Are TDI engines more expensive to maintain than gas engines?

I ordered a Silver Golf TDI GLS in November and am eagerly anticipating it's arrival.

Can anybody tell me how much more expensive it is to maintain a TDI engine vs. a gasoline engine?

In the short term...yes, due to the more frequent timing belt changes. (40K for automatics, 60K for 5-speeds according the the latest word from VWoA...subject to change from hour to hour according to their latest whim.)

In the long term, all other things being equal, a diesel engine can be expected to last approximately 30% to 40% longer than a comparable gasser.

-mickey

Let's put some numbers on the timing belt issue, which I feel is a little blown out of proportion (at least for the manual trannys).

Don't forget a gasser needs a new belt from time to time as well. Change interval for TDI manual: 90k kms. Gas engine: 160k kms.

In Canada, let's be generous and assume the stealership charges $500 for the belt (it's less than that I believe, but just to be safe...). Figure it out. Timing belt cost for the gasser is 3/10 cents per km. On the TDI, it works out to just a little over 5/10 cents per km (5.55 to be exact).

For someone like me who averages 30k km/year, my annual "timing belt allowance", as it were, is $167. For a gasser, $90 per year.

Now the fuel savings. This week I had a 2.0 gas. Got my usual 8.5 l/100 km with the 2.0. TDI gets, under the same driving mix, about 5.5 l/100 km (annual average, about 5.0 in summer, 6 in winter). At 80 cents/liter that's about $1320 of diesel fuel, vs. $2040 of gasoline for the 2.0L.

Annual savings: $720, or 2.4 cents/km. Timing belt difference is mimimal in comparison, $.0025/km, so that the actual savings for the TDI is 2.1 cents/km when you factor in the more frequent belt changes.

Yes, a timing belt is a pain in the butt to change, yes, it eats into cash flow for the year you change it in. But relative to the other savings, it is barely noticeable. On top of that, I haven't even factored in the lack of need for spark plug changes, and other maintenance issues peculiar to cars that consume the explosive stuff...

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PlaneCrazy
99.5 Jetta TDI GLS
76 Piper Cherokee

With fuel prices being much lower in the US vs Canada, the equation is different. I would say that if you drive 30k or more/yr, the TDI will save you some money over the long term. It will take awhile to recover the initial TDI premium+TB factor. Less than 30k/yr- I would still buy the TDI for the pleasure of ownership and diesel performance- torque. If you are willing to do most of your own maintainance, this will also help. It's a little harder to find competent service for the TDI and quality fuel is more difficult to find. Overall, I believe the TDI will reward you with a greater pride of ownership than a gasser.

Okay, here is a break down giving delaer maintenace
1) Tune ups cost the same around here whether gas or diesel (flat rate $180 plus parts)
2) The spark plugs on a gas cost what a fuel filter on a diesel costs
3) TDI's should have synthetic oil, more expensive (but same intervale)
4) Glow plugs need replacing every few years
and they are expensive (say $300), gassers have oxygen sensors which would cost just as much and need replacing about the same time
5) Gassers have spark plug wires, cap/rotor, tons of extra sensors, diesels do not
6) gassers need exhaust replacement more frequently due to the moisture content of the exhaust (and its contents), the exhaust is MUCH MORE complicated and expensive
7) Diesels need tb more often
8) Both engines will need fuel injectors around the same time and most likely equal in cost
9) Fuel economy as mentioned
10)Diesels are much more reliable, much less complicated to fix (fewer sensors/electronics, allthough this is changing)
11)Diesels pretty much require a fuel additive, where as gas engines do not, add $30/year

I hope this sheds some light
Greg