VW TDI.. are they good?

[mafia]

Thinking about trading in our old 2004 Touareg for a new 2014 Jetta SportsWagen TDI. Test drove a 6-speed manual and loved it. You can get a basic one with leather for around 25k with their new incentives. I know in Europe they are highly rated and very popular. Sometimes VW does some cost-cutting with their "US-Spec" models. I'm wondering are these TDI vehicles holding up well here in the states (in terms of reliability and longevity)? Any known issues with them? What good alternatives are there for that price with similar features and gas mileage?

 

[toronado97]

I just want to know why VW took away the configurator on their website. So stupid.

 

[MiataNC]

Check out the "official" forum:
http://forums.vwvortex.com/forumdisplay.php?5311-Jetta-SportWagen

VWs in general are considered a car you don't keep past the factory warranty. Some people swear by them, and others will never buy another one due to issues they ran into.

5 years ago I would recommend the SportsWagen TDI for the +40mpg. Today there are so many gas cars on the market that get 40mpg or better it is hard to get that excited about diesels.

 

[PhoKingGuy]

I had a 2010 Jetta TDI for a few years before I sold it to get my 335i.

I was usually able to hit about 45ish on the highway at 75-80mph with no sweat. Was pretty much the ultimate roadtrip car. Drove very well in the city, was an all around well performing econocar. I didn't have any HPFP problems or rattles or any of the horror stories that you hear. But I always thought that most of that was related to shitty fuel quality or people accidentally putting fuel instead of diesel in the car.

 

[thedarkwolf]

Gas VW bad. Diesel VW good.

I have an 04 jetta wagon tdi I bought with 215k miles on it and have 230k now. They all have their weak point. My 04 for instance is a Pumpe Düse engine and is known for eating its cam. The cam in mine was replaced at 180k miles. The newer ones trouble spot is in the HPFP, high pressue fuel pump system. It isn't a common problem but when it does happen it wipes out the whole fuel system and costs a fortune to fix. Hit up some of the VW forums and read up.

 

[ViviTheMage]

I have a 2010 vw golf TDI ... bought it at around 60k~ and have 75k on it now. Have only done oil changes and filters....seems to be running like a champ. I get about 45~ combined, but I drive 90% highway.

I love road tripping with it, I can get about 600 miles to a tank.

 

[mmntech]

The TDI engine itself is probably one of the best automotive diesels out there. But yeah, when something does go wrong, repairs are expensive. Plus your usual VW faults like the electrical system. I just can't recommend them. It's unfortunate there aren't more diesels being imported and produced domestically in NA. Much of it is due to strict emissions regulations. Given how bad the smog is in some European cities, perhaps they're not entirely unjustified.

I'd be interested to know how the Chevy Cruz Diesel holds up.

 

[SithSolo1]

Back in '09 my dad got a Jetta TDI for travelling back and forth across the state. It now has over 200k miles on it and has only had one major issue but I forgot what it was, I think the turbo may have gone out. Aside from that he's been very pleased with it and usually gets low-to-mid 40s mpg wise.

 

[WT]

I was in the market for a tow vehicle, and eventually looked at what diesels were available. Imagine my surprise when I found that VW made a V10 TDI Touareg that offered up 553/ft lbs of torque.

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2008/06/2008-volkswagen-touareg-v10-tdi-review/

Some poor Chevy Duramax redneck decided to whup up on that German engineering with his pickup truck -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k62gW3Se5e0

Unfortunately, simple things on any other car are not simple on the monster V10 stuffed into the tiny engine bay. Need to work on the thermostat ?? Drop the motor !! Need to deal with an issue with either of the two turbos ?? Drop the motor !! I really wanted to buy one, and at 20k market value now they are VERY affordable, having stickered for $62k to $72k. Unfortunately, any significant repairs on it will quickly drain your wallet.

 

[Jumpem]

It's too bad they refuse to offer a Tiguan TDI.

 

[MDE]

I have a 6 speed 2012 Jetta TDI. Pretty decent car overall. Yes the interior is cheap, but the newer ones are much better, and the Sportwagen never got de-contented. I consistently average 42 MPG plus, and hit 48 MPG on my last tank. If you do a lot of highway driving, it's hard to argue with picking a diesel.

 

[TheAdvocate]

I would wait for the 2015 Golf Sportwagen. It replaces the Jetta Sportwagen in the U.S.

It is slightly bigger and features a new TDI engine that reportedly gets 10% better mpg.

And you can get the holy grail... a loaded one with a manual.

My wife still drives her manual 2000 jetta TDI. We are planning on selling it to get the Golf early next year.

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2015-volkswagen-sportwagen-golf-variant-first-drive-review

http://jalopnik.com/the-2015-volkswagen-golf-sportwagen-this-is-it-1575583696

 

[996GT2]

Unless you live somewhere where diesel isn't grossly overpriced compared to 87 octane gasoline, then it makes no sense to get a diesel car. Over here diesel ranges from 15 to 25% more expensive than regular unleaded.

 

[Wreckem]

Unless you live somewhere where diesel isn't grossly overpriced compared to 87 octane gasoline, then it makes no sense to get a diesel car. Over here diesel ranges from 15 to 25% more expensive than regular unleaded.

It makes sense if you drive a lot. If you do 20k or more a TDI makes sense economically. Not everyone buys a tdi because it makes economic sense.

 

[SithSolo1]

Unless you live somewhere where diesel isn't grossly overpriced compared to 87 octane gasoline, then it makes no sense to get a diesel car. Over here diesel ranges from 15 to 25% more expensive than regular unleaded.

Round here it's about 10% more, lowest its been in a while but I don't think its been over 15% in years.

 

[exar333]

VW TDI is a GREAT engine. It drives amazing with the 6MT as well...

Lots of torque, runs B10-20 out of the box (depending on year/engine version) and is pretty cheap to fix outside of emission stuff. Reliable too.

If you treat the TDI like a good turbo vehicle (let engine oil warm-up before flogging-it, don't take constant 5 minute trips and get your oil changed regularly) it will treat you well.

You just don't get the TDI performance WITH the efficiency from any other engine in the price range. Mazda Skyactive torque is a joke compared to the TDI. If you drive carefully and cruise in 6th, you can get amazing MPGs on the highway as well.

 

[ViviTheMage]

I would wait for the 2015 Golf Sportwagen. It replaces the Jetta Sportwagen in the U.S.

It is slightly bigger and features a new TDI engine that reportedly gets 10% better mpg.

And you can get the holy grail... a loaded one with a manual.

My wife still drives her manual 2000 jetta TDI. We are planning on selling it to get the Golf early next year.

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2015-volkswagen-sportwagen-golf-variant-first-drive-review

http://jalopnik.com/the-2015-volkswagen-golf-sportwagen-this-is-it-1575583696

yeah, but it adds urea

http://www.autonews.com/article/20130806/OEM06/130809913/vw-plans-global-diesel-for-u.s.-in-2015

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=393747

SCR is already used in VW's larger diesel vehicles, such as the Passat and Touareg, But when the new engine arrives in 2015 models, all VW diesels will use SCR. The system requires drivers to monitor the urea tank and keep it from running out.

basically one more thing to worry about...but you do get a few more HP and 10-15% more MPG.

 

[MiataNC]

VW TDI is a GREAT engine. It drives amazing with the 6MT as well...

Lots of torque, runs B10-20 out of the box (depending on year/engine version) and is pretty cheap to fix outside of emission stuff. Reliable too.

If you treat the TDI like a good turbo vehicle (let engine oil warm-up before flogging-it, don't take constant 5 minute trips and get your oil changed regularly) it will treat you well.

You just don't get the TDI performance WITH the efficiency from any other engine in the price range. Mazda Skyactive torque is a joke compared to the TDI. If you drive carefully and cruise in 6th, you can get amazing MPGs on the highway as well.

You are correct about the performance (eg torque), but you can pull the same average MPGs (TDI Wagen 37-42mpg based on fuelly.com) or better in a lot more makes and models. The TDI doesn't hold the advantage it once did.

If the goal is to get the most MPG, the Toyota Prius averages 45+ for all years and models. Granted it is a Prius, but you don't have to pump diesel or deal with the potential of expensive fuel pump or turbo repairs down the road.

 

[exar333]

You are correct about the performance (eg torque), but you can pull the same average MPGs (TDI Wagen 37-42mpg based on fuelly.com) or better in a lot more makes and models. The TDI doesn't hold the advantage it once did.

If the goal is to get the most MPG, the Toyota Prius averages 45+ for all years and models. Granted it is a Prius, but you don't have to pump diesel or deal with the potential of expensive fuel pump or turbo repairs down the road.

I do agree that the TDI doesn't have the same MPG advantage it did, say 10 years ago, but it beats the pants of competitors in how it drives. You don't need to rev the engine for good torque and the highway mileage is pretty under-rated based on a lot of drivers. Personally, I would rather have a TDI any day over a hybrid.

Edit: Disclaimer - If I was doing 75%+ city driving, then a hybrid would make more sense to me...

 

[Dman8777]

We recently bought a 2010 Passat with a 2.0 turbodiesel motor and a 5-speed. For normal driving, all I can say is the TDI kicks ass. It's only got 110 hp but it feels quicker than my last WRX up to ~3000 rpm, which is where I tend to spend all of my time now that I'm old.

A hybrid makes more sense in the city but no prius will ever match the feel of the TDI. The volt comes close though.

 

[AstroGuardian]

Here in Europe we used to highly rate the TDI but not any more.
It's overpriced, unreliable, pollutes much and if something breaks down (and it does often in the past couple of years) servicing it is a rape.

Yes it has a bit higher torque than others but is unreliable and expensive to run. It's the same with both Audi and VW. I would go with Mercedes and BMW instead. Much better diesels than TDI. VW dropped in quality significantly since a couple of years ago. I don't know how much different is it in the USA.

 

[TheAdvocate]

yeah, but it adds urea

http://www.autonews.com/article/20130806/OEM06/130809913/vw-plans-global-diesel-for-u.s.-in-2015

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=393747




basically one more thing to worry about...but you do get a few more HP and 10-15% more MPG.

Maybe I am dumb, but this doesn't scare me off. If it has a 5 gallon tank, it'll go 10k-15k between fill ups. A little bit of eye rolling if the dealer charges $40 for it when I could do it myself for half that. But then I would remember that we could push 50 mpg highway on cruise mode.

Plus I have had to replace 2 EGR valves on wife's jetta. If this avoids that cost/hassle, then totally worth it.

I did get a chuckle out of those folks suggesting you could pee in the old ones. Is that true? Too funny.

 

[Scarpozzi]

My recommendation is to skip the Jetta and get a Passat TDI with leather. You'll likely have a few more thousand in, but the back seat of a Passat is legit. Plenty of legroom and the styling of the car is a little nicer.

It's on my list of serious cars to consider for my next purchase....specifically for legroom and features.

 

[SearchMaster]

I did get a chuckle out of those folks suggesting you could pee in the old ones. Is that true? Too funny.

Does the urea do anything other than emissions cleanup? If not, you probably could pee in it and not notice a difference. The new ones monitor the urea concentration and won't run on diluted urine.

1970s - pee in someone's gas tank if you really hate them
2000s - pee in someone's gas tank to help them pass their smog test

 

[joutlaw]

Does the urea do anything other than emissions cleanup? If not, you probably could pee in it and not notice a difference. The new ones monitor the urea concentration and won't run on diluted urine.

1970s - pee in someone's gas tank if you really hate them
2000s - pee in someone's gas tank to help them pass their smog test

I thought the urea was used in the exhaust process not mixed with diesel in the combustion process.