VW/TDI Reliability?

PlaneCrazy

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jan 3, 2000
Location
Province of Quebec, Canada
TDI
Gone...
It's been a while since I posted. I used to own a '99 Jetta GLS TDI. Great mileage and not a bad car until around warranty expiry when all sorts of things started to go wrong. In short, I now drive 2002 Accord SE sedan. Boring, but, like a fridge that keeps the beer cold, who cares? It's been a great car, reliable and very comfortable, with actually surprisingly agile handling for what I consider a "large" car.

But, the lease expires in around 1 year and I've started to research my next car (never too soon!). I drove a buddy's TDI the other day and it brought back fond memories.

Here's the question. Up here in the Frozen North VW has earned a well-deserved reputation for crappy quality. My experience would tend to confirm that. I have a friend with a Passat wagon that endured three coilpack failures. My buddy with the TDI has had his share of problems, currently a glowplug issue. This board shows up a lot of problems.

Thing is, a Jetta TDI wagon suits my needs perfectly: economical (86 cents/liter up here), practical (can haul plane parts around), good looking. But is it reliable? My list so far is fairly short due to the paucity of dealers in my area: I'm considering another Accord (4-cyl), a Civic Si sedan, an Acura EL, or just buying out the current ride's lease and hanging on to her for a couple more years, but none of those offer wagon practicality, the only real competitor to the VW Jetta wagon is the Ford Focus wagon and that isn't exactly a pristine example of reliability either (actually for the price of a Jetta a Taurus wagon would be a possibility but that throws the economy idea out the window). Then there's the TDI idea kicking around in my head: either a Jetta wagon, or to save pennies, with similar practicality, a Golf. I did note that TDIs still have outstanding resale value, so I'm thinking the risk might be worth taking again.

Anybody out there with a fair amount of mileage on a recent VW TDI, especially the new PD100 engine, have any good stories or horror stories to tell? I'm almost prepared to give VW a second chance but I'm not encouraged by the thread elsewhere talking about VWs horrible problems. My neigbour has a relatively reliable Jetta TDI. Anyway, I ramble on too long, I look forward to honest responses, good and bad.
 

POWERSTROKE

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jul 17, 2000
Location
Staten Island (The Dump)
TDI
2002 Golf
I have two 2002 Golfs. They have both been pretty reliable. The worst problem as of yet has been a bad tranny flange seal in my 5-speed. the wifes has been pretty much flawless. Seriously. I have been browsing the PD section and have noted a couple of problems which can be attributed to bad U.S. fuel. I can't really comment on the P.D's but I have owned three TDI's. There have been some small annoyances along the way, but overall, I am pretty darned happy. Knock on wood. /images/graemlins/grin.gif
 

1TDIBUG

Member
Joined
Jun 26, 2003
Location
Mokena IL
TDI
02 Jetta
I own a 2000 Beetle TDI. No major problems only 42000 mile because my company gave me a car 3 years ago. Small problems, bad window switch, glow plug fault ... just cleand the connections, window stalled going up.. silicon fixed that.All in all a good car and fun to drive.
 

gern_blanston

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 3, 2002
Location
PNW
TDI
Golf, '03, Silver
C23, eh? I've got a little time in one of those. A guy showed up at the airport one day and said he'd just bought one and wanted to learn to fly. I taught him. Neat little airplane.
My family's had good luck with TDI's. Dad and brother put 80k+ miles on theirs (Dad still has his, brother's was destroyed in an accident) I have an '03 Golf that I bought new in December of '02. Absolutely no problems.
 

tdi_lamb

Well-known member
Joined
May 24, 2002
Location
Oshawa, Ontario
TDI
99' A3 Black Jetta TDI
The most reliable car on the road won't put a smile on your face if you don't like it to begin with. Honda and VW both make "reliable cars" perhaps Honda has a better track record for assembly quality, but they have problems too(ball joints, fuel pumps/filters, distributors to name a few.) I have '99 with 260K KM and I don't think I've spent more than $500 on repairs that aren't a result from regular wear and tear. Engine light has only been on 2 times in 260K KM. I've never had to walk either. I'm sure a Honda would be about the same. I didn't buy my car because it's the most indestructive vehicle on the road, I bought it because I liked it, and I liked the MPG it gets. When you like the car you drive, it doesn't hurt as much when you get the odd repair bill.

The heart almost always wins when buying a new vehicle. Reliability is only one factor of many to consider when buying a car.
 

tjl

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 19, 2001
Location
California, USA
TDI
2001 Golf GLS
[ QUOTE ]

Thing is, a Jetta TDI wagon suits my needs perfectly: economical (86 cents/liter up here), practical (can haul plane parts around), good looking. But is it reliable? My list so far is fairly short due to the paucity of dealers in my area: I'm considering another Accord (4-cyl), a Civic Si sedan, an Acura EL, or just buying out the current ride's lease and hanging on to her for a couple more years, but none of those offer wagon practicality, the only real competitor to the VW Jetta wagon is the Ford Focus wagon and that isn't exactly a pristine example of reliability either (actually for the price of a Jetta a Taurus wagon would be a possibility but that throws the economy idea out the window).

[/ QUOTE ]

Other possible alternatives would be the Toyota Prius, Scion xB, Toyota Matrix, or Pontiac Vibe. All of these are good at the fuel economy (but, except for the Prius, not as good as the TDI), and should have typical Toyota reliability, but may not be as big in the cargo area as a Jetta wagon or Focus wagon (but worth a look if you are willing to consider a Golf).
 

MaxThrust

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 13, 2003
Location
Twosun, AZ
TDI
99.5 Jetta
I am on my third VW since about '83, I had major problems with the first one, a VW Diesel P/U, that went away after I was taught how to drive it properly. We had an '85 Golf gasser for about 4 years that we drove into the dirt with only one repair to a steering component and a replaced water pump. My current '99.5 GLS TDI is amazing, I really love the car and have only had a couple of problems. Look at the FAQ, those are the problems I have had.

Overall, I love the car. My wife and I fight over who gets to drive it daily. Our other vehicle is a 2003 Navigator, it drives perfectly, but with no personality. Everyone who has ridden in the VW is astounded, and then floored when they hear the mileage after feeling the performance.

I told my wife the other day that I was going to go 'look' for another car. I would consider buying one if, and only if, I could find one that was faster, cheaper, and got better mileage. I think you would find it almost impossible to find all three in one vehicle, even the hybrids. If you can find one faster at highway speeds, then I want a race from Twosun, AZ to Colorado Springs, CO, almost 800 miles. With luck, I will make it on one tank of fuel. In fact, I have on more than one trip. I seriously doubt the existence of many other vehicles that could manage that feat.

Just my $.02 worth, YMMV!

Mike /images/graemlins/cool.gif
 

Toronto_Vento

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Nov 7, 2002
Location
Richmond Hill, ON
TDI
01 Baltic Green Bora
I hear the new Dodge Magnum will be a reliable car (heck, half of the thing is Mercedes parts), and it has a V6 which switches off some cylinders while cruising. But I never buy a new car when it is first introduced...bad news.

Anyhow, my 98 Jetta has been a reliable car so far. I bought it used about 40 000 kms ago (has about 160 000 on it now) and so far I had a bad glowplug about 2 weeks ago which I fixed myself, and a bad glowplug relay about 1 year ago. That's it. If you don't like doing repairs/maintenance on your own cars, then for reliability, I would say go Jap. Boring, but you know that in general when you turn the key, it will start, and you can go. To be honest, if one of the Jap companies would come out with a diesel, I would seriously consider it. Mind you, I like tinkering with cars, so the odd thing here and there isn't a big issue for me.

Reliable cars for Jap? Turn to Toyota, Honda, maybe Nissan and also Mazda...but in that order. VWs tend to have problems, but not so much the diesels as the gassers, but the TDIs have their problems too. Apparently Consumers Reports just did a survey and the European cars have as many incidents per 100 cars as North American. From what is told, though...the European cars seem to have big problems with electrical components.
 

PlaneCrazy

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jan 3, 2000
Location
Province of Quebec, Canada
TDI
Gone...
Thanks for the replies. My '02 Accord now has about the same mileage as my Jetta did when I traded it.

So far in that period there was one ball joint to replace under warranty and that's it. Never left me stranded, just drove me crazy with clunking which I had fixed during an oil change.

The Jetta was another story. In the time I had it, oil leak, peeling paint, glove box door, power door lock. Those were the "little things". MAF and water pump were the big ones. And after I traded it it, the new owner had another MAF failure after driving it off the lot, and shortly after the main wiring harness somehow got screwed up (corrosion according to the dealer) and the car just died on the autoroute.

I also had some fun looking at the Chrysler site. The Sprinter pax. van looks cool, Mercedes CDI 5-cyl diesel, 8 pax capacity (up to 10 available), practical looking. But the $40k price tag made me choke. Why doesn't someone offer a decent minivan with a diesel???

Gern: yep, C23 (Sundowner), my third plane, good useful load, 180 hp, slow (max 115 knots cruise) but strong climb, and best yet, certified for aerobatics (probably the only 4-seater that I know of that is; there were only 32 of 'em made and I have one!).
 

Arthur

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 19, 2004
Location
canada
TDI
04 jetta
I have a PD jetta and live in toronto. This year we had a really cold few months. Probably not as cold as you get, but still awefully cold compared to other years. I deliberately parked the car out of the garage on the coldest days to see how she'd start up. So far so good. She's a little clumsy in the very cold start and smokes for a 10 seconds or so, but its a diesel after all.

I had a Honda before this jetta, and other hondas before that. You are comparing apples and oranges. There are certain aspects one has that the other will just never have and vise versa. Honda gives you idiot proof car. Many a times I changed the oil on a honda and when I remove the drain plug its like drip drip drip, no oil!! Fill em up and they purr out of a the shop like a kitten. Try doing that on some other japanese engines, namely the camry.

Volkswagon gives you a car that feels solid and a way more intelligent and cozy interior, I've never driven a Honda yet that had that solid feel that VW gives you.

Reading through your list of options, I'd say try the 04 TDI, its a bargain price and a class act car. I wouldn't buy out a honda lease, gonna be too much $$$. Of course I can't comment on long term reliabillity of my 04 cause its new, but I assure you nowadays every make has its share of problems.

Ex. Had a toyota camry come in the other day. The shifting was all messed up. The tranny felt horrible and check engine light was on. He was quoted around 2000 to repair the transmission and was looking for a second opinion. Here's what I found. The car had a dead park netural switch which tells the computer what gear you're engaged in. Upon replacing the switch half his problems were gone but it still felt like crap. Further testing revealed a 15 amp fuse for the tailights where the book shows a 10 amp fuse. Inspectin the tail lights found chaffed wiring harness in the trunk and some of the rear lighting was shorting to the body. Repaired the wiring, and tranny works perfect. I repeat, repair rear tailight wiring, tranny works perfect. /images/graemlins/confused.gif We deliberately undid the broken wire and connected it to the body and it was all messed up again. Thats a toyota, supposed to be the ultimate car. /images/graemlins/smirk.gif Hondas, remember the earlier ones, where the front brake rotor sat behind the hub and bolted up to it. Thousands of people burnt up those brakes prematurely cause of a bad design. Some of these later ones are plagued with SRS failures.

They all have their share of problems. I say get the pd engine, it sounds cool!! Then laugh your ass off when you go fill up the trip meter reads 1100 km /images/graemlins/grin.gif
 

PlaneCrazy

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jan 3, 2000
Location
Province of Quebec, Canada
TDI
Gone...
My Jetta TDI never did have cold start problems, at least down to -36C. Once I was in Chicoutimi on business. The first night it went down to -36C (digital thermometer at bank across the street) and the car started-laboriously-but it started. The next night it went down to -37C and I needed a boost to start it. I had a good technique, I would shut off everything electrical in the car (handbrake on to ensure DRLs didn't light), two cranks of the glow plugs, then fire. Worked every time. Noise, smoke and clatter for a few seconds but then we were on our way.

Half the fun of a diesel was learning how to drive it properly /images/graemlins/grin.gif

Incidentally I still own a diesel: an 18 hp Kubota 3-cyl garden tractor. Love the thing. So much torque I can't stall it when blowing snow (unlike my previous Deere John gasser). Wheels will spin first.
 

MrMopar

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 1, 2003
Location
Bloomington, IL
TDI
none
[ QUOTE ]
I hear the new Dodge Magnum will be a reliable car (heck, half of the thing is Mercedes parts), and it has a V6 which switches off some cylinders while cruising. But I never buy a new car when it is first introduced...bad news.

[/ QUOTE ]

I can't testify to the the reliability of the new Magnum, but I wouldn't expect for it to get even decent mileage due to the weight of the vehicle.

It will be available with two V-6 engines and one V-8 (the 5.7L Hemi from the Ram trucks). The base V-6 is a 2.7L that makes 190hp. The mid-level V-6 is the 3.5L that makes 250hp. And the top level R/T model will have the 5.7L Hemi with 330hp. All come with automatic transmissions, so I won't be buying this car until a manual is offered with the Hemi. No V-6 will have cylinder deactivation, only the V-8 model will feature that as standard. Supposedly it boosts fuel economy by up to 20% with a 10% overall average increase, but when the mileage will be something like 19 MPG highway to begin with there is not much to gain with 10% improvements
 

AutoDiesel

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 23, 2000
Location
Pacific Northwest
[ QUOTE ]
No V-6 will have cylinder deactivation, only the V-8 model will feature that as standard. Supposedly it boosts fuel economy by up to 20% with a 10% overall average increase, but when the mileage will be something like 19 MPG highway to begin with there is not much to gain with 10% improvements

[/ QUOTE ]

In the latest Autoweek article about the new '05 Chrysler 300C (the sedan version of the Dodge Magnum) the mileage ratings were......
2.7L - 21/28mpg
3.5L - 19/27mpg
5.7L - 17/25mpg

If they can get those figures with a Hemi, just think what they could do with the their new hybrid 4.0L V8. 313hp and 621 lb/ft of torque! It would have close to the same performance figures and get 30mpg or better highway!

A nice diesel Magnum would be the ticket!
 

McBrew

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Oct 30, 2002
Location
Annapolis, MD
TDI
2003 Golf GLS TDI, 5 speed, Silver/Grey
[ QUOTE ]
The Sprinter pax. van looks cool, Mercedes CDI 5-cyl diesel, 8 pax capacity (up to 10 available), practical looking. But the $40k price tag made me choke.

[/ QUOTE ]

Plane, you should be able to find an 8 passenger Sprinter for around $30k. I've got the longest wheelbase and tall roof on my cargo version and it was about $33k. I have seen passenger ones cheaper than that, especially the short WB 8 passenger model.

Sorry to hijack this thread... uhh... get the TDI! It's been said before -- if you can't stand to do a little work on your car, or you really don't want to spend any time in the shop, a TDI is probably not for you. However (as you know), they are fun to own and drive. They are addictive. There's something about driving a Honda... something lacking. VWs are fun, and TDIs add another level of excitement -- great fuel economy!
 

farmerchuck

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 29, 2001
Location
medina,ohio,usa
I have a 2000 Jetta TDI 5 speed. The only repair I have paid for is $50.00 for a glow plug. (I know, could have bought it cheaper on line) Very pleased so far. Warranty repair for window regulator. The car just turned 50,000 miles this morning.
 

MrMopar

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 1, 2003
Location
Bloomington, IL
TDI
none
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
No V-6 will have cylinder deactivation, only the V-8 model will feature that as standard. Supposedly it boosts fuel economy by up to 20% with a 10% overall average increase, but when the mileage will be something like 19 MPG highway to begin with there is not much to gain with 10% improvements

[/ QUOTE ]

In the latest Autoweek article about the new '05 Chrysler 300C (the sedan version of the Dodge Magnum) the mileage ratings were......
2.7L - 21/28mpg
3.5L - 19/27mpg
5.7L - 17/25mpg

If they can get those figures with a Hemi, just think what they could do with the their new hybrid 4.0L V8. 313hp and 621 lb/ft of torque! It would have close to the same performance figures and get 30mpg or better highway!

A nice diesel Magnum would be the ticket!

[/ QUOTE ]

I stand corrected on the fuel economy figures. I was basing an educated guess on the dismal fuel economy that the Hemi makes in the Ram pickups. I thought that the weight of the vehicle would make the V-6 numbers less than stellar as well, but for such a vehicle those numbers quoted are better than I expected.
 

PlaneCrazy

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jan 3, 2000
Location
Province of Quebec, Canada
TDI
Gone...
More on this story. I'm busting the mileage limit by a fair margin on my lease. If I wait until lease end I will have to pay a $4000 mileage penalty. The kicker is that if I trade now the differential between lease residual and the trade-in value is about $3000, with the VW dealer willing to "split the difference" on a TDI wagon. So in other words, $1500. Compared to $4k, on a car that would save me about $100 in fuel. Also, interestingly, the resale value of my Accord with 70k km and 2.2 years, is $2500 less than my previous TDI with 80k km and 2.9 years. I researched on the Canadian Black Book site and those resale numbers are holding.

So I'm tempted. Very tempted I was also considering another Accord since the current one has been very satisfying. But I think I like my current one better. The new generation has steering that is too light, and the seat's not as comfy as in my '02, although the engine is silkier and the handling first-rate. So I either run the '02 to end of lease and buy it out and run it for a few more years, or get a new car, probably a TDI, real soon.

Stay tuned.
 

ironclad

Member
Joined
Mar 11, 2004
Location
NJ
TDI
04 Jetta wagon
We went thru similar thought process. She wanted a wagon w/ 5-speed, high mpg, and lots of safety features, and of course high reliability. Couldn't find a Ford Focus ZTW wagon w/ 5-speed to test drive, doesn't like suv's much, didn't want AWD. Test drove a Jetta TDI wagon, and she liked it. Have same concerns as you regarding reliability, read all we could, especially this forum, and bought the car, hoping the TDI is more reliable than average Jetta. Pleased with car so far, and hoping for the best.
 
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