I want to buy my first sportwagen, just some questions

Hey guys, I have owned two alh tdi's and I absolutely love them but I have always loved the Jetta Sportwagen DSG. I have an opportunity to purchase a 2010 Jetta sportwagen with 127k miles, what should i be looking for? The car came in a trade in and they dont know if the car has had the Dieselgate fix so thats one thing, the Fuel pump and all those parts were replaced at 77k, I saw that on the Carfax. The car looks very clean and I really want it, anything I should be scared about?

Timing belt was due at 120k.

The fix will have an additional gray sticker under the hood, noting the changes. From underneath, you can also see the larger lean NOx trap, the smaller low pressure EGR tube, and the new exhaust throttle flap.

They are great cars HOWEVER I am not a fan of the pano roof in the wagons (if it has it). They turn the interior into an oven in the summer, and they can creak and rattle in bitter cold, and are downright noisy if raining. This is true of any of the cars that have that style of roof, it is not just these.

If the car has that, just make sure you can live with it. I couldn't. I could stomach the lack of third pedal, but not that roof. And I like regular sunroofs.

Thank you Oilhammer, you are the man. I will double check all of those things, it does not have a sunroof so im good on that, dont care for those either. Another thing, what kind of mileage should i be seeing with the dsg's? I am currently getting 42-44 driving 85-90 in Michigan so thats how i like to drive. Thanks for the help guys

And if the fix hasnt been done, can i just take into a dealership and have them put it in for me?

Not sure how used cars and the update works. Personally I would NOT get it done for the time being unless you are eligible for the bonus cash if you do.

Not sure on fuel economy, as it is obviously variable but safe to say it won't likely be as good as your ALH but still very good and better than most anything else out there.

Tdidiesel02 said:

Another thing, what kind of mileage should i be seeing with the dsg's? I am currently getting 42-444 driving 85-90 in Michigan so thats how i like to drive.

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Wow - color me impressed! 444 mpg!!!!!!!!!!!

Pray please tell how you achieve this incredible feat? Toss a rope with a hook on it and let the semi in front of you pull you with your engine off? Other than that can't see how you can break into triple digits fuel economy so you da man!

No, Im towing the semi truck and I still get that mileage.

If the price is right, go for it!! As they mentioned... Timing belt, and I'd do a transmission service at you next oil change.

I am not sure about the dieselgate restitution though. The previous owner would be one silly goose to not do it. You can go on the website and check the VIN

Just to add to what has been said already...

At that mileage put a keen eye on wear items like: suspension, bushings, brakes, hoses, etc. All those things that wear out over time/heat-cycles.

May I also chip in my recent experience, the thermostat? If you have the VAGCOM cable, and if the used car dealer lets you do this, definitely log the water temp during a good test drive on the highway. I probably have a weak thermostat that have been slowly deteriorating until very recently and the temp needle doesn't really indicate a problem until thing got really really hot (115+ celsius range). Car could have been on the brink of overheating for months...

Finally, both rear dampers were completely shot when I had all corners replaced with Koni FSD on/around 120,000 km. Like what PRY4SNO said, reserve some budget for suspension refresh.

fastalan said:

May I also chip in my recent experience, the thermostat? If you have the VAGCOM cable, and if the used car dealer lets you do this, definitely log the water temp during a good test drive on the highway. I probably have a weak thermostat that have been slowly deteriorating until very recently and the temp needle doesn't really indicate a problem until thing got really really hot (115+ celsius range). Car could have been on the brink of overheating for months....

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Do you get really good heat from the vents when the car is overheating? If not, it's probably a loose water pump impeller or air trapped in the system. If you do get ultra toasty heat, it could also be a blocked/plugged radiator or rad fan issue. Or thermostat. Or the temp sensor could be failing.

turbobrick240 said:

Do you get really good heat from the vents when the car is overheating? If not, it's probably a loose water pump impeller or air trapped in the system. If you do get ultra toasty heat, it could also be a blocked/plugged radiator or rad fan issue. Or thermostat. Or the temp sensor could be failing.

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Yes the heater was super hot when the car was overheating and the condition was due to a bad thermostat, see below thread for my experience....

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=483482

I average in the high 30's, and occasionally in the low 40's. This is mostly highway speeds at 65 with a mix of city. At 85-90, you can expect to get in the low 30's. I ran 2000 miles to CO and back last Spring on I-70 and was a bit shocked that the mileage dropped as much as it did. But slow it down to 60 and that's probably the sweet spot to get into the 40's.

Mine is getting in the low 30's in the winter and seems to favor really hot days over cooler days. Seems I get the best mileage when the weather is 90+ and I am blowing the A/C even compared to moderate days where only the fan is blowing. I can't figure that one out, but I track every tank of fuel and that's been my experience.

I love the car and sought out the tdi sportwagen specifically. I do worry about my HPFP tho.

When you are getting the timing belt down, do the regular 120k service. Oil/filter, fuel filter, dsg flush. Check the brakes for both wear and fluid. I can't remember the recommended flush on the brake fluid. Of course the easy things like tires and wipers. Age of battery.

I'm just over 120k on my 10 JSW and love it. Lifetime average is just over 40 mpg and I typically run 6-8 mph over the posted limit. I agree with OH. Wait on the fix until you figure out if you'll get any money for doing it. If you're not going to get anything, I wouldn't bother. The only advantage you should get from doing the fix is the new warranty on the mechanicals. I'm looking at getting mine done in Feb or Mar but I'm also getting $5K from VW to do it.

kjclow said:

I'm looking at getting mine done in Feb or Mar but I'm also getting $5K from VW to do it.

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I need to check into this for myself...the warranty sounds nice and if I could mason-jar the money for future JSW repairs, it'd probably work out ok.