Jetta TDIs

[Tuckerman]

I thinking about getting a used one. They seem to be $$ even with over 100K miles why, how many miles can you put on one? What years are the best / worst?

[mrw]

I have a 1999 Jetta TDI which was the last year for the type 3 body. I use it for work and have 277,000 miles on it and it's still going strong. The key is to replace the timing belt when called for. Mine at 60,000 the later ones are good for 75,000 (i think)

Overall, it has been the most trouble free car I have owned. Returns 45mpg city and 50+ hwy.

If you buy used, look for evidence of regular oil changes (full synthetic) , fuel filter replacements and aircleaner filter replacement.

Do not even think about driving it unless you have documented proof of the timing belt replacement. If not, factor that into the purchase cost.

With 4 snows it's very good in ski country. I have spent weeks in NH and the Daks in -20f and it would always start.

They are great cars that don't seem plagued by the usual Vdub headaches.

I paid $7500 7 years ago. At the time of purchae, it had 60,000 on it.

[Nathan Explosion]

Engines are solid, but get ready for everything expensive and electric to shit the bed. This includes, but is not limited to, ECU, climate control, stereo, electric seats, windshield wipers.

Oh, and don't forget that it's being sold used because it wasn't trendy enough for somebody. Remember: Subarus are for lesbians, but VWs are for fucking hipsters. You might as well start a thread where you find out where/how to buy womens jeans that fit you, and where to get a wicked-badass razor cut.

[Tuckerman]

Oh, and don't forget that it's being sold used because it wasn't trendy enough for somebody. Remember: Subarus are for lesbians, but VWs are for fucking hipsters. You might as well start a thread where you find out where/how to buy womens jeans that fit you, and where to get a wicked-badass razor cut.

I guess that would explain this ad

Diesel Volkswagon Jetta (TDI) - $9500 (Cabot)
Reply to: sale-pfstn-1215389344@craigslist.org [Errors when replying to ads?]
Date: 2009-06-10, 6:13PM EDT


2002 VW Jetta TDI sedan
1.8 liter turbo diesel engine
5 speed manual transmission
Black with black interior
4 door
Cruise control
Brand new rear brakes

We enjoy the 45 miles per gallon, especially now that diesel prices are the same as gas. However we bought the car because our son thought it was cool, but now we would like an automatic and a car more suited to winter travel.

802-563-2113

[peterslovo]

I've got a 2003 TDI with about 120,000 mi on it. Bought it new. Engine has been bomber thus far. I average about 42-44 mpg on it, and can get up to about 50 if driving 55-60 mph. I get around 650 miles to a tank, and got up to 725 on a couple trips of slower, conservative driving.

The new timing belts need to be changed at around 100K, but I did mine much earlier. It's a ~$650 job, but that should include the entire assembly, not just belt, and labor. mrw makes a good point. Make sure it has been running synthetic oil, 5w40 being the best for up here I'd think. Also, ask about whether or not biodiesel or grease has been run in the system (this is fine, just typically will lead to quicker clogged fuel filters). If it's been greased out, make sure the system was installed properly and is functioning properly, especially since you're in the northeast (grease gelling is not fun).

As nathan noted, there are some electrical issues. My headlight and taillight bulbs are constantly going out (I was told this is more a european light thing that uses some other halogen set up moreso than a vw thing), and my radio did stop working, but was fixed easily enough. Seat heaters had a dealer recall which apparently fixed 'overheating' of the elements.

Other thing to note is that on 99-03 models, there is a technical memo from vw on rusting of the wheelwells. This is actually occurring on my car now on both sides, and it looks like vw will cover it under the body warranty.

get a wagon - so much more storage space and the back seats fold flat for sleeping.

Newer ones are the shizz.
Love the commercial too.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHepjwCsLfs"]YouTube - Jetta TDI Meets Prius[/ame]

[Blatant]

tech......









































Talk...

[This End Up]

tech.....Talk...

I'm just gonna come out and ask no matter how dumb it makes me look;
Does the timing belt run the cam shaft in these little diesels?? Sorry I'm used to larger diesels, with gear driven cams.

[Tye 1on]

I'm just gonna come out and ask no matter how dumb it makes me look;
Does the timing belt run the cam shaft in these little diesels?? Sorry I'm used to larger diesels, with gear driven cams.

errrrr, what else would it run?

[Cap'm Charlie]

Yes the timing belt runs the valvetrain, on cars its usually a timing belt or chain (chain lasts life of engine, belts need periodic replacement) Gear driven cams are usually seen on race cars, i dont know about over the road diesels like a CAT but i guess that could be the case.

Also i agree that a VW will nickel and dime the shit out of you, remember most of these "german" cars are built in............Mexico. The little stuff will just keep going and its pretty expensive to fix. Honestly this is true of most modern cars, they are designed with so much technology that fixing seemingly minor shit costs mucho $$. A cheap gas Japanese car (civic, etc) will deliver nearly the same mileage with better power, no smell and no waiting for glow plugs.

If you really want an oil burner, get an OLD mercedes 240D or 300D, pre 1985. keep oil in it and it will just run and run and run. Downside is RWD and the minor stuff that breaks after 20 years. A mercedes 200D that was a taxi in Germany holds the automobile mileage record at something like 2.3 mil. Also old school VW diesels (pre 1990 Dasher or jetta) are known for lasting a long time (no modern electronics to fail) but are really not very nice cars to drive around in.

[toast2266]

^^^
The mercedes engine might last forever, but those old 240 / 300D's get shit for mileage (probably because they weigh twice as much as a normal sedan). Usually in the low 20's. Only really worthwhile if you're planning on running a greaser.

My wife has an 03 Jetta TDI wagon. Its great, gets no worse than 35mpg (that's at 80mph with 4 bikes on the roof and the car loaded down). As others have said, expect weird electrical bugginess that happens with all VW's. Wife's has constant problems with glow plugs dieing, but they're cheap and easy to replace, so no biggy. All in all, she hasn't had to do any more maintenance to the car than with any other car. Most of what has gone wrong is easily fixed (usually by me - with very little knowledge of car mechanics).

If you don't need the space of a wagon, check out the Golf Tdi's as well - those little hatchbacks have a deceptively large amount of space in them, and they get a little better mileage than the wagons.

I've heard reports that the newer TDI engines ('04 and up I think) have some problems and potentially don't last as long as the older engines. That's more of a rumor than anything though, and I can't remember what the cause of the problem is (maybe something about them requiring a very specific brand of fuel filter?)

[nickwm21]

like stated above the things you need to worry about with vws are the simple electronics like the radio and elec windows... it seems bullshit cause those technologies are older

[Flexon Phil]

I am looking at a TDI Wagen as my next car. Will I miss the AWD of my Subie? Hopefully with 4 snows, I won't. I have to wait till my Forester lease is done, in the spring so in the meantime I have been "shopping", used wagons for a ton of money, so I think I will just go new since it is about the size I want, 66cu/ft about the size of my 06 LEg SW that I mistakenly replaced with the 09 Forester.

For 25K, the Jetta TDI Sportwagen is a great ski car option for me.

[Core Shot]

I have the 2009 TDI sportwagon and love it.
Cracks me up how much used older TDIs are getting.
The new ones have way more pep and dont smell.

Its like having a prius hybrid, only its fun to drive.

[mrw]

www.tdiclub.com

THE source for all things TDI

[ColinB]

I've got an '04 Golf TDI and I love it. The girlfriend and I recently took a trip up to Seattle and back and consistently got 550-650 miles per tank without pushing it to empty, and that was with the car loaded down with our camping and biking gear (bikes off the back, not up top). But as others have said, be ready for quirky things like window regulators, electrical glitches etc, they are definately not deal breakers, just kind of annoying. luckily there are pretty big followings for TDI's and VW's in general and how-to's are available on tdiclub and vwvortex for just about everything.

In the mountains there is something fun about driving a TDI vs other vehicles that get good mileage, just way more pep.

[butterscotch]

I hate to post what is essentially hearsay (from a buddy who owned multiple TDIs) but I figured someone more knowledgeable than me would have already said this. Hope it helps:
1) Some TDIs were made in Germany and some in Mexico. The german ones are tits, the mexican ones less so. Not sure if there was a certain year that they switched or what...
2) The newer ones (like 06 and later?) have sacrificed a little gas mileage for performance/horsepower. I recall going ~400 miles on half a tank of gas in my buddy's older (2000-ish) TDI wagon.

That tdiclub link would probably be useful.

[Beaver]

They are known to clock over 500k km but the car falls apart around the motor. Doors stop opening, door handles fall of or break, windows stop opening or closing, gas doors fall off, locks fuck up, lights stop flashing/shining ... They go forfuckingever on a tank of fuel.

[Cap'm Charlie]

FYI the easiest way to tell where the car was made is the VIN number, a mexico car will start with a 3, a German made one will start with a W

[jon turner]

I have a 2000 TDI and it's at about 263,000 miles on it now. It's pretty much maintenance free. Oil changes are more expensive (synthetic oil), but you only have to do them every 10k miles. Making sure the timing belt is changed at the proper interval (60k-75k miles depending on the year, and if you do the rollers and put newest belt/tensioner on it, you can go 100k b/w TB changes). I think the fuel filter and air filter need changed about every 15k miles. tdiclub.com is the #1 best place to get info on these cars. Pre-99 is the 3rd generation. 99.5-03 is the 4th gen with a rotary injection pump. 04-08? is the pump-deuse (unit injector) model, and I think starting in 09, the engine is common rail with the new bluemotion or whatever they decided to call it emission controls. The easiest ones to tune and work on yourself are probably the 4th gen 99.5-03 models or the even older ones, but I don't think the 3rd gen cars get quite as good of mileage (don't quote me on that). If set up properly, they can get close to 50mpg. Mine averages about 47mpg on the highway with no roof rack and cruising about 80mpg. With the roof rack it drops to just under 40mpg. If you take care of it, it will last forever. I haven't had many problems with electrical other than changing a switch, bulb, or fuse here and there. The driver's side door sensor doesn't work anymore (somewhat common problem), but that just means the light doesn't come on when you open the door. The brake light sensor and hazard flasher can go bad, but it's a recall for both issues and the dealer fixes it for free. Some of the little trim crap is prone to breaking, such as the arm rest cover and the cup holder, but for the awesome fuel economy and funner than a hybrid driving experience, I can deal with that crap. Wagons are better than the sedans IMO, but are less common. They handle great in the snow with 4 studded tires on them. I've never felt like I needed 4wd in the snow unless clearance was an issue.

[peterslovo]

Just did a road trip to NY, and got 680.4 miles on 13.6 gallons. Love the TDI.

[Platinum Pete]

I just saw an ad for an Audi A3 tdi. Now I know what to ask Santa for.

[ColinB]

no quattro on the A3 TDI in the states

[Flexon Phil]

no quattro on the A3 TDI in the states

or stick.

[GBB]

or stick.

Seriously? They aren't going to offer the the TDI with stick shift? Weak.

[Flexon Phil]

Seriously? They aren't going to offer the the TDI with stick shift? Weak.

Nope. So, with no stick and no quattro. Why would anyone spend 5K more for this over a Jetta TDI?