Just curious, the tdi reaction...

I met up with a buddy that I haven't seen in a few months and through the conversation it came up thatI recently had some car trouble. I explained that my gf's alternator crapped out twice in a month and changing it was starting to be a pita.....he says, what does she drive? I say, a jetta tdi......his reply? OHHHHHH!!? as if to say, jeez, no wonder it was a sob to work on......and this isn't the first time I've been hit with this reaction.

Does anyone else encounter this kind of reaction when talking to other people about owning a tdi? I mean, the fact that it's diesel or German shouldn't make a huge difference, the people reacting this way usually don't have a clue about a domestic or gas engine anyway.

its not a TDI reaction its a VW reaction. VW has a bad reputation for maintenance reliability overall. German engineering overall has kind of a bad reputation, not on the reliability side but on the tough to work on. maybe not all true but since when does truth play a part in public perception.

I have no Maintenance Problem... VW runs and runs without needing a Tow Truck...., at least in my Household and I (we) had 23 VW's. It must be German Engineering!!!!

I've never had my VW strand me, but I've had a few things go wrong and it's always costly to fix. But that didn't stop me from buying another VW.

There is a LOT of ignorance surrounding Volkswagens.

The ALH is not an especially difficult alternator to replace... easier than some, harder than others, but I don't equate the amount of time it takes with difficulty.

For the most part, Volkswagens are easy to service. But I'm glad a lot of people don't think so, because that is how I earn much of my living.

Of course, I'd never have to do an alternator twice in one month on one. Bosch hasn't ever let me down.

oilhammer said:

For the most part, Volkswagens are easy to service.

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You do a lot of work on them and know the quirks and have the tools, but for an average person, it's kinda difficult.

From personal experience, I've had people tell me theyre a huge pain in the ass to work on. I dont mind it. I don't think that they're easy or hard. They are in some ways harder and in some ways easier. There are definitely quirks though. I think the majority of the people hear about the quirky stuff more, because theres more drama and it tends to propagate more than the super easy stuff. I'm willing to bet that even super experienced gurus like Oilhammer here didnt know everything they know now when they stripped their first bolt head or turned that wrench the first time.

I also have to work on a lot of other makes. Trust me, Volkswagens are NOT difficult to service.

jetlagmech said:

its not a TDI reaction its a VW reaction. VW has a bad reputation for maintenance reliability overall. German engineering overall has kind of a bad reputation, not on the reliability side but on the tough to work on. maybe not all true but since when does truth play a part in public perception.

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YOU ARE CRAZY!!! Our '98 Jetta TDI is 16 years old now, has 227K miles and literally every major component is factory original!!! Only major item replaced was the A/C compressor (we live in the heat of FL!!!).
The starter, alternator, fuel injector pump, all fuel injectors, CV joints, transmission, and clutch are all FACTORY ORIGINAL.

Twice in one month? Was the replacement an AutoZone "Lifetime Warranty" alternator? If so, you will get VG at replacing it............

Love VW's and to be honest here in the UK in the scheme of things id say they were easy to work on, mabye in the US where you would have more room to work on the bigger trucks/pickups they may be a little more difficult.

I haven't found working on an ALH too difficult. Parts are more $$, but so is any other import.

On the other hand, the '92 Saturn SC my wife had was a terror to work on. Oil filter in a nearly impossible location, took me 2 days just to change the t-stat because I could barely fit my hands in there & was working blind for the most part.

Ol'Rattler said:

Twice in one month? Was the replacement an AutoZone "Lifetime Warranty" alternator? If so, you will get VG at replacing it............

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Sure was, well, CARQUEST here in Canada. I'm on my third one now. This one seems to be ok...made it a week so far.

I feel your pain. We had a 93 Chev Cavalier That went through 5 Al's Auto Supply garbage reman alternators. Changed to Napa and the Napa alternator was still doing fine after about 7 to 10 years when we got rid of the car.