Cant decide on buying used TDI

Hello,

I had a 2010 Jetta TDI until VW purchased it back. I believe I was a TDI club member before. It was a great car and miss it but the VW offer was hard to refuse plus didnt want to deal with the fix.

With the money I purchased a 2012 MB E350 AWD. Great car no issues but want to get away from the payments and future maintenance bills. I knew this when I purchased it but got the car anyway.

Now I am looking into getting either an older Jetta TDI 2005-2006 or newer used 2011-2015 that has gone thru the fix.

There is a 2005 Jetta TDI automatic with 46k mi for $10k. I think the price is high. I get different opinions on if the price is high when I ask a few VW mechanics. From the carfax report it appears the car sat for the last 3 years????

A few questions:
1. Were there issues with the 2005-2006 automatic DSG transmissions where the rivets break off into the transmission. Automatic only? I was told there should be no issue as long as you do the 40k transmission maintenance.

2. Are there issues with the VW fix from dieselgate? I heard only certain years 2009-2011. Newer years no change in performance. A lot of complaints online from comments about people cant even drive there vehicles anymore.

My local dealer has pretty affordable used TDI's for sale around the $13k - $15k.

Not sure which route to take. Any feedback would really help. Thank you in advance.

Remember to hat the 05-06 have issues with the camshaft. I have a 06 and replaced the cam (I did the work) and cost me close to 2k for the parts (frank06 upgrade cam and TB) also replaced the DMF was about $400 for parts. It also needs the EGR cooler replaced. These are all know problems with th s cars and this is on top of the DSG issues.

I'm fine with the car but as said I don't pay someone to do my repairs.

I don't have any experience with the newer fixed cars. But would buy one for he right price.

The 05 has the 09A Japanese made Jatco transmisson. Its not a DSG and pretty reliable but the solenoids can stick resulting in no shifting until it warms up. Fortunately its only two or three hundred bucks to buy new solenoids and not a difficult DIY job. The 05 BEW engines seem to be much less prone to CAM failures than the 06 BRM engines.

With Only 46,000 miles, I would guess the timing belt has never been replaced and it is at least 5 years overdue based on time. $10K is a lot but if is been garaged, and kept clean its whole life, maybe its worth it. If its had any body work whatsoever, its not worth it. Personally, I would not pay $10k for a 13 year old car. Even with low miles, time takes its toll.

Arent the new ones sold by vw with warranty?

Hyde7278 said:

Remember to hat the 05-06 have issues with the camshaft. I have a 06 and replaced the cam (I did the work) and cost me close to 2k for the parts (frank06 upgrade cam and TB) also replaced the DMF was about $400 for parts. It also needs the EGR cooler replaced. These are all know problems with th s cars and this is on top of the DSG issues.

I'm fine with the car but as said I don't pay someone to do my repairs.

I don't have any experience with the newer fixed cars. But would buy one for he right price.

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wow good to know. I thought they only had DSG issues. how about earlier models? There is a 2004 with 133k that was very maintained.

johnboy00 said:

The 05 has the 09A Japanese made Jatco transmisson. Its not a DSG and pretty reliable but the solenoids can stick resulting in no shifting until it warms up. Fortunately its only two or three hundred bucks to buy new solenoids and not a difficult DIY job. The 05 BEW engines seem to be much less prone to CAM failures than the 06 BRM engines.

With Only 46,000 miles, I would guess the timing belt has never been replaced and it is at least 5 years overdue based on time. $10K is a lot but if is been garaged, and kept clean its whole life, maybe its worth it. If its had any body work whatsoever, its not worth it. Personally, I would not pay $10k for a 13 year old car. Even with low miles, time takes its toll.

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ok that is one of the differences between 05 & 06. good to know. I thought timing belt has to be replaced based on miles not how old.

It did get show a accident report in front passenger. the car is very clean and kept in garage. it looks just like my old 2010. like you said its too much for a 13 yr old car. thx

Carlos_TJ said:

Arent the new ones sold by vw with warranty?

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I dont think they make new TDI's. If they do it might be hybrid electric. there are warranty' on the CPO's

2015 Volkswagen Golf SportWagen TDI S FWD

https://www.hudsonvalleyvw.com/cert...ortWagen-ef705b940a0e0ae8655803073cd76d67.htm

* Warranty Deductible: $50
* Vehicle History
* Limited Warranty: 24 Month/Unlimited Mile beginning on the new certified purchase date or expiration of new car warranty expires (whichever occurs later)
* 2 Years of 24-Hr Roadside Asst. Transferability See Dealer for Details
* Roadside Assistance
* 100+ Point Inspection

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=479601

2015's get 11year 162k emissions warranty. It covers a lot. See the thread for particulars.

If you want an automatic my .02 is don't look at a car older than 2005.5. And unless you have a guru nearby don't buy an older TDI. They're wonderful cars, but they need attention and care from someone who knows what they're doing, especially as they age. And if you're in NY you'll have to look carefully for rust. The MKIV and MKV have pretty good rust prevention (I think the IVs are better than the Vs) but they're still going to rust. And rust repair is expensive, if you can get anyone to do it at all.

I'd suggest you look at a '10-15 Jetta. The DSG is a good transmission, and the engines seem to perform well post-fix. I prefer '14 or later cars because they have independent rear suspension. The '15s in particular are nice because they were facelifted and upgraded for better crash protection, which also made them quieter.

Older TDIs are great, but they're becoming a labor of love.

I just picked up a 2011 CPO jetta sportswagen TDI with 49k for $11,700.. Along with being cpo they did alot,of work to it, new tires, brakes, rotors, new radio, new rear springs and some front suspension parts, being in NY as well I was concerned about rust, they said vw has a 12 year warranty from date of first registration, he also said vw America is very good at honoring it, but to ease my concerns they threw in undercoating for free,, so my point being is that for a a litte more than 10k you can get a CPO jetta with a 2 year unlimited warranty.. Really cant beat that.. How many car manufactures can you get a certified pre owned car for under 12k .. Good luck with your hunt

IndigoBlueWagon said:

If you want an automatic my .02 is don't look at a car older than 2005.5. And unless you have a guru nearby don't buy an older TDI. They're wonderful cars, but they need attention and care from someone who knows what they're doing, especially as they age. And if you're in NY you'll have to look carefully for rust. The MKIV and MKV have pretty good rust prevention (I think the IVs are better than the Vs) but they're still going to rust. And rust repair is expensive, if you can get anyone to do it at all.

I'd suggest you look at a '10-15 Jetta. The DSG is a good transmission, and the engines seem to perform well post-fix. I prefer '14 or later cars because they have independent rear suspension. The '15s in particular are nice because they were facelifted and upgraded for better crash protection, which also made them quieter.

Older TDIs are great, but they're becoming a labor of love.

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Really well said. I've come to the exact same realization working on my 2000 Golf. "Dependable, but not reliable" is what they said about the old Volvo 240 wagons. Sure, you can clock 200k, 250k on them, but who knows when the next small issue pops up - easily fixable, but you're late to work that day. I found these MKIVs are similar. It's really bothered me that such a simple "low power" issue comes with a troubleshooting guide about 15 causes long. Could be MAF, or vacuum lines, or bad actuator, or N75 solenoid, or gummed up turbo, or clogged intake, or... And they're all "common issues".

Oilhammer talks about his ALH with 400k (?) miles on it, but that's because he's Oilhammer.

I also appreciate what you said about the post-fix cars as I'm enjoying my window shopping. I didn't realize the switch to independent rear suspension. Is that true of Golfs as well?

Oilhammer's car has well over 500K miles on it. My Wagon is still my daily driver, rolled over 374K the other day. It's only stranded me twice in 16+ years, both times, fortunately, close to home. One was a lift pump that was failing intermittently, the other was I recently broke an original axle. Otherwise this car has been dead reliable. So has my son's Golf, which has similar miles on it. I wouldn't hesitate to drive either car anywhere. But they are well maintained by a really skilled guru. If you don't have one around you may have a different experience. I've said more than once that without mr. chill (guru), my Wagon would be long gone.

IndigoBlueWagon said:

Oilhammer's car has well over 500K miles on it. My Wagon is still my daily driver, rolled over 374K the other day. It's only stranded me twice in 16+ years, both times, fortunately, close to home. One was a lift pump that was failing intermittently, the other was I recently broke an original axle. Otherwise this car has been dead reliable. So has my son's Golf, which has similar miles on it. I wouldn't hesitate to drive either car anywhere. But they are well maintained by a really skilled guru. If you don't have one around you may have a different experience. I've said more than once that without mr. chill (guru), my Wagon would be long gone.

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I can definitely see how your experience could be dead on. Now that I've got my Golf running [mostly] right, it keeps begging me to put miles on. Even with the auto-tragic, it's quite enjoyable. In my 8 years of buying/selling/tinkering with cars, I've never paid Golfs, or even VWs, a second look, but now I got eyes for all of them. I can definitely see how the ALHs were like the Golden Era. Makes me wish I could go back and buy one new!
But, yes, at the same time - someone like my mother could never keep this thing going without an obscene amount of $$$

IndigoBlueWagon said:

If you want an automatic my .02 is don't look at a car older than 2005.5. And unless you have a guru nearby don't buy an older TDI. They're wonderful cars, but they need attention and care from someone who knows what they're doing, especially as they age. And if you're in NY you'll have to look carefully for rust. The MKIV and MKV have pretty good rust prevention (I think the IVs are better than the Vs) but they're still going to rust. And rust repair is expensive, if you can get anyone to do it at all.

I'd suggest you look at a '10-15 Jetta. The DSG is a good transmission, and the engines seem to perform well post-fix. I prefer '14 or later cars because they have independent rear suspension. The '15s in particular are nice because they were facelifted and upgraded for better crash protection, which also made them quieter.

Older TDIs are great, but they're becoming a labor of love.

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I had my eyes on a 2003 TDI wagon with 93k mi for $8k. I know that is the current market demand for them (not KBB) but man I cant seem to stomach spending that much on a older car when you can get a newer one (2009-2015) for 1.5x - 2x more.

I also have my eye on a 2015 TDI for about $17k with 13k miles. My concern is the fix. It only had phase 1 of the fix done and phase 2 is due around 70k. Do you or someone you know purchase a newer used TDI that had the fix? any problems so far?

https://www.vwdieselinfo.com/pdf/VWCourtSettlement_Emissions_Disclosure_Gen3_Final.pdf

Emissions Modification Phase 2 :
(available beginning in early 2018 )
The second part of the emissions modification will involve outfitting your
car with new emission control parts to ensure system reliability and
durability over time. If your car exceeds 40,000 miles (for automatic
transmissions) or 70,000 miles (for manual transmissions) we will install
updated emissions control system hardware - specifically a new Diesel
Particulate Filter, Diesel Oxidation Catalyst, and Selective Catalytic
Reduction Converter - that is needed to maintain emissions
performance for the full useful life (150,000 miles) of your vehicle. As
part of the Phase 2 modification, we will also install a second NOx
sensor and corresponding software to improve the performance of the
OBD system. The Phase 2 updates are expected to have no further
impact on overall vehicle reliability, durability, fuel economy, engine
sound, performance, or drivability.

Well we have a whole forum for dieselgate info.
I see nothing wrong with the 2006 or 2003, you said you were looking to get something older. Just be prepared for some major items, like any used car.
2004-2006 had cam issues, not real widespread, but some dealers were using the wrong oil. 2003 wagon is a desirable model. I'd say $2000 off either of those would be a competitive price.

BobnOH said:

Well we have a whole forum for dieselgate info.
I see nothing wrong with the 2006 or 2003, you said you were looking to get something older. Just be prepared for some major items, like any used car.
2004-2006 had cam issues, not real widespread, but some dealers were using the wrong oil. 2003 wagon is a desirable model. I'd say $2000 off either of those would be a competitive price.

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anything wrong with the 2003 sedan? I also heard 04-06 years are harder to modify

As long as it has a manual transmission, the '00-03 Jetta/Golf/New Beetle are probably the best TDIs out there. Since they're getting older, good ones are hard to find.

IndigoBlueWagon said:

As long as it has a manual transmission, the '00-03 Jetta/Golf/New Beetle are probably the best TDIs out there. Since they're getting older, good ones are hard to find.

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every time I find the right one it gets taken right away

00-03 dsg transmissions had problems correct?

Yes, the 01M auto <2003 not reliable. DSG is something newer I think.

Correct, 01M != DSG