01M symptoms

MotorCityMadman

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2009
Location
MB
TDI
By proxy: 98 Beetle tdi, 01 Golf tdi, 03 Jetta tdi, 03Golf tdi
Got an email from my brother regarding his VW. What do you think, it is toast? Unsalvageable?


2003 jetta tdi, auto trans, symptoms:
occasional slight increased rev and resume as highway driving
seem to slip out of drive and over-rev momentarily at traffic lights then clunk back into gear
finally, over-rev (3K) but only 20-30 kph (thought it was the icy road)
then no go, simply revs with no hint of fwd or reverse

290km on car
trans fld never changed
 

davebugs

Vendor
Joined
Sep 15, 2003
Location
Pittsburgh suburb
TDI
2001 Golf TDI Automatic, MKIV rear axle bushing install tools
I'm thinking he's done very well with it.

Time for a change. Reman or 5 speed swap. Reman quality other than OEM TBD I'm testing one now.
 

whyfish

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 16, 2006
Location
Portland, OR
TDI
2003 VW TDI Wagon auto. transmission
Send your concerns and questions to Cool Air VW. He's the 01M guru around here. You find his contact info by searching for his name.

Or, he may just jump on this thread and offer you some advice.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
Check the ATF level, if it is OK, then order up a 01M-300-032-GX and motor on.

Now... where is Freddie???? ;)
 

MotorCityMadman

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2009
Location
MB
TDI
By proxy: 98 Beetle tdi, 01 Golf tdi, 03 Jetta tdi, 03Golf tdi
Send your concerns and questions to Cool Air VW. He's the 01M guru around here. You find his contact info by searching for his name.

Or, he may just jump on this thread and offer you some advice.

One ringy dingy...
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
ouch, pricey enough to be a write off

So, fix THIS car for less than one third of the cheapest Kia you can buy and keep driving it, or.... I do not get the 'write off' part?

I could put a trans in that car, and 10 years from now be driving that same car. Write off indeed. :cool:
 

MotorCityMadman

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2009
Location
MB
TDI
By proxy: 98 Beetle tdi, 01 Golf tdi, 03 Jetta tdi, 03Golf tdi
Well, as my brother is 1500 km west of me and cannot wrench himself the cost of someone swapping it out is more than the value of the car. Pretty easy math.

I could put a trans in that car, and 10 years from now be driving that same car"

I could put a trans in it as well but it is not mine and not here.
 
Last edited:

scurvy

Good Ol' Boy
Joined
Feb 21, 2006
Location
Chicago IL USA
TDI
2006 Golf
...the cost of someone swapping it out is more than the value of the car. Pretty easy math.
Easy, but fallacious.

You have to compare the replacement cost - replacing just the transmission or the entire car (and the associated increase in insurance premiums, fuel cost, etc...).
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
Yep, fallacious math indeed. Somthing Americans seem to be really good at. Go eyeballs deep in dept, it's cheaper that way! Yay!!! :rolleyes:
 

MotorCityMadman

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2009
Location
MB
TDI
By proxy: 98 Beetle tdi, 01 Golf tdi, 03 Jetta tdi, 03Golf tdi
How about diminishing returns. While the tranny is the largest current snag, it is not the only one. Each of those snags have to be addressed by a paid party. Not to mention the ongoing deterioration of the body due corrosion.

Insurance rates are dependant upon your area. Where he is the uplift is minimal. It is PLPD that governs the premium.

By the way- Who mentioned debt? Canadian math works pretty well.
 

aja8888

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Dec 25, 2007
Location
Texas..RETIRED 12/31/17
TDI
Out of TDI's
In the real world, debt = money (or else the banks would not exist). If it were not for the banks, we would be trading shiny stones for apples and cloth.:D
 

MotorCityMadman

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2009
Location
MB
TDI
By proxy: 98 Beetle tdi, 01 Golf tdi, 03 Jetta tdi, 03Golf tdi
Yes debt = money. That is someone elses money.

Keep your house in order and use the banks wisely.
 

scurvy

Good Ol' Boy
Joined
Feb 21, 2006
Location
Chicago IL USA
TDI
2006 Golf
How about diminishing returns. While the tranny is the largest current snag, it is not the only one. Each of those snags have to be addressed by a paid party. Not to mention the ongoing deterioration of the body due corrosion.
Everything you mentoned is also true of a new vehicle - except in rare cases,* its value drops like a rock as soon as you take ownership of it and does not level off for several years. Even new cars can (and do) have transmission issues, rust, wonky running or other snags. Many of which are not covered by warranty. Sometimes the devil you know is better than the devil you don't know.

A well-maintained VW with a reman 01M may easily motor on for another 290k km. I'm guessing it has not been maintained particularly well, considering it never had the transmission fluid/filter changed (not that it necessarily would have prolonged its inevitable failure) and your allusion to severe body corrosion. In that case your brother may prefer to get into a newer vehicle - at the end of the day, it's his toonie to spend how he sees fit.

*I have experienced this first-hand. My wife and I bought a brand new Scion xB when they were first introduced and paid it off in 1.5 years. A year after that (at the height of xB mania) we sold it for darn close to the same price we paid for it. 2.5 years of motoring and we wound up only paying taxes/interest, fees, fuel, oil changes & insurance for that car.
 

MotorCityMadman

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2009
Location
MB
TDI
By proxy: 98 Beetle tdi, 01 Golf tdi, 03 Jetta tdi, 03Golf tdi
You are correct sir. Had the vehicle been in my hands, or another DIYer, the equation changes greatly.
 
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