First Post, new forum member

Excellent Forums. Hello out there. I’m a brand spankin’ Newbie turning in my first post. I think I’ll be poking around for quite some time though, because I will buy a used TDI as soon as I sell my outstanding 1994 Toyota pickup (50k miles). That should be easy, but will take a month or so to complete, so I have some time to plan this.

My older brother owned a (non-TDI) diesel Golf many years ago, and then got a TDI Passat wagon. He gave the Golf to his son, which is nearly completed its third 100,000 miles. I have seen how durable the VW diesels can be.


I want to pull a small trailer on weekends (little boat, a class 2 hitch is OK). I SAW the discussion from the guy with the BIG 18foot power boat> This is a 16 foot aluminum boat with a 2.5HP merc on it. My 2 wheel drive 100hp Toyota does OK pulling it out of the water, and I drive slow on the road anyway.

I have two little kids (2-4 years old), so I’m thinking the Jetta TDI is one good choice, but I'd like a Golf for the better mileage. Can I put a class II tow hitch on the Golf ? A Jetta ? I’d like it to be bio-diesel compatible for the long run, though I’d be willing to wrench some modifications if needed for that. From what I've seen here so far, this may be no problem.


I see nice Jettas and Golfs with 65k-100k available all over, but I can probably get permission (from guess who) to add more money into this and spring for something a little newer and nicer. The permission ‘giver’ isn’t too happy about the kids riding around in the cab of my truck (no air bags or full back seat). If fuel economy is similar between the Golf and Jetta, I should probably go for the Jetta. I haven't yet found any real compelling reason to make this choice But I'll have to...


I’m thinking 2002-2005 range. Are there any problems in these years I should look out for? Is there a date (like year 200 or 2001 for instance) for the Jetta or Golf that major improvements were made? Reliability? Power? Efiiciency ?

Tons of info here:
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=75359&highlight=buying+a+used+tdi

The TDI engine changed from the 90hp ALH to the 100 hp "Pumpe Düse" for the 2004 model year. Bear this in mind when you make comparisons. There are pros and cons regarding the Pumpe Düse engine; on the used market the possible use of non-authorized oil causes concerns.

The PD engine in 2004 makes a little more HP than the ALH, and is a good bit more "fancy" than the earlier ALH motor(99-2003) requiring a more special oil, and many more electronic and mechanical components on the engine(which can fail). The PD makes 100hp versus 90 hp in stock form but from a drivability stand point you would never notice the difference.

From a fuel economy stand point you will find that golfs and jettas yield nearly identical fuel economy for the same engine type. The biggest difference would be between an ALH engined car and a PD. The ALH will do 5-10% better in the fuel economy department.

One of the biggest changes that occured in your model year range was the addition of side curtain airbags in 01 or 02. Also in 03 or 04 vw introduced Electronic Stability Program to the TDI lineup as an option which as the name implys is stability control.

good advice

This is a great start. Thanks much.

After more than a year, I GOT one!!

Thanks. Thanks a bunch for your advice.

I have been saving up, and after more than a year since my first (and only) post, I got a beautiful dark blue 2003 Jetta. I decided on the ALH based on advice here and my interest in economy and simplicity. This one currently has 86,000, was owned and apparently garaged in Maine for the first 4 years of its life, and seems to have been maintained well. I got the manual, both fat keys as well as the valet key, some miscellaneous insurance info and owner information (Odd, those things are often stripped away). Now it is in Kansas City. I bought it from the second owner, who backed out of his investment within four months, perportedly because of new house mortgage and new baby in the house (I have his two year inspection/registration receipts). So far, I think he was not dumping it for any other reason...

About 4000 miles ago, just before or just after he bought it, it had:

new timing belt
new serpentine belt and tensioners
new air mass flow sensor
new glow plugs
fuel filter
water pump
HEPA filter (cabin)
oil/filter
other odds and ends

He got a good deal on this service, substantially discounted parts prices (with VW parts numbers) totaling less than $900 and I see no labor charge on the invoice. I think this was done at the dealership after a tradein from the Maine owner after moving to Kansas City (?), though the dealer may have transported it hear from Maine. Maybe it was done prior to sale to the guy I bought it from. No labor?1?1?-- the work had to be ordered by the salesman or the dealership before the sale!! I can find out where the work was done.

After this major service, it should be good for many, many miles now. It starts easily, idles perfectly, and has plenty of pep. I will be more active here now. For instance, next step is a hitch. I may modify a drawtite with additional mounting plates like I've seen on this site as a first accessory.

I will move onto suspension stiffening mods in a year or two.

I will need to modify my member profile with the new Jetta info, and a thumbnail. Weather is cranky right now, so it might be a snowy thumbnail!

Congrats, good year. Alternator pulleys are prone to failure on 03, listen for a squeal at idle and replace before it goes, howto in the howto sticky. You might get it to a guru for a good once over to make sure the timing belt job was done correctly for peace of mine. Look to Oilhammer in St Louis if you are down that way.

pulley

I am not afraid to take things apart and put them back together carefully with new parts as needed. Anything is fair game. Decades of used cars have been a good education, and the how-tos here on this site will are confidence inspiring. I'll keep my ears open for pulley squeal. For now, it only has the satisfying muffled ping pong sound that I will become well accustomed to quickly. Big smile!

Welcome to the wonderful world of TDI ownership!

#1, and this is very important... Find out where/by whom the timing belt was replaced. Most dealerships do not replace everything that actually needs to be replaced, such as torque to yield bolts, etc. There have been many many posts on the forums where people get the timing belt done by a dealer only to have it fail within a few thousand miles causing major top end engine damage and costing $$$$ in repairs. For peace of mind consider buying a timing belt kit from one of the trusted vendors and finding a guru or trusted mechanic in your area and getting the job done over again.

Welcome to the KC TDI club. We have Get to Gethers (GTG's) in Bonner Springs every 2 or 3 months. Bring your car out. I will let you drive mine so we can get the modding bug started for you......

Be sure to watch the Midwest forum for local chat and upcoming GTG's

now you are scarin' me!!!

Naimanator said:

... Find out where/by whom the timing belt was replaced. Most dealerships do not replace everything that actually needs to be replaced, such as torque to yield bolts, etc. There have been many many posts on the forums where people get the timing belt done by a dealer only to have it fail

Click to expand...

Interference valves! Oh gee. Not too scary, really. But, I WILL contact the previous owner and find out exactly who did the work. He sounded confident in this mechanic... Specifically confident. Then I'll talk to the mechanic and ask him whose cars he has worked on locally if he'll tell me.

Maybe I can get him to get online here, and stick his neck out to become a KC guru if he feels so inclined (and has appropriate credentials and satisfied customers). If he is confident and capable, he will probably see this as an opportunity.

welcome to TDIland!