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Comments
The automatic xmission really drags down the MPG due to losses in the xmission.
My 2003 with manual xmission gets a measured 56 MPG on the highway while full of people and luggage with AC on full and 90F outside.
The newer DSG xmission which has been described as an "automatic manual" has been shown to be able to match or beat MPG numbers of a manual xmission.
Also, the 26,000 miles is not really enough to "losen up" a TDI engine. You will find that MPG continues to go up till about 40K miles. My TDI did not start getting 56MPG until about 50K miles.
The car is less than 3 years old.
Any ideas on why this happened, and how to fix it?
I do quite a bit of highway driving for my job. I consistently get over 45 mpg and if I watch my speed (keep in under 70) I have gotten just over 50. When you're using the AC it is unlikely you'll do that. My car is a manual and all my trips are with just one occupant (me) although my wife and I just returned from a FL trip (2400 miles) and I got 46.6 mpg.
There must be a source of power in order for them to work.Phone dealer and ask.
I find that the owners manuals these days are useless when you are trying to find something out! eg. My radio quit working,and I had to phone the service department to find out which fuse# is for the radio. Customers should be a nuisance and then they might start writing decent owners manuals!
as for mpg, driverbernie, i have the same car and similar mpg numbers but i advise you to consider immediately to cease tracking the wife-onboard vs driver-only mpg numbers.
The procedure to replace the battery is available using a simple internet search.
Here is a procedure with photos...
http://pics.tdiclub.com/members/schnabba/a4remote_new_print.pdf
The battery is available at Walllmart in BOTH the jewlery section and the battery aistle too.
It worked with much frustration and time but now nothing....just won't move.
:confuse:
This has been the 'standard' way of correcting these kinds of issues on doors/trunks/hoods for over 30 years.
Just so I am clear - when metal gets cold...it CONTRACTS. An adjustment that seemed just fine at 80F may not be quite right at -20F. Also, the rubber seal is stiffer (less flexable) at cold temps so the latch must work harder to hold the trunk/door closed.
I do have an appointment to have it checked out under warranty, but thought I could save myself a 150 mile round trip if it was a problem someone else had actually experienced, and found an easy answer to.
Thanks
However, if you push down the black plastic flap that covers the gap on both sides of the latch catch at the base of the trunk opening of the Jetta sedan, you will find two star bolts. You may try loosening those to see if that gives you any wiggle room for adjustment. If so, raise the catch just a wee bit and tighten the bolts.
Also, check to make sure the weather stripping is seated correctly.
Good luck.
So any way, apparently this problem is not so isolated, and affects both the Jetta, and the Passat, which uses the same latch. They said it wasn't something they could adjust. It also seems to be more of a problem in the cold weather states however.
Hope my experience helps someone else.
Just because you "took it to the pros" does not mean much to me. The very definition of "professional" means that somone gets paid to do somthing.... it has no relavance to having any skill in performing a particular task.
The main "skill" that you will find at many VW dealerships is the ability to replace parts and charge you for it.
cncheez@yahoo .com
If the cost of fixing the problem was coming out of the customers pocket, I can see where "remove & replace" could be a lucrative policy. But when it comes to warranty work, I think if remove, and lubricate were a viable fix, the manufacturer would certainly be money ahead authorizing only that, or at least that as a first attempt at a fix, instead of replacement. In this case I don't think lubrication was the answer... VW isn't noted for it's excessive spending for customer satisfaction.
I thought you were suggesting that the dealership was doing this work at your expense.
BTW: I still think that a lot of dealerships tend to throw parts at a problem instead of troubleshooting to isolate. They make a LOT more $$ selling parts than they do fixing problems.
Ideas?
So for example, I assume a steady diet of ULSD?
Have you been lugging the engine or not rev ing it correctly?
Another MIGHT be: you do not operate in the zone, the engine needs to operate properly for the diesel engine AND turbo. Corrective action: go to www.tdiclub.com and do a search for TDI break in instructions. You might wish to pay particular attention to what drivbiwire has written on the subject. So another short answer (and inexpensive) is you might need an "italian tune" within the proper RPM parameters for the TDI. AKA drive the car the way it was designed to be driven.
The use of ULSD has greatly decreased (97%, 500 ppm/15 ppm the likely hood of getting intake deposits due to higher sulfur variables. As you know VW TDI's have been designed for a long time to run on ULSD. (15 ppm or less)
Of course you can contact a local VW guru (preferable) or bring it to dealers (only if you have to or know the dealer you bring it to, specializes in TDI's) and do a VAG.com diagnosis. Dealers have a tendency if they are not specialists to through expensive parts at the problem. Let us know how it turns out.
Italian tune...lol
This might be WAY too much information for you, or as it might serve as a point of reference for your concerns..., BUT I have been present for a number of TB/WP changes at 100,000 miles intervals (60,000 for some of the older models). What these illustrated was the on/ two effects of 1. LSD (CA vs 49 state) 2. mitigations inherent in PROPER OPERATION on the ill effects of the "wrong" fuel. 3. use of ULSD has a startling effect on EGR build up (lack there of) combined with proper operation.
Indeed my 2003 ran the majority (app 80,000 miles) of its first 100,000 mile interval on NON ULSD #2 diesel, (CA USD @ 140 ppm, to 49 state USD @ up to 500 ppm.) , as the implementation date of ULSD was in (as I recall? slipped from July 2006) Oct,'06.
Since early on in the TDI's life, I had read and followed those referenced break in instructions. Not too many miiles later, have had the pleasure of meeting Drivebiwire, and asked in person any questions I had at the time.
Miles later, intake inspection revealed NO build up. However due to normal operation, it WAS slightly black. It was pronounced good to go for another 100,000 miles.
Another thing is since you are in all likely hood still under warranty, this is a good time to let the dealer run (VAG.com) diagnosis for any issues it might bring up, such as N75, sensors, etc. etc.
Is there a schematic online that shows the location and/or proceedure?
Thanks
You might want to do a search on www.tdiclub.com. They might still have the videos showing how it is done.
I am just wondering if the heating oil is just ULSD,and that it comes out of the same pipe? Get a sample and take it to get tested for sulphur content!
Wonder no longer. The answer is no. If you doubt that, call up a (local) HHO vendor. (Goggle also) Let us know what you find out to be true.
More sulfer is put into the atmosphere by shipping the oil to the NorthAmerica than it does by BURNING it in our TDIs.
The envronmentalests tend to turn the other cheek when it comes to emmissions from the ships which "fill up" at the lowest price for fuel. (which is WELL OVER 5000 ppm)
And yes, the home-heating oil is high sulfer... every time my furnace is running, I can smell the sulfer outside whilst I am shoveling snow.
Also, the timingbelt adjustment tends to drift as miles accumulate. Have you verified that the injection timing is set accurately? (Setting it ABOVE nominal really helps with starting cold engine... and also improves MPG.)
Any comments or suggestions about buying a VW would be helpful.
P.S. the dealer was great. They let me take the car for 24 hours to drive it and experience the car, knowing that I might not even buy the thing. It's sitting in my garage right now. lol. I think they know I want it.
Thanks in advance.
First time poster.
That being said....I also own a Honda Odyssey and for a few months last year owned an '07 Civic EX. My '00 Jetta TDI was totaled after over 160k miles of nearly flawless service and was my favorite vehicle ever. It never visited a dealer and all maintenance/repairs were made by yours truly. The Civic is a very different animal and personally was just not right for me. My Odyssey has been pretty reliable and the Honda dealer is very good near me (360° from my Toyota dealer). I would buy a used TDI in a heart-beat IF I personally knew the history/owner/etc. Knowing what I know about TDI's I could never just walk onto a lot and buy a used one. They're a finicky vehicle and many pre-owned ones were test subjects of Toyota/Honda owners. They have the dealers perform the service and after a couple small problems that the dealers screwed up the repairs (or charged them a ridiculous amount) they dump them and run back to Honda/Toyota. Read back through these threads (and other TDI sites) and you'll find tons of stories of dealerships that just have no clue how to service TDI's and you'll understand where I'm coming from.
The previous owner of the jetta was an older couple who had the vehicle serviced at a local vw dealer. There is only 37000 km on it. There are so many positives about the civic,new,full warranty,0km, however the fuel economy in the jetta might out way the positives in the civic.
Easy driving will gunk up the intake on a TDI and it's an elaborate process to clean it out. I've heard of dealers charging $500-$600 to do this but I helped a guy (car bought used.....) do it in a few hours. Either way, it can easily be prevented by just driving the thing and not babying it. Not using the correct oil is a big no-no and there's many documented cases where dealers aren't using the correct oil and/or the LOF guy just doesn't know/care. And 37,000km in three years???
I had several major complaints with my short-term '07 Civic. One, the seats just killed me no matter what I did with them. That's a subjective issue and I'm sure most folks don't have that problem or everyone would be ditching them. It was the main reason I bailed on it. Second, the car has zero torque which wore thin on my nerves after awhile. I drive in the mountains a lot and hills that I could accelerate up in 5th gear with the tdi required holy-crap rpms just to try and maintain speed. Got old quick. And finally, driving my typical 75-80mph resulted in a mere 28-30mpg. The good news is the Civic suspension/steering/feel doesn't urge you to drive that fast so you'll likely find yourself putt-putting along at a more leisure speed. I was averaging 35mpg overall keeping it in the 70mph range on the highway. My TDI would average 45mpg with highway speeds in the 75-80mph range and overall far more aggressive driving.
I'm actually looking (more proactive than active) for a used '05.5 or '06 TDI that was owned by a diesel geek. Very hard to find because the types that actually take care of these cars don't usually get out of them unless they're forced. I actually bought my '00 used from a guy that lost his job and just had to sell it.
There are other small fuel efficient choices out there that aren't quite as dull as a Civic. I went the Civic route only because I knew I'd only need it short-term (although I was thinking a year or so...) and had the chance to buy an '07 for under invoice. They typically get close to MSRP for them which worked to my favor a couple months later. Also keep in mind how many miles you drive will calculate into your decision. If you only drive 12k miles a year, the difference between 35mpg and 45mpg is only $200.
I have a 2004 Jetta TDI that had the same issue. They changed the same cooler and the leak stopped so far. It's been over a month. The Thermostat was stuck part way open which was just ducky, too. The issue started about 120 000km.... just as the warranty ran out. Cool stuff eh?
The car has just over 30,000mi on it, and I've kept up on oil changes (with 505.01 approved oil) and even changed the air filter 2 times in the last 20k miles.
some TDIs were prone to MAF issues that would give the symptom you describe. a test for that is to unplug the MAF - if performance improves than a new MAF is necessary.
also, sounds like your car is under warranty - why not let the dealer have an actual mechanic try diagnosing? :shades: