VW TDI?

[CrankyYankee]

Greetings all......

There is an '04 VW golf TDI for sale in my town and I'm really liking the idea of a 40+ MPG commuter car.

I know fuel prices are down now ($1.98 a gallon for regular here), but I wonder how long it will last.

Any TDI owners out there that can enlighten me on the possible issues that might come with owning one of theses vehicles?

Thanks -Greg

 

[n1ywb]

VWs are junk, but I'd still get a TDI in a heartbeat for the mileage and ability to run vegetable oil.

 

[ADVNTURR]

I have an 03 TDI Golf and couldn't really be much happier with it. There is the potential for some electrical issues, but the engines are pretty solid and robust. An 04 will get a little lower mileage than a 99-03 (slight engine change) and there is a little more of an aftermarket for the older ones (but it's kind of like comparing a 96 or older XJ to a 97 or newer). My 03 is an automatic and because I am only doing city driving with it right now I am only getting 38mpg or so, but I've gotten up to 47 on a long highway run.

The best place to go to get information is going to be www.tdiclub.com it is probably tied as one of the most useful websites I frequent (this being the other).

It is one of the most fun vehicles you'll find to drive with 100hp.

 

[CrankyYankee]

Hey ...thanks for the replies.....

Yes.. n1ywb, I have heard plenty of horror stories about VW reliability.....But like you said... vegetable oil/biodiesel is an option. I would love to find an older Mercedes 300TD wagon, but living in a rust-prone area, I have not found one in reasonably good condition.

ADVNTURR, Just curious .....but what do you have for mileage on your '03? And what issues/maintainence items have you had to deal with to date?

The TDI I am looking at is an '04 5-speed manual with 72,000 miles. They are asking $13,500 which is consistant with the Kelley Blue Book valuation.

Seens like a good deal to me unless..................?:dunno:


thanks -Greg

 

[igotanxj]

Reliability issues? And this is coming from a Jeep owner??? HAHA j/k

In all honesty people will talk crap about all makes of cars besides maybe honda and toyota. I've got an 03 TDI Jetta GLS and I love that car! It has never given me any issues and its got 170,000 miles on it so far, still gets 46mpg on the tank. From what I've read online, common problems are window regulators, door latches, glow plug elec. issues, clogged intakes and intercoolers, and failed automatic transmissions. I've read stories of TDI engines going over 600,000 miles tho, its pretty hard to kill them. Theres a few mods you can do to fix the clogged intake and intercooler thing tho. I'd buy it if I were you, just make sure it has been maintained, timing belts are a big maintenance thing, make sure it has been changed or youll be replacing a cylinder head and pistons.

At 70,000 miles, I don't think youll have to worry too much about clogged intakes or intercoolers, but I think the timing belt should have been changed at least once. I think the interval is 60k miles....im not too sure... somebody may correct me on that.

Check out TDIclub.com, it really has all the information you could ever want about a particular car. Being that TDI's are sold worldwide, theres people from all over the world chiming in on them

 

[CrankyYankee]

Reliability issues? And this is coming from a Jeep owner??? HAHA j/k

Well.....see that's the thing.....I have had my current '00 xj for eight years. I've done brakes twice, exhaust once, tires once, and miscellaneous fluids multiple times, and other than alignments and inspections, I have performed all of the work myself.

Prior to this XJ, I had an '88 Pioneer that I bought with over 100k, but got to 260k with minimal maintenance. Other than the 15-20 mpg I get with my xj.....I love it.

I will not be getting rid of my XJ, just saving it for hauling/towing/off-roading duties.

Bottom line is, I buy vehicles that will last. I suppose I could put up with some electrical gremlins if the motor will stand the test of time.

Thanks for the info igotanxj, I will keep the timing belt issue in mind.

Thanks -Greg

 

[beakie]

my buddy picked up an 02 TDI jetta with 250+k on it a few years ago. other than the clutch, and a few alternators he has had no problems and is well over 300+k on it now.

I just got an '07 gas VW, I really like it. VW are not junk, saying that is like saying all vehicles are junk, there can be problems with everything you buy.

You'll enjoy not filling up every week, depending on how often you drive. My fuel savings are paying for my new VW.

 

[PurpleCherokee]

In all honesty people will talk crap about all makes of cars besides maybe honda and toyota...

Say what?

 

[ADVNTURR]

CrankyYankee,

My 03 has ~131k on it now, bought it used with 72k two and a half years ago. I did have a glow plug issue not long after I bought it (covered under the CPO warranty), I had the overhead console short out on me ($120), and I got a crack in a brake booster vacuum line but that is it. I have just been doing the scheduled maintenance every 10k as prescribed and been tweaking things here and there (just added a coolant heater for the cold mornings and it's the best $120 I've spent on the car so far).

The only thing to note on the car you are looking at is that it is due for a timing belt at 80k (the 03 and older are 100k, the 04+ are 80k). The timing belt (and water pump) are expensive to have done at a dealership (~$1000), but if you are fairly mechanically inclined you can probably do the whole thing including buying the special tools for ~$600.

With my slushbox automatic I am getting ~550miles per tank city and up to 700 on the highway. Back when I lived in CT and was commuting 150 miles/day the car was literally paying for itself in fuel savings. Assuming you aren't looking at a lemon, I don't think you'd be disappointed if you got the car.

 

[CrankyYankee]

Thanks again for the info...I'm going to check it out this week...

 

[XJ98Jeep]

my mom has the station wagon version, and it's been pretty good. Bad glow plug, the tranny just... died. but other than that it's a great little car.
The tranny was weird, it threw some mystery MIL code that basically just said "The transmission done broke." and since it's a sealed tranny, we had to replace the whole thing. Kickin'.

sidenote: I haven't slept in awhile so if that doesn't make sense tomorrow I'll rewrite into english.

 

[FlexdXJ]

VWs are junk, but I'd still get a TDI in a heartbeat for the mileage and ability to run vegetable oil.

No they aren't. They have their issues but they are easy to work on/maintain. The parts can get a little pricey but for a car that handles good and gets upwards of 45 MPGs They can't be beat


Hey Cranky 13,500 sounds about right for that car! Go to TDIclub like igotanxj said. You'll get lost there like i did!

My next ride is a TDI Jetta or maybe a golf!

 

[bcmaxx]

My friend tdi had a clogged intake?? almost a solid block of carbon. vw charged 7 hrs labor and said only vw can do it as they have to reset some valve.

 

[igotanxj]

they use VAG-COM to turn off the EGR valve, anybody can buy one. My neighbor has one actually

 

[Rob Mayercik]

they use VAG-COM to turn off the EGR valve, anybody can buy one. My neighbor has one actually

You can do that, but a number of folks I have seen on TDIClub who have done that have also seen a 1-2mpg decrease afterward.

Now that the U.S. has gone to ULSD (Ultra-Low Sulfur Diesel, 15ppm or less sulfur), this should be less of a problem. The best thing to do is occasionally wind the engine out a little - I do this occasionally on on-ramps.

VW Dealers are not the only ones who can deal with the clogged manifold (similarly, despite what the owner's manual might say it is possible for an owner to change light bulbs on their own also). However, finding a mechanic or dealer that is skilled on TDIs can sometimes be a challenge, since there's not as many of them as there are 1.8Ts, but they are out there.

As others have said, if you go for this '04, look into getting the timing belt done soon - as the TDI's an interference engine, timing belt failures are most unpleasant. TDIClub does maintain a list of "guru mechanics" you can look at. Be glad it's a manual - the only truly major issue I've had was with the "dreaded" 01M 4-speed automatic.

Rob

 

[kujito]

as the TDI's an interference engine

Forgive my ignorance, but what's that mean?

 

[igotanxj]

You can do that, but a number of folks I have seen on TDIClub who have done that have also seen a 1-2mpg decrease afterward.

Now that the U.S. has gone to ULSD (Ultra-Low Sulfur Diesel, 15ppm or less sulfur), this should be less of a problem. The best thing to do is occasionally wind the engine out a little - I do this occasionally on on-ramps.


Rob

Good point, this is true. The sulfur is the main reason the intake gets clogged in the first place, with the newer highway diesel it shouldn't be as much of a problem.

Speaking of ULSD, if you do end up getting one, make sure to run some kind of additive in the fuel or buy premium diesel. The ULSD takes out a lot of lubricity that was previously in the fuel, making it more 'dry'. There's a lot of guys that have had injection pump failures becuase of the lost lubricity in the fuel. Theres a million different kinds out there, but I use Diesel Kleen and actually noticed a ~2mpg increase on the tank.

 

[igotanxj]

Forgive my ignorance, but what's that mean?

It means when the valves are fully open, and when the piston is at top dead center, they will collide, or 'interfere'. The valve timing avoids this and opens the valve before or after the piston is at TDC. This is why timing belt replacements are necessary on TDIs, because otherwise it will ruin your engine when it breaks.

 

[kujito]

YIKES!
Thanks.

 

[BlackCat01]

Recently traded in my 06 TDI for an 08 2.5 gas engine. No real complaints but here is why I traded:

1) price of diesel is now around a buck more a gallon (yes I know mileage).
2) New formula Diesel dropped my mileage by 3+ MPG (thank you uncle sam).
3) maintenance cost was too high - Oil filter can only be changed at VW (06 at least, takes a special tool that only VW had in my area), fuel filter needs to be changed every 15k - 20k miles and also no after market available in this area. paying VW for maintenance was getting crazy.
4) got a deal on the trade in and the price of the 08 that I could not resist.

I was seriously looking at doing the greasecar conversion before I got rid of it but I don't have the storage room for the grease.

Over all I had no complaints with the TDI and the fact I traded the 06 Jetta for an 08 Jetta says something about my like for the car.