This is my first diesel, bought new in Jan 06 as the outgoing model. Before buying it, I used to criticise drivers of other diesels when they smoked under accelleration - especially if they were the car in front. 'Get it tuned', was my refrain. Now the boot is on the other foot. When I put my foot down, especially after a period of 'pootling' in traffic, as often as not I'll lay a heavy smokescreen behind me for 50-100 metres before it clears. My Passat is powerful and fairly economical (about 45mpg overall), and I know the 130 is reckoned to be an effective motor, if rather noisy and unrefined. I've done about 24k now, and at the first dealer service I complained about this and asked for it to be adjusted to run cleaner. 'We checked it and there's nothing wrong with it, and anyway, they all do that.' was the answer. Hmmm. Is it a Tdi 130 thing that I'll just have to get used to, or should I insist to the dealer that it can be improved? What's the experience of other VW diesel drivers?
I suppose I should add that while I'm not a tree-hugging pinko liberal, I do think that if I can avoid chucking more noxious fumes into the atmosphere than is strictly necessary, while I go about my daily business, I should. So it bothers me that my car does this.
s
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What fuel are you running on, Shell has now made a profound difference to my "smoke screen"
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Mostly, though not exclusively, Esso. Rarely Shell, simply because of filling station location, but if I get the chance I'll try it and see what happens...
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I have a similar car to yours and it has never smoked. I usually use Shell Extra diesel, it is local and often cheaper than supermarket stuff.
I would not accept the dealers answer of "they all do this" because they jolly well don't! Go back and insist that they investigate, if a tank or two of Shell doesn't cure it.
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I had an 04 plate A4 with the same engine. It was a great car, and as you say, these are very 'strong' engines which do 50 mpg without too much trouble. However mine always smoked in the way you describe, and the dealer said there was nothing wrong. Some people say that smokeyness on these engines can be linked to EGR valves being slightly sticky with gunge. It may be worth getting this cleaned perhaps.
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I have an A4 with the same engine, 2003 model with 130,000 miles - fairly smokey, especially noticable in cars headlamps following under heavy acceleration. Local VAG independant echoed your advice that they all do that sir....
It was my Dads company car before I bought it, always dealer serviced, with the injectors flushed at each service etc and to his knowledge it has always done it.
I do around 600 miles a week on £50 of diesel so it doesnt affect economy - It seems fairly common for these PD engines to smoke a bit compared to common rail engines - even the new 2.0TDi's which have particulate filters..
If there is no performance or economy drop I doubt there is a problem.
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My Skoda Superb has the 130 PS AWX engine and produces virtually no smoke other than that generated by excess fuel on start up. This shows as one brief puff of black smoke about 1 sec after it fires up.
As it happens, it's going in for its first MOT test shortly - I'll report back with the smoke result. Now fully run in, it goes like a train and does 50mpg if I'm not towing or driving very hard.
659.
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a colleague of mine utilises this 'feature' of diesels as an effective way of dealing with tailgaters. He just drops a cog or two and floors the throttle covering the offending car behind in a fog of black soot.
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My Passat 130 is clean under "normal" driving conditions (verified by my dad following me on journeys) BUT if you use more than half throttle or go over 3K rpm then it will leave a cloud of dust. This is largely residue that builds up in the exhaust system over time.
Once the engine is fully warmed up, a couple of blasts to 4K rpm in 2nd and 3rd on an open road will clear it out a treat.
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>a colleague of mine utilises this 'feature' of diesels as an effective way of dealing with tailgaters. He just drops a cog or two and floors the throttle covering the offending car behind in a fog of black soot.<
And makes a regular donation to a cancer research charity, I hope.
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mike
That visible soot isn't the harmful part of diesel emissions. The much-maligned sub-10 micron particulates emitted at full load are the alleged evil killers - and they're virtually invisible.
[Anyone who remembers the amount of PM10s that leaked up through the floorboards of old trucks knows that they must have got that research wrong too. Old truckers died of Woodbines and Capstan Full-Strength...]
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Screwloose - you're getting near the next obvious question: if I can't stop it smoking under accelleration, should I be concerned about the extra smoke? From what you say, it's the invisible stuff that's the killer, but surely even the visible can't be healthy?
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Twanglow
It's a diesel - it's dirty; get over it.
The single piece of research that described PM10s as the most carcinogenic substance ever discovered should have suggested to the [Japanese?] scientist involved to raise his eyes from his test-tubes and engage brain.
If his research was correct; he would then have to explain why all the old truck drivers weren't dead by 28. Old diesel engines often didn't even have any exhaust manifold gaskets at all - such was the lack of concern for their spewing emissions.
Truck cabs were therefore frequently thick with smoke and black soot [cab windows weren't left open just to letch at pretty girls...] and with the under-powered diesels of the day, high load [peak PM10s] was a normal running condition.
Either the drivers were immortal - or yet another much-trumpeted piece of green propaganda has feet of clay.
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Cheers everyone. Lots to try, starting with the fuel. I'll post again in this thread if I see any noticeable improvement.
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When I put my foot down, especially after a period of 'pootling' in traffic, as often as not I'll lay a heavy smokescreen behind me for 50-100 metres before it clears.
Do you put your foot down smartly or gradually? There may be a short delay between feeding more fuel in and the turbp spooling up to provide the extra air to burn it. Modern management systems, wastegates and variable geometry turbo's minimise this effect but may flooring the pedal still contribute to a brief burst of smoke? (I stand to be corrected by the experts if this is no longer the case)
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My VW diesel is a few years old, bt has a smoke quotient thread in the injection quantity programming of the ECU.
This gives a value with which the fuel quantity is divided by, the default value is one, and this will increase as the likelihood of smoke increases based on a myriad of other values, thus reducing the fuelling.
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