SuperCommuting thread

soldierguy

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 13, 2004
Location
California
TDI
'15 Jetta TDI S DSG
I'm at about 45,000 miles now, and unexpectedly had to get new tires today. The stock Continentals would have lasted another 5-10,000 miles, but I picked up a nail yesterday at work. I decided that since the tires were going to need replacing soon anyway that I'd just do them all now. Unfortunately due to time being tight, I didn't have much choice on tires. I went with General Altimax RT-43 tires...generally good reviews on tire rack and they performed well in their testing, so we'll see how they work out for me.
More tire fun. Every day I drive down a highway that gets a lot of farm traffic, whether it is actual produce, buses hauling farm workers with porta-potties in tow, tractors, etc. And where I work there's a lot of construction going on, so people are always picking up nails in their tires. And the last couple miles to get to work has some really bad potholes...every now and then someone hits one and destroys something on their car.

I guess it was my turn again to hit something 10 days ago...in the dark and fog. This time it was part of a 4X4 post laying across the highway. I had a choice of hitting the post with the driver's side wheels, swerving into a truck, or swerving off the road into a barbed-wire fence and a ditch. So I hit the post. It slightly bent the front wheel, put a huge dent in the rear wheel, and literally blew a hole in the side of the rear tire.

I had the car checked out, and it is fine. So I'm taking this opportunity to replace the steel wheels & hubcaps with OEM-style alloys, and I'll be using the wheels & tires from the right side of the car as full-size spares. Given the distances & speeds I drive every day, the space-saver doesn't cut it. I'll keep one full size wheel & tire in the car (fits perfectly in the spare tire well), and keep another backup full-size spare at the house. That should mean that with the next flat I get, I can get it taken care of at my convenience, rather than having to take care of it immediately. I'm sure I'll get another flat...in the 2.5 years I've been doing this commute, I've had 5 flats.
 

soldierguy

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 13, 2004
Location
California
TDI
'15 Jetta TDI S DSG
Wow...it's been a while since I've posted in here! That's a good sign though, as the car has been running great. I'm about to hit 70K miles, and hopefully get the phase 2 emissions fix done at the same time as the 70K service.

Occasionally I'll get a weird glitch when I start it up. The gear indicator is blank, the fuel gauge doesn't show how much fuel is in the tank, and the various fuel economy/outside temperature/etc displays don't show. Sometimes they pop back in on their own, sometimes they wait until the next restart. It's only happened a handful of times. That's it...that's the only thing that has acted strange since I bought the car.

But my supercommuting days are numbered. I have a firm job offer with a tentative start date of April 15th. It's a promotion, and it's about 20 minutes from the house with a super-easy drive. I'm probably going to leave the Jetta parked at home and ride the motorcycle or bicycle to work most days. That will be fantastic!
 
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IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
I used to travel a lot for work (mostly air travel) and although you may not mind doing it, it's a revelation to find out how much of your life you get back when you stop. I have a 20 minute commute and a regular schedule now and I love it. Don't miss traveling at all.
 

andreigbs

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 27, 2004
Location
Walworth Co., Wisconsin
TDI
N/A
Thanks for an encouraging thread in more ways than one.

I commute 200 miles daily to get to work and back home, so I know how it feels to be on the road a lot. Granted, Chicagoland traffic makes any commute worse.

I bought my Jetta with 18xxx on the clock less than a year ago, it now sits at 39xxx and doing just fine.

The only thing I complain about regularly after my stints is the seat, both the cushion and the lower back support is lacking. Ideas on additional lumbar support would be appreciated.

I've only been doing this commute the past year and I'll only do it until I find a local job for which the pay is equivalent. Until then, Wolfie will continue seeing 800 miles per week every week (I do get one remote day...).
 

soldierguy

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 13, 2004
Location
California
TDI
'15 Jetta TDI S DSG
Well, I traded in the Jetta TDI. I was sad to see it go, but since I wasn't doing the crazy commute anymore, it made less sense. I wanted to sit a little higher, get back to a manual transmission, and have a wagon/hatchback body style to make the runs to home depot easier.
So I picked up a new 2019 VW Golf Alltrack, base trim level (no moonroof), manual transmission, Great Falls Green paint, and Marrakesh brown leatherette upholstery. The exact model, transmission, and color combination I wanted. VW's 0% financing just sweetened the deal. I miss the fuel economy and the torque of the TDI, but the Alltrack makes up for it in other ways. The interior material quality is a significant step up from the Jetta, it handles better, I love having a manual again, it looks fantastic to my eyes, and the extra ride height and cargo space is appreciated.


 
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herbstmg

New member
Joined
Jun 13, 2020
Location
Texas
TDI
Looking to buy
Thanks for all of the updates SoldierGuy! I just purchased a 2014 jetta MT this weekend. I am loving it on my 150 mile, daily commute. I am still on my first tank, wondering how long I can go within the work week. Before this I would drive a Silverado averaging 17 mpg, filling up every two days. That was a nightmare. I really appreciate the time you put into these updates over the last few years! Wish you the best with your new ride.
 

tdi_514

Active member
Joined
Nov 8, 2018
Location
Montreal, Canada
TDI
2014 Jetta TDI DSG
2014 TDI DSG, bought at around 78,000km and 1.5 years later I'm at 135,000km. I commute about 130km (65km each way) and it's 99% highway.
I used to get 6.5l/100km driving 120km/h but since I dropped down to around 90-110/km it dropped to 5.5l/100km.

I driver very conservatively and in the first year I had my turbo stick (wastegate) which was luckily fixed under the emissions warranty. I also notice when I wanna step on it the engine hesitates and bogs down as if it doesn't know which gear to go to.
I don't know if I wanna keep this car for long, initially I wanted to drive it till it died but now I'm not so sure.
 

dhuddleson

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 15, 2007
Location
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
TDI
2012 Jetta Highline TDI sedan
I also notice when I wanna step on it the engine hesitates and bogs down as if it doesn't know which gear to go to.
I don't know if I wanna keep this car for long, initially I wanted to drive it till it died but now I'm not so sure.
When was the fuel filter last changed? Maybe a major service is due...
 
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