Keep 06 Jetta or upgrade to a 2012

Looking at getting a 2012 Jetta with 15000 miles on it to replace my 06 with 282000. Are the 2012 as reliable as my 06? Any major flaws with them? It had the emission fix already. Been reading about the HPFP failure is that common in these? Thanks in advance

HPFP failures were only common enough for VW to grant an extended warranty - not issue a recall. If this car has any warranty left on it, drive with confidence. If there is no warranty left on it, I would source a CP3 kit and upgrade the HPFP. I myself have one sitting on the shelf waiting for my warranty to expire and I’ll swap it out at that time.
Yesterday my local VW guru told me about one of his customers with over 420k miles on his 2013(?) JSW, still getting ~44mpg. He replaced the entire DSG at 400k miles. He sourced a DSG from a wrecked car with ~9k miles for ~$600 and swapped it in.

My 2010 Jetta with CJAA engine is at 197k.
Common engine issues that I have learned about along the way:
Intake manifold flap motor - ~$60 fix with DieselGeek bracket. Easy instal with good instructions online.
Tandem fuel pump - leak can develop on the front end. Mine was covered under the warranty. If no warranty, I’m told it’s 2 copper seals that need to be replaced, not the entire pump. Mine was leaking probably at a rate of 1mL/500mile. I noticed a wet spot when doing 190k oil change.
Creaky subframe - swap out skinny stretch bolts to bigger TTY bolts. Torque to spec and carry on
Sunroofs are a nightmare. Don’t get one. Unless you don’t care.
Everything else like brakes and suspension are regular maintenance items as needed.

I’m being summoned to begin my honey-do list.

Have fun.

Thanks for the info. What is the sunroof problem? The one I’m looking at has one.

Sunroofs on the sedans are fine. Pano roofs on the Sportwagens are problems, apparently. Everyting that D-Cup reports as issues, except for the roof and subframe, are included in the emissions warranty coverage. As is the HPFP. So you're good for a while.

The common rail cars are more complex than the BRM, and may have more issues as they age. However, I don't consider the BRM the most trouble-free of TDIs, so by comparison they may be similar.

unless the body of your 06 is in bad shape, keep it, 300K is not a "OLD" mileage for this TDI. provided the rest of the car is in good shape, you could make it to 500K with little hassle.
VW made these cars with the gasoline engines in mind and made the TDI an option. VW cars are generally low quality cars but the TDI is a fantastic platform. The cars were not made to last as long as the engine option.

We are known for a few mods that we developed for the BRM, BEW and BHW; the 04-06(really, 07)PD engine improvements. Our mods will keep the engine going for hundreds of thousands of miles.

We started into the CBEA and CJAA and fortunately, we found it questionable to pursue upgrades for the common rail engines. That decision to nix upgrades for the CR was made just before the Diesel Gate Scandal. I am so glad we did not pour money into that project, only to have 80+% disappear from our shores.

Initially, our feeling was the emission controls were going to get us into trouble. Since they were virtually turned off, they didn't. I think now, that spectre is going to raise it's ugly head. For one thing, the DPF is hard on a relatively weak Borg Warner Turbo. Sure, we can change the turbo out for something like the Garrett PD 140, but in spite of claims of some of the horsepower numbers we hear coming out of this engine, I feel the common rail should be left in it's stock form. I find the cylinder head itself, a bit 'dainty'. I would not call it 'robust'.

The other thing we have noted from the engines we have seen is by dropping the engine oil weight to 5-30 (we think it's because of CAPA standards; to increase fuel economy), the cylinder walls are suffering. There are several engines we've taken apart to find the classic 200k as we have seen in previous year engines, 'Still can see the cross-hatch' from original hones marks, in the common rail, they have disappeared. So, there is an additional wear issue with the comparative higher heat and thinner oil in the common rail. My thought is to revert to a more practical 5-40 weight oil. And don't believe the temp gauge on the dash. It's a liar. We have seen plenty of them show up on our door with the temp running above 205f. We don't like it.

As for the BRM, there are three things we are constantly addressing with that engine.
1) Premature cam wear. We have shown great longevity with our upgrade cams and our track record with our modified cam, cam bearings and reusable bolts have given us an enviable reputation for longevity.
2) The EGR cooler has a nasty habit of leaking at a poorly devised butterfly valve, which only operates, generally, for about the first 2 minutes of the engine's warm-up. Then, seemingly, it's only purpose is to wear the butterfly valve's shaft and lose all your boost. We have created a very good cure for that.

3) The most common transmission installed it the BRM is the 6-speed DSG automatic transmission. The big issue with that is the dual-mass flywheel must occasionally be replaced, usually in about 180-250k, depending on how much stop and go traffic you meet. The job entails about $400 worth of parts and 3 hrs of a mechanic's time. The later version flywheel seems to have great life-expectancy.

The best way to keep the flywheel from being replaced is DON'T IDLE, at least, not any more than you have to. Don't do 'warm-ups', as the diesel will hardly do what I consider 'warming' on a cold day, at idle. Get in, start the engine and DRIVE. If you are going to be idling for 5 minutes, shut it off. Your flywheel will thank you and it will live longer.

Personally, the BRM is not perfect, but it's not bad, either. Feed it clean fuel. Change the oil with the BEST oil you can find and when needed, consider our upgrades and mods. It will live a very long time.

Franko6,
What I gathered is that the CR would be more reliable (compared to itself) with a DPF delete & 5w40 oil. Did I read that correctly?

You can run 5w40 without deleting the DPF. Lots of good low ash 5w40s out there.

D-Cup,

You read that correctly, as far as the oil. The unfortunate fact is that, although I cannot condone DPF deletes, the action of the DPF and the comparatively poor Borg Turbo leads me to comment the action of the DPF is harmful to the turbo and is life-shortening.

Whether or not I condone the removal of the DPF or not, I know that is going to happen and with regularity. I leave that to each individual's consideration.

BRMs are not bad, from what I hear around this forum. In my case, I had to do plenty of work to keep mine going. In order to extend the life of the cam, use Schaeffer Supreme 9000 full synthetic 5W-40 oil. That's what Frank06 recommends to use with his camshaft kit. If the camshaft dies in your BRM, he's the man to contact.
Since you live in Illinois, salt from the roads would be a big concern. Make sure that you remove the spongy material inside the front fender wheels, they absorb salt and they cause the typical fender rust. In Lexington, MI, there is a KROWN rustproofing franchise, they basically spray your undercarriage with a special oil, They also spray it inside your doors. As long as you have it done once a year, the rust will stop destroying your car. I highly recommend him, as I am taking my own cars every year over there. MY 06 jetta is 100% rust free.

Once or twice I accidentally ordered the Liqui-Moly 5w-40 from ECS tuning. Oops.
I try to keep the oil to spec just because of the warranty and to appease the powers that be in the event of needing said warranty.
I like your answer though. Thank you!