Purchase a high mileage TDI?

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
Just curious, do the remanufactured units we would be buying now for the ALH have better seals?

DFIS says Bosch says they do. And Bosch is still building brand new pumps (they are no longer made in Germany but nearby in the Czech Republic). the 'reman' pumps you get from Volkswagen now are actually these new Czech Bosch pumps. I've installed quite a few of them, they work perfectly. Only time will tell how well they hold up against leaks.
 

DieselZappa

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 10, 2012
Location
Enon, Louisiana
TDI
2001 Golf
Plan on spending $2-4k to bring the car up to snuff...there's a reason it's cheap! Other than that, they're great cars and will run forever if treated right.
 

stikshift

Well-known member
Joined
May 8, 2016
Location
New York
TDI
'03 Golf ALH
I'll add my own anecdote here...

I bought my Golf used through a reseller who purchased it from a dealership. The car was traded in and only had one previous owner who kept very good care of the car and brought it in for all its scheduled services. The reseller also did some work on the car before I bought it, too, including installing a new battery and replacing the timing belt.

At sale, the car had 257k miles and I'm currently up to 266k. So far, I've only had to put about $350 into repairs (glow plugs, original starter, and original voltage regulator) and the car is showing no signs of slowing down! Not even a CEL.

If you find a well-maintained TDI, you're gonna have a very reliable car.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
I just brought a 273k mile 2001 New Beetle back to life, to keep my 516k mile 2000 Golf company. :D

On the test drive in the NB, though, I noticed the DMF is in bad shape. So trans will be coming out next week to remedy that, and I am going to put a new starter in as it is not sounding very good either.

But it is a nice, straight car, and runs fantastic.
 

FLASH1970

Active member
Joined
Mar 2, 2017
Location
Lake Geneva Wisconsin
TDI
2001 GOLF GLS
I bought my golf with 354,000 miles.��
me too! lol. well, 354,5xx. perfect compression, lots of major repairs done already (turbo, clutch, t-belt). I had/have to do a few small repairs but I figure a repair now and then is cheaper than a car payment every month. it helps that I can do all, or 95% of my own work.
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
My 251K Golf keeps my 345K Wagon company.


I wanted coverage in case an accident takes the wagon out. Probably the only way I'll give up on it.
 

Brett San Diego

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 25, 2013
Location
San Diego
TDI
02 Jetta wagon manual
'02 Jetta wagon. Purchased at 220,000 miles. Now with 310,000 miles after almost 4 years. I had just a couple of what I would call major issues. Things that strand you. First was needing to replace the seals in the injection pump. It began requiring a long crank every once in a while to start. Then one day, it just wouldn't start. Apparently, the bad seal would allow the pump to suck air and lose prime. Second incident was the engine mount bracket bolts stripping as I was exiting the highway in town. Terrible thunk as the engine dropped several inches, then a major rattle as the serpentine belt pulleys hit things. I was able to drive the 1/2 mile or so to my destination but required a tow home. Reading the forum taught me that the threads in this aluminum bracket strip often, and the bracket should be replaced every third timing belt or so.

Besides that, a couple of timing belt changes (one in progress right now), brake pads, a coolant hose, wiper relay, front A-arm bushings, tie rods, oil changes, manual transmission gear oil changes... either routine maintenance or minor stuff.

Brett
 
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IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
Brett, your two issues point out the importance of keeping up with repairs and maintenance, and by having that work done by a qualified guru. A good TDI repair person would have known to replace the bracket at the second timing belt replacement, preventing the stipped bolts. Also, it's possible that single use bolts were re-used in the last replacement, increasing the likelihood of failure. And it sounds like you had a warning that the IP was going to give you trouble.

As these car age keeping up with repairs and service becomes even more important. And many long-term owners find themselves reluctant to spend money on an older car with a low value. But if you do you can stay on the road. We just put control arms, injectors, and a clutch in my son's '02 Golf with 328K miles. Repairs cost more than we paid for the car two years ago. But I couldn't get a better vehicle for that amount of money, and the car has been dead reliable for 65K miles. Well worth it.
 
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