New member with 2012 Golf 6mt and Tech

Hello everyone. I'm a new VW owner. I picked up a brand new 2012 Golf TDI 6MT with tech package two weeks ago. So far, I've been pleased with my choice. This will make a great commuter vehicle that's also fun to drive. When I lived in NYC, I owned a 2005 E46 M3 and a 2006 Evo IX MR. Both unfortunately got sold when I had kids so for the last several years, I've been driving an 08 Expedition Limited around. Since I moved to PA last year but still commute to the city for work, fuel costs per month in the Expedition have really started to hurt.

Anyway, I've been pleasantly surprised that my average fuel consumption in the Golf has been around 39-41 mpg. I understand that after break-in and warmer temperatures arrive, that number should climb.

The one thing I did want but was no longer an option for the Golf was the RNS510 nav system. It seems to be fairly easy to swap the nav units but my Golf no longer has the harness or BT foam box under the passenger seat. Has anyone retrofitted the 9w7 module into the Golf from scratch?

Also, because of my commute (I drive roughly 56k miles a year), things like timing belt maintenance will be something that'll have to be performed every couple of years. I found a TDI Guru (Mike Hevner with M&M Auto/Cycle) that's only 12 miles from my house in PA. I've heard that he's excellent at what he does. I might stop by later this week to introduce myself and say hi.

I have 900 miles on the clock now so initial break-in is almost done. Is there any tips or suggestions I need to check for in the next coming months?

Here she is sitting the garage next to my 1985 W123 MB turbo diesel:



Glad I found this forum! Lots of great technical knowledge here.

Congrats. Sound like you are already real familiar with diesels.

I hear that stuff about finding a guru, but wonder if their knowledge has any real value dealing with these new CR TDI engines. Sure the basic operation might be the same, but with the fancy injection system with piezo injectors and the HPFP I wonder how much they really can help me. I just had my number 1 injector replaced and there was quite a bit of computer diagnostic work and communicating back and forth with VW to figure out what was causing my issue. This new TDI engine isn't your father's diesel.

ksing44 said:

I hear that stuff about finding a guru, but wonder if their knowledge has any real value dealing with these new CR TDI engines. Sure the basic operation might be the same, but with the fancy injection system with piezo injectors and the HPFP I wonder how much they really can help me. I just had my number 1 injector replaced and there was quite a bit of computer diagnostic work and communicating back and forth with VW to figure out what was causing my issue. This new TDI engine isn't your father's diesel.

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That's an excellent point and one that has a lot of merit.

Not sure to be honest with you, but what I do know, is that I don't want want to be taken for a ride by the dealer when it comes time to replace items like the timing belt. I had a read on how its done, and frankly, is too much for my skillset and tools to tackle. I'd rather leave that job to someone with the knowledge and capability.

pknopp said:

Congrats. Sound like you are already real familiar with diesels.

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Well, I'm familiar with the OM617 and can pretty much rebuild that engine with my eyes closed. The differences between the OM617 and CJAA are mind boggling though and if anything were to ever happen to the CJAA, I'd have no idea where to start looking. I think the only similarities between the two engines is that they're both diesel, and they're both turbo charged. After that, they're two completely different animals.

Welcome, and I'm glad you're enjoying the car. I think you'll accumulate miles faster than me, I have 2400 on my '12 and got it in late October. My '02 wagon still gets a lot of use. And I drive my W124 300D occasionally, when it's dry out.

Mike Hevner is a great guy, and I'm sure won't hesitate to tell you what he can and cannot do for you. If you're not doing routine maintenance yourself I'd use a guru all day long, even forfeiting the 'free' oil changes until 30K. Short of some catastrophic failure I don't expect my Golf will ever see the dealer.

IndigoBlueWagon said:

Welcome, and I'm glad you're enjoying the car. I think you'll accumulate miles faster than me, I have 2400 on my '12 and got it in late October. My '02 wagon still gets a lot of use. And I drive my W124 300D occasionally, when it's dry out.

Mike Hevner is a great guy, and I'm sure won't hesitate to tell you what he can and cannot do for you. If you're not doing routine maintenance yourself I'd use a guru all day long, even forfeiting the 'free' oil changes until 30K. Short of some catastrophic failure I don't expect my Golf will ever see the dealer.

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Thanks for the welcome.

I actually took a ride over to Mike's shop the other day. Very nice guy and easy to talk to. I asked him about replacing the timing belt on a CJAA and he's confirmed to me that he hasn't done one yet. I suspect that my car may be his first when the time comes. I don't know if I'm 100% comfortable with that, but I don't think I have much of a choice. At least Mike says he'd stand behind his work and he is fully insured in case of disaster. The other option is to let the dealership do it, but then again, it is the dealership...

By the way, I've been searching high and low for a shop manual or Bentley-esque manual for my TDI with the CJAA mill and haven't been successful. I checked Bentley's website and the last year they cover is 2006. Any pointers on where to look? If I can find an accurate service manual, then I may undertake a timing belt change myself if I can also get the correct tools.

Service manual is due in July, I think. And by the time you need a belt I'm sure you won't be the first that Mike does. We're getting tools for the CR belt change soon. Timing belt kits are already selling.

IndigoBlueWagon said:

Service manual is due in July, I think. And by the time you need a belt I'm sure you won't be the first that Mike does. We're getting tools for the CR belt change soon. Timing belt kits are already selling.

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Thanks for the heads up!

Curious, but how different are the timing belt tools for the CR engines over previous generation PD mills?

I also found the following on eBay with regards to manuals; not sure if it covers CBEA/CJAA engines so I asked the seller. Waiting for them to get back to me:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/VOLKSWAGEN-...es_Manuals_Litterature_ET&hash=item3f12c6e719

P.S. Mike said ID was one of the best places to source parts/tools from so I guess you'll be hearing from me soon enough too.