The beast broke again the other day

[spencergt66]

So on the way home friday after work i noticed another new noise going down the freeway and pulled over to find that the centersuport bearing on the drive line was starting to go out. I figgured i cold make it home pull the drive line and then have it repaired the next day but before that coul happen as i pulled in the subdavision where I live I hit a pot hole and bang broke the driver side all joint just to add insult to injury I guess.

I pretty much had it at this point cant really depend on this thing for an every day car so I finaly went down and got something newer to drive everyday. Dont get all upset i didnt get rid of the truck and i have all intentions of fixing it just dont feel like fixing it every day just to get to work plus the car payment is cheeper then buying parts every other day.

I had quite the choice of cars being here in the Houston area but the only thing I wanted was a diesel. So what did i get A VW diesel Jetta of coarse much better to fly down the freeway with and way better on fuel I still love my truck and have no intentions of selling it but at least I have something else now to drive with a warnty.

 

[FordGuy100]

What year Jetta?

Some of these trucks seem like they want to break a lot. I try not to look at my truck to close, way to many things to fix to make me feel good . I guess its just the nature of the beast, owning trucks this old.

 

[DeepRoots]

*shrugs*
you get to a point where you've already fixed about 90% of the stuff and not much breaks.

 

[spencergt66]

Yea well after theses ball joints are put in the entire front end will be new. Ive already done all the brakes, front drive line, exhaust and now i need to do the rear drive line and rear yoke and it should be ok for a while maybe i just wont look at it anymore till something falls off I just wanted to paint it but everything else keeps getting in the way I got new fender and hood for 140 buck not too bad for new parts but theyll have to wait again :***:

 

[FordGuy100]

Yea well after theses ball joints are put in the entire front end will be new. Ive already done all the brakes front, drive line exhaust and now i need to do the rear drive line and rear yoke and it should be ok for a while maybe i just wont look at it anymore till something falls off

Roll the windows up, and turn the radio on really loud. Plug your ears so you cant hear any odd noises. The best way to not hear anything

 

[Agnem]

Unfortunately a lot of folks will just run a high milage truck and keep fixing stuff as it wears out. That can be pretty often depending on the milage. A better strategy is to do a chassis rebuild with the intent of replacing all the worn stuff well before it breaks. It's always more convienent to do the work on your terms, instead of the trucks. But money being the way it is, most folks hold off and then just complain here when they are fixing it all the time.

 

[spencergt66]

Roll the windows up, and turn the radio on really loud. Plug your ears so you cant hear any odd noises. The best way to not hear anything

I did that coupple days ago and then the next day when I went to move the truck the transfercase fell out(see other post)

 

[Sycostang67]

Thats why I always like to have at least 3 vehicles in case 1 goes down. My wife has the jeep since it's easy to use and reliable. At least if 1 of my rides breaks down I may be able to fix/rig it enough to get home. Nice choice with the diesel jetta that should get you some good mpg too.

 

[DeepRoots]

this is also why I do add on parts for vehicles to make them what I want them.
It may seem stupid to buy a $3000 truck, and over the course of a decade sink $6000 into it in new parts and upgrades....
but at the end of the day, I trust my peice of crap truck much more than I do a brand new truck.
Don't loose the faith Spencer, it'll straighten out soon enough.
Just don't make the mistake of giving up and selling it, you're almost outta the forest!

Course an extra vehicle is always nice. and VW's break also, I've spent plenty of time fixing our 2005 passat.... and it's much more expensive to fix.

Drew

 

[spencergt66]

This is true all cars do break but at least this one has a warnty so they can fix it, well maybe the only reason i got the thingwas the fuel milage and its something easy to drive around town dont get me wrong I love my truck but it broken right now no big deal I just have to fix it and I will. Like most of you have mentioned on here it is nice to have a 3rd vehical.

For those who were asking the car is a 2006 Jetta TDI with the DSG 6 speed auto/manual trans getting around 52 mpg right now thinking about maybe freeing up the exhaust or inlet but haven't read up on the car that much yet so I'm not sure whats worth doing and whats just a waste of money. Ill post some pics later.

 

[FordGuy100]

This is true all cars do break but at least this one has a warnty so they can fix it, well maybe the only reason i got the thingwas the fuel milage and its something easy to drive around town dont get me wrong I love my truck but it broken right now no big deal I just have to fix it and I will. Like most of you have mentioned on here it is nice to have a 3rd vehical.

For those who were asking the car is a 2006 Jetta TDI with the DSG 6 speed auto/manual trans getting around 52 mpg right now thinking about maybe freeing up the exhaust or inlet but haven't read up on the car that much yet so I'm not sure whats worth doing and whats just a waste of money. Ill post some pics later.

Should be a good little car . We had a 03 Jetta TDI and that thing was actually pretty peppy. Straight pipe it, do an intake, and there are chips available. Should up horsepower/torque and improve fuel economy

 

[The Warden]

The TDI should make a good daily driver. What year is it? Keep in mind, pretty much any TDI built after '97 or '98 requires a special oil, and timing belt replacements periodically (lifespan of the belt depends on the vehicle)...and, while a timing belt replacement can be a DIY, you'll need special tools and need to follow a specific procedure. It isn't a simple matter of lining up marks and hoping for the best...and dealers aren't the most trustworthy when it comes to even routine maintenance on these cars seems that many of the VW technicians aren't really trained on the TDI.

From a fuel economy standpoint, they can't be beat! I want to get a TDI for a daily driver when finances allow...

Unfortunately a lot of folks will just run a high milage truck and keep fixing stuff as it wears out. That can be pretty often depending on the milage. A better strategy is to do a chassis rebuild with the intent of replacing all the worn stuff well before it breaks. It's always more convienent to do the work on your terms, instead of the trucks. But money being the way it is, most folks hold off and then just complain here when they are fixing it all the time.

You make a good point, but at the same time, that's a luxury that a number of people simply can't afford in terms of (down)time or money

 

[towcat]

This is true all cars do break but at least this one has a warnty so they can fix it, well maybe the only reason i got the thingwas the fuel milage and its something easy to drive around town dont get me wrong I love my truck but it broken right now no big deal I just have to fix it and I will. Like most of you have mentioned on here it is nice to have a 3rd vehical.

For those who were asking the car is a 2006 Jetta TDI with the DSG 6 speed auto/manual trans getting around 52 mpg right now thinking about maybe freeing up the exhaust or inlet but haven't read up on the car that much yet so I'm not sure whats worth doing and whats just a waste of money. Ill post some pics later.

get a hold of russ/02autowag. He's really active on diesel drinkin' krautwagens

 

[spencergt66]

The 06 jetta seams pretty strait foward in terms of maintinance ive done numerous timing belts in my time Im no starnger in the ways of the timing belts This car says to change thoes at 105k so i still have a ways to go only problem ive had is just finding the right oil for it no one caries the right stuff

 

[The Warden]

The 06 jetta seams pretty strait foward in terms of maintinance ive done numerous timing belts in my time Im no starnger in the ways of the timing belts This car says to change thoes at 105k so i still have a ways to go only problem ive had is just finding the right oil for it no one caries the right stuff

You won't find it at any auto parts store...I think it's only available at the dealer or some places online...and not all dealers will necessarily have it.

Cool re: the timing belts...although, if you haven't done one on a TDI, you might still want to do some research on the exact procedure. I've never read about how to do one on an '06 PD engine, but I read in depth on the procedure on the '99-'03 engines, and it wasn't what I would have expected, and I've heard too many horror stories about people doing them incorrectly. Not questioning your abilities; just trying to be helpful

Are you going to get a ***-COM?