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With a diesel engine, the engine speed is controlled soley by amount of fuel injected. It is allowed to breathe as much air as it wants at all times. (because there is no throttle plate)
Many diesel engines have a safety-feature which will close off the intake air when the ignition switch is turned off. This is because if your turbocharger seals started to leak engine-oil.... the engine would rev out of control. (using the engine-oil as fuel).
On the VW TDI engine this safety-valve is called the "Anti shudder valve" because it forces the engine to stop running quickly (with minimal shuddering) when you turn off the ignition.
If your dealership is refering to the Anti shudder valve as a "throttle"... then they may not be competent to work on a diesel engine.
I suspect your INTAKE MANIFOLD is plugged up and needs to be removed and cleaned.
Here is link to Intake Manifold Cleaning 101 (Notice the location of the Anti shudder valve in the diagram)
A Focus costs $15,000. A Civic costs $17,000. Which would you rather have?
You may love your VW, but the market shows a different preference: VW sells 10,000 Jettas per month. Honda sells 25,000 Accords per month.
If you don't need the comfort and size of the newer TDI's, go find a used one at a more reasonable price. Mine is more comparable size-wise to the Civics/Focus but still a much nicer car....even with 150k miles on the clock.
VW's certainly aren't for everyone and IMHO they'll never sell anywhere near the mainstream cookie-cutter mobiles. Fine with me. And if you have to rely on the dealers for service, forgetaboutit. They're almost as bad as Toyota dealers....
I wish I knew what point you are trying to make. Is the Camry twice as good as the Accord because they sell 50,000 per month. You will not appreciate the Jetta TDI until you drive one. You probably will not give them a try because of media indoctrination. Enjoy your Civic and leave the Jetta to those that really like a drivers car. There is no comparison between the two. You get what you pay for. If you are already tired of the Civic, you can trade it in on a 2008 Jetta TDI in all 50 states. Only then will you know why they cost a little more.
Now I make those ARTIFICIAL comparisons, such as: price, B/E, fuel mileage, suitability for a purpose full reason, etc, etc.: daily commute.
I had always been of that Honda mindset where the car is an appliance, and where a perhaps a more bland driving experience is accepted for the reliability gains.
I still have an appreciation for Honda vehicles (and my wife still drives an Odyssey), but the total package of the Jetta was very attractive to me (diesel engine, DSG transmission, european styled interior, etc.)
Either way, I'd rather pay extra $ to VW for a TDI than pay less for an equivalent non-diesel car and then end up paying the same extra $ (and more) to oil-producers.
Our two latest TDIs cost $20,060 & $26,900 (DSG beetle, 5-spd jetta). In a year one has 40k miles, the other 27k. By my count, we've saved over $5000 in fuel costs, compared to driving our 20 mpg gasser vehicle(s).
Sean
Although VW suggests a 10,000 mile OCI (Oil Change Interval)... in reality, many folks that actually send out samples of oil to be tested have PROVEN that VW-approved oil can go more like 15,000 miles without any undue wear to the engine internals.
Translation -- VW engineers have made sure there is a safety-factor when they specified 10,000 OCI.
www.jabbasport.com/
You want 220bhp ? You got it. Just browse the site
www.briskoda.net/forums/
Also look at the UK VW forum. Is there a USA version, perhaps ?
www.vwforum.co.uk/
Would be interested to hear if you're successful.
Besides, VWs come from the factory with a cold-air-intake system. Why pay money to replace what is already pretty good?
A TDI engine is TURBOCHARGED... so it already swallows air pretty quickly. A diesel engine is SUPPOSED to swallow huge amounts of air. The intercooler then cools off the compressed intake air.
Look for power by injecting more fuel. That is where a diesel engine makes power. (and smoke!)
I need some feedback on this:
Last oil change - 30,554km November 11/2006(just shy of the 20,000mile mark)
The dealership puts 6 months or 38,554km whichever comes first. The tell me I should have changed it in May 07. I am only at 37,000km now. DO I really need to change the oil out because it is "old" but not fully used? I wanted to get the miles on to meet my service intervals. (25,000km) is the next one due and it is only a oil change. I am planning a trip through the rocky mountains in 2 weeks probably put on the needed 1500km or so.
:confuse:
Thanks
My service interval guide that came with the car mentions the timing belt to be replaced @ 90,000miles and then again @ 100,000miles. Does this seem right? SHould it be replaced sooner? Why do they do it back to back like that if this is the correct interval?
As for the oil change, I'm guessing your manual will tell you that as well. My Jetta is older, but I believe the service intervals are the same: 10k miles/16,000km. Most manuals recommend changing the oil at least once a year if the mileage isn't met. Now, assuming your dealer used synthetic oil, your next service really isn't needed until 46,000k or more likely in your case this coming November.
Dealers like to make money and 10k mile service intervals don't do them any favors so they'll put all kinds of crazy stuff on the little stickers. My Dodge is rated for 12k miles between changes and the one dealer always put a little sticker saying to come back in 3k miles.....yeah right....12 quarts of oil every 3k miles....? Get real.
If your dealer didn't use the correct synthetic oil you need to find somewhere else to have your vehicle serviced. These are very sensitive to using the correct oil and it can damage the engine.
10k mile/1 year oil, WCF, changes are the norm for the 1.9TDi although the later 2.0 TDi has "variable" service intervals depending upon usage. Not a big price to pay for long life.
I'm looking seriosly at a Jag S-type with the 2.7 twin-turbo diesel..............206bhp/435Nm. Having driven one I have to say it is a gem and I have the VAG Tdi engine to thank for my conversion to diesel power.
Why would your service interval be 16,000km between oil changes etc. when my book says 5,000miles! That is 3x's the difference? :confuse:
However I am curious as to what the Maintenance Booklet 1.1 for the 2006 Jetta says for other owners especially south of the boarder from me. Our service intervals are every 5,000miles or 8,000km. And in my book timing belt change isnt even mentioned until 90,000miles/144,000km. And then again at 100,000miles.! To me this is a serious error in VW's Maintenance book. Especially if the timing belt should be changed earlier. If anyone else has this booklet stuffed inside their glove box I am curious to know what it says.
I need clarification on this.
thanks
The VW-speced oil has been shown to easilly be able to go over 15,000 mile OCI.
I am curious... does your book REALLY suggest 5,000 OCI - or are you mistakingly reading about the 1st oilchange with the breakin oil?
It really says so I can scan it and post it if you want.. I dont understand why this would be different??
Anyways i think the best thing here is to compare apples to apples. We need someone else with a 2006 Jetta TDI Maintenance book to look and see what their service intervals are. Mine are very clearly laid out as every 5000miles.
VW doesnt seem to have their literature correct on this one. Makes me feel real confident in VW and the service I get performed on my $35,000cdn. Jetta. UNREAL :mad:
http://www.vw.com/myvw/yourcar/servicecenter/maintenance/en/us/
I also talked with the dealer regarding the 5k service interval and according to them even with a TDI you MUST do the oil change etc every 5k miles and follow the service interval of a gasser.?? :confuse: I talked with the service manager and he claims that they see too many problems with the TDI's and it falls back on maintenance and with the 5 k interval this resolves alot of problems. Sounds a bit like a sales pitch to me!
He also claims change the oil every 6months or 5kmiles or else you get condesation in the oil....I dont know who or what to belive, why would the dealer and VW tell you 2 totally different things?
Anyways, with all this hasstle maybe I should have got a gasser.....unreal
Hmmmm, maybe because the dealer makes more money on service than anything else?? If the dealer has seen problems with TDI's due to long service intervals, it would have to be from using improper oil, not the service interval itself. Use the oil spec'd in the manual and you'll have no issues at 10k (or likely 15k miles based on testing I've seen).
If you want to rid yourself of all further hassles with this vehicle, learn to do some very basic maintenance yourself and be done with the VW dealer. The TDI is possibly the easiest vehicle to service yourself with just a little research. Lost of how-to at www.tdiclub.com and links to buying parts at a fraction of the dealer.
If you're the type that MUST use a dealer for service, then something besides a VW should be in your cards. Just my $.02 (or $.021322 Canadian)
the TDI service interval remains 10k not 5k.
The local TDI-expert VW dealer sends out a postcard recommending "supplemental 5k oil change". But the word *supplemental* is crucial and truthful.
Mileage requirements are very generic and not the best way to monitor oil. However, unless the vehicle has an engine monitoring system like GM, Honda, and some other higher-end brands, it's the standard used by manufacturers. Your oil life is effected by the number of cold starts, engine revolutions, amount of idling, and engine temps. An oil analysis can tell you exactly what you need to know. I have had my TDI oil tested a couple times and with my type of driving (relatively fast, but lots of highway miles) my oil at 12k miles was WELL within spec. I probably could go 15k-18k miles without any issues. Someone doing city driving might max out around the 10k mile mark, maybe less. An oil analysis will tell you. If you drop your oil at 10k miles and say 15 months....have it tested and let us know what you find. It would be interesting to see and only costs $30 max.
If you have '05 -'07, please double check to see if you have folding outside mirrors. Please be very careful while trying this. Apply pressure gently and progressively otherwise, you might break the mirror.
Be happy, you just found a feature you didn't know about. As you've had the car for 2 years without usuing this feature it would seem that manual fold should be perfectly acceptable. Presume your mirrors are electrically adjusted and heated.
Thanks for your response. I guarantee you, most pple don't know that those mirrors fold in north america. Most car mirrors that fold around here are more like Lexus, Mercedes, Jaguar, Bentley and etc ...those "Mr. Luxury" title cars.
I have known about the folding mirrors on VWs since my 1976 Scirocco.... but the center sunvisor was a surprise find on my 2003 Jetta.
BTW: My brother-inlaws GMC truck has power folding mirrors.
Try that with any gas compact or mid sized car.
At times I have had 4/5 passengers with a fully loaded trunk and thought... geezzzzzzzzzzz.
At this mileage, I am still getting (essentially at will) "new car" mpg. I have used Primrose 405C since new for the fuel pump lubricity, so have no real comparison with NON use. The next logical swap (worn stock injectors) would be the PP 520 injectors (injectors from .184 to .205) for that extra 20-25 hp and 40# ft of torque, at the 150,000-200,000 mile marker. The Alligator chip (and tuning) might be in the cards, but I want to conspire to help the clutch go the full 450,000 to 500,000 miles! On the other hand...
Kerma comes down here a lot, so I might indeed get them all done at once.
So far, I am very happy with the 100k or so mileage put on the VW JETTA TDI. Outside of two TSB's (dealer executed) and a dead battery at the 33rd month, (short and long story here, but solved hopefully with a Battery Tender) it has been very reliable.
I have BP Diesel Supreme delivered here in bulk and normally don't run any additives. I keep some additive in the trunk in case I need to fuel at a location with questionable fuel supply. I believe the use of Diesel Supreme over the years (15ppm and high cetane even 10 years ago.....) had kept me from needing further adjustments due to the mods. I get zero smoke from this fuel/setup. I've fueled elsewhere before and did get some smoke, so I stick with what seems to be working great. I don't normally venture much beyond 300 miles from the farm, so I can easily can make the turn on one tank. Intake is clean, egr bypassed, life is good. I just wish my trucks could get 45mpg.....
Yeah for us the TDI did its early life as a plain jane commuter with 48-52 mpg in one of the worst commutes you can imagine. Weekends were more longer distance touring.
I still routinely do a 600 mile R/T to have lunch with my daughter away at university. The trip hearkens back to John Steinbeck's era. Now of course, there are areas with grape vines literally as far as the eyes can see. So in some books, one of the more idyllic rides. This is her last year, so this will drop off. I sometimes don't even fuel till the return home. That fact still amazes me.
As a comparison the 2003 TDI manual trans epa is 42/49, auto is 34/45 mpg.
Since the auto transmission fluid is already synthetic, that part is as good as it is going to get.
Another strutural thing is full compression happens at app 60,000 miles. So as you approach this, the mpg SHOULD get slightly better. (1-2 mpg better)
Tires and rims combos can get back or lose as much as (+/- )5 mpg. But my guess is a change back to more oem tires and rims is not something you really want to do. Oem tires and rims have as a high priority (MAX) mpg. (aka least rolling resistance) So almost all deviations from this (oem provided tires) exacts a fuel penalty. So if you are willing to do the crime so to speak, the time comes along with it.
Another thing one can do is to increase the tire pressures. You can use 85% of the max side wall pressure as a gauge my case 44 psi run at 38 psi. Most folks normally adjust downwards. The other is to drive the TDI in its sweet spots and overall within the design parameters. So for example I routinely rev to 2500 to 3500 rpms and I cruise at 2500 to 3000 rpms.
The less weight the better. A rule of thumb is 1 mpg loss/gain per 100#'s.
I don't think the transmission is a huge factor since it is a non-slipping DSG transmission - you should be able to do much better even with the DSG.
for best MPG, drop the "dubs" and use factory 16 inch wheels & michelin MXVs.
for comparison, mine is an 06 jetta 5-spd and I get 44 mpg tank after tank at about the same speeds as you report.
btw, got a roofrack or miracle-bra or a rear-wing on the car? remove those too and mpg could improve...
Now, with about 80,000 miles on it, My last 2 tankfuls were over 750 miles (about 55 MPG) I also run about 40PSI in the tires for the least rolling resistance. (They are rated for 45 so I am well within safety evelope.)
However, I must also confess that I have the more efficent TDI (2003 model year)
I assume you are adding cetane improver at every fillup. Bumping the cetane a few numbers REALLY improves MPG and also reduces engine noise. (The lubricant in the fuel also reduces wear on the injection system.)
You may also want to check your IQ (Injection Quality) The timing of the injectors plays a critial role in realized MPG.