Volkswagen TDI - Seeking Information

[MChrist]

If memory serves, the v-10 diesel was a 5 valve twin turbo motor. A real work of art from an engineering standpoint, but overly complicated. That much power and torque in a relatively small suv didn't sell well enough to make economical sense.

 

[MChrist]

Sorry, I was wrong. . it's not a 5 valve motor, it's a 5 LITRE motor... only 2 valves. Still, 300+ hp and 500+ tq in a vehicle that you can't carry anything in seems silly... and it only averages 21 mpg


I have several friends and relatives that own Honda CRVs, all new in the last year, and they all love them. Maybe worth checking out. I think they all paid between $19-$23K.

 

[rscurtis]

The Touareg must use the Daimler Mercedes Benz V6 diesel instead of the TDI four cylinder.



A $60,000 Touareg is not in my plans. The $25,000 Golf TDI or Jetta TDI appeal to me for their simplicity and economy.

Buy your wife the Honda and use the money you would have spent on the Tourareg for your TDI. Problem solved and everyone's happy.

 

[HBarlow]

Yeah, that's the plan. I've been talking with Honda dealers all week trying to negotiate a price I am willing to pay and locate the car she wants. I've been told by several that the model and color she wants is in short supply due to the Japan tsunami and flooding in another Asian country where some parts are sourced. This makes it a seller's market, unfortunately.

 

[HBarlow]

CR/Vs are indeed excellent cars. My wife bought a new one in '05 and drove it almost 80k miles through early '10 when she traded it for a Nissan Murano. She loved the CR/V when it was primarily used as a commuter car within the city of Lubbock. For driving to work, shopping, errands, and an occasional trip it was perfect. After I bought a farmhouse 50 miles away and she began commuting out here some days over a course surface chip seal highway she (and I) grew tired of the interior noise level of the CR/V.

Honda cars have always been exceptional but have always transmitted excessive road noise into the passenger compartment. The Pilot seems to be improved and also uses the sound system to mask road noise in some magic way I don't understand.

 

[Barry]

I've had 3 Jetta TDIs and 1 Passat... ... ... ... .



Loved all of them. If I stayed below 80, the Jettas would do mid 40s on the highway. If I drove over 80, they would drop down to low 40s. The TDIs will run like a bat out of a burning stump!



The ONLY complaint I had was the cost of maintainence. You must use their special oil or it voids the warranty. An oil change close to 100 bucks is ridiculous.



I traded my '06 Jetta with 48,000 miles on it straight across for a new Toyota Camry 5 speed and $20 oil changes. But it would not even come close to the performance of the TDIs.

 

[Nyoest]

Harvey we have two customers that run the VW TDI's in addition to their CTD's and they love them. They get the typical 40mpg+.



Only issue with them is we are not setup for the European software for our code reader and cannot diagnose their CEL. Those are the only two vehicles we service that require the software and cannot justify the expense. Just make sure you can get decent service and parts for a fair price.

 

[Regcabguy]

CR/Vs are indeed excellent cars. My wife bought a new one in '05 and drove it almost 80k miles through early '10 when she traded it for a Nissan Murano. She loved the CR/V when it was primarily used as a commuter car within the city of Lubbock. For driving to work, shopping, errands, and an occasional trip it was perfect. After I bought a farmhouse 50 miles away and she began commuting out here some days over a course surface chip seal highway she (and I) grew tired of the interior noise level of the CR/V.



Honda cars have always been exceptional but have always transmitted excessive road noise into the passenger compartment. The Pilot seems to be improved and also uses the sound system to mask road noise in some magic way I don't understand.

I agree on the road noise issue. We've got an '05 Pilot which indeed does transmit a fair degree of road noise into the interior. Auto transmission's aren't Honda's strong pt either. Ours is making a mild whirring noise and shudders a bit upon deceleration. The vehicle has never towed and has been dealer maintained. 64K.

 

[HBarlow]

I've had 3 Jetta TDIs and 1 Passat... ... ... ... .

Loved all of them. If I stayed below 80, the Jettas would do mid 40s on the highway. If I drove over 80, they would drop down to low 40s. The TDIs will run like a bat out of a burning stump!

The ONLY complaint I had was the cost of maintainence. You must use their special oil or it voids the warranty. An oil change close to 100 bucks is ridiculous.

I traded my '06 Jetta with 48,000 miles on it straight across for a new Toyota Camry 5 speed and $20 oil changes. But it would not even come close to the performance of the TDIs.

Barry,

Would you be interested in finding a decent used VW Golf or Jetta TDI for me?

I know you deal in trucks and trailers but you must frequent auctions where cars are sold also.

 

[Bill Stockard]

Honda cars have always been exceptional but have always transmitted excessive road noise into the passenger compartment. The Pilot seems to be improved and also uses the sound system to mask road noise in some magic way I don't understand.

Yep, that's my only complaint about my wife's Honda Odyssey Touring; however, we've driven the same comparable vehicle from Toyota and it isn't much better. I thought some of the noise came from the Michelin PAX tires, but I have de-PAXed it and there's not much difference in the road noise with regular Michelin tires. We drove a Chrysler minivan before buying the Honda. I don't remember how much road noise it had since there were so many other things about it we didn't like.



Bill

 

[Ncostello]

My mom has a 2005 Gold TDI. Red... most all options... great car!! I love driving it. It has that "German" car quality feel to it and the handling is like its on rails. It gets hybrid like MPG's and is simply fun to drive.



Since it's a 2005 it has the PD (Pumpe Duse) injection system. It's a decent system although the destructive and communist infiltrated EPA banned the car in 2006. Very very clean running... but still not clean enough to meet the needs of left wing radical, flat earth, no growth Marxists. I'm getting off subject.



The injection pump subjects the oil to extremely high shear forces. Very high. So high that normal diesel engine oil will be reduced to WD40 in no time. So to prevent the pump from locking up in short order you must use VW spec 505. 01 engine oil. I believe its a 5W-30 diesel oil. There are several companies that make it but most are only available in Europe. Motul, Elf are some examples. I believe here in the US Quaker State makes this spec oil but it's expensive and hard to find... called Euro Spec. Castrol too with SLX. There is now a new spec 506 oil that is backwards compatible supposedly but I can't remember. Mom's service center is a private business that specializes in foreign cars. They stock this type of oil so she's had good service.



Some on TDI club say Mobil Turbo Diesel Truck synthetic 5W-40 (Mobil 1 Delvac) works well (after oil analysis) but I'm not going to let her find out.



Just a thought if you get a 2005, 2006 TDI.

 

[SDozier]

My Wife has a 2003 Jeta 1. 9 TDI fine motor, juust keep the oil changed and the timing bet chaged as MFG. sugest or a bit earler, you can jet the full belt kiw with water pump and rest of the rolling stock and the antifreez on line and it is about a 6 hour job I have done it my self now twice. There is lots of info on the TDI web site also. The turbo is on hers is verabale geometry unit so exersizing the thing by running it up and holding it at around 4000RPM helps, changing the thing is a real pain but can be done, you will need lift or a pit to do it, Also the timing of the fuel pump is a bit tricky and will need a program such as the VAG- COM that I have on my lap top, it will also run the codes for you, some special tool are needed to do the timing belt, you can buy them or rent them on line. Other that a sticky anti sutter valve it has been a truble free car ane at 180. 000 miles on it, The retracting sun windo in the roof is problemmatic and we just replaced the seal and dis-armed the windo motor. But 45 to 50 MPG is the pay off, we have gotten as high as 58 MPG on a round trip.

 

[MChrist]

Yep, that's my only complaint about my wife's Honda Odyssey Touring; however, we've driven the same comparable vehicle from Toyota and it isn't much better. I thought some of the noise came from the Michelin PAX tires, but I have de-PAXed it and there's not much difference in the road noise with regular Michelin tires. We drove a Chrysler minivan before buying the Honda. I don't remember how much road noise it had since there were so many other things about it we didn't like.



Bill

Bill, we had a 2001 Honda Odyssey for 10 years, and traded it in for a new 2011 Odyssey Touring. BIG DIFFERENCE between the two!! Ours has active noise cancellation, and the way it was explained to us is that there is a microphone in the cabin, on the ceiling that picks up certain frequencies, then transfers the opposite frequency to the speakers, effectively canceling those noises. Ours also has a noise suppressing windshield that either has an extra layer of lamination, or is just thicker than non-touring.

Our 2001, while a good, dependable van, was a tin can. This one is a vault.



If Honda would put the noise canceling system in their smaller vehicles, I think it would be a smart thing to offer, and a lot of people would buy. But I'm sure Honda probably thought of that...

 

[bheiting]

It seems that most European cars have electrical problems. I believe Bosch makes components for most of them. My son had a new VW Toureg that was a beautiful vehicle but plagued with electrical problems. It was in the shop more than he drove it. Not good when you're a sales rep. My wife's nephew-in-law has driven VW diesels for the past ten years - he's also a sales rep and puts on a lot of miles. His only complaint in the past was heat in the winter (Wisconsin) . He bought a new one this past summer and the dealer could not get it to run smoothly - they bought it back. Never got the details on the problem. I wish Toyota and Honda would sell their European diesels in this country.

 

[bheiting]

As far as the Toyotas go, my daughters have both driven the Rav-4s. My youngest ones '02 has nearly 200k and no problems at all - just regular maintenance. I love the diesels too, but as long as the Chinese buy every extra available gallon of diesel we produce, the price will stay high, and makes it harder to justify the better mileage. The 4 cyl Toyota engines are all jewels as far as I know, and they're quieter than the Hondas.

 

[HBarlow]

My mom has a 2005 Gold TDI. Red... most all options... great car!! I love driving it. It has that "German" car quality feel to it and the handling is like its on rails. It gets hybrid like MPG's and is simply fun to drive.

Since it's a 2005 it has the PD (Pumpe Duse) injection system. It's a decent system although the destructive and communist infiltrated EPA banned the car in 2006. Very very clean running... but still not clean enough to meet the needs of left wing radical, flat earth, no growth Marxists. I'm getting off subject.

The injection pump subjects the oil to extremely high shear forces. Very high. So high that normal diesel engine oil will be reduced to WD40 in no time. So to prevent the pump from locking up in short order you must use VW spec 505. 01 engine oil. I believe its a 5W-30 diesel oil. There are several companies that make it but most are only available in Europe. Motul, Elf are some examples. I believe here in the US Quaker State makes this spec oil but it's expensive and hard to find... called Euro Spec. Castrol too with SLX. There is now a new spec 506 oil that is backwards compatible supposedly but I can't remember. Mom's service center is a private business that specializes in foreign cars. They stock this type of oil so she's had good service.

Some on TDI club say Mobil Turbo Diesel Truck synthetic 5W-40 (Mobil 1 Delvac) works well (after oil analysis) but I'm not going to let her find out.

Just a thought if you get a 2005, 2006 TDI.

Thanks, Nick. That's exactly the kind of information I need.

 

[HBarlow]

My Wife has a 2003 Jeta 1. 9 TDI fine motor, juust keep the oil changed and the timing bet chaged as MFG. sugest or a bit earler, you can jet the full belt kiw with water pump and rest of the rolling stock and the antifreez on line and it is about a 6 hour job I have done it my self now twice. There is lots of info on the TDI web site also. The turbo is on hers is verabale geometry unit so exersizing the thing by running it up and holding it at around 4000RPM helps, changing the thing is a real pain but can be done, you will need lift or a pit to do it, Also the timing of the fuel pump is a bit tricky and will need a program such as the VAG- COM that I have on my lap top, it will also run the codes for you, some special tool are needed to do the timing belt, you can buy them or rent them on line. Other that a sticky anti sutter valve it has been a truble free car ane at 180. 000 miles on it, The retracting sun windo in the roof is problemmatic and we just replaced the seal and dis-armed the windo motor. But 45 to 50 MPG is the pay off, we have gotten as high as 58 MPG on a round trip.

That is also good information. I'd love to find a 2003 or 2004, apparently the simple ones, but those I've seen on craigslist and ebay all have 180k to 200k+ miles on them and many have been bought at auctions with limited or no maintenance history available.

 

[rscurtis]

Keep in mind also that VW's of that era had some QC issues not related to the engine.

 

[HBarlow]

I'm getting discouraged.

I guess it doesn't really matter anyway. My wife bought a 2012 Honda Pilot last week so I can't afford a VW TDI now.

 

[Bill Stockard]

Bill, we had a 2001 Honda Odyssey for 10 years, and traded it in for a new 2011 Odyssey Touring. BIG DIFFERENCE between the two!! Ours has active noise cancellation, and the way it was explained to us is that there is a microphone in the cabin, on the ceiling that picks up certain frequencies, then transfers the opposite frequency to the speakers, effectively canceling those noises. Ours also has a noise suppressing windshield that either has an extra layer of lamination, or is just thicker than non-touring.

Our 2001, while a good, dependable van, was a tin can. This one is a vault.



If Honda would put the noise canceling system in their smaller vehicles, I think it would be a smart thing to offer, and a lot of people would buy. But I'm sure Honda probably thought of that...

I guess we'll have to drive one. We've been put off by the new body style of the Odys and haven't looked at them. Also we'd take a beating on depreciation since my wife has put less than 30K miles on her '06.



Bill