1.4 tsi or 1.6tdi

[Scottyn12]

Hi

I am in the market for an a3 but can't decide between a 1.4 tsi or a 1.6tdi

Reliability is key for me, I do about 15k a year with some motorway driving but mainly 60mph single carriageways and city roads.

Are there any common issues with either of these??

Which one to go for??

[Tech]

They are both reliable engines.  The 1.6 TDI would be my choice purely for fuel economy and tax reasons.

[Bald Eagle]

It also depends on the age of the car you are looking to buy.  If it's the new shape (2012 onwards) then my local used Audi sales people claim that the diesel particulate filter problem (due to it clogging caused by not doing 50+ mph for at least half an hour each week) is no longer an issue because they have changed the technology.

 

On older cars, it can cause big problems with the engine if the filter isn't cleared regularly by a decent journey.

 

I went for petrol because my higher-speed driving is not frequent enough.

[Mike789]

My previous car was an Audi A1 1.4 FTSi and I've just changed to an A3 1.6 TDi and if I were doing 15k miles a year I would definitely go for the diesel. I've done less than 1000 miles in the A3 and already I'm regularly seeing average fuel consumption of over 60mpg where as on the A1 (petrol) I used to get approx 37/38 mpg and very rarely over 40.

Although the same journeys, I'm still "running in" the A3 so I'm probably driving it more cautiously at the moment.

I am not finding the A3 diesel noisy. My wife has an A1 diesel and thats definitely louder than my A3. I guess the sound deadening is better on the A3.

Also, I know I haven't been putting my foot down in the A3 diesel but it seems lively enough so far. I'm well impressed.

[Tech]

The problem with DPF regeneration has become less apparent on the common rail engines altogether.  The A3 was fitted with common rail engines since the 2009 MY facelift (except the 1.9 TDI).  All the 1.6 TDI engines are common rail so I don't expect you'll have much trouble with the DPF not regenerating properly.  

[Mike789]

I can add something to the dpf topic but fear it should perhaps be shifted to a different conversations.

I have owned a brand new 2013 A3 1.6TDi since 1st September and am finding this a little odd: About once a week, when I finish my journey I notice that the cooling fan (in the front of the engine bay) is running away crazily and accompanying this is a slight burning smell. The fan carries on for a randon time, I think its 5/10 mins or so.

I have looked this up on another forum and its suggested that it is the dpf regeneration being interrupted and nothing to worry about. I do intend checking this out with my dealer when I get chance though.

My journeys to and from work are approximately 15/20 minutes and nearly all of the journey is on a dual carriageway at approx 60-70 mph. So it does make sense that my journey time is a little low to go through the whole regen cycle.

I did find a useful video explanation of the operation of the dpf system on the audi.co.uk website.

[Tech]

Yes Mike798, you are correct in thinking that the cooling fan run on period and odour is caused by the DPF re-generation.  The DPF can reach temperatures in excess of 700 degrees centigrade during the re-generation period.  If the engine is switched off when the engine is running in re-generation mode, the cooling fans have to run to circulate air around the engine bay and cool the very hot DPF (usually bolted to the back of the engine) to prevent excessive heat build up.

 

Tech

[Bald Eagle]

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