Carbon Buildup @ 80k - Before and After Photos (+3mo followup)
UPDATED 7/30/19: I can confirm that 3 months and 3k miles after this post, I have not had any misfires per my OBDeleven reader! I believe the cleaning fixed it 100%.
Hi all,
I'd like to present the visual results of my 2015 GTI's carbon cleaning at 80k miles. I bought my car in December at 76k miles. Based on all of my research of the MK7, I've never seen anyone report issues with carbon build-up. On top of that, I've seen a lot of people suggest that carbon isn't much of an issue on the MK7. I was able to obtain before and after photos that strongly suggest that isn't true, at least for my specific car. Believing it wasn't much of an issue, I was totally shocked when I saw the "before" photos. I hope this can serve as a useful data point for our community, as I'm assuming my car is further up there in mileage compared to average.
As some background, I purchased my GTI used at 76k, and noticed it had been running rough at idle, and I had the EPC light come on 5 times in 3 months, with misfire codes being thrown in the ECU. I replaced the spark plugs and coil packs myself, which helped idle but not EPC and misfires. EDIT: When I took it to the dealership, they asserted it was due to carbon buildup that they identified via a bore-scoping and the codes involved.
Here's my previous thread on the topic: https://www.golfmk7.com/forums/showthread.php?t=51592
Anyway, I ended up taking my car to a shop that did walnut blasting for $600 (+tax) in Philly. (EDIT: Woodlawn Garage, for those asking).
Below are the before and after photos. I was totally shocked to see how bad the build-up was. Unfortunately, the shop didn't take the best "before" photos, as they're out of focus, but I believe they do a good enough job of showing the severity of the carbon build up.
Before:
https://ibb.co/DMwqWv9
https://ibb.co/3mQTCxk
After:
https://ibb.co/xSZdSJd
https://imgbb.com/X4CBLHY
Dividers:
https://imgbb.com/mctDVYP
https://imgbb.com/M7PNhc6
Thanks,
UPDATED 7/30/19: I can confirm that 3 months and 3k miles after this post, I have not had any misfires per my OBDeleven reader! I believe the cleaning fixed it 100%.
Hi all,
I'd like to present the visual results of my 2015 GTI's carbon cleaning at 80k miles. I bought my car in December at 76k miles. Based on all of my research of the MK7, I've never seen anyone report issues with carbon build-up. On top of that, I've seen a lot of people suggest that carbon isn't much of an issue on the MK7. I was able to obtain before and after photos that strongly suggest that isn't true, at least for my specific car. Believing it wasn't much of an issue, I was totally shocked when I saw the "before" photos. I hope this can serve as a useful data point for our community, as I'm assuming my car is further up there in mileage compared to average.
As some background, I purchased my GTI used at 76k, and noticed it had been running rough at idle, and I had the EPC light come on 5 times in 3 months, with misfire codes being thrown in the ECU. I replaced the spark plugs and coil packs myself, which helped idle but not EPC and misfires. EDIT: When I took it to the dealership, they asserted it was due to carbon buildup that they identified via a bore-scoping and the codes involved.
Here's my previous thread on the topic: https://www.golfmk7.com/forums/showthread.php?t=51592
Anyway, I ended up taking my car to a shop that did walnut blasting for $600 (+tax) in Philly. (EDIT: Woodlawn Garage, for those asking).
Below are the before and after photos. I was totally shocked to see how bad the build-up was. Unfortunately, the shop didn't take the best "before" photos, as they're out of focus, but I believe they do a good enough job of showing the severity of the carbon build up.
Before:
https://ibb.co/DMwqWv9
https://ibb.co/3mQTCxk
After:
https://ibb.co/xSZdSJd
https://imgbb.com/X4CBLHY
Dividers:
https://imgbb.com/mctDVYP
https://imgbb.com/M7PNhc6
Thanks,
Last edited: