Should I buy this TDI? 03 5sp wagon

turbovan+tdi

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Joined
Mar 23, 2014
Location
Abbotsford, BC.
TDI
2003 TDI 2.0L ALH, auto, silver wagon, lowered, Colt stage 2 cam, ported head,205 injectors, 1756 turbo, Malone 2.0, 3" exhaust, 18" BBS RC GLI rims. 2004 blue GSW TDI, 5 speed, lowered, GLI BBS wheels painted black, Malone stage 2, Aerotur
Nice work. Too bad you weren't closer, our CL has a few silver cars being wrecked. I don't have any reflex silver fenders left.
 

gforce1108

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 2, 2006
Location
Newburgh, NY
TDI
04 Jetta GLS BEW, 14 Audi A7 V6 TDI, 13 Porsche Cayenne V6 TDI
Nice work. Too bad you weren't closer, our CL has a few silver cars being wrecked. I don't have any reflex silver fenders left.
I screwed up earlier - there was one about 45 minutes from me and I figured I could wait until the weekend and pick it up. It was sold the next day. Fortunately, I'm not in any rush - I knew I couldn't have the hood shipped, but I fender wouldn't be too bad I suppose.

Worst case - I'll paint one. The roof has some rust from stone chips (no where near as bad as the hood) so I may respray it. Easy enough to paint a fender while I'm at it. I have 2 other friends with reflex silver cars so it might be worth buying some paint.
 

gforce1108

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 2, 2006
Location
Newburgh, NY
TDI
04 Jetta GLS BEW, 14 Audi A7 V6 TDI, 13 Porsche Cayenne V6 TDI
Found a reflex silver hood over the weekend...
Before (what happens when you don't touch up stone chips for 300k miles):

After:


Can't beat $95 for a hood!
 

JB05

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Oct 20, 2005
Location
Il.USA
TDI
Golf,2005,anthracite blue
Nice work. How did get rid of the rust? Any special treatments? I would still like to salvage my right side fender, but not having any luck with the rust. Not eligible for any warranty since I painted it once or twice already.
 

gforce1108

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 2, 2006
Location
Newburgh, NY
TDI
04 Jetta GLS BEW, 14 Audi A7 V6 TDI, 13 Porsche Cayenne V6 TDI
Nice work. How did get rid of the rust? Any special treatments? I would still like to salvage my right side fender, but not having any luck with the rust. Not eligible for any warranty since I painted it once or twice already.
I chucked the old hood and put on a nice used one :) Found someone on the vortex about 25 miles from me with one for $95

It wasn't worth messing with the rust. Fenders run in the $80 range and are not too hard to find.

There is some rust on the leading edge of the roof - that I will need to address. I'll sand/treat/paint it. To avoid blending, I might do the whole roof.
 

turbovan+tdi

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 23, 2014
Location
Abbotsford, BC.
TDI
2003 TDI 2.0L ALH, auto, silver wagon, lowered, Colt stage 2 cam, ported head,205 injectors, 1756 turbo, Malone 2.0, 3" exhaust, 18" BBS RC GLI rims. 2004 blue GSW TDI, 5 speed, lowered, GLI BBS wheels painted black, Malone stage 2, Aerotur
That's the beauty of our cars, tons of parts available, ;)
 

gforce1108

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 2, 2006
Location
Newburgh, NY
TDI
04 Jetta GLS BEW, 14 Audi A7 V6 TDI, 13 Porsche Cayenne V6 TDI
Sold my GTI... Registered the wagon to work out any bugs while I'm bringing it back. All 4 rear plate screws broke off when I removed the previous owners plates (he bought it new and the plates were never removed). Looks like they are nutserts of some sort but I was able to drill them out and retap. Lots of antiseize and I should be in good shape.

Still trying to locate a silver fender - found several people on other forums and craigslist with them for sale, but only partial or no responses. You'd think you'd put a little more effort into trying to sell something?

Not going to be a lot of work getting done on it for a while with everything else I have going on though (unless I find a fender).
 

turbovan+tdi

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 23, 2014
Location
Abbotsford, BC.
TDI
2003 TDI 2.0L ALH, auto, silver wagon, lowered, Colt stage 2 cam, ported head,205 injectors, 1756 turbo, Malone 2.0, 3" exhaust, 18" BBS RC GLI rims. 2004 blue GSW TDI, 5 speed, lowered, GLI BBS wheels painted black, Malone stage 2, Aerotur
Which fender-left or right? I might have a reflex silver one but I do have some 2000 ones, as you know, the colour is slightly off.
 

gforce1108

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 2, 2006
Location
Newburgh, NY
TDI
04 Jetta GLS BEW, 14 Audi A7 V6 TDI, 13 Porsche Cayenne V6 TDI
Which fender-left or right? I might have a reflex silver one but I do have some 2000 ones, as you know, the colour is slightly off.
Left - drivers side. The car is old enough that I'm not worried about making it perfect - I just don't want rust. Pity - the original owner could have easily had it covered under the rust warranty. I found 3 listed at salvage yards each roughly an hour from me - the best condition one is pinstriped. Have to call to see if it's vinyl instead of paint.

I appreciate the offer - I would guess shipping would be a bit high?
 

turbovan+tdi

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 23, 2014
Location
Abbotsford, BC.
TDI
2003 TDI 2.0L ALH, auto, silver wagon, lowered, Colt stage 2 cam, ported head,205 injectors, 1756 turbo, Malone 2.0, 3" exhaust, 18" BBS RC GLI rims. 2004 blue GSW TDI, 5 speed, lowered, GLI BBS wheels painted black, Malone stage 2, Aerotur
What's your zip and I'll get quote. Can't see it being that bad.
 

turbovan+tdi

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 23, 2014
Location
Abbotsford, BC.
TDI
2003 TDI 2.0L ALH, auto, silver wagon, lowered, Colt stage 2 cam, ported head,205 injectors, 1756 turbo, Malone 2.0, 3" exhaust, 18" BBS RC GLI rims. 2004 blue GSW TDI, 5 speed, lowered, GLI BBS wheels painted black, Malone stage 2, Aerotur
Damn, did not expect that, shipping would be $130, :(
 

where2

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 29, 1999
Location
North Palm Beach, FL, USA
TDI
One '13 JSW_TDI & One '04 Variant_TDI
Time for a vacation in Florida, there are 3 different year MkIV Silver Jettas in my local u-pull-n-pay. They charge ~$50 per fender. For bulky items, check rates using the bus lines. One of the boating forums I used to frequent used "under the bus" shipping frequently for larger lightweight items that common carriers charge dearly for.

If I wasn't already running a rather full load on my trailer to Maine this summer, I'd offer fender delivery in return for a tank of #2. Do you cut the sealant attachment between the fender and the body with a wire?
 

turbovan+tdi

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 23, 2014
Location
Abbotsford, BC.
TDI
2003 TDI 2.0L ALH, auto, silver wagon, lowered, Colt stage 2 cam, ported head,205 injectors, 1756 turbo, Malone 2.0, 3" exhaust, 18" BBS RC GLI rims. 2004 blue GSW TDI, 5 speed, lowered, GLI BBS wheels painted black, Malone stage 2, Aerotur
Do you cut the sealant attachment between the fender and the body with a wire?
I pull them off and carefully pry at that area with the sealer.
 

gforce1108

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 2, 2006
Location
Newburgh, NY
TDI
04 Jetta GLS BEW, 14 Audi A7 V6 TDI, 13 Porsche Cayenne V6 TDI
Damn, did not expect that, shipping would be $130, :(
You would think shipping rates would fall with the price of fuel - wouldn't you? Fenders are light, but bulky. Thank you very much for checking for me. I will make some calls to places that show they have one on car-part.com. I just hate driving an hour to find out it's rusty/dented/wrong color, etc.
Time for a vacation in Florida, there are 3 different year MkIV Silver Jettas in my local u-pull-n-pay. They charge ~$50 per fender. For bulky items, check rates using the bus lines. One of the boating forums I used to frequent used "under the bus" shipping frequently for larger lightweight items that common carriers charge dearly for.
If I wasn't already running a rather full load on my trailer to Maine this summer, I'd offer fender delivery in return for a tank of #2. Do you cut the sealant attachment between the fender and the body with a wire?
Good idea... I will be doing some camping upstate soon... I will expand my search area to within driving distance of any vacation I take. My parents were just in Florida too... I should see if there are any in the Myrtle Beach area for them to bring home... hmmm...
I pull them off and carefully pry at that area with the sealer.
Same here - the sealer doesn't seem too hard to separate. I don't worry about reapplying because from the large amount of sand/mud behind the liners - they aren't sealed all that well anyway!
Good idea... I will be doing some camping upstate soon... I will expand my search area to within driving distance of any vacation I take. My parents were just in Florida too... I should see if there are any in the Myrtle Beach area for them to bring home... hmmm...
 

gforce1108

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 2, 2006
Location
Newburgh, NY
TDI
04 Jetta GLS BEW, 14 Audi A7 V6 TDI, 13 Porsche Cayenne V6 TDI
Buying a house and moving has really slowed down my work on this car! But - I did pick up a really nice, clean matching fender over the weekend and got it installed. Now that it's assembled, I'll get it inspected and then tear into the DMF and suspension to get it fully fixed up.


*hopefully this link works**
 
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UhOh

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Dec 24, 2014
Location
PNW
TDI
2000 & 2003 Golf GLS (2005 Mercedes E320 CDI)
I am trying to locate a driver's side (left) Mojave Beige fender for a wagon. And then there's my Golf... (hard to find nice green Golf fenders).
 

gforce1108

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 2, 2006
Location
Newburgh, NY
TDI
04 Jetta GLS BEW, 14 Audi A7 V6 TDI, 13 Porsche Cayenne V6 TDI
I am trying to locate a driver's side (left) Mojave Beige fender for a wagon. And then there's my Golf... (hard to find nice green Golf fenders).
The wagon and sedan use the same fender even through the parts interchange lists them separate. www.car-part.com does is a good starting point (you'll have to search twice for both sedan and wagon), but craigslist and the vwvortex forums seem to be more useful. Try both the regional and generic MKIV Jetta/Golf classifieds. That were I found all the front end parts for this car.
 

turbovan+tdi

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 23, 2014
Location
Abbotsford, BC.
TDI
2003 TDI 2.0L ALH, auto, silver wagon, lowered, Colt stage 2 cam, ported head,205 injectors, 1756 turbo, Malone 2.0, 3" exhaust, 18" BBS RC GLI rims. 2004 blue GSW TDI, 5 speed, lowered, GLI BBS wheels painted black, Malone stage 2, Aerotur
gforce, car looks familiar, :p

Uhoh, I'll see what's around here, we have a few VW sources. If you need something painted, my friend does a good job for reasonable rates.
 

UhOh

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Dec 24, 2014
Location
PNW
TDI
2000 & 2003 Golf GLS (2005 Mercedes E320 CDI)
gforce, car looks familiar, :p

Uhoh, I'll see what's around here, we have a few VW sources. If you need something painted, my friend does a good job for reasonable rates.
Yeah, I might take you up on that for the daughter's wagon.
 

turbovan+tdi

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 23, 2014
Location
Abbotsford, BC.
TDI
2003 TDI 2.0L ALH, auto, silver wagon, lowered, Colt stage 2 cam, ported head,205 injectors, 1756 turbo, Malone 2.0, 3" exhaust, 18" BBS RC GLI rims. 2004 blue GSW TDI, 5 speed, lowered, GLI BBS wheels painted black, Malone stage 2, Aerotur
Yeah, I might take you up on that for the daughter's wagon.
I'll post up pics of the Golf front end he painted for my 04 blue Wagon. Its not perfect but its pretty good. :cool:
 

gforce1108

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 2, 2006
Location
Newburgh, NY
TDI
04 Jetta GLS BEW, 14 Audi A7 V6 TDI, 13 Porsche Cayenne V6 TDI
I guess I'm very slow at updating! I bought a house in 2016, built a garage in 2017 and had to run back and forth to where I was set up in a garage. But now that I'm almost settled in the new garage - I have the wagon mostly completed. With the pricing I've seen recently on these - it may end up being a good thing it took me so long! Two tires kept loosing air - took them in to have the beads cleaned and one stem replaced.

It had a check engine light for MAF out of range. VCDS showed no activity and stuck at 550, even unplugged. I swapped in a good MAF out of my parts Beetle and all is good with that, but I've had a couple of overboost / limp mode issues.

I drove it to work for the first time yesterday. When it's not in limp mode it pulls hard and runs nicely. Gotta check that VNT again and change that one last vacuum line between the N75 and the turbo (have spare actuator and N75).

I need to document what I did anyway for when I sell it so here it goes:
New from idparts:
ball joints
struts / mounts
shocks
sway bushings
tie rod ends
clutch/dmf/pivot ball/clip/throw out arm/hardware
shift tower rebuilt parts and bushings
upper clutch switch (was causing a RPM flare when shifting)
brake switch (wasn't bad - had multiple blown bulbs!)
trans fluid
engine cover bolt 'caps'
LCAs (audi TT version)
Cabin filter
I have fuel and oil filters to install.

New tail lights from ECS
good used Bosch MAF pulled from parts car, purchased from idparts
Replaced all vacuum lines
 

UhOh

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Dec 24, 2014
Location
PNW
TDI
2000 & 2003 Golf GLS (2005 Mercedes E320 CDI)
gforce, how difficult is it to replace the LCA's if a person doesn't own a rattle wrench or a large set of tools?
An air impact gun helps but isn't necessary. Not sure if it's better to do the front bolts with or without (air impact): that issue where the nut breaks loose inside (I've not run across that problem with the three cars I've done). That said, it can be a real battle on the passenger side. If I had a choice, though, I'd for sure want to use an impact. Oh! an electric impact would work as well (not real expensive; might be able to just rent).
 

Genesis

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Feb 26, 2003
Location
Sevier County TN
TDI
'03 Jetta Wagon
Depends on where the car has been.

Down here in the south (no salt on roads!) things come apart without any special care you'd think never would. Like rear diff covers on a 2002 truck that has been used to launch boats -- in salt water!

Same thing, up north? Hahahaha... get out the chisels and, for larger bolts, the AIR CHISELS!
 

UhOh

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Dec 24, 2014
Location
PNW
TDI
2000 & 2003 Golf GLS (2005 Mercedes E320 CDI)
Torches!

Nevada is probably OK there.
 

gforce1108

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 2, 2006
Location
Newburgh, NY
TDI
04 Jetta GLS BEW, 14 Audi A7 V6 TDI, 13 Porsche Cayenne V6 TDI
gforce, how difficult is it to replace the LCA's if a person doesn't own a rattle wrench or a large set of tools?
The other replies have great info but I'll add my own $.02 :) I've changed many of these over the years. I do use an impact, but with a little penetrating oil both bolts should come out easily - even here in the northeast. I do not remove the 3 bolts from the ball joint. I separate the ball joint from the hub so I don't affect the alignment. Once the LCA is out, I rip the old rubber center out of the large bushing and then use a hacksaw to cut through the outer ring. They pop right out. I clean the surfaces and had been installing them with a hammer/vice and a large socket, but now I have a 20ton press. I only ever changed the front bushing on one set and found it to be unnecessary - I only do the large ones and replace with TT units.
An air impact gun helps but isn't necessary. Not sure if it's better to do the front bolts with or without (air impact): that issue where the nut breaks loose inside (I've not run across that problem with the three cars I've done). That said, it can be a real battle on the passenger side. If I had a choice, though, I'd for sure want to use an impact. Oh! an electric impact would work as well (not real expensive; might be able to just rent).
I've been lucky as well with that nut staying in place, but it's always in the back of my head!
Depends on where the car has been.
Down here in the south (no salt on roads!) things come apart without any special care you'd think never would. Like rear diff covers on a 2002 truck that has been used to launch boats -- in salt water!
Same thing, up north? Hahahaha... get out the chisels and, for larger bolts, the AIR CHISELS!
VW did a great job with whatever rust/corrosion prevention they used. I get all sorts of rusted/rotted cars in my shop, but very few problems with hardware on VWs (fenders, etc. rust like crazy though!). I do have a 80 gallon compressor and a 3/4" impact if needed :)
Torches!
Nevada is probably OK there.
Wish I had torches :) One day....
 

gforce1108

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 2, 2006
Location
Newburgh, NY
TDI
04 Jetta GLS BEW, 14 Audi A7 V6 TDI, 13 Porsche Cayenne V6 TDI
I did the oil change yesterday along with the trans fluid (knew I ordered it, couldn't remember if I had changed it after fixing the shift tower). This thread will have to be my reminder! I bought new Bosch Icon wipers for my 04 and pulled the good used ones to install on this car and then noticed there were a pair sitting on the back seat (from when I did the exact same thing last year and never put them on!). Too many projects at once...

I replaced the one last vacuum line from the N75 to the turbo. VNT moves free. Ran N75 output test and the VNT cycles as it should. Didn't have my vacuum pump here to test if it's opening/closing at the right vacuum levels. I'll check that tomorrow (snow day!) but doubt I'll get any logs as there is a super duty with no alternator blocking that bay... Odd that I'm getting overboost if the VNT is operating correctly.
 
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