vw jetta tdi

[mouse]

Jetta sports wagon TDI... looking for feedback from anyone who drives one of these diesels--reliable? worth the price?

 

[MisterE]

Jetta sports wagon TDI... looking for feedback from anyone who drives one of these diesels--reliable? worth the price?

I had one for several years. It was a great car until it wasn´t anymore, if you know what I mean. Mine was a 2003 and did great until ut finally died with Turbo issues. Last sevice came to almost $1300, so I sold it when it started having troule again. I got it used, and it had been crashe dat some point, so that coulda had something to do with it.

After that I´d still give it a good rating...

 

[PipePuffer]

I owned a 1.8T 2001 Jetta. As for MisterE, it was a great car until it wasn't anymore. I too had problems with the turbo (among many other things) and repairs were always very costly. Over the 9.5 years I owned the car I spent over $12K in repairs. I finally ditched the mother **** after it left me stranded for the fourth time in 2 years. I used to be a VW fan, but this car cured me. Now I drive a Toyota.

But some people swear by VW's diesel engines...

 

[mouse]

Hey, thanks for the feedback! Not the kind of info one can get from the dealer, lol. If I may ask, what kind of mileage on these vehicles before the troubles set in? $12K in repair bills--yikes. Maybe I'll stick with my Toyota taco for now. The TDI is still calling to me but I want something that is reliable at least for the first 75,000 miles....

 

[MisterE]

Yes, 75,000 it´ll make it to no problem.

I did some investigation when my TDI started having trouble. I went to car boards and looked around and saw that the earliest models of the A4 series had many electrical issues. The service light would come on for no reason and nothing would be wrong etc. The glow plug sensors were also faulty and would show a failure of some sort there. The trouble was that it was the SENSOR that was the problem, not the glow plugs! :evil: What´s funny is that it was the turbo which ended up being the fatal blow- and the sensors never picked that up!! Hahaha.

I do know that the electrical issues were not unique to the TDI´s, but the whole A4 line for the first few years of production. VW solved those quickly and I think newer models are running well.

I would get a newer one, just don´t really need another car at this point.

 

[PipePuffer]

The first 65,000 miles were pretty trouble-free. Then the Turbo went out. But the more expensive repair bills started coming after 85,000 miles. Lots of problems with electronics and sensors.

A friend of mine had an Audi A4 with the same 1.8T engine, another one had a Jetta 1.8T as well and, one by one, we all went through the same issues. It became a running joke. If their turbo went out, I knew I had to start saving money because it couldn't be long before my turbo went out as well.

 

[docwatson]

I am presently driving a 2003 vw golf TDI which I bought new. It now has 177,000 miles on it and I couldn't be happier. Constantly get between 48 and 50 miles per gallon of fuel. I do maintain the vehicle and importantly replace the timing belt every 90k miles. Also most importantly have the intake manifold cleaned out at approximately 150k miles. That's not a lot of expense when you consider the mileage. As for the turbos, they are usually expected to last between 150k to 200k miles. Luckily I haven't had any problems with mine but will expect to replace it at some point in the near future. This is the most fun to drive, economical and quality built car I've had in years. Even the most recent consumer reports survey said that 93% of TDI owners would buy again, and I know I certainly will. The more recent models of TDI have more horsepower but also less mpg. There is a TDI forum that can be accessed through google if you wish more specific info. Sorry about the drivel, but I love my TDI and expect to get at least 300k miles out of it.
Doc

 

[mouse]

Thanks, guys. You've helped me make up my mind. I really appreciate it. Now all I have to do is let go of my truck, getting too old to haul stuff around like I used to, but still....

 

[JRuggiero]

Hi everyone. I'm just starting to read these forums, and seem to have found a subject I can be helpful with!

Between my wife and I, we've had around 20 VW's over the past 8 years. Mostly older ones ('80-'92ish) but plenty of new/newer ones too. I do all my own work (unless VW wants to cover it for free ). I've swapped engines a few times, even converted an '87 Jetta to diesel from gas.

Right now my wife's car is a 2010 Jetta TDI sedan. After 11k miles, I have no complaints about the engine except that fuel mileage is a bit lower than the previous diesels. This is due to increased power output, and measures VW used to lower emissions and reduce diesel "clatter" (which I love!). They do several pre-injections of fuel to increase the temperature in the cylinder so the main injection burns more completely.

Right now my primary car is a 2009 GTI, but a few cars ago was a 2003 Golf TDI. Excellent car, last year of the electro-mechanical fuel pumps. Rock solid as docwatson, with proper maintenance. Here is what my intake/EGR valve looked like at only 70k...

The problems with the turbos on the earlier 1.8t's was the use of conventional (non-synthetic) oil. The turbo is so hot when you shut the car off, that once oil stops moving whatever is left in the turbo's passages actually boils. This causes any moisture contained in the oil to "sludge" and stick. As these are bearing-less turbos that rely on the compressor shaft riding on a cushion of oil, imagine what happens when they clog up and receive insufficient oil flow!

Mister E - what happens with the check engine light and the glow plugs is this: There's no actual sensor in that circuit. The ECU does a resistance check across the harness and glow plugs, as that's the easiest way to detect a failed glow plug. The mystery light is caused by corrosion in the glow plug harness. During a resistance check it will spike over the threshold (about 12amps per plug, so 48amps) and trip the light on your dash. However, when you check the car the code is often gone or it can't identify which plugs it is. It's just a bad harness, which is about a $60 dealer part and who knows how much to have installed (I replaced mine myself). Using dielectric grease on each glow plug is strongly recommended!

Hope that's not too much typing on a first post... I run a local Volkswagen forum and have been elbows deep MANY times. Also, I smoke a pipe!

 

[Cobra]

Some of the problems concerning turbos could be due to lack of maintenance. It is crucial to change oil frequently, turbos are no place to try and extend your oil change interval. Keep the oil fresh and turbos last for a very long time, been there.