Petrol Arosa owners MPG

[whassigo]

I've found the diesel thread very interesting but I'm always wondering what MPG other petrol owners get (especially 1.0 owners). It stems from problems I'm having with my 1.0S. I've had it about three months and every since I got it the MPG has been crap. I've done a full service on the car and replaced filters, plugs, oil etc etc. I've had the throttle body off and cleaned it all - it was pretty badly gunged up. The car now runs perfectly - no splutters, misses or hiccups. BUT the fuel consumption is (I think) pretty poor at 34mpg. I've tried different driving styles (slow, fast, medium) but with no change in the figures. I read bits on the internet about the throttle having to be rematched to the ECU after it's been removed or cleaned but I don't know how vital that is. With the ignition switched on the flap in the throttle body seems to react exactly to the throttle being pressed but I have no way of knowing what happens when the engine is running or it's under load. A check at the MOT showed that the Lambda probe was working properly and the mixture was spot on. Looking at the plugs suggests to me that it's running a bit rich but this must only be when the engine is under load. Any ideas would be gratefully recieved as well as your petrol MPG figures (just to make me feel even worse)

[Paul R]

i get 42 ish mpg, just driving it in the right gear at the right time

[lunalupi]

250ish out of a tank, which I belive works out at about 35-40mpg in everyday driving - I've got it down to 27mpg before by loading the car up to the roof to come back from uni and slinging a bike on the back

Edited February 9, 2008 by lunalupi

[cardaft]

The worst MPG ive ever had from my 1.0S was 32MPG, although that was when it wasnt running well. It was getting slower and slower and using more and more fuel. After it had the engine replaced under warraty it was fine again.

Now it averages about 38-40MPG, but thats nearly all town driving. Doing more out of town driving it easily achieves about 45MPG and if you try for MPG then ive had it to about 48MPG, without too much effort.

Although if you sit at above 70 MPH on the motorway it really eats through the juice. Its happiest and most frugal around 60-65mph.

Ive got to say that these things are more juicey than i thought they would be, my 1.0 isnt as economical as i thought it would be when i first got it and my diesel isnt too fantastic either averaging around 55MPG. Although with a little carfeul driving that does rise to 58MPG combined and about 70ish on a run. But still our old diesel scenic used to average about 52MPG, so 55 isnt fantastic from a tiny diesel car. I guess its probably my driving but most TDi owners get about the same.

The thing with the 1.0 is its a low powered engine in a relitively heavy body so the engine needs working just to keep up with traffic.

Although now my 1.0 has done about 14K with this engine and its really quite nippier, much nippier than when i got it.

Not sure how many miles it does on a full tank though, i forget! It does so few miles (about 3500 miles a year!) that it doesnt really get filled up that much . Although its serviced properly and every 8 months too.

If youve serviced it, changed all the filters and the fuel filter, some other things you could check are tyre pressures & tracking to make sure there isnt extra drag on the car.

Also try a fuel additive and system flush. Id recommend Forte, works wonders. I use it in my 1.0 and TDi, in the 1.0 i really noticed a difference after i put some in, especially the first time. Infact ive just put another bottle in the tank the other day.

Edited February 10, 2008 by cardaft

[one litre wonder ;)]

my best EVER was 403miles out of a full tank . mind you it was some of the most boring driving i have ever done . Most recently i got 270 out of a full tank but part of the time i was absolutly booting it so ..

[Silver!]

Not really sure exactly what mileage I get to the tank, but 250 - 300 would be guess. I have recorded it once or twice, but can't remember.

Maybe I should do a check when I next fill up.

The only thing I'll add is that I always try to fill with 97/98/99 RON as it runs crap on 95 and 'pinks' like crazy at the slightest incline. Higher RON gives it that little bit extra responsiveness and keeps her quiet on hills.

Ray

[whassigo]

This is really interesting. 403 miles on a tankful is the stuff of dreams for me - I'm getting about 230 from a full tank until the light comes on. Reading the other comments I'm beginning to think that my figure of 34 mpg isn't really that far away from what some other forum members are getting so maybe there's not that much wrong with the car and I just need to adapt my driving style. I've had the throttle valve off again today and cleaned it, also took off the metal pipe that goes from the inlet manifold to the EGR valve and cleaned it out (it was full of the same gunge that was originally in the throttle valve). I also fixed a leaking joint on the exhaust which I discovered while checking underneath the vehicle. I'll now try another mpg test to see if that's made any difference.

On another point - My nephew has just bought a 2002 Seat Leon and I notice that the instruments light up during the day to make them more visible. I thought this would be a good thing for the Arosa because the hooded clocks are difficult to see sometimes. My nephew said he thought all Seats did the same which made me wonder if it was just mine that wasn't working - can anyone "shed any light" on this

[one litre wonder ;)]

This is really interesting. 403 miles on a tankful is the stuff of dreams for me

i was that bored driving at 60mph on the motorway from northampton to glasgow and then i got a few days driving out of it , that was with the standard dunlop tyres on it which were crap

[cardaft]

This is really interesting. 403 miles on a tankful is the stuff of dreams for me - I'm getting about 230 from a full tank until the light comes on. Reading the other comments I'm beginning to think that my figure of 34 mpg isn't really that far away from what some other forum members are getting so maybe there's not that much wrong with the car and I just need to adapt my driving style. I've had the throttle valve off again today and cleaned it, also took off the metal pipe that goes from the inlet manifold to the EGR valve and cleaned it out (it was full of the same gunge that was originally in the throttle valve). I also fixed a leaking joint on the exhaust which I discovered while checking underneath the vehicle. I'll now try another mpg test to see if that's made any difference.

On another point - My nephew has just bought a 2002 Seat Leon and I notice that the instruments light up during the day to make them more visible. I thought this would be a good thing for the Arosa because the hooded clocks are difficult to see sometimes. My nephew said he thought all Seats did the same which made me wonder if it was just mine that wasn't working - can anyone "shed any light" on this

I think 34MPG is a little low really!

What kind of driving do you do? Mostly town or motorway? Has it had new spark plugs etc?

A leaky exhaust might be causing a little difference in MPG too.

Thats odd how the display lights come on when the lights are not on, not sure if i would like that. Our Citroen van was the same, but we have now wired it up so they only come on with the car lights.

that was with the standard dunlop tyres on it which were crap

How much difference do you think tyres make to MPG?

Ive always wondered that but i never could see it making much of a difference.

Im thinking the quieter the tyre the more efficient it will be?

[Mitch235]

you would probably not get 403 miles out of it now though because of how much petrol goes up every week!

i get about 45 if i drive well....

[lunalupi]

230 sounds about what I was getting at one point before the car had a service - it got a full service and cambelt change, then I've recently had the fuel filter changed, both of which have boosted me up to about 250 before the light comes on.

Mind, I do have 15" alloys, powerflow exhaust, and a few other bits and bobs which might have an effect.

[whassigo]

After cleaning out the pipe to the EGR valve and fixing a small leak in the exhaust the MPG has now "shot" up from 34 to 37.5 mpg. I'm chuffed but at this rate it's going to be difficult to get up to the 44 mpg that I was getting from the 14 year old Polo that the Arosa replaced. That's progress for you I suppose

[cardaft]

I manage 44MPG from 1.0 quite easily, with mixed driving (town, countyr & motorway)

Have you changed the spark plugs? NGK are the best.

Does it seem to be runnin as it should? and perform as a 1.0 should?

Maybe try a fuel system cleaner, like forte.

You should easily be able to get more than 37MPG.

[biggaz]

I manage 44MPG from 1.0 quite easily, with mixed driving (town, countyr & motorway)

Have you changed the spark plugs? NGK are the best.

Does it seem to be runnin as it should? and perform as a 1.0 should?

Maybe try a fuel system cleaner, like forte.

You should easily be able to get more than 37MPG.

Im pretty sure you must drive only to achieve good MPG....I just drive and whatever i get, job done.

[Silver!]

you would probably not get 403 miles out of it now though because of how much petrol goes up every week!

i get about 45 if i drive well....

Doesn't matter how much petrol costs, you'll still get the same amount in your tank! It'll just cost you more to do the same mileage.

R

[Mitch235]

Doesn't matter how much petrol costs, you'll still get the same amount in your tank! It'll just cost you more to do the same mileage.

R

that is a good point! i do say stupid things somtimes..

[northwick]

A service (not done by me) did wonders for my MPG in the 1.0 S. Went from 220 miles at the light to about 250. That was hardly fantastic though and I always put it down to small engine syndrome.

[whassigo]

This morning I had a bit of brainstorm on how to squeeze a few extra mpg out of my car - using not a spanner but a calculator. I noticed that the previous owner had fitted 185/60 x 14 tyres on the original alloys instead of the recommended 185/55 x 14 which come as standard. The 60's would be probably be easier to get and cheaper but because they have a higher sidewall they also have a greater rolling radius. The upshot is that with these tyres fitted my speedo is under-reading by 2 mph at 60 mph. The end result is that the miles showing on the speedo are 3.3% out. Ok it's not much but on a typical 250 mile tankfull it would mean an extra 8 miles that the car had covered but hadn't recorded. For me that equated to nearly an extra 2 mpg which now brings me to 39 mpg (yipee !!)

Does this make any sense or have I just got too much spare time (and a calculator) ?

[dougless]

This morning I had a bit of brainstorm on how to squeeze a few extra mpg out of my car - using not a spanner but a calculator. I noticed that the previous owner had fitted 185/60 x 14 tyres on the original alloys instead of the recommended 185/55 x 14 which come as standard. The 60's would be probably be easier to get and cheaper but because they have a higher sidewall they also have a greater rolling radius. The upshot is that with these tyres fitted my speedo is under-reading by 2 mph at 60 mph. The end result is that the miles showing on the speedo are 3.3% out. Ok it's not much but on a typical 250 mile tankfull it would mean an extra 8 miles that the car had covered but hadn't recorded. For me that equated to nearly an extra 2 mpg which now brings me to 39 mpg (yipee !!)

Does this make any sense or have I just got too much spare time (and a calculator) ?

Sounds perfectly sensible to me.

My Beetle is a LHD model with a km clock. I spent 15 years thinking I was only getting 34-7mpg out of it. I have owned a lot of Beetles and this always puzzled me as a good 1200 Beetle should manage 40mpg easily on a long run. Finally I realised that the odometer was reading inaccurately but the speedo does not. I know it sounds daft but I have checked this in various ways and now feel certain that this odometer reads neither miles nor km. Checked against motorway signs, mileage estimates from maps and the Michelin website I have finally worked out the correct ratio I need to use to check the mileage. This now means I can find the real fuel consumption and I now know I am getting about 40+ to the gallon just like a good 1200 Beetle should.

By the way, in this case the wheels and tyres are standard. However once you play around with wheel diameters and tyre profiles you will change the wheel circumference which in turn will affect the speedo etc.

Edited February 17, 2008 by dougless

[cardaft]

A service (not done by me) did wonders for my MPG in the 1.0 S. Went from 220 miles at the light to about 250. That was hardly fantastic though and I always put it down to small engine syndrome.

Im back to using my 1.0S for this week, managed to prise it off my mum

The light came on at 220 miles today! But about 120 of that was all town driving, so its not so bad.

Driving sensibly i was quite impressed how it was doing on fuel! Not worked out the MPG but it must be about 45MPG ive been getting today (about 60 miles)

Although if you work the engine it does bring he gauge down quite a bit, but steady driving it uses very little.

Forgot how nice it is to drive

This morning I had a bit of brainstorm on how to squeeze a few extra mpg out of my car - using not a spanner but a calculator. I noticed that the previous owner had fitted 185/60 x 14 tyres on the original alloys instead of the recommended 185/55 x 14 which come as standard. The 60's would be probably be easier to get and cheaper but because they have a higher sidewall they also have a greater rolling radius. The upshot is that with these tyres fitted my speedo is under-reading by 2 mph at 60 mph. The end result is that the miles showing on the speedo are 3.3% out. Ok it's not much but on a typical 250 mile tankfull it would mean an extra 8 miles that the car had covered but hadn't recorded. For me that equated to nearly an extra 2 mpg which now brings me to 39 mpg (yipee !!)

Does this make any sense or have I just got too much spare time (and a calculator) ?

A bigger sidewall will put your speedo out and so your miles yes. However ... bigger sidewalls also means its very slightly higher geared than normal, which is good for fuel consumption but not so good for accelerating. Higher geared = less revs = less fuel used.

[jcarroll]

I must admit mines usually pretty economic but then you hit traffic and it goes faster than my patience to be fair lol. I usually get about 250 for a £30 tank full. Cant really complain at that, i just have to tell my self that its not an actual go kart and slow down a little bit. Dont half notice the bad mpg at 80mph upwards but theres a moral to that story

[Niche]

WTF. You had your engine replaced under warranty.

[cardaft]

WTF. You had your engine replaced under warranty.

Yep i did with my 1.0S, all because the crap Seat dealer didnt know an engine from their backside!

Didnt have a clue what was wrong with it even when i had other garages look at it and i told the dealer what the problem was they didnt believe me. SO never checked. So i got onto SeatUk a lot! And they were very helpful, putting lots of pressure on the dealer and finally requesting they put in a new engine.

So three months later, an awful lot of argueing, lots of faffing around with my old engine and after having the dealers Ibiza for three months! i had my car back with its new engine. Was not happy to say the least as its my pride and joy! Not to mention they damaged the front bumper! Although as compensation they offered me my nextservice free! I mean that was not nearly enough for the time they had my car!

Although im led to believe the service guy got demoted from the service desk as he could not manage what was going on with my car! So there is some justice.

I HATE DEALERS Never trust a dealer!

But its all better now, and runs like a dream

And ive also found a more turst worthy seat dealer, who seems very helpful.

Im not going to mention which seat dealer it was but they should know that they are totally 120% USELESS!

Anyway, that was over two years ago now!

Edited March 5, 2008 by cardaft

[Niche]

Lucky sod imo lol.

Whenever I walk into my VW dealer I always request to speak to someone at the parts desk. At least that way a mechanic comes out and actually knows what they are talking about.

[StuM]

Hey All,

Just stumbled across this thread looking to see what folks were getting. We've got a 1.4 MPI Auto and in all town driving, we're currently getting.... wait for it... 27.6MPG. Not especially impressive. It was serviced at Seat <4000 miles ago, so plugs etc should be all good. O2 sensor was replaced <6m ago.

Exhaust is a bit boomy - someone told me "they all do this", but I reckon it's worth a look.

Any other suggestions?

Cheers,

Stu