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Comments
It is also possible that your alternator is not charging the battery.
I was driving my 2004 Volkswagen Golf today and I heard a scraping sound, It seems the plastic protector under the engine is coming off.
I'm calling the dealer tomorrow and hoping this is covered under my 50,000 mile warranty.
Does anyone know what this piece is called, if it is not covered under the warranty, I'll want to get a few estimates.
Unfortunately, the thing has to be removed EVERY time the oil is changed and is a hassle to deal with. That is why I do "topside" oil-changes by sucking the oil out the dipstick hole. That way, I can change the oil from under the hood.
That said, I know some folks that have REMOVED tha plastic thing altogether and have run over 80K miles with it removed. (living on the edge?)
If you decide to replace that plastic peice, consider replacing with one of the steel or aluminum ones which do a MUCH better job of protecting that expensive aluminum oilpan. (and is priced about the same as the plastic one from the dealer.)
Here are a couple links to the steel -or- aluminum skidplates.
http://www.evolutionimport.com/Volkswagen_Skid_Plates_s/17.htm
http://www.dieselgeek.com/servlet/StoreFront
- When idling, it revs at around 1,000
- Seems to switch into 4th (top) gear at around 60km/h where it revs at around 2,000, but when going at 100km/h, the rev counter starts to get towards 2,500-2,750
- Once going, the temperature gauge basically lives on the halfway point, regardless of speed.
Any thoughts out there?
I can tell you that it is normal for the temp guage to stay at 190 (straight up) all the time when at operating temp. The cooling system on VW engines is "bypass" type which is VERY good a maintaining consistant engine temp.
Something was definetly wrong. ONly a few weeks later, the engine light is on (continuously) and theres a definite problem with the gear changes (yes, its automatic) - it feels like its 'slipping' into the wrong gear occassionally, and sometimes does not have the power to get up hills.
I found all this out on a long trip and had to nurse it all the way home.
Next stop...the mechanics.
My display has just gone blank today, I was hoping it is just a fuse but haven't a clue really.
Can I ask if you had any joy, or know what the problem could be?
Appreciate any help/pointers you can give.
I can tell you we have several VWs in the family... both of my daughters drive VWs. My one daughter drives the wheels off of her little Gulf. She drove from Montrial Canada to NorthCaralina back to Vermont this summer. With over 130K miles on it... it keeps on running.
You did not say which engine it has... that may tend to sway some folks one way or another.
The 12-year/unlimited milage corrosion warantee is a HUGE plus for me. (I am in Vermont where they use a lot of roadsalt)
Any other experiences/thoughts?
Thanks for the replies.
The Nav is now only $590, but they cheapened it and used a unit with a smaller screen, though you can retrofit an RNS-510 if you desire. The new unit is called RNS-315 and it's similar to the European RNS-310 but is for the US market. Not a whole lot of changes but more later.
Instead, with VW, you can submit a 'request' for a specific combination of features (color, engine, xmission.... etc) When (if) the factory produces one which meets your requirements, then it will be tagged to be shipped to your dealer.
Beware!! I had a dealer take my down-payment and after I waited for several months, he admited that he never really submitted my 'request'. He then tried to 'push' me into a car from his lot. I got my money back and went to another VW dealer who was able to get the EXACT vehicle I wanted within several days by 'swapping' with another dealership.
Personally, I cannot understand how a bad fuelpump can 'blow' a diesel engine... would not the engine just stop running? (no perminant damage)
My kid is buying a 2010, losing out on the mpg but getting the $1500 dealer incentive and $300 below invoice, probably saving $2000 over a 2011. $2000 buys a lot of gas.
I am eagerly awaiting a response to your question becasue I beleive you are correct.
Unlike a gasoline engine, a diesel engine speed is controlled by the amount of fuel injected into it.
*)Too much fuel and it makes black smoke.
*)Too little fuel and it has no power. (engine quits)
Unless the fuelpump somehow shreds metal particls into the engine... it is not possible to "damage" a diesel engine with a fuelpump malfunction.
With a gasoline engine, the same is not true. If the fuel-pressure is too low and the engine runs lean.... engine-knock could punch holes in the pistons or the resultant heat could cause aluminum pistons to melt.
I am eagerly awaiting a response to your question becasue I beleive you are correct.
Unlike a gasoline engine, a diesel engine speed is controlled by the amount of fuel injected into it.
*)Too much fuel and it makes black smoke.
*)Too little fuel and it has no power. (engine quits)
Unless the fuelpump somehow shreds metal particls into the engine... it is not possible to "damage" a diesel engine with a fuelpump malfunction.
With a gasoline engine, the same is not true. If the fuel-pressure is too low and the engine runs lean.... engine-knock could punch holes in the pistons or the resultant heat could cause aluminum pistons to melt.
But, this did not affect the TDI engines themselves; it was not a widespread problem; and VWoA has or will be reimbursing owners who initially had to pay for repairs out of pocket.
If I was not totally content with the Golf TDI I have now, if I was looking for a new car, I would only be in the market for another Golf TDI. I would, however, happily recommend the 2.5-liter gas-engine model for those who don't drive enough miles to justify the TDI engine.
I have never understood the logic behind such words.... The number of miles driven per year should have absolutely no bearing on ones decsion to buy a diesel.
Buy a diesel because
*) better Fuel-cost-per-mile than any other vehicle on the planet.
*) Lower maintenance costs due to no ignition system to wear out or require maintaince.
*) Higher resale value due to high demand for TDI.
*) Any extra cost to purchase TDI is recoverd when you sell it. (nearly break even)
Notice miles-driven per year does not factor in at all.
If you have some specific numbers that somehow show miles-driven per year can be a factor... please append here so we can all see it.
I only have 317k miles on the Golf TDI I bought new in the summer of 2003. It was the best decision I ever made when buying a car. But that does not make it the best choice for everyone else.
I drive about 7000-8000 miles per year. I have little reason to care about an engine lasting 200,000 miles and the fuel cost savings going from, say, 25 mpg to 35 mpg would be only about $250 per year or $2500 in 10 years. I would not see a TDI as being worth the extra cost. To me, it might be worth paying something like $1000 extra to get the diesel mpg.
Delivery is scheduled for January 2011.
I propose to share my ownership experience on this forum, but is this thread the good place to do so, or should I go to another one?
Forgot to add that company and myself are based in Paris / France. The Euro-Spec model I ordered is probably not sold in the US market. Would some people still be interested if I post some stories here?
As far as I am concernted, you may post your 'stories' here.... but I will be jelous that you have all those optional TDI engines which we cannot get.
NA market has the 140 HP version which give the golf 2 seconds less on the same run without burning much more. I guess the extra MPG grabbed by the smaller 1.6 is not considered worth selling in the country of cheap gas.
The reason we choose this very model is mainly because of French tax base on company cars. With 109g of CO2 per Km (4.2L per 100 Km which basically represent 56 mpg) Yearly tax is about 436 Euro (+/- 600 USD) per year.
A previous 2.0 TDI Passat would command 2500 Euros (3500 USD) yearly tax as it belonged to the 160-200g/km bracket. This amount is roughly the forecasted yearly fuel bill of the new car...
I, for one, would have prefered the smooth power of the 2.0 TDI, but the tax bracket was significantly higher.
Ordered model was a Carat version, displayed as a high-end version. On top of the DSG, we chose heating sport power leather seats, Adaptative Xenon lights, RNS 510 GPS Navigation and rear camera + park Assist. 16inch alloy wheels on 55X205 tyres.
Color is metallic Titan grey and black/black inside. We considered Tan color but the upper side of the dash was still black, which did not fit well.
No sunroof
European car tax varies a lot and definitely weights a lot on car choices. I am happy to see the US tax system is pretty soft on cars. Definitely not the same on cars.
Hopefully individuals don't pay as much car tax as companies. Company car tax can go up to $ 5000 per year for a thirsty car.
On top of that, you have some Bonus / Malus systems wich gives incentives on high MPG cars and strikes thirstier ones. A Prius will get like $1400 incentive, while many 6 cylinder or above engined cars may have to add up to $3700 on the purchasing bill.
The Golf TDI we ordered belonged to the B bracket thanks to its low combined MPG of 56 (if measured by current US EPA standards, I would gess a tick below 50) So it gest an incentive of $700. The 2.0 TDI wouldn't have any.
The TDI diesal 2.0 gets 34 to 42 mpg.I would have had to spend $ 5000 more for it thats alot of gas money.
Let me know how you like your new car. :shades:
Another way to look at it is the $5000 will buy all your gas for 3 years.
Do not forget that RESALE VALUE of TDIs is significantly higher than the gasser. Hence, you may wish to assume about 1/2 of the savings in fuel and the other 1/2 recouped in resale value. (or assume even MORE recoup in resale value.)
Additionally, the TDI has LOWER maintenance costs than gasser. (No ignition system to break, no sparkplugs to replace, no ignitor nor wires to fail.... etc)
TDI engine has ~500,000 mile life-expectancy while the gasser tends to get tired after about 200,000 miles.
Besides, does it really matter how LONG it takes to recoup savings? As long as the rest of the vehicle lasts that long, you still come out ahead. With the 12-year/unlimited mile corrosion-warantee, the body will last and last.
I don't agree with all your opinions here, tho. Hope you don't mind me elaborating a bit?
Yes, resale value is better. Much better in cities and towns where owners do a daily commute from, to larger cities 50 miles away. And those commute miles are the ones you want on a diesel if they are numerous, as short stop and start trips in town, especially in cold wx, are not the miles you want on a used diesel purchase.
But, I don't entirely agree that maintenance costs are, right across the board, blanket statement-like, less. Nowadays, gas engines with coil on iridium plug tech etc go well over 100000 miles with nary more than oil and air filter changes. But on the diesel you will pay more, not only for the oil filter, but the oil itself. Plus there are factors of considerable expense, way down the road. I should say 'potential' expense cuz of the varied (often ignorant) use/misuse of diesel engine components. Especially if they are turbocharged. The turbo itself, is very expensive if it starts throwing oil because it wasn't allowed to spool down most of its life on shutdowns. So expensive in fact, that in 200 to 250000 miles (when it might show its abuse) it would more than finance as many tune-ups as the equivalent gas job would incur in the same time-frame. And that is just the turbo. Injector pump repairs, make the turbo look like pocket change...(slight exaggeration)
And I don't agree with your 200000 mile suggestion that the gas job is tired. Some yes, but lets say its had proper oil and coolant changes, 300+ is far more likely.
And of the two, a gas job is actually more forgiving of maintenance neglect than the diesel is. Sure, the diesel will keep on being neglected for quite a long term...even 125 to 150+ k miles, but when it says "I've had enough of this, I'm outta here" the costs will be huge. HUGE. Buy an entire dif 3 yr old small car, huge.
And/but finally, in the right hands, driving an oil burner is just a different visceral experience than a gas job. It has an entirely dif character that is rich in low revs and gobs of torque.
For those that don't 'get it', their loss..
Of course, the time to recoup the extra expense matters, as that determines the return on investment. For someone like me, who drives about 8000 miles per year the diesel is likely not worth the extra expense. For someone who drives 20,000 miles per year, they would probably come out ahead by going with the diesel.
One problem is VW requires you to take a more equipped model to get the TDI, so the extra $5000 (if that is what it is) is paying for more than just the diesel engine. So the choice would also depend on how much you care about those extras.
And it is getting harder and harder to find a few luxuries if you want a manual tranny.
One of the tricks they do is pkg cruise control with a bunch of other stuff that not everyone wants or needs.
I won't let that stop me though, as I have a brand new Audiovox cruise control ready to go into the next vehicle or bike I buy that doesn't have it, or I have to pay huge to get. I already retrofitted one of these very units on my bike and it works like a charm. All electronic. Senses at the brake lights for canceling, and the tach and speed sensor for set.
The new Cruze or Elantra is a good example. I like the old days..before "packages".
I can't find this info, please send link.
I find it hard to believe actually. For one thing it is hard to compare a gas to a dsl engine in that way. As one example, a fuel injection pump costs way more than a carb or a set of injectors or a throttle body. I know for an absolute fact that it costs way more to rebuild a dsl than a gas.
But even routine maintenance ,I find that hard to believe.
and when you get the cost for a particular car you can click on "view details" to see the costs for maintenance and repair.
This ends up showing 5 year, 75K mi total of $3148 maintenance and $930 repair for gas and $2749 and $1230 for the diesel... so both end up at about $4000 total for R&M.
(those specific figures are for 4 door automatic, they vary a bit for other versions but still right around $4000)
thanks for link, I will check it out.
edit - that link isn't working, says page not found, might be a temporary glitch