirms that my car is equipped with the EA189 engine.

Originally Posted by vishy76

The Jetta Mk6 uses the EA189 series TDI engine. The major changes to the 288 as compared to the 189 were the addition of VVT on the exhaust cams, use of an electronic water pump instead of a purely mechanical one, a charge air cooler integrated into the intake manifold instead of having a separate intercooler and a few other minor changes.
...

Hello Vishy76, I appreciate the detailed response to my post, it has been very helpful. Here are some further questions I have:

• It's great to hear that the EA189 engine is potentially mod-friendly without sacrificing reliability. In terms of torque, what numbers would be considered safe for the DSG6 gearbox given that my driving style is not aggressive?
• If I decide to push the limits of the engine a bit more, upgrading the intercooler seems like a sensible choice. However, what are your thoughts on cold air intakes or stock replacement performance filters such as ITG, BMC, etc.?
• Would removing the turbo muffler make any noticeable changes to the engine performance?
• Regarding suspension, if I decide to replace all the joint components with Sachs parts, would you recommend any lowering springs for an improved stance?
• I would like to DM you, but as a newbie here, it might take some time. Thank you again for your help.

Originally Posted by Bibendum90949

These Euro cars were superbly built in that era and can last longer and serve you good if maintained and cared well. Moreover, considering the prices of new cars, it makes all the more sense to retain such timeless beauties by giving it the overhaul job it deserves.
...

I completely agree with you. It's not just German cars, I think every brand in India had some great cars in the past. Unfortunately, the prices of new cars nowadays don't even make sense. I'm definitely not letting go of this beauty anytime soon.

[gaurav.kokra]

Hi lazer! I think it's a great decision to get your suspension sorted because these cars aren't made anymore. Best bang for the buck you can get today. I'd say the suspension replacement is on the higher side but if done correctly and with precision it will the best amount spent.

Request you to please update this thread and pen down your experience once your work is done. Btw, your car looks great!!

[vishy76]

Originally Posted by lazer

Upon reviewing the service records of my car, I discovered that it has been subject to a recall campaign called 23R7. This indicates an emission recall, and therefore, confirms that my car is equipped with the EA189 engine.


Hello Vishy76, I appreciate the detailed response to my post, it has been very helpful. Here are some further questions I have:

• It's great to hear that the EA189 engine is potentially mod-friendly without sacrificing reliability. In terms of torque, what numbers would be considered safe for the DSG6 gearbox given that my driving style is not aggressive?
• If I decide to push the limits of the engine a bit more, upgrading the intercooler seems like a sensible choice. However, what are your thoughts on cold air intakes or stock replacement performance filters such as ITG, BMC, etc.?
• Would removing the turbo muffler make any noticeable changes to the engine performance?
• Regarding suspension, if I decide to replace all the joint components with Sachs parts, would you recommend any lowering springs for an improved stance?
• I would like to DM you, but as a newbie here, it might take some time. Thank you again for your help.

- You can get a downpipe which will allow the car to breathe easier and put less strain on the turbo too. However, you will have to get a tune to get the max benefit. A stage 2 tune. Even post this, a 5-10hp is the max gain and another 5-10 Nm in torque

- No lowering springs as I said before. I know people who have had a pathetic experience with Cobra. You can get the springs and dampers from the American spec Jetta GLI, but get both springs and dampers. They go hand in hand.

- No issues. Please regard this thread as a channel of communication

You can also mail me on myfullname02@gmail.com

Regards,
Ananth Iyer

[Kinnan]

I have a 2013 Jetta 2.0 tdi manual, clcb engine code. I am from Kerala,India.

The car started having loss of power especially between 1000-2000 rpm about 2 weeks back. On an occasion the car stalled with flashing glow plug light. Car was cranking but it would cut off in about 10 seconds. I got it towed to my mechanic who noticed a low fuel pressure after scanning. I did a vcds scan at that point. It threw a p0087 low rail pressure intermittent fault.

The mechanic suggested to change the fuel rail, regulator and sensor. I was not interested in throwing parts at it before diagnosing the problem. After two days at the shop the car would run like normal , so I took it home. I am now having a very small intermittent loss of power felt between 1000 and 2000 rpm. No codes regarding fueling is seen on vcds at this point.

I did a vcds log of the Fuel pressure regulator valve: specified value rail pressure, High fuel pressure: specified value, High fuel pressure: actual value. The graph showed a deviation in values at the time of power loss.

I would like to know what caused the issue and how to go about it. What can I infer from the graph?

Address 01: Engine (J623-CLCB) Labels:. 03L-906-018-CFF.clb
Part No SW: 03L 906 018 TB HW: 03L 907 309 R
Component: R4 2.0l TDI H25 9978
Revision: 42H25--- Serial number: 00000000000000 CVN: 6EF6EDF1
Coding: 00190012042500080000
Shop #: WSC 12005 938 00000
ASAM Dataset: EV_ECM20TDI01103L906018TB 003005
ROD: EV_ECM20TDI01103L906018TB.rod
VCID: 7DA0211E1D79391234D-8028
VINID: 9E69DD0420460544451C11060819923D39

3 Faults Found:
5211 - Fuel Rail/System Pressure
P0087 00 [01100101] - Too Low
Not Confirmed - Tested Since Memory Clear
Freeze Frame:
Fault Priority: 2
Fault Frequency: 2
Mileage: 146718 km
Date: 2025.01.11.
Time: 15:05:36

Engine RPM: 1825.00 /min
Normed load value: 43.1 %
Vehicle speed: 15 km/h
Coolant temperature: 88 C
Intake air temperature: 54 C
Ambient air pressure: 1000 mbar
Voltage terminal 30: 13.400 V
Unlearning counter according OBD: 80
Fuel temperature: 56.5 C
Mean injection quantity: 13.92 mg/stroke
Rail pressure regulation: status-Bits 0-7: 5
Fuel high-pressure: actual value: 732400 hPa
High fuel pressure: specified value: 1074600 hPa
Pressure control valve adaptation factor: 1.0691
Fuel level: 23.00 l

5212 - Fuel Rail/System Pressure
P0087 00 [01100101] - Too Low
Not Confirmed - Tested Since Memory Clear
Freeze Frame:
Fault Priority: 2
Fault Frequency: 1
Mileage: 146718 km
Date: 2025.01.11.
Time: 15:05:40

Engine RPM: 1451.00 /min
Normed load value: 82.4 %
Vehicle speed: 22 km/h
Coolant temperature: 88 C
Intake air temperature: 54 C
Ambient air pressure: 1000 mbar
Voltage terminal 30: 13.300 V
Unlearning counter according OBD: 80
Fuel temperature: 56.1 C
Mean injection quantity: 20.08 mg/stroke
Rail pressure regulation: status-Bits 0-7: 5
Fuel high-pressure: actual value: 720200 hPa
High fuel pressure: specified value: 1066400 hPa
Pressure control valve adaptation factor: 1.0691
Fuel level: 23.00 l

5231 - Fuel Rail/System Pressure
P0087 00 [01100000] - Too Low
Intermittent - Not Confirmed - Tested Since Memory Clear
Freeze Frame:
Fault Priority: 2
Fault Frequency: 1
Mileage: 146719 km
Date: 2025.01.11.
Time: 15:05:51

Engine RPM: 476.00 /min
Normed load value: 0.0 %
Vehicle speed: 28 km/h
Coolant temperature: 88 C
Intake air temperature: 53 C
Ambient air pressure: 1000 mbar
Voltage terminal 30: 12.400 V
Unlearning counter according OBD: 40
Fuel temperature: 55.7 C
Mean injection quantity: 0.00 mg/stroke
Rail pressure regulation: status-Bits 0-7: 4
Fuel high-pressure: actual value: 4700 hPa
High fuel pressure: specified value: 320000 hPa
Pressure control valve adaptation factor: 1.0691
Fuel level: 23.00 l

[vishy76]

Originally Posted by Kinnan

I have a 2013 Jetta 2.0 tdi manual, clcb engine code. I am from Kerala,India.

The car started having loss of power especially between 1000-2000 rpm about 2 weeks back. On an occasion the car stalled with flashing glow plug light. Car was cranking but it would cut off in about 10 seconds. I got it towed to my mechanic who noticed a low fuel pressure after scanning. I did a vcds scan at that point. It threw a p0087 low rail pressure intermittent fault.

Your specified rail pressure and actual pressure are way off. Before anything else, I would suggest pulling the metering valve on the high pressure fuel pump once and checking inside for debris. You will typically see metallic flakes or rust flakes inside if something is wrong.

Also remove and inspect the fuel filter for any impurities. These are very basic steps before you get down to suspecting the rail itself or the pressure sensor.

[Bsilver]

Originally Posted by Kinnan

I would like to know what caused the issue and how to go about it. What can I infer from the graph?

The request from ECU for the delivery of the fuel is not met. This is the HPFP readings, where is the low pressure side, the one which resides in the tank.
If at all the low pressure fuel pump is not supplying the required one, the HPFP fails to deliver the pressure to the rails. A thing to keep in mind is the HPFP, operates at extreme tolerances and uses the diesel itself as a coolant to maintain working temperatures, any less diesel, and you are looking at a failing pump due to the heat generated.

I can see that the car has done 1.4Lkms, and the pump in the tank would have gone weak as well, due to the high mileage. Do not continue to drive, or at least drive only if you are really needing it to (emergency), if you continue, you will end up with a bad HPFP as well. Check the low pressure values, and see what is requested from ECU.

Was the pump removed anytime before this thing happened? Were you driving on reserve when this problem occurred?

Hope this helps, and you may post the readings here.

Happy Motoring!

[Kinnan]

Originally Posted by vishy76

I would suggest pulling the metering valve on the high pressure fuel pump once and checking inside for debris.
r.

Thank you for helping out!

Here is the picture of hpfp
Metering valve has no debris
Does this count as debris!?

[Kinnan]

Originally Posted by Bsilver

. Check the low pressure values, and see what is requested from ECU.
Was the pump removed anytime before this thing happened? Were you driving on reserve when this problem occurred?

Thanks for helping out,

VCDS only provides real time fuel pressure, specified fuel pressure cannot be measured using VCDS.
No i haven’t removed the pump before.
No, I always maintain atleast half tank diesel.

I have done an output test on the fuel pressure pump and auxiliary fuel pump . Both test went fine with the engine turned off but the auxiliary pump test showed error when tried to test on starting and the engine stalled and turned off with glow plug light warning.

Im coping the log values of fuel pressure here
With the chart plotted
Blue colour- fuel pressure
Green colour- actual measured pressure
Yellow colour- hpfp specified pressure

[Kinnan]

Originally Posted by Bsilver

Check the low pressure values, and see what is requested from ECU.

Sorry i dont see any option in VCDS to measure the low pressure value, I think there is no sensor to measure that value, The fuel pressure which I mentioned in the above post is in kpa so I think it is also high pressure value .

[Bsilver]

Originally Posted by Kinnan

Thanks for helping out,



Im coping the log values of fuel pressure here
With the chart plotted

The low pressure should be somewhere around 3-4 bars, now by converting the fuel pressure shown in your table, one gets 300+bar, which is quite off, and might be a tabulating error in VCDS, it should be in hPA I guess and not kPA, so still one gets a way higher reading. It would be better if you included engine speed as well in the data logs.
Hook up a pressure sensor to the low pressure fuel pump and then check the readings. A little hard to do, but will give a clear picture.

Happy Motoring!

[Kinnan]

Originally Posted by Bsilver

The
Hook up a pressure sensor to the low pressure fuel pump and then check the readings. A little hard to do, but will give a clear picture.

Appreciate your help!

I dont have a pressure gauge handy so I did a volume test today on the in tank fuel pump by removing inlet at fuel filter and pumping via VCDS . The flow rate was noted to be 1.3 Litres per minute . The flow was found to be intermittent with fuel being cut off and pumped at regular intervals. Is this normal ? Should I replace the pump?