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Comments
FORGET IT!!!
They will sell more automatics if they lure people in with the better numbers generated by the manual.
Just like some people judge how fast a car is by its 0-60 as measured with the manual tranny, and then buy the automatic.
Also, a higher percentage of diesels here.
We deal with Langley VW. They're about 45 minutes outside of Vancouver, in an area of commuters. Thus they sell a LOT of diesels (piles of Jetta TDIs). The owner, Bruce Norman, gets flown by VW AG to Germany for new model introductions, etc.
He gets to see what's coming to North America (and try it out) before many dealers even get any info that its coming. And they get cars other dealers can't get (like Jetta TDI wagons when all the other dealers in BC had long waiting lists).
At this time we don't have final pricing or specs, but we heard preliminary pricing (almost the same as the 1.8t), it looks like they'll have the usual selection of options (for a GLS maybe, not GLX stuff), and we're just after leather (butt-warmers are standard now).
I'll put snow tires on the stock steel rims, and a set of Yokohamas on 17" or 18" alloys for summer. (similar to what we did with her '91 Passat ... which we sold after 235,000 kms for $6500 a few years ago).
It doesn't matter if they show up in September or October. It won't go on a 4000 mile road-trip till summer of 2004.
Is it possible that they're coming to canada before the US?
With current coil problems with 1.8T and VW's long track record for delays we will be lucky to see the Passat diesel in January.
Also, are there any up-to-date web sites that discuss CVTs?
Both of these subjects interest me, but my local library doesn't have any current literature...
Thanks.
Is there any specific question that I or someone else may attempt to answer?
What I suggest is using Google or another search engine to attempt to find what you are seeking.
I'm mostly interested in who's doing what with diesel designs, how clean they are, etc. In short, general stuff.
And CVTs are interesting because they may be one of the transmissions of the future. Perhaps diesel engines and CVTs will be a fairly common combination in the future?
Almost all cars sold in Europe have diesel as an option (but no Subaru, Rolls-Royce, Ferrari etc).
Try British sites (they use some kind of strange English: bonnet is hood, boot is trunk) - they should be easiest to navigate.
US .com is .co.uk
You should find usable info at Mercedes, Volkswagen, Peugeot and BMW. All these companies are known to have very good or better diesel engines.
Krzys
PS Key words for diesel search: diesel, common rail, direct injection.
Try the above link for info on diesels.
Mileage really drops off beyond 2500 revs ... especially past 3000 revs. Another gear would help.
But I'd rather have the DSG 6-speed.
Are the DSG tranny and 2.0tdi mated together in any other markets? (I think the Sharan TDI has the normal 6-spd and 4WD in Germany)
As for the Sharan, yes it has a 6 speed with the 1.9l TDi 115, but it doesn't, and will never have, 4WD.
That's something I'd like to do in the next few years.
As an engineer, I think that in theory the CVT and TDI should be a perfect match, but I know that theory and practice are very different (well, in theory they're the same, but in practive they are different!)
Maybe the TDI has too much torque?
Also, I had seen info that the TDI Passat was coming with the 5-speed Tiptronic. Then I read somewhere it would be the 6-speed Tip (like the beetle convertible) which would be nice, but today Bruce Norman (of Langley VW, where my wife's TDI wagon is ordered) said they'll be the 5-speed.
Any other news?
No Passat TDI are scheduled to arrive before the 2004 calendar year. When the 2004 VW's start to arrive in July, August and September there will still be no TDI Passat to be seen.
At the end of the year you may be able to order a "2.0L TDI-PD with 134hp and 247 lb-ft of torque in the Passat sedan and wagon in GLS trim level only with a 5-speed tiptronic. Regrettably no manual transmission will be offered at this time. This 2.0l TDI-PD is a 2-valve per cylinder version unique to this market and different than the new 4-valve version available in the new Volkswagen Touran and Audi A3".
BTW, I ordered my Beetle TDI in January 1998 over the phone with a credit-card deposit of $1000-.
The dealer didn't have any info on the car, or even know what colors were available.
But when the diesels finally showed up in June of '98, I was offered the first one in BC.
At least with the Passat, we know what the features, colors, and available options are.
(PS: Beetle has over 150,000kms on it and going great, but due for its 3rd set of tires)
So you CAN combine a CVT and the 2.5L diesel V-6 in some markets. You can also combine the diesel V-6 and Quattro, but you can't have the diesel, Quattro, AND the CVT. The Multitronic CVT and the Quattro AWD system currently aren't compatible.
If VW comes thru with the diesel Passat I do plan to buy one, but the dealer will NEVER see it for a non-warranty item. And any needed service to maintain the warranty will be done at a non-local dealer.
Free car wash? I never recalled Toyota dealerships offering free car washes. Lexus and Acura..yes. Wait for a nice day with a lot of overcast, not rain, then go wash the car.
THe diesel maintenance you need to perform can be easily done by the DIY crowd. Timing belt changes...dealerships are optional, as the TDI community have regular meets that include timing belt changes.
Thank you for contacting the Volkswagen website. We appreciate your
interest in the Passat.
It has recently been announced the Passat TDI will be produced. It is
tentatively scheduled to become available mid to late 2004. No further
information is available at this time.
If you would like to be updated when further information becomes
available
about the Passat TDI, please send us your complete name and mailing
address
and email address information.
We hope you enjoyed your visit to vw.com. On the road of life there
are
passengers and there are drivers...
Dennis
Volktalk
Sure, its another "diesel option", but I'll bet a gas V6 Passat with 4WD will use less fuel, handle much better, carry more (wagon), and still be worth something when its 10 years old ... a concept that Chrysler owners are not familiar with.
Because of the physical punishment of a diesel on oil, plus the oil being used to cool the high-temperature turbo charger, VW only approves "MOBIL 1" for my TDI, which is the most expensive motor oil that I've seen.
Oil changes are almost CDN$100- with taxes.
(Although my Benz 300 SEL with 4.5 liter V8 took 12 quarts of oil, so its wasn't cheap either!)
HOWEVER you have to factor in:
- oil changes and timing belts are your only regular maintenance costs
- you will save immensely on fuel
- your engine will outlast a gasoline engine
- your vehicle's resale value (compared to a gas model with the same mileage) will more than offset the initial premium for the diesel engine.
(that last item applies to VWs only, as they don't gouge for diesels like some other makes)
The resale value is a big factor. When you think of it, a person buying your used car is not buying a new car because of $$$.
So they are concerned about operating costs moreso than buyers of new cars who have $$$.
Thus, the used diesel demands an even greater premium compared to gas-power than on new cars.
For example, on a '98 Benz E-class, the Edmunds pricing of the diesel is 2 grand higher than the V6 ... around 9%. When I bought my TDI Beetle, it cost about 4% higher than the lame 2.0L gas engine. In the Passat, the TDI will replace the 1.8T gas engine ... the price difference will be negligible. In the Beetle the TDI costs less than the 1.8T
Sorry, I had to correct your error.
Mobil Delvac 1, 5w40 (full synthetic, a reformulated version of Mobil 1 which is intended for diesel engines)
Chevron Delo 400, 5w40 (full synthetic version)
Shell Rotella T (full synthetic version, not to be confused with Rotella SB synthetic blend or regular Rotella T non-synthetic)
Amsoil Series 3000, 5w30 (full synthetic, CH-4 rated)
Amsoil High Performance, 10w40 (full synthetic, CH-4 rated)
Amsoil semi-synthetic 15w40 (CH-4 rated and high quality, but almost as expensive as the full synthetic, and higher viscosity at low temperatures)
Redline, synthetic version (make sure you get the type meant for diesel engines, with the CG-4 or CH-4 rating)
These are just some of the oils. Oil can be purchased for less than $13 and filter for $6.00. This is less than $20 w/o labor. AND the oil only requires change every 10,000 miles.
There has been a lot of confusion around what is the proper oil, because the earlier (non-turbo) VW Diesels were approved for a wider range of products, and many garages were putting the same oils in the TDIs.
I'm glad there's more choice now, although I'm hampered by the Canadian market which doesn't offer as many brands as the US market has.
But the point is that Diesels cost less to maintain overall, even if the oil-changes cost more. Yesterday I met a guy with a 3-week old Jetta TDI. It replaced his older Jetta Diesel which has 495,000 kilometers on it.
Maybe VM works better on American diesel fuel ?
Krzys
Regarding the Liberty diesel my point was that the engine was not going to be a "Chrysler" motor. I agree that the motor is a VM design. I also agree that the motor is not a Mercedes design or build. I'm not a fan of Chrysler but I expect that the Liberty is going to be one fine vehicle with the diesel. I could only hope to have the opportunity to own both a Passat diesel and a Liberty diesel.
(save to your hard drive to read it)
Vehicles Number: V 99-13
Use of Synthetic Oil Date: 7/23/1999
Supersedes Service Circular V 99-05, dated 1/26/99
I couldn't hyper from this site. what does your reference tell us?
txh
The hyperlink only works internally at the club.
Basically what it says is
Effective immediately, please use 5W40 synthetic oil when performing warranty repairs or Free Maintenance on 1996-2000 model year TDI (diesel vehicles)....
This came out on 7/23/1999
Although I'd rather have the A8/V8, the Passat V8/TDI sounds more like my budget.
And this engine has more power/torque than that Cummins beast in Dodge's pickups!
Has anyone got any further information on this?
The 2.0 PD Passat that comes out next year should be lots of fun to drive.
In 2006 comes the Volkswagen direct E-Class and BMW 5-series competitor codenamed CI - bigger than VW Passat, smaller than VW Phaeton.
I sincerely hope the Passat diesel shows up on time and in Wagon also. VW timeline is almost always later than scheduled.
Ours is high sulphur - theirs is low sulphur.
Maybe 225ppm in comparison to 15ppm. Seems like the electronics of the engine, as well as the injectors, will be fighting an uphill battle.
I noticed it seemed to have less power than new (wouldn't lay rubber shifting into 2nd on dry pavement) but I attributed that to the better traction of the Yokohamas compared to the stock Michelin "echo-squealers".
Then I recently noticed it had more power, and I got worried. My experience with snow-mobiles and motorcycles years ago was that they produced more power just before they blew up! But it turned out that my wife was re-fueling the car in Canada (at Husky or Shell).
A few tests confirmed it ... Canadian fuel produces noticable more power (and mileage) than US fuel. The Canadian diesel has been lower in Sulphur for some time now:
"As of Oct. 1, 1994, Shell and other major Canadian refiners began selling only low-sulphur (0.05 per cent) diesel fuels, under an agreement with the federal government to reduce particulate emissions. "
But another neat thing is that Shell offers 2 grades of diesel.
My first experiment with their "DieselMax" fuel resulted in a mileage boost of about 15%. It was a pleasant surprise. I can't find that specific fuel on their web-site but they do say:
"... because Shell's Scotford Refinery near Edmonton has been manufacturing ultra-low sulphur diesel fuel (0.01 per cent) for more than a decade without experiencing any signs of lubricity problems. "
Whatever the root cause, I'm paying the extra for the Canadian fuel and really enjoying the added power and mileage.
500 ppm or less is considered low sulfur diesel and is nothing special as it has been around since 1993.
In 2006 the standard for diesel will be 15 ppm sulfur. This is the fuel that will allow increased use of diesel in passenger and light duty trucks and SUV's.
There is ultra low sulfur diesel 15 ppm available in the US and Canada.
You may be paying more for diesel in Canada but it is due to higher taxes and not higher quality.
Our fuel locally comes from North Eastern BC via the West-Coast-Transmission pipeline and is refined in Port Coquitlam.
The fuel I buy across the border comes from Alaska via tanker and is refined in Anacortes, WA.
So if its not the sulphur, then why does US diesel produce less power and mileage in the same car on the same highway?
(BTW: what kind of diesel are you driving and what fuels work best with it?)