New to TDIClub? Introduce yourself here!

tdisky

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 14, 2004
Location
Middletown, Rhode Island
TDI
2013 Passat TDI SEL (hers)
Starting post for Newbie\'s

Thanks for all the great info - I just got my TDI yesterday, and now can't figure out why I drove a gasser all these years. Hope to see many of you at the TDI Fest in MA this September!
 

supton

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 25, 2004
Location
Central NH (USA)
TDI
'04 Jetta Wagon GLS
Starting post for Newbie\'s

okay, here's a dumb question: What are Glow Plugs? Same as Sprk Plugs in a gasoline engine?
You should do some study on it, but here's the short answer: the diesel engine is compression ignited, instead of spark ignited like a gas motor. During the compression stroke, the air in the cylinder rises considerably in temperature (basic physics), and in a diesel this is used to ignite the fuel that is injected in.

However, an engine that is cold may not generate enough heat during low speed cranking to ignite the fuel well. And the engine may not run at all, or run very poorly, until the cylinder warms up some. So, a simple heater is inserted to generate heat--the glow plug.

If I'm not mistaken (never have seen one before), it probably glows when doing its job. I suspect, however, that it does not sit in the path of the injection spray, as it probably errode away too quickly--thus, it simply radiates heat into the chamber, and hopefully (usually) it heats the cylinder quite well.

The glow plug only does work prior to starting--it is turned off when its either warm enough (ambient air temp) or when the vehicle is running. Otherwise, it would burn out, much like a lightbulb.
 

tdibigd

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 8, 2003
Location
Dallas, TX
TDI
2013 Passat TDI SE w/DSG, black on black
Starting post for Newbie\'s

The glow plug only does work prior to starting--it is turned off when its either warm enough (ambient air temp) or when the vehicle is running. Otherwise, it would burn out, much like a lightbulb.
Actually on our TDIs the glow plugs can stay energized in cold weather until 1) the engine warms up enough and/or 2)a certain RPM is reached (I believe around 2500 or so). This apparently smooths the rough running of the cold engine a bit, and gets things warmed up a little more quickly.

In cold weather you can hear the glow plug relay under the dash clicking on and off as you pass through the RPM threshold.
 

TDI Passatt Cowboy

New member
Joined
Feb 5, 2003
Location
Denver, CO
Starting post for Newbie\'s

I need removal & repair info for the ignition switch/ignition switch housing on my 96 Passatt TDI. Whenever the interior of the car gets hot, the ignition will not make contact, The cooler it is inside the car or if I ice the ignition switch housing, the car starts fine.
 

TDIguest

Member
Joined
Aug 13, 2004
Starting post for Newbie\'s

I currently do not own a TDI, but am looking at a 2000 Jetta TDI with 80k. Any tips or pointers I should look at on this vehicle before purchasing. Also, what kind of repairs should I be looking at with 80k miles?

Thanksing you in advance for your help.

Rick
 

dieseldorf

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Oct 11, 2000
Location
MA
TDI
ex- 1996 wagon, ex-2000 Jetta
Starting post for Newbie\'s

Also, what kind of repairs should I be looking at with 80k miles?
As always, it's a function of what maintenance has and has not been completed. At 80k miles, that list could be extensive.

Scrutinize those service logs...that will provide great insight as to what you will be up against!

No records? Move on unless you are buying a CPO from the stealer.
 

mdanderson

New member
Joined
Sep 19, 2004
Starting post for Newbie\'s

My wife and I have just purchased a 2000 VW TDI Beetle. We are searching for a bra for the bug and I saw on one web site that the turbo should not have a bra. Is there anything to this statement?
Thanks, Marc
 

tsingtao

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 13, 2004
Location
Phoenix, AZ
TDI
2016 Mazda 3 Hatchback 2009 Jetta TDI--Bought back 12/21/16
Starting post for Newbie\'s

Just got my 2004 Jetta TDI. I use my car for work(we get mileage), used to drive a 96 Saturn. Told my boss today that I filled up a week ago and still have a half tank with my Jetta, used to fill up 2x with my Saturn. His jaw dropped.
 

TornadoRed

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 3, 2003
Location
West Des Moines (formerly St Paul)
TDI
2003 Jetta TDI wagon, silver; 2003 Jetta TDI wagon, indigo blue; 2003 Golf GL 5-spd, red (PARTED); 2003 Golf GLS 5-spd, indigo blue (SOLD); 2003 Jetta TDI wagon, Candy White (SOLD)
Starting post for Newbie\'s

I use my car for work(we get mileage), used to drive a 96 Saturn. Told my boss today that I filled up a week ago and still have a half tank with my Jetta, used to fill up 2x with my Saturn. His jaw dropped.
I fill up twice a week. Used to fill up every day, sometimes in the morning and again in late afternoon! That really sucked! Yeah, I get mileage. Big time.
 

options2

Member
Joined
Oct 6, 2004
Location
IL - St Louis Area
TDI
2012 Jetta 6 speed
Starting post for Newbie\'s

First off I just wanted to say hello to everyone. Yes, I am a newbie. No, I have never owned a diesel before. But I must say the first 24 hours have been nothing short of great, and it really feels better in everyway than the already great Japanese car I traded for it. I have read carefully through quite a few of the FAQ sections, but I will admit I have not read it all yet (There is a lot covered in here). I do have a few questions already, and would appreciate any help.

1. I did read the FAQ section on cold starts, and it did mention that is was not uncommon after a cold night for the glow plug light to stay on for up to 10 seconds. Well I know that in the St Louis area it is not as cool as Canada, but it was in the low 40s F last night. When I went to start it, the glow plug light barely stayed on for two seconds. Is this normal? I was in the military for four years and drove HMMWVs quite often, and even on warm days it took 7-10 seconds for the glow plugs to warm up. Any in put would be great on this. Thanks


2. I did see quite a few posts about the use of specific oil for this engine. I went on further to read that the dealerships might not even use the right oil. Unless you watch them how do you know that you are getting what your TDI needs? Where can you take it if you cannot trust the dealer? Is anyone here from the St Louis, MO area? Do you know of any good VW mechanics in the area?


3. If anyone is from the St Louis area, where are the best places to get diesel? Are some Gas Stations diesel better that others?
 

nicklockard

Torque Dorque
Joined
Aug 15, 2004
Location
Arizona
TDI
SOLD 2010 Touareg Tdi w/factory Tow PCKG
Starting post for Newbie\'s

Hello and welcome to the forums
.

I'm kinda new too, but here's some starters for you:

1. The cold-start behavior is one of the great things about Tdi's. My old Peugeot TD took 30 seconds of glow plug even in the summer. The Tdi uses a number of tricks like pilot injection (kind of analagous to a pilot light on a gas stove), a cold-start valve, and reduced compression at start-up to get things lit up fast and easy. Your glow plugs wont even come on until (I think) five or six degrees celcius below freezing. I believe the one to two seconds you noticed is just a glow-plug self test. It does that on 100 degree days too.

You don't say w3hat year Tdi you have. Is it a PD engine (2004 or 2005) or is it 1999-2003 model? The older ones run best on fully synthetic oil. Go to your parts store and ask for 5W-40 truck and SUV oil. It is repackaged Mobil 1 Delvac oil certified for compression (diesel) engines standard: CI-4 and change your oil yourself. It is easy and worth the peace of mind.

If you have a PD engine, you need to get oil which meets VW 505.01 specs. That's kinda hard right now, you'd have to search around the forums. I think there are at least 3 threads discussing it. I don't have PD, so I don't follow them.

I'm sure others will pitch in to welcome you and answer the other issues.

You're going to love your Tdi. I love mine!
 

cram51

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 24, 2004
Location
Illinois - St. Louis Area
TDI
2005 Jetta - Spice Red
Starting post for Newbie\'s

Hey! I'm another fellow TDIer in the St. Louis region also (on the East side). I'm in the St. Louis VW club - you should join! Here is the link to their homepage http://www.stlvw.org/ As for oil and what meets the specs.....you should only use VW 505.01 spec oil (if you have a 2004 or 2005 TDI)....it is available at this site....at a decent price too if you buy it in the big jug http://www.impexfap.com/ You can also get your fuel filter and oil filter there......along with a lot of other things.

As for a good dealership to do your stuff, I've heard that Mid-America Motors in Hazelwood has a 40 year (of experience) tech working for them. I've also been told that the tech at O'Fallon, IL dealership has 30 years experience. I, myself, will only go to them with warranty repairs though. I plan on doing the oil changes and draining of the water separator on my own. I'm fast approaching my first 5000 mile oil change, so if you want to join me, let me know. We can learn a little about this machine together. I do the oil changes and whatnot (air filter, etc) on our Passat and it's a piece of cake. I'll be talking to ya and welcome to the economy and performance of TDI's!!
 

options2

Member
Joined
Oct 6, 2004
Location
IL - St Louis Area
TDI
2012 Jetta 6 speed
Starting post for Newbie\'s

Yeah sorry I forgot to mention it’s a 2005 so it is a PD engine. Thanks very much for the input on the Glow plugs nicklockard. Also thanks for the STL area info cram51, I send you a PM too. Thanks for welcoming me to the wonderful TDI world.
 

draider

New member
Joined
Oct 27, 2004
Starting post for Newbie\'s

Hello all! I am new to te TDI world. I am considering a purchase of a VW TDI for a number of reasons. First and foremost, I would like to have a car which is reliable and which boasts much higher fuel economy than standard gasoline engine cars. Secondly, I have a very good source of biodiesel close to my house (Portland, OR) and would like to take advantage of this cleaner/environmentally friendly source of fuel. Could I get some advice from you all? In looking at Consumer Reports I saw that VWTDI's from '98-'02 have really low reliability ratings and that '03 was middle of the road. I'm thinking of buying new ('05) or an '04. So my questions are these:

1. What is the reliability of the newer TDI (passat, in particular); is this a much overhauled and refiined car from the 90s? Is Consumer Reports correct in their assessment and are things getting better?

2. What do folks know about running a new vehicle on biodiesel? Are the constraints in terms of break-in period the same? Any reasons not to use this fuel source?

3. In terms of upgrading the take-off speed with the "chip" (read about on TDI), any constraints and/or as much need with the newer models?

Thanks for your insights.
 

eschady

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 14, 2002
Location
Milton, WI
TDI
2003 Jetta GL Black w/gray int.
Starting post for Newbie\'s

1. Reliability: I don't want to scare you, but the 04s and 05s are a newer engine, so there isn't a whole lot of time on the engines or cars yet to determine what the reliability is. From this standpoint, the 2003s are almost ideal because they are basically the same as the 1999-2003, with some refinement. Overall, I believe there has been a huge improvement in the quality of VWs.

2. Check the biodiesel forum. Don't let people scare you. Plenty of people run biodiesel with no problems.

3. Chipping is up to you. Depends on what you want out of the car. If you like having the quick acceleration, go for it. If you are normal driver it probably isn't needed.
 

tjl

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 19, 2001
Location
California, USA
TDI
2001 Golf GLS
Starting post for Newbie\'s

It would be nice if this Buying a Used TDI Engine Car FAQ were put in the TDI FAQ:

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showflat.php?C...rev=#Post710113

Also, the "oil" section of the TDI FAQ needs updating to reflect the VW 505.01 rating needed for many recent TDI engines. Also, since there are some European readers and posters, it should mention what VW 506.00, 506.01, etc. ratings are for.
 

kentucker

New member
Joined
Nov 9, 2004
Starting post for Newbie\'s

Thanks for the tip on that "How to buy" FAQ, but i can't seem to make the link work for me at all. Nothing comes up on a search, either . . 'lil help? many thanks.
 

3phase

New member
Joined
Oct 23, 2004
Starting post for Newbie\'s

Hello , This is my first post and sorry if I have entered this in the wrong area , or section . The urgent problem I have is with the steering lock jammed on my 1999 vw passat Tdi . Its a r/h drive (im located in the uk ). The doors open with the key button and the key fits in the steering lock but( failed this morning 5.30 am ), 1st time ever to turn at all . Can anyone help me ? is there some sort of code or signal sent from the key or is it just a mechanical key / steering lock problem ? . Have read with interest before from this site but never asked a question . Any reply would be gratefully received .Usually
moving the steering wheel at the same time as turning the key frees everything , but this time the key refuses to turn at all . Thanks for any help .
 

WoodysTDI

Member
Joined
Nov 14, 2004
Location
Beaver, Oregon
TDI
Jetta 2005 GLS silver
Re: Starting post for Newbie\'s

I am a newbie. I wish I knew of this site when I bought my 2005 jetta GLS wagon TDI. I heard nothing from dealer about break in period other than 5000 mile oil change & only VW oil only on the new 1.9. I have 1037 miles on car. Washed it today & went to drive it & engine light stays on. Oil OK. No water around engine. Any ideas?!?
 

rdkern

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 21, 2004
Location
Humboldt Co CA
TDI
Passat 1997 silver (sold after 11 years), Jetta 2000 atlantic blue
Re: Starting post for Newbie\'s

You're under warrenty, so I'd suggest taking it to the dealer.
 

ewolf

Member
Joined
Nov 18, 2004
Location
Chattanooga, TN
TDI
N/A
Re: Starting post for Newbie\'s

Howdy! I don't have a TDi yet, but I'm actively looking. My new wife and I wanted something that gets great gas mileage. I managed to convince her to look at a VW Golf TDi. She liked some of the features - the peppiness and especially the telescoping steering wheel.
 

DareDiesel

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 24, 2002
Location
Western Washington
Re: Starting post for Newbie\'s

Welcome ewolf. If you're looking to buy a new car test drive all the models. And if you can wait a bit the new Jetta will be out early next year. That's just a couple of months from now!
 

cram51

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 24, 2004
Location
Illinois - St. Louis Area
TDI
2005 Jetta - Spice Red
Re: Starting post for Newbie\'s

Again, welcome ewolf. I agree with the comment preceeding me. Test drive a lot of models. The new Jetta would be worth a look also if your not in too big of a hurry. The more I look at that car, the more it grows on me. Seems to be a lot more roomy that the current Jetta.......don't get me wrong, I love my TDI
I really think you will love one also!
 

hertsTDicol

Active member
Joined
Dec 2, 2004
Location
Hertfordshire, United Kingdom (over the pond)
TDI
TDi 1998 Golf GTTDi in Jazz Blue
Re: Starting post for Newbie\'s

hello

already introduced myself in the euro section

27 year old lad from Blighty (UK) across the pond from ya'll.

In the south east region of the country about 30 miles north of London.

Driving a 2001 model facelift passat SE TDi saloon in blue
what can i say----top car!

*Started with a citroen saxo (saxosportsclub forum)
*a BMW 4 cylinder (pah!) 316i se saloon (bmwclubgb and bmwland forums)
*A grey import Lexus IS200 from japan (toyota altezza (lexus ownersclub forum)

And now here. I think i'll stay for a bit.
Nice passat, currently no probmlems, no niggles whatsoever.

Cheers

Col
 

fellowship

Member
Joined
Nov 22, 2004
Location
United States
TDI
Jetta, 2005, Black
Re: Starting post for Newbie\'s

Question about the EGR mod.

Is the mod using VAG-COM as described in the TDI 101 section the same for the new PD engine as it is for pre PD engines??

Thanks

Fellowship
 
Top