Tiguan IS38 and Big turbo upgrades

[Melbourne_Tiggy]

The comments here and on other threads on DSG problems are starting to pique my interest. It's been hard to gauge from what I've read if it is a persistent fundamental issue or a combination of really bad luck for some owners, and some melodramatic reporting.

From the posts I've read VW seems willing to replace DSGs for the reasonable behaving owners who had accurately and politely worked through problems with them.

Could some of the more senior (IS38 / tuned car) owners here comment on this from the perspective of playing lotto on a new tig, as well as how you think VW would handle bringing a modded car in with these type of issues? Are DSG tunes detectable, and is it a safe bet to avoid them for the first year / x thousand kms if you would need to make a claim on the box? Any other comments.

I am new to VW but other brands that I have bought and modded new cars from have helped me out on warranty claims that were not directly related to the mods, including big HP cars with turbo kits and e85 tunes. Most of the comments here have been that VW would just instantly turn down any warranty claim on a modded car, but I am wondering if that is actually the case or just assumption.

Hi SouthTig, I wouldn’t count myself as “senior” based on age or forum participation. However, in reference to your question the Dq500 has held up well on my IS38 Tig with TVS TCU tune. I’m at nearly 30k km. I had all the reported clunking sounds with the stock TCU the tune did solve these issues for me. In relation to warranty I suspect if VW see/detect the mods they would not warranty the box. Pay to play as they say....

[tigger73]

Don’t get the R600 silicon intake hose. It doesn’t fit well in the Tiguan. Save yourself $275


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[REXman]

I’ve got the APR intercooler on the Golf R and the CTS on the Tiguan R. Both are fantastic quality. I really like them both. Both made in quality locations... which isn’t a game changer but just like I bought a VW to get something made in Germany in the Tiguan I did the same with the intercooler.

Same with the DPs. The CTS one has the cast tops like the APR gear. Can’t go wrong with either.

Would love to know what some of those items you are getting, do, such as:


NGK racing 7437-9 plugs 275
custom tune inc. DSG 1200 (who does this? And so expensive for a gearbox tune!!)
APR ignition coils 75 ??
TVS stage II+ gearbox 1200 ??
Generic catch can 500 ??

Can someone shed light on experience or gains or even just joy of the above


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[REXman]

I don't think I need to upgrade the intercooler. I won't be tracking the car or focused on top end power and on past cars a bigger fmic has led to less throttle response than the stock one.

I thought the same. But what my tuner was saying was that a lot of the higher horsepower number cars you see are not repeatable numbers back to back, due to heat soaking. The stock one is truly tiny. It’s smaller than a stock R cooler for example.

My throttle response actually stayed the same and the car made substantially more power across the entire power curve. I went from 186KWs to 220KWs with the FMIC installed and the car made that power on a 32.5degree day 5 runs in a row it was incredible. It’s also a safe tune that’s reliable as I didn’t want to wring the motors neck, just wanted clean reliable power.

It’s not just the cooling the std cooler is actually a airflow bottle neck on the Tiguan.


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[tigger73]

I thought the same. But what my tuner was saying was that a lot of the higher horsepower number cars you see are not repeatable numbers back to back, due to heat soaking. The stock one is truly tiny. It’s smaller than a stock R cooler for example.

My throttle response actually stayed the same and the car made substantially more power across the entire power curve. I went from 186KWs to 220KWs with the FMIC installed and the car made that power on a 32.5degree day 5 runs in a row it was incredible. It’s also a safe tune that’s reliable as I didn’t want to wring the motors neck, just wanted clean reliable power.

It’s not just the cooling the std cooler is actually a airflow bottle neck on the Tiguan.

I experienced exactly the same thing with my gen1 125TSI Tiguan when I was at stage 2. I was struggling to make more than mid 140's kwaw and then upgraded to a Golf R intercooler and straight away I was in mid 150's where the car should have been. I probably could/should have gone a bit bigger, however the parts were the right price (=free) and it just took me some time to fit it.

The stock intercoolers in these cars end up being quite restrictive at higher power levels so they really need to be upgraded otherwise there's too much restriction and you just can't get the airflow through the intercooler that the engine requires. Heat soak is another reason but if you're chasing power you have to get rid of the big restriction first.

[tigger73]

Don’t get the R600 silicon intake hose. It doesn’t fit well in the Tiguan. Save yourself $275

I saw that you had problems with it. If I go ahead with Tig I will suss out the stock airbox before any decisions on the r600.

What are your thoughts on Adelaide tuning options and costs? Who tuned your car on the GW dyno? I read a few posts where you seemed to hint that despite your build being satisfying you now lean towards off the shelf APR path (German Auto seem decent).

R600 intake is no issues. It's just the silicon hoses. There's been a few tried and failed with various brands. I'd suggest test fitting any intake hose before handing over cash.

In terms of tuning options in Adelaide I still think the best option is Haines/Etuners Motorsport. The reason I say this is that my preference is to get my cars looked after at the one workshop and have them do all work on it. That way if there is ever an issue then you don't get into a finger pointing game. Plus he's happy to install parts that are supplied and/or ones that he supplies so it makes it easy to deal with. Also he does look after his good customers. Though I still have challenges getting hold of him at times as he's a single guy running a workshop.

My comments were really about whether going with a (comparatively) expensive TTE475 turbo was worth it for the extra 20-30kwaw and the slightly slower spool (3,300 vs. 3,000rpm).

Bang for buck the stock IS38 is where it's at. And certainly it would be a bit more responsive on the street. You really only get to feel the top end on WOT and realistically there are very few opportunities to really wind these cars out - legally at least.

So what you sacrifice and what you gain I'm a firm believer that the IS38 swap for a daily driven car is the way to go. Unless you just want to throw a ton of $ at the car and can get to use the extra top end grunt on a more regular basis I just don't think it's worth the ~$3k premium.

Also if you go with a stock IS38 then it does open up other off the shelf tuning options like APR/Revo/Superchips(???). In terms of one-stop-shop solutions in Adelaide the other places you can go is German Auto or Andrawos who both do APR. I think GA also does Racingline/OEM+ but the only downside with GA is that their servicing costs are right up there with dealer prices. So you'll pay a premium going down the GA path. I don't have a problem with them charging what they do as they have a busy workshop and limited space (even after the upgrade to the premises). They are good and have some pretty knowledgeable VW mechanics working there but you do pay for it.

Other option is Miro at MRL Automotive (forum sponsor) who I've also used for servicing in the past. Miro can also do tuning, however doesn't have a hoist/workshop so if you're looking for more than a stage 1 tune then you'll need to get parts fitted elsewhere and Miro to install the file. It's OK but it can get a bit messy.

Other local options are Spectune (Morpowa), RD Technik (AMPL Auto) or Underground Performance (Graham West) but then with all of these options you're left with the problem of where to take your car for servicing as these are not VW/Euro specialist workshops and other than loading the tune files on and running on a dyno that's probably where their skills/experience ends. They're not working on VW/Audi cars every day of the week so it's certainly not my first choice for servicing/parts install/diagnostic work.

[INASNT]

Here are my scratchings on costs, keen to hear people's thoughts. Anything missing or off in price?

Tiguan turbo costs
Item	Cost (est)
Budget APR build
Airbox mod	0
k&n stock airbox filter	90
APR turbo inlet pipe	250
IS38 turbo allowance	1500
APR downpipe	1400
NGK racing 7437-9 plugs	275
APR IS38 tune	1500
labour allowance	1000
	6015
OR
Budget CTS build
Airbox mod	0
k&n stock airbox filter	90
CTS turbo inlet pipe	180
IS38 turbo	1500
CTS downpipe	1050
NGK racing 7437-9 plugs	275
custom tune inc. DSG	1200
labour allowance	1000
total	5295
Intake upgrade
Racingline R600 cotton	900
R600 silicone hose	275
	1175
Extras
APR ignition coils	75
TVS stage II+ gearbox	1200
APR intercooler	1400
R600 coolant underhose	120
Generic catch can	500
	3295
APR + everything	10485
CTS + everything	9765
Alternatives
Wagner intercooler	1700

Budget a little more for a new IS38 as for $1500 you only going to get a second hand one with unknown condition.. I tried this and got burned, others have had luck, went with the latest P version IS38 for a bit over 2k which comes with a warranty...

I stopped adding up all the costs of modifying all my cars a long time ago as the final numbers can be sometimes scary..

My R33 I added up all mods to 30k and then stopped as I did not want to know the final figure....

[tsameti]

Hey everyone found a turbo 06K 145 874 G for sale, it's 1800 I believe it comes from 2018 MK7.5 with 20K on it. Is G revision good enough??

What should I look for when I go there to inspect it?

Thanks

[INASNT]

Hey everyone found a turbo 06K 145 874 G for sale, it's 1800 I believe it comes from 2018 MK7.5 with 20K on it. Is G revision good enough??

What should I look for when I go there to inspect it?

Thanks

Shaft movement, marks on comp housing, marks or chips on comp wheel, condition of exhaust wheel and buildup on exhaust housing, clear oil lines.

[tsameti]

Hey team, I ended up buying IS38 - 06K145874G revision. It's second hand but low mileage and internals looked great too.

Basically my next step is to do Stage 3 this week so I will let you know on specs and costing.

Here are some pics of the turbo.