Diesel VW Jetta

[SteveMiller]

Ok so my fiance is looking at the VW Jettas with the 1. 9 liter diesel engine. I'm all for this as its diesel, got a turbo, and it gets like 50mpg. My problem is I don't know anything about those engines. I was looking for any imput you guys might have.



Life expectancy, known problems, changes from year to year... Anything that might help us get a good car.



Thanks

Steve

 

[Chipstien]

Not sure about the new ones but the ole diesel Rabbits are going 400,000 +. I have heard nothing bad about the new TDI. Go for it.

 

[Forrest Nearing]

great engines... depending on mileage, you may need to clean out the EGR crud out of the intake. I'd recomend ditching the EGR system either way.



make sure the timing belt is in good shape!!!!



other than that, they're good little cars. I've got a BUNCH of buddies who are VW techs... the parts are a little pricey, but overall, they're good cars.



sometimes the motor mounts like to go out, but they're not rediculously priced.

 

[DSpencer]

Good cars. Forrest is right. EGR and crankcase ventilation back into the intake combine to cause crud to build up in the intake. Best way to clean it appears to be taking it apart.

The timing belt needs replacement around 80k. Its pretty tough to do yourself. I'll try it when time comes..... maybe.

Get the manual if you can. The auto is not as efficient. In 2003 the hwy difference was 42auto 49manual.

Mass Air Flow sensor (MAF) can go out however they aren't very expensive to replace.

The new 2004's need a special crankcase oil that is only available at the VW store... . that was a few months ago, there may be a new supplier. The reason for the special oil is the injector pump needs it.



After all that, Mine is perfect with no issues at only 15k miles. Wife drives some stop and go traffic in her commute everyday and is averaging 43. Our one long trip with about 550lb load (people and presents) we went 533 miles on 9. 1 gallons or so. I figured the exact mileage at the time. It was 56. 4 driving around 65.

 

[JLockhart]

I have a 2001 Beetle TDI with 46K. Great car and a blast to drive. I average about 43mpg without even trying. It will do over 50 on trips easily. Service issues have been mentioned already in this thread, but I highly recommend the TDI and would never consider today's hybrid technology as an alternative.

 

[GFritsch]

We just sold our 98 Jetta TDI. This was a great car. Aside from oil changes, tires and fuel filters we did no maintenance in 150k. Sold it a couple of months ago for almost half what we paid. Had TDI's been available in CA we would have another. Ended up with an Acura for my wifes new car. Not unhappy with this car either.

 

[JHerr]

I owned two TDI-powered VWs: a '97 Jetta and a '00 Golf. My brother has a '96 Passat TDI and my parents have a '00 Golf TDI w/ automatic. Do you think that we like the TDI engine?

I really liked the '97 Jetta, LOVED the '00 Golf. My resale value on the '97 Jetta was so good that I would have been a fool not to trade up for the '00 Golf.

I echo the wisdom & knowledge shared in the prior posts on the mechanical issues. All are correct.

Don't even consider the automatic. It seems like the engine and transmission don't speak the same language. Its like the two must work through an interpreter before making decisions. In the age of computer-controlled drivetrains, I expect better than the TDI/Automatic transmission combination. (However, I have not driven the new '04 Passat TDI which has a new 2. 0 TDI available only with a new 5-speed automatic. )

Research the VW dealer carefully. I had a great dealer, but it seems that VW is dogged by dealers that do not know the meaning of customer service. I hear that a lot.

VW TDI-powered cars very efficient and are extremely flexible to drive. I wish more Americans realized that diesel-powered cars tend to be better suited to the way Americans drive. The gobs of torque from turbo diesels make them feel punchy when zipping around town, scooting around on back roads, and cruising on the highway.

By the way, my '00 TDI Golf had better fuel injection software than the '97. The Golf TDI consistantly delivered me 45-47 mpg in my two-lane, commute to work. I often saw 50+ in highway driving and a max of 56 while driving the 45 mph Blue Ridge Parkway.

 

[lschultz]

http://www.tdiclub.com/ is a site just for VW TDI. Got a 01 NB TDI with a little over 70000 on it. Just getting ready to put tires on it and will replace the rear brakes probably then too. Best mpg I have go in the NB was 54 but the Golf and Jetta get better. No problems other than a timing belt at 60000. The belts on the newer ones are good for 100000.

 

[mhenon]

Freds TDI site!

The web-site listed by lschultz, above, is the place to go. These guys are a bunch of fanatics just like we are with the Cummins.

The belt replacement is up to 100k miles on the newer VW so it depends on what year you get.

We couldn't be happier with our '03 Jetta. I got it as a repo with 9k miles. It now has 32k and is catching up to the Ram quickly.

Our Jetta gets 54+ on the hi-way cruising at 65mph. My best mileage so far was... . well I'm not going to mention it... . you wouldn't believe me..... it was incredible.

Just go to Freds web-page. This is one great little car. My wife said I have to keep it going as she will not part with it. Kinda the way I feel about my pick-up.

Oh, is it fast. . you ask. This thing flys. You could cruise all day at 90mph if you wanted. We've had ours over 100mph... it's like it was on rails.

Mike

 

[TBrown]

older VW diesels??

Anyone know where to find info or have experience with the 80's vw's? I had a 83 jetta, and my brother has a golf and a pick-up. Question is putting a turbo on them, has it been done? These motors run great, and when turning up the pump make good power, just seems a turbo would help them alot. Reason I am asking is I am starting to think about building a trike, buddies all have harleys. Was thinking a V-8, but that wouldn't be too great on gas. A small diesel would get 50mpg at least, since it is lighter than the car. Was thinking building a VW style trike, only using the diesel instead of the old pan-cake motor. Then a turbo, or maybe small twins... ... .

 

[SteveMiller]

Thanks guys!



That really helps. I feel a little better about the choice to be made now. I think we will be looking for a 2000-2001 Jetta. We'll see how it goes. The maintence is no big deal and the mileage is the big selling factor. Plus I like diesels!



Thanks again

Steve

 

[SMorneau]

Freds is a great site and you will probably recognize some usernames from this site. If you drive where there is a lot of crap lying in the roads you will want to get a metal belly pan for the Jetta. They run about $300 and install takes a few hours. The stock pan is plastic and would even slow anything down as it took out your aluminum oil pan.



I like our TDi wagon but not as much as my truck.