Rob's DIESEL VW Polo Build thread

[robchalmers]

weighs about 890-910kgs depending on my breakfast and fashion sense

[robchalmers]

The needle finally moved!!!! after 141miles! that would be a third of the total mileage I used to get from the petrol polo!

I love this car!!

[robchalmers]

Final found the original fuel economy data

Constant 90kph (56mph) = 4.2l/100km (56MPGus/67.26MPGuk)
Constant 120kph (75mph) = 6l/100km (39.2MPGus/47.08MPGuk)
urban = 6.5l/100km (36.19MPGus/43.46MPGuk)

so being very rough about this....
highway = 39.2
city = 36.19
combined = ? = average? = (36.19+39.2)/2 = 37.695

that'll do me!

[robchalmers]

352miles on half a tank!!!!


to put that into context, I only once dared to drag 421 out of the Petrol polo.....

[robchalmers]

just resettled my fuel log and added my my first full tank.... well 2/3rd tank. I filled it at 416miles and still had 1/3 togo. just stunned by the mileage.

needless to say this first full tank has mullered my blue polo best!!

[Arragonis]

Superb figures.

My limited experience of the Mk3 Polo is that the tank stays at full for a long time and then drops the last 1/4 really fast. Having tapped that the MPG figures are pretty impressive - that VW IDI engine is pretty good for FE and very seemed very smooth and quiet at the time compared to the Pug 205.

Of course with such an impressive first tank, matching and improving on it is going to be more tricky.

[robchalmers]

True, but i've got a feeling the alignment's out and that i've got a slow puncture. fix those plus some actual ecomods.... you never know 50us or 60uk might be on the cards!!!!

just looked at my excel sheet that I monitor my fuel on.... expected range on the tank if I hadn't chickened out would have been 570+ That's NUTS!

plans now are to do everything that worked on the blue polo.

Alignment.
Oil/oil filter/air filter Service.
Grille block.

+ new front tyres, might even go for a full set of 155/80 13's!

[AJI]

I look forward to reading more about this car. I'm quite a fan of the smaller Volkswagens, especially the Polo. In a strange, slightly perverse way for a car enthusiast like myself, one of the cars I've driven that most sticks in my mind was a Seat Cordoba (essentially a Polo Mk3 saloon) with the 1.9 TDI engine. It was only a brief test drive, and of course the engine was turbocharged which yours isn't, but I really enjoyed it. Effortless pull from low revs, a nice gruff engine note and the potential for over 60mpg, according to manufacturers figures.



It had so many other qualities though too. Not least, that it felt so well put together, like it would happily cover hundreds of thousands of miles with no bother.

The Polo of that age, and the equivalent Seats, are proper economy bargains. The one I drove was up for only £1500.

[robchalmers]

the polo saloon SDI should according to the official figures break 72MPGuk. mainly down to its insanely long 5th cog..... something that i may invest in later.

seats are the bargin to get, like skodas of '95 onwards they are built they are built to group standards but unlike skodas they have longer gearing.

i love the feel of my polo. its done over 100,000 miles but its as tight as a drum

[robchalmers]

Time for a quick catch-up. Since last posting the little polo has been an immensely satisfying work horse, commuter and taxi for the kids - sadly though the Original 14 yr old exhaust (no centre break on the factory fitted ones) gave up the ghost, it sounded rather nice though! £117 lighter I now have the slightly freer-flowing version from the later SDi. The first full tank after fitting got me into the dizzy heights of 58MPGuk which was 530miles and it wasn’t even into the red on its little 10 Imp gallon tank. Considering this was a car that I’ve found out was used by an old fella to go to and from church and shopping and that’s it I’m more than happy its returning such good figure without a service, new tyres, alignment check or even a grille block! I think with a bit of basic attention it could break the 50MPGus barrier in stock trim! – maybe if I didn’t cruise everywhere on the motorway at 120km/h it would gain a bit too!

Still to come……….

Alignment check
Service (oil, filters, water drain, injector cleaner)
Clear grille block
Possibly – Ride height lowering????