Show what you tow!

TornadoRed

TornadoRed

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 3, 2003
Location
West Des Moines (formerly St Paul)
TDI
2003 Jetta TDI wagon, silver; 2003 Jetta TDI wagon, indigo blue; 2003 Golf GL 5-spd, red (PARTED); 2003 Golf GLS 5-spd, indigo blue (SOLD); 2003 Jetta TDI wagon, Candy White (SOLD)
ducesrwld said:
one thing i'd like to see is how my egts are doing pulling since i don't have my gauges hooked up....especially on hills when i'm pulling this sucker at 70-75 mph.
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If in doubt, if it's very steep, then drop down a gear and get your revs up. Safer to run at 3500 in 4th than 2500 in 5th, you'll be pushing a lot more cool air through the engine and putting less stress on the turbo.
 
crdouger

crdouger

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 16, 2010
Location
Michigan
TDI
99.5 & 06 jetta TDI's
Towing - automatic or manual

I'm looking to tow a small teardrop trailer across the country. The loaded weight of the trailer will be 1500lbs or less. I'm looking to buy my first diesel. It will also be my wifes daily driver which makes me lean toward an automatic, but I learn towards a manual for towing. What do you guys recommend?
 
TornadoRed

TornadoRed

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 3, 2003
Location
West Des Moines (formerly St Paul)
TDI
2003 Jetta TDI wagon, silver; 2003 Jetta TDI wagon, indigo blue; 2003 Golf GL 5-spd, red (PARTED); 2003 Golf GLS 5-spd, indigo blue (SOLD); 2003 Jetta TDI wagon, Candy White (SOLD)
crdouger said:
I'm looking to tow a small teardrop trailer across the country. The loaded weight of the trailer will be 1500lbs or less. I'm looking to buy my first diesel. It will also be my wifes daily driver which makes me lean toward an automatic, but I learn towards a manual for towing. What do you guys recommend?
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TDIs with a manual transmission are just so sweet that, if your wife can shift for herself, she will be happy with that tranny. Just avoid any 2003-or-earlier TDI -- or any other VW for that matter -- if it has an automatic transmission. That old 01M 4-speed transmission is unreliable and expensive to replace or repair -- figure on $4000+.

Here's another good towing discussion:
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?p=2838581
 
coalminer16

coalminer16

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Dec 11, 2008
Location
Central Wisconsin
TDI
Golf 2004
Manual. They last a lot longer and are a lot cheaper in the long run to own (and short run actually if buying new). Not to say if you find a cheap auto to not buy it. Just take the savings and use it to buy the parts to swap to a manual with it does fail. It isn't a matter of if it is a matter of when it fails. And you can't repair the autos. People have tried. Cost is very expensive and they end up failing shortly afterward anyways. Hope that helps. The new manuals are hyd clutched. Like a brake system they use the power of hydraulics to help with the clutching so it is very smooth to engage. It shares the brake line oil to help with the clutch and it actually needs bleeding with the brakes. Go to a dealer or find a friend and drive a manual to see how she likes it. My wife loves it and would never go back to a manual. Only time I see a manual as bad is if you have a hurt leg. I fractured my foot and only own manuals so I drove the 04 golf and my wife drove the 81 rabbits for a few weeks as the new manuals are much easier to drive with a bad leg.
 
crdouger

crdouger

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 16, 2010
Location
Michigan
TDI
99.5 & 06 jetta TDI's
Why avoid 2003 or earlier?

What's wrong with the TDI's before 2004? If I need to avoid the earlier ones, that will likely price me out of the market. I've only got about $5-$6000 to spend on one and I that limits me to older models. Thanks for the advice about manuals vs automatics...I'll think I'll wait until I find a manual. Today I looked at a 2001 automatic with 180k miles for $5500. But I'll keep looking.

Thanks for the advice guys.

Doug
 
NB_TDi

NB_TDi

Vendor
Joined
Mar 16, 2008
Location
NB, Canada █♣█
TDI
2014 Jetta SE
crdouger said:
What's wrong with the TDI's before 2004? If I need to avoid the earlier ones, that will likely price me out of the market. I've only got about $5-$6000 to spend on one and I that limits me to older models. Thanks for the advice about manuals vs automatics...I'll think I'll wait until I find a manual. Today I looked at a 2001 automatic with 180k miles for $5500. But I'll keep looking.

Thanks for the advice guys.

Doug
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Nothing wrong with the TDI, it's the automatic transmissions.
 
TornadoRed

TornadoRed

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 3, 2003
Location
West Des Moines (formerly St Paul)
TDI
2003 Jetta TDI wagon, silver; 2003 Jetta TDI wagon, indigo blue; 2003 Golf GL 5-spd, red (PARTED); 2003 Golf GLS 5-spd, indigo blue (SOLD); 2003 Jetta TDI wagon, Candy White (SOLD)
crdouger said:
What's wrong with the TDI's before 2004? If I need to avoid the earlier ones, that will likely price me out of the market. I've only got about $5-$6000 to spend on one and I that limits me to older models. Thanks for the advice about manuals vs automatics...I'll think I'll wait until I find a manual. Today I looked at a 2001 automatic with 180k miles for $5500. But I'll keep looking.
Click to expand...
I thought I made that clear, the older automatic transmissions are prone to early and expensive failure. The engines are great, plus relatively inexpensive to modify and upgrade.
 
crdouger

crdouger

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 16, 2010
Location
Michigan
TDI
99.5 & 06 jetta TDI's
automatic

Oh...I understand now. Are there any generally accepted opinions on best years between later 90's and 2000's?
 
TornadoRed

TornadoRed

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 3, 2003
Location
West Des Moines (formerly St Paul)
TDI
2003 Jetta TDI wagon, silver; 2003 Jetta TDI wagon, indigo blue; 2003 Golf GL 5-spd, red (PARTED); 2003 Golf GLS 5-spd, indigo blue (SOLD); 2003 Jetta TDI wagon, Candy White (SOLD)
In the following order: 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000, 1999.5, 1999, 1998, 1997, 1996, (1995)
 
TDIJetta99

TDIJetta99

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 17, 2005
Location
Port Jervis, New York, USA
TDI
03... Faster than yours =]
the 99.5-03 are essentially the same, as are the 96-99's (98-99 tends to be a little nicer than 96-97)... The 99.5 has some unique oddities, but unless you get into the performance end of things they're the same..
 
coalminer16

coalminer16

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Dec 11, 2008
Location
Central Wisconsin
TDI
Golf 2004
The accepted years will differ depending on who you ask. But one thing is always clear. Be careful of the 03 and earlier auto tranny. Other then that there is pro's and cons to each year.
 
vw4life

vw4life

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 15, 2001
Location
New West, BC, Canada
TDI
2014 Touareg TDI
coalminer16 said:
The accepted years will differ depending on who you ask. But one thing is always clear. Be careful of the 03 and earlier auto tranny. Other then that there is pro's and cons to each year.
Click to expand...
OFF TOPIC- need moar pics!
 
79TA7.6

79TA7.6

Veteran Member
Joined
May 8, 2006
Location
Live: Wilbur/Creston; Work: Moses Lake Washington
TDI
2003 TDI Jetta, 2002 TDI Golf, 2005 TDI Golf
McBrew said:
Many 2003 TDIs came with weak clutches. Just something to keep in mind.
Click to expand...

How do you tell a weaker clutch? My 03 has not been wanting to shift nicely and sometimes acts weird on clutch engagement.

To keep this on track, as soon as I can afford a Bosal hitch I will be towing a 6' x 9' flat trailer for running stuff to the dump and other odds and ends.
 
burpod

burpod

teh stallionz!!1
Joined
Nov 27, 2004
Location
cape cod, ma
TDI
82 rabbit vnt ahu, 98 jetta vnt ahu, 05 parts car, 88 scirocco.. :/
here's a pic of of mine again in "action".. i'm guessing that it was somewhere around 1500 lbs in oak (trailer size is 5x8x4).

 
P

Pugsley

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 7, 2008
Location
Valparaiso IN
TDI
2003 Beetle
I put a hitch on my NB but have yet to tow anything with it. I do plan to build a T trailer for my sand rail. Ill have it balanced nicely for towing with the NB.
 
burpod

burpod

teh stallionz!!1
Joined
Nov 27, 2004
Location
cape cod, ma
TDI
82 rabbit vnt ahu, 98 jetta vnt ahu, 05 parts car, 88 scirocco.. :/
VeeDubTDI said:
Oh no, it's burpod's failer! :eek: ;)
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:)

luckily i didn't take (or post!) any pics of it 3/4" full of old rotting 7' fence planks/posts and my 2 "co-pilots" ;)

but i am sure there will be other adventures for the failer! :D
 
K

Kitsune

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 15, 2003
Location
Oregon
TDI
2003 Jetta Wagon TDI GLS


Gross weight at the scale was 5700lbs for the whole rig. Average speed was about 72mph for my trip, about 20MPG in the high desert between Idaho and Utah, about 26 mph on the lowlands.
 
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NarfBLAST

NarfBLAST

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 3, 2002
Location
Waterdown, Ontario, Canada
TDI
2001 Golf 5MT
I rolled my 3x6 utility trailer on the weekend (in the garage)


So that I could remove the old 50's MG Midget axle with the impossible 4 bolt 5.5" bolt pattern that I could not find a spare wheel for anywhere...


I found this new 60" 2000lb axle at Princess Auto for only $77... With 5 bolt hubs I was able to mount some 5x4.5" to 5x100mm adapters that I bought online (don't forget the ball seat lug nuts that I could only find in one specialty store online!)



The result, ready to pick up used appliances...


Fenders did not go on sale until Tuesday... maybe next weekend! Also, I will consider moving the rear spring shackle mounts up higher to level things out.
 
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