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

What about VW TDI engine?

1356789

Comments

  • eloseeelosee Member Posts: 1
    Is there a definite time table for VW pulling the tdi from NY. Does any one know? Also, what specifically are the differences between the 99/00 tdi's and the 98 styles?
  • bschenk1bschenk1 Member Posts: 1
    Any assurances on cold weather start up with the TDI? Chicago native
  • govugovu Member Posts: 62
    Second tank and I got 49.5 miles/gallon, mostly cruising at 75.

    I've been fooled by the fuel gauge, though. At "1/2 tank," I only got 240 miles. 1/4 tank later (10.5 gallons total), I was well over 500 miles. Very confusing.
  • mhurst1mhurst1 Member Posts: 5
    I've owned my vw y2k GLS TDI now for about two
    months and I would just like to let people know
    some problems I'm having. First I had installed an
    aftermarket sound system which sounds great and I
    didn't puchace an aftermarket alarm because of the
    std. factory one. Well my car got broken into very
    easily and I'll tell you how they did it. All they
    simply had to do was pop the cover off of where a
    key lock should have been on the front passenger
    door latch and open seseame. They're in and my
    stereo is gone. Bummer.

    Second My drivers side seat heater only worked for
    a couple of days when I first got it. I brought it
    into the dealer and they started replacing
    components of the seat heating system ruling out
    one component after another (elapsed time 2 days
    on
    the bus) then only to have the dealer tell me it
    was the element in the seat that was faulty. So
    they order the part while I continued driving the
    car. Finally their parts dept. calls me and tells
    me It's in so I made arangements with the service
    dept. to drop the car off for the day. They said
    it
    would be ready that day, Ya Right! A week and a
    half later after sending the seat away to be
    rebuilt by an upholstry shop I pick up my car
    again.(very Bitter by this point). I'm Driving
    away
    (this being a cool evening here in Canada) I try
    my Seat heater only to find out it still doesn't
    work. Rage Sets In!!!!

    Any body else out there have problems?
    Let me Know!
  • mznmzn Member Posts: 727
    I hope we have no aspiring car thieves in the Town Hall. :-)

    carlady/host
  • daniel40daniel40 Member Posts: 34
    I really like the golf's looks and I especially
    like the TDI engine. I don't understand why they
    would ban the engine, I mean I know diesel fuel
    is a little less refined then reg. gas but at
    49 miles to the gallon can't they see that it
    only sips fuel? I am sure that most SUV's create
    more pollution then the little VW!!!!!!!!
  • DanaRDanaR Member Posts: 37
    I have experienced two problems with the TDI engine in my '98 Beetle, and was wondering if anybody else has experienced the same...

    First, the engine emits noticibly more smoke and diesel smell over the past several months. I took it in to the dealer, and they confirmed that it does smoke too much but cannot find the source of the problem. My car is now a VWOA 'test car' where they will monitor the problem and hope to find the answer. This was as of a month ago but have not been re-contacted by VW.

    The second problem occurred about a week ago while I was climbing a steep grade. It appears that the turbo shut down because the car lost some power. It ran perfectly smoothly but felt as if it had about 20 less horsepower, mostly over 2000 rpms. The next time I started it up it was fine and has been fine ever since.

    But overall this has been a fine car, rewarding me with great mpgs and good all around power.

    Dana
  • ted_liefeldted_liefeld Member Posts: 2
    I am considering a golf TDI but my wife (who has more diesel experience than me via a friend's car) has a fear about the diesel fuel turning into a gel in the tank on cold days. Supposedly this is something that can be counteracted by a fuel additive. We live in MA so we do get cold weather (2 weeks in the single digits F last month)

    has anybody had this problem? Do Diesel stations in cold-weather areas automatically add the stabiliser?

    Inquiring minds want to know...
  • govugovu Member Posts: 62
    Cold-weather diesel is sold in the winter. Your mileage goes down a bit, but it's still pretty high. We've had single digits the last few days here in Michigan, but my TDI bug has started without hesitation every time and has had no trouble whatsoever.
  • mylittlepudgemylittlepudge Member Posts: 5
    I'm looking real hard at purchasing a Jetta/NB TDI, and I heard the following "... should realize there aresome expenses that partially offset the gas savings. Service is more expensive (after the first 2 years during which time it's free) because of more expensive oil, oil filters, fuel filters,and especially timing belts." Is this true? Is maintenance really high, or should I say, the cost of maintenance?
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    I have wanted a Jetta since I saw them on the road. I commute 100 miles a day for work, so the TDI would be the perfect engine for me. I drove a gas 2.0 and found it had little passing power. Does the TDI have more power with automatic or not? Also, I know diesels do not need tune-ups (like gas engines), but other things (like timing belt) might be more expensive. I want to know that as well. Any help and/or suggestions out there?
  • bberry1bberry1 Member Posts: 1
    We'll I guess I bought the exception to the rule. I love the 97 TDI Passat that I bought, but it has spent way too much time in the shop. * days after I bought it, it blew the Timing Belt. 28 days later it was back on the road. Again about 5000 miles later, the Timing Belt was shreding. After some bozo mechanics (at the VW dealer) breaking other things as they replaced it, it is suppose to be OK. I contacted VW about the lemon I have and they said, unfortunatly at this time they would not be able to replace the car. Yeah at what time will they? Now my Turbo is Whistling. Anyone ever have bad experiences with their TDI. I researched this car for nearly 2 years and found it to be the best on the market. Now I'm thinking about going back to American made. Have had problems with the 96 Jetta my wife bought at the same time.
  • qwordqword Member Posts: 20
    I purchased a Y2K Golf GLS TDI back in November of 99. The car thus far has been a total blast to drive, and I have plans on trying to squeeze some extra horses out of it to get the horse power figures close to the torque figures.
    The only problems that I have had with this car is the power steering pump needed to be replaced, as well as the cruise control switch. Also every now and then when I come to a complete stop there seems to be some type of power lose or something that makes the car hesitate pretty rough. I took my buddy, who works for a VW dealership here in Dallas, for a spin around the block to see if he could feel it. It happened only once while he was in the car and it wasn't very noticeable in his opinion. Has anyone else ever felt this happen with their TDI? Mine is a five speed, and whenever I'm coming to a stop I always have the car in neutral so that I don't ride the clutch. I know that isn't good for the breaks but I'd much rather replace brake shoes over a clutch any day!

    Thanks in advance......
  • rdeschenerdeschene Member Posts: 331
    qword. Actually, whether you have a manual transmission car in neutral with the clutch out, or in gear with the clutch in, it shouldn't affect the brakes. The engine isn't transmitting any torque to the rest of the drivetrain either way.
  • robert41robert41 Member Posts: 8
    Qword: I have had similar problems with a '85 Jetta GLI and my '92 GTI 16V, it probably has to do with engine electronics. Any other opinions on this? Anyway, the VW and other mechanics were unable to fix this.
    Mhrst1: If you pick up a "European Car" magazine, there is usually an ad for door latch/lock guards which prevent this type of break-in. It is like a small black panel around the door handle on the outside of the car door. For more information you can call 1-800-ADP-LOCK.
    Has anyone had trouble finding diesel fuel "off the beaten path"?
  • 668668 Member Posts: 13
    I have not noticed this loss of power, but I have been told by some other TDI drivers they have a "stumble" as you describe. As I understand it the TDI completely shuts off fuel while coasting so when you get ready to go again it is essentially restarting.
    I have really enjoyed driving my 1998 Jetta TDI, the ~50mpg economy has just been a bonus.
  • zxthreezxthree Member Posts: 6
    All of this TDI engine-stumble nonsense sounds precisely like the sort of half-baked engineering VW is known for, and which Honda purchasers simply will not tolerate. Instead of "Drivers Wanted," VW's slogan should be "Walkers Wanted."
  • beanboybeanboy Member Posts: 442
    http://tdiforums.abahn.bc.ca/cgi-bin/Ultimate.cgi?action=intro

    Will answer all of your TDI-specific questions.

    -Beanboy
  • qwordqword Member Posts: 20
    Please, there's simply not much engineering involved when it comes to Honda's. I mean how many things could go wrong with an engine the size of a weed eater? From what I have seen the problems that Honda owners do have with their cars are the interior and exterior features.
  • mznmzn Member Posts: 727
    Friends, this topic is not about Honda v. VW. Try the Civic v. Golf topic for that comparison. Thanks.

    carlady/host
  • jss4jss4 Member Posts: 17
    Well, after watching the price of gasoline in the Bay Area rise to $2 a gallon, I decided to give the TDI serious thought. Imagine my surprise when I start reading the TDI thread in Edmunds and elsewhere and discover that they are no longer available here. Yet, no one, including the dealership I just spoke with, can give me a clear answer as to why. I've scanned the thread and see a lot of complaining about it, I've gone to the VW web site and it still gives the option of California emissions, but no answers. Anybody have a scoop or can point me via link to where I can find out what happened?
    Thanks!
  • rgoetzrgoetz Member Posts: 13
    jss4: If your're still interested, go to www.tdicludb.com, run a search on California and on New York, and learn.
  • retzer2retzer2 Member Posts: 4
    actually, try http://tdi.abahn.bc.ca/TDIFAQ/TDiFAQ-5.html#c
  • pghpapghpa Member Posts: 1
    I am considering buying a Golf TDI for my next car both for reasons of fuel economy and engine life--I want to drive it for a very long time.

    However, I was reading the long-term review of the NB/TDI on the Edmunds website and it listed the fuel economy as being anywhere from ~34 mpg to ~44 mpg. Is that right? I thought a TDI could get around 50 mpg reliably.

    What sort of fuel economy can I really expect from a TDI? There is no way I'd pay the extra money for a diesel engine, diesel fuel, and diesel maintenance if I couldn't get some return on my investment via improved mileage.

    I'm anxious to hear what others out there have experienced. Thanks
  • theronrohrtheronrohr Member Posts: 51
    Check out the discussion groups at these sites:
    www.tdiclub.com
    www.vwvortex.com
    Most TDI owners are mystified by the low mileage they got on the Edmunds test car.
  • gotnadsgotnads Member Posts: 19
    I have a 2000 Golf GL TDI. I have not been able to wait to see what the mpg is until the tank was empty, so I have been filling up at 1/2 . My first fill up showed 44 mpg, mostly in town. My second showed 52.9 mpg, 80% highway driving. My last fill up showed 49 mpg with 40%in town, rest highway. Driving at 80+ mph. Why Edmunds mileage is so low is a mystery to me also.
  • yellowbugyellowbug Member Posts: 7
    Yes, they are available. I got my yellow TDI Beetle with black leather, luxury package and 5 speed. I paid the MSRP price of $20,450. I was lucky enough to get the exact color and options I wanted. Actually, my wife found it for me at a local dealer and bought it on the spot. The dealer had a ridiculous $2000 "beetle package" added to the MSRP that was nothing more than a dealer markup. She was able to get it for MSRP without paying the markup. It had just came off the truck the day before and had only 2 miles on the clock! Keep looking around, they're getting much easier to find with sunroof and leather.
  • tdibugmantdibugman Member Posts: 5
    My 98 TDI Beetle has just turned 54000 miles with nary a complaint. In fact, the engine has gotten smoother and much quicker with age. It is a sheer delight. I wouldn't have hesitated to get this engine in our 99 Passat but it is not offered. The engine has amazing reserves of power for 1.9L. Plus, my average mpg since new has hovered around 51, so I figure the extra initial outlay has been recovered.
  • jpcjpc Member Posts: 10
    pghpa: I've owned a 99 Jetta TDI for two years and have seen my mileage run around 44mpg, even with a heavy foot. I think if you averaged 65 on the highway you could do better. Maybe the 34 mpg figure was strictly city driving, I don't do much of that.
    I'm not sure why you think that diesel fuel, and diesel maintenance are more expensive. A currently pay 1.47 a gallon here in CT while regular gas is running around 1.85. Diesel will get more expensive in the winter as home heating fuel prices rise, but usually never more than premium gas. The diesel engine is actually cheaper to maintain than an equivalent gas engine. The oil might cost a couple bucks more but are no spark plugs, plug wires, rotors or cap to replace. Both gas and diesel engines should have new air and fuel filters every year, and both should have the timing belt replaced every 60000 miles. Its no more expensive to replace the timing belt on a diesel than it is on a gas engine.
    One last thing I'd like to point out. The diesel engine runs cooler and the diesel exhaust does not have any water vapor present, so your exhaust system will last longer.
    Hope this helps.
  • ozhouozhou Member Posts: 2
    2000 VW Golf GLS TDI with automatic transmission.
    Purchased new in Feb- 8500 miles,so far no problems. Test drove 2 new Golf's, a gas burner identical to mine, and a diesel with a 5 speed. Chose the TDI because I thought it ran better than the gas burner. That extra torque from the diesel makes a difference with A/C and auto transmission.
    Worst mileage 38 mpg
    Best mileage 45 mpg- 75 MPH on interstate with A/C on.
    Average around 41 mpg.
  • rfruthrfruth Member Posts: 630
    I've heard that anything turbo-charged can be a mechanical nightmare with the increased pressures, needing to let the turbo spin down, water separators, radiator treatments etc. Is this true on a diesel or is it designed with these things in mind ? Wonder if my next purchase should be one of the new hybrides or a diesel.


    Rob Fruth - Houston, Tx
    http://freeweb.pdq.net/rfruth

    1981 Raleigh for commuting, errands & fun
    1997 Trek 2300 for real fun !
    2000 Civic hatchback when I have to
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    I test drove an automatic Jetta GL TDI the other day for the first time. What a smooth engine for a diesel! I fell in love with it! It's so quiet and has enough power for highway cruising (had it up to 90) and passing as well, even with the AC on full blast. Definitely a surprise.
  • eetoreetor Member Posts: 10
    Yeh it's a pretty impressive engine with enough guts to keep up with traffic and sitll delivers insane fuel economy. We have a revie of it at www.automotive-review.com and will have the GTI 1.8T next week and the 225TT after that. As far as I know the TDI engine should outlast the rest of the car - though it is important to be diligent about replacing the fuel filter.
  • scalscal Member Posts: 3
    I'm considering buying a new Golf TDI. Does anyone have any comments on reliabilty of these cars with higher mileage?
  • eetoreetor Member Posts: 10
    The very concept of owning a diesel is that you drive so much that the higher purchase cost is retrieved by puting huge mileage on the car. VW are notorious for electrical glitches but i know several people that literally drove VWs into the ground with over 200,000 miles on them.
  • davidmasdavidmas Member Posts: 12
    tdi engine drives great, gets great milage. but doesn't the maintenance cost overcome fuel savings? timing belt change w/auto tranny every
    40,000 miles?!! more frequent fuel filters, synthetic oil, turbo worries. is it worth it?
  • govugovu Member Posts: 62
    I wouldn't buy a TDI for saving -money- on fuel. It's a wash at best. I bought mine because I loved the way it drove, and I thought it would be more responsible to drive a car with great mileage. Besides, there is something to be said about the fun of only having to fill up every 500+ miles or so.

    I haven't had any second thoughts.
  • rwoodruff1rwoodruff1 Member Posts: 1
    I have had my 1998 Jetta TDI for over 2 1/2 years and nearly 80,000 miles. The average fuel economy I have be getting since brand new 'til now has been 52.0 MPG. Any claims of MPGs in the 30's are completely bogus.
  • beaupsbeaups Member Posts: 6
    Tried to lease a Golf TDI auto today at Desert VW here in Las Vegas. The lowest they would go was 2k over msrp. They said people are buying them for that much and that they are hard to come by. However the Golf TDI in the showroom had 250 miles on it and the Jetta TDI I test drove had 350 miles. Seems like people are interested in the car but not in padding the dealers wallets. Anyone know where I could find one for MSRP?
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    Try CarsDirect.com. They have them on there for MSRP.
  • DanaRDanaR Member Posts: 37
    I recently returned from a business trip in Belgium, where I noticed that most of the VWs & Audis, including Golfs, Boras, Passats, A4's and a few A6's, had the 1.9 TDI emblem on the back. This makes sense since gas and diesel is so expensive there. But it impressed me to see these cars on the highways cruising effortlessly at 90 mph.

    My Beetle TDI gets 49 mph on the freeway with the AC on. It sounds so comfortable at freeway speeds, and has plenty of passing power.

    Dana
  • georgedegeorgede Member Posts: 40
    I'm looking at purchasing a new Jetta TDI in South Florida. I would appreciate some good and bad points about this car (reliability, resale etc). Its very late, so I'll look for all your comments tomorrow. Thanks....
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    I drove an automatic Jetta TDI GL model and liked it a lot. It's the same thing as other Jettas, but the engine is not a fireball. It's more powerful than the standard 2.0, but NOTHING compared to the turbo 1.8 (of course). It is smooth and quiet though, and holds steady right up to 80-85 mph. It should be a nice car. But expect to pay close to retail, because demand is high and production numbers are low.
  • georgedegeorgede Member Posts: 40
    I drove the manual for a full day, and enjoyed alot, but its still a small car. I wish they had
    the Passat tdi here, I would buy in a minute. Im still looking...
  • sabethsabeth Member Posts: 3
    I am driving a '99 TDI Bug until my '01 TDI Golf arrives. I'm in love with this engine. In my opinion it drives like the 1.8T without the top end. If you don't rev your 1.8 over 5000 rpm, you won't notice any difference .. until you go to fill up.

    My brother-in-law in Holland just bought a new TDI Bora (=Jetta). The European engine is the same 1.9L, but puts out more hp, something like 110 bhp (you can tell 'cause the TDI label is red!).

    In terms of reliability, turbo diesel technology has been around for a while now (20 years). Most truck diesels are now turbocharged. Also, VW's TDI has fewer moving parts than modern 4- and 5-valve-per-cylinder engines.

    My biggest worry is all the electronics. The bug is positively alive with interlocks. If I unlock the car and am slow getting on board, the darn thing locks itself again!
  • eetoreetor Member Posts: 10
    Beetle TDI and Jetta TDI reviews at www.automotive-review.com .
  • beaupsbeaups Member Posts: 6
    Thanks Vocus. I ended up buying my golf tdi at the dealer here in vegas. I paid 500 over msrp. I felt the price was well worth it because it was the car I wanted. Forest green 2dr auto. I love it. So far I'm getting 38 mpg with most of the driving on the freeway at 70-75mph with the a/c blasting. Not bad and I expect it to get a lot better as it breaks in and the weather cools down so I don't have to run the air on high all the time. As for georgede down in Florida I say if you have the chance to get a tdi don't hesitate, just get it, you'll love it!! If you have concerns about how the tdi performs on the freeway don't worry this is where the car shines. unless you plan on cruising at 100mph. The car has passing power thats better than most 4cyl out there. However if you don't already know you do have to drive the tdi differently than gas cars because the power is low on the rpm range so the idea is to keep it there by not downshifting a 5spd and if you get the auto like I did you don't need to punch the gas pedal you just ease it down, before you know it 80mph of driving pleasure!
  • georgedegeorgede Member Posts: 40
    I'm stuck.. Must decide...
    any comments??
  • kjclowkjclow Member Posts: 29
    We love our new car. I would recommend the TDI over gas any time. As beaups mentioned, it does take some getting used to. We bought the 5 speed. Our first tank only gave us 34mpg. The last tank gave us 41. That's just driving around Charlotte. We haven't taken it out on the highway for a long trip yet and we had it since June. We have about 3500 miles on it. My wife's biggest disappointment is that she doesn't get to drive it like she thought. She takes kids to school and needs room for 5, safely.

    We looked at the Accord before we bought the beetle. Drove both on the same rainy day back in May. Also drove the gulf on same day. My wife did not care for the Jetta. The kids said they had more leg room in the beetle. We bought the beetle and haven't regretted it. Handles wonderfully, even with ac on full.
  • ekkoh99ekkoh99 Member Posts: 17
    I just got back form Europe and saw tons of VW TDIs. V6, 1.9. you name it. too bad they dont import hte bigger engines here or in the passat.
This discussion has been closed.

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles