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Thread: Volkswagen Jetta TDI

  1. #1
    Boolit Master pmer's Avatar
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    Volkswagen Jetta TDI

    I've been thinking about getting a second car and see a lot of these Volkswagen TDI Jettas on the used car lots. Just thought I would ask if anybody here is driving them and how they are working. I'm looking at a 2011 with a manual transmission I've been seeing them in my area for 8 to $10,000. These are the Diesels that have been recalled and are going back on the market.
    Oh great, another thread that makes me spend money.

  2. #2
    Boolit Master




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    I have a recalled vw touareg and I am very pleased with it. Looked at a passat but they were still doing the prep work on it and this touareg was found. I got mine at a vw dealership so that I got the extended warranty on the fix work. Yes the price is good on most of these redone tdi's and I had a '13 jetta until the recall put almost 100,000 miles on it and yes it was a standard. I would not be afraid to buy one off a vw dealer if they are a good dealer. Some are not so good do a google search you can find lots of info on the redone tdi's
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  3. #3
    Boolit Buddy

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    Got the wife a 2013 Jetta with the 6 speed manual trans because we commute 100 miles a day back and forth to work. She was always complaining about filling her Accent up every two days. The TDIs are great cars 48 mpg and plenty of power when you needed to pass someone. Let it go with the buy back wish we would have do the recall and held on to it.

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    Heads up, they are spendy to repair

    My daughter had a 10+ year old VW. She had a number of various repairs with that car. Now, I acknowledge any used car can need lots of repairs...or not, if you get lucky. The intent of my post is that the repairs on her VW were much more expensive then similar repairs other brands of cars. I will also add that my Daughter and SIL do a lot of their own repairs, but VW parts are spendy, and there are rarely off-brand parts available.

    My suggestion: If you get real interested in a VW at a used car lot, be sure to run a "Carfax", if the car has had a bunch of repairs, expect that it will need a bunch more in the following years.
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  5. #5
    Boolit Master
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    My "rule of thumb"---If there are a lot of a particular make for sale, look for something else! There is a reason people do not keep that make. On another note, as expressed by a previous poster, VW's are expensive to repair. Gail had one (long ago now so new ones may be different) and it cost a lot more than other makes whenever it broke down.
    R.D.M.

  6. #6
    Boolit Buddy
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    I have an o5 jetta tdi. It got great fuel economy with the right fuel. 49 cetane is what mine needed but could only find 40 cetane diesel fuel.Mileage averaged 36 mpg with 40 cetane fuel. Regular maintanceis very spendy! regular diesel oil doesnt meet vw requirments , oil only available thru dealer in my area at 12$ qt. Auto trans oil change $4oo every 40k miles, timing belt $ 1500 every 80k , so $1900 at 80k miles. Egr valve was around $1200 at at 48 k mi. Cam and lifters had to be replaced at 132000mi.,around $2500, and again at 207k mi it is worn out again! Dealer wants $3800 to fix it now, AINT gona happen! MY advice is not to get vw diesel!!!! I was a locomotive mech. for 27 years and vw diesel engines are good for about 100k mi. then they go down rapidly. dealer did all work and maintance at recomended times and admitted thate egr valve, cam and lifters are a problem so mine wasnt unusual! Run, run fast ,run far from vw diesel !!!!!!!! I have had 14 vws in my life and all were great except the TDI diesel.

  7. #7
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    To All,

    IF you want a diesel car that will outlast YOU, get an old-school 300D Mercedes. = I've owned 2 over the years that the body rusted out but the engine/transmission/etc. were still fine. = Ft Drum & Ft McCoy are H on car bodies due to the huge amount of salt put on the roads up there.

    I bought the 1983 MB 300d with 249K & junked it at over 400K, having done nothing more than routine maintenance, tires & batteries.

    yours, tex

  8. #8
    Boolit Master FISH4BUGS's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by texasnative46 View Post
    To All,

    IF you want a diesel car that will outlast YOU, get an old-school 300D Mercedes. = I've owned 2 over the years that the body rusted out but the engine/transmission/etc. were still fine. = Ft Drum & Ft McCoy are H on car bodies due to the huge amount of salt put on the roads up there.

    I bought the 1983 MB 300d with 249K & junked it at over 400K, having done nothing more than routine maintenance, tires & batteries.

    yours, tex
    Ditto on the Benz Diesels.
    240D
    300d
    300CD
    300e (best one ever but totaled in an accident)
    I sold my last one (85 300d) with 414k on it.
    I am such a hard core my license plate is DZLFUEL.
    Do Benz!
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  9. #9
    Boolit Master
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    Shop labor rates and parts for VW's are very high at dealers. Learning the history is a good idea.

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    run, just run , drop the phone and let the battery run flat . don't look back
    TDI diesel would be a huge no no if over 100,000 miles.. Think Chevy S10.. about the same... 100,000 miles they were great then started to fall apart
    as mentioned above there are good reasons so many are available at just over 100K miles
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  11. #11
    Boolit Master sawinredneck's Avatar
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    Neighbors wife had one, engine went out, he searched high and low, finally found one and overpaid for it. Got it put in, three months later the tranny went out, he sold it for scrap.
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  12. #12
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    FISH4BUGS,

    Wish I could find a 240D with a trashed body but a GREAT engine w/manual transmission. ====> I have a set of circa 1935-40 plans for a flat-bottom commercial fishboat that's 32x8 feet with 30" freeboard amidships, that a 240D engine would be PERFECT for, if hooked-upto a 4-1 reduction marine gearbox.
    (The hull wouldn't plane with a J79 jet engine but a MB 4-banger diesel would push it to hull speed easily, using a big/slow-turning prop. = about 7.5KPH.)
    The fishboat was designed by Harry V. Sucher.

    Fwiw, My Darla looked at the plans & said, "You're going to build the world's biggest johnboat??"
    (The plans DO resemble a johnboat, with a cabin on top.)

    yours, tex
    Last edited by texasnative46; 09-13-2018 at 07:52 PM. Reason: typo

  13. #13
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    The old Mercedes 123 bodies (1976-1985) were some of the toughest cars ever made. They came with 4 cylinder diesels (240D), 5 cylinder diesels (300D) and 5 cylinder Turbo-Diesels (300D and 300TD depending on the model). Those things were bullet proof and almost unbelievably durable. The 240D models that came before the 123 chassis (115 Chassis) were equally as durable.

    The 124 & 126 Chassis came out later and they were strong performers as well.
    All of them had their problems, mostly AC systems and some rust issues in the older models but nothing that's a real deal breaker.

    I had 1992 5 cylinder 300D turbo that got a real 35 mpg regardless of how hard you drove it.

    The VW diesels are not as tough. Yes, they do get great mileage but they have their weaknesses as well. One of my biggest complainants about VW is the low quality of their interiors. Just about everything inside the car will self-destruct within 10 years. The other weak point is the stuff attached to the body such as door handles, light assemblies and trim. VW seems to have mastered the act of planned obsolescence.
    From what I've seen, the newer VW diesels are about 100K mile cars and after that they are essentially disposable.

  14. #14
    Boolit Master
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    Stay away from VW for all the reasons above plus. You will have an endless list of check engine & other dash warnings that will never go away for long no matter how much money you put into it. The good news is many are running fine with all those warnings. Oil change around here for a VW is about $150. Shop time $125 or more per hour.

  15. #15
    Boolit Master
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    I hear very bad things about VW reliability for anything that was made in the last 10 years or so.

    I've been thinking about picking up a beater so I've been searching he car sale sites with a cap of $4000. One thing I've noticed is that you hardly ever see a Toyota or Honda at that price unless it has over 200K miles on it. I've seen several VW cars, tons of Chryslers and a bunch of Korean cars.
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  16. #16
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    Petrol & Powder,

    I've been driving old MB almost exclusively for 3 decades. - My DD is a 1986 420SEL with 103K original miles.
    Am in the process of buying a (navy blue in/out) 1985, model 123 MB 300D with 162K total.


    yours, tex

  17. #17
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    FISH4BUGS,

    Fwiw, I found my 240D for the planned "World's biggest johnboat" tonight. - Good engine/manual trans (168K) but wrecked in the passenger side. = 400 bucks. - I can scrap-out the body for that much.
    (Now to find a decent hydraulic marine box)


    yours, tex

  18. #18
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    I was young and stupid when I bought a VW "truck". It was a pre-rabbit with a "big" (3.3'x4.4') open trunk/bed thingie. A gutless non-wonder, trans went out at 9,000miles, front end went out of alignment more often then a McDonald's hamburger is eaten.
    Owned it 9months, never buy another VW again.
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  19. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by texasnative46 View Post
    Petrol & Powder,

    I've been driving old MB almost exclusively for 3 decades. - My DD is a 1986 420SEL with 103K original miles.
    Am in the process of buying a (navy blue in/out) 1985, model 123 MB 300D with 162K total.


    yours, tex
    They are incredible cars. !

  20. #20
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by texasnative46 View Post
    To All,

    IF you want a diesel car that will outlast YOU, get an old-school 300D Mercedes. = I've owned 2 over the years that the body rusted out but the engine/transmission/etc. were still fine. = Ft Drum & Ft McCoy are H on car bodies due to the huge amount of salt put on the roads up there.

    I bought the 1983 MB 300d with 249K & junked it at over 400K, having done nothing more than routine maintenance, tires & batteries.

    yours, tex
    If a fellow was interested in picking up a good used Mercedes to run errands and such, what years and models should he look for?
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