Volkwagen Jetta Diesel Reliability.

[NewMexicoCowboy]

Hi I have always been a fan of diesels but I have never had a chance to get one and now its looking like I may get a chance.I am thinking about getting a 10 year old or newer used Volkwagen Jetta TDI.How reliable are the Volkswagen diesels?Also how many miles can a Volkwagen TDI last?I would want the vehicle to get good fuel economy.

Are they good high quality cars?How much do you think we would have to pay for it.I live in Texas and I would be fine with cloth interior.However my dad may get me leather instead.Are there any Volkswagen Jetta Diesels that have next-generation safety features like blind spot monitor and stuff that will stop you if you are about to rear end someone?What Volkwagen Jetta Diesel years should I avoid?Thanks.How reliable are they compared to Toyotas because we are a Toyota family.

[gemstone1]

Do a web search on "Jetta forums" and start reading/asking questions on any of the groups to get answers from actual owners.

[RetireinPA]

go look at VWVortex website.


I owned 3 of these and ran up half a million miles combined in about 10 years before they paid me a lot to have the last one back.


10 years back puts you into the 'uh oh' age range.


And mind you, there are MANY versions of these motors.


I have little experience with the motor pre-'PD2' (lookitup) so read the vortex for that range (pre2006)


My first was a PD2. New from the dealer, racked up over 175k before trade. Its faults in the CAR, were bad electrical harnesses everywhere. Always for some feature and generally for something in the cold weather package (window defrost, seat heat, glow plugs. It was a 45-46mpg car with the 5M every day, 100hp over the traditional 90-minus earlier. take it easy - 50mpg I had more than once. This engine played the 'death card' with respect to the engine and the oil used. VERY FEW cars ever have in the service literature stated "failure to use so and so grade of oil will result in injury or death." This car does not require you to slow for turns, so I didnt and I kept good tires and brakes on it and college age girls loved it and wanted to date you for owning it.


I traded that for a '10 clean diesel. The 40hp and torque at 70? ft lbs boost was real. It came at a penalty - the car would get 42mpg religiously and occasionally 45 if you took care. HOWEVER, while a lot of the electrical problems were still in there and 3 new added twists:



1) these injectors were 100% electrical on the high PSI rail. They are over a couple thou EACH. Mebbe, just mebbe someone at a good diesel shop can rebuild one for about a grand - but I have no data on this one.

1a) I head the ultra high psi fuel pump is faulty too but I didnt have that.
2) the AC compressors put a relief valve buried deep in the head and it is not replaceable. they will all fail around 100K miles and the dealer at the time wanted $1300 for the compressor, plus a fex bux to install and all the other crap. The bill will top $2k if you cannot do it yourself. At the time you could get the factory denso compressor at rock auto for a little bit under $400 and install the crap yourself
3) (and this is the big one) - the (in)famous dual mass flywheel. The dual mass flywheel used on all VW models for NVH concerns - 'specially with a diesel - was rated at 240ftlbs of input torque. The engine was 236ftlb. at 70mph - speed limit most highways, the car was 'fire and forget'. You could leave the 6M tranny in 6th gear and let it walk up every hill in the 1800romish range - peak torque. at 125K miles I had a bad howling noise, went to the dealer $8000 estimate. wha? the dual mass flywheel failed, but unlike an ejection, it moved to a matched balance and took out the input bearing to the tranny.


VW, loads the bearings from the INSIDE, not from the outside like everyone else on the planet. so while the clutch and flywheel was 2500, the tranny was 5500. I am not throwing that into a car Im halfway into the loan. South bend clutch - stage 1 - $1000 (plus the dealer added $100 to accept the ups package) and 2500 for a salvage tranny.


A few points to drive this home and IMPORTANT to consider


- there are MANY reports of SEVERE injury from the dual mass leaving the bell housing. More than one person had a foot sawed off. More than one car went in flames when a line got sawed up, more than one car went into a tree when the steering was sawed up and Sir Issac was driving. This is not BS and on the vortex, should you visit it, and I recommend you do as it is by far the MOST comprehensive VW and VAG in general site, with factory support - you will find that the dual mass flywheel is on par with EV fires. Those that have vs those that have not, and the have nots tend to dominate the convo, oft mean-fully. Mind you, the manual trans are but a FRACTION of VW sales, MOST of the failures, are in automatics



- The bearings in the VW M trans are made from potato chips soaked in sea water for a month. Not only did the imbalance wipe out the input bearing, the salvage trans from co-part was from a wrecked low mile 2010. If you are in gear, and crash the car, the thrust bearing will be destroyed and I found out the hard way, when idling in neutral for the rest of the cars life I had to listen to loud chatter as the input shaft choggled back and forth.


so, just over 250K miles some lady decided to rear end it at close to 55mph and while the car WAS fixable, the miles, plus it once hit a deer, her insurance gave me a big check and I went and got ANOTHER 2010, this time < half the miles and in a color I liked more (bark blue, dark grey leather interior)


That one I racked up the rest of my 500K miles, same electrical problems, same AC that went out on cue at same mileage.


When VW decided to give me over 14K for it I turned it into cash down on my house.


In my opinion, German cars in general, VAG cars in specific are not ready for prime time. Do not care about the advertising. This is the future and nothing should suck so bad.


Bottom line, you will never get to experience the miles that maybe the engine can, unless you are willing to fork out thousands every year. At the bottom of vwvortex is a section for 'trusted vw mechanics' obey it. people that will work on them and not rip you off. The dealer network service SUCKS.

[J Baustian]

https://forums.tdiclub.com/index.php

[volosong]

I've had a bunch of VW diesels, and loved all of them. However, that was a long time ago. I've owned a 1978 Rabbit Diesel two-door, a 1979 Rabbit Diesel four-door, (the first new car I ever purchases), a 1980 Dasher Diesel wagon, and a 1984 Jetta Diesel four-door.

Mechanically, they all were flawless. Electrically, not so much. Electricity gremlins seem to be a common "feature" in that vintage Volkswagens. All were manual transmission, even the Dasher wagon. Good fuel consumption too. About 45 mpg per tank, and I wasn't a light-footed driver in those days.

[scarabchuck]

Originally Posted by J Baustian

https://forums.tdiclub.com/index.php

Volumes of information here.

I had a MK4 TDI and learned everything needed to keep that thing running from that site.

[RetireinPA]

Originally Posted by scarabchuck

Volumes of information here.

I had a MK4 TDI and learned everything needed to keep that thing running from that site.

go check out the vortex, its like 20 times larger and covers ALL the models under the VAG umbrella that use the same powertrains.