Vw Tdi

[Texas Diesel]

We are considering buying a VW TDI. We would appreciate any comments, problems or other things you think we should be aware of. We would only buy manual shift models, probably a 4 door station wagon type. Comments? TIA

 

[Roland_Jenkins]

The new 2.0 are supposed to be vastly improved over the 1.9
The 1.9 have some issues from what I understand. Oil leaks and the EGR plugging up.

 

[lschultz]

Go over to Freds www.tdiclub.com if you have not and get all the info you want to know about the VW TDI.I have a 01 NB TDI with a little over 80000 on it and it has no oil leaks had the egr mod done when I first got it.I think they have the timming belt change out now to 100000 or more.If you have not drove one go drive one you will be amazed at the low end torque that little 4 banger has plus the great mpg.Best I have got is over 52 but the Jettas and Golfs get better mpg than the NB.They have the Passat now with a diesel.

 

[JohnQ]

I have a 2002 Jetta TDI manual shift with 470000 trouble free miles and have gotten as much as 57 mpg on I-5 (semi-flat) on cruise control @ 75mph. Also, when that little ****** goes up and down hills on cruise, the mph does NOT waver one bit.

 

[vermoeide_zwerver]

Well you asked for comments. I had an 03 Jetta that made internal engine noise that they diagnosed as piston slap. They put a new engine in after they put me through hell on proving I had done the maintainence. VW's warranty process if you have a big problem sucks. Otherwise the car has been really good. I have heard that the new PD engines are better, but do not have anything to back it up. I also know that the 05's are more expensive and a little larger. Good Luck

 

[Super_Duty_John]

Well you asked for comments. I had an 03 Jetta that made internal engine noise that they diagnosed as piston slap. They put a new engine in after they put me through hell on proving I had done the maintainence (spelling error). VW's warranty process if you have a big problem sucks. Otherwise the car has been really good. I have heard that the new PD engines are better, but do not have anything to back it up. I also know that the 05's are more expensive and a little larger. Good Luck

Yes, I remember the hell they put you through Higgins. You've had a few problems with diesel engines, first the X and then the VW.

Toss back a few drinks and you'll feel better in the morning.

 

[SeaTowJoe]

Had 125,000 trouble free miles with our 2000 Jetta TDI before we sold it. If you are looking for the best fuel economy, definitely get the stick. All we had to do that was outside of the norm was clean the intake out every 50,000 miles or so. And as was said above, tdi.com is the best source around for these cars.

Joe

 

[TooMuchBoost]

We are considering buying a VW TDI. We would appreciate any comments, problems or other things you think we should be aware of. We would only buy manual shift models, probably a 4 door station wagon type. Comments? TIA

I went from a 14 second Powerstroke to an 18 second 2.0 PD Passat in December. Other than being slow as molasses stock I have no other complaints. I initially felt the car was tiny but really its a good size grocery getter with a HUGE trunk. Running wires is a b$%^h since its German engineered. Expect 33/40 with a moderate foot. Very quiet inside, well planted on the road and the brakes are exceptional.

I have a Rocketchip Stage III program and I beat this car like a red-headed stepchild and still get at least 2x's the economy of my 6.0. All my friends had cute comments when I bought it but I'm the one laughing all the way to the bank since I drive 750-1500 per week.

If you look on the tdiclub you can buy Passats at invoice and Jetta's for $1000 less if I *recall* through a sponsor.

VW subs out their warranty and I have heard some crappy stories about claims. It also sounds like many dealer service depts are ran by morons including Heritage VW in Union City, GA and I only tried to get an oil change 3 different times.

FYI- IMHO buy a Passat w/leather if buying new for best resale. The 06 Passats are re-styled but most likely w/o a diesel. Anything else buy slightly used. These cars are also geared for test drives. Meaning they pick up great from a light. Take every car out on the interstate and make 50-70 or 60-90 passes in 4th and OD to see if its what you like if you aren't going to chip it.

 

[Valkyrie 97]

I'd be leary on an older one because I have a '00 Jetta with 75,000 and the MAF sensor is being replaced forthe third time and glow plugs have already been replaced once. I had the timing belt done a 61,000 and found all the offset guides along with the tensioner bad. Add to that the water pump was leaking, at 61,000 miles! I wouldn't buy another one, I agree their customer service is the worst. My '05 Dakota rides and handles better on the road but the mileage isn't the same. When that VW goes a Honda Pilot will replace it. :Sly

 

[Super_Duty_John]

I'd be leary on an older one because I have a '00 Jetta with 75,000 and the MAF sensor is being replaced forthe third time and glow plugs have already been replaced once. I had the timing belt done a 61,000 and found all the offset guides along with the tensioner bad. Add to that the water pump was leaking, at 61,000 miles! I wouldn't buy another one, I agree their customer service is the worst. My '05 Dakota rides and handles better on the road but the mileage isn't the same. When that VW goes a Honda Pilot will replace it. :Sly

I agree

 

[Valkyrie 97]

Add to the mess of the TDi that yesterday it had to go in for two safety recalls that were possible fire problems. :draw No thanks for another one of them.

 

[aikejon]

I'd be leary on an older one because I have a '00 Jetta with 75,000 and the MAF sensor is being replaced forthe third time and glow plugs have already been replaced once. I had the timing belt done a 61,000 and found all the offset guides along with the tensioner bad. Add to that the water pump was leaking, at 61,000 miles! I wouldn't buy another one, I agree their customer service is the worst. My '05 Dakota rides and handles better on the road but the mileage isn't the same. When that VW goes a Honda Pilot will replace it. :Sly

Those are all notorious problems with that year (and up to 2002). Add window regulators and you have it. At least we don'T have coil packs like the gasser VW's. Bosch let out a terrible batch of MAF's and left consumers to battle it out over getting warranty replacement - that was from a VW wholesale parts distributor. I'm on my fourth one, and haven't paid for one yet - thanks to my VW tdi-specialty repair shops (dealers don't touch my car). The price has come down to 1-third of what it used to be...in Canada anyway.

The timing belt issue is a normal maintenance item at 60K (and every 60K approx). It is for many vehicles, but is especially important for the tdi because it is an interference motor. The shock comes from the price tag (because generally you want to replace the tensioners and pump too). I'd rather pay for good maintenance ($$) but not have to buy a new car for 1,000,000 miles ($$$$$). I went through a car per year for a while until I found my "little pig".

P.S. I drive a 2003 Mk4, so I escaped many of the earler probs of the Mk4's. 250K and rolling like new. I did end up having those two seat heater recalls, and afterward one of them didn't work....@#$? dealers, I should have known better.

 

[bhtooefr]

First of all, you can get the timing belt+tensioner+rollers+water pump retrofitted with the 2003 parts (assuming you have a 1998-2002 New Beetle or 1999.5-2002 Golf or Jetta). And, the parts that you need to buy are the exact same as what you'd buy to do a timing belt on a 2003, and you do the change normally. Plus, most of the vendors that are liked on TDIClub sell water pumps with metal impellers, not the plastic impellered crap that VW sells.

2003s (and newer) have a 100,000 mile timing belt, 2002s have an 80,000 mile belt, all older manuals have a 60,000 mile belt, and 1998-2001 New Beetles and 1999.5-2001 Golf/Jetta autos have a 40,000 mile belt.

If you want a wagon, be prepared to pay out the nose. 1996-1997 Passat wagons are super rare (1500 US-spec TDIs built, I hear), 2002-2005 Jetta wagons aren't common, and 2004-2005 Passat wagons aren't common either. All of those wagons are often selling for more than they sold for new - even 1996s. And, yes, those are your only choices for TDI wagons in the US, unless you build one.

The whole 1.9 vs. 2.0 thing... the 2.0 is only in 2004-2005 Passats. All other TDI engines in the US are 1.9s. The EGR issues are mainly because of the fact that these engines have an overactive EGR due to the US emissions regulations. Proper method of fixing it is to get Euro firmware put on your ECU, and it's a good excuse to get chipped.

And, TDIClub is a must.

 

[aikejon]

The EGR issues are mainly because of the fact that these engines have an overactive EGR due to the US emissions regulations. Proper method of fixing it is to get Euro firmware put on your ECU, and it's a good excuse to get chipped.

And, TDIClub is a must.

You can just turn off the egr with ***-COM... if you know someone who has it. tdi-club or vortex are good places to ask if you are in North America, there's always someone who lives near you and has it. Step by step directions are on the tdi-club faq's. There are no side-effects of doing this, other than your intake manifold doesn't clog up anymore.

 

[bhtooefr]

I am aware of this procedure, but it doesn't actually cut the EGR off, just decreases the EGR activity, and it also only delays the intake clogging.

Also, the side effect is more NOx output, but I won't get into my opinion on NOx regulations here, that's a topic for another thread.