New Owner 2003 Jetta wagon TDI

John-TDI

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 6, 2012
Location
Middletown NY
TDI
2003 Jetta Wagon TDI
Hi everyone i haven't used these forums in a few years since i parted ways with my 98 TDI jetta but i'm back.

I have been messing around with turbo'd subaru's the last few years as my commute to work is only about 6 miles round trip. I've been doing a lot of traveling on my days off and at 17MPG with my legacy or forester turbo is just is killing me.

Tonight i became the proud owner of a 2003 jetta wagon TDI, I have always wanted a ALH powered car and for 500 bucks not running with only 130K i couldn't pass it up. The owner had proof of a timing belt being done at vw at around 100K but the cars been sitting still few years so i plan on doing it again anyways. The car needs a clutch it went and the guy had the car towed home and never had it fixed as he was waiting for his son to need the car but he moved into the city and the car just waited.

I put a fresh battery in the car tonight and bypassed the clutch safety switch and the car doesn't even turn over i'm hoping the starter in junk. i was gonna check for any codes but i forgot my snap on ethos at work i have euro for that.

I don't have the car in my possession but i have the title, paper work and keys so i can't be sold from underneath me. Monday i am going to get it with our truck and trailer from work and a couple of buddies.

Sorry for the long read im hoping to log my experience to bringing this jetta back to life.




 

77vette88

Well-known member
Joined
May 12, 2017
Location
Ct
TDI
02
I went n look at at that car last week. tried to meet he owner but he said just to take a look at it and I asked to meet him later on and to bring the keys and I sat there for 30 mins he never showed . Timing belt looked ok I was gunna try the same thing but eh
 

John-TDI

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 6, 2012
Location
Middletown NY
TDI
2003 Jetta Wagon TDI
I went n look at at that car last week. tried to meet he owner but he said just to take a look at it and I asked to meet him later on and to bring the keys and I sat there for 30 mins he never showed . Timing belt looked ok I was gunna try the same thing but eh
This was defiantly the hardest deal i have ever done. It took a lot of work and he ended up leaving the paper work and keys with a neighbor and i just payed them. I figured for 500 it was worth the risk.
 

fruitcakesa

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Feb 18, 2007
Location
Vermont
TDI
04 jetta 5 spd wagon
You got a real deal for $500!
I just finished parting out an 03 wagon I bought with a seized engine for $1000 and its heading to the scrap yard now.
 

John-TDI

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 6, 2012
Location
Middletown NY
TDI
2003 Jetta Wagon TDI
Wow, what a deal. People are strange, eh? Keep us updated.
Definitely worth the risk.
Congrats!
Indeed they are weird somedays, I am getting it tomorrow after work i am still trying to figure out how to get it loaded while it's DOA.

You got a real deal for $500!
I just finished parting out an 03 wagon I bought with a seized engine for $1000 and its heading to the scrap yard now.
I don't think i could make the money back if the motor is bad but i'll find out more later.
 

77vette88

Well-known member
Joined
May 12, 2017
Location
Ct
TDI
02
Dam I would of offered him $500 but he was soo shady I didn't feel comfortable . He was prolly the neoghbor . I feel like he bought that house from under somone and gutted it to flip it.

Good luck with the car though other then the seats fenders axel n something leaking it looks pretty decent
 

fruitcakesa

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Feb 18, 2007
Location
Vermont
TDI
04 jetta 5 spd wagon
Indeed they are weird somedays, I am getting it tomorrow after work i am still trying to figure out how to get it loaded while it's DOA.



I don't think i could make the money back if the motor is bad but i'll find out more later.
Even with a bad motor, if you are willing to take the time to remove all the useable components and advertise , you will more than recoup your money.
Good luck.
 

KCTDI

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 1, 2002
Location
Kingdom City, Missouri
TDI
2014 Touareg
Indeed they are weird somedays, I am getting it tomorrow after work i am still trying to figure out how to get it loaded while it's DOA.
I've hauled a bunch of 'em without a running motor with my dollie. Just pull the front wheels up on to it with a comealong. It's actually handier than my car hauler with a winch (unless you hafta back up.)
 

John-TDI

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 6, 2012
Location
Middletown NY
TDI
2003 Jetta Wagon TDI
Dam I would of offered him $500 but he was soo shady I didn't feel comfortable . He was prolly the neoghbor . I feel like he bought that house from under somone and gutted it to flip it.

Good luck with the car though other then the seats fenders axel n something leaking it looks pretty decent
The neighbor that had the keys and title for me said that's how he is. Very nice but very dis organized and from dealing with him i would agree.

Even with a bad motor, if you are willing to take the time to remove all the useable components and advertise , you will more than recoup your money.
Good luck.
That's always been my issue with parting cars is the time. I may due that with my current legacy though as a hole it's only worth 5-6K but in parts i could make 8k+

Indeed they are weird somedays, I am getting it tomorrow after work i am still trying to figure out how to get it loaded while it's DOA.
I've hauled a bunch of 'em without a running motor with my dollie. Just pull the front wheels up on to it with a comealong. It's actually handier than my car hauler with a winch (unless you hafta back up.)
I used a car hauler as it was free to use and with the brakes being frozen when i got there i was concerned i might have an issue. I did managed to get it loaded with 2 extra friends and a comealong and it's not sitting at work.
 

benIV

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 25, 2009
Location
Southeast NC
TDI
2003 PG 5m Jetta GL Sedan, 2003 RS 5m Jetta GLS Wagon (Golf Variant)
I'll be watching this. Hope to see some great updates and documentation of the coming work :)
 

John-TDI

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 6, 2012
Location
Middletown NY
TDI
2003 Jetta Wagon TDI
Well the 500 dollar TDI wagon lives. The starter it's self was toast and the exciter wire was broken off at the connector. I repaired the wire with a temp fix and replaced the starter. The next time i'm at the junk yard i'll cut one a connector and pig tail out of a good harness.





And just because you'll always need one of these working on a VW lol.
 

Cptcrnch

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 21, 2014
Location
FredCo MD
TDI
2004 Jetta TDI wagon; 2014 Golf TDI (buyback 7/26/17)
I'm definitely subbing to this thread. I have a 2004 BEW wagon in similar condition (I've got my build thread over in the Jetta pictures gallery). I'm sure I'll get some cool ideas from what you do. Coming from the CR140 platform there's so much that can be done to these early 2000s motors its a bit overwhelming so having someone else doing similar stuff will be helpful.

Over the next few weeks I'm getting my car squared away on all PM fluids, filters, and some suspension. Then comes the stainless steel exhaust and mild tune. Next summer I want to do bigger nozzles/injectors along with a full cooling and intake system refresh.
 

John-TDI

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 6, 2012
Location
Middletown NY
TDI
2003 Jetta Wagon TDI
I'm definitely subbing to this thread. I have a 2004 BEW wagon in similar condition (I've got my build thread over in the Jetta pictures gallery). I'm sure I'll get some cool ideas from what you do. Coming from the CR140 platform there's so much that can be done to these early 2000s motors its a bit overwhelming so having someone else doing similar stuff will be helpful.

Over the next few weeks I'm getting my car squared away on all PM fluids, filters, and some suspension. Then comes the stainless steel exhaust and mild tune. Next summer I want to do bigger nozzles/injectors along with a full cooling and intake system refresh.
Thanks it should be fun when it's all said and done thankfully i like to tinker and after working on toyota's all day it's nice to work on something different.
 

John-TDI

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 6, 2012
Location
Middletown NY
TDI
2003 Jetta Wagon TDI
I started cleaning the interior and started running fuel system cleaner through it while letting it idle with the heat on to dry the inside of the car out.

This is the before.



After a few hours of scrubbing and a few more to go.



 
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John-TDI

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 6, 2012
Location
Middletown NY
TDI
2003 Jetta Wagon TDI
Thanks i am just chipping away at what things i can do without spending a lot of money.

Car moved under it's own power today into my bay today where i cut the rotors and cleaned the pads up.


The car is going to need a RF CV boot kit, an entire exhaust and the transmission is leaking gear oil. I am just hoping the transmission guide and input shaft seal are leaking and it's not a hole in the transmission.

Since today was the day of rust for me this is what i had to today before working on the TDI. Most people in the northeast know rust all towell and it ate this tundra pretty bad.
 

John-TDI

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 6, 2012
Location
Middletown NY
TDI
2003 Jetta Wagon TDI
Started replacing the clutch what a bear, Finally know what went wrong the throw out bearing exploded.
 

UhOh

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Dec 24, 2014
Location
PNW
TDI
2000 & 2003 Golf GLS (2005 Mercedes E320 CDI)
Are you sure this car only has 130k miles on it? Have you verified with VCDS? I realize that things can fail, and that many people despise the stock DMFs, but the stock stuff really tends to last well past 200ik miles: most, with stock power, seem to go upwards of 300k miles. My car probably had about 130k miles on it when I replaced my clutch (due to the original not holding the added power) and it all looked really good still.
 

John-TDI

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 6, 2012
Location
Middletown NY
TDI
2003 Jetta Wagon TDI
Are you sure this car only has 130k miles on it? Have you verified with VCDS? I realize that things can fail, and that many people despise the stock DMFs, but the stock stuff really tends to last well past 200ik miles: most, with stock power, seem to go upwards of 300k miles. My car probably had about 130k miles on it when I replaced my clutch (due to the original not holding the added power) and it all looked really good still.

I haven't checked in that way but the carfax and service records read i believe it to be true. If not it was 500 bucks so be it.
 

Steve-o

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 13, 1999
Location
Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA
TDI
2003 Jetta Wagon
Are you sure this car only has 130k miles on it? Have you verified with VCDS? I realize that things can fail, and that many people despise the stock DMFs, but the stock stuff really tends to last well past 200ik miles: most, with stock power, seem to go upwards of 300k miles.
My car (which I've had from Mile 0000003) has less than 130K miles on it and it's already on its second clutch. DMF started failing maybe 15-20K miles ago. The car is driven in a mostly-urban environment, so there's a lot of shifting.

My previous long-term VW, an '89 Jetta gasser, was sold at 150K with its original clutch still in fine shape. But this one, not so much.
 

UhOh

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Dec 24, 2014
Location
PNW
TDI
2000 & 2003 Golf GLS (2005 Mercedes E320 CDI)
Yeah, city driving and in the salt areas. My car lived a life like that (in Minnesota), though it was always garaged.

Steve, I wouldn't have believed it, but I just pulled the trans out of the wife's 2000 Golf and was shocked to see that it had already had a clutch job: SMF. Car sits at 200k miles. Had to have been done at less than about 130k miles because the PO has no records of a clutch job (he got the car somewhere around 130k miles). This car is a PNW car. I replaced the clutch in my car around 125k miles(I think), but that's because I added performance mods and they overwhelmed the clutch: everything looked fine.
 

John-TDI

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 6, 2012
Location
Middletown NY
TDI
2003 Jetta Wagon TDI
I figure it's time for an update, Ive been driving the car for a few months and as i learned yesterday i've been playing Russian roulette.

I had been saving to do the timing belt and water pump for my own self sanity it was supposedly changed at 90K and that was false. The belt was so dry and stretched the head was off like half a tooth and i was able to remove the old belt without cam pulley removal. Good thing nothing bad happened and i was able to set static timing and pump timing with vcds no issues.

While i was in there i replaced the shock on the serpentine belt tensoner, the alternator and the serpentine belt idler.


I also finished up my vxt H.I.D. reps i bought them cheap with broken adjusters and needing glass lenses.

 

UhOh

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Dec 24, 2014
Location
PNW
TDI
2000 & 2003 Golf GLS (2005 Mercedes E320 CDI)
This is just great. A great car saved from the dust bin.
 

John-TDI

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 6, 2012
Location
Middletown NY
TDI
2003 Jetta Wagon TDI
I am excited to see those headlights on it! How much were they if you don't mind?
These are an old style of what he used to sell they used D2S projectors i paid 200.00 with broken adjusted and i have about 150.00 in them in parts. It's going to be a few weeks before install i need to order an H.I.D. kit from ddm tuning still.

His new style start at 524.00 and go up depending on options.
https://www.vxtuning.com/shop/vehic...rimoto-mini-h1-bi-xenon-headlights-pre-order/

In another shot of good news my friend spotted someone parting a gas jetta wagon on facebook and i was able to get a heated set of cloth seats and monster mats for 160.00. I still need to clean them and i have to find my water leak on the left front.

 
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