Post 172. Day 3 part 3. Club GTI Wolfsburg trip March 2015

Good work so far Eddie.

 

Enjoying this

 

Brilliant! Really like the cross sectional cutouts. The one of the mk7 is especially helpful as it answers some of my questions of how such high offset wheels can be made to fit without contacting the shock absorbers.

Gurds

 

Day 2, Part 2 Autostadt, Salzgitter, VW Classic.de

Salzgitter tour Volkswagens engine plant

We carry on with this report with a drive down Autobahn 39 to Salzgitter.





35 minutes later we are at the Salzgitter plant, the home of most small 4 cylinders EA111/211, Diesel EA188/288 +Bi Turbo, VR and W engines.

The sign translates, "Cordial welcome to Volkswagen Salzgitter"


Photo from Deako's flicker album.

"Engine product area - This is our business" and Wir bewegen means "We move".


History and information.


The Salzgitter plant was established in 1970. Due to the popularity of the Beetle and products such as the Type 3 and Type 4, other vehicle plants were stretched to max capacity so Volkswagens Salzgitter plant produced the K70, VWs first FWD, Front engine and watercooled vehicle, up to 1975.





Parallel to K70 vehicle production, engine production started in 1971 and with the demise of the K70, the plant concentrated focused engine production from 1975.

Salzgitter celebrated the production of the 10-millionth engine in 1982 and the 20-millionth engine in 1991. In 2004 the number of engines produced at Salzgitter reached 40 million and in 2008 45 million. At the end of June 2012, the 50 millionth engine was produced.

Salzgitter is one of the world's largest engine plants. 7,000 petrol and diesel engines in more than 370 versions from 3 to 16-cylinder units - are produced every day.



These engines are used in the various models and brands of the Volkswagen Group such as:
The Golf, Touran, Passat, Polo,
In addition, engines are also made for other brands such as, Seat, Skoda, Audi, Bentley and the Bugatti Veyron.
The Salzgitter plant also produces engine components for other production locations as well as industrial engines and engines for boats.

They have also been producing engines for home energy generation units with Lichtblick.



These engines, based on a 2.0 8v EA113, run on natural gas at 1500rpm and each generation unit is linked to a central command and can supply power to the grid.




In 2008, a total of 1,232,740 engines were produced in Salzgitter and worldwide, the plant was responsible for producing 30% of all engines.

At the end of December 2008, the Volkswagen plant in Salzgitter employed around 6,200 people.

The tour


We entered the plant from door 3 Halle 1 and inside we are toured by an Ann Marie. Usually larger groups are driven around in a stretched Golf Mk4 convertible, as we were a small group, we were able to get closer to the manufacturing process and spent a bit more time.

Before the tour, we were given a video introduction about the site. Once complete, we taken inside the plant to an area which had a new K70 vehicle parked, along with cutaways of the latest 288 diesel and EA211 petrol components in a show case. Also along the wall, opposite to this display were past engines, made at Salzgitter i.e, the W12, V10 TDI, I5 TDI transporter engine and a version of the 827.

Moving on from this area, we were taken to the EA211 1.2 and 1.4 TSI lines and shown how those engines are built up from the block.
From there we were shown some of the tools used to machine the components.
Then we were taken to the EA288 2.0 TDI lines over in Halle 2, where some time was spent looking at various stages of the engine build. Here the EA288 Diesel engine was seen with various types of dress kit as an marine/industrial engine, Passenger car 150ps engine or for the new 240ps Bi turbo Passat engine . The other engines such as the V, W12 ( pictured below) and VR engines were not part of the tour due to the logistics and time constraints.


W12 engine being built up for an A8.

We did glance the EA111 engine line at the end of the tour and we learned this type of engine is more of a legacy power plant for some older and outgoing models.

A feature of many Volkswagen factories were driverless parts carts/tram moving around delivering components exactly where they were needed. These vehicles, did sense when you were around and stop!

We are also shown the tooling used in this manufacturing process and how tool down time in minimised, thus minimizing plant down time and keeping engine production high.
We were told, one tool is in service, while another is repaired and another is on standby.

We were then taken to the crankshaft cutter to see and crank casting prepd using dry cutting Part of Volkswagen's aim to cut emissions and plant waste by 25% for 2018.





The cranks leaves this process all automated to have a final cut to get the bearing journals to achieve the correct clearances when installed.
Hotgolf how long do you take to knife edge the counterweight again?

The finished crank is then installed into the block at a later stage all by robot.



VW also makes its own camshaft for these engines not from billets but from hollow blanks that have the lobes pressed on. All automated of course.









VW is one of the only OEMs to make their own common rail systems of TDI engines. Rails are made modular for 3 or 4 cylinders at Salzgitter.





In order to ensure safe operation to 2000 bar of nominal injection pressure, the newly formed fuel, rail is operated at pressures of 7000 bar to stabilise the rail grain structure on reduction to working pressure.



We also saw the preparation of EA288 pistons having robots fitting the rings and piston pins.

Eventually the head is assembled with the camshafts and is married to the block.





We continued to a look at EA288 line, as engines from a modular base gained more and more dress kit. Then to the coolant test, right to the 30secs engine test.

As we walked we saw a process taking place that involved wet lubricant to make engine brackets, in fact the part that bolts to Alternator, AC and PAS pumps to the side of the EA288 engine. VW hopes to eliminate wet lubricant in the machining process by 2018 in favour of dry machining.
As we walked to the southern part of Halle 2 a few of us spotted a few completed Bi Turbo engines for the Passat, however when we got too close, as an enthusiast would, the workers got a tad bit excited. So we stepped back!


Bugatti W16 engine room!

Next we were taken to the holy grail of Salzgitter that was the engine centre for Bugatti Veyron.



The engine code is 07E and is a big monster. Up close most parts on this engine were bespoke and all marked 07E. The gearbox is manufactured by Ricardo Transmissions systems in the UK. The front end accessory drive is mounted not on the engine itself but floating in front of it, turbos are rotated from being parallel with the crankshaft to perpendicular.
The conrod was also on display, part number 07E105401C, was made of titanium. We did not know how light it was, however we were told it was much lighter than the EA211 (1.2 and 1.4) parts. The engine is also dry sumped.
VW say they are very proud of this engine. In fact there are plans to roll out a saloon with this engine fitted to it. The engine will be front mounted and there will be some dress kit redesign to do so.
I also understand Veyron #450 "La Finale" was the last sold. Here is a link to that car, along with the first car at >>Geneva 03-04 2015<<. So it was pleasing to know, we were able to get close and able to touch and inspect a pretty rare beast of the past.

On our way back to Halle 1, We also walked past the engine inspection area, were engines are randomly inspected for the correct tolerance and then scrapped. These engines would have only seen a hot test! Oh how we cringed at the thought of what would happened with the Touareg 3.2 VR6 engine that was on the stand! And how 8 years ago, how may FSI heads and engines must have met a similar fate.
Then the tour was over and were back in Halle 1 where we started. As we approached the staircase to the ground floor in the corner was the K70 engine. This was a NSU based engine with single Solex sidedraft carb and water cooling like the image below.


from thesamba.com forum

Outside, wannabe scene kids all over the world...Eh



The tour of the engine plant was over and we decided the next stop would Autohaus Wolfsburg Klassik (VW Classic.de)

Stay tuned for the next installment of Day 2!

NB.The pictures from inside the plant were from the promotional video we were given at VW SZ. No personal cameras allowed!

 

Two things...

First, thanks for taking your son on an adventure that is more important than any "motor". You are fertilising a young mind with intelligence and from it will grow a tall and fruitful intellect. Waiting patiently for the day his car appears on a thread, wonder what it will be and how much input he will have.

Second, thanks for loving your "motor" and sharing it with us, in the way you do with intelligence, passion and generosity to share it.

h

 

My son is always up for that sort of thing and I and delighted to expose him.

Unfortunately, Golf's for him are a no. He wishes to find himself in big Datsun GTR 35 with 1000+ps...We will see!

Thanks for the kind words.

 

Brilliant report, Eddie. Fascinating stuff and a great write up. Looking forward to the next segment

 

End of Day 2, Part 3, Autostadt, Salzgitter, VW Classic.de

Autohaus Wolfsburg (VW Classic.de)

We continue with a fuel stop on the fringes of Salzgitter.



Once topped with fuel, we drive to VW Classic and the "Autohaus Wolfsburg Klassik" showroom, Theodor-Heuss Strasse, Detmerode Wolfsburg, to have a look at the classic cars on display as well buy a few classic bits.



Background

(1)The Volkswagen Classic Parts product line was introduced in 1997.
The concept of a dedicated service providing spare parts which were no longer available from Volkswagen partners for classic Volkswagen cars was born in the mid 1990s.
In 1995 the Volkswagen AutoMuseum Foundation took over a Volkswagen importer's inventory of spare parts and used this as the foundation for a stock of parts for vintage cars built by Volkswagen. The range was continuously expanded, and discontinued parts were added on a regular basis. This project by the AutoMuseum gave rise to the Classic Parts Centre on 1 October 1997. An independent subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group, the company then began the professional sale of Volkswagen Classic Parts.


From 1998 to 2000 a project to recover used parts was introduced and the Logistics division restructured; two new external warehouses with plenty of capacity were opened.
In 2001, the spare parts business and the order picking warehouse moved to more spacious premises. Since then, Volkswagen Classic Parts has been located in a building steeped in tradition belonging to a former Volkswagen partner organisation in the Detmerode district of Wolfsburg.

Over twenty employees were now dedicated to supplying vintage cars with spare parts.

The business has been reorganised from 2010 on with the opening of regional Classic Competence centres and the development of an online shop. Activities to reproduce spare parts and use international procurement and sales channels haven been further intensified, too. Due to this expansion, a reconstruction of the companys headquarters was necessary in 2012. The new office building accommodates about 40 employees by now.

In addition to supplying classic parts, in 2014 a showroom was opened to display and sell classic cars. This is the what the new building looks like today.



Volkswagen Classic Parts plays a vital role in keeping Volkswagen product history alive, not only in Wolfsburg, but throughout the world, in close collaboration with Volkswagen Classic, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles Oldtimer, the Volkswagen Auto Museum Foundation, the Corporate History Department and the Autostadt's ZeitHaus museum.

As we pulled up this was spotted...





You may wonder what is the deal. Well that was the first local German MK2 16v seen on the whole journey. Most locals seem to have the 'lesser' version Mk2s like this GL.



They both must have been looking for parts. Last year I saw this in the carpark.





And actual Golf MK3 GTI Edition.



The one where the 'scene safe' Recaro Seats with colour coded stitching comes from.


Inside we got to get close to the restored vehicles in the showroom such as:

This beautiful Volkswagen Karmann Ghia Type 1


Or this very well restored MK1 Scirocco.



photo from Deako's flicker album


How about this Audi 50.


Your's for a mere


There next to it was this 1979 Golf Mk1 1.5.


photo from deako's flicker album




This MK2 1.6 TD Memphis







was advertised for...



There were also beetles such as this 1974 1303



This 1969 1.3.



And a pre 66 "Export" model.



Some truly rare or odd vehicles seen were:

This NSU W.a.n.kel Spider Type 56 with its rotary powerplant.



photo from deako's flicker album
NSU was also maker of the Ro80 and this car, pre Volkswagen takeover and are the forefathers of the Rotary engine as we know it in every 'modern' Mazda FD3S RX7.

Then there was Auto Union's DKW F12 race car with an 86bhp modified 3 cylinder 2 stoke motor.




photo from deako's flicker album

And even this Porsche Diesel tractor ( also seen at the Zeit Haus)


photo from deako's flicker album

Around the back of the showroom is the parts area. We have a browse and choose a few souvenirs from the classic parts shop.



Gaj and I were most interested in the "Autohaus Wolfsburg" number plate surrounds. And after being told "they were only for new cars", one of the senior workshop personal came to the recuse and looked after us and give a pair of these number plate surrounds to Gaj and I as gifts.

Gaj sporting his on a recent Kent meet.



Mission accomplished!

After this, we went back to our hotel and later grabbed a bite out in the Gifhorn town centre.



These bells made up for the sleepiness of the town and made interesting noises to signal the hour!



In the next instalment, we will continue with Day 3. More of the Autostadt, the Towers, the factory and the Museum

1) http://www.volkswagen-classicparts.de/company/who_we_are/?L=2

 

Awesome! I went to Wolfsburg for my 30th, 5 years ago! Can't wait to go back, such a special place!

 

It is indeed. Starting to write up the report on day 3!

 

Day 3, Part 1, Autostadt, Volkswagen factory tour and Stiftung VW Museum

After breakfast, we left the Hotel to make an early start at the Autostadt.

This time we cranked up JENVEE and Luke's IROC R-line to set off for Wolfsburg.

We parked the cars at the Volkswagen Arena and it was the first time that JENVEE could be seen in view of the factory where it was made some 23 years ago!



We planned to visit the towers at 11am and the factory tour at 12:20am. These were the times for the English tours.
In the mean time we made use of the time at the Zeit Haus.


Picture from deako's flicker account

The picture shows the layout of the Zeit house.



Hugo and I did a started on the ground floor at the book shop, while Deako, Gaj and Jerome went to the top floor and worked their way to lower floors.

Here are just a few photos of what we saw.

Ground floor shop with various books and souvenirs.























The 5.0 V10 TDI motor and it's intricate set of timing gears. The Phaeton in the background was the first to have this engine fitted, followed by the Touareg. The inline 5 cylinder was based on this V10.





Porsche Carrera GT 5.7 V10 with 612ps



Various types for carburetion systems 4/2/1 bbl downdrafts, and side drafts.



Of course this was interesting...lol




Cleanest Scirocco 16v ever seen.



Suspected prototype EA827 tallblock that was once used with G Lader supercharging. Now used as a visual effect for tourists that want to know about the 16v engine



Modified ABF/ADL plenum made up for G60 supercharging pipe run.



You would have seen some of the new Porsche Macan and Panamera sporting a diesel badge. But that is not new.



This is a Porsche Diesel 'Junior' tractor. 1 out for 4 models of Diesel tractors made by Porsche in the 1950s to produce a "Volks - Schlepper".



By contrast to this the tractor was the Bugatti EB 16.4.

This is a concept car, which was not far off the production model.


From deako's flicker album.



Back on the ground floor to welcome and bid us "Auf Wiedersehen" was two of VWs greatest icons.

The Beetle





The Golf GTI MK1







As time pushed on we went over to our english tour of the towers.



We will continue in the next segment...

 

Day 3, Part 3, Autostadt, Volkswagen factory tour and Stiftung VW Museum

Part 2 - Towers

We pick up where we left off and arrive at The Car Towers.



We are looking at one of two towers used to store vehicles waiting to be picked up at the customer centre.



This tower is used as a tourist attraction and has access to the top via a tourist transit carried by the car shuttle with a robotic arm.



"The Car Towers", a famous Autostadt landmark in Wolfsburg, are situated next to the Car Distribution Centre in the east corner of the Autostadt.


As a structure they do make a modern architectural contrast to the four chimneys of the Volkswagen power station. Each of the towers is fully automated and has space for up around 400 vehicles. New cars are delivered via an underground duct from the factory using a robotic-pallet system mounted on rails. The cars are loaded into and fetched from the towers using two car shuttles or lifts per tower, each servicing 180 of the silo.


Of course rather than find a space randomly, the car shuttle was programed to find our landing point for us to get out at the top.


In our transit car at the base of the tower.





A look up from our transit car to the top of the tower.



New cars can be stored for up to 48 hours before being delivered to customers. A signal, which is activated by the customer-service agent sets one of the car shuttles in motion. The shuttle then selects the correct vehicle and conveys it to the centre of the tower from where it is gently lowered to the ground floor. Each day, an average 500 Volkswagen and SEAT cars are delivered to new German owners in the Autostadt. Sometimes cars not made at the factory, such as the Scirocco or an Ibiza, can also be stored at the towers.


Here is an example.


Agent sends signal to towers to fetch a customer's Polo Cross.





The car shuttle searching for the a Cross Polo to be delivered to the customer.







With the vehicle identified, the arm extends to move the car to the platform.





On the way to the customer service center.




At the top, we could now see all of the Volkswagen Estate and lots of Wolfsburg itself. One building on the site is 2.5kms long and there are solar panels on the top. The solar panels are part of Volkswagen's sustainability plan.

Pictures from the top.









After 20 mins the robot arm was ready to take us back to the ground and that concluded the tour of the towers.




Volkswagen Customer Centre



Next, we went to the VW customer centre. As indicated from the tower tour, 500 cars a day are delivered to German customers at the customer center.

As we entered this vehicle greeted us.

The new Golf MK7 GTE.





Based on new plug in hybrid technology, this car uses the new EA211 1.4 TSI engine seen assembled in Salzgitter along with an electric motor. Combined they produce 201 bhp and a GTI MK7 peak of 258 lbft of torque.
This means a GTE can accelerate to 60 mph in 7.6 secs and keep going to 134 mph!

In electric only mode, it would do 80mph although its range is limited to 31 miles, good for Central London were it is classed as congestion charge free.


The lithium battery uses liquid cooling as used in more expense vehicles such as the Tesla S and BMW's i8 and i3.

Also seen at the customer centre were vehicles such as the the new '3C' Passat 4 motion, with its BiTurbo 240ps Diesel engine







Phaeton Exclusive





and the Polo Cross amongst others.



With 20 mins left before we had to the catch the boat for the factory tour, the group split with HPR and myself to see the Audi centre and the Deako, Gaj and Jerome over to the Porsche centre.

Audi Centre



In the Audi Centre was a frame of an A8. This frame was a display of the aluminium components that make up the chassis of an Audi. But cast and extruded.





Moving on were typical Audi beasts.

The R8 with the V10 engine,
RS4
RS6
RS7
RS3
A8
And TT.

There was also an A3 E-tron, which has a very similar powertrain to the Golf GTE.












Porsche Centre



Deako took a few photographs of inside the Porsche pavilion some of those are shared here.

The original Porsche 356 starts a stream of silver 1:3 model cars ending with the latest 918 Spyder.



At the end of the model cars were this 911 Targa (991) and the new 330ps Boxster GTS (981).



I have noticed the Porsche model codes seem to decrement by a few digits for the latest models...

After the quick browse at what the manufacturers had to offer, we rushed over the Werk Tour. The time for the English factory tour had arrived.



We will continue with the factory tour and more in Part 3.