VW TDI Question?

[BlkMaxima]

I'm looking into getting something that gets alot better fuel economy than my Altima as a DD. I don't want to spend a fortune on gas every month anymore. So I figure that a TDI would probably be the way to go. I would get a smart car but, I can't get past the fact that their really gay looking lol. And tiny.

I have heard lots of good things about the TDI. But I have also heard some horror stories. Is there anything I should look out for? I will be buying it used from a dealer, because I want to trade in the Altima. Any input on maintenance or common issues would be great.

Thanks in Advance.

[D. Dub]

We have a TDI.

All VW's have some issues.

Go www.tdiclub.com -- more info than you could possibly imagine.


In a nutshell the TDI has a premium on the price so to make it cost effective you have to have a significant commute and you have to keep it for quite a while.

[megavolt]

Make sure the timing belt has been changed recently... or budget to have it changed. Depending on the kit that was used last they are due every 80-100k.

Good sites for reading up on TDI's...

http://www.tdiclub.com/
http://www.myturbodiesel.com/

[teggypimp95]

VW are great. Just like all german cars they are built solid, they just seem to have small stupid things go wrong with them now and then. Most of them you can fix yourself. Plenty of places to get parts and such. PLUS if you get a vw you can take it to george at tune dub. Best service and prices i have ever experienced.

Tdi's are awesome. I love jettas. They are very easy to make fast too. Alot of guys chip and add bigger fuel injectors to their TDI's and turn them into a rocket! Im sure you will be happy if you go with one.

[Aleks]

I went thru this phase too. I came to the conclusion it's not worth it if you don't drive 30K+ per year. The premium you pay for a used TDi car is pretty big. Also diesel is now 10c more than premium :(

[teggypimp95]

Regualr 1.8Ts get good gas milage as well. Cost me about 45 to fill with premium and i get about 450-500 in the city and around 750 on the highway. Thats pretty good because you get some good performance as well.

[sputnik]

Originally posted by Aleks
I went thru this phase too. I came to the conclusion it's not worth it if you don't drive 30K+ per year. The premium you pay for a used TDi car is pretty big. Also diesel is now 10c more than premium :(

:werd:

Unless you are doing insane mileage every year it won't be worth the premium.

When I looked into it (when I bought by Accord) it would have taken me 16 years to start benefitting from the better gas mileage of the TDI.

Stick with a Honda/Toyota/Nissan 4 cyl car.

[BlkMaxima]

Originally posted by Aleks
I went thru this phase too. I came to the conclusion it's not worth it if you don't drive 30K+ per year. The premium you pay for a used TDi car is pretty big. Also diesel is now 10c more than premium :(

The mileage will be very close to 35-40K per year.

My Altima is an 05' with 125000kms.

I looked on canada trader and they had lots of TDI 2002+ for anywhere between $15k to $20k.

[forkdork]

Originally posted by BlkMaxima


The mileage will be very close to 35-40K per year.

My Altima is an 05' with 125000kms.

I looked on canada trader and they had lots of TDI 2002+ for anywhere between $15k to $20k.

Yeah if you are doing that many km in a year it is definately worth it. You could probably find one for less than 15k too (I paid 13000 for a fully loaded 2000 jetta with leather/heated seats/sunroof/cd changer etc etc etc 3 years ago, the car had 100k on it at the time). Keep your eyes open and you should be able to find a good deal on one.

Don't worry about diesel costing more than gasoline right now either, there has been some refinery problems which have cut the diesel supply short in alberta. Typically the price for diesel is below the price for gasoline (and you are still able to get 5.5l/100km driving in the city, try getting that in any decent gasoline car).

[BlkMaxima]

LOL My Altima is @ 12L/100KM

[wjjeeper]

pm'd you.

My parents are selling a nice Jetta TDI GLS.

[rojhero]

Manuals have ~20% better mileage then automatics. For automatics 2003 and older, the transmissions (01M) usually break down around 100,000-250,000kms so I'd stay clear of them. From 2003 to 2004 the tdi engine changed to the pumpe duse, which is what I have. The PD offers more power, but less mileage. The PD engine also requires a special oil spec (505.01, make sure if you buy >2004, it has had the proper oil changes) and will be more expensive for oil changes. However, the PD has a less frequent timing belt change interval (160,000km vs. 100,000kms, I believe)

And also, heated seats, side airbags, and ESP are a must in my opinion.

Good luck!

[Zero102]

K, manual transmissions get ~40% better mileage around town and 15-20% better mileage on the highway, huge difference. They also last longer than the cars in almost all cases. TDI's equipped with dual-mass flywheels WILL have a clutch failure, it's a matter of time. Find one that has already been upgraded to the VR6 unit or recently replaced if you don't want to worry about it for a long time.
Automatics pre-PD engines are the 01M's, and they fail typically before 200,000kms, ~$4k for a replacement, almost everybody does a manual swap instead.

If you're looking pre-2004 (pre-PD) then see if you can find a manual with bigger nozzles and/or turbo and/or pump (usually people will chip them at the same time as well) with the VR6 clutch, that will make you one very happy TDI'er.

If you're looking post-2004 (PD engines) also go with a manual, although the 5 speed autobox (tiptronic) has proven to be VERY reliable and eat mileage less than the 01M, you can't do nozzles since they have unit injectors, but some people are putting the PD150 turbo's and injectors on them for some big power gains (up to 200-220whp)


Pre-2004 cars will run you 7-15K depending on condition and mileage, worry more about maintenance history than mileage since a well maintained one will go nearly forever

Post-2004 cars will cost you 11k-30k (up to brand new pretty much) and you MUST be very picky about oil change history, as the mileage is racking up many non-505.01 oil users are showing up with ground down cams and broken lifters.


The timing belt change interval depends on year, pre-2003 automatics were 40,000mi (64,000km) , manuals were 60,000mi (100,000km), post 2003 cars were 100,000mi (160,000km) regardless of transmission type. That said, earlier cars typically have their timing belts changed with the later style rollers and belts so they will then have 100,000mi change intervals.


tdiclub is your best resource, read and read and read my friend. At 40,000km/year you can't go wrong with a diesel. In the sumer diesel is typically 8-20c/L cheaper than gas, and in the winter it is between 0 and 15c/L more expensive. This is mainly because of HHO (home heating oil) which is very similar to diesel #1 (we use diesel #2). In the winter the demand for this fuel oil goes up (obviously), and as a result supply of D2 comes down and so the price goes up.

[Zero102]

Oh yeah, options...
Skip ones with the tan interior, it shows dirt like crazy, black interior is the way to go IMO. Leather is a personal choice I suppose but I'd pass on something you are going to spend that much time in. Heated seats are a must since you will find that diesels warm up much slower than gas engines, ESP is VERY nice when trying to get going on icy roads and it also works to correct slides and skids when moving.

You pretty much can't get one without side air bags. Almost every car in canada that was dealer stock (i.e. not custom ordered) came with them, and even when they were custom ordered the dealerships were pushing heavily for people to get them. If possible grab a model in the GLS trim level, comes with lots of things like center arm rest and air conditioning standard. Sunroofs are nice but occasionally have issues with interior water leaks because the drains plug up. Pre-PD cars have cupholders above the radio that break and drip coffee all over the radios, PD cars have them in the center console, much better. The late console can be swapped into an earlier car with very little trouble so this is not a huge issue.


Coolant heaters, a very common mod on TDI's (hey, mine has one!). People install a Phillips/Temro Zerostart tank heater, 750W or 1000W heater that heats the coolant and circulates it by convection. An absolute must for -30 and -40* weather. If the car doesn't have one they are ~$100 for a kit from terry frost (frostheaters) and can be installed very easily

[megavolt]

Thanks for the tip on the coolant heater. Just ordered one! :)

[r3cc0s]

My fav are the TDI GLS Wagons....
Manual with all the goodies, power everything with a Sunroof & leather interior

Just IMO not worth the residual second hand value... there are some reliability issues with them (i think timing change etc..)

The new one is coming out though
140hp + 230lbs torque on ultra low sulfur

[muse017]

My 99.5 jetta had 375,000km when i sold it and was running like a new car. Had some issues with interior parts(Damn Mexican built:banghead: ) never had any sort of drive train problem.
It was definitely costly to fix or replace some part(timing belt, glow plugs etc..)

[megavolt]

If you're taking the car to the dealer ya it's expensive. Timing belt cost me $500 for the special tools and the parts online to do it myself. Afterwards found out I probably could have got everything for less (and found some great people that probably would have lent me the tools). As I see it glow plugs shouldn't be hard (or expensive) to do either.

Another thing I'll mention is try to take it to the VW dealer for an inspection (they'll probably be booking a month in advance). Cause I took it to one of the 'vw' shops I could find in the phone book (didn't know about tune-dub or concept-1) and the guy was obviously an idiot, since now that I've been under the car there was tons of stuff he didn't tell me about (like the fact it's obviously been in an accident).

[Zero102]

Concept 1 seems to have a very good reputation, lots of the VW dealerships around here are dumber than a sack of bricks. I've had some extremely frustrating experiences with them not being able to find very simple problems.