How do you like your 3 litre TDI

Flyboy777

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 5, 2016
Location
Huntsville, Ontario
TDI
2012 VW Passat TDI W DSG
Ok I’m asking all the current Audi owners how they like their TDI. I am thinking of buying a Q7 tdi for my wife and having the vehicle double as our hauling truck to haul a 6000 lb travel trailer. I like how compact this pacakgae is yet more fun to drive than a massive pickup. To me the Q7 is the best of both worlds giving you a potent small footprint with a heavy haul capacity and very good fuel economy for its hauling capability. My only concerns are the long term reliability and maintenance costs in operating a Q7 over the long haul (200,000 miles) I have been told to stay away from the Q7 because of crazy repair bills for this complex engine by a former vw dealer manager (he works at a Toyota deleaership now). Tell me your experiences! Miles on vehicle, type of driving and repair issues. I am particularly concerned about how hot the turbos get during regen as that has great potential to cook the oil ,slugging the engine up. Definitely I’ve also heard that the timing chains are supposed to be a lifetime system but in practise are not so good and can be VERY expensive to replace. I really like to get a Q7 but not sure it will like the drive cycle my wife puts it through being a grocery car only driving 5,000 miles per year but driving about 35 miles per session say once a week. When we retire in 5 years this would be our only vehicle so it would be driven more.
 

Mythdoc

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 28, 2017
Location
Tennessee
TDI
2011 Touareg, 2015 Q5, 2015 Golf
The engine performance would not be an issue. That baby will tow your 6000 pounds and barely break a sweat, so to speak. The longevity of the engine is good, though replacing the HPFP every 120K miles might be a smart move. The emissions system is prone to problems, which are covered for a 10 year period under the extended warranty. At which point you can do an emissions delete and stop worrying completely about those components, lol.

Other parts and systems that may fail or need replacement can be expensive to fix, especially through the dealership. Power windows or tailgate, AC or whatever. Do you have an independent garage nearby that specializes in German cars? Tires are not cheap.

I have owned five VW or Audis recently and have not experienced excessive repair problems. If you go online you’d think that they were all money pits. Not at all what I’ve found, but you do need to do the regular maintenance and teach yourself a little about features that are maybe different than the norm.

The 35 mile commute once a week would not phase me at all. The only thing diesels don’t particularly like are 2 and 3 mile runs, particularly in cold weather.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
You can avoid some of the potential expense with a T'reg with the same engine/trans. They will often have less fragile stuff as standard.

That said, EVERYTHING is expensive on them. Tires and brakes in particular, and they can be pretty hard on them. Especially with mostly city driving.

It really just depends on what you can stomach for a possible, sudden, out of the blue repair cost. Heck, some of these newer headlight assemblies give me the heebie-geebies. I thought the VAG ones that could be as high as $800 apiece were bad... we had a newer Silverado in here that has a set that was over a grand. Each. :eek:

I always caution anyone when considering a T'reg/Q7/Cayenne to remember they are not a Golf or Jetta or Passat.

Personally, I don't think they drive all that great or do anything all that fantastic for what they are. I am not an SUV fan, though, but I am a Volkswagen fan. Still, if I had to choose one, I'd likely buy a Land Cruiser Cygnus or Prado (the latter of which is sold here as the Lexus GX). Then the cheaper version of the Prado but rolling on the same basic underpinnings but with a V6 as standard (V8 optional) is the Toyota 4Runner. The Cygnus was sold at both Toyota and Lexus dealers, the Land Cruiser and LX470, respectively. Of course, no diesels here (but they do have them everywhere else).

If you are really after a diesel SUV, you should also look at the Jeep Grand Cherokee (shared platform with the newer Dodge Durango and Mercedes-benz ML/GL), the MB of course, and the BMW X5. The 3.0L V6 the MB uses has a proven track record, very good engine (we service Sprinters here with over a half million miles on them), and aside from the emissions related stuff, which they ALL have problems with, have not had much of any issues. This engine was also used in older Grand Cherokees before the Fiat takeover. Now the GC uses a VM Motori V6, which is probably less refined than the Volkswagen, certainly less refined than the MB or BMW, but avoids some of the costlier other bits the Germans use. Even if it is cheaper feeling and full of pieces that say "Made in China". Although the last three Audis I had in here for door latch failures also had Chinese parts in the doors. :rolleyes:
 

Flyboy777

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 5, 2016
Location
Huntsville, Ontario
TDI
2012 VW Passat TDI W DSG
The engine performance would not be an issue. That baby will tow your 6000 pounds and barely break a sweat, so to speak. The longevity of the engine is good, though replacing the HPFP every 120K miles might be a smart move. The emissions system is prone to problems, which are covered for a 10 year period under the extended warranty. At which point you can do an emissions delete and stop worrying completely about those components, lol.

Other parts and systems that may fail or need replacement can be expensive to fix, especially through the dealership. Power windows or tailgate, AC or whatever. Do you have an independent garage nearby that specializes in German cars? Tires are not cheap.

I have owned five VW or Audis recently and have not experienced excessive repair problems. If you go online you’d think that they were all money pits. Not at all what I’ve found, but you do need to do the regular maintenance and teach yourself a little about features that are maybe different than the norm.

The 35 mile commute once a week would not phase me at all. The only thing diesels don’t particularly like are 2 and 3 mile runs, particularly in cold weather.
Thank-you for the detailed response. I gather the HPFP causes other cascading failures if not replaced?
Re the emissions quirks, my Passat is the same and I’m glad I invested in an obd2 reader to clear transient codes. So am already up for that and expect that. My 2litre Passat is almost out of warranty now so the first glitch and bam I’m doing the chip and delete and looking forward to the extra tourque and ponies, I mean I love the tourque already!
I am pretty remote up where I am but drop the car in the city at the dealer to get the specialists to take care of my car when heavy maintenance is required. There are a few mechanics who can service the car but no one I know of who specializes in vw.

The Passat is my first vw but I really like how it is made and love to drive it so it was a logical move to think about putting the wife into one. She drives a v6 Venza and it is a pig on fuel (she gets combined 12.5 L/100km and as far as I can tell stepping into a Touareg/Q7 will drop her to 9 ) I am handy so do brakes, DSG, OIL and fuel filter changes myself. Anything heavy duty I usually and glad to hand off the the pro’s.

I plug my Passat in to the block heater in below freezing temps and it is up to temp in 6km vs 30 (canadian cars come standard with a block heater and a cool externally removable plug with a spring loaded flap. )
Re the tow performance I have read about people towing 50’ trailers no problem ... amazing! This is a very potent package and is well engineered.

Some parts are crazy expensive my wife’s Toyota the gas struts on the hatch were 300 each and I sourced the oem struts for 60$ for the pair.
 

Flyboy777

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 5, 2016
Location
Huntsville, Ontario
TDI
2012 VW Passat TDI W DSG
You can avoid some of the potential expense with a T'reg with the same engine/trans. They will often have less fragile stuff as standard.
That said, EVERYTHING is expensive on them. Tires and brakes in particular, and they can be pretty hard on them. Especially with mostly city driving.
It really just depends on what you can stomach for a possible, sudden, out of the blue repair cost. Heck, some of these newer headlight assemblies give me the heebie-geebies. I thought the VAG ones that could be as high as $800 apiece were bad... we had a newer Silverado in here that has a set that was over a grand. Each. :eek:
I always caution anyone when considering a T'reg/Q7/Cayenne to remember they are not a Golf or Jetta or Passat.
Personally, I don't think they drive all that great or do anything all that fantastic for what they are. I am not an SUV fan, though, but I am a Volkswagen fan. Still, if I had to choose one, I'd likely buy a Land Cruiser Cygnus or Prado (the latter of which is sold here as the Lexus GX). Then the cheaper version of the Prado but rolling on the same basic underpinnings but with a V6 as standard (V8 optional) is the Toyota 4Runner. The Cygnus was sold at both Toyota and Lexus dealers, the Land Cruiser and LX470, respectively. Of course, no diesels here (but they do have them everywhere else).
If you are really after a diesel SUV, you should also look at the Jeep Grand Cherokee (shared platform with the newer Dodge Durango and Mercedes-benz ML/GL), the MB of course, and the BMW X5. The 3.0L V6 the MB uses has a proven track record, very good engine (we service Sprinters here with over a half million miles on them), and aside from the emissions related stuff, which they ALL have problems with, have not had much of any issues. This engine was also used in older Grand Cherokees before the Fiat takeover. Now the GC uses a VM Motori V6, which is probably less refined than the Volkswagen, certainly less refined than the MB or BMW, but avoids some of the costlier other bits the Germans use. Even if it is cheaper feeling and full of pieces that say "Made in China". Although the last three Audis I had in here for door latch failures also had Chinese parts in the doors. :rolleyes:
Thanks for taking the time to respond to my post, I appreciate it.
The Touareg is my first choice as it is smaller and fits in the garage better, we don’t need a 7 passenger vehicle but do like the Audi for styling, we certainly don’t need all the bells and whistles but like that you can get air ride suspension on the Q7 it is supposed to make the ride quite plush and the Touareg doesn’t come with that option (at least in North America).
The xenon headlights scare me too and I certainly don’t need them. My Passat is MORE than adequate with standard halogens. The wife’s Venza has xenon sand it is EXCELLENT and FLOODS the road with a bright light. This old boys tired eyes definitely appreciate them but I sure hope I don’t have to replace one (or a pair).
It is good to get a reality check re the cost yes it is not a basic car so don’t expect it to be cheap to operate like my Passat. The buy in cost should be a clue ... fatter wallet required to maintain!

Re the drive yes I get it but this is in place of a full size pickup because one of the missions is to haul a 6000 lb travel trailer .... when viewed from that perspective it is great!

I am considering the Grand Cherokee but really like how refined the TDI is. I know the Motori diesel is less refined and the Cherokee has cheaper made in China feel and can’t really get past that! You get what you pay for and yes things need to be maintained. I am heavily leaning towards the Q7/Touareg for that reason.

Re the Mercedes track record I googled it and came up with this web http://www.stephensservice.com/bluetec-diesel-issuesproblems/ from a mechanic who maintained sprinters and MB his whole career and created this web page and it has me a little freaked. That was why I was originally looking at a BLUTEC. His posts are probably about the 5% problem children but is good food for thought. It got me thinking about my service interval and the oil cooking off and slugging the engine. They certainly don’t like sitting in traffic in stop and go driving when a regen happens as it will. Food for thought. It turns up the diesels Achilles heel of the DPF and regens. I see why purists like to take that stuff off. I get why you say the diesels ALL have this challenge. I would not consider one if I did a lot of stop and go driving in the city as it would cook off the oil. This guy gets into motorcycle oils because of their low volatility but not sure about the ash problem for the DPF. All good food for thought. Thanks once again for your help!
 

Flyboy777

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 5, 2016
Location
Huntsville, Ontario
TDI
2012 VW Passat TDI W DSG
The engine performance would not be an issue. That baby will tow your 6000 pounds and barely break a sweat, so to speak. The longevity of the engine is good, though replacing the HPFP every 120K miles might be a smart move. The emissions system is prone to problems, which are covered for a 10 year period under the extended warranty. At which point you can do an emissions delete and stop worrying completely about those components, lol.

Other parts and systems that may fail or need replacement can be expensive to fix, especially through the dealership. Power windows or tailgate, AC or whatever. Do you have an independent garage nearby that specializes in German cars? Tires are not cheap.

I have owned five VW or Audis recently and have not experienced excessive repair problems. If you go online you’d think that they were all money pits. Not at all what I’ve found, but you do need to do the regular maintenance and teach yourself a little about features that are maybe different than the norm.

The 35 mile commute once a week would not phase me at all. The only thing diesels don’t particularly like are 2 and 3 mile runs, particularly in cold weather.
Re the tires just put new 20 inchers on the wife’s Venza and it was over 2000$ yikes! Not a fan. All the manufactures are jumping on the Chip Foose band wagon and putting on HUGE low profile tires on their cars but the result can be a choppy ride and expensive replacement when they wear out. Not a fan sure they look nice but man do they cost. It is all about the look and what sells. I would rather not buy a Touareg with 20” wheels because I know it is too harsh a ride. But yes it will stiffen up the ride and reduce roll in on a turn.
 

BarryT82

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2010
Location
Charleston, WV
TDI
‘12 JSW TDI
We looked at the GL 350’s and after looking at multiple carfax reports on used on we decided against it. A lot of them had engine issues where the heads and headgaskets were replaced (according to the CarFax) with very low miles on them. The Q5 TDI is fun to drive, but there are a lot of creaks and rattles. Most of them come from the panoramic roof and the rear cargo area. The dealership was less than helpful when trying to get them fixed under warranty. They considered it a trim warranty that ran out at 12 months/12k miles.
 

BigChiefS4

Member
Joined
Feb 23, 2018
Location
Hopkins, MN
TDI
2014 Q5 TDI
We looked at the GL 350’s and after looking at multiple carfax reports on used on we decided against it. A lot of them had engine issues where the heads and headgaskets were replaced (according to the CarFax) with very low miles on them. The Q5 TDI is fun to drive, but there are a lot of creaks and rattles. Most of them come from the panoramic roof and the rear cargo area. The dealership was less than helpful when trying to get them fixed under warranty. They considered it a trim warranty that ran out at 12 months/12k miles.
My 2014 Q5 TDI has 109K on it already, and I've found the sunroof to be pretty rattle-free. As for the rattles in the cargo area, this is fixed in less than 10 mins. Remove the cargo cover and wrap the 4 posts that slide into the slots with adhesive-backed Velcro (the loop side, not the hook side). All rattles gone!
 

BarryT82

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2010
Location
Charleston, WV
TDI
‘12 JSW TDI
We had two Q5 TDI’s and the sunroof rattled on both. There’s a TSB to fix it, but it doesn’t work. Some people have had the frame replaced, but it comes back. There are a few threads on Audizine about it. I tried covering the cargo cover posts in felt and it didn’t work.
 

KITEWAGON

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 29, 2009
Location
Seacoast, NH
TDI
2014 Touareg Exec, 2014 JSW
134k on our 2014 Treg. Completely trouble free. Ours was very well maintained by the previous owner till 110k. Tires cost a fortune and don’t last very long if you have 20” wheels. I’m looking to downsize to 18’s.
 

Pittdawg

Veteran Member
Joined
May 28, 2018
Location
Los Angeles
TDI
2014 Audi Q5 TDI
I have a 2014 Q5 3.0 TDI and like it very much. I had it tuned by APR, installed a Magnaflow catback, AFE Dryflow filter and the Euro SQ5 intercooler and the power and mileage are nothing short of amazing.
 

MEgearhead

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 6, 2016
Location
Virginia
TDI
B5.5, 4L, 4G
We have a'15 and love it. It has 40K on it, is on it's second set of tires, and will need brakes very soon. Looks like it will be a bit expensive to maintain. It's an adjustment compared with my '05 Passat that has 210K on it, and the brakes changed only once.

It's a Sline sport with 21" wheels, and to us drives significantly better than the other 3-row SUVs we have tried. We drove some non-Slines with 19" wheels and did not feel they drove enough better than other options to warrant the cost difference. I would not call the ride harsh, but that's personal preference. It definitely does not lean on it's door handles cornering, or continue the jounce into a rebound on bumps.

The modification nearly ruined the TDI. It's still better than a gasser, but not what it was. The intermittent delay in throttle response is more than annoying. If you're new to TDI or have never driven one pre-mod it may not be that big of a deal. It just that pre-mod the torque was always right now.
 

Pittdawg

Veteran Member
Joined
May 28, 2018
Location
Los Angeles
TDI
2014 Audi Q5 TDI
We have a'15 and love it. It has 40K on it, is on it's second set of tires, and will need brakes very soon. Looks like it will be a bit expensive to maintain. It's an adjustment compared with my '05 Passat that has 210K on it, and the brakes changed only once.

It's a Sline sport with 21" wheels, and to us drives significantly better than the other 3-row SUVs we have tried. We drove some non-Slines with 19" wheels and did not feel they drove enough better than other options to warrant the cost difference. I would not call the ride harsh, but that's personal preference. It definitely does not lean on it's door handles cornering, or continue the jounce into a rebound on bumps.

The modification nearly ruined the TDI. It's still better than a gasser, but not what it was. The intermittent delay in throttle response is more than annoying. If you're new to TDI or have never driven one pre-mod it may not be that big of a deal. It just that pre-mod the torque was always right now.
Grab yourself a Sprintbooster, it helps the throttle response A LOT.
 
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