Who else is keeping theirs?

respond2us said:

McGuirk, when we heard about dieselgate, we pulled the trigger on 2 rebuilt JSW's (perfect when we got them). Not because we wanted payout cash, I just figured we were already wanting them before...now they might be getting a lot harder to find. So we picked up 2 just to drive long term. These are our 4th and 5th TDI's and we've been so impressed with them. My MKIV Jetta had 292k on it when I sold it ($3500, btw) and still ran like new.
Enjoy those JSW's. I'm certainly enjoying mine.

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I highly recommend the cp3 pump for long term reliability if your keeping them. Little bump in fuel economy as well.

What's that do?

McGuirk said:

I highly recommend the cp3 pump for long term reliability if your keeping them.

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I've got one!

respond2us said:

What's that do?

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Hopefully, the more robust nature of the CP3 HPFP keeps it from turning into a grenade that causes repairs costing more than the car is worth. Fingers crossed for me!

respond2us said:

What's that do?

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It's an upgrade high pressure fuel pump. It's much more robust than the original and isn't prone to exploding causing a large repair bill. It can be found here and a few other places. It looks like the price has gone up though which sucks. I also added the timing belt cover upgrade. It prevents the serpentine belt from getting jammed in the timing belt area causing major damage. If you do the upgrades during the timing belt replacement its fairly easy.

Oh yes I definitely am enjoying my JSW much more nowadays since I just had CP3 pump installed along with TB service. I plan to keep her for a ling time as possible. My work pays me .54 cent per mile and I average do 40k miles a year. That's way better than what the buyback offers me. Now she has 240k miles LOL figure how much I earned from the work and yes my car is paid off.

You need to change the "original HPFP" in your signature.

Thanks for the word, all. I'm looking into the CP3 for my 2 JSW's.

I'm leaving. Actually left, as I picked up an Outback last week. VW kept d'king me around saying my paperwork was incorrect. All because my scan chopped off a form number on the bottom. I lost 4 weeks timing because of it. I was getting angry with the woman at the settlement company and she threatened to reset my number if I didn't comply. That and a hard start 3 weeks ago drove me to buy a non-VW. I said I'm not going through this again. I may come back if they launch back into diesels (as unlikely as that will happen). My mileage dropped when my office moved, so I was just biding time until I killed my DPF anyway. So it's sad that my TDI is sitting in the driveway waiting to die. The last 5 years was fun.

I had planned to keep mine but I've had one check engine light too many. I am changing my paperwork from "fix" to buyback. It is down to a Mazda 3 or a Cruze diesel. Neither is a perfect choice but the cost of maintaining a VW is just to high. I have the opportunity to start over with a much lower car note and a brand new warranty .

I just put a set of Michelin Defender tires on mine and they have a tread warranty of 90k miles, so I am committed until December 2018. I do not understand everyone jumping ship so quickly. I am sorry but IMHO, people that say that they are giving up because of high maintenance cost and the chance of costly repair are ignorant (lacking in knowledge). It is far more likely that someone would have a high cost accident of say 5k to 10k or even total there car (yes I know there is insurgence... but it goes up). I have never heard someone say "OH... my car is totaled I need new front bushings." Has no one learned that spending all your money on a big screen TV to drive you to work in not a good idea.

Hey, it's America. People can spend their money the way they want, when they want, without having to justify it to anyone else. It's their money.

However, it does bother me when people state that the DMF or DPF might fail, costing them big money to fix before the buyback. This is inaccurate, and could mislead someone else to make a poor decision as to when to sell their car back.

If the Dual Mass Flywheel goes bad, it typically makes noise for many miles before failing completely. If the noise starts, keep driving and schedule the buyback as soon as possible.

If the Diesel Particulate Filter cracks or clogs, it will eventually cause a "low EGR flow" code and check engine light. Unless you need to pass an inspection to renew your registration before you could schedule a buyback, just drive until you can schedule the buyback.

When you have an active check engine light, have had it put on the computer, have been told that it is a sticking intake flap($500.00), and that is the third $500.00 repair in a little over a year, I think you have moved past speculation. I hope your JSW remains perfect.

I like this thread, it's nice to hear from people that like their cars and want to keep them.

No reasonable person has ever made a convincing argument that VWs of any stripe are inexpensive to maintain. People have been complaining about ownership costs of TDIs for as long as I've been around them, which is over 15 years. It's not unique to the current crop of cars.

At a GTG last weekend I was privileged to take a ride in a '12 S-Class Mercedes CDI. Lovely car, extremely comfortable, beautifully finished. But I look around at the 8 cameras, soft close doors, air suspension, electronic cluster, and so on, and it would terrify me to own a vehicle like that long term. The owner confided he got an extended warranty for just that reason.

It's all relative. I wonder how people will feel about the cost of ownership for their Jeeps, F150s, 335ds, and C-Class Mercedes they're buying to replace their TDIs a few years down the road.

gulfcoastguy said:

I had planned to keep mine but I've had one check engine light too many. I am changing my paperwork from "fix" to buyback. It is down to a Mazda 3 or a Cruze diesel. Neither is a perfect choice but the cost of maintaining a VW is just to high. I have the opportunity to start over with a much lower car note and a brand new warranty .

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Chevy is the American version of volkswagen. Over engineered, worse interior build quality, and likely less reliable. Get a mazda 3 if you want reliable. I test drove a few and may have gotten a 2.5 GT if it was available without a sunroof (killed headroom enough to be a deal breaker) and the 2.0 was a little pokey for me.

I ended up with a 2017 GTI Sport 6mt. Really happy with it since it's one of the only cars that has a perfect mix of power, economy, space, and fun to drive. The big seller for me is how much headroom & legroom I get in a vdub.

gulfcoastguy said:

When you have an active check engine light, have had it put on the computer, have been told that it is a sticking intake flap($500.00), and that is the third $500.00 repair in a little over a year, I think you have moved past speculation. I hope your JSW remains perfect.

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Dieselgeek makes a fix for the 2015 error:
http://www.dieselgeek.com/P2015_Intake_Manifold_Flap_Position_Sensor_s/1900.htm

There are also many other aftermarket fixes for the big problem areas of the TDI. So for those that want to keep their car there's many companies (and this forum) that will help you out with that.

If I had a long commute I'd likely be keeping my TDI. Though now with a 40 mile round trip I figured I'd finally get a GTI

IndigoBlueWagon said:

You need to change the "original HPFP" in your signature.

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Done

At 105k miles, I'll be due for the TB soon. Seriously considering the upgraded fuel pump as well. It is a gamble, not knowing if VW will ever actually have an approved fix. Living in Calif. I do hope that something good will happen and I can continue to drive the pants off the vehicle. (I don't baby it, but do maintain it as required.)

I'll be keeping mine for the foreseeable future. I'll at least weigh my options again in 2018, but from day one when I bought the car new I wanted to keep it for 10+ years and put a few 100k miles on it. Mine has 53k on it now and still feels new to me and I really enjoy driving it. Like others have said it's almost in a class of its own and it fits my lifestyle so well. It's super efficient on long road trips, great fun to drive (It has been to the The Dragon twice now), can tow my camper and get 30mpg, has a great fit/finish, and the usability of the hatch is fantastic.

Not to mention the accessories I have and mods I've already done just to make it that much more enjoyable for me.

As far as reliability the car has been perfect apart from intercooler icing once. As a side note after 25k miles of being deleted and tuned I pulled off the lower boost hoses last week and they were completely dry and spotless....no oil, no sludge, no water....nothing.

Scheduled maintenance and upkeep is more expensive than say an Accord (I just sold our 2014 Accord), but that should surprise literally nobody. Sure VW is the "budget" German manufacturer, but maintenance costs for German cars have always been more expensive and that shouldn't really shock anyone.

Strangely enough I rather enjoy properly maintaining a vehicle. I love wrenching and doing diy stuff and the satisfaction you get when the car rewards you with reliability is great; even if it costs more than your average econobox that you just fill with 87 octane and change the oil.

I'm not going to ignore some of the major issues that we all know about...some of which are arguably inexcusable, but at the same time who else was building a direct competitor that could offer what the TDI could in terms of performance, utility, and economy? There definitely wasn't anything for the $24k I paid for my 4-door Golf 6MT.

In some ways it doesn't seem totally outlandish to just accept some of the quirks/downfalls of a product as the price of admission when you're buying something that is unlike anything else at the time. German cars are especially notorious for this by offering tech/options/systems long before you see them in other manufacturer's vehicles.

All that being said I can't blame anyone for wanting to do the buyback. Not everyone keeps their car for 10 years and financially you will never come across a better deal.....unless you barn find a 993

Owning a 2010 JSW with only 55K on the clock with a VW turn in value of $15.5K it does not make good economic sense to turn it in. To find something comparable will cost me $10 to $15k. So I will take the fix and the $5,500 and continue enjoying the car and be money ahead rather than behind. I also expect to get at least 200,000 miles out of it and will spend some of the VW money on an upgraded fuel pump. If the fix neuters the car, I will get it Malone tuned to a stage II and really enjoy it. Sure new cars are great and I would probably have turned it in if they would have given me $20K, but since that isn't happening I will do the sane thing and put some money in the bank. Besides, I really like driving it.

I'm turning my 2015 Golf in Feb 8 I already have over 41k miles in 2 years. I do too much driving to wait for VW to find a fix, in 2years if VW doesn't find the fix my car would have depreciated too much so worth for me to turn t in. If any one is looking for used Weather tech floor matts for the front contact me joc1367@gmail.com. new goes for $119.00 sell for $60.00.

I also have brand new all for door wind deflector from VW OEM accessory in box not used. Paid $188.00 sell for $90.00(obo)

These two items may fit also GTI 2015-2017 not positive but do your research before buying from me. If you want photos, contact me on my e mail.

Our TSI wagon to replace our TDI has already been ordered, delivery some time near May or June. Trendline, 5-sp manual, silk blue, connectivity package (Apple CarPlay) with leather multi-function steering wheel.

With no fix on the horizon, and a buyback value that will come pretty close to the price of the above car, and with an expired warranty, I'm not prepared to roll the dice on our TDI any further even though it's been reliable. The TDI was paid cash, and so will its replacement.

I plan on waiting till 1/18 before I make a decision. I just tuned 60k miles.
the only thing that would change my mind would be if I run across a low mileage
97-99 MB diesel 300 or a MBTD. Friend of mine who is been a MB mechanic says stay away from 2000 up. (I have owned a MB 300SDL, MB 300E (diesel) & MB 300TD wagon) all got 38mpg on highway & relatively trouble free. Haven't owned a gas vehicle since 86.
Except my Honda 01 XR650R (which is plated & titled)

Keeping my 2011 JSW manual for the foreseeable future. But with today's news about the Gen 3 fix, I might consider getting a 2015+ GSW TDI sometime in 2018. Should be able to do a straight trade with the buyback and get a newer TDI w/lower miles. That's what I'm hoping for anyways.

what news?

toneman said:

Keeping my 2011 JSW manual for the foreseeable future. But with today's news about the Gen 3 fix, I might consider getting a 2015+ GSW TDI sometime in 2018. Should be able to do a straight trade with the buyback and get a newer TDI w/lower miles. That's what I'm hoping for anyways.

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Thanks! Guess I better save up some cash to buy another TDI when it becomes available.

calimustang said:

what news?

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EPA has approved a fix for 2015+ TDIs.

Now that this news is out, I wonder if VW will be able to apply the fix to unsold 2016s and sell them? (hopefully at a deep discount)? If so we might change our order to a TDI wagon from a TSI wagon. We'd keep it for the long haul. Even though financially I think the TSI is a better deal, if the price is even with a '17 TSI, we'd consider a new '16 TDI wagon, if for no other reason, for the range increase over a TSI. The wagon is our main road trip car, my hatch is my personal runabout.

No '16 2.0L TDIs for sale, at least in the US. They never received EPA certification.

And at this time the fix only applies to cars that are titled to owners. Not bought back or unsold cars, at least not yet.

IndigoBlueWagon said:

No '16 2.0L TDIs for sale, at least in the US. They never received EPA certification.

And at this time the fix only applies to cars that are titled to owners. Not bought back or unsold cars, at least not yet.

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Well that blows, unless VW Canada gets approval up here.

im waiting it out as long as we can. hoping they start selling the fixed 2015's before the deadline. there just isnt an equivalent out there that fits our needs. wagon, manual and high mpg. im not complaining, we love our tdi!

motoblue said:

This is my take, too. I love my car and would love to keep it despite being out of warranty (except for the HPFP) and some expensive maintenance now or soon due (tires will not get me to the winter). But what VW is offering is well above what I can get for it on trade or sell, now or certainly 2 years from now when the settlement offer expires, and it's tempting to do the buyback.

On the keep side, I live in a CARB state, had 23o6 done, and am very unhappy with what that half-hearted attempt to "fix" my emissions did. I don't think I can stomach more of the same, if it even happens.

Right now my short-term plan is to put on some 4-season Nokians before the winter and keep registering/driving her. I then plan to wait until 2018 to see what fix, if any, works out, or give her back (minus the Nokians). Also, I'm really hoping that if I end up doing the buyback, there will be new TDIs approved by then to make the transition easier. But right now there's no equal to my 7-year old polluter, and waiting for more info costs nothing.

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The Nokians went on in December, replacing both the original OEM Conti Pro-Contacts (which have 56,000 miles and are now in my garage pending a buy-back) and Blizzaks (which had 27,500 miles, 7 years, and were just about done - down to 3/32" and starting to slip in rain). This month I did my 2-year emission inspection - smooth and fast, one inspector knew about Dieselgate and we chatted while the car sailed through the process. And I still have 35K left on the extended HPFP warranty, so I'm good to go until the end of 2018 as I planned.

I have no idea what is going to happen at the end of next year since apparently NJ is one of the few states that didn't accept the settlement (?????) and does test emissions (that is the only thing they do now during inspection - your car can be running on bald tires with cracked windows on every side and it'll pass if the emissions do), so clueless if even a used '15 will be an option. But at least I'll have the full time period to ride out the wait-and-see game.