FAQ: 2009 - 2010 TDI-specific issues

DoctorDawg

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 26, 2008
Location
Southeastern US
TDI
'09 Jetta Loyal Edition
I've never actually seen the filter element of an automotive diesel fuel filter before. All my other rides had spin-on filters. So I don't have a lot of experience here to draw on. Like I say, it was dirty but not cr@ppy. I try to stick with good fuel from good stations, so 'dirty but not cr@ppy' would be about what I would expect after 8K miles.

At first I was a little bewildered that VW doesn't use a spin-on filter, but now I really like the idea of being able to put an eyeball on the filter element during a change. You can never be too rich or have too much information about what's going on under your hood.
 

darrenf

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 19, 2008
Location
Durham, NC
TDI
09 JSW TDI Black/Black, Pano, Avignons
I bet if we posted some binary we would get the mods attention. :D

-darren
 

DoctorDawg

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 26, 2008
Location
Southeastern US
TDI
'09 Jetta Loyal Edition
Just added a FAQ #16, prompted by a PM from a new member: "how do I remove the plastic cowl from the engine?" That prompted me to recall that we've seen this question several times. In fact, I think I was the first newbie to ask it! My understanding is that the '09 (with its snap fittings) differs from previous TDIs in this regard(?), in which case its legitimately an '09-specific issue.
 
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airwolf

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 25, 2006
Location
Cassopolis, MI
TDI
None
DoctorDawg said:
Just added a FAQ #16, prompted by a PM from a new member: "how do I remove the plastic cowl from the engine?" That prompted me to recall that we've seen this question several times. In fact, I think I was the first newbie to ask it! My understanding is that the '09 (with its snap fittings) differs from previous TDIs in this regard(?), in which case its legitimately an '09-specific issue.
*shrugs* My 06 R&R the same way. After a while they things they snap in will wear some and it will remove a lot easier.
 

dr.zed

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 8, 2006
bigdieseltruck said:
This may be common knowledge or not, but how well does the factory fuel filter in this new CRD 2.0L filter particles down to?

This has been a big problem with the 3rd Gen Dodge Ram Common Rail systems. Dodge used a 10 micron at first and people were getting failing injectors with bad batches of fuel, then they switched to using 7 micron filters. Being that I want to keep my high pressure pump, rail, and injectors as clean and particle free as possible, I also run an aux. 2 micron filter after the 7 micron stock one.

I hope that VW takes filtering on a high pressure common rail system seriously. Small particles 5-10microns in size can cause serious damage when fired at 20-29,000psi through modern injectors over time. I also don't want to leave the fate of my engine in the hands of the fuel distributors and gas stations, with their sometimes sub-par filtering. It is the same problem experienced in any high pressure hydraulic system.

Does anyone know about the new fuel filters on this new engine?

Thanks,

Chris
A lot of the cummins had a "pull" style electric fuel pump in the engine bay. It would start to get weak or fail altogether and the injector pump would have the sole job of transferring fuel. Many times you couldn't tell until it was too late and your injector pump died.

Dodge supplied a revised kit to put the transfer pump close to the tank as it was more effective and lasted longer as a "push" pump. Unfortunately many transfer and injector pumps were lost this way. :(
 

HyperDrive

Member
Joined
Jan 24, 2009
Location
Stafford, VA
TDI
2009 Jetta
New '09 Jetta TDI Questions

Greetings!

I am the proud new owner of an '09 Jetta TDI for about two weeks now. I've been lurking around soaking up all this great info about my new car and following DBW's break in procedure. At this point (1200 miles on the car) I have a few questions:

1. What exactly does the turbo sound like? I have no doubt that it is working, as the car has plenty of get up and go :D. I hear folks talking about a whining sound, like I hear with my uncle's F-250 turbo-diesel. It's very audible and unmistakable. I hear no such sound from my Jetta TDI. There is a slight sound of something turning on ball bearings or something (like spinning the wheels on a skateboard or something) when accelerating, but I have to really listen for it. Maybe I just don't know what to listen for.

2. What's with the daytime running lights? Are they supposed to be the low beam headlights? The low beams come on automatically when I crank up the motor, then when I turn on the head light switch, a set of dim lights in the same pod as the hi-beams at the 2 O'clock (passenger side) and 10 O'clock (driver side) come on. Seems to me it should be the other way around.

Sorry if these questions seem kinda dumb. Just never owned a car with turbo or DRLs.

Ken
 

airwolf

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 25, 2006
Location
Cassopolis, MI
TDI
None
HyperDrive said:
Greetings!

2. What's with the daytime running lights? Are they supposed to be the low beam headlights? The low beams come on automatically when I crank up the motor, then when I turn on the head light switch, a set of dim lights in the same pod as the hi-beams at the 2 O'clock (passenger side) and 10 O'clock (driver side) come on. Seems to me it should be the other way around.

Ken
Your DRL's are working how VW intended them to. Different car manufactures use different setups for DRL's
 

Devoid

Member
Joined
Dec 30, 2008
Location
Redmond, WA
TDI
2009 Jetta TDI
Great FAQ, answered some of my main concerns :)

I'm surprised to read the part about the max bio-diesel rating, the lowest mixture I have seen around my area is B15 and even the dealership I bought the car from filled it up at a B15 gas station.
Do you think this might be high enough to effect my warranty?
 

MBoni

Veteran Member
Joined
May 18, 2007
Location
Atlanta, GA
TDI
2009 Jetta Sportwagen
HyperDrive said:
2. What's with the daytime running lights? Are they supposed to be the low beam headlights? The low beams come on automatically when I crank up the motor, then when I turn on the head light switch, a set of dim lights in the same pod as the hi-beams at the 2 O'clock (passenger side) and 10 O'clock (driver side) come on. Seems to me it should be the other way around.
Yea, the DRLs are just the low beam headlights, but they are running at something like 80% normal power. You probably can't notice the decrease in brightness with your eyes, but the power reduction will increase the life of the bulb. The little tiny bulbs in the reflector of the high beam are your 'city lights', also known as parking lights or position indicators. If you get a Euroswitch and disable the DRLs in the computer, it becomes possible to turn on just the parking lights. The parking lights also stay on if you turn off the car with the headlights switched on.
 

HyperDrive

Member
Joined
Jan 24, 2009
Location
Stafford, VA
TDI
2009 Jetta
Thanks guys for the replies. I think I'm beginning to see the light. ;)

MBoni, I noticed you have OEM fog lights on your JSW. As far as I know, they are not offered with the Jetta Sedan. Any reason that you know of that they can't be retrofitted to the sedan? Are the two not the same vehicle in the front half? Would love to have a set!
 

tomo366

TDI Lifer, Member #68
Joined
Jun 30, 1997
Location
Kensington, Maryland USA
TDI
2015 Jetta SEL TDI
HyperDrive said:
Thanks guys for the replies. I think I'm beginning to see the light. ;)

MBoni, I noticed you have OEM fog lights on your JSW. As far as I know, they are not offered with the Jetta Sedan. Any reason that you know of that they can't be retrofitted to the sedan? Are the two not the same vehicle in the front half? Would love to have a set!
It is the same kit
can be purchased here http://www.worldimpex.com/parts/genuine-part-fog-light-kit_852692.html
you will need a Headlight switch also
 

DoctorDawg

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 26, 2008
Location
Southeastern US
TDI
'09 Jetta Loyal Edition
FYI, I've just updated the FAQ to:

a) correct my previous lack of deep understanding about fuel heating (Q5)
b) add a Q17 regarding The Silence Of The Turbo
 

HyperDrive

Member
Joined
Jan 24, 2009
Location
Stafford, VA
TDI
2009 Jetta
DoctorDawg said:
17. Q: Hey, I can't hear my turbo! What's up with that?
A: What's that you say? I couldn't hear you over the awesome scream of my turbo. No, actually, most of us can't hear our '09 turbos; they're scary-quiet...and those of us with long turbodiesel experience in other vehicles kinda miss it. But it's one heckuva turbo anyways (puts out 22 PSI, stock), and it sure gets the job done. Think of it as the strong, silent type.
Thanks Doc, works for me! :D
 

aume2007

Active member
Joined
Jul 1, 2008
Location
North Alabama, USA
TDI
'02 Jetta GLS TDI
10. Q: I'm considering buying an '09 TDI, but I'm worried about reliability. How's the track record of this car?
A: At the time of writing (Nov. 2009) its still early days. Hardly anyone has owned one for more than 3 months, or has more than 10K miles on one. But that said, problems reported to date on this site have been generally minor and generally infrequent...about what you'd expect at this point, IMHO. A lot of us really love these cars and are very glad we own 'em (so far).

I don't have an '09, but I'd still like to know how to write in the future. How are the 2010's looking is the question?:D
 

dhal

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Location
Morgantown, Pa
Another great site to book mark. Regaurding #9 I thought it would look nice with the TDI badge "but nowhere to be found". I did order the same badge as found on the back. It is a good fit on the steering wheel bracket. They were a bit of a problem to put on.They are 3 individual letters which are held togeather by a strip of tape on the face) as you peel off the strip on the glue side, they shifted on me and realigning them well*##**. but I did get them on and well centered. To me it looks good. Ordered from the dealer 1K5-853-675-D-HCE 2nd group of letters and nos. AF 006 B02 Name Plate 38.29 + tax and had them shipped total $50.20 They catch your eye every time you climb in.
 
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DoctorDawg

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 26, 2008
Location
Southeastern US
TDI
'09 Jetta Loyal Edition
aume2007 said:
I don't have an '09, but I'd still like to know how to write in the future. How are the 2010's looking is the question?:D
As the target of your barbs, aume, all I can say is, buy GM stock next Wednesday afternoon. :rolleyes:
 

alnmike

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 24, 2008
Location
Alaska
TDI
09
Just for information's sake, my amp is in the trunk, bolted to the top. I have to bend way down to see it, but its definitely not under my seat. I have the 'Premium" system, not sure if I had to pay for it or not. Now I just need to find a way to get a crossover in there so no speakers play anything below 125Hz, and put in my own sub+amp for that. I have no experience with crossovers that arent part of an amp. The system sounds fine except for the 6" speakers trying to play bass.
 

tdiatlast

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jan 21, 2009
Location
Fort Worth, Texas
TDI
2009 Sportwagen (boughtback); 2014 Passat TDI SEL (boughtback)
Excellent update, DD. You might want to consider a strong statement that left-foot braking doesn't work for take-off. At 13k miles, I finally have the courage to drive my car onto my ramps, but when it was new, it confused me (and the car!!) a great deal as I tried to left-foot brake to keep the car from rolling down the ramps. Now that I understand the DSG, it isn't a problem.
 

chops_555

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 29, 2008
Location
Texas
TDI
09 Jetta TDI 6spd manual Build date: 09/08
I believe the box on the top of the trunk has something to do with the satillite radio.

I really appreciated this. Very informative.
 

motoblue

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 31, 2008
Location
New Jersey
TDI
2010 Golf DSG
Good stuff, DD. Couple suggestions:

I think a link to the 05/06 FAQ that covers body issues and common DIY procedures would be good to have at the top, then go onto specific issues.

Regarding the question about engine covers, I took pictures of mine that you can link to if you think it would help.
Underside:
http://pics.tdiclub.com/data/500/engine-cover-underside.jpg

Top, with approximate grommet locations marked:
http://pics.tdiclub.com/data/500/engine-cover-marked.jpg

I would also suggest an expansion of the oil change question to indicate the capacity of the 09s as 4 liters, and maybe run down the available 507 oils.

Though not a mechanical issue, the tax credit question is also specific to the 09 and has generated more than a few duplicate threads. Perhaps a referral to the irs.gov website (http://www.irs.gov/businesses/corporations/article/0,,id=203912,00.html) or fueleconomy.gov (http://fueleconomy.gov/feg/taxLeanburn.shtml)?

ETA - links for tax credit information
 
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qball

Member
Joined
Aug 31, 2003
Location
Eagan Minnesota
Very Well done post i have a auto/man in my 07 altima and your doing 30 in 6th gear i just drive man in then city works great
 

geezerb

Veteran Member
Joined
May 29, 2006
Location
Lewistown MT
TDI
2009 Jetta Sedan Manual
Clean Diesel

DR.
I have been operating diesels off and on for more years than I care to remember but my o9 Jetta has a tailpipe like no other I have seen. At 1700 miles the pipe is as pristine as the day I drove it off the lot. Is there a point in time when it will "soot-up" as in the days of old?
I don't want to be showing off for admirers and come out of the pipe looking like I just voted in an Iraqui election.:D
 

DoctorDawg

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 26, 2008
Location
Southeastern US
TDI
'09 Jetta Loyal Edition
At 25K+ miles my tailpipe is no longer squeeky clean...I can pick up a little smidge of black by running my finger around it. But it remains waaaay ahead of any other diesel I've ever owned.
 

Travelthere

Member
Joined
Aug 13, 2009
Location
San Diego
TDI
2009 TDI Sedan
Greetings To All,

This is great stuff DoctorDawg ! But, I am still left with a nagging question about Break-in Procedures. I certainly don't want to offend anyone, but I have to ask this. I have read the Break-in procedures and I read that DoctorDawg does not necessarily agree with them. In fact, they seem to conflict with the 09 owner's manual suggestions in some cases. In the spirit of many of the threads on this forum, may I ask, "What is the source of the posted break-in procedures?" I also notice that they were originally published in 2003. Are they still relevant to the 09 engine?
 
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