How well do VW's hold up on the Autobhan?

johnsTDI

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Here's a Question for all German guys, How well do VW's (gas or TDI's) hold up long term from driving high speeds on the Autobhan over the life of the vehicle. do they hold up reliably over time with out breaking.? I'm Just curious?
 
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PB_NB

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When we took a trip out to Europe about 10 years ago, we rented a Citroen 7 seaters mini van with a 2.0 diesel engine in Paris and drove it through 6 countries. We were visiting relatives in Holland and used the Autobahn to get from the north of Holland to the south. We ran this car at a mere 180 kph for the entire trip back and forth (it had no trouble running at that speed). It was very strange to be driving that fast. Occasionally a big BMW would pass us like we were standing still.

I think our cars would be fine out there but I would look at adding a much taller 5th or 6th gear to reach those speeds without revving at 5,000 rpm.

I am basing this on my very limited experience in Germany. Our cars are tough and I suspect greatly detuned to suit the requirements in North America.
 

ezshift5

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........IIRC 180 kpm is slightly over 110 MPH............

I had no idea German highways permitted such high speeds..............

I was stationed in rural Germany during the cold war (I reckon driving in the hinterlands biased my 'take' on traffic flow velocities of the period).

I am still impressed! I had my Corvette up to 137 indicated ONCE in a really deserted Death Valley. Scared the devil out of me. Never again.

Nostalgically,


ez
 

GoFaster

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Here's a Question for all German guys, How well do VW's (gas or TDI's) hold up long term from driving high speeds on the Autobhan over the life of the vehicle. do they hold up reliably over time with out breaking.? I'm Just curious?
They're designed for it. They're built there, they have to provide warranty coverage there. It's why the brakes are generally up to the task, too. Every German car has to withstand top speed, pedal to the metal, on the autobahn, because it's going to happen. For that matter, same goes for other european cars, because they're going to be sold in Germany with warranty coverage, too.
........IIRC 180 kpm is slightly over 110 MPH............
I had no idea German highways permitted such high speeds..............
I was stationed in rural Germany during the cold war (I reckon driving in the hinterlands biased my 'take' on traffic flow velocities of the period).
I am still impressed! I had my Corvette up to 137 indicated ONCE in a really deserted Death Valley. Scared the devil out of me. Never again.
Nostalgically,
ez
You were in Germany and weren't aware that large sections of the autobahn have no speed limit??
Best sign to see: Cancellation of all restrictions!
 

johnsTDI

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GoFaster thanks for Your Post i understand European German vehicles are built for speed with the Atobahn in mind but my only real fear of owning my own 2012 TDI highliner are replacement costs if any expensive component fails for example.Turbo component.! , or the Diesel Fuel Pump? Wich is a big one.! or "DPF emmision filter" DPF Filter not terribly bad for replacement my mechanic can retro fit a delete kit & software update for a

couple hundred bucks. Don't get me wrong I love my TDI especially the fuel economy and comfortable leather seating it returns back to me. Wich is Why I totally respect using the proper spec oil, & filters and use a Quality fuel like shells V-Power when cost is affective being right now. lol any other time when price is too high I just use regular shell Diesel with the occasional cleaning additive with the specified lubricant for Diesel fuel pumps in mind made for diesels.
 

Nuje

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Friend of mine who was stationed (military) over in Germany for a few years told me when I was talking about my VWs, that it was pretty wild over there how it was commonplace to drive your Mk3 VW Golf at 180km/h for hours out on the Autobahn.

And then, yeah, having a 7-series fly past you on the left like you were standing still. And heaven forbid if you lingered in that left lane at your paltry 180km/h....I think that might be a felony over there.
 

IndigoBlueWagon

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Can't find the thread now, but there's a member here who brought is modified US market MKIV ALH Jetta Wagon to Germany with him when he moved there. He'd done a six-speed upgrade plus a number of power improvments and ran a video of the car getting up to 150 MPH on the Autobahn. Not too shabby for what started out as a 90 HP TDI.

I think this is the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSMxEQ6ZdjY

Not Autobahn use, but I've run my TDIs on race tracks many times. Often I would be out there for an hour, running to redline in every gear and getting up to 110-115 MPH on straights, and in 4th gear. I've done that with three different TDIs and they never missed a beat. Ran great after a good thrashing, too.
 
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GoFaster

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Flat-out (or nearly so) is the best operating condition for your DPF. No active regen required. It will stay up to operating temperature without the engine's controls having to do screwy stuff with the injection timing.
 

johnsTDI

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What's also interesting about German built vehicles? from what I have gathered is the fact that. not only are they solid structural tanks body wise & built with the Autobhan in mind as far as Speed is concerned. but also that there well engineerd & built well enough to run for hours at a time at high speed on the Germany's Autobhan with out breaking anything." try doing that with a Japanese or North American vehicle. lol
 

Lightflyer1

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Any new car or well maintained car should be able to do this with no issues. What is interesting is that German law/regulations require the vehicles to be maintained properly. In the US some aren't even required to be safety inspected.
 

johnsTDI

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Lightflyer uhmm I would say on some vehicles may be possible but. on many others the internal engine temperature will rise from prolonged high rev's & hours of driving simply not designed for prolonged high speed driving. remember the VW phaeton that engine was designed to run at 186 MPH all day with the outside temp being at 122F on a hot Summers day, to where the internal engine would maintaine itself at 71F now that's impressive engineering.! :cool:
 

IndigoBlueWagon

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There are a fair number of high performance cars that don't do well on race tracks: ECUs dial back performance because of engine oil temps, intake temps, or transmission temps getting too high. Current Shelby Mustangs, most Corvettes other than the Z06, and Nissan 370Z come to mind. You're less likely to have that problem in an M3 or M5, or any AMG.
 

Lightflyer1

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Lightflyer uhmm I would say on some vehicles may be possible but. on many others the internal engine temperature will rise from prolonged high rev's & hours of driving simply not designed for prolonged high speed driving. remember the VW phaeton that engine was designed to run at 186 MPH all day with the outside temp being at 122F on a hot Summers day, to where the internal engine would maintaine itself at 71F now that's impressive engineering.! :cool:
Well I just don't agree with your assessment. Most US sold cars will barely get over 100 mph anyway. Name me a few of the ones you know of that were new or very well maintained as required and overheat when driven as you describe. I had a Toyota pickup when I was stationed over there and it drove at sustained high speeds (for it anyway) for hours without a hiccup. I knew of others that were stationed with me with US cars that never had an issue driving on the Autobahn.
 

IndigoBlueWagon

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There aren't really any US sold cars left. Mustang, Mailbu, Sonic, Charger, Pacifica, Challenger, Camaro and Corvette. Maybe a couple others, but mostly SUVs, CUVs, and trucks. Europeans buy CUVs, but not many SUVs or trucks.
 

johnsTDI

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There aren't really any US sold cars left. Mustang, Mailbu, Sonic, Charger, Pacifica, Challenger, Camaro and Corvette. Maybe a couple others, but mostly SUVs, CUVs, and trucks. Europeans buy CUVs, but not many SUVs or trucks.
I would never buy a new North American vehicle and put its life span through Germany's Autobhan reason being?... it won't hold up reliably. there sloppy put together & cheaply built wise & will break vs owning a German built vehicle built to drive high speeds reliably on the Autobhan all day long like this one. lol ;)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTE-5Zvh1mE
 

DivineChaos

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Any new car or well maintained car should be able to do this with no issues. What is interesting is that German law/regulations require the vehicles to be maintained properly. In the US some aren't even required to be safety inspected.
here is that way. ive drove some rotted vehicles. had to disable breaks because of rotted lines till i got paid. Also why i have so many stinkin tools. lol. This is the first nice vehicle ive had. and only rust free one.
 

Lightflyer1

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I would never buy a new North American vehicle and put its life span through Germany's Autobhan reason being?... it won't hold up reliably. there sloppy put together & cheaply built wise & will break vs owning a German built vehicle built to drive high speeds reliably on the Autobhan all day long like this one. lol ;)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTE-5Zvh1mE
Not much market for a $65k+ car as a VW. Guess that is why it didn't make it here. If you can't sell it it doesn't really matter how good it is. Plenty of well made high dollar cars have met this same fate. A vette costs about this much and would have no issues running the autobahn. If you compare it to cars in its price range I think there are cars out there that would easily do this.
 

Lightflyer1

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here is that way. ive drove some rotted vehicles. had to disable breaks because of rotted lines till i got paid. Also why i have so many stinkin tools. lol. This is the first nice vehicle ive had. and only rust free one.
Well your rotten broke down vehicle isn't really in the discussion here. It shouldn't be on any roads, much less the interstate or autobahn.
 

johnsTDI

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Not much market for a $65k+ car as a VW. Guess that is why it didn't make it here. If you can't sell it it doesn't really matter how good it is. Plenty of well made high dollar cars have met this same fate. A vette costs about this much and would have no issues running the autobahn. If you compare it to cars in its price range I think there are cars out there that would easily do this.
That Phaeton sort of looks like an oversized Passat if you ask me.? the look ain't worth that kind of money for it. much better looking & beefier Performance vehicles out there for that kind of money.
 

IndigoBlueWagon

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The Phaeton was an amazing car. Think Bentley Continental in a VW body. Interior finishes were better than just about anything short of a Rolls. And in Europe it was available with the same V10 TDI that was in the touareg. Top speed was 168 MPH. But people just wouldn't pay $80+K for a VW.
 

IndigoBlueWagon

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Yours and a lot of other people, especially in the US. Sales numbers were very low.
 

2.2TDI

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What's also interesting about German built vehicles? from what I have gathered is the fact that. not only are they solid structural tanks body wise & built with the Autobhan in mind as far as Speed is concerned. but also that there well engineerd & built well enough to run for hours at a time at high speed on the Germany's Autobhan with out breaking anything." try doing that with a Japanese or North American vehicle. lol
What are you talking about? I was in Germany last month and had a brand new Mazda 6 gasser and I was driving 170-180 km/h on average... I had spurts of well over 200 and the only reason I didn't go that fast for longer stretches is because the fuel consumption was just atrocious, and gas in Germany was 2.40 cents per liter Canadian (that's 6.50 us/gallon) and my money doesn't grow on trees.

Unless it was a limited section with a speed limit, or the speed was restricted because of weather (yes the Germans have variable speed limits depending on weather), I was driving as fast as possible, for hours on end and the car had no problem. I had winter tires too which where V rated (speeds up to 240km/h), so it was a none issue

It doesn't matter where the car is made, if it's a properly maintained car running at high speeds shouldn't cause any issues

FWIW, here's a video of the beloved mk4 which apparently blew a connecting rod bushing after cruising at high speeds on the autobahn for 10 hours... (based on the posters comments)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lx8H1L7RvLQ
 

BKmetz

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VWs hold up as well as any car with the same engine displacement on the autobahn.

In 2018 my wife and I were in Germany visiting our DIL's family. During our visit we drove the autobahn from Mannheim to Salzburg. I don't remember the exact route we took but we drove to Munich on day one, did some sight-seeing, then onto to Salzburg a few days later. I will give you my general observations of of what it's like for an American driving on the autobahn.

Compared to the US interstate highway system;

The autobahn is built for high speed. It's much smoother and much better maintained the the average US interstate. A newly paved section of US interstate is how an average section of the autobahn looks. Little by little the unrestricted sections of the autobahn are being restricted. Many sections of the autobahn have equivalent speed limits as the US interstate highways.

Off ramps are much shorter so you are on the brakes harder when exiting. On ramps have a merge lane to get up to speed with the slow traffic, equivalent to merging in the US. Exit signs are small and give you short notice, like 500m on average. Exits are rarely numbered so you have to know where you are going. We had a GPS in the car and we were using our phones with google maps a lot to double check things. We missed a few exits and turns but we always got back on track.

Rest stops exist, but not always with toilet facilities. WC for 'water closet' is what you are looking for when planning a stop. Fuel is available everywhere but it's pretty much just fuel. Huge US style truck-stops are rare. We saw one stop with a McD's, and it was very small by US truck-stop standards.

Now, for that high speed driving. When you get out of an urban area and the unlimited speed zone starts, you have to know and follow the protocols. All slower traffic keeps to the center lane, if there is one, or the right lane. I was in a C-class MB with a 2.2L gas turbo engine driving darn close to it's max of 135MPH in the left lane and before I could even merge right, I was getting passed on the right by impatient drivers going 160mph+. That was unnerving, having cars come up behind me so fast I couldn't react. High HP Porsche, BMW, and an Audi zipped around with the drivers flashing their lights and giving me the stink eye as they passed me. I was put in my place and stayed in the slower lanes. You don't hang out in the left lane with the big dogs with 250HP or less.

The left lane is speed unrestricted, BUT, it's also the passing lane for us slow-pokes. So initiating a lane change requires a lot more planning. The high end cars can be going 160+, maybe twice what you are. That means you look really hard at your mirrors to make sure that lane is clear before you pull out.

While driving in the slow lane around 80mph I saw a Ferrari go by me so fast it's tail lights looked like tracer bullets. I also saw a few Audi R8s, Porsches, BMWs, and a Mustang GT pushing 150MPH+. Must be fun? right? No. Even driving at 125MPH, what our car could easily handle, demanded way more concentration than what you think. You can't distract yourself with anything, of course no phone, no adjusting the HVAC, radio, and I rarely used the cruise control. Driving is much more dynamic than it is in the US.

Another thing that I found unnerving, late braking. While in the slow lane and watching the beautiful high end cars in the fast lane, I noticed how they come right up on someone and brake at the last second. Usually this was while someone was initiating a pass.

So how do VWs hold up on the autobahn? Very well because cars are better maintained in Europe. Owning a car is more expensive so people take better care of them. There is no driver's-ed in school. Everyone pays a private company to get a driver's license and it costs ~$1500 on average. High taxes on cars, parts, and fuel add up fast. I calculated fuel cost to the equivalent of ~$4.80/gallon. That will motivate one to slow down. No rusty beaters over there. I did see lots of nice older VWs in great shape.

The average German is a much better driver than a US driver. The cars are maintained better, and the roads are in much better condition. That's the Germans, watch your @ss around the Turks and Italians.

:)
 
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turbobrick240

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Damn, 170 mph in a VW sounds scary! That 1.8t must have been quite heavily modified.
 

oilhammer

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I've done 155 in a B5 Passat... the only thing scary is the road and other people. Fortunately, the road was clear, and there were no other people on it. Car was fine. It was limited to 155, although it may not have actually been going quite that fast, as the speedo might not be perfectly accurate. It was a W8 6sp car...a wagon at that!

Bk's post is likely spot on. Their roads are better, their drivers are better, and their cars are kept in better condition. We have some real crap roads here, REAL crap drivers, and we can drive just about any rusted unsafe pile of crap we want to. Illinois especially (no safety inspections, and their road salt use is epic).

While certainly not Autobahn speeds, nor capable of anything special, one of the first things I noticed in 1991 when driving my 52hp diesel Jetta back to back with my mother's then-new '91 Camry is just how much better the Jetta felt on the highway. Even being smaller, lighter, and substantially less than half the hp, it was still more solidly planted at 80 and never, ever, felt even the slightest unstable. Felt like it could do that all day long.
 
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2.2TDI

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I lived in Germany for 11 years and was stationed in between Hamburg and Hannover. Autobahns changed over the years, used to have long stretches to just put the accelerator to to floor and keep it there but by 2015 when I left , they kinda broken up most autobahns into sections of Speed limit/No limit/Speed limit.

Vehicles are built for the autobahns there, any of the fleet vehicles we used that weren't restricted to 120 kmph we used to sit at 220-250 kmph depending on model.

I owned a mk4 golf tdi over there and a corrado but I only ever really used the corrado on the autobahn because I used to be a bit of a speed freak . 1.8t with a mk3 diesel manual and I used to hit 170-172 mph the odd time. Like BKmetz said you need all your concentration when doing them speeds , definitely not for the average person. The 1.8t only ever needed oil and filter change which I done every 10k (short intervals because more stress on oil running high boost). Diesels are pretty much the same. If you ran a diesel engine on the autobahn at 'recommended' limit of 130 kmph , most manufacturers have oil change interval of 32k kms or 2 years. Some even higher, it would be a mind-blow for the average north American consumer, business as usual in Europe.
I drove up the A5, A4 and A9 going from Frankfurt to Berlin and back, and while it's true that there was a decent amount of speed limited portions, I managed to drive at a constant 100+ MPH for quite a while... All I know is google said 5.5 hours to Berlin, and I made it in 4.5 WITH a fuel and toilet stop...
 
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