Thinking about a VW beetle (Maybe TDI) for the wife

[bigtoy]

My son is about to get his license, so we need another car. My wife commutes 50 miles a day, and We think a newer beetle would be cool. I originally was thinking a gasser, but I really would like to use a real fuel. My wife is worried about starting in the winter. There is no way to plug in while at work. I told her I bet you it starts about as good as a gasser. I just would like some opinions the TDI. Some day I would like to make biodiesel, would this unit be OK for that? How about an automatic start? I installed one on the wifes bonneville and she loves it, probably would not dare to ask her to do without one. That reminds me, this unit will have to have an auto transmission.

 

[Jefff929]

my mrs. LOVES the cold weater pack (seat heaters)

 

[Jefff929]

showed this post to the mrs. she used to live to the north of you, "don't you know. " I knew a guy who had an auto start on his truck set to start it every so often for a few min. in the winter, this would be a good thing. I know folks here that run B100 in the summer and B50 in the winter with no issues

 

[ROADWARRIOR]

I love my '05 Jetta TDI. I've only had one scare with a no start. The car had set for 2 days outside in 10 below weather. It took me about 10 minutes and a prayer to get it to fire. It hasn't been that cold since and I haven't had any other start issues ever with it, that would include below zero after sitting 8 hours at work. My dealer said there could be something wrong, but I'll have to wait until it gets cold again. Other than that one issue, this is the best car I've ever owned and 50mpg is really nice for my 80 mile a day commute.



Dan

 

[KCJackson]

If you want a new VW TDI, better hunt fast. That engine does not meet the new emissions standards and there will not be any 07 VW diesels. The Liberty drops its diesel for the same reason. In fact, the only light diesel certified to meet the new standard is the M-B 3. 0 V6 that will be used in the Grand Cherokee and Benz E-class.

 

[ROADWARRIOR]

I was told VW will have a TDI again in '08. I've also heard rumors that Dodge will be using this same engine in one of their cars also.

 

[lethal injection]

As for the starting issue you could always get one of those blueheater things. It keeps the engine at around 170 during the winter and runs off the main fuel tank. I was told it uses 12oz of fuel per hour.

 

[JHerr]

I have not had any cold-start issues with my two TDIs. Both experienced numerous mornings well-below 0-degrees. I'd even say that my TDIs actually started slightly better than my Dodges in similar conditions. I would agree with you that TDIs will start better than a gasser. Nothing moves fast at those temps... I know that I don't!

 

[KBennett]

We love ours. It's my wife's daily driver with 138K miles and she loves the heated seats and the way it handles.

The guy who had it before us was really hard on an already "lightweight" interior so I have had to fix a few things. The motor runs strong and has a much higher redline than our trucks so it feels different.



I have not run biodiesel in ours but I know quite a few that have.

 

[Sageair]

A good friend of mine had a diesel beetle. Great mileage, good power everything positive until he hit a jackrabbit. $4,657. 89 dollars worth of damage.

 

[bigtoy]

Thanks for the replies! I really wish my wife could drive a stick, it sounds like mileage and performance are a lot better. Believe me, there is going to be NO way to teach her, my last truck was a stick and I was stupid enough to think I could teach her. It's not that she couldn't do it but when she does not want to something it's better off to leave well enough alone. That's why my CTD is an auto, it seems ashame to have a vehicle that she won't drive. My Son and Daughter will learn to drive a stick, even if I have to by some old heap for them to practice on.

 

[FATCAT]

I have a TDIHeater in my 2003 Jetta, works great and cost under $100 and was easy to install ( http://www.frostheater.com/ ).

Better act wicked fast if you want a new TDI. And you better get a manual to get the great MPG.

 

[LHood]

TDI Differences

I bought one of the new TDI "PD" engines in 2003 ( a 2004 car) and the one thing notable is all of the maintenance basically has to be done at the dealer, and as such the services at 10k intervals can run into the hundreds depending on the milage. But other than that and the EGR prolem I had with mine when it first came out am very happy with mine. The only reason I am selling mine is my kids have outgrown it (no backseat legroom and only a 1 mile to work now instead of 60 each way).

 

[MMeier]

A good friend of mine had a diesel beetle. Great mileage, good power everything positive until he hit a jackrabbit. $4,657. 89 dollars worth of damage.

Musta been one helluva jackrabbit!!!!

 

[RGardner]

That is one of the problems with the NB. They are very low to the ground!

 

[EKlem]

The ground clearance does leave something to be desired. If you get one and plan on doing any of the work yourself, I suggest building your own belly pan out of something other than plastic with convenient access holes.



As far as cold weather, they seem to do quite well. Every now and then, when someone doesn't have winter fuel, they will gell up but that is a problem with any diesel. One of my friends has succesfully run B100 year round in his in new england which he says is because it has the cold weather package which he has modified.



They are very good cars. It is unfortunate to hear that you can't get a stick because they get better performance and mileage. Even with the auto, you should still be happy.

 

[PSchwering]

We all know that government fuel economy numbers can be off a bit, but the 06 TDI's list equal fuel economy in the city, & the manual gets 2 MPG better on the highway than the auto. Near is I can figure, the only difference is the auto is now a 6 speed, where the manual is still a five speed. still not nearly the difference that there used to be. P.

 

[JHerr]

I'd stay away from the older 4-spd. automatics. My parents currently have one in their '00 Golf TDI and it doesn't come close to the 45 mpg that I used to average in mixed driving with my '00 Golf TDI 5-spd. Their automatic typically gets 34 mpg.



New Beetles had the 6-speed DSG (direct shift gearbox) automatic for the last couple of years. The DSG automatic gets nearly the same fuel mileage as the manuals with the convenience of an automatic. From what you described in your post, I'd focus on that DSG transmission only.

 

[litespeed]

Do it..... Buy one.....



The older TDI platform seems to be a little more robust than the newer "PD" based engines. They are also VERY easy to work on. Buy a Vag Com scan tool and a set of timing belt tools from "MetalNerd" and you can do just about anything to the car short of a clutch change.



All the VW's (any year, any model) suffer power window problems, clogged intake manifolds (bad CCV system), breaking CCV pipes and hard timing belt changes on the newer models. But none of the problems are "that" bad and are easily fixed if you are willing to take them on.



We have an older Passat TDI (see signature). Great car, great mileage and no problems with winters. I lived in the NC mountains for a while and had no problems with cold starts down to 15 degrees. You don't even need a block heater. Only drawback is you need to actually drive the thing to warm it up (takes a while). Just running the car does no good. You can let it run for an hour at idle and it will never warm up.



Automatics are a problem in these cars. The mileage will be over 10 MPG less and they are very problematic. Get a stick. Less problems and better mileage than the automatic. We have seen as high as 50 MPG with ours (I have had a few). Plenty of power too. I embarrass gassers on a daily basis with ours.



If you can find one with low miles and an original owner that can prove service records... . Go for it!



The wrong oil and lack of maintenance can really screw up one of these engines fast. Also... ... . don't buy one if it has or has had a K&N filter in it for too many reasons to list here...



AJ

 

[Jefff929]

we average 40 in the city and 47+ on the hwy hand calculated, with an auto. I think it may be dependant on driving style too