VW Gurus...........Help

[Barry]

I am going to buy a VW Jetta(prefer wagon) TDI for a tow/chase car for motorhomes. One of my drivers wants my Saturn.



My question is which year model do I want? I just found out that our Manheim Auction here has the VW Factory and Credit accounts. When I delivered some motorhomes up there today I saw hundreds of VWs so finding what I want should not be a problem. Sooooo, do I want a 99, 00, 01,02,03?????????? Whatever I get it has to be a 5 speed so it can be towed.



Thanx for the help... ... ... ... ..... Barry

 

[HoleshotHolset]

I never did find out if the 5-speed could be towed... ... but it looks like you found out a definitive answer.



It's pretty easy to spot an "A4" TDI... . mostly any Jetta, etc. with the new body style (`99+) will be an A4... . not that there's any reason to dislike the older body style... and non "ALH" TDI.



I'd actually prefer to find an "A3" TDI - they come with a virtually defect free Pierburg Mass AirFlow sensor (MAF). They also have a non-VNT turbo - with a more friendly to upgrade exhaust manifold. The chips for the A3's are a lot cheaper too... . and the (8-pin) ECM doesn't freak out 1/2 as much as the A4 ECM's when you start to modify 'em.



I also think they are a lot less cluttered under the hood than A4 TDI's... .



If you just have to have power windows - they can be very problematic on the A4 cars..... FWIW: I haven't had any problems with my '98 New Beetle.....



You can find relatively low mile (80k... ) '98/'99 New Beetle TDI's DIRT CHEAP ($5000 at auctions... ) if you look hard... .



It all comes down to how much you're willing to spend... . which equates to how old/new a car you will end up with.



If you're out walking around at the auction - everything except the New Beetles will be marked with 'TDI' badges... . provided nobody took their badges off... .



Feel free to email me if you want more info... .



Matt

 

[Barry]

Just got the auction run list for next week. There are about 6 Jetta TDIs in the bunch. There is a white 2000 with 105K and a 5 speed. If this little hum n gator is not run to death, should I be afraid of this unit?

 

[HoleshotHolset]

Nope, not at all.



I bought mine with 91k on the clock... and it's a '98.



I drove it until 124k - then I did the timing belt. I waited a little too long. It's an expensive day when that sucker lets loose.



I would HIGHLY recommend that you make replacing the timing belt a priority after you get the car.



At that mileage, you should also replace the water pump... it's driven by the timing belt... .



With 105k on the clock - that one should be nice and cheap.



Hope this helps...



Matt

 

[Barry]

It's gonna have to be cheap or I will buy one of the ones that has lower miles. I think $5K should kill it dead! How long will the TDI engines last if you take care of them??

 

[midwestdually]

sweet... i was just discussing this with the woman the other nite.

 

[HoleshotHolset]

I don't know of any confirmable #'s, but I imagine they'll go at least 250k without a hitch.



I plan on beating the snot out of mine until the wheels fall off.



~130k and counting.



Matt

 

[lschultz]

You probably know about Freds TDI site http://www.tdiclub.com/

there should not be any reason to by those year models but I would get the later models cause thats when they put on a better timing belt and extended the time to change it. I just had a timing belt done on mine and they put on a 80000 mile belt. On the newer ones they have increased that to 100000. But dieselgeek told me the 80000-100000 belt is the same belt they just increased the miles.

 

[HoleshotHolset]

The timing belt replacement guidelines are about as vague and rediculous as American politics.



Unless you have definitive proof that the belt was recently changed by a professional... any car with 60k+ miles should have the belt swapped out.



VW dealerships also don't usually set the timing properly - they have been known to slap it together and call it 'close enough'.



Matt

 

[JHerr]

I had a '97 Jetta TDI and drove it for 45K. Resale was so good that it made more economic sense to trade up to a 2000 Golf TDI than keep the '97. (I did a lot of research and the upgrade was not fueled by new car desire. )

I liked my '97 Jetta a lot, but LOVED my 2000 Golf. The Golf was so solid, quieter, smoother, and just generally better. I used to call it "my little Mercedes" because the interior reeked of quality. It drove so well. The Golf felt like an extension of my hand. Long story short, I'd still have it if I didn't have an experience which ended with a crash, a loud explosion in my face and the smell of gunpowder in the car...

The biggest difference between the '97 and the '00 was the electronic fuel injection. The '97 had some minor fueling glitches. It would develop a loping or surging action when slowly negotiating around a parking lot with a cold engine and light throttle input. It would increase in severity and the only remedy was to push in the clutch. It also was nearly impossible to blip the throttle to match revs on a downshift.

The '00 was absolutely seamless.

Southeastern PA is TDI mecca. There are tons of them here. I know too many TDI drivers to list, but here are a few. My brother has a '96 Passat TDI and it has the same fueling glitch. My parents just bought a '00 Golf TDI Automatic (against my recommendation on the auto). Theirs drives much like mine did, except with the automatic sluggishness.

If I were you, I'd opt for the newer, A4 body style. If I bought another, I'd go for the A4 Golf 5-spd. I got 2-3 mpg better fuel economy with the '00. I would average 44-45 mpg, commuting and about 52 mpg on the highway. The best that I saw was on the Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive, almost 57 mpg!

If you want to get depressed about all the neat diesels that Europeans can get, pick up an issue of the British magazine, CAR. They get all of the neat stuff. Well at least we Americans have our Cummins-powered Rams.

 

[HoleshotHolset]

"I liked my '97 Jetta a lot, but LOVED my 2000 Golf. "



The A4's were a ground-up change from the A3's... . most noticeable is the amount of vibration/noise in the interior... the A4's have next to none. It's sort of like comparing a 1st Gen to a 2nd Gen - both are very good, but the newer model is more refined.



The biggest difference between the '97 and the '00 was the electronic fuel injection.



Both your '97 and your '00 Golf had pretty much the same electronic injection system. The ECM's on the older TDI's are a lot less complex... . but the net result was pretty much the same thing. At least the A4 TDI's never had that silly cold-start injector in the downpipe to heat up the 'cat. The A3's have a Pierburg MAF sensor that hardly ever fails - the A4's have a Bosch MAF that is very failure prone. Luckily there is a Pierburg MAF that is darn near a bolt-in affair... . for about $150 less than an OEM A4 MAF sensor.



The loping/surging could probably have been very easily solved with a VERY quick adjustment to the 'injection quantity' at idle using VAG-COM. My car (1998 New Beetle - A4) does the same thing..... but I've modified mine to the point where I can't adjust the 'injection quantity' to get a decent idle out of it. It's going to take some tweaking to get mine right. :-laf



The automatics aren't as bad as people are making them out to be. Yeah, they feel sloshy - but any turbo diesel is like that when it has a loose converter between it and the transmission. The automatics are standing up to a lot of abuse with the modified TDI's out there... . much better than the OEM clutches in the 5-speed cars. Then again - the 5-speed cars don't automatically de-fuel on the shifts... .



The automatic transmission cars have a bigger plunger in the injection pump... and a nifty little fuel cooler under the passenger side floor sheetmetal. The bigger plunger was installed on these cars so that they could meet emissions. It was assumed that with a slightly higher injection pressure (with help from smaller injectors than the 5-speed cars... ) - you could inject the same amount of fuel in a reduced 'time window' and get a cleaner burn. Naturally - the owners of 5-speed cars seek out these pumps... . or just swap in the bigger plunger into their current pumps.



Matt

 

[JHerr]

Yes, the A3 & A4 are completely different vehicles. My opinion on the differences between the two cars was a "seat of the pants" observation.

In driving the cars, my '00 Golf felt more responsive to my inputs. The '97 seemed to be taking orders through a bureaucratic system. Not true of course, but that's what it felt like.

 

[LightmanE300]

a4 tdi's get better mileage, are faster, and have a nicer interior. The MAF sensor isn't a big deal, it's under warranty, and once thats over you can buy a pierburg replacement for $100. I sold my 2002 Jetta TDI to get my Cummins But I sure miss the mileage of that thing. It was really comfortable, handled well, and got 48-50mpg every time. I had 60k miles on mine, one maf sensor, no other problems.

 

[doodad]

The older style belts(60,000) can be upgraded to the new style belt 100,000 by changing to the new style tensioner also.

 

[rholcom2]

Is there any merit to people telling me that these cars "burn out" injectors? Or is that just the hear say in the mix.



Seems every time that I say that "I would love to have a VW Jetta with a diesel in it", people are like, yea, but dont they go through alot of injectors.





Also, how much do these timing belts cost, well, I guess how much does it normally cost (ball park) to have a VW mechanic to do this bit of maintainance??

 

[lschultz]

Sounds like somebody talking that does not know anything about the TDI. From what I have read they do not go through them any faster than any other diesel engine. There are some that change there injectors out to a larger one maybe thats what they were talking about. I think if you have a timing belt changed at the dealer your looking at around 600+. I just had mine changed on the NB and it cost me 435. 00 but that was with me supplying the parts I got from dieselgeek.

 

[HoleshotHolset]

$435 isn't all that bad to have them swap out the belt/tensioner. I want to say that the job is flat-rated for about 5-6 hours... . ?



I just hope they set the timing right... .



The TDI's do not burn out injectors, that is complete BS. They don't even eat glow plugs.....



Matt

 

[Rescue Ram]

A3 vs. A4

Evening,

I came across this post pretty late in the game, but figured I would throw in my opinion anyway. The differences between the two platforms have been covered pretty well, so I will just relate my experience. I had a 98 A3 Jetta TDI 5sp. It ran for 195,000 miles, and suffered only one major failure... A failed injection pump at 49k which was later attributed to bad fuel purchased in rural Colorado. It was totaled in 7-02 by a green 16 y/o driver. I currently have an '01 A4 TDI auto with 22k on it. Of the two, I perfered the '98. It had fewer electronics, more power, and got better mileage (52 mpg combined vs 45mpg combined). I relate it to the auto transmission. Also, the auto feels like it is slipping consantly, althogh every tech that has seen it says it is normal. With the '01, I have had a few different electrical problems, especialy with the power windows. Both have had VW specified maintnance. If it were up to me, I would opt for an A3 car over an A4. MHO.

Merry Christmas

Brian Z.

 

[KERMA]

About the auto...



DTT is working on a prototype TC for me. Should help the looseness a lot.



The really fun part of the TDI is they respond to mods in a very satisfying way. Chip is good for a nice WOW factor.



The injectors last like any other diesel injectors. Nice thing is that after they wear out all you have to do is replace the tips to make em good as new and its inexpensive and easy to do.

 

[HoleshotHolset]

Charlie:



What else are you going to do to the transaxle?

Are you going to add a bigger oil cooler as well?

How about line pressures, etc?



It would be good to take a little 'stall' out of the converters... they're horribly sloppy.



I saw the loose TC as being a 'fuse' in the VW autos... . the single reason why nobody has ever really thrashed one.....



I commend you for helping to advance TDI performance. I do what I can as well... .



Send me some bigger nozzles - I've outgrown the 502's.



Matt