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(Correct me if I am wrong. If I am incorrect, then rerun the correct figures)
I do not really know what a Toyota Corolla gets in reality, but here is what I have side by side.
(80/20 freeway/city: 35-1.5 hr, 25 mile x2=50 mile R/T daily commute)
EPA 29/38, 2004 Honda Civic, range 37-41 commute 37.
EPA 42/49, 2003 VW Jetta TDI, range 44-62 commute 50
While I indeed like the Honda Civic, for the commute you mention my OVERWHELMING preference would be for the TDI. You can of course get more like 62 mpg in your commute. Watching paint dry is adrenaline pumping activity compared to trying to get 60-65 mpg and up. BUT that is purely knowing ME. The fact is you can not GET 60-65 in the Honda Civic, where you CAN get it in the TDI.
1. you BE against a 1.8T almost immediately
2. You BE against a 2.0 in app 1 year
3. You BE against a Honda Civic (12600 vs TDI 18,000)
in 5.3 years.
I think I will be getting FSI 2.0T 143kw engine instead of diesel because the TDI only comes with 103kw and I feel it is not enough power to get it going especially if I am buying the estate wagon.
But TDI still in my mind because of longer km to travel per tank and since it is less power it is cheaper too compare to 2.0T FSI.
I am disappointed with VW Australia they are not bringing 125kw TDI and some of the features not as much as I expected.
Maybe getting Accord Euro (Accura TSX) instead, because leather, power front seats, sunroof, xenon and fog light already standard and cheaper AUS$4000 compare to 2.0T.
What do you think?
Thanks.
Iwan
My '00 TDI with 130k miles currently books for about $4,000 more than a somewhat similar Corolla.
The essential issue seems to be buy two @ 16,000 per or 32,000 vs one at 24,000. And is it reasonable to project one will go in effect a min of twice as long.
Let's see, if I might say, your mileage can be considered EXTREME. Another way to look at it is at the 7 year mark do you anticipate still having the requirement for the 50k plus per year? Again if so and having one car to do it, I would still chose the TDI.
So for example, we have a requirement for a 18k commute plus 28k for a 46k per year. The only reason we got the Civic was the wife was tired of (wanted auto) shifting, but still wanted good mpg, or as best as possible. My goal and time horizon was and still is 500k -1M for the TDI. So I guess the real question is what is the time/mileage horizon for the Toyota Corolla for you? (for the Civic it is 250,000 plus)
Chevrolet S-10 50,000 (new engine, 2 transmissions)
Saturn sw2 60,000 (very uncomforatble for 6'2")
Pontiac Sunfire 175,000 ( no problems, wanted something new, bad decision)
Ford Focus ZX3 60,000 ( gave to daughter on 16th B-day)
Ford Ranger 75,000 ( traded for F150 when I discontinued daily commute)
4,000 mile oil/filter change interval, for automatics I complied with all service recommedations.
If I thought I could find another Pontiac that would give me the service that I got out of the last one, I would but feel that the previous one was an exception.
tia,
mp
hope this helps. interested if anyone else has seen this problem
Thanks for the tip and welcome to the forum...
You can put your concerns to rest... the VW engines are DESIGNED to run on ELSD in Europe. Your VW will run BETTER when fed with the fuel it is desinged for. (less emmissions, less smoking, less intake-plugging....etc) In fact, a lot of the problems that folks have with TDIs in USA are linked to the exxcessive sulfer in our cr@ppy fuel.
I have NEVER EVEN HEARD about concerns with "seals" (whatever that means). I am curious, what kind of "seals" are you talking about? How can the LACK of unwanted sulfer affect anything? (except in a positive way)
As for lubricity, I ALWAYS add 6oz of diesel additive at evey fillup. Not only does additive improve the lubricity, it also adds the all-important CETANE which noticibly improves MPG and quiets the engine. If you are worried about lubricity, just put in some additive. You will be rewarded with a better-running engine.
Particular issues; how do I determine how much of the engine can be salvaged? Use dealer or regular repair shop? Buy engine myself or let mechanic buy? What kind of warranty can I expect?
You really need to do some research on this. Installing another engine *may* be more cost effective given all the labor of rebuilding the engine might entail.
Here is a link to a place that sells TDI ENGINES
OK--- now PLEASE tell us why the timing belt would break at such a low milage.
VWA is not giving me warm and fuzzies either.
OK, what I need a reality check on...dealer is asking $3400 to replace the head. I presume (deadly word - need to ask) that his includes belt, tensioner, stretch bolts and the rest. In the ball-park? OBTW - they said nothing about warranting the work. Another item to ask about.
I wanted to get rid of my wife's Lexus LS400 until we found a competent independant shop. Most foriegn dealerships are a giant RIP-OFF!!!
I wanted to get rid of my wife's Lexus LS400 until we found a competent independant shop. Most foriegn dealerships are a giant RIP-OFF!!!"
I agree, I take both of my TDIs to an independent auto repair shop that not only specializes in German auto (hence their name...German Concepts) but also makes sure that they have a mechanic on staff at all time that is specifically trained to deal with automotive diesels (pretty much just MB and VW). I feel really comfortable with them, and the ONLY thing they do not do on my VWs is warranty work (which unfortunately has to be done at the dealer).
I contacted my dealer and asked 3 questions: 1. What brand & weight of synthetic oil is used for an oil change to my '05 Passat TDi; 2. Why does the window sticker always 'remind' me to come back in 3,000 miles; and 3. Why did you decide last oil change to install an MOA oil additive ( Ihave had a TDi since '02, and had never seen this before)?
I talked with service advisor #1 who was basically unknowledgeable. She told me she had "no idea what brand of oil they used, but was certain it was correct". As for the window sticker, the guys who change the oil work "on auto-pilot" and since most cars require a return between 3K and 5K miles, they just write that down without regard for the unique 10k interval of the TDi. As for the MOA additive, she did not know why that was installed, but doubted it would hurt anything. I thanked her for the info, and asked for the name of the service manager (and left him a message for a call back).
Before I go on with the rest of the story, let me share my position on a few things. 1. I expected a better answer on the oil brand issue, especially since the VW oil spec is so specific and there are few oils that meet all of the conditions. 2. Mistakes happen, so I expect the person who just installed synthetic oil in my car to know that they won't need to see me again for 10K. The whole 3K sticker thing raises concern that perhaps they mistakenly put dino-oil in my TDi, and that engine damage could occur. It is a confidence issue to me (did they do it right??). 3. The manual is crystal clear - use of oil additives is not recommended and may void the engine warranty. I have read many horror stories about oil usage in the 1.8T and the difficulty people encountered with warranty work for sludge issues. Oil intervals in the manual were used by some dealers to not perform warranty work. Therefore, it annoys me that they would ignore part of the manual and take it upon themselves to put in an additive that is not required or recommended (and is in fact mentioned as a warranty voider).
The service manager did not call me back, but passed me onto service advisor #2. On the oil brand question, he also did not know. He told me that the service tech goes into parts, and they "set the dials on the oil dispenser" and that the parts guys know exactly what is called for by VW and are certainly setting things correctly. I asked for the brand again, and he said "it is VW pumpadiesel", a special oil sent to them by VW. I verified this with him, and asked for the spelling (listed above). On the sticker question, he also mentioned "auto-pilot" as the reason, and told me to just make sure I know when it is due again (the confidence issue did not seems to make any point with him). And on the additive, he told me that was one service advisor who used to work for Ford, and they used that in their oil changes for diesel trucks. Not exactly confidence building...
So, I spoke with a parts guy to find out how the "dials are set". Finally someone who knew the TDi!! He told me that the synthetic oil is not in barrels, but is in containers and is Castrol 5w-40 and meets VW spec. 505.xx (I was writing and missed the ending #). My confidence was slightly restored. I asked about the additive, and he said that it was sort of a renegade service advisor who was putting this into cars on his own initiative. At least it was included in the price of the oil change - $52.95. I avoided the sticker question with him.
3 days later, I get a letter from the dealer and think it may be a follow-up. Instead it informs me that the dealer (a very large multi-brand dealer) is dropping the VW line at the end of April. They say they "they will be able to continue service of your VW vehicle" at the Ford facility (oh no), but if I have warranty work I will need to go to an "authorized VW dealership". I have already found a small local dealer (they only work on northern european cars, especially VW and Audi) and plan to become a customer of theirs.
Sorry for the long entry. To me, this proves that the service people, despite all of the training and flashy plaques on the walls of their cubicles, need to better understand how to meet the needs of the TDi crowd. It is the dealers of VW that are driving the brand to submission.
100% agree with that. While I may put-up with some nonsense just because I love the TDI, there's no reason someone else would. And I'd never put up with it for a gas powered VW. The cars themselves really aren't that bad, but many of the dealers are as accomodating as the mafia.
..."DESCRIPTION: Flow-Master allows diesel engine operation with No. 2 diesel fuel in subzero weather without the problems caused by fuel gelling."...
At best it has a 1 qt treats 250 gal ratio (32 oz/128 oz per gal) or 1 to 1000 dilution ratio @ 6 per qt.
For further 411 you might want to check the Primrose web site. Here it is if it is not disallowed.
http://www.primrose.com/Pcatagories/fueltreat.htm
i don't use stanadyne - instead i use powerservice "white bottle".
with the jetta i noticed that it ran smoother and with less smoke at startup if the conditioner was in there. but maybe that was the placebo effect. less smoke is actually a disadvantage for me since i tend to use "sooties" to keep the tailgators away.
:mad:
http://users.adelphia.net/~peebsrus/3093Stanadyne.pdf
BTW: You ask if it would "make any difference" The answer is an unequivial YES!! The use of an antigell is MANDITORY in the winter for any Diesel engine.
In the summer, it is a good idea to use a fuel additive too. (not for antigell) If you can boost the cetane about 5 points, you WILL notice a differnece. (quiter engine, better MPG and less smoking) Given that the fuel-pump is about $1000 part... the additive provides all-important lubrication to the fuel which helps protect that expensive part.
Personally, I use the "Power Service" additive available at Wallmart. (Grey bottle in summer and white bottle in winter.) I add about 6oz at EVERY fillup.
as for additive being "mandatory" in winter, i think that is way wrong. it's not mandatory at all, and i know everything about everything!
like i said, i find it using powerservice winter formula to be nice when the temps are 10F or below. am i doing long term damage to the engine by not using additives above 10F? i doubt it but probably will never know - i've never kept a car beyond 100k miles. maybe i'll keep this passat TDI for longer than that though.
on the downside, now that temps have gone above 50F , the dreaded passat TDI "shudder/hesitation" has returned sometimes. i guess i'll avoid it by running in a lower gear. also i have such a heavy foot , that avoids the shudder - except when i do lift-throttle after reaching whatever cruising speed, 60 or 80 mph depending on traffic.
If an antigell was not added, the diesel fuel would most certanly plug up your fuel filter and starve the engine of fuel.
The downside is that antigell is most often just kerosene. The use of kerosene in diesel fuel has several drawbacks. Some of them are;
*) Less lubrication to the expensive fuelpump
*) Lower cetane (less BTUs available in the fuel)
Using an additive DESIGNED for diesel fuel contains components that do not have these negitive factors on your engine.
I still plan to go with the local independent mechanic for routine maint., and will use the dealer for warranty work only. Plus, i am waiting to see if a new dealership opens in Concord or if another dealership nearby accepts the VW brand.
I have no idea where it broke/dislodged from and was hoping someone could help me locate a diagram for the serpentine belt. That way I could tell if the point where this pulley was mounted also needs to be fixed/replaced.
Also, any advice on how to re-install this component would be greatly appreciated (and/or if I should petition my local VW dealership to do the work gratis). I have ~105k miles on the car.
Not sure if I can safely drive the car at this point either. A one way drive to the dealership would be about 30 miles.
Thanks
Deaner
Odds are that it is your belt tensioner pulley. It's fairly common for the springs in belt tensioners to break. Depending on how the spring breaks, the pulley can start bouncing against the belt and things won't last long that way. When I do a timing belt at 100K miles, I also replace the serpentine belt, the idler pulley, and the tensioner pulley.
I really suggest that same logic on doing the timing belt as it also has a tensioner pulley, any idler pulleys, plus the water pump. Its just so much work to go taking all that stuff apart that I want to be sure that all of it will last another 100K miles. Unlike the serpentine belt where a component failure leaves you stranded, a component failure on your timing belt train will leave you a ruined engine (all diesel engines are interferance engines).
As far as driving 30 miles to a dealer without a serpentine belt. Obviously you won't have any power steering, AC, or a generator (all of which you could probably do without if you battery is fully charged). I would be concerned about the loose belt getting caught in something and would probably feel better completely removing it (I guess the only pulley that will be turning without a tensioner is the crankshft pulley). Good luck.
Did some investigation with some (alot) of assistance and the pulley directly attached to the alternator was broke. So, the alternator has been pulled. I couldn't see how the new pulley could be pressed on when we had such a difficult time getting the rest of the collar off.
Off to the dealership to get the parts tomorrow....
Thanks for the advice.
Deaner
If it is any consolation, yours is not the first tensionor-pully that has failed.
Since the waterpump is driven from the TIMING belt (not serp. belt) It *may* be possilbe to drive a short distance.... just keep in mind that ALL of your electronics are being powered by the BATTERY... once the battery is depleated, it will quit running because the fuel-pump will stop pumping.
The main things driven from the serp. belt are;
alternator
AC compressor
Power Steering pump