Buying a "fixed" TDI

I haven't logged on in a few years. I had two TDIs that VW bought back in 2017. Well, I'm finding myself in another situation where I need a commuter car. I'm thinking of a "fixed" TDI and am not sure if I should look for a 2014 JSW or 2015 GSW. I have a few questions for the membership and specifically those of you that have bought a fixed TDI.

1) it seems as if there's a fair amount of JSWs in my area but nearly no GSWs. Did I miss the boat on the GSW (have they already been bought up)? How early were the TDIs being sold back to the public and in 2020 are we now at the end of their availability? Do I need to hurry up and grab one?

2) other than the usual cars.com kinda sites, is there a better way to try and find these vehicles on dealer lots?

3) CPO or not? Private seller or dealer?

4) other than obvious issues from sitting for so long, are there any other things that I should pay particular close attention to?

* I'm sure these questions have been asked previously. If you can link some threads where folks have discussed these items it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Both are good. It may be more a matter of preference than anything else. The '09-14s are subject to a couple issues tha the '15s don't have: higher pressure fuel system that can fail (covered under warranty, however), and intercooler icing. The '15s use Adblue, which some people don't like, but it actually allows them to be better tuned for FE post-fix.

I owned a MKVI Golf, and never warmed up to it. I like my '15 GSW better. The '15s were among the first cars to be fixed and re-sold, so dealers may not have many. But they're still out there.

IndigoBlueWagon said:

Both are good. It may be more a matter of preference than anything else. The '09-14s are subject to a couple issues tha the '15s don't have: higher pressure fuel system that can fail (covered under warranty, however), and intercooler icing. The '15s use Adblue, which some people don't like, but it actually allows them to be better tuned for FE post-fix.

I owned a MKVI Golf, and never warmed up to it. I like my '15 GSW better. The '15s were among the first cars to be fixed and re-sold, so dealers may not have many. But they're still out there.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the response.. are there any websites i should be keeping an eye on to find one of these vehicles? Other than the obvious cars.com, autotrader, car gurus etc?

I picked up a ‘14 purely for the price, if I could of gotten a great deal on a ‘15 I would have gone that route, also being the cheap bastard I am I prefer not adding blue

You must be pretty cheap if $10 or $15 every 20k miles or so is expensive for you. I don't know how you make it in California, where everything is more expensive. DEF fluid is pretty darn cheap and pretty easy to fill.

Adblue saves diesel fuel, and typically you don't have to add it more often than at each oil change service. I don't understand why people don't like it. There are threads here with people driving '10-14 Jetta/Golfs that are seeing FE in the low to mid-30s. the '15s typically see 5+ MPG more than that.

If I could see that kind of gain on my JSW, I'd be happy with the adblue. My lifetime at about 150k miles on my JSW is around 35 mpg. It's going slightly down now that my wife is using it as her daily driver in heavier traffic. Most tanks for her run around 33 mpg.

MichVW, talk to your local dealer and have them look at the auction sites. They might be able to find a 15 out there in a color you want.

IndigoBlueWagon said:

Adblue saves diesel fuel, and typically you don't have to add it more often than at each oil change service. I don't understand why people don't like it.

Click to expand...

Probably the same reason everybody hates smog regulations, cat converters, DPF's, you name it.

Just one more miniscule time waster that takes you away from your phone screen.

I think the main issue people have with SCR is not so much having to add the fluid, but rather the issues that arise from adding yet another failure prone system to the vehicle. Nobody wants to get stranded somewhere because the urea injection is leaking/malfunctioning. The fears may be overblown, but they do seem to be somewhat fragile systems.

Not as much of an issue if you fill it when needed. If it does have an issue after filling stop driving it and get it to the dealer for warranty service. If you continue driving it and run it down to zero you will have a problem on your hands.

Speaking from experience as I own a 2013 JSW and my wife owns a 2015 Golf (not GSW, but basically the same car). I have not seen better than ~36mpg in my JSW, and my wife's car regularly gets 45+ mpg (both cars are manual). We have owned hers for just over 16k miles and have only had to add 2.5 gallons of DEF. I searched briefly the other day for GSWs and found there to only be 5 manual cars listed in the entire US. If you haven't already, try autotempest.com, it combines cars.com, autotrader, craigslist etc and it generally works pretty well. As far as the two go, I would say that the '15 is a more comfortable car to spend time in, while the '13 offers a more "connected" driving experience. Both cars are CPO from dealers, and I would say to try to find that if possible, it seems like a no-brainer as long as the price isn't too far off. We love both cars though, good luck with your search!

Thanks for the replies. I contacted a local dealer who I bought one of my TDIs from in the past and he said he is going to check the auction site with Hope of finding me a 2014 with low mileage. He said the 2015s are almost all gone and a bit harder to come by. I'll see what he finds.

Obviously, this is a slightly older thread. My 2 cents - I helped my mother trade in her 2015 Toyota 4Runner for her 2015 GSW with DSG. Never did she think she would've loved going from a full size SUV to her wagon, but she loves the torque and consistent 42-45mpg. She also has a 2014 New Beetle with a CJAA, and I picked up a 2013 JSW (both with the 02Q).

With that said... timing belt kits. So much easier to get a whole kit for a CJAA. For the EA288? Not as much, and they're not nearly as cheap.

Skid plates. Before dieselgeek stopped making new plates, due to tariffs, there were no Mk7 options; only mk6 and below. Plus, if you ever plan on doing the DPF delete route, it's a bigger PITA on the mk7 than the mk6.

However, it seems the mk7 has more power out the gate than the mk6 does stock, and it gets better fuel economy as a whole. I don't think anyone has true real world feedback on the mk7 yet, given that there aren't a ton of them out there, and the majority were sold after dieselgate was settled and VW started reselling fixed vehicles.

Oh yes - the mk7 oil filter. I don't know what the **** VW was thinking, but the filter housing hangs downward at a slight angle. I don't have my shop setup yet (but I do have a 10K lb lift waiting for concrete to be poured). So that being said, I think if I had an oil catch device, I might be okay, but for the DIYer, you WILL get oil all over the damn place with the mk7 oil filter setup. Whatever engineer came up with that at VW needs to get smacked with a 2x4.

On IDParts CJAA and CRUA timing belt kits are the same price. And skid plates are available.

Regarding the oil filter, it's not wonderful, but it's not as big a deal as people complain about. With this tool: https://www.idparts.com/oil-filter-drain-tool-ea288-p-6949.html you can do it without spilling. It's easier than it is on a AHU, at least. And I've always done bottom side oil changes anyway, so not a big change.

I think the CRUA engine is a big improvement over the CJAA, even though fixed CJAAs are performing fine. And with a recent tune update to my GSW, that engine is smooth and quick. Impressive.

IndigoBlueWagon said:

On IDParts CJAA and CRUA timing belt kits are the same price. And skid plates are available.

Regarding the oil filter, it's not wonderful, but it's not as big a deal as people complain about. With this tool: https://www.idparts.com/oil-filter-drain-tool-ea288-p-6949.html you can do it without spilling. It's easier than it is on a AHU, at least. And I've always done bottom side oil changes anyway, so not a big change.

I think the CRUA engine is a big improvement over the CJAA, even though fixed CJAAs are performing fine. And with a recent tune update to my GSW, that engine is smooth and quick. Impressive.

Click to expand...

If you don't mind my asking, in what ways is the CRUA an improvement over the CJAA? I honestly didn't know TB kits were the same price. And I was always under the impression that the water pump didn't come with CRUA TB kits (either from you, or anyone else for that matter).

I don't know how my CJAA compares to a "fixed" CJAA. I'd like to think it's fixed, since it's straight piped and has my performance stuff (and that LSD sure makes driving even more fun).

CRUA has two big benefits: Different fueling system (HPFP and injectors) that's less prone to failure than the CJAA. And an air-to-water intercooler eliminating the possibility of intercooler icing. Also, the EA288 in NA market TDIs use adblue, which allows better tuning while still meeting emisisons.

If your car is straight piped and reflashed it's not fixed. Not anymore.

With the exception of the AHU/1Z engines, all our timing belt kits have always included water pumps. It's not part of the timing belt service, but most people want to replace it so they won't have to take the system apart for a failed water pump during the timing belt service interval.

IndigoBlueWagon said:

CRUA has two big benefits: Different fueling system (HPFP and injectors) that's less prone to failure than the CJAA. And an air-to-water intercooler eliminating the possibility of intercooler icing. Also, the EA288 in NA market TDIs use adblue, which allows better tuning while still meeting emisisons.

If your car is straight piped and reflashed it's not fixed. Not anymore.

Click to expand...

It's fixed to me anyways. ;-)

I've been seeing more posts about intercooler icing problems on the facebook forum. I guess that makes sense for getting more efficiency, if you're able to cool the intake air better than a traditional intercooler.

But the CRUA still uses a CP4 derivative, right?

Pkhoury I have roughly 40k left of the Extended Emission Warranty and I’m getting antsy to delete and tune.

The cars a ‘13 DSG with 66k now; when did you delete and what kind of mileage are you seeing now? Did you delete before warranty? If so you weren’t worried about the gamble?

I’ve heard so many mixed stories about VW Dealerships covering or not covering DPF deleted cars other warranty claims with the motor that aren’t associated with the emissions but are still technically included in the warranty(fueling, glow plugs, etc).

I’m not trying to condone DPF deletes; always check local laws and regulations regarding any emission system modification.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It may be interesting to hear his story (if there is one) but the final call will be the dealer you take it to. Regardless if someone else was covered or not. It is a gamble and you have to be willing to accept the risk if denied.

97B4TDi said:

Pkhoury I have roughly 40k left of the Extended Emission Warranty and I’m getting antsy to delete and tune.

Click to expand...

I bought mine in September of 2018. I don't know how many "miles" I have left. I was pretty sure it was a 2 year/unlimited mile CPO warranty, but I won't be taking it in anytime soon, as there isn't much I can't do myself. Not that I'd need to use it, but I even have a spare CJAA (that I'll use to practice removing the fuel pump, so I can stick my CP3 on my 2013).

The cars a ‘13 DSG with 66k now; when did you delete and what kind of mileage are you seeing now? Did you delete before warranty? If so you weren’t worried about the gamble?

Click to expand...

Not at all. No joke, right after dieselgate was announced, I deleted my 2010. I'm kinda glad I kept it now, because I got an $11K payout from a hail total loss, and then another $6000 for another accident (not my fault). I only need to replace the radiator, some boost pipes for my intercooler, and a headlight. Some body stuff could be replaced, but since I'm selling it and got the paint buffed up, it's good enough.


As for mileage - I have a 6 speed for my 2013 and DSG on the 2010. The 2010 was about 33-35mpg consistently prior to my delete, and this is obviously with the pre-dieselgate programming. My 2013 was getting about the same consistently. Now, I'm getting about 39-42, but lately, it's all been 40.5-41.5, and that's a mixture of highway and city (both personal and rideshare driving).

I’ve heard so many mixed stories about VW Dealerships covering or not covering DPF deleted cars other warranty claims with the motor that aren’t associated with the emissions but are still technically included in the warranty(fueling, glow plugs, etc).

Click to expand...

YMMV, truly. I've had dealers where the service managers were enthusiasts themselves and had tuned cars. I've had others where the managers were by the book, or @$$ kissers trying to make the most possible, especially if it included denying "headaches" like myself who know more than the techs in the shop.


You mentioned glow plugs. Easy to change. I changed them before on the 2010 because one was bad. I actually did a boo boo and changed the wrong one, so I just changed all 4. Injectors, I needed a little bit of help with (yes, I had to change one on the 2010 as well, because it was throwing a CEL for injector #3, IIRC).


Oh, and for the downpipe - I highly recommend rawtek. I picked up a buzzken for my 2010 and it was garbage. The hangers were crooked, but I was told it was my fault, before we even installed it. Then I got it tweaked by a muffler shop later on, because of excessive vibrations. My setup is 3" all the way to the rear, no muffler. The drone was a little loud at first, but it honestly sounds pretty good, and a lot of my rideshare customers compliment me. I've never once had a complaint. Of course, Texas is a very diesel friendly state, and 90% of all diesel pickup owners I know (myself included), have deleted trucks. And yes, that includes law enforcement's personal vehicles.