120K and still loving the Sportwagen!

Just did the 120K service and can't get over how well the wagen is holding up. Had the belly pan off and no leaking oil, grease, etc...Had to replace the sunroof shade, and one of the door lock modules, other than that only scheduled maintenance so far. Took this pic of the tailpipe, soooo clean!



I really hope VW and the EPA can come up with a fix, or this thing starts breaking more so I don't feel so bad selling it back.

Are you still with your original DPF at 120,000 Miles? If so, that's great. Our DPF was replaced at 78,000 Miles and a friend with a 2011 Golf TDI went about 90,000 before his had to be replaced.

I'm at 127k+ miles one one and 116k+ on my two Golf TDIs and neither one has had a DPF replaced. I did have an exhaust flapper motor die and both had to have the metalnerd manifold fix. That is it.

AlcoC420 said:

Are you still with your original DPF at 120,000 Miles? If so, that's great. Our DPF was replaced at 78,000 Miles and a friend with a 2011 Golf TDI went about 90,000 before his had to be replaced.

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Yes still original. It has a lot of highway miles.

MTB_TDI said:

I'm at 127k+ miles one one and 116k+ on my two Golf TDIs and neither one has had a DPF replaced. I did have an exhaust flapper motor die and both had to have the metalnerd manifold fix. That is it.

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I added the diesel geek intake manifold flap fix preventatively, and forgot to add the a/c compressor had to be replaced.

Yes, Diesel Geek should receive an award for this fix. Our Diesel Geek repair has worked great and we haven't had a recurrence.

Starting late last summer our A/C began to intermittently take a long time to begin cooling. It's a somewhat common problem and I'm betting it's the Refrigerant Control Valve.

AlcoC420 said:

Yes, Diesel Geek should receive an award for this fix. Our Diesel Geek repair has worked great and we haven't had a recurrence.

Starting late last summer our A/C began to intermittently take a long time to begin cooling. It's a somewhat common problem and I'm betting it's the Refrigerant Control Valve.

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I was hoping that was the problem with mine, replaced it first and still no cold air.

i'm at 187k. its been a dream car for me. expect timing belt which was about $1k, sunshade replace which was about $500. and don't get me started on the DPF. i kept nursing that ***** along, which totalled around $1K in repairs, until i deleted it altogether. but its been a GREAT fun quick reliable car that is very practical. i'd hate to turn it in but i will right before i hit the 240k mark cause i really don't want to replace the timing belt again. ive had my car sense 77k

I am at 183K.. it still drives and pulls like when it was new. Zero performance or fuel economy losses. I am just amazed at the level of quality these engines poses. The engine usually starts up at one and 1/2 revolution in spite of the mileage it has. The only issue is the dpf...had to change it several times due to crack in the dpf. Will keep it at least until Sept 2018 and by then I hope 2016 TDI'S would available?

I'm the same way. I'm keeping mine till Sept 18 but I don't know what to switch into. I'd hate to say it but the Prius is a obvious choice but I'd HATE to conform.

jahlov420 said:

I'm the same way. I'm keeping mine till Sept 18 but I don't know what to switch into. I'd hate to say it but the Prius is a obvious choice but I'd HATE to conform.

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I hear you amigo (Few here would be comfortable piloting a toaster hither and yon).



ez

I'm right around 110k in my JSW and have only had two issues. I've replaced the battery twice and the passengers vent broke.

Hey, this looks like the perfect thread to get some advice.

I have a 2012 Passat manual that I wanted to get fixed and keep, but it developed clutch problems and I will be giving it back to VW ASAP (long story, see post in Passat fourm "Metal Bits Found in Belly Pan.) I drive about 20,000 miles per year, highway commute mostly.

I also have 2013 manual Sportwagen, 23,000 miles, that I bought to flip and sell back to VW:
- I have the VW offer letter in hand, will turn about $8k profit on the car.
- It has a salvage title, front end damage was rebuilt. It looks great in and out, but the repair is questionable, the airbag light is on. I don't know which airbag is causing it. Not overly concerned about it, maybe I should be.
- I like driving it a lot. Noisy snow tires but I have a fix for that - swap the Passat wheels!

I am not looking at getting the fix on the wagon, if it is ever offered. The input I am looking for is, should I A) send it back to VW immediately and shop for another (probably non VW) car, or B) keep it till late 2018, take my time to research and find another car?

For option A), I have a beater truck I can drive until I find something.

If I knew there was no possibility of a fatal break down (one that will cause VW to reject the car) I would absolutely want to keep the wagon until late 2018.

Any input? Chances of a fatal error in next 18 months? Other thoughts?

The way I was looking at it was comparing the cost of keeping vs depreciation of a new car. You can repair a lot of stuff before you approach the depreciation of a new car. We were going to keep ours until the end, but the sunroof just jammed open and we were quoted $3400 to fix it. So, we're taking an earlier buyback (unless I can quickly find someone who can get it closed).

That would do it for me too. We've had about four inches of rain this week and have no back up car. An open sunroof would have turned the car into a wading pool.

"I have a fix for that - swap the Passat wheels!"

The Passat wheels/ tires will rub when you go over bumps in your JSW. I know because I bought some from a fellow who turned in his car. It isn't terrible, but don't be surprised when it happens.

I'd recommend getting some stiffer springs if you were to keep the JSW. That's a pretty dang low milage car.

Id wait for the fix if I were you, the. Use the $$ to remove the emissions stuff, that will eliminate some complexity.

I thanks for the info on Passat wheels. I'd think about keeping it, if it wasn't for the questionable repair from salvage. Not going to put any $$ in it when it is such a good flip. The more i think of it, I'll probably find a replacement soon and dump it. Wife and son seem concerned about airbag light. Told them, "back in my day, we didn't have any dang airbags..." They were not amused