GOLFMK8
GOLFMK7
GOLFMK6
GOLFMKV

Carbon cleaning at 50,000mi worth it?

kennedyliam38

Passed Driver's Ed
Location
Scotland
Car(s)
Golf MK7 TDI
Hi guys. I’ve got a 2015 U.K. spec 2.0TDI 150 Stage 1 (220BHP) with just under 50,000 miles.

Is it worth my time and money having a 60 minute carbon cleaning service carried out?

Would my MPG increase?

Would the car become even more smooth to drive?

Would it make more sense to wait until I’m at a higher mileage?

I see nothing wrong with the way the car drives now, but I’m thinking more in terms of general preventiveness purposes and keeping the engine in good condition. I plan to keep the car for a long time.
 

Jose_Gti

Autocross Newbie
Location
Philadelphia
IMHO that depends, if you are going to do it because you enjoy taking care of your engine, sure do it, there shouldn’t be that much carbon build, but it will help for maintainable for sure.
If you are going to pay a mechanic to do the whole walnut blasting thing I would wait to 70k miles to do it.
And yes, car mileage should improve, rough cold starts (if any should improve).
 

FooDogg

Go Kart Champion
Location
Right on the Left Coast
Car(s)
2017 Alltrack S 6MT
Hi guys. I’ve got a 2015 U.K. spec 2.0TDI 150 Stage 1 (220BHP) with just under 50,000 miles.

Is it worth my time and money having a 60 minute carbon cleaning service carried out?

Would my MPG increase?

Would the car become even more smooth to drive?

Would it make more sense to wait until I’m at a higher mileage?

I see nothing wrong with the way the car drives now, but I’m thinking more in terms of general preventiveness purposes and keeping the engine in good condition. I plan to keep the car for a long time.

Good question, I'm at 60,000 miles and wondered same; did a bit of homework:
1. See youtubes on carbon cleaning bu ShopDAP and Humble Mechanic
2. Talked to highly regarded go-to VW tuner shop in Socal who says same: not as bad in the 1.8tsi as earlier engines and unless you are getting cold start misfires you can wait to 80-100,000 miles.

Walnut job costs $800 here for labor, part by hand part by walnut blast.

You can always do maintenance early for peace of mind, Or other symptoms like dropping mpg.

Let is know how it goes before and after if you do and can gather data for comparison.

I wonder if there is anything that VCDS or OBD11 can log as an indicator of carbon deposits.

Anyone?

-skeej
 

jimlloyd40

Autocross Champion
Location
Phoenix
Car(s)
2018 SE DSG
Hi guys. I’ve got a 2015 U.K. spec 2.0TDI 150 Stage 1 (220BHP) with just under 50,000 miles.

Is it worth my time and money having a 60 minute carbon cleaning service carried out?

Would my MPG increase?

Would the car become even more smooth to drive?

Would it make more sense to wait until I’m at a higher mileage?

I see nothing wrong with the way the car drives now, but I’m thinking more in terms of general preventiveness purposes and keeping the engine in good condition. I plan to keep the car for a long time.

I did the chemical cleaning on mine at 50,000 miles. I think if you were to do the chemical cleaning every 50,000 you could avoid doing the walnut blasting indefinitely. Mine wasn't very bad but I do have an oil catch can. I didn't notice any difference in performance or MPG but probably because mine wasn't very bad.
 

Jose_Gti

Autocross Newbie
Location
Philadelphia
I did the chemical cleaning on mine at 50,000 miles. I think if you were to do the chemical cleaning every 50,000 you could avoid doing the walnut blasting indefinitely. Mine wasn't very bad but I do have an oil catch can. I didn't notice any difference in performance or MPG but probably because mine wasn't very bad.
What is chemical cleaning?
Edit. How often do you empty your catch can?
 

jimlloyd40

Autocross Champion
Location
Phoenix
Car(s)
2018 SE DSG
What is chemical cleaning?
Edit. How often do you empty your catch can?

Chemical cleaning is just spraying a chemical into the intake manifold to clean the carbon deposits. There's several different brands to choose from. BG makes a good one. It's inexpensive to do compared to walnut blasting or manual cleaning because those require removing the intake manifold. If a car had severe carbon deposits it would require walnut blasting or manual cleaning so I believe in doing the chemical cleaning every 50,000 miles. Doing that should ensure not needing the more costly methods. I just empty my catch can every oil change.
 

Jose_Gti

Autocross Newbie
Location
Philadelphia
Chemical cleaning is just spraying a chemical into the intake manifold to clean the carbon deposits. There's several different brands to choose from. BG makes a good one. It's inexpensive to do compared to walnut blasting or manual cleaning because those require removing the intake manifold. If a car had severe carbon deposits it would require walnut blasting or manual cleaning so I believe in doing the chemical cleaning every 50,000 miles. Doing that should ensure not needing the more costly methods. I just empty my catch can every oil change.
Thanks for the info!
I guess you don’t have the OEM pcv?
 

Striker23

Go Kart Newbie
Location
Woodbridge, VA
I didn’t have much build up at 70k but I’m glad I had it cleaned. Knowing that it’s clean and in good shape is worth the money. Didn’t do it At a dealership though so I didn’t spend a fortune either. I had it done when my water pump and thermostat needed to be replaced. One less thing to worry about.
 

MSchott

Go Kart Newbie
Location
Michigan
I did the chemical cleaning on mine at 50,000 miles. I think if you were to do the chemical cleaning every 50,000 you could avoid doing the walnut blasting indefinitely. Mine wasn't very bad but I do have an oil catch can. I didn't notice any difference in performance or MPG but probably because mine wasn't very bad.
I sell to auto mechanics. I’ve been told that the benefits of chemical cleaners are minimal. I suppose as you say if you do them frequently enough it could avoid the need for walnut blasting over time.
 

Ace92028

Go Kart Newbie
Location
San Diego
I did mine at 50k and they were pretty bad. You will be required to walnut blast them if you want them to actually be clean. Just do it yourself it was easy, just got to be patient.
 
Top