2001 VW Polo Classic - excessive fuel consumption

[Daiyaan1987]

I really have a very big problem. This polo is very heavy on fuel consumption.

is there any way of reducing the fuel consumption.

it is fuel injection so is there any way of hooking up the computer and lowering the amount of fuel used by this car?

or what can i do?

 

[HapticSimian]

Define 'very heavy'.

 

[Daiyaan1987]

R500 used in 1 week heavy!

 

[HapticSimian]

Oh, for ****'s sake. Quantify your consumption. How far do you go on how much fuel?

 

[Daiyaan1987]

to be honest that has to be about 10km/l and this is not even in urban traffic, its mostly on highways, doing on average 100km/h

 

[HapticSimian]

You'll need to do some tank-to-tank measurements to establish whether there's really anything possibly amiss. Is the car properly maintained - when last was it serviced?

With a (fairly) modern fuel-injected car it's likely your driving habits are to blame more than anything else, unfortunately. Of course you could have something like a binding brake, but with most issues you'll experience more than just high consumption, such as the car pulling to one side or the other.

 

[Daiyaan1987]

do you think hooking the car up to the computer and checking feuel to air taion etc could offer a solution. Also i got the car 3 weeks ago so the previous owneres did not service the car at an approved dealership. it was @ one of these back-door mechanics. So now i'm sitting with this problem.

 

[Daiyaan1987]

fuel to air ratio i mean

 

[HapticSimian]

It's unlikely that there'd be anything wrong with electronically controlled fuel-air mixture. You could have a leak on the fuel system, but then you'd be likely to smell it.

It's really not necessary for such an old car to be serviced by the agents, but I'd take it to a reputable workshop for a once-over. Some clean filters and fresh oil can do wonders.

 

[Daiyaan1987]

thanks for the assistance. Let me try the decent service and see what the consumtion would be like, as a friend recomended i put an induction kit and freeflow exhaust on the car.

 

[HapticSimian]

If you're looking to make a noise, sure. Won't help your fuel consumption much though.

 

[Daiyaan1987]

then let me ''stab this friend in the neck''.... lol

 

[Rickster]

When was the last time you had your:

-spark plugs/air filter changed
-timing checked
-distributor cap checked
-fuel filter changed
-injectors cleaned (if applicable)

 

[Daiyaan1987]

i havent checked since i only have the car 2 weeks now.

 

[dj_jyno]

They aren't the most economical cars around. Our 1.6 averages 10L/100km in mostly town driving. That consumption on the highway seems high, though.

Three main culprits - vacuum pipe from the left (battery side) of the intake manifold to the fuel pressure regulator (on the fuel rail) might be damaged or missing, water temperature sender faulty, or thermostat stuck open. Does the car heat up quickly and does it maintain its temperature when driving on the highway?

Not that it might be the cause, but also have a look inside the distributor cap and clean the deposits out a bit.

 

[Daiyaan1987]

if i do a major service on the car i will have them check everything.

 

[Fazda]

Oh god |I wish people would measure actual fuel consumption before complaining about high fuel consumption!

@OP - Please fill the car and zero your trip odo, then drive for a couple of days and fill up again, taking note of the number of kilometers you have driven and how many litres you have used, to the second decimal place, then if you cannot work out the consumption, post it here and we will tell you if your car is using too much fuel or not. Saying that it doesn't go very far on R 500 is absolutely useless - R 500 in Joburg is less fuel than R 500 in Durban, for exampole - i.e. meaningless!