VR6 fuel economy

[graham1971 10]

Is there any common issue (other than heavy footedness!) That would cause high fuel consumption (15mpg) in a VR6 auto or is this normal? Would a remap help?

[Jim 1]

Is this around town, or on a run? And is this calculated manually by recording the amount of fuel put in / miles covered, or off the trip computer?

[graham1971 10]

Is this around town, or on a run? And is this calculated manually by recording the amount of fuel put in / miles covered, or off the trip computer?

Trip computer around town, sorry!

[Jim 1]

Hmm... around town, with an auto... honestly it wouldn't surprise me... they're not known for their economy! But it's quite possible you've got a duff sensor, perhaps over fuelling the car a little (like one of the coolant temperature sensors for the ECU). Might be worth getting it checked with VAG-COM as a starter for ten.

 

What's it like on a run? What sort of range do you get from a full tank?

 

Remapping would only exacerbate the situation - it wouldn't fix the root cause.

[graham1971 10]

Getting about 23mpg on a run. How will I find someone with vagcom in Swansea?

[Jim 1]

Hm.. 23MPG doesn't sound stellar. I'd be hoping for high 20's at least even from an auto.

 

Might be worth asking around if there's any South Wales VW clubs / forums who could help you out? I think this may be one, but not sure...

 

http://www.so-wal.co.uk

[Rustynuts 0]

I was getting 28 mpg pushing to 30-31 on a steady run for a manual. You will certainly lose some mpg for an auto but it does sound a little over the top. Need to get Vagcom on it to check it out I reckon.

[graham1971 10]

Thanks for the help guys, gotta find Vagcom near Swansea then it seems!

[logix42p 0]

Im 15 mins from swansea and have vagcom and could scan it for you, only problem is i am away for a week or so. But if you haven't found anyone else by then give me a shout.

[graham1971 10]

That's a really nice offer thanks! Whereabouts are you?

[16VG60 0]

I would be surprised to see anything conclusive come from a Vagcom scan regards this issue. As others have said the VR6 is not renowned for the kindest MPG ratings, and an auto box certainly won't be helping your situation. I sometimes wonder if an in flight refuelling nozzle should have been factory specification :). If your only issue is MPG and all other aspects of the engine and transmission are in keeping with the legendary smooth VR6 delivery, then I would try to improve the MPG by looking to engine efficiency improvements. Your Corrado is a little older these days and will

no doubt have engine management and control related components which are past their best. Wear of this nature will not show in a fault scan, as none exists in diagnostic terms. A thorough service and renewal of worn components is more likely to see the results you seek. By all means use Vagcom to check, but more involved diagnostics will highlight under performing MAF, temp, and oxygen sensors. Good luck in your quest, as in keeping with others I feel you should be getting slightly better returns on fuel consumption.

[JAM11E 10]

I get around 40 - 42mpg on a one way 17mile motorway run each morning and around 35mpg on the return journey (traffic)

 

Town driving can range between 17 - 30mpg

[16VG60 0]

40 - 42 mpg ! Is that with a sail out of the sunroof :).

[borachris 0]

40 - 42 mpg ! Is that with a sail out of the sunroof :).

 

That made me chuckle!! :lol:

[Hofmiester 10]

Haha yeah best I have ever seen is about 33mpg on a long motorway run, cruising at 60. On a town run, from a cold start I get about 18-22mpg. Average for a mixed journey is 25-28mpg

[seanl82 23]

Good advice from John (16vG60) above. I think we're all forgetting the OP was asking with regard to his auto. I don't think anyone that's posted actually has an auto! But, in keeping with the way the thread has gone, mines like Hofs above, but I do get slightly better on a motorway run. 35-36 at 70mph.

[16VG60 0]

The trouble with the MFA in respect to mpg readings,is we are all to keen to believe what it says. It comes, I'm sure,of our culture having us peering into screens for hours in hope of the answers we seek. One of our customers was convinced his G60 was returning 62 mpg, purely based on the fact that the MFA said so. I sent him away with a note pad and pen and instruction to record fuel purchased and mileage covered. Two weeks later he saw the light :)

[kdub 10]

Highest I have seen is 36mpg on the mfa. Usually average 29-30 on the mfa which is always 1mpg out with manual calculations. It's only the second mfa I have had out of around 10 that's close to the manual figures. Had them as far as 10mpg out.

 

When I first got the car with 68,000 on it the first few tanks after the honeymoon period saw 24-25 on the mfa.

 

So service, fuel cleaner, plugs, leads and a good hammering saw it go up 4mpg and got rid of a couple of flat spots in the mid range.

 

With the auto box I would expect 20-22 round town and short driving and high 20's on a steady motorway run. Around 10 percent less on an older auto is about right.

[DPS 10]

I have an auto VR6 and I average 30mpg on fast roads and about 20-24 on a town run.

 

The faster I drive the better the MPG.

[dr_mat 0]

I would say the numbers you quote seem "about right".. I get 9-15 mpg around town stop-start driving and up to 31 on a steady cruise at 70mph. Auto would always be less than this because it's an old torque converter auto and quite inefficient, even while cruising.

 

That said, with zero noticeable ill effects and no VAGCOM errors I was averaging 28mpg on the same steady cruise at 70mph when I bought the car - until I swapped the MAF for a used one off ebay .. In the days of the VR6 accurate component diagnostics were not there, stuff can be marginal and nothing will report an error.

[16VG60 0]

To find worn but still serviceable component faults clearly Vagcom in pure scan mode is not the tool for the job. Parts suspected of wear reducing efficiency will require to be check on a scope to reveal any short fall.

[jamesoff 10]

The faster I drive the better the MPG.

 

, officer.

[graham1971 10]

40 - 42 mpg ! Is that with a sail out of the sunroof :).

Lol, downhill with the wind behind it too!

[graham1971 10]

I know what We bought here, we have two other cars, both of which are ultra efficient, that's not the issue. What we really want is to know that there are no faults and that the car performs exactly as she should. Looking at the fuel efficiency alone may not be the best diagnostic tool generally but it is surely a good indicator that something is not right. I need to find what the issue is and get it put right to know that our restoration is going in the right direction. This forum is an amazing source of Corrado based knowledge and people like me could never restore a car without it's help. Thank you all again!

[stuarttaylor37 13]

Could it be dragging brakes?