Recommended companies to perform TDI conversion

Post by **syncroand101** » 25 Feb 2008, 11:14

PC52 wrote:If you don't have your gears done on tdi engine upgrade it is definately a ticking time bomb.

Or you just have to drive slowly everywhere, kinda defeats the purpose though!

Post by **Russel** » 25 Feb 2008, 19:24

But u have big rubber to help.

Post by **woodman** » 26 Feb 2008, 23:05

Im using the AAS box in mine to begin with and gonna change the tyres. If its crap, Im gonna pay the extra bucks to have the box sorted if needed, but I seem to have been round the block about 3 times with this so just gonna try it and see for myself. I'm sure you guys are right as I dont know much really in the old tdi conversion/t25 world. I only paid £500 for the TDI with everything thats required; stripped out and 72k miles on the clock so happy to pay for a decent box if I have too, once my wallets recovered.

PS: Whats the best box then? I have heard an AAP, which has the longer legged 5th gear? Anyone know? Surely Shropshirevan mans will be alright with a 2.1 box (isnt that an AAP)? Missed an AAP box on the bay of all evil the other week by about 5 minutes for £275....

Cheers.

Post by **T3 Atlantic** » 27 Feb 2008, 09:43

This thread just runs and runs doesn't it?! For the record and after further contact with HA Projekt, the 6500 Euro covers the TDI swap plus a longer 5th gear in your box of 0.78. For an extra 1000 Euro on top, they will change the final drive to 4.57 and insert a 0.69 5th gear.
This is all greek to me, but I assume this will keep revs down etc.
Is the first option ie just replacing the 5th with a 0.78 enough? Obviously the full works on the gearbox will be better, but the cost just keeps mounting up.
I cannot for the life of me see the economics of spending a total of 7500 Euro plus the expense of getting the van over there, just so you can potentially save some fuel and have a slightly more powerful van.
We are talking at todays exchange rate about £5770!!!!!!!!!!! You then have to factor in the original purchase cost of your van, so an average outlay in total of say £9000?!
How anyone can justify spending that on a T3 is beyond me. You will never get that back either on the resale or in fuel saving.
From what I can see you're better off sticking with what you've got, or if you want a VW van with a more powerful diesel, buy a T4 with the 2.5 TDI. I reckon you could get a pretty good one for £5770!

Post by **westyguesty** » 27 Feb 2008, 10:01

Got to agree with T3 Atlantic and Woodman, spending over £5k on the conversion in alot more than most people will want to spend, and a decent TDi with an AAP should be much better than a 20 year old 1.6td.

At worst you might have to spend £1k ish on getting 5th gear changed if you wanted to lower the revs a bits more.

Post by **syncroand101** » 27 Feb 2008, 10:29

Russel at Syncro-Nutz wrote:But u have big rubber to help.

And thats what I tell the ladies too.

Post by **T3 Atlantic** » 28 Feb 2008, 16:11

Gone a bit quiet now this topic. Shall I take it from the silence that we are all in agreement that a TDI conversion should be avoided unless you have more money than sense or are capable of doing it yourself?

Post by **syncroand101** » 28 Feb 2008, 16:48

For me its a case of how long you want to keep your vehicle, weight that up, how reliable you want it to be over this period etc etc. Then compare the cost to buying something new/similar that will do the same job so well.

I went mechanical TDi, although I did have to sell my bike to afford it

.

Post by **toomanytoys** » 28 Feb 2008, 18:03

As he said... depends on how long you want to keep it, how many miles you are actually going to do in it, what level of professional job you want doing and if you want it to be right... It isnt just a "bolt in" job... so you are paying for someones experience..

Gearbox wise.. Aidan (link below) can do a box for you that will be fully rebiult, not just opened and a couple of bits changed... (bad bad move) and as said many times a TDi NEEDS a box change to make it right..

If you want cheaper, then a 1.9 TD swap makes a lot of sense and you can keep the standard gearing (although would still say it needs a refresh...)

Post by **T3 Atlantic** » 28 Feb 2008, 18:29

I understand that you pays your money and you takes your choice. That applies to everything. I agree that it depends on the mileage you will do etc, but has anyone actually stopped to think how many miles you would actually have to do to make this conversion pay? I doubt it.
Well lets have a go.

I can get 35mpg out of my 1.6TD at about 65-70mph.

Lets say with a TDI you might get 40mpg at the same speeds.

A reasonable mileage for a T3 in a year would be about 10000.

10000 miles at 35mpg is 286 gallons
10000 miles at 40mpg is 250 gallons

A saving of 36 gallons or 163 litres or £172 @ £1.05 a litre

£172!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The install cost is £5770

That means it would take you 33.5 years to break even!

You have got to be joking.

Post by **syncrodoug** » 28 Feb 2008, 18:58

Accountants and T25 owners don't speak the same language.

Post by **Russel** » 28 Feb 2008, 20:33

Its not all down to cost and miles per galon.Have any of u that query it ever driven a profesionaly done 110TDI or up.Its about taking an older vehicle and bringing it much further up the evolution scale.They are an absolute pleashure to drive(when done proply).There was mentioned T4's and being cheaper and becoming cheaper by the day.The T3 is just going up up in value espeshly good ones.
At the end of the day it boils down to whot u can afford and personal preference but at the costs that have been mentioned u are not being short changet by any means.These conversions are not just bolt in like may people like to say.
Russel

Post by **shropshirevanman** » 28 Feb 2008, 21:55

ok found this from a site from ze farzerland....

http://www.syncro-bernd-jaeger.de/ENGLI ... eller.html

apologies if people already know about this chap, looks like he is floging 5th gear alternate ratios for about £500 a pop.....seems steep to me but is that the going rate.......he is also selling V6 Tdi conversions for 12000 euros......

takers anyone!!!!!!

Post by **T3 Atlantic** » 29 Feb 2008, 07:42

This is getting worse and more ridiculous! 12000 Euros now! Does that come with a free time machine and Gods telephone number?

Talking of moving things up the evolutionary scale, I thought VW already did that. I beleive they are on the T5 now aren't they?

Sorry guys, but we will just have to agree to disagree. Forums are about people having access to other peoples knowledge and thoughts, and from my point of view I felt it necessary to point out the economics of this idea rather than get carried away with the 'I'm trying to turn my 20 year old car into a new one' idea. Aint never gonna happen.

Be happy with what you have. Save some cash. smile. Simple.

Post by **toomanytoys** » 29 Feb 2008, 08:33

Fitting a TDi has never been about "paying for itself"...... if going from a petrol to TDi then it will save more.. but an LPG conversion is a much better "pay for itself" idea...

A TDi is about long term ownership and use..

Its also a free country (last time I looked) and if someone really wants to spend 12000 euro for a jaeger conversion... so be it... (I wouldnt) but really, you dont have to go to Germany to get it done... and it will be cheaper...

So you havent been on the GoWesty site lately... seen how much they charge for a syncro westy in the good old US of A...

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Recommended companies to perform TDI conversion

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