Pros and Cons to owning a VW TDI???

[sdalton]

I am thinking about buying one. I know a lot of you have bought them. What are the Good points to them and what are the Bad points to owning them. Anyone have them in an auto transmission? How are these? Milage, reliability, etc??

 

[Chipstien]

I don't own one but they get 50 MPG in the city. Gotta like that.

 

[LSMITH]

Bad things I know about: Timing belt needs to be changed at about 60K miles. It is a royal PITA, will cost you somewhere around $400 to have done. They are small, if you get hit I hope you are up to date on your prayers.



Good things that I know of: mileage is outstanding. They seem to last forever with very little in the way of repairs. Brakes and steering are excellent. Cold starting is very good. Interior is good, as is paint.



Aside from being in a small car on the highway I think it is a wininer, the good far outweighs the bad for the people I know that have them.

 

[B9Mile]

The '03 model year TDIs now have a 100k mile timing belt. Work your way through the drop down menu after selecting your model:

http://www.vw.com/SP/SchedMaint.html



Cruise around here for the rest of the info:

http://www.tdiclub.com/



Water cooled EGR can clog the intake manifold with gunky deposits. It can be easily adjusted to practically eliminate this problem by using this procedure:

http://www.tdiclub.com/TDIFAQ/TDiFAQ-7.html#j

 

[lschultz]

B9Mile has it covered pretty good. I got a NB with around 47000 and no problems. Best mpg has been 52 averages around 49-50. If I had to do it over again I would get the Jetta better mpg. For a commuter and two people the NB is fine. Read all about the TDI over on Freds TDI page.

 

[emarsh]

the jetta TDI has a 5 star crash rating with airbags AND side curtain bags as well. I have seen 3 photos of them wrecked and they hold up extremely well for a 3,000 pound car. IMHO they are well built. And I drive mine in LA traffic every week!

 

[wxman]

Cons - as mentioned, timing belt changes, and intake fouling.



Pros - up to 55+ mpg (obtained over a 3K mile trip) and peppy performance, especially with a VA box!

 

[RBachant]

wxman, did you gain any mpg with the addition of the VA box?

 

[wxman]

Originally posted by RBachant

wxman, did you gain any mpg with the addition of the VA box?

I did see a decent increase in mileage but I put the VA box on when the car was fairly new, so some of the increase may have been due to the engine breaking in. I'm really happy with the mileage and performance at any rate!



My best mileage has been a little over 57 mpg on a trip to Chicago and back.

 

[RBachant]

Then it will be easier to get the wife to agree to buy it if it will add fuel mileage. Thanks for the reply!!

 

[FATCAT]

Love it!

I tell ya, I love mine so far. Bought it on 12/01/2002 and have just under 6,000 miles on it so far.



Averaging 48+ mpg so far on winter fuel (should get more on regular summer diesel).



I just put $20 in the tank and drive all week (still take the truck one day a week to keep the cylinders lubed).



Go for one if your looking ... I like it a lot better then any of the Honda/Toyota's.

 

[robobx]

My wife got an '03 in Oct and she loves it. i really like it alot too. real comfy and comes standard with everything you could need except manual lumbar support. She drives 108 miles a day to work and back so it's already got 10,000 miles and not a problem yet. peppy little buggers too!

I wanted her to get the Jetta wagon, but she said she's not old enough to drive a wagon yet...

She is getting right about 50 mpg, 750+ miles on a tankfull.

my only complaint is that VW isn't up with the others on warrentys yet. And with the reliability of VW there is no reason not to.

 

[parcher]

STOP IT ALL OF YOU! I want one BAD but have to wait until the truck is paid for. You're killing me! I want a wagon. Wagons rule!

 

[robobx]

Originally posted by parcher

STOP IT ALL OF YOU! I want one BAD but have to wait until the truck is paid for. You're killing me! I want a wagon. Wagons rule!

ahhh, maybe by the time you're ready they'll be bringing Passats with TDIs over here againOo.

 

[FATCAT]

Come on Parcher!!!

... Be a good American and go even deeper into debt to get one ... you can't take it with you so ... SPEND IT!!!

 

[StevenWalker]

I have a 2000 Jetta TDI with 70K on it and have had no problems. At 50 mpg, I go 700 miles between fill ups. Plenty of power, good handling and comfortable. Don't let a little thing like changing a timing belt stop you. Like with any vehicle,if you can handle a wrench you can do it yourself. It isn't difficult. As to intake plugging, it can occur, but it is easy to keep it from happening. It is no different than maintaining any other diesel. Take it from someone that owns one, it's a great car.

 

[hammersley]

Do they have any plans on making AWD?

Don't you think this would be a killer in AWD?

 

[Chris N5CWM]

I bought a used 2001 Jetta GLS TDI 5 speed a few months ago for a commuter car. Gets about 45 MPG average. No problems at all. Spend some time over at www.tdiclub.com in the FAQ and reading the posts in the forums. Great site!



There are different belt and tensioner part numbers. I had the belt in mine changed and replaced with an 80K belt. The new ones come with a 100K belt.



Rear brake pads will wear faster than the fronts and it takes a special tool to "reset" the caliper which has to be rotated and pressed in at the same time. There are many threads on this topic alone over there. Also links to cheaper parts (dealer is high as usual).



65,000 miles and it runs and drives great!

 

[pdolan]

Bought mamma an '03 Jetta TDI Variant (very common car around here) and couldn't ask for much more (except the 150 HP version with a 6 speed and AWD - Euro jerks get everything!). Biggest downside is too quiet and end up going a lot faster than my license will tolerate.



Have an old Jetta TD with about 600,000 kilometers on it, and took it out to the ice races last week to test some spec street stud tires and spanked a Toyota Celica Alltrac running Blizzaks by nearly 2 secs a lap. Had to take a shot at the (very experienced) driver by commenting that I was still getting better than 40 mpg under race conditions. These things just flat haul axx.



Pat