By accessing this website, you acknowledge that Edmunds and its third party business partners may use cookies, pixels, and similar technologies to collect information about you and your interactions with the website as described in our
Privacy Statement, and you agree that your use of the website is subject to our
Visitor Agreement.
Comments
I know for a fact that when the outside temp is below -10F, I can drive for an HOUR and not have much heat inside the cabin. (blower on high will actually COOL OFF the engine temp.) I found that if I turn the blower down, then the engine temp. comes up and I get some heat.
BOTTOM LINE: The seat heaters are a MUST for cold weather. I also have a plug-in engine heater and cover the grille to keep the cold air out of the rsdiator.
I am looking to buy a VW jetta diesel. Great fuel economy.
I have the 05 TDI with package #2 and it has all the things that are now being deleted from the 06?
VW has to rethink it's package options since the new 06 Passat 2.0T doesn't even come with the same features as the 05 New Jetta? And it costs more. Why pay $38K for the features in an 06 Passat V-6. When you can buy them for less in the 05 Jetta? At that price you are forced to get things you really don't need.
:confuse:
Sandro
BTW... I beleive you mean 5w40....5w30 is for kiddie cars ;-)
The Jetta I drove was pretty much a base TDI. The only options I could see getting would be the alloy wheels (the hubcaps on the car I drove, while nicely styled, looked as if they were made from cheap plastic) and, of course, the sunroof. I think both of these are available in a single package, but for $1,900.00+.
My only complaints were with the price (around $22,900 seemed steep for the one I drove even though it probably is justified). I didn't try haggling because I'm at least 6 months+ away from being able to purchase. I also don't care for standard power windows and other electronic dud-dads that I don't need. Dual climate control is a gimick in my opinion.
The other thing that might have bothered some people was the diesel chatter. I was surprised at how loud the car is from both the in- and outside. Personally, I enjoyed the sound, but I'm sure it would irritate most people who aren't use to it after awhile.
The only other version of the Jetta I'm interested in is the GLI, but at a price starting around $28,000 - $29,000, I may pass.
Bottom-line: The 2006 Jetta TDI is on my list of possibilities.
Three other reasons:
- no wood trim
- power memory driver's seat
- 6 speed auto DSG transmission
jet
Thanks in advance for any advice/info you can give me!
Cassie
I'd like to have some goodies and leather with NO sunroof. It seems impossible.
Tony
I am in Vermont and myTDI sits outside all the time. I always use fuel-addititive when I fill up. Never had any gelling problems.
Do not forget that the TDI is sooooo efficent, that it does not produce any heat for the passengers when outside is -10F. There are "tricks" to help alleviate this.
Now that my TDI is broken in, I have registerd up to 57MPG on long, highway trips.
Thanks again!
Cassie
In my humble opinion, you can't go wrong with a TDI vehicle. VW has changed the body style of the Jetta with the 2005 1/2, 2006 (also known as A5), from the previous body style, known as A4.
However from what I read the TDI engine is used in the New Beetle, Golf, Jetta and Passat. The PD (Pumpe Diesel[sp]) TDI engine has been in use from the 2004 model year. When you are reading the post concentrate on the model year, 2003 and earlier is a different engine from 2004 to 2006. From what I read the newer PD TDI engine is more efficient and reliable than previous TDI engines. However this could also be that the newer engines don't have the use/mileage as compared to the older engines. Regardless, if you do an internet search on the TDI engine. You will find several websites devoted to the TDI engine in all its variants. I have read some post where early TDI engines have between 300,000 to 500,000 miles on them and are still going strong, with proper care and maintenance!
Anytime a manufacturer introduces a new model of vehicle there will invariably be bugs that need to be worked out. With the new body style of the Jetta there may still be an issue or two VW will need to solve, but the engine will now have 3 years of production and use in the field. Most of those engine/powertrain issues should be resolved.
I have a little over 6000 miles on my 2005 (A4) Jetta. I have had zero (0) issues with it to date. I have received a lot of intrest/envy from co-workers who wish they could bail out of their SUV's and get into a TDI. And probably most importantly, my wife has actually said she is very happy with my decision to purchase such a fuel efficient vehicle.
I have been shopping for months for a new or used car that had both good MPG, Reliability and didn’t look like you were driving a little grandma car. This was the first time I even sat in a VW and I have to say that I was so impressed that I didn’t leave the dealership without it. I pride myself at getting the best deal possible on my cars so when they said they would not budge on sticker I decided to go to work to see what I could get thrown in. There are a lot of extras for this car but I think the best upgrade that adds both performance and looks are the 17in rims with the low pro tires. They had the 17’s on the Jetta GLI and it looked awesome but they wanted $1500 to upgrade my stock 16’s to 17’s. NOT TRUE!!! If I had bought them separately they would cost me that and I would still have my 16’s with the rubber to sell on Ebay. So we bargained and I got them switched out for $500. There’s my deal! That’s all I got.
I also opted for the unbelievably cool 6-speed automatic transmission with Tiptronic because it had a very responsive dry clutch and you can switch it over to manual (paddle shifting) at any time with the Triptonic, like the BMW’s M3’s.
This car has it all. Its surprisingly fast, coroners on rails with the 17’s, looks amazing, gets great MPG, has longevity and is very roomy. Not to mention the Germans attention to detail, I was floored when I found out that both my glove-box and center counsel-box are cooled by the cars air-condition for a pop or a bottle of wine. Now you taking.
What more can you ask from a car.
Total OTD (Out The Door)with extras, taxes, title and a extended 6yr – 100,000 warranty = $29,700 :shades:
Dealerships (not being very well trained in diesel nor turbochargers) will often suggest replacing the turbocharger when it is NOT the real issue. It is also an "easy sell" for them to make some quick $$. Would you replace your entire car becasue it was dirty because the last owner never washed it?
You asked for guidance:
Turbochargers generally do NOT have issues on VW TDI engines.
Instead of just replacing the turbocharger because a dealership says that an NON-EXISTANT component is "stopping up with sludge from the previous owner not getting the oil changed frequently enough"...I suggest you gain more knowledge about things first.
1) Research TDI on the internet.
2) Research VNT (Variable Nozzle Turbocharger) [NO wastegate!!]
3) Research how to Check your intake-plenum to see if it is plugged.
4) Research how to clean the soot off the VNT vanes and free up the sticky components.
We really do not want a sunroof on the car. After a few years here in Az the sunroof leaks air / water or both.
Any high volume dealers I could check that may be at the end of the USA?
Another approach (the one that I chose) was to ask the dealer to get on his computer and search for the car of my choice ON OTHER DEALERS LOTS. Since there is no "ordering" of VWs, the dealerships have some kind of "swap" deal that they can do with other dealerships. Using this method, the dealer was able to locate the EXACT vehicle I wanted (at the agreed-upon price) and have it on his lot within a week ready for delivery to me.
(The entire deal was done OVER THE PHONE without even stepping foot in the dealership.... until the day I picked up my Jetta TDI)
It goes without saying that the more "leinient" you are with specific options/engine/color, then your chances improve for a match.
Sandro
The oil filter (including o-rings) is available at Wallmart in a box that says "Fram CH8530" for about $12, but the contents of that box is a german-made "Mann" filter just like the one you can buy from the dealership for a lot more money.
If you choose to do this task yourself, DO SOME RESEARCH FIRST! The biggest mistake is to forget to remove the old o-rings and put the new ones on right over the top, the doubled-up o-rings then cause a massive oil leak because they do not seal well. You will find that most folks choose to NOT mess with removing the 14 screws that hold the bottom cover on. Instead, the complete oil-change can be done from under the hood using an "oil-sucker" (about $40 one-time purchase)
Also, be aware that the filter-cartridge is labelled "OBEN/TOP"..that end must be on the top when it is installed.
Link to West Marine Oil sucker
I assume you already know that your 2004 TDI engine has very special oil requirements. Do not use anything less than oil that meets the VW 505.01 specification.
Link to Historical Gasoline /Diesel fuel prices
I do agree that the Jetta ride-quality is stiffer than other vehicles, but it HANDLES better than most too.
To me, the ONLY warantee on the Jetta that I care about is the 12-year/100,000 mile corrosion warantee. Here in Vermont, if a vehicle is not 100% galvanized steel (or plastic) it will rust out before it wears out. Asian vehicles rust far too fast for me to consider them. (especially Hyundai and Kia...where do you think they are skimping to make the price so low? ...the cheep recycled steel and the corrosion-protection!)
Ask a Hundai or Kia dealer if there is galvonized steel anywhere on their cars....they wont even know what you are asking about!...or lie through their teeth ;-)
When you are cruising on the freeway, you feel more stable with a Jetta than other sedans of a similar size because its' more heavier and handles better. Also its standard safety feature includes ABS and stability control which other brands doesn't care too much (only in the options). Have you ever see a deadly casualty involving a Jetta?
I thought I'd make a reply to your post being a past VW diesel owner. I've owned serveral diesel cars over the years, one being a Diesel Rabbit. The worst milleage on a tankful was 42 mpg being pushed hard in some rolling hills here. The one thing I didn't like was having to add injector cleaner about every 3rd tankful to make the performance perk back up. A friend of mine who owned a older Jettta diesel told me he put cleaner in his VW every tankful. I dont know if one still has to add cleaner to these new engines but it's something you need to ask.
Also, Auto diesel fuel starts to gell at about 20F and unless you add anti-gel to the fuel you might find yourself on the side of the road
A VW mechanic told me that VW's require more maintainance than a lot of other cars ( a general statement I know) but they do have advantages, also.
Also, where I live, I can buy a new Camry for under $16,000. ....Null
I believe the winter fuel is called diesel #2, but I'm not positive o that.
I've been told that bio-diesel will clean out your tank and fuel system, but can cause debris from dino diesel buildup which the biodiesel breaksdown to clog your fuel filter.
One point I'd like to make is here in Atlanta auto diesel fuel can be .30 cents per gallon HIGHER than regular gas. When you add the price of injector cleaner which I had to add about every third tankful to my diesel Rabbit makes for an addtional expense. Do you have to add cleaner to your fuel and if so how often??
It goes without saying that additive needs to be put in during the winter to eliminate gelling.
The TDI engine is NOT like a gasoline engine that actuially warms up while idling. A TDI engine can be started at -15F and idled for HOURS and will never warm up. (But that could really gum things up by runnig the engine while cold for so long.)
What's the difference in No. 1 and No. 2 diesel and BD, if any?? Also, if I use No. 1 diesel would I still have to put cleaner in the fuel tank?? Can each of these fuels be used in the TDI??