My Tiguan has arrived and this is my experience so far

[Tigger162]

When it comes to fuel the 162 is tuned for 98 Ron, with high performance engines, a higher octane rating makes fuel less volatile. This makes it less prone to pre-ignition which is also known as knock or pinging. That's the rattling sound a engine makes when the fuel in the combustion chamber detonates spontaneously before the piston reaches the right position, on another note 98 has additional additives that lubes the engine and prevents build up of carbon etc..

[sharp]

Have any of those who have received their 162's, done any experiments with the fuel i.e. 95 vs 98 Ron and is there any difference?

When I first picked up the car it was pinging, I suspect the dealer filled it up with 95. I've been filling up with 98 and no ping.

[marcuskmt]

Have any of those who have received their 162's, done any experiments with the fuel i.e. 95 vs 98 Ron and is there any difference?

Should I use premium petrol in my car? - John Cadogan

Apparently 98 Ron makes very little difference. Not worth paying for it.

[Delewin]

Hi Sharp

Pinging only occurs under heavy load. If it was pinging, one possibility is that the dealer accidentally put in 91 ron.

I would think that the ECU would be smart enough to retard the ignition timing to stop the pinging when the knock sensor registered the pinging.

The follow on question is under what conditions were you hearing the pinging?

I have heard pinging in my turboed Celica under full load and around 6000 rpm. It was very loud like loose nuts and bolts rattling around in a steel drum.

When my engine is cold it sounds very agricultural. This could be a bit of piston slap that goes away when the engine is at normal operating temperature.

As has been mentioned previously; unless you are competing in a car race or street light races the 162 TSI engine does not need 98 ron. The ECU has been programmed to use 95 ron. Using 98 is just wasting money. But it's your money and if you feel there is a benefit and you are willing to pay for it then go for it.

Regards
David

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

[tigger73]

If you have a look at your fuel filler flap it will tell you. There's a large 98 (recommended fuel) and a small 95 (fuel you can use in an emergency until you can get some 98 ).

If you talk to any VW service centre or Customer Care they will tell you to run it on 98. 95 octane fuel can be a bit hit and miss in terms of fuel quality and you can get a bad batch with lower octane and then have pinging/detonation. This is bad and can destroy your engine.

Also if your engine dies and you have a tank full of 95 you could well have warranty voided if they link it to poor fuel quality.

For the couple of cents/litre just fill up with 98 and you won't have a problem.

[Regdop]

If you have a look at your fuel filler flap it will tell you. There's a large 98 (recommended fuel) and a small 95 (fuel you can use in an emergency until you can get some 98 ).

Not entirely true.... This is under my fuel flap.....

[tigger73]

Not entirely true.... This is under my fuel flap.....

Must have new stickers for the 162TSI. My 155TSI has 2 symbols - a bigger 98 and a smaller 95.

But still if you get a bad batch of 95 then you'll have to go after the fuel company/service station rather than VW for compensation.

If you put your legal hat on, it clearly states on the fuel filler flap min 95 RON. So VW will wipe their hands of it if it's 94.5. It has happened before....

As I said you're safest putting 98 in and never having an issue. If you think you can save a few $ on fuel and then end up in a 3 way fight for legal compensation then you'll spend way more on legal costs than you'll get from fuel savings. It'll work out to $1 or 2 a tank for peace of mind. Personally I don't think it's worth the risk but everyone's risk tolerance is different.

[Delewin]

Hi Tigger73

I understand what you say in regard to VW trying to avoid warrantee claims and I agree with you regarding "peace of mind".

But pinging only occurs under load. So even if you get a "bad" batch of petrol, just driving less spiritedly or even "shudder to think" gently will use the petrol up safely and you can then fill it up from another supplier and restart putting your foot down.

Also the engine has a knock sensor that will retard the ignition to reduce / stop the knock. If you don't change your driving habits and still continue to push the engine to the point it continually pings to the point of damaging the car's engine then YOU are to blame not VW or the petrol supplier.

Engine damage from continuous pinging takes time to occur. It is not like a timing belt breakage where Bang you stop. Engine dead.

I wonder if our forum member "sharp" is confusing an engine clatter with pinging.

My engine "clatters" when cold, irrespective of what fuel is in it. I have used both 95 and 98 ron and I fill up only when the tank is effectively empty.

David

[Cobwebs]

Hi All,

My 140TDI will be arriving in Port Kembla soon. So until I get my hands on the car I keep thinking of questions, one of which is -

With the active info display can you display the current gear and the next pre-selected gear? This can help with driving a DCT.

Thanks.

[numnut]

I got my 132 tsi w/ DAP 2 days ago. And only really drove it for the first time today.

Only complaint so far is the car feels a bit heavy, but it quite nice in sports mode. I wished the car was like that in normal mode! Otherwise, no complaints about the car so far. (not sure if others have said this already, didn't bother to go through the thread)

Things i want to do:

I want to get a tint ( i think there was people talking about in the Tiguan forum somewhere?). Does anyone have any recommendations in Sydney for tinting?

And also i want to get bigger wheels and fatter tyres in the future. Is there any forums where people have modded their wheels/tyres? Just want to see what it actually looks like.

Thank you


Edit: I feel the dealer put 95 in my car. I am sure 98 would run better. I personally prefer BP. Anyone have their preference on fuel brand?