Brand new Jetta tdi!!!

Kelkel2 said:

Wow!!! Your car is going strong! The exact reason I bought a TDI!
Btw my dealer called today to ask how the car was! I told her great, but asked about the diesel fuel in Illinois. She said anything in Illinois is probably fine but the recommend Shell or BP for quality and do not use biodiesel.

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Biodiesel may be almost impossible to avoid in Illinois, as I believe they mandate 20%. I think that is why VW allows up to 20% for TDI's in Illinois. Here is the deal with biodiesel in modern TDI's with advanced exhaust after treatment. The DPF(diesel particulate filter) removes the soot from the exhaust and helps to give our TDI's their clean reputation. Every once in awhile the cars computer tells the injectors to squirt some extra fuel to help burn off and remove the soot from the DPF. Some of this extra fuel blows past the piston rings and ends up in the oil. Straight diesel that ends up in the oil from this process is no problem as it boils away at engine operating temps, but biodiesel has a higher boiling point and tends to accumulate in the oil, thinning it out and making it less lubricating. This can cause excessive wear. VW says you can run 5% without issues and allows up to 20% for states that have a biodiesel mandate calling for 20%. 5-20% should be fine for your car, just check the oil occasionally, if the oil level rises over time that indicates that you are getting fuel in the oil. This is mentioned in your owners manual under checking your oil, if you haven't read the manual then I highly recommend it You really have nothing to worry about, buy good quality fuel and drive more and worry less Sorry for the long post, sometimes I get rambling on.

I live in Illinois and about to get back into a TDI. Most likely a 2015 Golf. Does anyone know about the BIO-DIESEL content in Wisconsin? As I live near the IL./WI. border.

JDenyer232 said:

Biodiesel may be almost impossible to avoid in Illinois, as I believe they mandate 20%. I think that is why VW allows up to 20% for TDI's in Illinois. Here is the deal with biodiesel in modern TDI's with advanced exhaust after treatment. The DPF(diesel particulate filter) removes the soot from the exhaust and helps to give our TDI's their clean reputation. Every once in awhile the cars computer tells the injectors to squirt some extra fuel to help burn off and remove the soot from the DPF. Some of this extra fuel blows past the piston rings and ends up in the oil. Straight diesel that ends up in the oil from this process is no problem as it boils away at engine operating temps, but biodiesel has a higher boiling point and tends to accumulate in the oil, thinning it out and making it less lubricating. This can cause excessive wear. VW says you can run 5% without issues and allows up to 20% for states that have a biodiesel mandate calling for 20%. 5-20% should be fine for your car, just check the oil occasionally, if the oil level rises over time that indicates that you are getting fuel in the oil. This is mentioned in your owners manual under checking your oil, if you haven't read the manual then I highly recommend it You really have nothing to worry about, buy good quality fuel and drive more and worry less Sorry for the long post, sometimes I get rambling on.

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No worries about the long post! its helpful!! Dealership said they believe Bp and shell had less water in their fuel so that's why they recommended them. Other than that it's difficult to figure out at first who has good quality diesel and who doesn't. I don't want to mess that part up! The person at my local grocery store seemed very competent and said they buy the purest diesel they can and was 5%. So I think I'll try to fill up there.

Both BP and Shell are good well known brands. Unfortunately I don't have either near me. I use either Mobil or Cumberland Farms and have had no problems with either.

JDenyer232 said:

Both BP and Shell are good well known brands. Unfortunately I don't have either near me. I use either Mobil or Cumberland Farms and have had no problems with either.

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Do you have "Loves" truck stop near you! Theres one on the interstate that we pass all the time that sells D2. There's good companies out there, just have to find them

Kelkel2 said:

Do you have "Loves" truck stop near you! Theres one on the interstate that we pass all the time that sells D2. There's good companies out there, just have to find them

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Not that I'm aware of. Truck stops are few and far between in midcoast Maine. Southern Maine heading out of the state has more options but I very rarely am down that way. I usually get it at our local Mobil station, they even provide gloves to keep your hands from smelling like diesel

Diesel's

I am no expert on diesels but have owned just about every manufacturer's diesel engine and thought I'd chime in. I to am a GM guy. Or was.

All diesel. 4x4

2006 Superduty 6.0 Powerjoke. Bought new. 16mpg at best. Turbo failure at 67,000 destroying the engine. New engine replaced under warranty. Started smoking at 23,000. Truck was starting to rust out. Traded in. Many people have good luck with Fords. This wasn't one of them. I expected more out of a $42,000 truck.
1997 Chev. 3500 6.5 Diesel. Bought new. 18mpg. Great truck. No powerhouse but never gave me any issues. Sold at 126,000
2001 GMC Duramax Bought new. Also great truck. 18mpg. 105,000 Trouble free miles. Not heavy duty enough was my only complaint. Sold
Wife's 1999 GMC 2500 Suburban 6.5 Diesel. 16mpg. Ex CIA vehicle. Bought with 109,000 she brought it up to 590,000. Hit by a kid screwing around in a WRX. Totaled. I miss this one.
2014 Touareg Tdi Bought new. Great so far. 15mpg. She misses the burb.
1998 Jetta Tdi. Bought used at 78,000. 42mpg. I really love this car. So much fun. Keeping this one.
2006 Ram Cummins. 187,000 Bought new. 25mpg. great mileage and power. Not a Dodge fan but Cummins makes one heck of a engine. So easy to maintain. Keeping this one.

Lots more but you get the point. All my vehicles are stock with the exception of exhaust and necessary upgrades. No chips or programmers.

I've never been stranded with a diesel in the cold with good batteries and fuel additive. (-27 without windchill my 6.2 K30 started after sitting 3 days like that.Not plugged in)

Just my $0.02

Sound like your dad is old school, like most and think they know everything or pretend to, right. Whatever you do make sure he doesn't apply some of his old school diesel intuition to your brand new diesel!

iamatt said:

Sound like your dad is old school, like most and think they know everything or pretend to, right. Whatever you do make sure he doesn't apply some of his old school diesel intuition to your brand new diesel!

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Yeah,don't let him top off your oil if he ever decides to look under hood and help you out. He'd probably use a 30 weight oil.... not sure of the specs for oil on your '15,read your owners manual. Probably buy oil at dealer for now,keep receipts if you do your own oil changes after the 3yr/36k miles,and double check oil level if you do have the dealer do the oil changes. I'd recommend getting fuel at truckstop if one is local to you or drive by one regularly-try to avoid diesel stations that aren't on a main road/route,they might not have a high diesel turnover.

tdidieselbobny said:

Yeah,don't let him top off your oil if he ever decides to look under hood and help you out. He'd probably use a 30 weight oil.... not sure of the specs for oil on your '15,read your owners manual. Probably buy oil at dealer for now,keep receipts if you do your own oil changes after the 3yr/36k miles,and double check oil level if you do have the dealer do the oil changes. I'd recommend getting fuel at truckstop if one is local to you or drive by one regularly-try to avoid diesel stations that aren't on a main road/route,they might not have a high diesel turnover.

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Yeah I don't let my dad work on my VW anymore anyways. I started having it serviced for oil changes a few years ago (my beetle) at a mechanic shop that specializes in foreigns because my dad got really mad at my car...had a fit about how stupid it was. Blah blah blah. He won't be touching this one!!

Finding fuel on road trips ? No problem - stick to the major interstates (or goto one if getting close to needing fuel), look for the busy truck stops. Autodiesel pumps (what you need) are usually either out with the gas pumps (WATCH WHAT you're putting in your car - the word DIESEL is what to look for) , or if they only have rows of diesel - look for the closest one to the station - most likely to have the smaller nozzles.

Note: all interstate roads have a 'd' in the middle of the gas pump sign indicating that the have diesel. Knowing this you will see just how common diesel has become. This is NOT your grandfather's interstate anymore!

This dealership you are dealing with clearly has no idea what they're talking about when it comes to biodiesel. Even in a state where ALL diesel is blended with 20 percent! Ask them about where to get the 50 grade cetane that the TDI is supposed to be using. That will confuse them!

Oh, and you want to read about high mileage TDI's. Go here!

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=82332&highlight=Club
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=318464&highlight=Club
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=316418&highlight=Club
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=316419&highlight=Club
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=316420&highlight=Club
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=339560&highlight=Club

kelkel---welcome to tdiclub, in Illinois most of the on-road fuel will contain 11% biodiesel. There should be a sticker saying something to the effect of "contains biodiesel between 5 and 20 percent." This may have changed with the new year but I have not heard anything so I am guessing it has not, Illinois gives a tax break (not sure if to the manufacturer, the supplier, of the vendor) for any fuel greater than 10% bio. so most fuel will be 11% because it qualifies for the tax break while leaving the greatest amount of bio to blend with straight diesel.

good luck with your new car, this is a great resource of friendly and knowledgable members. here are links that will deal most directly with your vehicle. the first one is to the CR (common rail) Jetta section and second the the MKVII Golf section which shares an engine and emissions set-up with your car. Both will be good places to do some reading to learn about your new "baby". In the first link you will need to be careful to make sure that the model being discussed relates to the 2015 model year and not earlier models.

http://forums.tdiclub.com/forumdisplay.php?f=25

http://forums.tdiclub.com/forumdisplay.php?f=94

Kelkel2 said:

So just got home from the grocery store. Our Deisel pump says less than 15% sulfa but the attendant says they use less than 5% so I'll be good filling up there correct?

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So this fuel has antibiotics in it?

Kelkel2 said:

What about a push to start? How would I handle that? I don't technically have a key...I just put my foot on the brake pedal and hit the start button. So what would I want to do as far as giving the glow plugs time?

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Push the button, wait 10 seconds or so, and with clutch depressed, push again to start.

Oh, and the light on the dash seems to have nothing to do with whether the glow plug is active. I've timed in from the heat of the summer to the dead of single digit winter weather...it is always on for exactly the same length of time. Seems more like a light and system check, rather than any indication of whether the glow plug is active. Most of the time, it's push and go, but twice in really cold weather when I didn't give it those seconds it didn't light off, and I had to wait several minutes before I could effectively crank the engine again. I think it was an issue of a partial ignition and having to wait for pressure in cylinders to bleed off before it would turn over again.

I want to thank you for your post on purchasing the extended warranty. I have and love my 2015 VW TDI and it has 2700 miles on it. I've been asking for people's opinion about this and you have helped me a great deal. I used to have Toyotas for over 30 years and they last forever but with very poor mpg's. My VW is 42+ and that's great. I am 63 and I want this to be my last car that it should take me into my 80's.
So thank you!

Some people hate what they don't understand. Seems like the case with your dad.

You should tell him that GM used to not have a good reputation with diesels. The new Jetta TDI isn't an Olds 350 diesel . I never understood people and their brand loyalty. If someone makes an efficient and reliable vehicle, buy it. It doesn't matter if it says VW, Mazda, or Ford on the side. Buy whatever feels right for you or you'll regret it. I didn't buy a TDI because it says VW on the back of the car. I bought a TDI because I like the sound of diesels and needed something fuel efficient for work travel(over 1000 miles a week).

Loyalty to a certain product or offering closes your mind to a potential great opportunity. Another product would be an iPhone. An excuse I've heard for not switching to Android is, "it looks too complicated." "I don't understand." Yes, there is a learning curve. But our brains are capable of more than what people think. If people just give something a chance, they could learn a lot from it. Open your mind to new experiences. I'm starting to ramble. I'm done for this post lol.

JASONP said:

GM tried to make a diesel in passenger cars in the mid 80's and foaled miserably, could say the same about them today I guess.
How long has VW been making diesels? ????

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I remember that, wasn't it a converted gasser and it failed miserably?...Mark

Just turned over 1,000 miles on this car. Oh wow I love it!!!
By the way, how important is the 30 day check up? I'm a little over 30 Days but I'm sure they would get me in if I called, but my dealership is over and hour drive away and the local VW shop in town won't do the check up because I didn't buy the car from them and it's "not part of the warranty". Yeah yeah, don't start me on them. Not my favorite dealership and one reason I didn't buy from them.

Oh and I just got back from a trip to Kentucky and the MPG on this car is sick. I was averaging 49mpg on this trip. I left town with 145 miles on the tank and made it all the way to Louisville (our destination) and still didn't need to fill up! Didn't fill up until we got back on the interstate to leave town!

Don't ha just love that! My brother and sis-in-law bought a 6 speed manual Passat last September because I won't stop talking about and praising my car. They too are marveling at their gas mileage. They went to New Orleans earlier this month and were amazed. My sister is not a car buff and even she was crowing not only about the mileage but also how quiet it was. And she drives FAST! . It's there highway mile muncher!

BeetleGo said:

Don't ha just love that! My brother and sis-in-law bought a 6 speed manual Passat last September because I won't stop talking about and praising my car. They too are marveling at their gas mileage. They went to New Orleans earlier this month and were amazed. My sister is not a car buff and even she was crowing not only about the mileage but also how quiet it was. And she drives FAST! . It's there highway mile muncher!

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W*F you of all people talking about "gas" mileage.......

vwmk4 said:

I live in Illinois and about to get back into a TDI. Most likely a 2015 Golf. Does anyone know about the BIO-DIESEL content in Wisconsin? As I live near the IL./WI. border.

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Wisconsin has no Bio mandate but I have run across 1 Love's station south of Fond du Lac that was selling B5 so you just have to read the pumps. Most are straight D2 though

Kelkel2 said:

He didn't like the fact that I don't have a garage and that it's diesel and "won't start in the winter unless it's plugged into a warmer" so he was mad that I bought it.
But he's also the one who just traded in his Chevy trailblazer because it had 100,00 miles on it and he didn't think it would be reliable much longer. And what did he buy? ANOTHER CHEVY!
So we just won't see eye to eye on cars, probably ever? I wanted a car my husband and I can drive for years and years to come!!

Thanks for the congrats on the car and congrats to those of you who also bought one this weekend!!!

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Jumping in here a little late in the conversation, but there are a few things GM makes that VW doesn't sell here, like trucks. My brother has 250K miles on his Yukon and they are just now thinking of getting rid of it.

Congrats on the new car. Hope you have many years and miles with it.

D_Squared said:

Wisconsin has no Bio mandate but I have run across 1 Love's station south of Fond du Lac that was selling B5 so you just have to read the pumps. Most are straight D2 though

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Many of the Love's truck diesel has switched over to B5. However, this may not necessarily be true of the auto pumps. At least the one closest to me has separate storage tanks for truck diesel and auto diesel. Auto diesel is brought in with the gasoline and truck diesel is brought in as a sole shipment.

Overall, the best recommendation is to buy from a station that has good diesel turnover, but you may not always get what you think you are.

I understand that Loves Diesel is not the greatest stuff, the big rigs don't care what they eat and are more tolerable of low Cetane, low quality fuel.
They didn't get high ratings in an older study.

Our TDI's are a little more finicky....so using a fuel additive boost may be in order.
I'd say skip Loves and find a local station and use an additive anyway.

D_Squared said:

Wisconsin has no Bio mandate but I have run across 1 Love's station south of Fond du Lac that was selling B5 so you just have to read the pumps. Most are straight D2 though

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FYI... No sure about WI, but for those who may buy in Illinois, there is no mandate to post Bio % on the pumps. I blend fuel in the N. IL region, and the only way to get the CURRENT % that is in the fuel (stations usually request different blends depending on current temps) is to ask to speak to a manager in order to find the truth, hopefully. By law, they are required to tell you. But if you think they are unsure, or are B.S.-ing you, ask them who blends/transports the fuel. They are low wage, couldn't care less, and will probably give you incorrect info anyway. Talking to the station owner is the best way, but they're not always there.

For example: Just yesterday, I went into a local B.P. to buy a loaf of bread. As a test, I asked the attendant (who is family relation to the owner) what their Bio % is. His response? "I don't know, the truck driver brings it."

For those in the Rochelle, IL area, Petro's pumps at the gas island during the winter is 100% ULSD with winter additive. Spring through Fall it's usually 4.5% Bio with no additive.

If WI posts the Bio % on the pumps, that is awesome. Wish IL would do the same thing.

The labels I've seen around the country are typically broken down by range: less than 5%, 5-20%, 99% or 100%. Don't think I have seen any between 20 and 99%.

Marc_TDI I understand that Loves Diesel is not the greatest stuff, the big rigs don't care what they eat and are more tolerable of low Cetane, low quality fuel.
They didn't get high ratings in an older study.

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vw has to worry about five fat people in the cab and a truck gets 40000 lbs on it and you really believe that trucks don't have low power issues with bad fuel, a diesel engine is a diesel engine reguardless of what it is in

kjclow said:

The labels I've seen around the country are typically broken down by range: less than 5%, 5-20%, 99% or 100%. Don't think I have seen any between 20 and 99%.

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Yeah... we have a few stations we deliver to that have the bio-mass range stickers on them, but I wish it was mandatory that the EXACT percentage be displayed, just like it is mandatory for gasohol blends. There has been some proposed legislation to get this done, if I remember.

kjclow said:

The labels I've seen around the country are typically broken down by range: less than 5%, 5-20%, 99% or 100%. Don't think I have seen any between 20 and 99%.

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Yes everything I have seen in Illinois thus far has said less than 15% etc. it's just a range. There's no specific percentage on any pumps I have come across.