Remaining in TDI world

I am not going to sell my '12 JSW. It's a splendid vehicle and has already surpassed the average mileage of my previous '06 Jetta. It behaves just like I expected it would. I put 4800 miles on it in the first month of ownership and will cover over 30,000 by this time next year. I expect the JSW to take it in stride and preform at or above my expectations. I make no illusions that something unforeseen could occur. I am also not going to let this keep my up at night. I am Spdmini and will drive more and worry less.

I feel far too many CR owners, especially who have experienced zero problems, are being overwhelmed from "It's on the internet! It's fact!" concerning all manner of issues. I would hate for someone to be swayed from a TDI based on reading the troubles of a minority of owners. As with any make or model there will be issues. Alas, such is life on any topic specific forum.

It is up to CR owners on TDIclub to be the other side of the pendulum swing. Say it again with me! I will drive more and worry less.

Agreed. Some people are just wired to worry about things. No need to try to change them, but I am glad I fall in your line of thinking.

I admit I do worry, but I just keep driving anyway.

I also have to admit that my 2010 Golf TDI is an amazing little car. I was just thinking that this morning, after my commute into work. It's just a special little car. I hope and hope it keeps going and going and going!

My car isn't going anywhere; even if I have to drag the dealership kicking and screaming into doing the right thing...

At 3,800 miles, I have already had problems, and continue to have other problems with my 2012 Golf, however I refuse to give up on this car, or let the horror stories make me jump ship! There is nothing out there in the US market today that would suit my needs better then this car, and be as fun to drive, and all while getting this kind of mileage! Plus I love being able to pump my own fuel!

If you abandon your car because you are worried about the < 1% of your HPFP blowing, you really shouldn't be driving any car at all. You are way more likely to get into an accident then for your HPFP to blow. Besides, there are other things that are more likely to fail that you should be worried about instead!

I just rolled past my 36,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty with no worries. I'm looking forward to doing my own scheduled maintenance and driving this car well past 100,000 miles without worries. Some issues will come up and I will deal with them as they do but there's no point in worrying about something without strong evidence that it will happen.

I love my car just as much as the day I bought it and I don't see many reasons why I won't feel the same way in the foreseeable future.

Thanks for the post.

Sad for the "I gotta sell my car" hysteria around the interwebs!?

Gotta 2010 jetta tdi with 70k and 2012 golf tdi with 8k. No problems, no complaints, no commitment issues.

My name is BrianCT and I suffer from HPFP-H [High Pressure Fuel Pump Hypochondria]. It's been 43.8 miles since my last thought on catastrophic "HPFP-H" failure but I'm still suffering from S.A.R.K.S. [Small Animal Road Kill Syndrome]. I fear the ninja squirrels.

BrianCT said:

My name is BrianCT and I suffer from HPFP-H [High Pressure Fuel Pump Hypochondria]. It's been 43.8 miles since my last thought on catastrophic "HPFP-H" failure but I'm still suffering from S.A.R.K.S. [Small Animal Road Kill Syndrome]. I fear the ninja squirrels.

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Brian, you should consider seeing a therapist about these mental thoughts. (or move to Texas)

Like my modded 99.5 jetta but LOVE my 2012 TDI Golf. My wife is so fond of it I'm thinking of buying another one

Every generation Diesel Jetta (have had many of them) has had it's issues but it always gets worked out. Drive more, worry less X99...

My 2011 JSW TDI has 78,000 miles and drives great. I admit I worry about problems but my TDI guru says its fine. 17 months since I bought it and I love the car. Just hope it stays this way.

You need not worry as any thing can go wrong. That is reality. What you should be doing is be prepared. It is just like an earthquake.

I'm not leaving either, but I do empathize with those who have and are considering it. I just rolled past 50K miles, and recently had a pretty nasty scare with potential HPFP failure. Luckily, VWoA picked up the cost, out of warranty, and replaced the entire fuel system without me having to go through my extended company and paying a deductible.

That being said, I would never just sell my car out of pure phobic impulse, and at a huge loss, but once one gets bit by the inherent flaws the thoughts do cross one's mind. Here's the thing though, you get the same dynamics for pretty much all makes and models. It's not like you can go buy a fail-proof car.

I too am not selling mine... In fact I often consider buying another for my better half especially now that the TDI Beetle is out. If VW offered a TDI Tiguan we'd already have that second one in the garage.
I do admit that the occasional worry about HPFP failure or intercooler icing does creep into my thinking (frequency of these thouhgts tends to be a function of how much time I spend on TDIclub and the threads I peruse). But those thoughts seem to just disappear at the next hard corner I take or the next round of 2nd gear acceleration!
Favorite car I've ever owned. Look forward to driving it every single day. Even make up needless long road trips just to extend the driving experience!

MaddogTDI said:

I too am not selling mine... In fact I often consider buying another for my better half especially now that the TDI Beetle is out. If VW offered a TDI Tiguan we'd already have that second one in the garage.
I do admit that the occasional worry about HPFP failure or intercooler icing does creep into my thinking (frequency of these thouhgts tends to be a function of how much time I spend on TDIclub and the threads I peruse). But those thoughts seem to just disappear at the next hard corner I take or the next round of 2nd gear acceleration!
Favorite car I've ever owned. Look forward to driving it every single day. Even make up needless long road trips just to extend the driving experience!

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That reminds me ... they replace the intercooler as well.

BrianCT said:

My name is BrianCT and I'm still suffering from S.A.R.K.S. [Small Animal Road Kill Syndrome]. I fear the ninja squirrels.

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You and my wife both. I don't worry about small ones, it's the deer that make me nervous.

I feel similar to MaddogTDI, my wife keeps talking about the TDI Passat. For her to bring up cars in any sense is one thing, but to mention a specific vehicle is a different level.

Spdmini said:

I feel far too many CR owners, especially who have experienced zero problems, are being overwhelmed from "It's on the internet! It's fact!" concerning all manner of issues.

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It was VW Canada that convinced me to dump it, not Internet and not dealer. It was a direct conversation with VW Canada employee that resulted in a substantial financial loss for me.

If anything, Internet failed to inform me when it mattered- before I made my purchase decision. I own several industrial diesels and I was naive to attribute the same durability I come to expect there over to the new TDI. If I knew about HPFP and intercooler design flaws I would not have purchased my car even though I got a great deal on it at the time.

We had a 2000 TDI beetle that had electrical issues. When I was looking at getting rid of my 03 Avalanche, I really wanted a new TDI Passat but my wife didn't want another VW. Fast forward to 2010 and I decided that I didn't want to deal with the beetle's issues anymore and had been keeping my eyes out for the diesel JSW. I had a Friday off and next thing I knew the JSW was taking me home. About 18 months later, my wife returned the favor and came home with the 11 diesel Golf.

aja8888 said:

Brian, you should consider seeing a therapist about these mental thoughts. (or move to Texas)

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Don't laugh, I may be transferred to Texas. LOL We are trying to move out that way eventually or New Mexico.

My 2011 just today turned 9,000 miles after 20 months ownership. That car just flies. Love how smooth it performs. Really a quiet and efficient design. I will say owning a 2dr model Golf is like swinging barn doors in parking spaces. I would never again buy a 2dr [though it is a nice sporty body style].


They gave this castle as a free option in the purchase price.

i HAVE HAD MY '12 Golf Wagon for a year now. The only issue has been a burned out LED on the heater control panel.

It is by far the best car I've ever bought. It performs well. I don't worry about the HPFP issue, but I do keep track of fuel slips. All the data I've seen on the HPFP issue still points to a very low failure rate. So I, like others in this thread have said, I'll keep driving it.

I bought it at 39K and got a 24K (CPO) Cert Prev Owned warranty. I have 51k on it now, 12k to go on warranty. I can assure you I will be personally checking the fuel filter and fuel for metal (again). I just changed the filter and it looks good. I also started using OPTI LUBE XPD.

It's hard to pin down how many HPFP have failed due to contaminated or mis-fueled car's and ones that failed for no apparent reason. I thought HPFP failures were rare and still do, but my dealer is working three HPFP fuel pump failures right now, possibly due to bad fuel from a station. However one failed during a test drive of a customer car when it was in for service on something unrelated.

I use to think it was only early '09 or '10 CR engines that had the issue. Now I see '11 and even '12 failures. Apparently they have made some changes, revisions to the design along the way? Also the one TDI forum member who just posted a HPFP failure used B5 from the get go?

Mileage at time of failure? All over the map.

I agree with the tone of the thread, don't worry. However the fact is a failure is about $6,000 or more (up to $16,000 I have heard?) to fix. Combine that with there being no pattern or one reason for the failures does make some nervous. I am cautiously optimistic, but I have my eyes wide open and will protect my self from catastrophic repair bills. The TDI does not save enough fuel to pay for that. In fact with a bunch of decent gasers (Ford Focus, Hyundai Veloster, Elantra) that get in the mid to high 30's mpg, the cost savings benefit of a TDI is nil to none. In other words you have to drive a LONG WAY to pay for the TDI premium in initial purchase and higher diesel fuel cost. Add a big repair bill, cost of ownership goes out the window.

However I am also sticking with it, and at this point I'd consider another VW TDI. Driving is fun, and I only need to fill up twice a month at most.

When I get near the end of warranty, I'll consider selling or trading in my JSW TDI for a TDI Passat Wagen, if they make one again, and then I'll get another 36K warranty. l'll also look into extended mechanical warranty on my current JSW as well. The Passat has the UREA injection which eliminates the other unknown, NOX converter (which can fill with ash and need replacing). Also the UREA gets better MPG on paper (and practically) due to less back pressure. The down side a Passat is a bigger car and no doubt weights more. I assume the Passat has the same HPFP as the Golf/Jetta 2.0 Liter CR TDI diesels. It will be interesting to see of Passat's HPFP get failures as well?

With that said, it has been 11K since I bought my CPO JSW TDI , and love it. It has been a lot more work than my Acura, mostly dealing with the VW dealer's screwed up service mistake issues, but it is fun (FUN!) to drive, torque-power, fuel economy, handling... utility on and on. Love it. I swore I'd never own a VW after dealing with a girlfriends 2002 Bug electrical issues. The fact is German cars are more expensive to buy and own than basic A to B transportation from a Japanese or Korean company. The question is, will it be worth it to keep it. Right now I have a 43 mile round trip commute to work, about 80% freeway. If I move a lot closer to work, the TDI will not be as well utilized.

I think you are preparing for the snow that will be coming soon!

aja8888 said:

I think you are preparing for the snow that will be coming soon!

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I heart that remark.

I started to clean mine today and ten decided football was more important. Plus, it's too damn hot.

Hey Brian, I see that blue snow shovel along your garage wall is nearing the doorway!

Well my 2000 Jetta got caught in a shower this afternoon so I am good for the rest of the summer now.

MaddogTDI said:

Even make up needless long road trips just to extend the driving experience!

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I love my Golf DSG TDI 30k miles so far. I'll ride the ups and downs. They all break down and all require service.
And Maddogtdi I do the same thing, make up reasons to go for a drive. If you haven't been already come on over to the driving game at tdi 101. I once drove 70 miles to get my picture under a bank sign at 3:33am! Love the car and the game.

gmcjetpilot said:

In fact with a bunch of decent gasers (Ford Focus, Hyundai Veloster, Elantra) that get in the mid to high 30's mpg, the cost savings benefit of a TDI is nil to none. In other words you have to drive a LONG WAY to pay for the TDI premium in initial purchase and higher diesel fuel cost. Add a big repair bill, cost of ownership goes out the window.

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I will agree with you WRT the cost of ownership going up for a major repair, however, I disagree with your statement that you have to drive a long way to cover the cost of a TDi Sportwagen (since this is what you have) over others in it's category.

Find me a vehicle that has as much room in the back with as nice of a stereo and interior. Compare those numbers... None of what you mentioned has even close to the same volume of interior.

From what I have seen, if you compare the same vehicles, one with a diesel and one without, there is only about $1500 difference in price when they are comparably equipped. How many years can you make that up using mid-30s vs. mid-40s?

That's not even counting that the basic engine will likely go to 200k+ miles. Get that with your average, low-cost gasser...

Jim

otb4evr said:

That's not even counting that the basic engine will likely go to 200k+ miles. Get that with your average, low-cost gasser...

Jim

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We have three "low cost gassers" in the family with over 200K on them and none have ever had a head off or problem with oil consumption.

I have a close friend who has over 400K on a Honda Odessy that has the original engine with no no major work done on it. (except for a few timing belts and a used transmission). See below speedo:



Don't knock the gassers, they are not your father's Olds.

I'm approaching a year of ownership but only 13K on my '12 Golf. Miles aren't accumulating very fast because I have too many other cars and not a lot of places to go. It has been to Michigan twice, however, and it's without a doubt the best road trip VW I've owned. Quiet, comfortable, seats are almost as good as the Recaros in my wagon, and I'm persistently seeing FE in the high 40s despite my best efforts to use as much fuel as possible.

I was worried about the HPFP, even canceled an order for a '10 because of this. Not now. I'm pretty much convinced that no one knows how common HPFP failures are or why they happen. And I now think of intercooler icing as akin to intake clogging: largely related to driver habits.

The only thing I try to avoid is using the Golf for a lot of short (5 miles or less) trips. I use my wagon or the M-B for those more often than not. And if I didn't have other options I wouldn't give that kind of use much of a thought, either.

IndigoBlueWagon said:

I'm approaching a year of ownership but only 13K on my '12 Golf. Miles aren't accumulating very fast because I have too many other cars and not a lot of places to go. It has been to Michigan twice, however, and it's without a doubt the best road trip VW I've owned. Quiet, comfortable, seats are almost as good as the Recaros in my wagon, and I'm persistently seeing FE in the high 40s despite my best efforts to use as much fuel as possible.

I was worried about the HPFP, even canceled an order for a '10 because of this. Not now. I'm pretty much convinced that no one knows how common HPFP failures are or why they happen. And I now think of intercooler icing as akin to intake clogging: largely related to driver habits.

The only thing I try to avoid is using the Golf for a lot of short (5 miles or less) trips. I use my wagon or the M-B for those more often than not. And if I didn't have other options I wouldn't give that kind of use much of a thought, either.

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intercooler icing AINT intake clogging sir!!! My Golf is driven hard every day...revved and well maintained and I have had some issues with the intercooler....so I dump the lower hose on every service but that does not stop the potential of that hose getting full of crap. They do. But it does not diminish my enthusiasm for the beast....I wont be selling...I am at 50,000kms now and the car materially "feels" exactly the same as the first day...they are built that well.....But ...I will trade it once I see and drive and am suitably impressed with.... the new Golf 7 ....I like everything they are doing with the next generation...including, lighter , stronger, and a bit larger ....and hopefully the 2 arch nuisances (HPFP, and intercooler) are settled down.....or hopefully eliminated ...listening VAG ??