New TDI enthusiasm? Opinions on where we are 2 plus years post-scandal?

After YEARS of wanting a TDI and never quite pushing the button - I decided in November of 2018 that it's now or maybe never. So I brought home my 2015 Golf TDI SEL. CPO.

Incentives? Sweet warranty that is standard for all TDI's containing the approved fix, then VW added to that with the two year bumper to bumper for CPO cars.

All the above - and what seems like a fairly steady supply of "BUY BACK" cars that VW has thankfully chosen to sell to dealers rather than destroying, and is paying for the agreed-upon fixes - would seem there should be a fair number of new TDI enthusiasts out there.

Of course - I may be delusional due to wearing my VW blue-tinted glasses but I do wonder if the reasonable availability of late model TDI's has actually injected new life into the TDI community.

I realize that I could also be wrong - enthusiasm in the ranks may be dwindling due to mileage improvement with the gassers, "disgust" with VW for the scandal, but what is the temperature here amongst the TDI faithful?

For my part - I am really enjoying my 'new to me' car, and expect to continue to enjoy it for a LOOONNNNGGGG time. So I'm interested in re-kindled TDI events, more info, et al.

There have to be a lot of new folks coming into TDIs now for similar reasons. I am curious as to what everyone thinks for the future of our little 'cult'?

Would love to hear both other TDI noobs and long-time TDI geeks on the state of the union.

sorry to derail your thread, but how much did you pay, and what options/mileage does your car have?

My enthusiasm is burning as hot as ever. I bought a Golf for my son this year, then when it wrecked, I bought another one. Also have an Audi 3.0 TDI. For me the extended warranty on engine and emissions systems is the cornerstone. My plan is to drive diesels until the extended warranty expires (end of 2024 for the 3.0, 2027 for the 2.0), then figure out what to do next.

I kinda want to look up the value of an A6 TDI with quarto now
[edit]
Hahahaha!
https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/756131892/overview/

Most were in mid 20s-35 too much for my blood (all though this is the only way to get a heated steering wheel for the wife).

My thinking is similar to Mythdoc. Basically keep the car on the road as long as I can. The question for me is: will there be a skilled, dedicated group that will crank out DIYs for larger maintenance projects needed as the car(s) age.

My thinking similar to Mythdoc, except that if the emissions become a problem then I'll probably delete them and motor on.

I'd really like an A6 TDI, but I agree 740GLE. Simply too rich for my blood. Maybe I'll grab one on the cheap in a few years. People will run from them when they are 6 or7 years old with 150k miles and they will probably cost single digits.

I've had my '15 TDI S DSG for about 7 months now. I have nothing negative to say about it except I kinda wish I had the SEL seats. The S seats are OK but not that great. I have a wonder works back support (think that's the name....got off Amazon) and it's a game changer so now the seat is fine.

Car handles great, gas mpg great, and it never feels underpowered....provided a good kick in the butt with the torque. I hope to keep it a long time as well. I just really don't "need" a diesel as I don't drive much and work from home. That tempts me to trade it for a faster car (ie. M240i) b/c I'm an idiot.

I am in the same camp as the OP. After a few years of looking for a TDI I realized that time may be running out to the opportunity to own one. Pulled the trigger on a 2015 Passat TDI SEL in October. I have really enjoyed the car and look forward to driving it for many years to come.


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Mythdoc said:

My enthusiasm is burning as hot as ever. I bought a Golf for my son this year, then when it wrecked, I bought another one. Also have an Audi 3.0 TDI. For me the extended warranty on engine and emissions systems is the cornerstone. My plan is to drive diesels until the extended warranty expires (end of 2024 for the 3.0, 2027 for the 2.0), then figure out what to do next.

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I'm jealous of the warranty you guys get in the US ! Only two years on mine, but I paid half price so no complaints here.

That warranty has to be worth $4k alone not to mention peace of mind for almost a decade

sootchucker said:

sorry to derail your thread, but how much did you pay, and what options/mileage does your car have?

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You obviously did not derail this the thread - lol.

I can tell you this having looked at several SEL cars: manual trans usually adds $1500, CP0 maybe the same. Avg dealer asking price is probably $18.5 on these cars, but one dealer was asking nearly $20k for two Golf SEL manuals. They are a bit more scarce. An S would be $1500 less. Passats and Beetles seem to be $2-3 k less; it seems most popular are the Golfs and Sportwagens, but I was VERY tempted by a 2015 Passat SE at around $15.5 that was a beautiful car.

Not inexpensive but I think the cars are excellent values now given the warranty’s.

Makes me wonder - GM once again ALMOST got it right by bringing a diesel power plant from Germany for the Cruze, then they killed the Cruze this week. This made me even happier to stick with VW and even though diesel cars seem to be dwindling in the US (Mazda, Cruze, BMW, VW) there are still plenty of dIesel TRUCKS being sold so I don’t think there is any danger of fuel becoming scarce.

All in all - good place to be right now IMHO




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I also just bought a 2015 GSW TDI CPO a couple weeks ago. I have had nothing but TDI's since 2000. Still have (and use) my 2003 Jetta TDI. I just like diesels-and was considering getting a diesel truck-but they are just too expensive. I drove 350 miles to a dealer in Wisconsin to get mine......the Passat's are really nice too......it was hard deciding btwn the GSW and the Passat.

As a parts supplier, we've seen a huge jump in sales for maintenance and other products for MKVI and VII TDIs. Some products sales have increased tenfold. So we're definitely seeing a resurgence in TDI interest and ownership.

michTDI said:

......it was hard deciding btwn the GSW and the Passat.

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For what it's worth, the GSW has better ratings from IIHS.

https://www.iihs.org/iihs/ratings/vehicle/v/volkswagen/golf-sportwagen-4-door-wagon/2015

https://www.iihs.org/iihs/ratings/vehicle/v/volkswagen/passat-4-door-sedan/2015

(Not sure what they changed from 15 to 16, but if the 16 is marginal on the passenger small overlap, I'm not optomistic that the unrated 15 (or 14) are any better. VW either changed something structurally or IIHS changed something in the metrics bc the 16 upgraded the driver small overlap from acceptable in 15 to good in 16)

I ended up with GSW because of versatility of having the wagen. But I am pretty tall-and there is more headroom with the Passat. Also the seats in Passat were more comfortable. Seats in GSW probably feel great for someone who is 5'7" but it doesn't fit my back very well......

michTDI said:

I ended up with GSW because of versatility of having the wagen. But I am pretty tall-and there is more headroom with the Passat. Also the seats in Passat were more comfortable. Seats in GSW probably feel great for someone who is 5'7" but it doesn't fit my back very well......

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Even if one doesn't feel the need for most of the upgrades in the top trim level (SEL / Highline), getting the sport seats (in leather - but i'd be fine if it was cloth like the GTI as well) is so totally worth it as far as I'm concerned. So much more comfortable than the S/SE "flat" seats.

Thankfully, VWs decision to release the cars back into circulation has extended the lifespan of the mk7 TDI by many years. For parts suppliers, it's a numbers/volume economics calculation. More cars in circulation = greater parts demand = more parts availability at cheaper prices.

However, the oem extended warranty has stalled the aftermarket/performance market for mk7 TDI power train parts. Greatly reduced volume of people in our post DG world willing to sacrifice the extended warranty by modding their cars. Considering the extended warranty, the long term outlook for the performance parts market for mk7 TDI may be bleak. The sweet spot for warranty expirations is 10-12 years. By then, most folks will likely have moved on to other cars.

Bought mine last year. Just only wish I can find cheap LED headlights so I can swap out my Halogens.... and upgrade my infotainment system without paying an arm and a leg.

You can get cheap, or you can get good; with headlights, I'd opt for the latter.

Price-wise for "good", you're probably not going to do better than Ed's (becautoparts.com) with the added bonus that he's in Vancouver, so shipping isn't a nightmare (present Canada Post parcel backlog, notwithstanding).

I'm excited to see some of these TDIs back in the market. I've been driving TDIs for the last 10 years and was looking to upgrade to a 15 Golf. Hoping the prices go down as more TDIs make their way into the market.

I'm sure there are a lot of folks that are still seeking medical attention because of the royal screwing they got from VW on their DieselGate cars. For VW Diesels, my BRM is the end of the line for VW Diesels.

I really wanted to like the EA288 engine, but when I saw the completely bogus complexity built int it, I thought no way. Seriously, we need to put a leash on the EPA so that VW can stop implementing emission standard that do almost nothing for the environment on a global scale yet cost car owners thousands of dollars in emission repairs.

Ol'Rattler said:

I'm sure there are a lot of folks that are still seeking medical attention because of the royal screwing they got from VW on their DieselGate cars.

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I don't think this is tongue-in-cheek, but it should be. Apparently you haven't been reading all the posts from people bragging about how much they received from VW for their used TDIs during the buyback. More appropriate would be that VW got screwed.

^^You are too kind. A willfully misinformed comment like the one above could only come across as “tongue in cheek” in a skit on Saturday Night Live. I wrote a lot more just now, then deleted it because I realized that this is how trolls win, by getting the rest of us to veer off topic.

IndigoBlueWagon said:

I don't think this is tongue-in-cheek, but it should be. Apparently you haven't been reading all the posts from people bragging about how much they received from VW for their used TDIs during the buyback. More appropriate would be that VW got screwed.

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O.K. I guess a lot of people made out very well. I was referring to others that were on the dark side of the buyback that were put in a very bad financial position for various reasons when they tried to sell back their cars. Some people did have to spend some major cash in some cases to make their cars eligible for the buyback.

Not tongue in cheek for those people.

Ol'Rattler said:

O.K. I guess a lot of people made out very well. I was referring to others that were on the dark side of the buyback that were put in a very bad financial position for various reasons when they tried to sell back their cars. Some people did have to spend some major cash in some cases to make their cars eligible for the buyback.

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No they weren't. No one required them to sell the car back. Besides, requirement for selling the car back was only that the car had to get to the dealer under its own power. Cars with serious mechanical problems were sold back. Wrecked cars were sold back. I don't think anyone took a financial hit selling a car back to VW.

Kind of an oversimplification me thinks. Check out this thread: http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=468549&highlight=hpfp

I remember several post from people that had bad experiences with the recall and will post back if I can find those threads. Fair enough?

Come on Rattler, give it up. We all made out like bandits while you're stuck with your old cam eating brm. Just accept it.

Rjamesohio said:

I realize that I could also be wrong - enthusiasm in the ranks may be dwindling due to mileage improvement with the gassers, "disgust" with VW for the scandal, but what is the temperature here amongst the TDI faithful?

For my part - I am really enjoying my 'new to me' car, and expect to continue to enjoy it for a LOOONNNNGGGG time. So I'm interested in re-kindled TDI events, more info, et al.

There have to be a lot of new folks coming into TDIs now for similar reasons. I am curious as to what everyone thinks for the future of our little 'cult'?

Would love to hear both other TDI noobs and long-time TDI geeks on the state of the union.

Click to expand...

I'm still driving my GSW completely stock. It's only got 30K miles on it since I bought it in 2015 and the original tires still look brand new. I am an enthusiast and didn't need the cash, so didn't even consider getting the "fix". The whole dieselgate nonsense did not diminish my enthusiasm in the TDI, but surely did injure my future intentions vis-à-vis Volkswagen.

I would probably buy another TDI in the future if the opportunity came up and the price was right, but I'm not going to follow any future VW development.

Back in with Mk 6 Golf, liking it

I thought I would never drive a TDI again when I turned in my 2012 Golf in 2017 for more than I paid for it three years earlier. But I missed the car, the warranties and pricing were attractive, and performance seems ok - so two weeks ago. I bought a 2011 Golf TDI, DSG this time, 45,000 miles, CPO warranty.
So far, I am thrilled! Engine does not seem to have lost much with the fix, and the DSG is MUCH better. Miss the pre-fix mpg.
Sooo... I am back — with (tentative) enthusiasm. ;’)

turbobrick240 said:

Come on Rattler, give it up. We all made out like bandits while you're stuck with your old cam eating brm. Just accept it.

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Regardless, I have no horse in this race anyway. Just IMVHO voicing my utter distaste for the 2009 thru 2014 cars. And quite true. Many people made out like bandits.

Not stuck at all. I did replace the cam somewhat preemptively (early signs of wear) when I did my 1st T/B. The new cam included reworked bearing and some addition oiling improvements. When I did my 2nd T/B, the replacement cam with 100K miles on it showed no signs of premature wear. Most likely I won't keep my car past 350K to 400K miles so I probably won't ever have to replace my 2nd cam.

Unlike a 2009 thru 2014 CR which will be BER (Beyond Economic Repair) when it is 5 to 7 years old. Let's see:

• HPFP failure which requires complete fuel system replacement.
• Premature turbo replacement at about 120K miles because of nose bleed high EGR temps from regens.
• Premature cracked DPF replacement do to poor engineering.
• If the DPF fails the cat will need to be replaced because it is the same housing. (2009 only)
• De contented option packages for some years.

I could not imagine spending thousands of dollars in repairs on a car when it reaches the 5 to 7 year old mark.

Ol'Rattler said:

Unlike a 2009 thru 2014 CR which will be BER (Beyond Economic Repair) when it is 5 to 7 years old. Let's see:

• HPFP failure which requires complete fuel system replacement.
• Premature turbo replacement at about 120K miles because of nose bleed high EGR temps from regens.
• Premature cracked DPF replacement do to poor engineering.
• If the DPF fails the cat will need to be replaced because it is the same housing. (2009 only)
• De contented option packages for some years.

I could not imagine spending thousands of dollars in repairs on a car when it reaches the 5 to 7 year old mark.

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All of these items are covered under the extended emissions warranty. In the case of my 2015 they're covered until the car reaches 162K miles or 2028, whichever comes first.