VW TDI talk

[LAWN BOY]

I've been looking at TDI diesel Volkswagens. Mainly an older Golf. Overall what I hear about them is good but I don't have any personal experience. Was wondering what everyone here thinks of them. They seem like a great mix of fun/cool factor as well as practicality and good mpg. How do they handle in snow? What are the main issues at certain mileage levels? Here's one I found most recently.

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[bigbadbob]

Had 2 of those,, the car falls apart B4 the engine dies.
Make sure the EGR is turned off in software,, or the intake gets gummed up real bad, not a fun job to clean. Soft allen head bolts.
I imagine with that many miles the bugs have all been dealt with.
Watch parking,, the oil pan hangs pretty low.

Had some bad door lock sensors in the door,,not fun to change one in a back door,, once you find it.
ALH was a good engine. Make sure the timing belt is done.. Its not fun either.
Change the oil by sucking it out the dipstick tube,, a lot easier than pulling off belly pan.
One ecm went bad,,, was interesting to change it,,, not fun. Had to use VAGCOM to relearn keys.
Good Luck.

if there was a low miler I would grab it,,,,
This is where i got a lot of info
Havent had a VW for about 8yrs

VW Vortex - Volkswagen Forum

A forum community dedicated to all Volkswagen owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about performance, builds, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, maintenance, new releases, and more!

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[jacob j.]

Things to keep in mind:

Some of the early TDI motors are recommended to have a new timing belt every 40-60k. Mine had the ALH motor and I replaced the timing belt and related components every 80k. The water pump usually goes bad before the timing belt but since the water pump is behind the timing belt - you're going to do it all anyway whether you want to or not. Typically it's the water pump seal and regardless if it's OEM it only seems to last about 65-80k. In order to do the timing belt on the Mark IVs you have to remove the passenger side engine mount and support the motor/transaxle with a floor jack or something similar. As Bob mentioned, there are quite a few TTY fasteners and those have to be replaced during certain repairs.

Some of the water pumps have a plastic impeller and occasionally those will break apart and plastic pieces will clog up certain cooling system passages and junctions, requiring a back-flush. On the Mark IVs, some of the cooling system fittings and adapters are plastic and those start falling apart around 90-100k or around 15-17 years, whichever comes first. There are some aftermarket companies making alloy replacements, which solve that problem.

Heater cores are an issue in the Mark III - V cars. You have to take the dash out for most of the Mark IV and V models to do the heater core. The Mark Vs have issues with the servo motors in the heating system failing and there's a couple that are very painful to get to.

Mark IVs also need new crankshaft position and G68 speed sensors at about 90-120 miles.

If you're willing to deal with these issues, they are great cars. They're quiet on the road, handle well, and get good mileage. I installed the KYB fully-adjustable shocks on all four corners of my Mark IV and it was a night and day difference. I took a buddy on a road trip to Nevada and it was very comfortable for both of us in that car with all of our gear.

 

[EFSM]

Engines good, cars will nickel and dime you to death. It’s your choice: if the fun of a little diesel is worth 2-3x the per-mile expense of a cheap Honda or Toyota, go for it. But make sure you have plenty of experience with electrical systems, or have a good mechanic on the hook.

My commuter vehicle is a 2012 Camry that I bought with 250k miles, now has 350k. I have put on a new a/c compressor solenoid ($50), KYB shocks (almost $600), one new wheel bearing a friend did for free, brakes and 2 calipers, a couple sets of tires, and serviced it. It’s not a fancy car, but it sure is cheap to run. Gets 30mpg during the winter and 35+ during the summer. That’s not nearly what a TDI gets, but keep in mind that some places diesel fuel is 50% more expensive than gas (here in S IL gas is $2.80 and diesel $4.05). That means you’ll have to get a solid 45-50 mpg with a TDI to match an efficient older gas car.

 

[FederalQ]

I’ve had this 2005 Jetta BRM 5 speed for 9 years and it ran great until a whitetail deer buggared up the front end last month. I bought it with 190,000 miles from a diesel mechanic and it’s currently at 298,000. This is/was my first car and has been one of the best cost to own vehicles I have had. 54 MPG in the summer mid to upper 40’s on winter blend. Okay on plowed snow covered roads with decent tires. Their traction control system works great. I am on the fence to fix this one or get a newer TDI.

 

[jacob j.]

I’ve had this 2005 Jetta BRM 5 speed for 9 years and it ran great until a whitetail deer buggared up the front end last month. I bought it with 190,000 miles from a diesel mechanic and it’s currently at 298,000. This is/was my first car and has been one of the best cost to own vehicles I have had. 54 MPG in the summer mid to upper 40’s on winter blend. Okay on plowed snow covered roads with decent tires. Their traction control system works great. I am on the fence to fix this one or get a newer TDI.View attachment 483396

The Volkswagens I've owned were great cars despite the work I had to put into them. If a low-mile, grandma-owned version of a car like yours or a low mile MKIV VR6 comes up for sale in my area, I'm grabbing it.

 

[LAWN BOY]

Had 2 of those,, the car falls apart B4 the engine dies.
Make sure the EGR is turned off in software,, or the intake gets gummed up real bad, not a fun job to clean. Soft allen head bolts.
I imagine with that many miles the bugs have all been dealt with.
Watch parking,, the oil pan hangs pretty low.

Had some bad door lock sensors in the door,,not fun to change one in a back door,, once you find it.
ALH was a good engine. Make sure the timing belt is done.. Its not fun either.
Change the oil by sucking it out the dipstick tube,, a lot easier than pulling off belly pan.
One ecm went bad,,, was interesting to change it,,, not fun. Had to use VAGCOM to relearn keys.
Good Luck.

if there was a low miler I would grab it,,,,
This is where i got a lot of info
Havent had a VW for about 8yrs

VW Vortex - Volkswagen Forum

A forum community dedicated to all Volkswagen owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about performance, builds, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, maintenance, new releases, and more!

www.vwvortex.com

Thank you, I didn't know most of that. All good to know. They do pop up a decent but across my state with lower miles like 200-350k.

Things to keep in mind:

Some of the early TDI motors are recommended to have a new timing belt every 40-60k. Mine had the ALH motor and I replaced the timing belt and related components every 80k. The water pump usually goes bad before the timing belt but since the water pump is behind the timing belt - you're going to do it all anyway whether you want to or not. Typically it's the water pump seal and regardless if it's OEM it only seems to last about 65-80k. In order to do the timing belt on the Mark IVs you have to remove the passenger side engine mount and support the motor/transaxle with a floor jack or something similar. As Bob mentioned, there are quite a few TTY fasteners and those have to be replaced during certain repairs.

Some of the water pumps have a plastic impeller and occasionally those will break apart and plastic pieces will clog up certain cooling system passages and junctions, requiring a back-flush. On the Mark IVs, some of the cooling system fittings and adapters are plastic and those start falling apart around 90-100k or around 15-17 years, whichever comes first. There are some aftermarket companies making alloy replacements, which solve that problem.

Heater cores are an issue in the Mark III - V cars. You have to take the dash out for most of the Mark IV and V models to do the heater core. The Mark Vs have issues with the servo motors in the heating system failing and there's a couple that are very painful to get to.

Mark IVs also need new crankshaft position and G68 speed sensors at about 90-120 miles.

If you're willing to deal with these issues, they are great cars. They're quiet on the road, handle well, and get good mileage. I installed the KYB fully-adjustable shocks on all four corners of my Mark IV and it was a night and day difference. I took a buddy on a road trip to Nevada and it was very comfortable for both of us in that car with all of our gear.

Very good to know.

Engines good, cars will nickel and dime you to death. It’s your choice: if the fun of a little diesel is worth 2-3x the per-mile expense of a cheap Honda or Toyota, go for it. But make sure you have plenty of experience with electrical systems, or have a good mechanic on the hook.

My commuter vehicle is a 2012 Camry that I bought with 250k miles, now has 350k. I have put on a new a/c compressor solenoid ($50), KYB shocks (almost $600), one new wheel bearing a friend did for free, brakes and 2 calipers, a couple sets of tires, and serviced it. It’s not a fancy car, but it sure is cheap to run. Gets 30mpg during the winter and 35+ during the summer. That’s not nearly what a TDI gets, but keep in mind that some places diesel fuel is 50% more expensive than gas (here in S IL gas is $2.80 and diesel $4.05). That means you’ll have to get a solid 45-50 mpg with a TDI to match an efficient older gas car.

Ya I'd say the fun of it is part of my reason and also probably worth it to me. Then camrys and accords are definitely good cars, I once went to look at a Honda but the guy sold it as I was on my way to look at it...

The Volkswagens I've owned were great cars despite the work I had to put into them. If a low-mile, grandma-owned version of a car like yours or a low mile MKIV VR6 comes up for sale in my area, I'm grabbing it.

I've been told to get a grandma owned one or something lower miles that's not already hood stacked. Probably a good idea.

 

[cookies]

Huge pta to work on, most services and repairs beyond a oil change requires a scan tool. Priming new fuel filters, crank sensor relearns clearing codes, dpf regens, checking trans fluid level all require a dealer level scan tool. Deleted, tuned in good running condition using the correct engine oil they can get over 55mpg. Keep in mind a rear main seal is over 350 bucks and its a 16 hour job with the DSG auto trans and it should get the stupid 400+ dollar spring loaded flex plate that always rattles replaced too.

 

[FergusonTO35]

Brother in law had a 2010's diesel Jetta with manual transmission. It did good for him in the several years he owned it, he was driving 120 miles a day for work and the fuel economy was a big plus. He or I did all the repairs on it, it would not be cost effective at all to have a shop do it.

A diesel option is the only plus I can think of to Volkswagen. When they came into the shop, I always thought "how exactly is this thing better than anything else?" Same with Volvo and Saab.

 

[skelator]

I bought a very used 03 golf 5 speed with the alh. It was a 2 door and had a Jetta nose on it. Car was a basket case. I did tons of work. Timing belt and water pump was interesting. After all the problems sorted out it was actually a very good car. It was stock so it was extremely slow but still a neat car. The rockers and floor rotted into dust. I’m not exaggerating. I had them all replaced because the rest of the car was nice and it had maybe 250k on it which isn’t much for the drivetrain. I sold it maybe a year after I had the repair work done as it started to bubble up again. I figured I’d get out while it was still nice. I’d love to grab a alh from down south.

If you pull out the fuel tank vent you can get an extra 1.5-2 gallons in the tank if I remember right. You can get 700 mile tanks without really trying that hard.

 

[FederalQ]

I think you’re mechacilly inclined to deal with any problems that may occur.

 

[thompsoncustom]

Like said above the ALH motors are great. I have two jettas a 02 and a 03 both with the ALH and 5 speed transmissions both cars currently have over 420k miles on them. Only thing I would say is stay from the automatic transmissions and do the timing belts. Had a timing tensioner give out on me once and I bent the valves but it wasn't a terrible job to pull the head and put new valves in it takes about the same as doing the timing. Cost was pretty low too think it cost me 300 bucks in parts.

 

[lilspenny]

I've been looking at TDI diesel Volkswagens. Mainly an older Golf. Overall what I hear about them is good but I don't have any personal experience. Was wondering what everyone here thinks of them. They seem like a great mix of fun/cool factor as well as practicality and good mpg. How do they handle in snow? What are the main issues at certain mileage levels? Here's one I found most recently.

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I owned Jettas.... an 83, 86, and 98. Overall I loved the engines. Precise fuel delivery, good mpg... The 83 avg 39 city. The 86 avg 36 city, and 98 avg 34 city. I don't think they benefit the owner financially because of maintenance costs. I accidentally pumped gasoline in it at midnight while on a trip. Sorry tree huggers... that gas hit the ditch. My overall view of diesels is this... If you need one buy one, but if you don't need one, don't buy one. Now... I'd rather drive the tdi. But.... It's a close call as to whether or not I'd buy one. Good maintenance history is absolutely 100% necessary, imo.

 

[FergusonTO35]

Nowadays, the MPG difference between gas and diesel has narrowed and the price of diesel has gone up to the point that I don't see how you save any money with a diesel unless you're towing all the time. And of course, modern diesel emissions junk won't stay fixed. To give credit where credit is due, I have known some guys who were very happy with their late model light duty diesel pickups, but those trucks were still under warranty and mostly just used for personal transportation rather than any serious towing or hauling.