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The intent of this forum is for folks to get help with problems. The complainers do not help anyone very much. (but might make themselves feel better)
I also have a 2003 TDI (Jetta) and am getting over 750 miles per tank of fuel. This works out to about 55MPG. (I track every drop of fuel that runs thru my vehicles.) I almost pity the poor folks who have to stop for fuel every 350 miles or so.... (I am at about 1/2 tank of fuel at that point.)
My 2 daughers each have a VW (NB and a Gulf) I have the VAGCOM software on my laptop computer so I can run diagnostics on VWs.
Dont hesitate to ask if you have further questions about your TDI.
You may also wish to start following the VW TDI forums here on Edmunds. This forum focuses on NBs and may not have the details you seek about your TDI.
As for your 100,000 mile TB change. Make certain you do some research before you select a mechanic to do this job. If somone tells you that you can get away with NOT changing the waterpump and tensionor or wants to reuse the "must replace" bolts... look elsewhere.
I have read about many "horror stories" about folks that tried to save a buck by getting TB changed the most inexpensive route. They either ended up with a boat-anchor for an engine or somthing else broke because the job was not done properly.
If a timingbelt is off by even ONE tooth... the pistons can crash into the valves and destroy the engine.
You might even consider purchasing one of the timing belt replacement kits available on the web so your mechanic has ALL the necessarry parts in one box.
The factory Volkswagen taillight bulbs are the european partnumber "P21W". This is a SINGLE filament bulb.
The 7528 is a DUAL filiment bulb may fit in the socket and have simular shape glass.... but the internal design is different.
Also, the type of bulbs that came from the factory may be different if your VW was manufactured in Germany -or- Mexico.
Here are the specs for P21W
Here are the specs for 7528
Many folks forget about the one on the hood latch when they are trouble shooting this kind of problem.
You never got good results putting a single contact 1156 inplace of a dual contact 1157 or vice versa.
Little more research, I think you may have pointed to the wrong link. The P21W 24V 21W BA15D ECE, is the dual contact, filament bulb and is called for. It actually is a direct replacement for 1157's.
Sorry. But I'm anal.
Since I have 3 VWs in the family (Jetta, Gulf and NB), it is easy to get some of the specifics mixed up.
Anyway have a question regarding the 2.0 engine. I've read and heard owners say they have oil consumption problems. Most of the problems date back to when the car was new. What's the issue? Just curious.
The 2.0, in ours, seemed like a very good solid motor. After about 70k occasionaly I'd add 1/2 to a quart of oil between changes. Usually after long highway (4 hours or more) trips. It's never seemed excessive. Now that we are close to hitting 170k, it's pretty consistent that I add oil between 5k oil changes.
Seems like the cars are hit or miss. You get a decent one, or you get a horrible one. The one spot that seems a consistent negative is interiour materails. While the interiour doesn't look bad, things started breaking as soon as the 24k warranty was out.
Right now all cup holders are broke (they are $35 each at the dealer and I haven't found any used yet), glove box latch broke 3 years ago, the passenger side window trim fell of the rubber seal (drivers side did too at 30k and replaced that), button on the parking brake handle broke, after replacing it once, 3 years ago, and the driver side vanity mirror flap falls off.
I keep waiting for the local U-pull it's to get Beetles in, they are near the 10 year mark and they usually carry vehicles 7 years old or older.
Other than consistent and reoccuring A/C problems (expansion valve, temp. cut off switch, and now compressor), the cars not to bad. Typically get a combined 28-30 mpg and have hit 35 mpg in pure highway driving. Only ever had a check engine light once (bad mass air meter). Few other minor problems (notably bad relay for the air pump) but nothing horrid.
After 170k, car still drives well. That aspect has held up. It hasn't turned into a crappy, noisy, vibrating little heap of pooh! So, good body intergrity!
1) There was a run of engines with the oil-control rings installed upside-down on the pistons.
2) Babying the engine during breakin can cause glazed cylinder-walls that do not seal well agains the rings.
3) Oil getting sucked thru the PCV system at highway speeds. (usualy due to blowby caused by one of the above 2 reasons.)
Each of my 2 daughters have a 2001 VW, one consumes oil and the other one does not. Like you said, it is essentually a crap-shoot when purchasing a used VW from the (2000 - 2001) years. Choice of oil also plays a part in how much gets consumed.
As I have said before, oil-consumption IS NOT a big deal as long as one checks the oil and tops off when needed.
On the other hand -- Allowing the oil to get so low that the oil-pressure light come on is asking for trouble.
You DO NOT have the "Pumpe Duse" engine so your oil-requirements are not as stringant as the newer TDIs.
Here are some oils which are availabe in North ameraica which you may use.
MOBIL DELVAC1 5W40
Mobil 1 Turbo Diesel Truck 5W40 (Wallmart)
Pentosynth 505.00 5W40
Elf Excellium DID 5w40
In a pinch, you could use
ROTELLA T Synthetic 5w40 (Wallmart)
Here is a list of approved oils.
Here is some MOR OIL INFO
Personally, for my 2003, I usually order an oil-change "kit" that has oil and filter in one package.
I always wondered if new owners not checking their oil, assuming a new car doesn't need to have it's oil checked, was part of the issue.
About two months ago, I noticed a loud, scary whirring or flapping noise coming from my engine compartment. Took it to West Houston VW-and they told me it was the Serpentine belt tensioner. Along with fixing that, they also fixed the alternator pully and two sensors. 300 miles later-the alternator pulley that they just replaced seized up and took out my power steering pump AND my power steering pulley. Because it was a part failure-you would assume that VW would take care of the costs. NOPE. I had to shell out an extra 500 bux for a new power steering pump and pulley. I pity the person who has to go through VW Corporate. They simply don't care. The dealership had my car for 4 days because no one at corporate would return their calls. I needed my car-so I had to pay for the repair without talking to corporate. It's been 2 months-and they still havn't returned my call.
Two weeks ago-I noticed that I was losing acceleration. It took me a long time to get up to speed (longer than usual) and when I hit a hill I lost HP-about 5-10 MPH. Since learning my lesson with VW dealerships, I took it to a diesel mechanic in Houston that I had heard about and he repaired the Mass Airflow Sensor. He only charged me around 300 for this fix, so I have no problem. My problem is this...the mass airflow sensor drastically effects the driveability of the car-but when I was having this problem, the check engine light DID NOT come on.
Has anyone else been having as many problems as I have? I have put around $5,000 in my car for repairs in the past 3 years-and I am regreting buying a TDI.
Your description of the problems seems to have some holes in it. (Like how in the world can a "alternator pulley that they just replaced seized up and took out my power steering pump AND my power steering pulley.")
I suspect you were 'rooked', or perhaps you ignored other warning sounds before the original problem occoured. This is because the alternator pullys are KNOWN to get noisy (squeeky) for awhile before they come apart.
Also, I am not sure how you think VW should pay for anything more than the failed part. Virtually EVERY lawyer-written document I have ever seen speaks of "limited liability" in reguards to incitental damage.
In reguards to you apparently ignoring your car then complain when it needs some repairs.... check your intake manifold and showscreen to see if they need to be cleaned.... YOU HAVE BEEN FORWARNED!
Please dont try to blame your car or VW when you have ignored the needs of a Volkswagen to be cared for. There is a LOT more than fuel and oil needed to keep a German roadcar healthy.
Personally, I think that 108,000 miles is a long ways for any car. If you do not expect to put some money in to it, then the fault lies NOT in the car.
There was a time not long ago that most cars were ready for the junkyard after about 60,000 miles!!
If you want a car that is designed to be ignored.... consider a Toyota. Also be prepared to drive a booring car.
I went in because of the noise that was coming from the engine. They first diagnosed the problem as the timing belt and belt tensioner. They later discovered that it was the Serpentine belt and tensioner. While they were fixing that problem-they came to me and told me that there was another problem and that they recommended that I replace the alternator pulley (I replaced the alternator at 60,000 along with my first timing belt)as well, as a precaution. I DID NOT REPLACE THE PULLEY BECAUSE OF A NOISE. That was Friday. I got the car back Saturday morning-and drove the car to Austin. The car was driving ok, and I did not hear any kind of noise or rattling and the check engine light was off. On Monday afternoon-I am driving back from lunch and my serpentine belt and pulley FELL OFF THE CAR. I lost power steering and VW towed the car back and told me that they did not know what the problem was, and they would get back to me. That was when I was told that the alternator pulley that they just put in the car (3 days ago) malfunctioned and damaged the power steering pump and pulley. To answer your question-NO, there was no noise from the alternator pulley before it malfunctioned, nor was their a sound from the pulley when the belt fell off. The part was 3 days old-less than 400 miles on it. They were going to discuss this problem with volkswagen corporate because my car was the 6th car that this had happen to, and they did not know why the alternator pulley was seizing up. This is why I am expecting some sort of reply from Volkswagen.
I am not expecting to receive a check in the mail-that is not why I am wanting to hear from Volkswagen. I want to know why this happened-the dealership did not know-and if they have discovered anything from the damaged parts that were sent back to the eggheads in Germany.
When I bought my TDI-I was well aware of the amound of maintenance that would be required. I was not aware that every year I would have to put in around 2,000 in repairs.
I never miss an oil change, fuel filter change or anything that would damage the inner-workings of my car. I have friends that have normal gas engines in their beetles-and they have not had the problems that I have had. How many people replace a glow plug at 80,000 miles?
108,000 is NOT a lot for a TDI engine. They are known to go into 300,000 without breaking a sweat. I bought the TDI engine with hopes of driving it for 15 years. Hell, they tell you that when you hit 80,000 you are just breaking in the engine. I broke in my engine by replacing a glow plug.
I find it kind of weird that you are assuming that I ignore my car. You can't ignore a diesel engine. There is constant maintenance that I do to my car-including cleaning out my manifold. I do it every 60,000 miles-what volkswagen suggests.
I met a guy on Friday afternoon at volkswagon-also waiting for his Toureg to be finished-he lost a piston. The car had 45,000 miles on it. Wierd things happen-and I am sick and tired of paying for "german engineering". The next car I buy is a ford-at least when they break down you can find a mechanic easily and they wont cost you your life savings to keep it working.
It honestly sounds like they didn't hit the problem in the original diagnoses and still didn't, or didn't get it back together right, get it after replacing part after part. It could have been the power steering pump was bad all along. And now the parts failure is covering it up. And how can you prove it now?
I worked at a dealership for a few years, and they never admit mistakes when it costs them money.
Sorry about all the problems. It sounds like you couldn't do anything about it.
My opinion 108k is nothing for a modern powertrain. For the most part manufacturers(i know Ford definately does), test and plan on the powertrain lasting 150k for gas cars. The unspoken consensus, from what I've read, is 200k shouldn't be a problem. As long as reasonable efforts are done to maintain the vehicle and the drivers don't abuse the vehicle.
The alternator pully on TDI engines contains a "sprague clutch" which allows the alternatror to freewheel in one direction. This type of pully is used on the TDI engine to help reduce belt wear due to the power-pulses that the TDI engine applies to the serp. belt.
There have been MANY folks that had this pully malfunction. Before failure, the pully will most often make a squeek or screeching sound for several hundred miles. (If ignored, it will eventuially fall off.)
It sounds to me as if the alternator pully was perhaps the ORIGIANL problem all along... and the bonehead dealership started throwing parts at it (at alisonf6 expense.)
(alisonf6) I apologize to you for assuming you had ignored your TDI. Now that I have read thru the scenereo you describe, I am convinced that it was the DEALERSHIP which took you for a ride. They should KNOW that the alternator pully is a common failure item and replaced JUST THAT in the beginning.
Personally, I am suspecting they did not properly torque the special screw that holds the alternator pully onto the shaft.... thus it fell off a couple days later.
Another possibility is that the dealership reused some of the MUST REPLACE bolts. There are a number of bolts used on VW engines which are designed to stretch when they are installed and must NEVER EVER be reused because they will not properly torque down ever again.
And, you could be right about them not replacing the torque-to-yield fastners. Why they would not replace them is beyond me. They would have just charged the customer for the new bolts anyway.
On the diesels, don't you need to remove the serpentine belt to get at the timing belt? Any mechanic should check the feed accesories before even moving on to the timing belt.
Given that they seem to ignore the shop manual about how to do the TB replacement -- I would be wary of having them do the work...
Have you tried researching for qualified TDI mechanics in your area? There are several websites which have lists of qualified TDI mechanics.
BTW -- here is a kit that contains ALL of the parts needed to do the TB replacement on your 2003 TDI. (note it includes the bolts too)
Thanks,
Stevenk2 in Cincinnati
I have a Haynes book-and I use it for all my repairs, I like to take a look at it even before I put the car in the shop to get an idea of what I am getting myself into.
If it's just the bulb-it's very easy-the Haynes book will take you step-by-step.
You can try this link
http://www.cindyli.com/index.php/site/comments/vw_beetle_headlight_replacement/
or do a Google and look for others.
Knowing this, it may be unwise to add fluid without the proper equipment to verify if it even needs fluid.
Water leaks can be hard to fix. Your best bet is to get a hose and start by letting it run over different areas of the body and checking the interiour for the leak.
It could be the door to body seal. The windshield. From the heater box. Many, many places that could require a big tear down to get at.
Or it could be as simple as you left your window or sunroof open accidentaly. My neighbor did that and swore there was a waterleak.
If you do a search you can find the 20 step walkthrough online. But you still need a VAG COM.
So, you are stuck going to the dealer.
The automatic xmission fluid is not considerd an owner-servicable item. Therefore the "hoops" you speak of are for the mechanic.
I could use the same logic as you and say that it is too difficult for me (an owner) to change the timingbelt, the brakes, or even a tire.... all of which require specialized tools and skills.
Personally, I have been changing my own brakes for over 30 years.... but I would not even attempt to change a tire on a rim. I have used my VagCom several times and it has more than paied for itself on the 3 VWs in the family.
What I am saying is that I choose my battles ("hoops").
The original concern still stands... why are you even concerned about your automatic xmission fluid anyway?
On a future note.... I reciently read that nearly ALL automakers are researching ways to make automatic xmissions totally sealed. The theory is that if the dirt can be kept out... then the xmission will last the life of the vehicle. You should feel lucky that the German Engineers allowed a way to check the fluid at all. (Furd and Chebby are too cheep to add that function)
Makes it easier for owners too. Especially if a little red light comes on too.
Besides, I doubt the little, miniscule amount of dirt that gets in through the dipstick is what causes automatic trannys to go bad. Most people don't know how to open a hood, let alone check the tranny fluid. Mainly it's either poor design, never checking or changing the fluid and/or just abuse.
I'm 35 and my father's a mechanic. Technically I have 35 years of experience. Just becuase you can't hold the wrench, wasn't a good excuse to get out of work with him! I've changed tires, ground valves, rebuilt motors, welded, painted, you name it. If it's not a free service, I'll do it myself, thank you very much.
After reading about BMWs and their reasoning to dispose of dipsticks to check the oil, hiding the battery to avoid jump starting the vehicles (that personally wasted over 2 hours of my time and I don't even own a BMW)... I'll just pass on anything European. Seems like a cartel to keep the vehicles coming back to their dealerships.
Right now, I'm loving my little Honda SI and just how owner maintance friendly it is. The owners manual covers all basic maintance and it's real easy to research parts prices online. The dealers actually show every part, the price and great reference images. Even better, the dealers offer discounts on factory parts. Never had a dealer, as long as I didn't work for them, give me a discount at the parts counter before.
And after my VW experience, and talking to owners of other cars, I really paid a lot of attention to this latest purchase. I made sure owner servicability was easily possible without going through hoops.
It is great to hear that Hondas have been made more user-servicable and I am glad you have found a vehicle you can live with.
I'm wondering if any one has had this issue. I've had my Beetle since 1998. Just the other day I was sitting at a traffic light and the seat flew all the way back. When I tried to bring it back up into position it wouldn't lock. When I braked it would slide forward and when I accelerated it would slide backwards. I had to have someone sit in the back with their feet propped against the seat so that I could drive to a safe place. We then saw that the seat had popped off the track and had come loose from the bolts. My brother was able to re-attach it to the seat adjustment mechanism but it was quite disturbing. If this had happened while moving I would have been in an accident. I called the VW customer service but they said they've never had this happen...and it's not under warranty.
I think its the wiring...cause if I jiggle the key around enough it eventually goes off...but I really don't want to have to deal with this...
Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks
There is a "tweak factor" that can be reprogrammed if you are adventurous.... but it is easy enough to just subtract 3 MPH from the displayed reading.
BTW: It is strongly suggested that you remove that "oiled guaze" airfilter and go back to the paper OEM unit. The OEM filter has been TESTED to filter better and the "oiled guaze" airfilter has been associated with MAF sensor failures.
My check engine light stays on. A dealership quoted me that it would cost 100.00 to unplug it. I thought that was crazy to unhook something 100.00 dollars!
:mad: