My purchase.

I had been looking for a VW TDI in my price range for some time. My dad has a leaf and my sister has a hybrid but I really like the idea of the mileage and performance in one convenient package. I also want to play with bio fuels and CNG. One day I came across this one.

http://www.ksl.com/auto/listing/14196946

2004 Golf GLS TDI 209,000 miles with cargo carrier and snow tires. The timing belt had been replaced recently ($900). Exterior and interior are in good condition, comes with cargo carriers and snow tiers (not studly)

After a quick test drive we negotiated from 8k to 6.5k and I bought it up. I know they blue book around 6 and typically sell higher than book.

The seller had replaced it with a newer Jetta after just a year and 50k miles. In conversation after the deal was inked I found out that he had bought it for $9k and the dealer would only offer $2k as a trade in.

I didn't really think much of it but now I am getting all hypochondriacy thinking that the dealer knew something I should have known. What if say the timing belt was not changed on schedule but broke during operation and the engine was damaged or something like that.

It has a grumble when idling and the turbo whines under load but those are probably normal for this type of car. Is their anything particular I should check? I read something about testing cylinder pressure.

Also what other maintenance should I do, after a bit of lurking around some old posts cleaning the intake and inter-cooler come to mind.

The guys at work, in the same sentence, said it was a chick car and that I should totally put in an after market turbo.

The first 'mod' I did to it was take off those fuel deconomising cargo carriers. Next I'm thinking about hacking the stereo to have a real aux port and getting some defogging treatment for the plastic on the head lights.

Sounds like you should have it inspected by one of our trusted mechanics. Link in my sig.

Lightflyer1 said:

Sounds like you should have it inspected by one of our trusted mechanics. Link in my sig.

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What would they look for, what would he charge to look?
If the timing belt did break during operation what damage would have occurred?

to start out with, I would say you got a decent deal. Beautiful car and has a manual transmission to boot! Manual transmission TDIs are generally more desirable than autos.

Timing belt is definitely as issue. When a belt breaks on these cars, pistons smash valves. Not cheap. I honestly would not trust the seller on that, just too much at stake to take someones word for it. Also many times its not done properly ie: didn't replace water pump, didn't replace idler roller or tentioner, marked the belt instead of using proper lock down tools, ect.

Next are common issues with that car. First and foremost, inspect the camshaft for wear!They are prone to wear if a light weight oil was used(ie 5W-30) regardless if it meets VW specs(505.01) or not. Speaking of that, make sure you use a XW-40 diesel rated synthetic oil. Many like Mobil 1 TDT or Shell rotella T6 and both come in 5W-40 flavors.

Next you mention a rattle at idle and a turbo whine. The rattle at idle could likely be the alternator pully gone bad and the surp belt tensioner is bouncing rapidly. I would recommend replacing those items along with the timing belt anyway. At 200K they are probably at the end of their life.

Finally, the lift pumps in the tank are extremely prone to failure. Yours is probably dead if it was not already replaced. Pull up the back seat and turn the key on. You should hear a hum for a second. If not, its dead and you need to get a new one. They will run just fine without it until a bit of air gets into the system and its game over.

The turbo whine is concerning. They can whine when they are on their way out AKA the death howl.

Noise at idle and turbo whine could also be at normal levels. If you haven't had either a diesel or a turbo before, they're new sounds to get used to. That's why getting your car serviced by a guru is smart if you're not sure. But you're in Utah. Do we have a guru in your area? Check at the top of the thread to find out.

And good luck! I love my silver, 5-door, 5-speed TDI Golf. They're remarkable cars!

Oh, what mpg are you getting (average out three tanks). Some may differ, but you should be getting low 40's in town (upper 30's during the winter), mid 40's on the highway.

BeetleGo said:

Noise at idle and turbo whine could also be at normal levels. If you haven't had either a diesel or a turbo before, they're new sounds to get used to...

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That's what I was hoping.

BeetleGo said:

Oh, what mpg are you getting (average out three tanks). Some may differ, but you should be getting low 40's in town (upper 30's during the winter), mid 40's on the highway.

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It came nearly full and I haven't used more than a half tank yet. I guess I will top it off today so I can start getting data that much sooner.

turbocharged798 said:

to start out with, I would say you got a decent deal. Beautiful car and has a manual transmission to boot! Manual transmission TDIs are generally more desirable than autos.

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Thanks, standard transmission was a requirement for me.

turbocharged798 said:

Timing belt is definitely as issue. When a belt breaks on these cars, pistons smash valves. Not cheap. I honestly would not trust the seller on that, just too much at stake to take someones word for it. Also many times its not done properly ie: didn't replace water pump, didn't replace idler roller or tentioner, marked the belt instead of using proper lock down tools, ect.

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He says he used Autobahn performance in Logan UT, it's not on your list directly but there is a similarly named place in Provo UT. Would it be appropriate to call and quiz them on how they did the replacement?

turbocharged798 said:

Next are common issues with that car. First and foremost, inspect the camshaft for wear!They are prone to wear if a light weight oil was used(ie 5W-30) regardless if it meets VW specs(505.01) or not. Speaking of that, make sure you use a XW-40 diesel rated synthetic oil. Many like Mobil 1 TDT or Shell rotella T6 and both come in 5W-40 flavors.

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I have a bore scope, would that be adequate to inspect the camshaft? What signs of wear would I look for? He had been using Pento high performance II synthetic motor oil SAE5W-40 and changed it around 6k miles (reported verbally not logged) which is a 505 01 rated oil. But I have no idea what the folks before him used.

turbocharged798 said:

Next you mention a rattle at idle and a turbo whine. The rattle at idle could likely be the alternator pully gone bad and the surp belt tensioner is bouncing rapidly. I would recommend replacing those items along with the timing belt anyway. At 200K they are probably at the end of their life.

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Not really a rattle but a grumble. Here is video, it doesn't sound quite as bad as my crappy microphone makes it seem. It normally gets quite a bit better after warm up (was warmed up before my test drive).
http://youtu.be/r318KC8Eueg
I am not planning on replacing the timing belt for another 100k, but I'll check for a bouncing alternator belt.

turbocharged798 said:

Finally, the lift pumps in the tank are extremely prone to failure. Yours is probably dead if it was not already replaced. Pull up the back seat and turn the key on. You should hear a hum for a second. If not, its dead and you need to get a new one. They will run just fine without it until a bit of air gets into the system and its game over.

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I hear the light thud of a relay clicking but no small motor noise. When you say its game over when air gets in the system your really saying its hard to restart or are you saying it destroys something. From what I've read the MK3 didn't even have this pump. I'll try not to run the tank too low until I can get around to this one. I looked up replacing it and it seems I should be able to swap it out myself, would an OEM pump be advisable or are there better solutions.

turbocharged798 said:

The turbo whine is concerning. They can whine when they are on their way out AKA the death howl.

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It's defiantly not a howl, more of a high pitched singing that kicks in at rpm's more than 2k and only under load. But the last diesel car I drove was many years ago it was ancient and did not have a turbo so I think the new noise is just different to me. If the turbo does start going out I take it I will notice?


The pictures of crusty intakes made my skin crawl but after reading the air filter thread it seems these things get plenty of air. would cleaning the intake cause a significant performance increase? I don't think I would risk incurring the wrath of the EPA by cutting out the EGR but I would consider turning it off in software.

Your tensioner is out. Look at 12s the thing is jumping all over

Now the tapping sound I think really calls for you to open the valve cover and have a look at the camshaft and lifters.

I also didn't like too much the rocking of that engine, it is either your motor mounts are tired or the cam is really worn causing a lot of vibration.

BTW: Welcome to Fred's!

Finally, Pento HP2 is what I use and won't change it for anything in the world. I even changed my tranny oil to Pento GL5 and the thing is happy and much softer in the winter.

The fuel lift pump is easier to hear if you pull up the pass side rear seat, the access hatch is just right there. I fixed my dead one with this: http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=336104

Look at the thread by DanG144, everything concerning the lift pump is there. He's the expert

Adap,

I don't see why Autobahn Performance would baulk at giving you their records of your car if you know who did the work. There is NO reason not to at least try. If you don't like the answer, then get the timing belt done again and make sure the pump and tensioner are changed this time.

Your car looks really good. Hoping your mpg turns out good. That's a sign of the overall care it has received over the years.

Good luck!

I wouldn't woory about the dealer offer - they usually aren't interested high milage trades even if they are diesels, since they have to warranty in most states.

You all have been very helpful, thank you. I plan on getting the fuel pump soon and maybe checking the camshaft this weekend. (I would like to inspect the whole head assembly)

In the mean time I had a low tire, nearly flat... Locking lug nut with no key.... I found some air and the tire center fixed the flat with no problem but its still like I'm driving with no spare. So for next time where do you find keys to lug nuts. Or should I just get a new set of locking lug-nuts.

Go to the dealer and see if they have a key. Remove the locks and replace with standard wheel bolts.

In my newbie case I managed to over-torque/shear the forward engine mount bolt. Would I be correct that careful drilling with incremental bit sizes and running a tap in to clean the threads would fix that problem? Or is this a case of a helicoil job?

dickschiltz said:

In my newbie case I managed to over-torque/shear the forward engine mount bolt. Would I be correct that careful drilling with incremental bit sizes and running a tap in to clean the threads would fix that problem? Or is this a case of a helicoil job?

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Your best chance fot an amswer is to create a new post detailing your problem in the MKIV specific forum.