TDI Club Future?

n1das said:

I agree TDIclub absolutely should not be changed to include non-diesels. The General Automotive forum is fine and serves a purpose but the site should not become dominated by VW gassers or other gassers in general.

TDIclub was born out of necessity at the time and continues to thrive as a source of information, support, and a sense of community for TDI owners and diesel enthusiasts. The magic of TDIclub is what keeps me coming back here.

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+1
Let this place stat a niche group.
Sure there will Diesel owner's driving cars for DECADES to come.
There are other VW gasser sites...and reality is most boards have shunk as folks have moved on to other social media types....why chase them.
People who need and want this info will come here, and seek it out.
To add too many new models only will make it a competitor to vortex, etc, and without critical mass, will IMO, be a poor one at that.

I hope this site remains TDI focused as long as I'm driving one, which I intend to do until the end. It is a resource that has helped me throughout my TDI journey, educating me, making me aware of potential issues, and finding people that have helped me keep them on the road. Diesel entered my bloodstream, starting with an 98 Jetta. Since that time it has included an 00 NB, 02 Golf, 05 Passat, 09 Jetta, 10 Touareg, and now an 04 Passat with a 6 speed manual swap (replacement for the 09).
My 09 Jetta was sold back to VW with 244,000 miles. Soon we will be parting with the Touareg in the buyback (246 K). It will be replaced with the new LWB Tiguan, sadly with no TDI. Staying in the VW Family to make it a total of 15, since a 67 Beetle purchased in 1970. It's not the original, but I still have a 67 in my garage.

Even though my wife is saying no more diesels, I think this site should stay as is. Lots of good information and good people.

Plus, I'm not as willing to give up on diesels but anything newer will probably not be a VW. I'll let her have her gasser hybrid and I'll have a diesel truck or SUV for trips.

kjclow said:

Even though my wife is saying no more diesels, I think this site should stay as is. Lots of good information and good people.

Plus, I'm not as willing to give up on diesels but anything newer will probably not be a VW. I'll let her have her gasser hybrid and I'll have a diesel truck or SUV for trips.

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My wife does not want to drive anything but a [turbo]diesel. She's spoiled. The torque is addicting. It took some explaining to convince her that there is nothing "wrong" with our 1.8t Passat, it just needs more coaxing to get it moving that the TDI Passat doesn't.

It is criminal that the newest stuff has become mostly forbidden here, though. Because given some time, they really are better once the teething process is over and done with. SCR still seems to be hit and miss, though.

I bought a new 2015 Beetle. I will be around at least until it gets broke in at 162k miles (warranty runs out). Too good of an information source here!

aja8888 said:

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Just stating the facts..............

soot1 said:

This site's primary focus has always been on inexpensive diesel-powered vehicles sold in the US, and that pretty much narrowed the selection down to VW.
The decision made by VW to terminate the sale of diesels in North America disappointed a lot of loyal VW fans, including myself. My hope is that the void in the inexpensive diesel offerings left by VW will, in time, be filled by another manufacturer. Mazda might fit the bill. I know, I know, over the past 7 years or so, they've made so many diesel launch announcements that few people care about what they say.

However, this time around seems to be somewhat different than all of their previous attempts in that the CX-5 with the diesel is already listed on Mazda's web site as a future vehicle.
If I recall correctly, none of the previous announcements were supported by listing the diesel among their future models. So, IF this time around Mazda delivers on their promise, and the CX-5 becomes available later this year, it may be the Tiguan diesel so many VW fans were waiting for, but could never have here in the U.S. And IF, later on, Mazda decides to drop the diesel into the 6 and 3 models, we may see a resurgence in membership and discussion posts here on this site, who knows?


I decided, partly due to the possible intro of the CX-5 diesel, to wait until the last moment with turning in my 2010 Jetta. I am not a fan of gas-o-line at all, and any new reasonably priced diesel is a contender for my next set of wheels. I am hopeful that Mazda will take over the baton from VW and that this forum will live on.

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Wow! Don't they teach basic paragraph structure in schools anymore? There, I fixed it for you.

I lurked on Fred's preforum page way back in at least as far as 1999. By 2007, I finally purchased my B4V and have been here since.

What attracted me to this forum: Good, straght information. Very, very, few immature posts. Intelligent discussions. Open minded car nuts - yes, informed on other cars.

I suspect, not matter what changes or doesn't change - the TDIClub will remain one of my favorite online places.

john.jackson9213 said:

What attracted me to this forum: Good, straght information. Very, very, few immature posts. Intelligent discussions. Open minded car nuts - yes, informed on other cars.

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This is what I was hoping we could apply also to gasser VWs. The other sites are "none of the above". Vortex is basically the "mod squad" with people modifying their cars with lowered suspension, fugly wheels, etc., lots of bashing and rude posts, etc....

But I guess I'm in the minority

Hopefully though, the open-mindedness will apply to allowing some gasser posts to filter into the non-TDI sections. I realize TDIs will be around for a long time, but with both of our TDIs now gone (one pre-buyback because it was a CR lemon, the other was bought back), but still into VWs in a big way, with my wife, myself and my oldest son all driving VWs. At least his is still a TDI for now. His plan is to run it up until when the timing belt is due, and then getting rid of it. At the rate he drives, another two years. The car is so badly corroded, it's not worth spending a thousand+ on it for a new timing belt (it's due in about 20k km)

oilhammer said:

My wife does not want to drive anything but a [turbo]diesel. She's spoiled. The torque is addicting. It took some explaining to convince her that there is nothing "wrong" with our 1.8t Passat, it just needs more coaxing to get it moving that the TDI Passat doesn't.

It is criminal that the newest stuff has become mostly forbidden here, though. Because given some time, they really are better once the teething process is over and done with. SCR still seems to be hit and miss, though.

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Our first VW diesel, the 2000 beetle, was her choice, both engine and color. She grew up on a farm so knows from her early days the advantages of a diesel engine. I think she is trying to compare cost of ownership of the VWs to our corollas. I tell her that's like trying to compare a chef's oven to a toaster oven.

kjclow said:

Our first VW diesel, the 2000 beetle, was her choice, both engine and color. She grew up on a farm so knows from her early days the advantages of a diesel engine. I think she is trying to compare cost of ownership of the VWs to our corollas. I tell her that's like trying to compare a chef's oven to a toaster oven.

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My wife is also lamenting the departure of her diesel. She liked the torque and better engine braking, and still has this myth about diesel longevity. I told her that while that was true of the engine itself (and transmission since she drives manual), the pile of plumbing bolted onto it to make it cheat...er... meet emissions, not so much. DPFs, DEF, Regens, turbos running at hotter EGTs, etc, all costly to fix when they break. Plus, there's VW cheaping out on the HPFP causing grief for many.

And honestly with our corrosion issues here in Quebec, she'd have to drive an awful lot in a short time for the body to outlast the engine.

In my experience there is no other car forum that comes close to TDIClub. The breadth and depth of knowledge here is astonishing and, as others pointed out, conversation overwhelmingly is conducted in a mature, help-each-other-out manner. It's a model for other forums IMHO.

Another forum in which I participate was started to support a now-defunct brand of computer. Some of us may still have one or two of 'em in our basements. But after 20+ years (!) we've moved on; discussion now has migrated to operating systems, software, and peripherals. There seems to be no one joining to learn about maintaining the defunct computers (not surprising, really). The forum probably is as social as it is technical now. Someday the level of engagement will drop to the point it's not worth paying a Web host to keep it up. That will be a sad day. But it's not here yet.

All that said, I'd like to see TDIClub remain primarily TDIs. My Mk IV is only halfway through its life and, it seems, there will be ever-more reasons to visit and find out what's going on with it and what options might be for tires, electronics, etc. I think that as long as Fred is happy with the time and money it costs him to keep the site going, it should stay just as it is. I have no plans to go anywhere -- on-line...

I joined the TDIclub in late 2004 when searching for information about a 98 Jetta performance issue. I found the information I was looking for. And a lot more, like the oil analysis postings.

I also found out that AMSoil is either a miracle cure of divine origin, or else it is a tool of the devil himself. That methylated soy ester is the salvation of humankind, or it is causing starvation and destroying engines. And that I had better buy a copy of VAGCom and learn what all those numbers meant.

For the most part people got along in spite of their differences of opinion. Sort of reminded me of going to high school in a small rural school: yeah, they are a jerk, but they are in every single one of my classes so we need to get along.

I still have the AHU Jetta, even though it is mostly a driveway queen. I stopped looking for repair information when I bought the 2013 Jetta. The Jaguar XE diesel that replaced the '13 Jetta does the long road trips, and since I have moved into a city I commute on a bicycle.

My 2013 Jetta was a wonderful car, and since VW sold it with a 4 year maintenance agreement, the only work I did on it was filling the washer fluid. Never even checked the oil after the first 5,000 miles. I figured that if it didn't need any oil at that point that it was never going to need to be topped up between changes. Besides, none of the local parts houses had the oil.

It is painful, though, to go to a Jaguar forum and see folks talking about how the 5X108 63.4 mm bore wheel is such a rare beast when it is a common Ford size and I think Jaguar started using that spec when Ford owned them. So I like the idea of the TDI club opening up to other diesel powered cars. And can someone else buy a Jaguar diesel so they will be included?

But I can understand why many of the denizens of this site would want it to stay VWAG diesel only. There are still plenty of folks who are driving their TDIs and will be for years to come, and much of the content which brought me here in the first place is very VWAG specific.

Like others have expressed, this site should remain diesel oriented.

I am so glad I have a young 2005 Golf TDI 5-speed. Only 122k miles! I'll be here, even after I get a Tesla sometime after 2025!

I use my cars up. The Golf will still be there, if only because a TDI with a stick is a most glorious combination in the twisties!

I found TDIClub when I finally got my gf to get a diesel, she bought a mkIV Golf and that was the first ECU controlled diesel for me so I had to read up on them and ended up here.
I wouldn't mind if we include other VW's too, the way things are going now with diesel bans we might en up not having a diesel option pretty soon...

I like that this forum is tdi mostly. I'm still pretty new, having joined when I was looking at an old 1998 Jetta tdi we had at my work that got traded in. I was talked out of purchasing it for $400 and I continued to look. I just ran a CARFAX and that old '98 is still running. Just had it's registration renewed in June. But now I've got my '01 beetle tdi which I've learned a lot and now instead of garage art, it's a car that starts and drives and of course my 2015 golf tdi. I'm in the process of going from a 40 mile a day commute to a 115 mile commute, so ifbthatbworks out, I'll be piling miles on quickly. I like the helpful vibe that comes from here.

This is TDIclub.com, not TDI&gasserclub.com......

Even though I sold Mine back and bought a gasser, I still check in here, mainly because I enjoy the sitre, the people are mostly friendly and helpful (even on non diesel related issues), and I can keep up with what is going on int he diesel world, which I want to get back to.

I like the idea of opening the site up to other DIESEL vehicles, but the "gasser goons" who seem to inhabit the Vortex bother me. They are so into the modification of the vehicle, that they forget what its primary purpose is.....efficient transportation.

I might go BMW diesel (335d?) someday, but I would really like VW to get their head out of their ass and do diesels in the US again. I loved my Golf, but I could not pass up $20K for a 6 year old car with 90K on the odometer.

I hold out hope

Cheers!

Wayne

Waynoooo said:

I like the idea of opening the site up to other DIESEL vehicles, but the "gasser goons" who seem to inhabit the Vortex bother me. They are so into the modification of the vehicle, that they forget what its primary purpose is.....efficient transportation.

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Well old habits die hard and even though my wife and I now both drive VW gassers, we still drive to maximize fuel efficiency, try to see how far we can stretch a tank, etc. I was kinda hoping that this site could also be for serious VW gasser folks who want to maximize the efficiency of their transportation, so I could avoid having to waste...er...spend time on Vortex when I want some useful information.

I've only made one mod to my Golf, HID projector headlights (Golf R replicas) that have proven to be a wise investment. The OEM halogens are not great and I live in deer/snow/sleet/rain country and the better lights do help.

Dangerous_Dan said:

It is painful, though, to go to a Jaguar forum and see folks talking about how the 5X108 63.4 mm bore wheel is such a rare beast when it is a common Ford size and I think Jaguar started using that spec when Ford owned them. So I like the idea of the TDI club opening up to other diesel powered cars. And can someone else buy a Jaguar diesel so they will be included?

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Don't wait for a second owner to show up. Get the ball rolling by starting a thread on your XE in the Non-VW Group section.

TDIClub was just fine when it had a couple dozen members. It'll survive as long as Fred keeps the site up.

In a larger sense, is it the "VW" part that we love, or the "Diesel" part? I'm a Honda guy, and I'd love it if they sold a diesel here. I'm very interested in the Mazda CX-5 diesel, and the new Ford F-150 Powerstroke that's coming out.

Besides, I don't buy the "we'll never sell diesels in the USA again" thing. That depends on the market. If people want them, they'll sell them. It's not complicated.

-mickey

TDIClub was just fine when it had a couple dozen members. It'll survive as long as Fred keeps the site up.

In a larger sense, is it the "VW" part that we love, or the "Diesel" part? I'm a Honda guy, and I'd love it if they sold a diesel here. I'm very interested in the Mazda CX-5 diesel, and the new Ford F-150 Powerstroke that's coming out.

Besides, I don't buy the "we'll never sell diesels in the USA again" thing. That depends on the market. If people want them, they'll sell them. It's not complicated.

-mickey

New Mickey said:

TDIClub was just fine when it had a couple dozen members. It'll survive as long as Fred keeps the site up.
In a larger sense, is it the "VW" part that we love, or the "Diesel" part? I'm a Honda guy, and I'd love it if they sold a diesel here. I'm very interested in the Mazda CX-5 diesel, and the new Ford F-150 Powerstroke that's coming out.
Besides, I don't buy the "we'll never sell diesels in the USA again" thing. That depends on the market. If people want them, they'll sell them. It's not complicated.
-mickey

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I happen to really like VWs (Hondas are a close runner-up for me and I've owned several). Diesels were generally for me a mission-specific purchase. I drove a lot with a long commute. When I got my first diesel, a '99 Mk IV Jetta bought new, diesel fuel was below 60 cents a litre here, and a diesel Mk IV consumed about 30-40% less fuel than a 2.0L gasser.

When I got my Mk VII Golf, I had retired, and no longer commuted. Diesel fuel has been consistently from slightly more than RUG (in summer) to considerably more than RUG (in winter); the up-charge for diesel went from about $1500 to $3000, and my previous Mk VI consumed about 15% less than my current Mk VII.

As much as I enjoyed the diesels I've owned (all VWs), they no longer made economic sense. When you're retired, you look at every penny very closely. I figure my operating costs are not much more with a TSI than a TDI, and there are fewer things to go wrong in a major way. VW makes fine gassers too... I've been very impressed with the 1.8 TSI in my Golf and now in my wife's Golf wagon. So far it's been get in, turn the key, drive at 5.9-6.0 L/100 km summer average, maybe 6.5 to 7 in winter, change the oil every 15k km, and sleep well at night.

Still, even though so far (touch wood) my TSI has been trouble-free, it would be nice to have a VW gasser site as informative and mature as Fred's.

I love this Forum and will stay.... Keep my TDI forever. Right now I'm just over 427,000 km. So - lets get OLD together...!

kooyajerms said:

If Fred wants to help with TDIclub's future, how about a new home page that doesn't show Pierre's Golf from about 5 years ago lol. Drives me nuts everytime we see it.

Need to show off something different =p

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What? There's a car on the home page? I never noticed............

Almost forgot. Fred's is the reason I keep my TDI. The last I heard, the A5 section sees a lot of traffic.

One good thing about this place is that when you are tired of the crap being thrown at you while on Facebook, you can always come here for a relaxing bit of nostalgia and repetitive "which oil" thread reading.

Hmm...I think we need a new Oil Czar now that Bob has moved on to the Darkside.

I'm not going anywhere. This is a great resource in helping me keep my 2002 jetta on the road. This has been a great help in my decision making and helping me do various repairs. I'm only at 305,800 miles and putting about 20k a year on her.

It is getting tougher, though. Just found out the AN suffix engine harness for the BRM cars is NLA. And I have one here that needs it. So I have spent all morning trying to patch this poor 1/4 million mile harness up. I hope it holds for a while.

oilhammer said:

It is getting tougher, though. Just found out the AN suffix engine harness for the BRM cars is NLA. And I have one here that needs it. So I have spent all morning trying to patch this poor 1/4 million mile harness up. I hope it holds for a while.

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A BRM is like what, only 10 yrs old?

What's the point of VW building a log-lived engine if VW won't stock parts for it beyond 10 years.

Chalk another one up to our disposable culture, where even engines with million mile potential are cut short due to lack of serviceability.

Yep, it sucks. And I know the cars will last, I just pulled another BRM car in that just crossed the 400k mile barrier.... still truckin' along fine.