Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!

VW Jetta TDI

1232426282993

Comments

  • alltorquealltorque Member Posts: 535
    Agree with all of the above. Yes, the 1.9TDi engine is now a bit long in the tooth but still a cracking workhorse. My Fabia with the 130bhp/228lbft 1.9 TDi will happily cruise at 80mph in 6th, at around 2400rpm, then get up and go on to it's max without any drama or downshifting along with the best of them. If you really want to scare the 3-series then just drop into 5th and boot it.

    As the man said; it's all about torque and these TDi's have it in glorious amounts.

    The 2.0 TDi/140bhp engine is now in all VAG models across the Brand range and the 170bhp version is available in all Brands, (VW, Audi, Skoda, SEAT), to a lesser degree. The new Skoda Fabia is now announced, (that's based on the VW Polo), and will have the 2.0TDi/140bhp motor in the top-of-the-range vRS derivative. No DSG, though, it seems. Still, it should be both a hoot and economical.

    You will surely (?) get the 2.0TDi/140bhp motor and if you get the 170bhp version you just have to drive it.................after all, smiling exercises more facial muscles than frowning so why settle for anything less ?

    Here in Europe, the Touareg, along with the Audi A4 and A6 has the 3.0TDi which puts out 369lbsft @1750rpm and 220bhp. The A8 is available with the 4.2TDi but that's way out of my price range. :cry:
  • alltorquealltorque Member Posts: 535
    Whilst I agree that TDi-engined cars tend not to be 0-60 rockets, I have always thought that using this sprint time as a measure of everyday performance was somewhat lacking in real world driving. Mid-range performance for overtaking etc is much more realistic, as is economy. The TDi's deliver real world performance from relatively small displacement engines. Having said that; the 2.0TDi/170bhp hauls the current Skoda Octavia vRS to 62mph in around 7.5 secs which is not too bad for a Golf in a bigger body.

    If you really think they are "slugs" then I truly do not want to be in your garden after dusk :)
  • sebring95sebring95 Member Posts: 3,241
    Dear sir or madam: I am a former professional race car driver and have driven/owned many sports cars. I'm not living in some fog where I've never driven a high performance vehicle. With a few tuning mods, the TDI is indeed quite rocket-like at highway speeds (well, not a real rocket that blasts into space, i'll give you that). Even stock, it has quite reasonable highway passing abilities without the redline drama required by many other vehicles. If you feel it's a slug on the highway you either have something wrong with the vehicle or are not driving it properly.

    Now in other situations, there are some dead areas in the powerband and even with mods and a clutch roasting launch, mine will only hit 60mph in about 8 seconds. Certainly not fast, but in certain situations this is one of the strongest and most easy to drive vehicles at high velocities. If you like to drag-race, then it's not the greatest but as an object in motion, the TDI likes to stay in motion.

    I've never personally purchased a 4cyl car besides the Jetta TDI. The work required to propel them at a reasonable clip typically annoys me. In the past I've always commuted with V6 powered cars (and filled up a lot more often.....)
  • eliaselias Member Posts: 2,209
    Dear sir or madam former professional race car driver:
    All 4 of my TDIs have operated just fine including the current pair. I've had about 120k miles and 4 years to learn how to drive these wonderful slugmobiles in order to get max performance.
    I'm not into "modding" my cars; I'm not talking about modded TDIs.
    If you think that a stock jetta/golf/beetle TDI resembles an actual fast car in any way/shape/form at any speed/rpm/altitude, then you were not driving your race cars & actually-fast-street-cars properly.
  • ruking1ruking1 Member Posts: 19,826
    I think by your response, it is one of ego rather than an evaluation of the TDI.

    I think that if you read the www.tdiclub.com threads much there are a host of folks who are thankful for driving tips when driving the TDI, and that is even after driving it a while. Many folks indeed drive them less than optimiumly. Whether you do or not remains unknown.
  • eliaselias Member Posts: 2,209
    thanks ruking1. I like that other forum too, but edmunds is my "#1 forum", lucky for all you readers ;)
    For accelerating as fast as possible in whatever condition, my SOTP-meter works fine for that.
    My right foot is beyond "leadfoot" - I have neutron-star-foot.
  • ruking1ruking1 Member Posts: 19,826
    Perhaps your real desire is for a 0-60, 4 sec diesel? One of the folks that follows one of the diesel threads has posted a 70 mpg, 48 mpg on race day, 4 or 5 sec, 0-60 mph, TT diesel link! Obviously the Jetta TDI is NOT that animal. Do a search.
  • eliaselias Member Posts: 2,209
    4 second 0-60 diesel TT? neat. i won't hold my breath for that to be available in showrooms, but if anything resembling it shows up, I'll take a look.
    Currently when I get tired of TDI-ing and being tailgated/cut-off/disrespected by highway commuters due to how slow it is, I bust out my 05 GTO 6-speed for a few days until I get that whole Dr-Jekyll/Mr-Hyde thing out of my system. (Aggressive drivers get peeved & tailgate TDI massively & sometimes pass-on-left-shoulder when I leave a safe distance in front of my car - when all travel lanes are packed. I always keep right if there's space to do so. With the GTO I rarely get tailgated/disrespected, especially after I "demonstrate" that I'm happy to slow down gradually to the minimum legal highway speed and then rocket to 80 or more to catch up to the ~75 mph left-lane-traffic, at safe distance.)
  • sebring95sebring95 Member Posts: 3,241
    If you're being tailgated/cut-off/disrepected because any (non-modded included) TDI can't keep up with traffic there's only two explanations then (since you claim they're in tip-top operating condition).

    1. You have something stuck under your accelerator input device.

    2. Your legs are too short.

    :P

    image

    Need another gear or two............
  • ruking1ruking1 Member Posts: 19,826
    I am confused on the driving style aspect. It is hard for most folks to "tail gate" if you are driving in the 95 plus percentile.:)

    The other side of it, if you are in the 95 plus percentile in TRAFFIC, it is YOU that is doing the tailgating. :(:)
  • ruking1ruking1 Member Posts: 19,826
    I gathered from ALLTorque's posting the (similar) Euro TDI's have a 6 speed (vs US market's 5 speed) and (probably) the .205 injectors as stock.
  • sebring95sebring95 Member Posts: 3,241
    You can swap a 6-speed manual into the US TDI's....pretty easy and not that expensive. If your 5-speed ever craps out (not common) it's about $500 more for an OEM unit. I don't see a major advantage at typical highway speeds. Probably a little less fuel burn, but you might actually have to downshift to rock-n-roll around some slow-poke in a GTO or something :P
  • ruking1ruking1 Member Posts: 19,826
    Will keep that in definite mind. I have been told by reliable sources, with reasonable care, 400k miles is not out of the question for the clutch. It would actually make (cost of labor) sense to do it at the same time as the clutch.

    Since you have probably done some car building, you know the issues/drill. So if I get a 6 speed, should I not also get the HUGE (er) injectors, chip it!!! Do some cutting and put a BIG down pipe. Well since it is at 400k why not an upgraded turbo!!?? Should do bigger inter coolers. Well to feed the chipped side and bigger injectors, might as well do the 11 mm fuel pump. WOO HOO!

    NOT so woo hoo.... now I should get a more stout (non stock) clutch to handle the extra hp/torque. Now the rims and tires become WAY deficient, and the stock suspension and brake systems are NOW puny..... 15,000 dollars later...... :)
  • alltorquealltorque Member Posts: 535
    Yes, indeedy, here in EUland 6-speed manuals are pretty much the norm, with 6-speed DSG being the alternative. As I recall, one UK road-tester commented about the 2.0TDi/140bhp new Jetta; "It will happily trundle along at 40mph in 6th, (at just over 1000rpm), and then accelerate smoothly away until you need to back off for traffic or the end of the island".

    As for the 1.9TDi having the .205 Injectors.............er, quite possibly but not a clue, I'm ashamed to say. I only know what it does, not how. Sorry.

    You now understand the relevance of my User Name.............Alltorque. :)
  • sebring95sebring95 Member Posts: 3,241
    It seems like the clutches either die an early death (user error???) or go a long time. I would say they're a little weak particularly when you have fueling mods. I've got a tad over 150k miles on mine and have had mods in various stages since 40k miles. Initially hook-up is the problem, although a heavy-pedal in any lower gear can slip the stock clutch.
  • ruking1ruking1 Member Posts: 19,826
    For true. It also does not help this 2003 model year has that dual mass. But if you have 150k with the mods then perhaps not as weak as folks may think. I have no slipping, nor have I ever smoked the clutch. But it is a babe at 91,000 miles. :)
  • alltorquealltorque Member Posts: 535
    Just to give you a look at two VAG Brands that don't travel outside Europe, (at least, not that I'm aware).

    Skoda and SEAT

    http://www.skoda.co.uk/skoda3g/home.aspx

    The Fabia is a Polo, the Octavia is a Golf/Jetta, the Superb is a stretched Passat and the Roomster is a rebodied Fabia. New Fabia is shown on the site, but not the new vRS with the 2.0TDi/140 engine. That arrives later.

    SEAT is the Spanish arm of VAG and you can probably guess what the platforms used are.

    http://www.seat.co.uk/

    Ibiza is a Polo, Leon is a Golf etc. The Ibiza FR gets the 160PS TDi and the Leon Cupra gets a 240PS gasser.............which makes it fairly mental. A number of manufacturers are re-inventing the "hot-hatch" at present. 240bhp seems to be the target for anything Golf-sized - as in the Vauxhall, (GM), Astra VXR. Have read somewhere that your next Saturn uses same platform; but maybe not the 240bhp 4-pot. VAG are probably the biggest player in the diesel sector but the Honda 2.2cTDi is highly thought of in the Civic, Accord, CR-V and FR-V. The small GM diesels are not rated in the same league whilst the Ford diesels are rated as O.K.

    O.K. end of verbiage.
  • dragnbarondragnbaron Member Posts: 11
    One of the most impressive things i found was that my Jetta tdi was just slightly slower than my 01 Fix or repair daily Focus. It just took me a few mods (new exhaust, air intake, and chip) which just increased the hp enough to make it just as fast. I also own an 87' toyota mr2 which is meant for racing. Quite a difference but i still prefer the jetta for daily driving. It takes off great, overtakes when i need it to, better on taking off at red lights than any other car i have, but i just get poor gas mileage. About 32 city miles, and that's what i get in my MR2 going about 100mph on average. The torque is the thing that made me want to buy the jetta and it was more of a tank than the passat and that's why i wanted it. i don't need it rusting out on my before i get a chance to drive it for 20 years.
  • autoboy16autoboy16 Member Posts: 992
    We have a found on road dead expedition an the radiator broke on night 1, the dash rattled the broken part they left in the engine bay, the heated cooled seat dont work, TPMS was disabled, the DVD player doesn't read disks and the rear driver window doesn't go up with a helping hand. The power quarter windows yell, the 11.2MPG isn't great(reset 3times) but at least the engine sounds nice. We're only at 42k miles and this $44k is now worth $14k... :sick:

    I think vw's reliability "issues" are something i think i can handle. It cant be bade as our sweet sounding Expy(which is sitting outside getting great MPG!)

    -Cj :)
  • esteezeesteeze Member Posts: 102
    I've been looking at the Jetta TDI (through reading this forum and the TDIClub... both excellent) since last summer, and I think I'm going to go ahead and get one soon. I've had an 03 Honda CR-V for the past 4 years, and I'd like to get something more fuel efficient (AWD CR-V gets about 21 MPG).

    It seems like the 06's are still in dealerships, and are still "new" (i.e., untitled by anyone yet).

    Has anyone looked at the 05.5 or 06's recently? What are some of the things to look out for in buying one? (i.e., any pitfalls to be aware of).

    I'll mostly be getting one for an urban commute vehicle (about 25 miles / day). I'd like to get one with the DSG transmission.

    Thanks,

    Jeff
  • ruking1ruking1 Member Posts: 19,826
    A couple of things to consider.

    I have heard the 06 model is one of the best built VW TDI's. Target price would be invoice. Edmunds.com is a great resource. You might want to check www.tdiclub.com and do a search for TDI dealers (out of state) in case you are unable to locate a local dealer who can and will do that type of deal. Best of luck and let us know how it works out.

    The biggie is since the TDI is capable of a very long lifespan, it is to your advantage to do a good degree of homework. If you are of the buy and forget and abuse set, new every two, etc. the TDI might prove problematic for you, and not worth the time/premium, etc.

    Another; I am sure you bought the CRV Honda for a host of reasons. An easy example; if you own the Honda and have no payments, you'd be very HARD pressed if not impossible to justify new car payments for a 42/50 mpg vehicle when you only commute 6,600 miles per year! Just make sure a Jetta, Beetle, Golf, really will fit your needs, as it is an apples to oranges comparison.
  • esteezeesteeze Member Posts: 102
    Thanks for the info, ruking1.

    Yeah, I'd probably go for a "new" 06, with the thinking that I'd keep it a long time.

    I tend to take very good care of the cars I have, as far as going easy on them and keeping up the maintenance items. Pretty good data point to support that statement: The car I had before my CR-V was a 93 Honda Civic that I bought new, kept for 10 years, and was able to sell for at or above the market rate due to it's still being in great working condition(even though it had ~180K miles). The CR-V is a similar case... well maintained, with miles right where it should be for its age, AND has never been "rode hard, and put away wet". I'm just giving these details to illustrate how I would probably keep the Jetta.

    I probably average about 12K of miles a year (some other driving above and beyond my work commute). I think I figured that I would save about $25/month in fuel costs with an 06 Jetta TDI (assuming: nominal mileage of 35MPG for a DSG TDI Jetta, diesel price $.10/gal more than RUL gasoline).
  • sebring95sebring95 Member Posts: 3,241
    IMHO, for 12k miles a year you really need to WANT a VW diesel more than need one. Additionally, as I'm sure you've noticed here and tdiclub, these aren't Hondas. They do have some idiosyncrasies that many Hondaphiles find annoying and the dealers are borderline hopeless for service.

    So if you're comfortable with doing the maintenance/repairs yourself, and truly like the Jetta, then it can be a very rewarding vehicle to own. If you typically let a dealer do all your service, then you'll likely grow tired of the monumentally more expensive and incompetent service visits. I have a Honda Odyssey as well and between $20 oil changes and nearly non-existent service requirements, it's a great appliance.

    At 12k miles a year, you're talking about saving $300 in fuel between a 25mpg anybrand/anymodel sedan vs a 35mpg DSG TDI. If you're driving 35k miles a year you'll be shopping a 45mpg manual tranny TDI and then you're saving $100+/month in fuel. My $.10, take it or leave it.
  • esteezeesteeze Member Posts: 102
    sebring95,

    All of your points are good; the experience probably would be different than that of the typical Honda. The financial argument could go either way... that aside, I've been wanting a Jetta for a while, and I think I have a good opportunity now to get into one and get some reasonable $$$ for my CR-V in the process. I'm in no rush either way, so I can take time to private sell my current vehicle.

    I have a co-worker who is has a VW Golf (not a TDI, mind you), and he's filled me in on the good and bad of local VW service, so I think I know what I'm in for there; generally, I think it's pretty decent locally.
  • sebring95sebring95 Member Posts: 3,241
    Sounds like you're a good candidate then. If you really like the Jetta, the mpg is just icing on the cake! Even more so if you happen to drive a gob of miles....
  • cosmocosmo Member Posts: 203
    Kudos to you for researching the quality of your local VW dealer's service department. All are not bad. I can do without the lazy lot lizards at the local VW/Audi dealer, but I have been very pleased with the service and parts departments for over 25 years. Yeah, they screw up every now and then, like repeatedly over filling the oil in our Passat TDI, but I had Ford and AMC dealers doing that back in the 60's and 70's, so I always check my rigs out after a dealer visit. (I immediately suck it out and have it available whenever a little oil needs to be added.) I've never had a complaint about warranty work or other repairs, and they have treated me well.

    The '06 Jetta TDI is a good car, no matter how many miles you drive a year. Considering day-to-day city and highway driving, the TDI's low end torque and fuel economy have convinced me to forsake gassers as daily drivers. And, we have experienced NO problems with our '06 Jetta TDI in the 11 months we have owned it.
  • tr5066tr5066 Member Posts: 2
    I have a 05 (new body style) Jetta TDI bought Aug 05 it has 72,000 miles on it now. I get 45 to 50 MPG everyday and drive in south Florida with the ac on all the time. Oil changes are costly because of the special oil but other than that it is a very good car. It replaced a 2002 VW Jetta TDI that had well over 150,000 miles and all I put into that car was about 15 oils changes (every 10,000 miles) 1 set of tires, 1 brake job, and a tail light bulb period.
  • tr5066tr5066 Member Posts: 2
    If you e-mail vw they will send you a list of the oils that meet the specs. There is about 25 different brands that do meet it. They will give you the brand name and the name on the bottle and the part #. I got the info and shopped around but still ended up getting the oil from VW delear at about $6.25 a litter and the filters are just as cheap at the dealer as Advance Auto or NAPA so I just pick it all up there. I did find that the VW Dealer near my house was selling the oil at over $10.00 per liter so shop around with the dealers for it. By the way I have over 72,000 miles on my 05 and I also own a Toyota Prius 06 with 10,000 my wife car I like the Jetta more it is twice the car
  • autoboy16autoboy16 Member Posts: 992
    ls there a special startup/turn off procedure? I've heard that it is best to let it idle before turning off if there was a lot of use.

    -Cj
  • sebring95sebring95 Member Posts: 3,241
    Startup: Turn key to "on". Glowplug light will come on. When it goes out, turn key the rest of the way. During temps above 40°F, it doesn't really even need the glowplug warmup. Even in 0°F, it doesn't usually need more than a few seconds of glow.

    Shut-down: The idea is to bring the temperature of the turbo back down to avoid coking the oil This is really only an issue if you've been driving high speeds prior to shut-down. Say if I pull of into a rest area straight off the highway, I'll let it idle for maybe 30 seconds before shutting down. Or just leave it idle...

    I really don't bother with cool-down for most normal driving. By the time you pull off a road and get parked, that's adequate. Just make sure you're using the right synthetic oil.
  • ruking1ruking1 Member Posts: 19,826
    I would agree. As a practical matter during a so called shut down procedure as part of a highway rest, stop, you will find the normal "get off" the freeway actions or procedures take/s app 1-2 mins, which happens to be what is usually recommended as a separate "turbo shut down" procedure. Indeed it is near absolutely seamless. So normally as you pull into the actual parking space, the one or two recommended mins. have indeed already clicked off. The rpms (important nexus here) have usually started to go down as you approach the exit ramp (on the freeway) and you can actually start the timed event at that point. All you are really doing is just becoming aware of what you actually ALREADY are doing.
  • smdtdismdtdi Member Posts: 31
    I need to get new tires soon.

    I have a 2005 Jetta TDI Wagon with about 44,000 miles on it..

    The Original tires are the Michelin Energy MXV4 Plus, which are very expensive at approximately $600 installed for a full set.

    I could get a set of Bridgestone Potenza G009 for about $400 installed, or a brand called Fuzion HRi for aboot $320 installed.

    Both of these tires got good reviews on the tirerack site.

    Any suggestions or comments would be appreciated.
  • smdtdismdtdi Member Posts: 31
    My fuel filler door broke off yesterday.

    I had to stretch the fuel filler hose to reach the vehicle, and the tension on the hose caused it to retract from the vehicle, breaking off my fuel door in the process.

    I was unable to repair the hinge on the fuel door, but it is easy to replace the entire door assembly

    Is there somewhere online where I can purchase a replacement, or do I need to buy one at the dealer?
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    I had mine replaced under warranty. The guy at the gas station in Oregon broke it in exactly the same manner. They come primed and you would have to match the paint is the only problem. That is a flimsy design for sure. Should be metal IMO.
  • bpeeblesbpeebles Member Posts: 4,085
    My goodness that is a lot of money for tires. I expect that you also noted that the Michelin tires have NO milage warantee whatsoever.

    Does your TDI have >15 inch wheels? My 15inch tires were about $85 each. (INCLUDING alignment and lifetime rotation services!)

    The only tire I use on all my vehicles is Nokian.

    I am currently running the Nokian "WR" on my TDI because it is one of the very few "all weather" tires that is rated for use in snow. My pickup truck has Nokian Vativva. Nokian also makes the worlds best snow tire. (The Hakkapeliitta)

    Of course, your tire needs may be different from mine. If you do not drive in snow, Nokian also offers several very good summer tires. My 2 daughters have winter tires on their own wheels, so they use other Nokian tires on their VWs.

    The local tire shop sells more Nokian than any other tire. (and they stock almost every brand of tire) The last time I looked , tirerack.com does not even OFFER Nokian tires!?!
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 235,221
    Nokian tires are hard to come by... I live in a pretty big metro area, and there is only one tire dealer in town that has them. If you live outside the snow belt, there may not be a dealer in your area. I think dealers that carry Nokian get an exclusive marketing area.

    That stated, I also have the Nokian WR on my CR-V. They are very pricy. About the same price as Goodyear TripleTreds. Not sure the last time you priced Nokians, but mine were around $500 including mounting/balancing.

    I bought them for the same reason. Good all-season tires with winter tire capability. The bonus is my size comes H-rated, instead of my standard S-rated tires, and seem to have a little stiffer sidewall and better handling characteristics. Just 3000 miles so far, but I love them.

    But, if you don't need winter tire capability, they may be overkill. 44K miles in two years is quite a bit of driving. I don't think either of your budget choices would be that great if you have to drive a lot of miles, as neither is known for high mileage.

    What size tires are on your Jetta? Maybe we can make some other suggestions.

    regards,
    kyfdx
    Host-Prices Paid Forums

    Edmunds Price Checker
    Edmunds Lease Calculator
    Did you get a good deal? Be sure to come back and share!

    Edmunds Moderator

  • bpeeblesbpeebles Member Posts: 4,085
    That stated, I also have the Nokian WR on my CR-V. They are very pricy.
    Actually, I priced Nokian WRs about 3 weeks ago for BOTH of my daughters vehicles (I was at the shop for a free rotation).... They were about $90 each for the standard 15 inchers which most VWs take. The 16inchers for VW New Beetle were a tad more expensive.... but certainly not outrageous.

    It is unfortuanate that you cannot get Nokian at reasonable prices. It may be their marketing strategy with limited distributerships.
  • sebring95sebring95 Member Posts: 3,241
    I also run Nokian WR's for winter, but they would certainly work fine for year-round. I've got 50k miles on these and they were a little less effective this winter, but luckily we didn't get much snow. I run 17's with Pzero's in the fair-weather months so I can take turns at ridiculous speeds. My TDI came with Continental Tourings and they were good for about 40k miles. I looked at replacing them and they were reasonable (a few years ago). Never been a Michelin fan on car tires (truck tires are nice though).
  • smdtdismdtdi Member Posts: 31
    Thanks for the input folks.

    My 2005 Jetta TDI GLS Wagon has the standard 195/65HR15 wheels/tires.

    I do have to drive in snow occasionally. Last month, a made it up a few steep hills in a foot of snow (thanks to traction control). I might add that I BARELY made it up these hills.
  • smdtdismdtdi Member Posts: 31
    Thanks for the input.

    My vehicle has 44K miles, so it should still be under warranty.
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 235,221
    For longevity and highway ride, with decent handling, I like these: BFGoodrich Traction T/A H

    $67/each from TireRack..

    Figure around $380-$400 mounted and balanced OTD, from a local tire store..

    As noted above, I may be paying more for Nokians, because of the lack of competition in my area..

    Edmunds Price Checker
    Edmunds Lease Calculator
    Did you get a good deal? Be sure to come back and share!

    Edmunds Moderator

  • cosmocosmo Member Posts: 203
    The tire decision guide on the Tire Rack web site helps narrow down your choices based on your typical driving conditions.

    I'm not sure how often "occasionally" is for you, but since we have to travel mountain passes 2-3 times every winter, we use studless snow tires from December through February. We typically get five winters out of a set. We figure it is cheap life insurance and a good preventative for worry. Plus, it makes for good entertainment passing the big SUV's stuck in snowbanks. Whether you choose to use dedicated winter tires affects your decision regarding your primary set of tires.

    Like others have posted, the Nokia's are probably the best all season tires. Other all season tires will elevate your blood pressure on ice and in deep snow.

    Unless you opt for an off brand tire, you will probably be satisfied with any H-rated touring tire. Personally, I think Goodyear's and Michelin's are overpriced as replacement tires.

    Also, be aware that the auto manufacturers and tire companies are recommending that spare tires be replaced after 5-7 years because of deterioration and risk of failure. Since VW is good enough to furnish full-size spares, I rotate all five touring tires when I remove the winter tires. I can usually get 50K to 60K out of a set of five, and I know I always have a safe spare.
  • smdtdismdtdi Member Posts: 31
    I'm leaning towards getting the Bridgestone Potenza's. They cost $80 more per set than the Fuzions, but I will get free tire rotations from Mr Tire (the place that sells the Potenzas).

    I just saw that someone who owns a Jetta GLS VR6 posted a bad review on the Fuzions (on the tirerack site).
  • sebring95sebring95 Member Posts: 3,241
    I usually get a chuckle reading the tire reviews on tirerack. Especially if looking at truck tires because most folks are clueless when it comes to driving a truck in the rain/snow/etc. You'll see "best tire ever" and "worst tire ever" on the same vehicle. But i digress.... I don't know anything about the Fuzions. I used to run Bridgestone Potenza RE92's on my road-warrior V6 Camrys and they were decent all-around tires. Could get 50k miles easily and not a bad combination but they were a little on the soft side handling wise, even for a boat like a Camry.
  • alltorquealltorque Member Posts: 535
    My little Skoda came factory fitted with Continental SportContact2 205/45 R16 tyres. They're a fairly soft compound but good and grippy on the fast back-roads around here. Rears are still O.K. at 40k miles and fronts get to near legal min in about 20k miles...............meaning the fronts are about due for replacement, again. I'll stick with the Continental's as I know what they will, and will not, allow me to do in all conditions and the 20k run-out is not a real problem. (I know there are "grippier" tyres out there but with higher wear rates and vice-versa). As these tyres will cost me circa GBP110 each, (circa 210 Dollars each), I can only marvel at the prices you guys can get vs us poor folks in UK. As for a "free rotation service"..................we can but dream about that. You want them rotated for free ? You do it yourself over here.

    With ULSD retailing at circa equiv 7 Dollars per (US) Gallon, (Unleaded gas is slightly cheaper), and car prices that would make you cringe - new Jetta SE 2.0 TDi/6-spd manual retails at equiv of 34450 Dollars. SE is middle of the range, spec-wise - and you'll see why I get close to tears when I see you moaning about prices. On top of all this; VW Dealers are still not caring people and Audi guys make like they are doing you a favour letting you into their showroom. :mad:

    Now you know why I refer to us as "Poor" Brits. Be happy with what you have. :)
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    Thank you for the reality check. I know what you are saying. I was checking the prices of Jaguar and found they are more in the UK where they are built than in San Diego. I have read your fuel prices are mostly tax. Do they also tax your vehicles at a very high rate? Do people in the UK make a lot more money than comparable jobs in the US?

    Our taxing is complicated. Some states do not have sales tax. Others have high sales tax and lower income tax. Hard to keep it all straight.

    We are whiners here in the USA. I don't get any sympathy when I visit Canada. They have plenty of oil and pay more for gas than we do.
  • alltorquealltorque Member Posts: 535
    Gagrice, Car pricing is really "What the market will stand". UK pricing used to be approx 10-15% dearer than mainland Europe pricing, (which spawned a lot of specialist importers, and personal imports. Some manufacturers played naughty games by making personal importers wait months for right-hand-drive vehicles. Audi even banned it's European dealers from taking orders for RHD cars), then the EU threatened the manufacturers with huge fines if they continued the robbery. Some did, and got fined big time, but it's pretty much parity now.

    Circa 72% of fuel cost here is tax. :mad: It's set to get worse in the name of "Save The Planet". As if.

    As for UK salaries, I'm pretty sure we're not hugely well paid vs USA. I used to work for everyone's favourite oil company and a colleague in USA with similar age/experience/scope/responsibilities was getting more than I was plus better benefits and pension rights. Top rate of Income Tax is 40% and that kicks in on income over £28k IIRC. I guess we get screwed both ends of the deal; incomings and outgoings but that's the way it always has been so we're used to it.

    We do enjoy coming to USA for vacations - it's all so ridiculously inexpensive and the temptation is to buy everything in sight. We have decided the cost rule of thumb is : "It's the same number in USA and U.K. - but the currency changes". Example. Kitchen Maid mixer : USA $299 - UK £299. Our Texan friends were here for a month last year and could not believe the cost of everything; incl a cup of coffee, ("Free refill ? What's that?"). The link below is for a U.K.-supplied Suburban at £44995. What would this cost in USA, and is the warranty the same as shown ? Will be interested to hear.

    www.bauer-millett.com/controller.php?pag_id=8&inv_id=111&inv_bra_code=CHEVROLET&- PHPSESSID=ae4b3052853dd98638e0bd7553eaf786
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    It looks like the Suburban equipped like that one is about $44k USD. The basic warranty is for less miles:
    Basic: 3 yr. / 36,000 mi.
    Drivetrain: 5 yr. / 100,000 mi.
    Roadside: 5 yr. / 100,000 mi.
    Rust: 6 yr. / 100,000 mi.

    I don't think I would want a suburban with $7 gas. Do they offer the Suburban with a diesel engine?
  • alltorquealltorque Member Posts: 535
    So the rule re pricing numbers holds true (?). Don't think you can get a diesel Sub over here. Folks buying them are simply not interested in economy, even relatively speaking. It's more a case of "Hey, look what I can afford to run".

    Sad, but every nation has them.

    One of my neighbour's borrowed his boss's Audi A8 5.0 V10 last weekend. Sounds wonderful and he adored it but, as he said; "My God, it's awesome but when you put the pedal down to the carpet and the display shows 7mpg it brings you back to the reality of running this sort of car". He's now got his own Audi A6 3.0 TDi Quattro back and is happier. It's all relative, I guess. I'm happy with my little Skoda.

    Oh, BTW, almost forgot to mention that the above A8 is now a year old and has depreciated in value by close on £25k, (that's close to 49k Dollars). Truly scary.
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    I think the initial loss is common around the globe. Even the vehicles that are supposed to have great resale lose close to a third when you drive them off the lot. Makes a year old car a real bargain. The VW TDIs have done pretty well if you buy in the right place and sell in California.
Sign In or Register to comment.