VW, Jetta & Golf, TDI questions?

[Buffalo]

I know some of You guys out in TDR land either have or are familiar with the VW-TDI engines. I've been seeing a lot of them at the local Flying J Truckstop. Everyone i've talked to really seems to like them. Amazing fuel mileage stories, also, up to 55 mpg. on the highway. So, yesterday, I went to the dealership and took 2 Jetta's (one 5-sp. stick, and the other the 5-sp. Tiptronic auto. ) & a Golf with the 5-sp. stick, for a test drive. I was very impressed with the performance, especially the 5sp. sticks. I got on it going onto an uphill freeway enterance ramp and was doing 80 mph when I entered the freeway. I expected these things to be sluggish, with only 100HP, but they had really good power. Do any of You guys know if these cars are good or are they prone to problems. Also, they have a new injector system called "Pumpe Duse" which boasts more HP and torque. Anyone familiar with the quality and durability of the Tiptronic Auto? These cars seemed to drive nicely, sat comfortably and generally seemed like a fun car to drive. Great mileage, also. I'd really appreciate your thoughts and recommendations. Thank You. Joe.

 

[HoleshotHolset]

I'd get a 5-speed if I were you.



The automatic/Tiptronic torque converters are way too loose for diesels... which will equate to poor mileage and sluggish performance. KermaTDI is working on a custom torque convertor through DTT, but that's money you'd probably rather not spend on a brand new car.



The MAF sensors are prone to failure - but you can get a Pierburg MAF for $90 and probably never have to replace it. I'd also recommend at least turning down the EGR adaptation with what's known as "VAG-COM". The EGR will eventually cause the intake manifold to clog up with sludge and you'll suffer big time performance loss.



Other than those things... the cars are really reliable. The only reason mine is for sale is because I don't need it anymore.



The Pump Deuse is a different style of injection...completely different than the pump-nozzle arangement. They respond REALLY well to modifications and they make more power with less noise than the 90hp (ALH) TDI's. In the Pump Deuse engines - each injector is driven by the engine camshaft... so they don't have an injection pump... each injector basically creates the needed pressure for injection within itself. The injection process occurs under higher pressure and is more precisely controlled... leading to reduced emissions, less noise, and more power. The only downside is that it's more complex and costs more if something breaks.



I love my VW TDI and hate to see it go... but I need to reduce the stable down to 2 vehicles... 3 is too many. I can only drive one at a time.



Let me know if you have any more questions... . if I don't know the answer... I know people who will.



Matt

 

[Rman]

I have a 2001 New Beetle, i have mixed feelings about it. It runs ok, has it's design flaws but they are workable. It has moderate power and can be enhanced to be very good. The interior is very undesireable, albeit it's only a 18k car and believe me they cut some serious corners to get there



The interior of mine is completely falling apart, cheap and poorly designed. I can't speak for jettas or passat's, i would sure hope they are assembled better than this thing. I bought it as a cheap commuter car that we rack up many miles on. The transimission went out at 31k and luckily VW replaced it without question.



VW service utterly stinks, read TDIclub.com for more experiences. Luckily i'm mechanical and have fixed all my minor problems and don't have to deal with the dealers much. VW had to approve the replacement of my transmission and I sure felt like it was 50/50 the whole time. Finally they gave the nod and 2 weeks later... . yeah 2 weeks... it was ready.



It was an automatic transmission, i hate them and never wanted it but my wife wanted it so I gave. I do not know specifics of the new trans they've developed. Mine runs fine now and after cleaning my intake (horribly dirty... . see previous stated design flaws).



All in all I'm ok with the car, I will abuse the crap out of it for another 50k and sell and never buy german again. Parts are ridiculous and their engineering practices aren't top notch like i've heard they're supposed to be. Their cars are not repair friendly and require many, MANY special tools.



I know a lot of folks that are pleased with them and like them. It gets excellent fuel mileage. If I had to do it all over again, comparing the Honda civic with the VW New Beetle, it'd be the honda EVERY time. Hell I'd take a toyota over it too.



This is just my exerience, New Beetle are lower end models... i hear the passats and jettas are nicer. I bought it used at auction and cheap... and I sure got what I paid for in my opinion.

 

[KERMA]

Originally posted by HoleshotHolset



Other than those things... the cars are really reliable. The only reason mine is for sale is because I don't need it anymore.



Matt

SAY IT ISN'T SO!!! You gonna leave the POWERPLUS injectors in there?



BTW the TC is just for the 01M 4-speed not the tip (yet).

 

[SMorneau]

I would add the metal skid plate to the list of things these cars need.



I thought about selling our Jetta but with record gasoline prices on the horizon, the possibility of a few terrorists acts creating a huge supply issues, and the fact the car will pay for itself in fuel savings at around 200,000 miles with gasoline over $2. 00/gals I just couldn't do it. If the quality is worse than my Dodges I will be dissappointed but I don't expect that to be the case. This is by far the easiest small 5 speed there is to drive. No winding it up like a blender.

 

[HoleshotHolset]

Hey Charlie: It all depends on who buys the car. If they want it returned to a somewhat OEM condition... I'd be happy to take out the PowerPlus 502's and put the OEM nozzles back in there. For what I'm asking for the car... it's a good deal.



I did my R&D on the nozzles... and honestly believe that I could have gone a lot bigger if I had a bigger turbo. Even with the OEM VNT-15 pushing way more boost than it should have... . I still had a hard time getting beyond 1250°F (pre-turbo).



I agree - the metal skid plate is a good addition to the 'must haves'. I'm careful about where I drive and what I run over with the Beetle for the most part... but that oil pan is darn close to the ground.



Matt

 

[JLEONARD]

I just bought a 99. 5 Jetta TDI for the wife and like it quite a bit. It has lots of power as already stated, and I will chip it eventually.

The car has 75 k on it and right now I'm working thru the EGR and intake manifold clog issue Matt spoke about. I already "dumped" the valve cover vent "overboard". I need to remove the manifold and check/clean as required, and also clean out the intercooler.

And yes, another vote for the steel skidplate... that will also come soon.

All in all, we like the car and performance, and the economy.

Jay

 

[GFritsch]

My wifes 98 TDI has been our second best veichle purchase. Now with 140k it still turns in 45+ mpg with her loving to drive the engine to redline before shifting. My best was almost 65mpg going to LA at a painfull 60mph(had to see waht it could do)



Only oil changes, brakes and tires to date. ---I guess I should have somekind of major service done at some point... .



When I said we should look for a new car for her to drive she gave me the evil eye. I guess she feels the same way about her Diesel as I feel about mine.

 

[HoleshotHolset]

FWIW: I own a VAG-COM (Hexcom) system, so I can provide diagnostics and neat little 'hacks' to the ECM on the TDI's like EGR adaptation, injection quantity, idle speed, etc.



If anyone needs a hand - let me know.



Matt

 

[KERMA]

Originally posted by GFritsch

Only oil changes, brakes and tires to date. ---I guess I should have somekind of major service done at some point... .

You had better change the timing belt. If you don't, the car will change it for you, taking a few valves and maybe a piston or two with it.



With those miles, new injector tips will really wake it up again.



You probably also need to clean the intake manifold. Pull the rubber hose leading into it and you may be shocked at just how plugged it is.

 

[JLEONARD]

If anyone needs a hand - let me know

Are you headed back this way anytime soon?

Jay

 

[HoleshotHolset]

I'll be back for a week at the end of April...



Matt

 

[Chris N5CWM]

I had one for about a year. Bought it used right at 60K miles. Had the dealership (VW Certified Used cars) change the timing belt. Also changed the tensioner. Installed the newest version of the belt which is an 80K mile belt (at the time, maybe longer now).

Rear brake pads wear out faster than the fronts. Brake proportioning I guess. The calipers stick in such a way that the outer pad, the one you can see thru the wheel, looks good but the inner pad is worn out. Also there is a screen in the intake air duct, right behind the headlight area, that gets clogged up with sand, bugs, cigg butts, leaves, ect. Clean it every oil change. Some take it out but it does a good job of keeping the airbox and air filter free of a lot of junk.

The intake manifold has a history of clogging up with miles, 40K and up, thanks to the EGR. There is a way to modify the EGR to slow this process down or stop it via the VAG-COM.

Also the MAF, or mass airflow sensor, seems to be a problem with these cars. If the performance is sluggish, it's probably the MAF.

I'd still have mine but the wifey wanted something bigger, ie safer. She did have a point. Her commute was 60 miles a day, 5 days a week which is why we bought the TDI Jetta in the first place. I lost the argument when she got pregnant and we found out the baby seat and back seat passenger room is nonexistent.

Bought a Chevy Trailblazer for her which is a nice truck but I wish it had a DIESEL. It gets 20 MPG at best. Our Jetta got 45+.

I'll get another one someday, just don't know when.

 

[Glen Pratt]

I have a 2003 Jetta TDI GLS wagon. I've had it since 6-18-03. In December I had a plastic clip break off the shifter cable which caused the shifter cable to come off the shifter fork on the transmission. I was on the highway and down shifted from 5th gear to 4th gear to miss some punk ass kid weaving in and out of traffic. I discovered I lost 1st, 2nd, and 5th gear when the cable came off. At the time I really didn't know what happened. I had to slow down for traffic after that, and that's when I realized I didn't have any lower gears. I had a truck bearing down on me while I'm trying to start off in 3rd gear (the lowest gear I had left). By the time I got off the highway I had smoke pouring out from under my car from my toasted clutch. Anyway I limped to work and called VW road-side assistance. They came and picked up the car and towed it to the dealer. The dealer just replaced the clip and adjusted the clutch. I went to pick up the car and they tell me that the clutch is fine, it just stinks a little. In March the clutch totally lets go. Clutch is only warrantied for 12 months/12,000 miles. I have 12,200 miles. They tell me clutch is not warranteed. They fix it as a 1 time goodwill repair and then proceed to write on my receipt "clutch disintegrated/driver error".

 

[Glen Pratt]

Continued from previous post: I've been driving for 26 years. This is my 7th manual transmission vehicle in addition to two motorcycles and never had to put a clutch in any of them. To sum up, a couple of weeks after I got my car back from the clutch replacement, VW of America calls to see if I was satisfied with my last repair visit and can she discuss it with me. I'm like sure and proceed to tell her the whole story. Also on my first visit with broken clip I told them to check the clutch as I felt it was toast. The dealership didn't even mention the clutch on the repair order. After I argued with them they just told me "Your clutch is fine, if it fails it's still under warranty". I told this all to the cust. service rep. from VW of America. I also told her I was very unhappy that they did not warranty the clutch. I ended up having to pay a rental car fee for my supposed loaner car because they didn't consider the clutch replacement a warranty repair. I also expressed my displeasure with the dealer blaming me for the clutch failure. Well yesterday the service manager from the dealer called me all p*ssed off because I vented about their service to VW. He basically was trying to get me to be thankful for them doing the right thing.

 

[Glen Pratt]

Continued from previous post: Anyway the clutch seems good so far. Just to let you know VW has been experiencing clutch failures on cars equipped with their Dual-Mass Flywheel Clutches. VW doesn't want to step up to the plate and admit there is a problem with clutches in cars with the 1. 8L, 2. 0L, and TDI engines. The only cars not experiencing clutch problems are cars equipped with the 16 valve VR6 engines. The VR6 equipped cars use a single solid flywheel clutch. Do a search on the internet for VW clutch failure and you'll see what I mean. I researched before I bought this car and all these problems were supposed to be sorted out for the 2003 model year. Sorry for the long posts and the rants, but I know with the comment written on my last repair order ("Clutch Disc Disintegrated Due to Driver Habits/Conditions) I've lost that warm and fuzzy feeling. I hope I'm not denied warranty work if I need it because of this. I really like the car. It drives nice, handes great, and gets about 45 mpg on the highway/ 37 mpg consistently around town. I'm still debating whether to keep it or not. I figure if the clutch goes again I will replace it with a high performance single flywheel clutch. A lot of companies seem to sell these for VW's. -Glen

 

[HoleshotHolset]

Glen said: "16 valve VR6 engines"



Just a clarification... the VR6 used to be a 24 valve... now it's a 30 valve.



I've had zero problems with my clutch, and mine's putting out a lot more power than stock.



Matt

 

[JMcDowell]

GREAT CAR

I had one for a year (03 5spd) and it was the best vehicle I have owned so far. No problems and saves a ton of money.

 

[Glen Pratt]

Matt, Thanks for the correction. Missed eight valves. Duhh on my part. I really like my Jetta, but have just been a little disgusted with it the last last three months. I hope this is the only problem I experience. It is a sweet little car. Thanks for letting me vent. -Glen

 

[HoleshotHolset]

No problem, Glen.



That's what we are here for - to vent ourselves and listen to others vent.



Matt