Engine Flushes....
 

So the ol' VW is rounding 175,000kms and Id like to give it abit of a tune up, im wondering if getting the engine flushed is worth it or not? Going to get the Rad and tranny flushed as well.

Is it a gimmick or does it actually do some good?

Engine flushes usually do something, but whether it lasts is another question. Also, whether the flush is better than running some seafoam through your engine is pretty questionable as well.

As for the rad flush, its not that hard a job to do yourself, though it can be very messy. Depending on your VW, you may have lifetime fill coolant so it might not be urgent at all. On the other hand, since most VWs loose a water pump well before 200k, you may end up changing coolant if/when that happens (if your pump has a plastic impeller, you are fairly likely to run into this).

I just did the Ultimate Tune-up
plugs/wires/cap and rotor
Engine and coolant flush
thermostat/water pump/belts and tensioner
air intake and cabin filter

Unfortunately - I cannot tell you if the engine flush helped performance or not as this was all done at the same time.

HOWEVER - you'd be surprised of the nastiness left behind when you drain the old oil. If it wasnt for the flush - it would still be in there.

You should do a complete coolant flush - rad, block, head

As for using a product like seafoam inside your engine to clean gunk out, you have almost 200K on your import engine. That gunk may be the only thing keeping you from burning oil. So its questionable.

waste of money,let it be.Do the rad flush but leave the motor alone.

waste of money...no

take care of your dub - neglect will only lead to more expensive problems in the future.
My 8v Golf may be slow - but it runs perfect. (knock on my wooden head)

VW motors are finicky - and depending on what motor you have (1.8L, 1.9L, 2.0L, 2.8L) certain minor issues can lead to huge problems. My brothers VR uses only the best - Royal Purple, 94 Octane, etc. We pulled the engine apart the other day - motor had no sludge what so ever.

Yea, there's lots of crap left over after an oil change, usually sticks to the magnet that SHOULD be in the bottom of your oil pan, Tranny pans have them too. Of course some metal shavings are normal, when they start coming out with the oil, you should be worried.

In a perfect world, a normal road car engine would be stripped down every 5 years to check all clearances and bearing wear and replace gaskets, in a perfect world. Unfortunatly, that rarely happens usually because most people can't afford a few days of downtime with thier car or don't have the money.
A lot of high HP engine builders I know do a teardown every 1.5-2 years depending on the motor. But high HP engines have tight clearances and spin at high RPM.....the average motor in your wifes Honda or Corrolla or whatever, won't see 5500 RPM in it's life.

You should be able to feel a difference in performance by doing an engine flush, especially in cars like Vdubs or my Cavalier that only make 80WHP to begin with, anything is an improvement...hell at 88 C/liter Sunoco 94 makes quite a difference in performance in my car....noticeable anyway.