VW Jetta TDI??'s - Page 2

jparker7 · 10-15-2009, 08:15 PM

Ive always heard that Jettas have weird electrical issues. The TDIs are good cars but Ive read if you only use them for in town driving that the EGR system really gums up the turbo with soot and can sieze them up with in 20k miles from driving off the lot. They say to keep this from happening you really need to take the car out and give it hell for a little while to clean it out after a lot of stop and go trafiic.

**BigRedChevy** · 10-15-2009, 08:57 PM

They are great cars. I have had 2 TDIs myself (98 and 04), dad has 2 TDIs now (02 and 09). We also have a 81 and 82 1.6L diesel rabbit and jetta. The wrost part about them is having to do the timing belt change. Do not let it go to long or you will bend every valve in the head. Other than that they run great with minimal maintance.

TaylorM · 10-15-2009, 09:03 PM

if your goning to buy a mk 4 body style (99.5' - 05) try and stick with an 03 or up......every year has been a good car but they definately had some electrical issues in the beginning and by 03' most of the bugs were worked out......i personally think that the 90 hp ALH engines (99.5-03) were the best ones as far as ease of maintenance and the most resilient some guys have tuned some good hp out of these engines (250 WHP+)..the stock engines are quite peppy too...especially if you get a basic tuner (adds 35ish HP).....great vehicles, great engines, great mileage, easy to maintain. one of the biggest things as far as scheduled maintenance is replacing the timing belt (not too sure how often maybe every 100k km or so).......if i couldnt have my truck a tdi is the next thing i would get.

cheers,
TM

permasupra33 · 10-27-2009, 10:47 PM

I have one, an '04 wagon and it does get exceptional gas mileage. I've got 52 mpg on one tank, and average around 43mpg. It's a manual, so I coast the downhills. Don't discount the warnings that they are expensive to maintain though. I've put about $2k in it in 2 yrs -just in maintenance crap. Fun car to drive too.

**BigRedChevy** · 10-27-2009, 11:11 PM

You do realize that you use less fuel leaving it in gear going down hill than what you do coasting down hill. When you are coasting you are having to use fuel to keep it idling, but when you leave it in gear and the car uses the kinetic energy to keep the engine revved up it actually cuts fuel off completely.

barefooter14 · 10-27-2009, 11:35 PM

i have been looking for a mid to late 90's TDI to straight pipe and tune. and then
play with. it helps when i like to go camping and road trips. i would run that thing so i dont pile up the miles on my truck. you can find many 100+mile for 5 grand or so.\

but as others said VW had electrical problems 1999-2003
my sister had a TDI bug pretty sweet car actually but
she went through batteries every two months for almost
a year VW kept replacing them under warranty..