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Volkswagen TDI Models

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  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    So you don't have to do the chip AND the box then? I know about the 'swiss cheese box' trick, I have talked to several TDI owners about that one... :) I would prefer that one, because the dealer doesn't have to know anything about it.. :)
  • sebring95sebring95 Member Posts: 3,241
    I've come to realize there are more things you can do to these cars than I care to find out:)

    I'm not sure what you're referring to by "swiss cheese box". New one on me, guessing something with the intake?

    All I've done is thrown on an amsoil filter (mainly just for easy maintenance) and plugged the VASB box in. It can be velcro'd to the air box or inside the battery box. I could have it gone within five minutes, not that I have any warranty left anyway, LOL! I just wanted simple power and that's what the VASB is good for.

    I actually bought my VASB used from a member at a certain tdiclub website. $300 shipped to me. I've seen them on there rather often but you have to be fast to get one at a discount. Granted I only saved maybe $60 over a new one but at least I know I can get my money back someday if I want.

    Seems a lot of folks buy the boxes, then when they start modding other things they spring for the full-blown chips which I believe will work better in conjunction with some of the more involved mods.
  • deuskiddeuskid Member Posts: 20
    OK, I'll bite... how do I find out 'bout it? Does it involve eating worms or secret hand shakes? I've more than a passing interest to learn more. If you need to tell me outside this venue I'll give you my email address.

    thx,
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    Just add the '.com' to what you have already and you're in.. :)

    Very informative site.
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    Drilled airbox, I think. Or else a tuning box. I know that's not new to you. :)
  • spiritualquestspiritualquest Member Posts: 26
    I heard that there is an inexpensive luggage rack that is available for my 2001 NB TDI. I have lost the link for one. Could someone tell me what is best, the one with bars on top, or the one that hooks to the trunk. Which carries the most, and has the less drag?

    Blessings,
    Ed
  • ddramddram Member Posts: 3
    Hi

    I am looking for a cargo rack as well... I saw one that had some wood details as well... anyone know where I could get one of these??

    By the way - after a lot of searching - I found a dealer that contacted his local VW rep to find the car I wanted... a NB TDI GLS Black on Black leather with 5 speed - The dealer said I probably will not get it till May or June. California dealers have been marking these cars up by $500 to $2000 because of the increased popularity/gas prices. But, I found one that will sell it to me for less than msrp! Can't wait!

    thx
  • deuskiddeuskid Member Posts: 20
    I am probably going to groan at my ignorance but I am not familar w/ the "NB" designation presented. What be it?
  • sebring95sebring95 Member Posts: 3,241
    insert groan here, LOL!
  • 8u6hfd8u6hfd Member Posts: 1,391
    The one from VW Driver's Gear Catalog?

    Thule (I believe supplies VW)
    Yakima
  • chmeeeechmeeee Member Posts: 327
    I have the roof rack from driver gear with the ski attachment, and its great. It fits the car perfectly, because there are posts underneath the weather stripping in the door that it attaches to.
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    I am going to be getting a bike shortly, and I was thinking about getting the roof bike rack (I have a trunk carrier one, borrowed, right now). They are so expensive though...I guess I don't see spending $300 for the whole setup, only to carry a ~$200 bike on it.. :)
  • spiritualquestspiritualquest Member Posts: 26
    The cheapest I found was 157.15 dollars from Crowley Motors. Nice looking one. I am sure that is where I will go. My wife would rather have a rack on top than one on the back. Tough finding anything under 200 dollars, though.
  • deuskiddeuskid Member Posts: 20
    Does the TDI [or at what extreme] does the TDI have difficulty starting in cold weather? How is this best addressed? Fuel additives, engine heater...?

    thx
  • sebring95sebring95 Member Posts: 3,241
    I'm not aware of the TDI having problems starting. Mine started at -17F with no problems and plenty of folks up in Canada and Alaska drive these around. IF you were to buy bad fuel it could gel on you which is why you should always buy good fuel. Certainly doesn't hurt to run an additive. I run Standayne Performance forumla year-round. It increases HP and MPG, plus treats the fuel. There are also some cheaper product that are available that will keep fuel from gelling down to around -40F or so.

    On a certain tdiclub website, there is a member that has custom designed an engine heater for the TDI. I'm ordering one for next winter, just because it gives you instant heat when you start the car. It looks like a top-notch unit, very good parts and looks like a factory part. $100 plus shipping. A diesel takes longer to warm up than a car and idling doesn't help. You really need to drive it so basically it's cold for the first few miles. That's the only thing about the TDI that bothers me, so the TDI heater should fix that for good.
  • natescapenatescape Member Posts: 176
    I have never had a weather-related starting issue with my Passat (have replaced the starter, but that had nothing to do with fuel or temp). In fact, this winter was particularly friged in New England and I was running 30% biodiesel (www.biodeselnow.com) all winter, which will increase the fuel's gel point.
  • lewshellewshel Member Posts: 37
    I have had my 2003 TDI Golf GLS 5 speed for 3 weeks/2,000 miles. 46-50 mpg on the highway and 41 in the city. It is very quiet on the highway and would cruise at 90 if that were legal.
    I put on a leather steering wheel cover (Wheelskins)and will change the shift knob. Is this a job for the dealer?

    I also need to get a roof rack. I have the attachments from my old Thule from the Subaru we gave to my son. Will these fit on the rack sold by VW or do I need to a. Buy the VW and their hardware? ($300) b. buy a new Thule and locks.
    $230).
    I don't like window racks and it would be a shame to waste the Thule hardware for four bikes (2 for road, two for mt. bikes).
  • chmeeeechmeeee Member Posts: 327
    I would definitely recommend getting the rack made by VW, because the car is designed to accept the rack with posts underneath the weather stripping on the doors. I believe the rack is made by Thule and rebranded for VW, so you may be able to get the attachments to fit.

    How do they attach to the rack bar? With mine, there is a rail sunk into the top of the bar, and the attachments have bolts coming down from the bottom of them that slide into the rail. If by chance that is how yours works, then you are probably all set. Otherwise, I have no idea...

    Good luck!
  • lewshellewshel Member Posts: 37
    The Thules attachments for front fork/rear wheel are held by allen bolts which tighten the two parts together. They are meant to fit over the rectangular section crossbars. The mountain bike holders have U shaped loops which arte tightened by knobs which protrude through to the upper surface of the base plate on which the tray and swing arm are mounted. I think these would fit over a round crossbar but my dealer does not have a rack in stock and the parts man doesn't remember what the profile was. The VW illustration is too small to tell. HAS ANYBODY OUT THERE BOUGHT THE VW RACK?
  • chmeeeechmeeee Member Posts: 327
    I have the VW rack, I dont know if I made that clear in the previous post. I just took this picture, I hope it can help you.

    http://users.wpi.edu/~pbaxter/roofrack.jpg
  • wings02wings02 Member Posts: 3
    About chips for TDI engines. Can you tell me 3 websites you would recommend to buy from. I am interested in chipping my golf. Some friends have told me that appartently you can increase hp to about 150 and torque to 200+. Is this performance increase for real?
  • chmeeeechmeeee Member Posts: 327
    You cannot increase your power that much with just a chip, you would probably see 110 hp and 200 torque with either a chip or a tuning box.

    www.upsolute.com

    http://www.jannettyracing.com/vw.htm
  • sebring95sebring95 Member Posts: 3,241
    There are chips and "smart" boxes available for the TDI. I have a VanAaken Smart box for mine. I believe it's dyno'd at 25hp and 50lb-ft IIRC. The chips have similar performance increases. As mentioned above, upsolute appears to be the best of the chips. VanAaken is the best of the boxes. Obviously opinions vary, but that's the consensus from what I've gathered.

    My box came from http://www.dieselservices.com another sourcce is http://www.jannettyracing.com I think the VanAaken is around $400 new, but I bought mine used for around $300 (another advantage of the box, resale value) from a member of the tdiclub website. There are cheaper boxes out there but I wouldn't buy them.

    Both sell the VanAaken boxes and they are plug-and-play installs. Take about 10 minutes plus can be disconnected very quickly. The chips are more of a permanent mod and sometimes require down-time.
  • natescapenatescape Member Posts: 176
    If you want more power than the box or chip provides, you'll have to upgrade your injectors also. And if you do that, you're going to get clutch slippage and will need to upgrade your clutch.
  • 8u6hfd8u6hfd Member Posts: 1,391
    add a LSD to get the power to the ground more efficiently also.
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    You can see how this 'modding' can become an expensive hobby...

    It's also very addictive...
  • appraiserappraiser Member Posts: 22
    In this time of high gas prices, should I expect to pay MSRP for a 2003 Golf GLS TDI? The dealer says he's got one coming in about three weeks (silver, 5-speed, loaded) and has quoted me $19,300, which I believe is full price. What do you think?
  • bpeeblesbpeebles Member Posts: 4,085
    (appraiser) I have had one "on order" for well over 2 months. I have a signed contract and a downpayment in place and STILL have not received a car in over 2 months. The first TDI that was 'earmarked' for myself was magically 'sold' to someone else before it arrived at my dealership.

    I call my salesman daily and he can only report that my car is "scheduled to be built" I have sat with my salesman several times to review the available TDIs that may be on a ship or arriving at other dealerships in the next 3 weeks.... He has called other dealerships looking to get them for me... but alas... they are ALL already sold.

    Do not forget that starting in 2004 there are big changes planned for the TDIs. (such as the new TDI engine)

    Much of this is also due to the new emissions laws going into effect in 2004... THERE WILL BE NO TDIs SOLD IN THE "border states" (CA, ME, NH, VT, NY...etc) and people are scrambling to get one now.

    BOTTOM LINE: If you can even FIND a TDI, you are doing well. If you dont buy it... the next guy will.
  • 8u6hfd8u6hfd Member Posts: 1,391
    I paid that much last year...with the Cold Weather Package in it. I got for about $400-$500 under MSRP.

    I had a choice of waiting 2 months for Indigo Blue with Black Interior or

    1 week for Indigo Blue with Beige interior....guess which option I chose?
  • sebring95sebring95 Member Posts: 3,241
    Seems to vary a lot by region. Here in the mid-west they aren't quite as hard to find. I stopped at a dealer last week for a fuel filter and was chatting. He had four Jetta TDI's sitting on the lot and said while they weren't selling them for invoice, they were discounting them. Somewhere between invoice and MSRP was where they usually sold. Didn't inquire about golfs though.

    The thing that seems to be in high demand are the TDI Jetta Wagons. A buddy of mine bought one straight off the lot last fall, but the salesman said they had every wagon sold they can get.
  • deuskiddeuskid Member Posts: 20
    Seems there is a wide disparity between dealerships and I was wondering if there is a place where buyers could post their experiences at specific dealers? As this data base is developed we buyers would see patterns of 'good' and 'bad' dealerships. Of course anyone can have a 'good' or 'bad' experience individually but if enough shared then patterns could be identified.

    Does such a place already exist somewhere on the web?

    thx

    Deuskid
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    I saw a coveted TDI stick wagon at my dealer this past Friday when I went for my oil change. There was also one TDI Jetta sedan with stick. I stopped at another dealer 2 weekends ago, and they had a 5-speed TDI wagon there as well. I was surprised to even see them on the lots. That's only 3 though, so they are definitely scarce.
  • sriavirsriavir Member Posts: 5
    I looked for the TDI wagon for 4 weeks and finally found one in Blue with the black interior GLS 5-speed yestarday. I called 25 dealers in the North East/Mid-Atlantic states based on info from VWs site info. There was only one blue GLS, a couple GL's, about 5 Silvers GLS/GL's a couple Black GLS/GL's. These were all 5 speed. If you are willing to drive to get it you might find one. I drove 200 miles to get mine. It was worth it.
    Just wanted to thank everyone in the VW discussion groups. Good info.
  • mqcndtmqcndt Member Posts: 1
    I recently took delivery of my TDI Wagon. It only took 4 months. According to my dealer in Ft Meade MD, VW Marketing group seriously underestimated the demand in the US for the TDI models. So far I am pleased with my car. The TDI seems to have enough power and torque. The only thing I was dissatisfied with was the dealership. They always try to tack on the undercoatings, or they want to spray your interior with an eight dollar can of scotchguard and then try and charge you $300.00 for it. If only you could go to a dealership, pick out your car and leave.
  • moparbadmoparbad Member Posts: 3,870
    2004 Golf, Jetta and New Beetle GL and GLS trim levels will have a new 1.9L TDI-PD with 100hp and 177 lb-ft. of torque available in GL and GLS trim levels. The Golf and Jetta models will be available with a choice of a 5-speed manual or 5-speed tiptronic transmission. The New Beetle will be available with a 5-speed manual with rumors of a six-speed DSG (direct shift gearbox) potentially being offered late this year or early next.
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    What's the source of this information?
  • chmeeeechmeeee Member Posts: 327
    If you go to the main news page of Vortex, there is a 5 part series of TDI articles, the last one has the official VWoA info about the 2004 Passat TDI and G/J/NB TDI's.
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    Oh yeah, I did see that a couple hundred times. :) The only place on Vortex I have been spending alot of time is the Classifieds... :)
  • mstevens5mstevens5 Member Posts: 2
    My 2001 TDI is suffering from a general loss of power. Mechanic says they've had problems with the Mass Air Sensor which will cause the car to underperform if faulty. Had it in 4th with foot to floor yesterday... it would only go 50mph! He recommends replacement. Any comments?
  • ruking1ruking1 Member Posts: 19,826
    Yup, a common problem. Your's I am guessing is covered by warranty? Another common problem which you don't experience due to not having any is coil failure.
  • sebring95sebring95 Member Posts: 3,241
    That sounds right. MAF for short. They should be able to hook it up to the computer or VAG-COM and tell you for sure.

    There is someone selling MAF's brand-new on a tdiclub website for $175. That's really cheap compared to what the dealers try to get for them. Let me know if you need hooked up.
  • mstevens5mstevens5 Member Posts: 2
    It's an early '01, 2.5 yrs old w/ 48,000 miles on it. Wants to be driven! Have the extended warranty, but it doesn't cover this situation. I'm working with an independent mechanic who will give his best deal.

    Last month had to replace the master cylinder too. L/R pads were to metal to metal. I'm hoping this is the last thing for a while!
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    Rear brakes are typical on 01 models, due to cheap rear pads. Talk with VW, you might get them to reimburse you.
  • 8u6hfd8u6hfd Member Posts: 1,391
    not...cheap pads, it's softer material for less noise.
  • maurcedesmaurcedes Member Posts: 38
    Those new and improved TDIs - what will the improvements do to the MSRP?
  • mbuonombuono Member Posts: 2
    I am thinking about buying a new or relatively used Jetta TDI. Has any of you who own one had problems with smelling fumes inside the car, especially in the back seat?
  • chmeeeechmeeee Member Posts: 327
    The only time I really smell the diesel is when I first start it up, especially if its cold. As soon as I get going, I dont smell it again.
  • croccroc Member Posts: 4
    I noticed a melted plastic type of smell coming from my 03 Golf TDI yesterday after going up a fairly long and steep hill. It only has 800 kms on it so I am wondering if it could have been some excess anti-corrosion compound melting off or some other burn in issue from external engine parts. Any ideas?
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    My 1.8T Jetta did that when new too. Don't worry, it's normal. Enjoy the car, and congrats!
  • liguor60liguor60 Member Posts: 9
    Anyone know if the 2004 TDI's will be available in New York. The salesman at the dealership was telling me they wouldn't be, but I figured she was trying out a scare-tactic on me in order to rush my purchase.
    Any thoughts?

    Thanks.
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