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No problems whatsoever at 36,000 miles or so, but they had to pay for rear brake pads, which were NOT covered under the worry-free, absolutely free VW maintenance plan. (read the fine print).
Other Factoids:
1. Their MPG is 36 overall
2. Energy in 1 liter of diesel fuel = 154 lbs. of Li-ion batteries!! :surprise:
\
Hybrids? Harumpf!
Found some cool VW guys for an oil change on the old route 66. Travelling to Lake Havasu Arizona for New Years eve...ah palm trees, green grass, sunshine and blue water.
Used 5-40 Shell Rotella T6, needed the 4 new 195 65 15 General Altimax Arctics to get home in a 6 hour blizzard. though Montana.
please consider to verify in the owners manual that your car requires 505.01 and Shell/oil-bottle spec that indicates the 5-40 Rotella does not meet 505.01.
after you verify that, possibly consider to visit your VW dealer to get the correct/castrol 505.01 oil swapped in, so as to prevent accruing severe engine damage which VW states will occur with non-505.01 oil... !?
"The VW 505.01 spec is a weak specification. Oils meeting that spec have worked okay for some owners, but their engines probably would have been fine with any diesel-rated synthetic oil. Allegedly, 505.01 was designed to protect cam lobes and lifters in the PD engines; but the cam lobes and lifters either fail or they don't and there does not seem to be any correlation with which oil is used.
That is why so many PD owners are switching away from the VW spec oils altogether and going with one of the API-rated 5w40's. This trend might slow as the Mobil 1 ESP Formula 5w30 becomes more available at places like Pep Boys. But even for those with easy access to the M1 ESP Formula, there are still people attracted by the good results from Mobil 1 Turbo Diesel Truck, or Shell Rotella T, or other synthetic 5w40 oils meeting the API CJ-4 specification."
You have been misled... that Rotella 5W40 is not even suitable for my 2003 TDI. Perhaps you should visit "tdiclub.com" and read the 1000s of appends reguarding this subject.
There are plenty of places to get the proper oil for your engine and it is silly to purchase a wonderful car like the TDI then second-guess the engineers who specify the oil for it.
Are you aware that Rotella 5W40 is specified for an engine with a WATERCOOLED turbocharger? Are you also aware that VW uses an OILCOOLED turbocharger?
I do use the Rotella 5W40 in my motorcycle with great success. (NOT a Diesel!)
Great, glad you like it.
Interesting Oily note here from the FAQ section of their company site....
"14.I've heard SynPower offers four times better wear protection than Mobil 1. Can you prove it?
Yes. Valvoline and an independent lab conducted multiple Sequence IVA (Four A) Engine tests on Valvoline SynPower 5w30 and Mobil 1 5w30. The Sequence IVA is the industry standard test for determining wear performance of an engine oil and is required to meet the API SL and SM requirements. The test utilizes a 2.4 liter EFI overhead cam Nissan engine with a slider valve train design. Multiple tests were run at the Valvoline Engine Laboratory, a fully certified engine testing lab - and an independent research lab. Analysis of the test results showed that the Valvoline SynPower provided four times better wear protection than Mobil 1.
Kinda makes you wish they had used a 1.9 ltr PD VW TDI engine for the test don't it?
I hard wired the unit directly to the fuse box which is near by. I found that solution most user friendly. You can get Garmin Nuvi for appx $ 300 (or less) on the website or at Best Buys for a slightly higher price.
The secret to good HDL levels (Happy Diesel Life) is a)additives b) frequent fuel filter changes c) strong battery d) don't listen to bad comments made by people who never owned one.
It's VW 504 00/507 00 certified.
I noticed that the car takes about twice as long to heat up as a gasser. Makes for cold driving :surprise: for up to 15 miles on really cold days. Thanks VW for heated front seats! :P
Turn the temp. dial all the way to highest temp. if you are not already doing so.
Then turn it down after it is heated.
It will heat up quicker.
While the frigid Chicago winters are not frigid enough to motivate me to install a heater on my 09 TDI, if you would desire a warmer start to your drive in the winter you could check www.frostheater.com for heater for your TDI.
My brother has one in Germany.
They now sell them in the U.S. as well.
Here is the link:
http://www.webasto.us/am/en/am_auto_heaters.html
09 with the leatherette and 2004 TDI wagon with leather seats I don't particularly enjoy how cold the material can be in very cold weather, however, heated seats fix that issue in short amount of time.
1982 Chevy Silverado 6.2L diesel that I drove many years ago, now that was a cold blooded truck.
The fuel is heated by way of excess pressure from the injection-pump being fed back into the fuel-filter. However this may not be enough heat below -10F.
The need for diesel fuel-additive is many-fold. Certainly anti-gell in the winter... however the incerase of Cetane and lubricants for the injection-pump are also important.
I use fuel-additive AT EVERY FILLUP all year long. "PowerService" is available at Walmart.
*) White bottle in winter
*) Grey bottle in summer
The increased Cetane improves fuel efficency and quiets the engine too. Unlike gasoline fuel-additives, the Diesel fuel-additives TRULY DO increase MPG because our TDI engines are designed for the European fuel which is not available here in North America. Expect 3-5 more MPG when using a Cetane enhancer!
I get over 700 miles per tank of fuel... and average 50MPG (measured by entering each fuel-purchase into a spreadsheet for the past 6 years)
the problems 55 MPG WWWWOOOOWWWW!
Do you have any details of how this heater works?
Thanks.
http://www.webasto.co.uk/am/en/am_automobile_3177.html
The way my brother's Webasto interior (Peugeot - wagon) car heater worked was with remote control, powered by diesel. But there are models with timers, etc.
He was also able to start the car with remote control which is now slowly geting popular in this country as well.
Details on diesel powered model:
http://www.parkingheater.co.uk/product-advantages.html#teaser
If I would live in Quebec, Ontario or Alberta - I would definitely get one!
It's like a 21st century version of the air-cooled VWs 19th century gas heater. :P
Very slick item, though. The cell phone part seems a bit sinister though. I might use it in a novel about assassins :P
I had a Corvair with a gas heater. That thing really put out some heat, but it consumed gasoline at an alarming rate. There were three settings: "too cold, too hot and too medium".
We've come a long way. I could see this device in Alaska, definitely. When I worked there, we just kept the diesel trucks running for 3 months.
Whenever the oil pressure is too low, the bearings are subjected to wear (and then possibly failure). Low oil pressure is a condition that always occurs during each cold start and after each shutdown. Here is his advice:
* keep revs to a minimum after the engine first fires and starts - never rev up on starting
* nothing can be done for shutdown, except to ensure that the engine is running at low idle when the ignition is turned off. The turbo spins for quite a while after the ignition is turned off and since the engine is no longer supplying oil pressure (and therefore oil), there is wear caused during each shutdown.
The good news: he said that he knows of a modification that can be made to the oil supply side of the turbo in order to fix this starvation problem.
This involves the installation of a small accumulator on the oil intake side of the turbo unit. On installation the accumulator is pre-filled with oil and charged to about 80% of the operational pressure of the oil system.
Then, whenever the car is started, oil from the accumulator is delivered to the turbo bearings while the engine is developing sufficient oil pressure to accomplish this with out the accumulator. Similarly, on shutdown, oil pressure and supply is maintained by the accumulator during turbo run-down.
He also advised me that a turbo failure is completely unrelated to the way the vehicle was driven after start-up or prior to shutdown. In his opinion and experience, these vehicles experience this failure because of the poor design of the original equipment. The modification above takes care of the problem.
Does anyone heard of this solution (& the cause of the turbo failures) before? While it makes technical sense that it would work, I have not seen anyone suggesting this solution.
Not sure which "modified" unit VW is using because I know Garrett pretty much has this market cornered.
First of all, the VNT does not need oil "pressure" like an engine crahkshaft bearing needs "pressure". VNT requires "flow" coming in from the top and the oil is free to drain from the bottom out of the VNT housing.
The "big" concern with your turbocharger is to know that it is OIL COOLED (there is no antifreeze flowing thru the center-section like on most other vehicles) This is exactly why VW specifies a particular oil for your TDI engine. The oil must be able to withstand flowing thru the hot turbocharger without turning into thick-goo. (or coking)
1) Use the correct engine oil!
2) Follow your friends advice reguarding startup and shutdown procedures.
**) startup - Idle briefly to get the oil flowing thru the VNT..
**)Shutdown - idle for awhile to cool off the VNT before turning off.
The shutdown is the most important.... especially if you pull off the hughway into a rest-area. The turbocharger was over 1000 degrees just moments before you pulled into the rest area. It is IMPERATIVE that you idle the engine at least 2 minutes before shutting off the engine.
Again, the issue is not lack of oil for lubrication.... it is lack of oil FLOW to remove the heat from the VNT bearings. Using the wrong oil can cause "coking" (formation of solid carbon particals) within the VNT bearing due to the extreme heat.(You can google "oil coking" to get more details)
BOTTOM LINE:
There is no need to apply a "solution" to a non-existant problem. The use of an accumulator or axzilary pump to flow oil when engine is not running is NOT needed for a street-driven TDI.
If you wish to discover the REAL failure-modes for TDI VNTs... the #1 failure-mode is from people that "baby" their TDI engine and allow the insides of the turbocharger to fill up with carbon. That is why it is best to use FULL THROTTLE accelleration several times per tank of fuel. Concsnsly think about burning off the build-up of crud within the VNT.
That sounds like a lot of fun especially if you pulled into the rest area because you really had to go. :confuse:
Like I've said, they supply turbos to just about all auto manufacturers nowadays.
Also, like I've said before, failure of the turbo unit is quite rare.
Bpeebles is right by saying no need to worry about non-existent or future/hypothetical problem.
If there is anyone out there whose turbo failed, let's hear it!
It amazes me the number of turbo failures that also needed any number of sensors replaced along with it. Generally the problem was the sensor to begin with and the dealer realized this AFTER the new turbo would not boost as well.
In Europe, you have "trade" schools just for about any trade (plumbers, electricians, chimney cleaners, etc.). In this country, most of trades you learn is by looking over someones shoulder.
Most mechanics who get a true "factory" training (dealers actually send them overseas) or those with higher technical education, have desk jobs at dealerships and low or minimum wage guys, who actually work on cars, learned trade by watching someone else do the repairs.
It has changed a lot lately though, with all the electronic diagnostic tools available nowadays. Those are now "no brainers" that simply show mechanic where the problem is and how to fix it. To diagnose a problem properly is still an art. It it not an issue, when car is under warranty (car dealerships love to fix those because they get reimbursed by the factory).
Case and point with VW - if you do your own oil change outside of the required window, next time you go to the dealer for a routine maintenance (that includes the oil change) he will show it on his R.O. and bills the factory for work that wasn't actually done.
You must have missed where I pointed out that the VNT turbocharger installed on VW TDI is OIL COOLED. The only way for the heat to be removed from the VNT bearing is thru the oil flowing thru it. There is not a whole lot of oil flowing.... just a slow trickle thru the VNT bearings.(drip drip drip...)
Almost all other automaker I am aware of uses a WATERCOOLED turbocharger. (There is antifreeze flowing thru the turbocharger bearing housing to remove the heat.) This is why most of those automakers do not specify synthetic oil for their turbocharged engines.
With this realizartion.... would you rely on 60 seconds of oil-flow to cool down a hot VNT on your TDI?
Keep in mind that my example of a highway rest-area is worst-case-scenaro for heat-soaking of the VNT bearings. Under most other driving conditions, you would get off the highway and drive at slower speeds for several minutes before shutting down the engine. This is why you do not usually have to think about it.
Turbo tech has come such a long way since then. Turbos just don't grenade like they used to way back when. They pretty much last the life of the car.