VW Jetta TDI

gagrice

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.

pruzink

I use Nokian Hakka II's on my car and my daughter's car in the winter. They are a really great snow tire. I do like the stock Michelin MXV-4 plus the rest of the year. This is a good website if you want to buy Nokian tires on-line: "http://www.tiresbyweb.com/c-128-nokian.aspx".

kyfdx

Thanks for the website... but, even with the free shipping, mine were a few dollars cheaper from the local tire dealer.

If you live in an area that doesn't have a dealer (I had to drive 25 miles), then that would be a good option.

I never found anyone selling them on-line, so you are one up on me..

I really like mine (Nokian WR), the longer I have them... Even the dry road capability is a big step up from the S-rated all-seasons that I had before... A real win-win for me..

kjella

Signing in after asking the question "...is it worth it?"
I can definitely say YES!!!! I got my 2006 Jetta TDI with package 2 and it is worth every penny. I got it on Jan 8, 2006 and now have 72,000 miles on it. I am averaging 46 mpg. I estimate that I have saved over $3500 in fuel costs. It came with XM radio which I have found to be well worth the cost. The only problem with the car happened the 2d day I had it. There was a problem starting it. I drove to the dealership to complain. They came out to try it and it would not start. They gave me a loaner and 3 hours later I had my car back. There had been a bad connection in the starter which resulted in a loose wire. Since then, everything has been great. I have had no further starting problems and the cars really handles well and is fun to drive. At this rate, it looks like this one will last a good 300k miles. My original tires are still on the car and look to be good for at least another 40k miles.

mijettatdi

I'm new to this forum, as my 2003 Jetta TDI sits at the dealer waiting for an engine rebuild. At 71K miles, the timing belt teeth had worn and caused major engine damage while traveling on the expressway a few days ago. I am very interested in any class action suits against VW.
This is the most frustrating of a long list of service issues with this car. At 50K miles, the transmission failed and was replaced (under warranty), other repairs included replaced glow plugs, braking mechanism, air flow regulator, etc. This car has been a money pit. Even the MPG has not been as desired...lucky if I see 38 when others are in the mid-40's. This will very likely be my last VW also :mad: :mad: :mad:

alltorque

You do seem to have a bit of a dog. Here in UK the recommendation is that the timing belt and tensioners, (plus possibly water pump, whilst it's easily to hand), be changed at 60kmiles/4 years whichever is sooner. In light of your experience it seems like a sensible precaution.

Guess VW are not immune from building the odd bad 'un but they do seem to be pretty rare. Not much comfort to you, though. Sad tale and easy to understand why you wouldn't trust another one.

vwguild1

The real issue here is one of "Maintenance"...Checking of that timing belt is part of regular VW Maintenance...Have you had your TDI serviced at this same dealership on the prescribed schedule? If so; this should be on them...

bpeebles

That was my thought too. Was this timing belt "inspected" per the maintenance schedule?

I find it VERY difficult to beleive that all the teeth on it suddenly just fell off. This kind of thing ususally happens slowley and can be seen at inspection-time.

bpeebles

The attached article is VERY good news. Looks like the high fuel-prices along with the new-wave of clean diesel engines may be timed just right.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20070510.WHDIESELSSIDE10/TPStor- - y/Environment

I particularly hope the following message makes it to US consumers:

"In the battle with hybrids, the companies pushing the new diesels will certainly point out that hybrids save on fuel consumption only in city driving. Diesel cars consume 20- to 40-per-cent less than gasoline cars under all driving conditions."

rodekill

I just recently purchased an '04 Jetta TDI, and am wondering does anyone have a cold air delivery system for this model? K&N has a replacement air filter, But all cold air apps stop at '03 What is the diff. in the 2 engines? I'm looking to maximize perfomance and efficiency if that is possible. I'm not new to diesels(I've owned a few), only these.,rodekill

bpeebles

Starting in 2004, the TDI engine changed over to a "pumpe duse" engine. This engine uses special cams on the overhead camshsaft to develop VERY high fuel pressure for the injectors.

This also means that your pumpe-duse engine requires VERY special engine oil. Use of any other oil has been shown to destroy the camshaft. (Many VW dealers have been using the wrong oil.... beware)

Now, to answer your question about intake system. There is no need to do anything. The stock system ALREADY uses a cold-air intake system. (air pulled from behind headlight)

Also, if you have not already been warned, do not use an oiled-guaze type of airfilter (such as K&N) The oil from the filter can be sucked onto the MAF sensor and destroy it.

I have no idea why someone would want to spend extra money on an alternative air filtration system that provides absolutely no performance benefit, Filters worse and has been reputed to cause damage to expensive engine components!

ydnar2

I wanted leather seats when I purchased my 2002 Jetta tdi, but since diesel was rarely available in California I had to settle for biege cloth. Has anyone changed out the cloth interior and had to deal with the airbag in the seat issue?
I'd appreciate any feedback before I make any changes.

Thanks

rodekill

Thank you, you've answered my question! Indeed why would you waste money on something that is of no benefit.
rodekill

jetcar1

I am new to this forum too. We have a 1999 Jetta TDI. The timing belt broke while driving in town. We replaced the belt but can't get the timing correct. Seems you have to have a special tool. Do you mind telling me what you had to pay to have your belt TDI repaired after the belt broke.
What did it damage? I am betting that we will have sustained the same damage and it will give us something else to check under our hood to see why we can't get the thing going. Thanks for any info you can give.

badvw7

I have a 2002 VW Jetta GLS TDI that will not start... It will not even turn-over. The battery is confirmed good. I believe that there is a problem in the automatic shift lock system. When I turn the ignition to the On position the "brake pedal light" (ASL light) momentarily comes on then goes off (supposed to stay on until you depress the brake pedal) and I hear a relay click in the shift console (It is an automatic transmission). The "Automatic Shift Lock" light should stay on until I press down on the brake pedal, which then allows you to shift from park into the desired gear. I can shift it freely into any gear even without pressing down the brake pedal. Also the electronic gear indicator on the dash does not indicate which gear I am in. It just flashes on and all the gear indicators remain lighted. I am not so sure that this is a brake light switch problem. The brake lights work normally when depressing the brake. The switch also ohms out normal with an ohm meter. The switch is purple in color if this means anything. Please someone help ASAP...!!! :sick:

keyfarms

Just had to put my 2006 jetta diesel in the shop today. It has been for the last few weeks at a loss of power, and I also noticed a hissing sound while idling and when i go to accelerate. Dealer says that my intercooler has a hole in it and that all my turbo's boost air is leaking out. Has anybody else had anything similiar to this. Their talking about 1300.00 to fix. 350 for the cooler and about 900 labor
The car has 84000 miles on it

sebring95

If the belt broke while driving, you've likely need a new head/pistons/etc. Budget $3,000 for a dealer to do it all. Only way to know what all is damaged is to remove the head and tear it apart. If everything is good (requires gobs of luck) figure an easy $1,000 just for labor to remove/inspect/replace everything. Timing isn't easy, requires special tools and computer software. DO NOT ALLOW THE TIMING BELT TO BREAK ON THESE ENGINES Change it when required or else you'll pay the piper!!

vwguild1

That certainly is a lot of driving for one year...84K...Have you had all scheduled Maintenance performed along the way?

roland3

... Greg, great info, wondering if Blue Tec got rid of EGR ? You are right about the big trucks and EGR. The common rail system is actually less complicated than the unit injectors; even though the CRD is higher pressure.

bpeebles

Ummmm - EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) is there to reduce peak combustion temparture so the nitrogen in the air does not combine with oxygen (oxidize) in the combustion chamber. This reduces oxides of nitrogen out the tailpipe.

EGR does this because already-burned exhaust gasses CANNOT burn again... so they cool off the combustion process.

Now that you know this, it is unlikely that BlueTec (which injects urea in to the exhaust to aid the catalyst) can "get rid of" the need for EGR.

Perhaps you are aware of some chemical reaction which I did not learn about in high-school... Please tell us how injecting urea AFTER the combustion chamber can reduce oxides of nitrogen? Does it split the molecular bond between the nitrogen and the oxygen? What is the resultant "emmissions" from this process?
(Does the Nitrogen bind with somthing else?)

The chemical-soup coming out the exhaust is SOOO hard to control. I find it amazing that enginers have been able to bring interal-combustion as far as they have.

roland3

... Bpeebles, the urea is in some kind of trap or filter. My guess would be that the term would be "scrubs". There is no way to stop the formation of NOx in anything resembling petro fuel and combustion. What I really want to know is as combustion temps rise is there a threshold point that once reached the NOx formation then spikes or is it a linear progression: more heat more NOx ???

keyfarms

yes i have followed my manual pretty close, i usually run 12000 to an oil change, and only use the VW castrol oil. I use it in my business and needed something that would last for over 300000 miles and get great mileage and it has been all of that.

roland3

... Greg & Bpeebles, the Blue Tec does indeed get rid of EGR, even in the big on highway Mercedes trucks. It passes Euro V. I don't know if the USA measures are more strict, but the USA trucks seem to need the urea and EGR. The Blue Tec has the urea mist and a catalytic reaction a little further down stream.

vwinva

The chemical reaction is this. Urea = CO(nh3)2. Carbon monoxide with two ammonia molecules attached. Catalyst breaks the urea down. Hydrogen reacts with nitrogen oxides to form water. Nitrogen residue vents as pure nitrogen.

ashift30

I bought the 06 Jetta new at no miles. 9 months later I hit 26K. So far so good no repairs, but I have 1 factory tire that needs replacement. I follow maint. schedule religiously. I broke in the engine following a schedule for first 10,000 miles then I let it run. I have never been a "car guy" but this is the first car in 30 years I actually enjoy driving.

Mileage - combination city and highway - 37 mpg
Highway - 42 mpg

Driving habits - hard driver, heavy traffic - high speed work commute, much hard braking and accelerations.
Highway habits - (way to fast) 80 mph Houston to Dallas 41 mpg, Dallas to Houston 110 mph 37 mpg

(wife driving) over 40 mpg anytime. She is a slower driver and could have probaly averaged a higher highway average if she didn't stop at every antique store.

Best features I like - Braking is amazing! seats are designed for a 6' driver (unlike [non-permissible content removed] cars)Responsiveness on the road is best I have driven. I feel safe in this car and I let my 16 year old daughter drive it to soccer practice across Houston because it is the safest car I own.

Average report from an average user.

esteeze

Good report.

I just got an 06.5 Jetta TDI about 3 weeks ago, and I have really liked mine too.

My mileage has only been around 30 MPG on the first 2 fillups in Birmingham urban driving, but I expect that should get better as the engine breaks in. I don't expect it to be great in this area anyway since it is so hilly here.

tander06

Just had my VW Jetta TDI serviced, it has 98,000 miles. The dealership says it needs total EGR Throttle Body replaced. Their estimate is $1000 for parts and labor. Does anyone know what this is, and whether there are any downstream impacts to not fixing it right away, or what would happen if this completely failed?

bpeebles

I suspect they are full of cr@p.

The intake manifold is known to get cruddy over time (due to the EGR system which is NOT installed on European TDIs)

It is not unusuall to have to remove and CLEAN the intake manifold... but I have never heard of anyone replacing it just because it is cruddy. (It is easier to just replace it... but that is expensive and unesasarry.)

For more details, here is a link to EGR CLEANING 101


To answer your other questions:

Are any downstream impacts to not fixing it right away?
I am not aware of any perminant engine damage that can happen to the engine by postponing the cleaning process.

What would happen if this completely failed?
It will just get so cruddy that the engine will starve for air and lose power.

tander06

Thanks for the information, it was very informative. I really appreciate it! The car is running fine right now so I think you are probably right and at the most it would need a cleaning. Thanks again.

dr_bartolo

Hey all. Just got a 2001 beetle tdi. I took off from a stop yesterday and tried to run it up to 60 as fast as possible. It got there pretty quick, but my wife driving behind me said it put out a serious cloud of black nasty. Which brings me to my question: Can anyone give tips on how to drive a tdi to get the most mileage/longevity and least emissions. I've learned from experience with woodstoves that the user often has as much effect on how a design performs as the model design itself. How do I drive this thing "right?"

bpeebles

Completely normal...

It is said that a TDI engine should be "accellerated hard" once in awhile. This is to help blow the accumulated soot out of the turbocharger to keep it clean. What your wife saw was this cleaning process in action.

If you were to repeat this hard accelleration a few more times, your wife would have noticed each time blows LESS soot. (because there is less to blow out.)

To relate with your woodstove analagy... you then know that a woodstove should be burned HOT at least once a day to clean out the chimney of buildup. If not done, then a chimney-fire may occour. (Always use a chimney-thermometer to monitor that it stays hot long enough to do the job.)

With the TDI, you should use full-throttle accelleration at least once per tankful. Up a hill is even better. Dont be afraid to take the RPMs up near redline. (never past it!)

This accelleration will also help to blow out the buildup of oil in the intercooler.

If a TDI engine is "babied", it will begin to plug up and eventually will need to be torn apart to be cleaned out by hand.

Here is a link to TDI 101 (Starting Post For Newbies) which should answer your other quesitons and more.

ruking1

As you get used to driving the TDI as bpeebles has said and as you adapt the various recommendations, you will find that there are a few yardsticks, i.e., short hand. Rev to 2,500 rpms when cold and to 3,000 rpms when warm. Part of that is those rpms tend to keep the turbo's vanes from sticking. As a rule the TDI responses best when driven slightly ahead of the torque curve: as the full torque comes on at something like 1900 rpms. So for example, revs much over 3,500 rpms are a bit counter productive, as far as speed is concerned. Also in gasser motors, the tendency is to downshift to get the extra kick. In the TDI, it is better usually just to press the right pedal and wait for the torque to kick in. Also on longer downhill runs if you do not press the accelerator, there is no fuel consumption.

esteeze

If a TDI engine is "babied", it will begin to plug up and eventually will need to be torn apart to be cleaned out by hand.

Good post.

I've followed similar discussions on this forum, and have read about the need to purge soot from the TDI engine in many posts in the TDI Club; however, I believe that you've concisely communicated here the significance of doing this on a regular basis.

I just got a 06.5 Jetta TDI about a month ago, and I'm trying to run it the right way to make it last a long time. Tips like these are an important part of the process.

vwinva

When I have the A/C on full and the engine is under load I am hearing a low rumble from the engine compartment which causes the Jetta to vibrate. Stops when I turn the A/C off. Compressor? If yes,is this a sign of immanent failure?

elias

many folks with 06/07 jetta TDIs & 5-spd find that the engine/car vibrates wildly at idle *unless* we turn on the AC or bunwarmers... dealer service dept reports "they all do that".

alltorque

This sounds like a "We don't have a clue and can't be bothered" sort of answer. That's not a known fault of any TDi-engined VW's/Audi's/Skoda's or SEAT's here in Europe regardless of the gearbox type. May be something unique to the way they're set up for USA, (very low tick-over ?), but it doesn't sound right.

elias

ya, it probably is something to do with the US tuning for emissions-at-idle, maybe that tick-over thing whatever that is .

fermi

I have 2000 jetta tdi and have the same problem. The EGR has been cleaned 3 times and each time the car stopped running. Now they want me to replace it. When I go up hills on the highway the car looses power and seems to be starved of fuel (sort of how a car acts when there is water in the gas). I also have replaced the turbo, MAF, oxygen sensor, fuel injection pump thank god all under warranty. Hopefully this will be the last problem. Anyone else have these problems.
Sean

fermi

My turbo had a hole in it also and would lose power up hills on occasion. This went on for awhile and nobody could tell me what was wrong but one day the check engine light went on and said something about the turbo and they figured it out. Make sure you don't pay for anything. It is covered under the 100000 mile warranty. If you did get you money back mine was covered. New turbo and everything.

sebring95

It sounds like a suspect dealer to me. I assume you mean they cleaned the intake 3 times? How many miles between cleanings? How long since the MAF was replaced? There were updated MAF's a few years ago as the originals were faulty, but if you still have one of the old ones that could be your current problem. They could also not be cleaning the intake correctly. Do you idle the car a tremendous amount of time? I know folks with 300k miles that haven't had to clean the intake more than once. I've never had to clean mine (150k miles), but I took preventative measures from the start.

The number of parts they've thrown at your car is quite impressive, and would be a rather unique situation if all those parts actually had failed. Most of those parts (the turbo and injection pump in particular) don't fail all that often in the real world, although they're quite commonly mis-diagnosed by il-trained repair "technicians". I would find an independent mechanic that specializes in VW diesels.

1stpik

Since VW stopped sending TDIs to the US this year because of new emission restrictions, I hear that the new 2006 models are selling for more than MSRP. Is that true?

And will VW meet the new requirements by 2008 or 2009, and start selling here again?

hopeful99

In most cases that is true. they are worth it.

jkinzel

And will VW meet the new requirements by 2008 or 2009, and start selling here again?

My understanding is that VW will start selling 50 state compliant Jetta TDI’s in the first quarter of 2008.

1stpik

My next question would be; How much more will the TDI cost? Aren't they already selling for $24,000?

Will the new restrictions add a few thousand to that price?

gagrice

I would look for a $1200 premium on the diesel over the 5 cylinder gas engine. About the same as the turbo gas 4 cylinder. A loaded Jetta TDI with leather should be about $26k when they are 50 state approved.

1stpik

That's a lot of money for a car built in Mexico, isn't it?

fermi

I first had the fuel injection pump replaced(car stopped running) THen a week later car stopped running and EGR throttle body was stuck cleaned then week later same thing happened cleaned again.(maybe throttle body was the problem and not the fuel injection pump) Then drove 10000 with power problems only up hills (felt like fuel starvation) then would go back to normal. So this time they are trying to get VW to pay for the throttle body b/c of all the problems and they say that they have never seen one replaced. So now they are soaking the throttle body to clean it. Seems like they did not clean it properly the 1st couple of times. I have 92000 miles now. How do you take precautions so this does not happen again. I do not idle my car for long periods of time. Thanks for your insight. I have had 3 tdi's before this one and never had any problems. Oh the MAF was replaced 2 times under warranty The cleaning has been at the same VW dealer but other things were at other dealers due to where the car broke down.

sebring95

That's a lot of money for a car built in Mexico, isn't it?

What isn't made in Mexico these days? I don't think where it's made has anything to do with the price.....I have a pickup made in Mexico that has a sticker reading $45,000...

Just because they get 40-50mpg doesn't mean you can lump them into the economy car class. I spent a day in a loaner Civic while our Odyssey was being serviced and I can see a justifiable price difference between that and a Jetta. Heck, my '00 Jetta has features lacking in the Civics.....heated seats, leather, heated mirrors, just a couple off the top of my head. Of course mine was $15,000 seven years ago.....

1stpik

A Honda Civic was $15,900 seven years ago.

My point was that paying so much for a Mexican-built car is wrong, because the quality is nowhere near that of the German-built VWs, and because the Mexican factory workers are getting paid a fraction of what German or U.S. workers get. Where's the savings for the consumer?

Ford builds the Focus in Hermosillo, and sells it here for $15,000 brand new. That makes sense. $26,000 for a TDI doesn't.

gagrice

By your logic the Honda's built in the US should be about 2/3 rds the price of a comparable Domestic. They only pay their employees about 2/3rds of what the domestics pay. Not much logic in your argument. It is content. I can tell you from owning a VW Passat the HONTOYs have a ways to go in quality of parts. And a long ways to go in road handling over the VW cars. If an Accord is worth $20k a Jetta is easy worth $26k.