Any VW TDI owners out there?

[HesNot]

I will be replacing my Honda Civic Hybrid in about 6 months and am starting to research replacements. I have a 28 mile each way commute, and mostly drive this vehicle by myself but would like to be able to fit my family of 4 in it for short trips. I tend to drive cars for a long time - 10 years is my average - which is one issue I have with the Hybrid. The NiMH batteries as a matter of chemistry have a lifespan dictated by the limited number of times they can be charged/discharged before they lose the ability to continue to hold a charge and lose capacity. Given the miles I put on a car I will exhaust my current battery warranty in all likelihood well before I'm ready to give up the car. And I don't want to spend $3k replacing the batteries. It may be the wave of the future (which may also include lower battery replacement costs), but I'm not convinced it is there yet.

The Golf TDI looks like a great contender where you get significant gains along with a car that is fun to drive, and has nice fit and finish. Since I spend 1.5 hours or so a day in my car I don't need a luxury car but would like it to not be a tiny stripper. I'm also leery of one of the really small subcompact gas engine cars as I commute for about 2/3 of my drive on the highway.

My only fear is VW's spotty reliability history. Since 1990 I've driven an Acura, an Infiniti and now the Honda hybrid, and my wife and I've owned 4 other Hondas. I've gotten somewhat used to cars running a long time with very little repair work and basically no major repairs.

Anyone own a TDI of any stripe? Thoughts, opinions?

 

[MWS]

I've got a 2005 VW New Beetle TDI. Love it, love it, love it. I don't know the conversion but in my 55 liter tank I get about 1100km/tank in the summer; 850km/tank in the winter. Basically I get twice as far as my last gas engine auto with the same size tank...and here it's about the same price gas or diesel.

Good luck!

 

[jd_1138]

Where are you getting those reliability rankings? Keep in mind, Consumer Reports gets data from owners. They average it out to "problems per 100" in areas like mechanical, braking, etc.. And there is little difference in between what constitutes a "much higher than average reliability". "average reliability", "worse than average reliability", etc.. A car that is rated at "much higher than average" may have 0 or 1 problems per 100, while an "average" car may have 2 or 3 problems per 100.

Chances are the car will experience NO problems. We had an '05 Kia Sedona minivan for 5 years that never gave us any problems and always started. It was on their "cars to avoid" list and was reported as unreliable. But, all that means is that that model may experience a few more problems per 100.

I'd take Consumer Reports ratings with a grain of salt. They are good for comparing microwaves and popcorn makers, but with their auto reliability ratings, all they are essentially doing is making bar graphs of "problems per 100", and if you look at the bar graphs, a car with 4 problems per 100 looks twice as big as the car with 2 problems per 100. But that doesn't mean that the second car is twice as reliable as the first car.

 

[Rughi]

I have a 2001 Golf with almost 110,000 miles on it. About 75,000 of those have been run on 100% biodiesel (B99 or B100).

Off the top of my head, the noteworthy maintenance issues have been:

Fuel related:

• change fuel filters a couple of times while the B100 scoured 30k miles of gunky petro diesel (not the new ULSD) out of the tank and lines
• rebuild fuel injectors when California switched to ULSD (this was common to bio and petro fuel users)
• change a couple of fuel hoses under the hood

Neither Fuel nor Accident related:

• several recalls to sensors, seat belt anchors and the like. I haven't memorized these because each was dealt with for free in an afternoon

In my experience there have been two predictable cautions: rebuilding injectors is quite pricey and accessing the water pump and timing belt (chain?) is about a day's labor.

It's been a really good little car, and I believe it is good for another 10 years or 100,000 miles. It gets about 46 mpg on petro or 41 mpg on B100, has great driveability with its low end torque, and can haul an astonishing amount of stuff compared to a sedan. It is roomier than any Japanese car I've had and has pretty good fit, finish and solidity of feel.

Roger

 

[Rudy Vey]

I never owned a diesel, but in my home country of Germany, a good 40% of all passenger cars are diesels. The engines have a long life time and consume much less than a gas engine and diesel is also cheaper than gas. The engine costs a bit more than a gas engine, but depending on the mileage one drives per year, this can be recovered quite fast. If they only drive a few times per week, a diesel does not cut it, but if someone is doing 15-20K a year, it is the better engine.
I drive VW's since 1996, and never had a problem with any of them. One Golf we drove well over 100 K without any issue.

 

[binowatch]

My wife owns an Audi-the repair shop manager told my wife it was time-don't put any more money into it. He then told her-don't get another Audi or a VW-they break too often and are too expensive to repair. The ones owned by my friends seem to start out fine and turn into rattle traps in 2 years. Just my experience.

 

[VaHomebrewer]

I don't own a TDI, but I do have VWs 3 and 4 in the driveway right now. VW fit and finish is beyond compare in the respective price ranges, and out of 4 VWs dating back to 2001, here's a comprehensive list of the non-maintenance issues:

- Replaced all 8 coilpacks on 2 successive Passat wagons with 4 cylinder 1.8t engines. This was a known defect in that engine and all packs were replaced by dealer at no cost to me. Passat 2 replaced Passat 1 due to the fact that Passat 1 was totalled by an F-150 that did not heed a stop sign. I walked away with 1 half inch long cut on my right wrist. Anyways, some idiots who don't ever change their oil or who use conventional oil rather than the recommended synthetic have had sludge issues with this engine too, but it is not a common issue.

- Wife's 2001 Jetta (VW 1 for us) was utterly bulletproof - literally NO non-maintenance issues in 7 years of ownership. Only replaced due to arrival of child #2.

- 2008 VW Routan (rebadged Chrysler Town & Country) - warped brake rotors replaced at 12k miles - no charge; a couple of recalls that have been fixed while my wife had the van in for scheduled maintenance. My wife LOVES this car.

Overall, our experience is that VW don't deserve their reputation for unreliable cars. We have loved all four of our VWs and they've served us well.

The GLIs are fun to drive to boot. You'll be happy.

 

[Luc]

I didn't have a TDI but did have a VW Jetta Diesel at one stage. I bought it second hand and kept it for a little over 5 years. It did very well in the. It took me from A to B most of the time. Keep in mind that the performance is not exactly the same compared to gas but if you are not looking at speeding contest, Diesel is very good IMO. I sold the car to my dad in the end because he needed a car and I only needed one on the week-end. I was able to manage without one so it was good. I regret a bit selling it as I was more outgoing with it.

The model that I had was the one made in Germany, not in Mexico. That's probably why I didn't have much repair to do in the long run.

 

[jd_1138]

There's a Canadian mechanic who has a bunch of videos on YouTube about fixing cars and such. He put a VW diesel engine into an 1980's era Caravan minivan. I think he made a homemade adapter plate to attach it to the Caravan's manual tranny. I believe the diesel he used was an 80's era Rabbit one, and it's tiny (1.3 liter?).

There's a massive amount of leftover space in that engine bay. And the good thing about Diesels, besides the better fuel mileage, is that they have more torque than a similar sized gas engine so even though it's a tiny engine it's enough to power the minivan.

 

[mikey]

I don't think you understand how CR ratings are calculated.

Thanks,
Mike

Where are you getting those reliability rankings? Keep in mind, Consumer Reports gets data from owners. They average it out to "problems per 100" in areas like mechanical, braking, etc.. And there is little difference in between what constitutes a "much higher than average reliability". "average reliability", "worse than average reliability", etc.. A car that is rated at "much higher than average" may have 0 or 1 problems per 100, while an "average" car may have 2 or 3 problems per 100.

Chances are the car will experience NO problems. We had an '05 Kia Sedona minivan for 5 years that never gave us any problems and always started. It was on their "cars to avoid" list and was reported as unreliable. But, all that means is that that model may experience a few more problems per 100.

I'd take Consumer Reports ratings with a grain of salt. They are good for comparing microwaves and popcorn makers, but with their auto reliability ratings, all they are essentially doing is making bar graphs of "problems per 100", and if you look at the bar graphs, a car with 4 problems per 100 looks twice as big as the car with 2 problems per 100. But that doesn't mean that the second car is twice as reliable as the first car.

 

[jd_1138]

I don't think you understand how CR ratings are calculated.

Thanks,
Mike

Yes, I do. I read the fine print in one of their buying guides. The ratings are based on problems per 100. Cars that are "above average" usually have 0 or 1 problems per 100, "average" is about 2-3 problems per 100, etc.. In other words, the #'s are close and not as significant as they appear. Look it up.

http://www.allpar.com/cr.html

also read the above page from this website that's been around a long time and is respected.

 

[breadstick]

If you're looking for a good sized car that is economical and fun to drive, look at a Subaru WRX. I have a 2003 and I will hold on to it for at least another 10 years. They're easy and cheap to work on and very reliable with pretty cheap parts.

Just a suggestion. Hope you enjoy whatever you decide on.

 

[OLDMAN]

My wife owns an Audi-the repair shop manager told my wife it was time-don't put any more money into it. He then told her-don't get another Audi or a VW-they break too often and are too expensive to repair. The ones owned by my friends seem to start out fine and turn into rattle traps in 2 years. Just my experience.

I have some friends who have bought a VW once and never bought another. They were in the shop constantly and when the warranty is up - big bucks to fix. Some here will probably not agree - but if you want a car that looks sharp, has an excellent warranty and available in normal, turbo and hybrid model - at least check out a Hyundai Sonata. I have a 2007 Sonata Limited Platinum Edition and it has been the best car (out of about 25) that I have ever had....bar none.

 

[nlatham19]

I have a 98 Jetta TDi that is nearing 200k miles. I have added a lot of aftermarket fun parts (bigger turbo, downpipe, injector nozzles, new chip) and beat the hell out of it, and it still runs like a top. The key in owning a TDi is proper maintenance: correct oil spec, OEM filters, haveing someone who knows what they're doing handle the timing belt.

 

[Stubblefield]

Don't own a TDi but my next car may be one if they bring in an AWD model.

I have owned a ton of VWs and currently own a 06 GTI (MKV). I have had exactly two problems with it, both were minor issues with interior fittments that were fixed by the dealer. Mechanicals have been outstanding. Any of the models produced after 2006 are so much better built than models made in previous years, and the MK6 (current versions) are of even better quality. Current Golf platform is in a word, outstanding. The current Golf TDi has excellent acceleration and runs very quiet, and returns outstanding fuel economy to boot.

The trouble with VW is their spotty dealer network. If your local dealer is a nightmare, find an independent with a VAG-COM and have them do your work.

 

[Mike'sWorld]

Have you driven a Honda Fit?

Loads of interior room (for its size), bullet proof Honda reliability, close to hybrid fuel usage and fun to drive.

 

[Blue Raccoon]

my DIL ordered a Golf TDI this summer and had to wait until fall while it was built in Germany. since she has had it the thing has spent about 1/2 of it's life at the dealers garage instead of hers. Since '96 the wife has owned 6 Accords, I have owned 2 CR-V's and I picked up a '95 Accord station wagon last sumer I couldn't pass up. My son owns an Element and a souped up CRX. My daugther is on her 2nd or 3rd Civic and we have had absolutely zero problems.

 

[Thebigspendur]

I don't care the make the plain and simple truth is European Cars are mechanically way more likely to break down then Japanese or American Cars. I've had 2 Volvo's and a Saab, My brother has owned Fiats, and a couple VWs and a BMW and a couple Volvos and I could introduce you to my friend who owned an Audi. He was on a first name basis with all the mechanics at his shop. A few years ago Consumer reports highly recommended the Passat and I know at least 5 people who ran and bought them. Three years later they all got rid of them because of reliability problems. If you have a VW late modeled and it's run great you are lucky. However if you are used to a Honda you will be unhappy with the VW service wise that is.

I got rid of my Saab and now have a Honda Civic and it's the best decision I ever made. No it doesn't have the panache as the Eurobrands but it runs good and does everything good and I almost never visit the service shop.

 

[cthip]

tdiclub.com

read up and draw your own conclusions. i desperately wanted one but eventually gave up trying to find one with the specs that i wanted and bought a used mazda3 for next-to-nothing

are you buying new or used? the DSG and automatic transmissions VW puts on TDIs are not known for their reliability and very expensive to repair/replace. manual transmissions are sturdy, but very difficult to find unless you like the beetle body-style (i don't). there's also some debate as to whether or not the older (VE) engines are better than the newer ones (PD and common-rail).

as subcompacts go, the ford fiesta is surprisingly fun to drive (although low on power) and gets outstanding safety ratings. the SYNC bluetooth/nav system is pretty sweet too. mazda2 shares the same platform and is slightly cheaper but doesn't have SYNC. the new fiat 500 looks fun too, i'm anxiously awaiting the release of the turbo/abarth version next year!

 

[GreekGuy]

I've driven a number of japanese and german cars.

A lot of very excellent points have been raised, but the overall finish and ride quality of VW is above that of say a toyota or honda from the same price range. German cars will be more expensive to keep running, once you get into the higher mile ranges. But with a simpler engine and higher build quality, the diesel VW won't have as many of these issues

It's hard to beat japanese quality, reliability, and price. But for me personally, the extra money is worth it for the comfort and finish of a German car.