VW Jetta

[jeepit]

We purchased a 2006 Jetta TDI new from dealer inventory. We have 116000 miles on it. Very happy with it.
It is fun to drive has lots of torque! Didnt want to start 2 weeks ago. It sat out in -12 for 2 days. It finally did start and has never failed us.

 

[kkelley]

If you're on the original battery I'd suggest a new one.
Not to all the new to VW guys. The electrical systems in modern European cars (they all work about the same, just because the VW is cheaper doesn't mean it's not built like a Mercedes) have serious current draw when off. All of the electrical systems are interconnected with computers, not individually controlled. Even the headlight switch is something that has to be coded to the car's ECU. When the car is off, their are numerous coumputers with slight draws each to save programming information. This is why many dealers will charge over $100 to replace a battery. If it is done quickly or the car is hooked to a trickle charger via the jump-start connections you shouldn't have an issue. However sometimes the battery being disconnected can result in a loss of code and require a reflash of the computers. I know for certain that some BMW models will not start after a battery change since the chip reader for the ignition key doesn't recognise the key.
Anyways, the batteries in these cars really only last 4-6yrs average before they start losing the ability to start the car. Of course the cold winter mornings are the first signs.

 

[JCJohnson]

We have an '03 Jetta TDI with 275,000 on the clock it has been a great car. Every 100,000 miles I buy a timing belt kit for $300 and I have a friend who installs it for $250-$300. We just did the front axles, ball joints, and control arms so the front end is back to normal. We still get 42 mpg average.

 

[JosephSmith]

Very good cars, i have a 01 TDI and i love it! I use to work for volkwagen, mine has 252000 miles on it, and i dont baby it either, i get 48mpg consistantly! One thing i would recomend is getting a Manual. Eaiser to work on, because if a auto goes out your looking at 4500 dollar repair bill!! Try to stay away from the 2003s and up. they had more problems than the older ones

 

[BoeingDiesel]

I have to say I'm impressed with the daughters VW. I've driven it a few times and in retrospect I wish I would've considered getting one for myself years ago. It would have been a much better choice commuting the freeways to LAX and ONT and a heck of a lot easier on the back than my old 99'.

 

[HBarlow]

A VW TDI is a poor man's BMW but provides much better fuel economy with a small turbodiesel.

I'd like to find out how many TDR members also own TDIs. There are a surprising number that have posted recently.

 

[WCPoe]

Count me in.

A VW TDI is a poor man's BMW but provides much better fuel economy with a small turbodiesel.

I'd like to find out how many TDR members also own TDIs. There are a surprising number that have posted recently.

We're in. -----> Well I got to say this thread pushed me over the edge and we jumped on the TDi bandwagon as well. I dont think the wife was all that interested until we test drove it and she was sold.

We also opted for the 2013 Passat TDi SEL Premium with the DSG transmission and we couldn't be happier. Plenty of room front or back and that little turbo engine is absolutely amazing the way it pulls through all the gears. Looking forward to putting a lot of economical miles on it.

Oo.

 

[Simplysmn]

Yep have a 2012 Jetta Sport Wagon here also already has 13,000 on it and n June will be a year Love the Little car and get up n go it has may also be getting a second TDI soon we will see how it pan's out .

 

[seafish]

Bought a used 2005 Passat with 65k on the 2. 0 PD engine back in 2010.

Added an aluminum skid plate, smaller rims with taller tires (gained 1/2" of ground clearance), and routine maintenance only.

With the Tip transmission, it gets only 32 mpg day in and out with our up and down, curvy terrain, and that quickly jumps up to 45 mpg on the highway.

LOVE the car, and would love to buy a Jetta Wagon for myself sometime, probably the CR if I can ever afford it.

 

[HBarlow]

We're in. -----> Well I got to say this thread pushed me over the edge and we jumped on the TDi bandwagon as well. I dont think the wife was all that interested until we test drove it and she was sold.

We also opted for the 2013 Passat TDi SEL Premium with the DSG transmission and we couldn't be happier. Plenty of room front or back and that little turbo engine is absolutely amazing the way it pulls through all the gears. Looking forward to putting a lot of economical miles on it. Oo.

Congratulations. The cars sell themselves to someone who drives one, particularly people like us who are already diesel oriented and appreciate functional vehicles.

 

[HBarlow]

A visit to the Volkswagen factory in Mexico

Vast auto plant outside Puebla combines sparkling cleanliness with prolific output

by James M. Flammang

Main entrance to factory, at km. 116
on Mexico City-Puebla highway

PUEBLA, Mexico - Far more than in most parts of the world, Beetles are everywhere in Mexico. Not just the New Beetles that debuted for 1998, either, but the original rear-engine models. The reason is simple: Volkswagen continued to manufacture, and to sell, the original Beetle design long after it disappeared from the market in the United States.
Built on the outskirts of Puebla, the second largest city in Mexico, in 1965, the Volkswagen plant began to turn out cars in 1967. This year, the state´s governor attended the 40th anniversary event. So did countless employees.

At Puebla, Volkswagen turns out Bora and Jetta models - along with New Beetles.

Training comes first, to maintain quality standards

Whenever a company establishes a factory in Mexico or elsewhere in Latin America, a selection of stereotypes emerges. Analysts fret about quality control, wondering if a fresh workforce with little or no experience in factory methods can get the job done right.
A tour through Volkswagen's plant quickly dispels such concerns. In part, this is a matter of history. After all, Volkswagen has been manufacturing cars at Puebla for four decades, so they're far from newcomers to the field.

From the beginning, training has been a strong point at the Volkswagen factory, to attempt to keep quality on par with German-made VW models. On-site schools teach potential new workers to operate the 800 robots on the production floor. But workers might also learn German at some point. Conversely, German employees may learn Spanish. Portuguese and English are taught, too.

Mainly, though, Building 40 contains a training institute for mechanics. Training is similar to that offered in Germany, in that 80 percent of the instruction involves practical skills. Students come from all over Mexico, according to communications representative Janina Haidtke, and can learn to operate the 800 robots that dot the factory. Some 10 percent of the students are girls.

More than a thousand applications for training are received each year, but only 150 are admitted. Each student receive a symbolic award of 100 pesos (about 10 dollars) at the conclusion of training. A job at Volkswagen is not guaranteed, but the successful student might instead be hired at one of the many suppliers that have established themselves near Volkswagen's factory.

Officially called Volkswagen de Mexico, S. A. de C. V. , the factory sits on 300 hectares of land. Suppliers occupy the nearby FINSA Industrial Park. Volkswagen operates under the "just in time concept," which means that components must be scheduled to arrive at the assembly time when they are needed. If parts come too soon, they take up excessive space along the line. And if they're too late, the assembly line is subject to shutdown until the components catch up with assembly.

Inside the factory: starting with the Stamping hall

In the Stamping Machine Hall, which began operation in 2004, six presses are busy turning out body panels. One of the presses is fully automated, undertaking its task in six steps. The stamping presses can apply pressure as great as 7,500 tons. Though noisier than other parts of the factory, as expected considering the job being done here, the stamping area is not overpowering with sounds. That's partly because doors are installed to keep noise concentrated within the presses.

Stamping "tools" are color-coded: yellow for Bora models, blue for Beetles. Tools can be changed without the use of manual labor. Because demand for the Bora is so strong, its stampings are done on the newest (and fastest) machine. What communications manager Luis Miguel Briones calls the "old-fashioned one" delivers the same quality, but is a bit slower. In contrast, the oldest stamping press demonstrates German technology from the 1950s.

Bringing the biggest press to Puebla turned into quite a battle. Getting it across the ocean and through the Gulf of Mexico by ship was no problem. But to get the press from Veracruz, on the Gulf Coast, to Puebla, some new bridges had to be built to withstand the heavy load.
A stamping press also is used to produce spare parts for the original-style Beetles. Because the last one left the assembly line only four years ago, in 2003, spare parts will still be needed for a while.

Volkswagen assembly procedures: 30 hours, start to finish

In the Body Assembly building that turns out Bora A5 models, 700 to 800 robots engage in spot welding, laser welding, and gluing of exterior parts. Almost 60 laser robots are used, because they're considerably faster. Previous bodies were spot-welded at 5,000 points. With the laser, that total is down 50 percent.

This assembly hall is 80 percent automated. "Workers put steel into the machines, or robots," Heidtke said. "Robots guarantee a high quality. They work very fast and are practical. "

In the area where Body Assembly of Jetta A5/Golf models takes place, bodies come from the paint hall complete with doors. Then, doors are removed to ease installation of carpets, seats, and other parts. Carpets come from a French-German supplier and installed as a single piece, which weighs 120 kilograms.

An Assembly Form (dubbed a "birth certificate") is attached to the back of the car and stays with it through the process. Both left-hand-drive and right-hand-drive models are assembled here.

At one point along the line, the body and chassis are united. In a process described by Briones as a "marriage," the Bora's chassis comes up from below, in a single step. Sensors at front and rear guide the mating, and tolerances are claimed to be about 0. 1 millimeter. For other models, the body/chassis joining takes place in a series of several steps.

Doors are reattached later in the process, after interior elements have been installed. White paper is applied to the nearly-completed car for protection; it will be taken off later, at the dealership.

Near the end of the line, a computer is placed on the steering wheel, to check all electrical components. Wheels are attached, and each car gets 12 liters of fuel (gas or diesel). Four-fifths of the wheels come from the U. S. , but 20 percent are made in Mexico. All told, it takes 30 hours to assemble a typical Volkswagen at Puebla.

Every Volkswagen gets a test-drive before shipment

Every car is tested on the 3. 5-kilometer track, which contains several pavement surfaces and curves as well as straightaways. The track is used 24 hours a day. Volkswagens also get a seven-minute water test, to find any leaks.

About 80 percent of the Volkswagens built in Puebla are exported - half of them to the U. S. Some cars are shipped to Veracruz or Acapulco, where they will be loaded onto ships. Others go north by train, for a 60-hour trip to Houston or San Diego. Ships hold 6,500 cars.

Like a small city in itself, the Puebla plant has its own fire station, along with a medical center, five banks, and a travel agency. Three lakes may be seen on the premises, supplying recycled water for the fire station. More than a hundred buses provide free rides to workers who live in the Puebla area. Volkswagen even boasts the biggest restaurant in Latin America: eight separate units; preparing and serving some 14,000 meals each day.

Beetle stands tall in Volkswagen history

Not far from the plant entrance is a Beetle monument, commemorating the importance of that model to Volkswagen's history and development. Nearby is the "Memories of Tears" Hall. The last original-type Beetles rolled off the line at Puebla on July 13, 2003.

Some 3,000 units of the last edition were produced. "The history of this plant is the Bug," said Luis Miguel Briones.

In October 2007, Volkswagen celebrated the 10th anniversary of the New Beetle. To mark the 10th anniversary, a Barbie special-edition has been introduced. Another special edition, said to be "for boys," also is expected to emerge.

I stole this article from over on the TDI Club website. Credit goes to a poster there with screen name "dieseldorf. "

Thought some of you fellow TDI enthusiasts might enjoy reading it as I did.

Edit: In case some of you are unaware, the Jetta Sportwagens are all assembled in Puebla, Mexico. They apparently produce very high quality cars there like our Dodge Rams, which were also hecho en mexico.

 

[Simplysmn]

I will have to find it again but I was doing a search on craig's list other nite and ran across a Vw pick/up only made for mexico it was a diesel the guy was asking 40,000 for it and would ship it to Texas from Mexico pretty kool looking little truck but not for 40 grand

 

[kkelley]

It's called the Amarok. It's not federalized so you'd have to find some way of getting it registered. Maybe if you have family in Mexico you could just "borrow" it all the time.

 

[Simplysmn]

Yep that's it the guy said once it's in US you could reg it with no problem's not sure how they would do that but it deffently looked pretty Cool and too boot it was a VW Diesel

 

[HBarlow]

The seller is probably a scammer. I haven't seen a VW pickup since a few in the early '80s. I've never owned or tried to register a non-US spec vehicle but the VIN would probably identify it as not meeting US emissions requirement and cause a rejection when the state title application is received.

 

[Simplysmn]

Harvey I have seen several mexico only vw's that have been brought over into the States and it is fairly easy . I have seen the vw pick/up's so I know they are made . If you have your paperwork in order and know what you are doing it can be done without a lot of headaches .

 

[Flying_gage]

Darn it you guys keep posting to this thread and bringing it up to the top in the new postings. Could you please stop! Your making my mind wander!

Seriously though as stated previously our car was a lemon, (electrical issues also). Yet unlike the 1987 Hyundai Excel I owned for a very short time period that keeps me from EVER owning another Hyundai, I would consider another TDI in some form.

Maybe it is time to start looking at another one? Can someone refresh me as to what changes came after 2004 -05 to the engine? I remember something in my reading about "double pump" or the german equivalent of that. At the time, with my experience fresh in mind, it sounded expensive and troublesome. Sounds as though anecdotally that has not been the case.

What is a realistic life span, miles wise, of these engines with appropriate maintenance?

HBarlow I think that collectively, we here, have an appreciation for diesels in whatever form they come in. So many inherent advantages that are not present in the current offerings of high mileage vehicles, (Prius, Volt et al).

Surprisingly, I am in that crowd even after many a cold morning pumping that little primer on my parents '81 toyota diesel and their Mercedes 300 td wagon, (my father was not a believer in child labor practice's ).

 

[Simplysmn]

Well the best thing I can say is jump up on VW.com and look at what they have to offer or better yet go drive a jetta VW has come out with some nice car's .

 

[Flying_gage]

I used to be on some of those forums. I was just asking as I trust this community.

 

[Simplysmn]

From what I understand the newer vw's are basicly a Mini dodge on the fuel system as for expected life span al goes off how well you care for it and how you drive em I know there are several vw guy's that have well over 100,000 and going I believe the newer motor's have been proven and then some . I'll warn ya you go for a test drive you will most likly end up with 1 in your driveway