What should I make sure gets changed at 60k apart from the timing belt?

Averaging 35 mpg on carriageways...a bit disappointing. Will fitting one of those K&N air filters make it more efficient?

Apart from 'green driving habits', anything else in the engine I can tinker with to boost mileage?

What engine is it? That mpg is bad.

Marc

What engine is it? That mpg is bad.

Marc

1.4 MPI, 8V, 51reg,

Engine code AQW: 1.4l OHV 50kW

I'm very peeved off at the purchase...should've done more research. Grr!

Edited 7 June, 201115 yr by fsa

Ah right expected it to be a vrs sorry, was gonna say! My vrs is registering 52mpg average on the trip (so a little less in reality probably), a mixture of motorway cruising and spirited a/b road driving. I didn't expect a 1.4 to be that bad. Good luck sorting it. A new standard air filter will help if it's not been swapped for a while - dont think I'd bother with the k&n.

Marc

Ah right expected it to be a vrs sorry, was gonna say! My vrs is registering 52mpg average on the trip (so a little less in reality probably), a mixture of motorway cruising and spirited a/b road driving. I didn't expect a 1.4 to be that bad. Good luck sorting it. A new standard air filter will help if it's not been swapped for a while - dont think I'd bother with the k&n.

Marc

Thanks, Marc. Should've forked out more for the vrs. First car, so I'll live and learn!

May as well do all the filters (oil, air and fuel), change the oil (don't forget engine flush).

You know then, your car is sucking in clean air, filtering fuel efficiently and engine is running in clean oil.

Oh, and check your tyre pressures. Low on air can kill your economy.

May as well do all the filters (oil, air and fuel), change the oil (don't forget engine flush).

You know then, your car is sucking in clean air, filtering fuel efficiently and engine is running in clean oil.

Oh, and check your tyre pressures. Low on air can kill your economy.

TYVM. It's due its MOT soon, so ill take it in for a service then. 35mpg is expected for the old petrol engine?

Right, so I took it in for a service and MOT and am a bit suspicious about what it failed on.

It's the nearside front CV joint gaiter which has split....but this was the same issue the previous owner had MOT failures in July 2010 and April 2009. Given that I took it to the same garage to get done and there's an invoice from their previous repair in 2010, does that mean they did a shoddy job or is the NF CV JG something which commonly splits?

May as well do all the filters (oil, air and fuel), change the oil (don't forget engine flush).

You know then, your car is sucking in clean air, filtering fuel efficiently and engine is running in clean oil.

Oh, and check your tyre pressures. Low on air can kill your economy.

All three filters changed, tyre pressures 32 on rear and 30 on front, used redex on 2 tanks, thermostat picks up within 1 mile........anything else I can do to bump up the mpg?

I know it's an antiquated design for back in the day when fuel was cheaper. I change gears at 2.5k, never let it go over 3.5k.

MPi's are shocking on economy. Though the biggest contribution to economy is going to be driving style. I'd say on a combined run (bit o' motorway bit o' town) 35 is good, 40ish on a long run (say cambridge to leeds).

No timing belt on the 8vs/MPi - only a chain.

I think I used to get 39mpg from my 16v, which was meant to be better on fuel I believe than the 8v, so . . . .

I assume you coast in gear to junctions, advoid heavy braking, try and keep speed up to prevent accelerating again. Remove any extra weight if you wanna go really far. Back seats if not used, spare tyre if you don't like being able to continue after a blow out.

No timing belt on the 8vs/MPi - only a chain.

I think I used to get 39mpg from my 16v, which was meant to be better on fuel I believe than the 8v, so . . . .

I assume you coast in gear to junctions, advoid heavy braking, try and keep speed up to prevent accelerating again. Remove any extra weight if you wanna go really far. Back seats if not used, spare tyre if you don't like being able to continue after a blow out.

Does the chain need any TLC?

Guess I should be happy with 35 in the 8v then.

I brake gradually in the high gear then block change down to 2nd when slow enough.....is that how i should be handling junctions?

MPi's are shocking on economy. Though the biggest contribution to economy is going to be driving style. I'd say on a combined run (bit o' motorway bit o' town) 35 is good, 40ish on a long run (say cambridge to leeds).

Must be worse if you're trying to drive into town in Cambridge....haven't got rid of the push bike yet just because of that.

Edited 8 July, 201114 yr by fsa

At 60k air filter if not changed in 30k miles, spark plugs if not changed in a long while, and a throttle body clean and throttle body adaptation with vag-com/vcds might help slightly. Fuel economy is just crap

Someone suggested changing the map sensor may be able to help MPG, especially if the old one is aged. I changed mine, but don't think it made any noticeable difference.

I find it best on long runs sticking to around 65 mph. Any faster fuel economy noticeably drops. Any slower and lorries overtake I had hoped all the new wizardry (multi-point injection, all the electronic sensors, electronic controlled ignition, etc), would make it better than my old car - on which the mpi engine is based. Turns out it's actually worse, and can only assume this is down to the weight of the car and power demands by things like ABS and power steering. Plus of course the obvious fact the engine design is rather ancient.

I brake gradually in the high gear then block change down to 2nd when slow enough.....is that how i should be handling junctions?

Sounds good to me. The saying is "brakes to slow, gears to go".

Must be worse if you're trying to drive into town in Cambridge....haven't got rid of the push bike yet just because of that.

It's all fun and games until someone gets run over...

Things that I do to improve economy

1. Pump up those tyre to "maximum load" levels and even a bit more. I run mine at 35psi all round.

2. Change tyres to Michelin Energy Saver tyres. I can vouch that these really work. You can expect 3 - 5% improvement in economy, they pay for themselves over the lifetime of the tyre - which incidentally is remarkably long - my sons car has done 40,000 miles on a set and still has almost 4mm tread.

3. Use a thinner "fuel economy" oil. i.e. switch to a 5/30W full synthetic oil. (Check the manual before you do this to see if the oil grade is listed as acceptable) - this again will give you something like a 3% improvement in mpg.

It's all fun and games until someone gets run over...

Worst in October with all the new students. Bane of my life.

Things that I do to improve economy

1. Pump up those tyre to "maximum load" levels and even a bit more. I run mine at 35psi all round.

2. Change tyres to Michelin Energy Saver tyres. I can vouch that these really work. You can expect 3 - 5% improvement in economy, they pay for themselves over the lifetime of the tyre - which incidentally is remarkably long - my sons car has done 40,000 miles on a set and still has almost 4mm tread.

3. Use a thinner "fuel economy" oil. i.e. switch to a 5/30W full synthetic oil. (Check the manual before you do this to see if the oil grade is listed as acceptable) - this again will give you something like a 3% improvement in mpg.

Thanks for the tips! Should the rears be slightly higher than the front?

The oil types are so confusing...if it's the x/xxW number I should be looking out for, then what's with the other VW reference 501 00....?

Wouldn't pump the tyres up more than what is recommended for the load that you are carrying as it can make the car a bit "skittish"!!! I just use Mobil 1 fully sythetic 0w/40w...but i've got a 16v engine and it needs it.....and that mpg is bad...I get 38mpg on a backcountry "hot" run... and I've seen 52mpg on a long "easy" motorway run (was trying to get the most out on purpose!)

Worst in October with all the new students. Bane of my life.

Yeah you know. You based in Cambridge then I take it?

3. Use a thinner "fuel economy" oil. i.e. switch to a 5/30W full synthetic oil. (Check the manual before you do this to see if the oil grade is listed as acceptable) - this again will give you something like a 3% improvement in mpg.

I have tried that also, no noticeable benefit. Went from usual 10/40w semi-synthetic to 5/40w fully synth.

I have tried that also, no noticeable benefit. Went from usual 10/40w semi-synthetic to 5/40w fully synth.

Hmm...thanks for the heads up. Your mpgs are envious....on a 1.4 MPI with 8v? Normal unleaded?

Edited 11 July, 201114 yr by fsa

Yeah you know. You based in Cambridge then I take it?

Oh yes...took some getting used to after leaving London. Impressed by all the Skodas I keep seeing here :p

Just checked your spritmonitor link. Love the colour. Notice mention of A/C which I presume is air con? Is this turned on? That's the only thing I can think that would make the MPG lower. Mine does not come fitted with air con.

I use standard supermarket unleaded, usually Tesco. Occasionally add redex. Been considering trying super unleaded for the 5p/l extra to see if that helps/is worth the extra cost - now the price is higher the percentage extra cost is less than it's ever been. The engine has a knock sensor so should theoretically be able to compensate for the different fuel. However, as I recently changed the map sensor I wanted to continue a few tanks to see if the map sensor helped. Problem is MPG is so variable it's difficult to compare like for like.

One thing to be careful of when measuring MPG is there is a small knob thingy inside the fuel filler. If you press this unintentionally while filling up (makes a sort of hissing noise), you can fit substantially more fuel in as it lets fuel flow to some sort of overflow tank. So if your MPG seems better on the next fill, then this is possible.

Just checked your spritmonitor link. Love the colour. Notice mention of A/C which I presume is air con? Is this turned on? That's the only thing I can think that would make the MPG lower. Mine does not come fitted with air con.

I use standard supermarket unleaded, usually Tesco. Occasionally add redex. Been considering trying super unleaded for the 5p/l extra to see if that helps/is worth the extra cost - now the price is higher the percentage extra cost is less than it's ever been. The engine has a knock sensor so should theoretically be able to compensate for the different fuel. However, as I recently changed the map sensor I wanted to continue a few tanks to see if the map sensor helped. Problem is MPG is so variable it's difficult to compare like for like.

One thing to be careful of when measuring MPG is there is a small knob thingy inside the fuel filler. If you press this unintentionally while filling up (makes a sort of hissing noise), you can fit substantially more fuel in as it lets fuel flow to some sort of overflow tank. So if your MPG seems better on the next fill, then this is possible.

Its called 'cayenne orange'...most people think it's red though. I have been keeping the aircon on...will try without for a while. I've been using standard unleaded too....redex every 5th tank (cheap big bottles from costco).

How difficult was it to change the MAP sensor? Will keep an eye out for your spiritmonitor to see if there's a difference. Shouldn't the overflow tank always be filled then...in case I get caught short?