New Golf TDI-s reliability and general impressions

r2006

New member
Joined
Jul 19, 2012
Location
Seattle, WA
TDI
Golf
New member here, hello everybody.

I currently drive a 2006 Rabbit, my initial intent was to buy a Golf TDI but at that time they stopped the TDI production because the “new” TDI-s were scheduled to come in.

I still want a TDI, and I would like opinions from the new TDI owners (2010 and on) regarding reliability and general opinions about the VW clean diesels.

I am looking at a 2 door Golf TDI, manual transmission, probably a 2013 model. It would be my daily driver, commute to work, city and highway driving, occasional out of state trips.

Just trying to do my homework before deciding to buy.

Any major problems ? Older TDI-s had problems with clogging.

Currently I am using AMSOIL for my Rabbit, I see AMSOIL has a recommended compatible oil for the new TDI-s, anybody used AMSOIL consistently on this car ? Would you recommend it ? I am planning to do my own oil changes.

What is the reliability of the turbo in this engine ? Any owners out there at, or over 100,000 miles on the new TDI-s, and what is your opinion ?

Can I install a short ram intake to get rid of that engine cover ? I did this on my Rabbit with positive results. I don’t care about chipping, just think that the intake design was/is bad in these cars, SRI is a definite improvement. My Rabbit needed a MAF insert to bring the trims back to spec.

What would be other important maintenance issues that I would need to keep an eye on ?

Appreciate any input.

Thanks
 

DEM

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 25, 2010
Location
BC
TDI
Golf Wagon 2010 - dumped it for Golf R
major problems include intercooler collecting water and hpfp eating itself and blowing up the whole fuel system. And DPF is not the most reliable piece of technology that will have to be replaced which will cost several thousand dollars. Research those before you buy.
 

RomanL

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 14, 2008
Location
Denver, CO
TDI
'10 GOLF TDI
major problems include intercooler collecting water and hpfp eating itself and blowing up the whole fuel system. And DPF is not the most reliable piece of technology that will have to be replaced which will cost several thousand dollars. Research those before you buy.
really??? MAJOR? if you're going to use terms MAJOR you better back it up with high % numbers of those failures
geez
 

RomanL

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 14, 2008
Location
Denver, CO
TDI
'10 GOLF TDI
OP what the guy above listed, are some POTENTIAL problems (just like most transmissions-auto are potential problems in domestic cars, or just like Toyota's acceleration is potential problem) but % is very low, and many will confirm that most of hpfp are due to operators error / misfuell etc.

there are plenty of happy owners on here with 100K + and no issues.
i love my TDI and if all goes well will be getting another one when its time to replace my g/f's 07 Rabbit
 

kjclow

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 26, 2003
Location
Charlotte, NC
TDI
2010 JSW TDI silver and black. 2017 Ram Ecodiesel dark red with brown and beige interior.
There is one poster on here that has over 120K miles on his JSW. These are very similar to the Golf, just a little shorter. We ahve both the JSW and Golf TDIs. Love they way they handle and have had no issues with either one. You'll see lots of posts/info on the high pressue fuel pump (hpfp) but the reported failures are less than 0.1%. So use your judgement on diving into that hornet's nest.

Best thing to do is go drive one and fall in love. Buy your fuel at a station that has high turn over and keep your service up to date.
 

Autobahnner

Active member
Joined
Mar 28, 2012
Location
Germany
TDI
'12 Golf TDI w/ Tech Pkg
There is one poster on here that has over 120K miles on his JSW. These are very similar to the Golf, just a little shorter. We ahve both the JSW and Golf TDIs. Love they way they handle and have had no issues with either one. You'll see lots of posts/info on the high pressue fuel pump (hpfp) but the reported failures are less than 0.1%. So use your judgement on diving into that hornet's nest.

Best thing to do is go drive one and fall in love. Buy your fuel at a station that has high turn over and keep your service up to date.

Agreed with the low percentage of these major failures. I think you'd have a better chance of totaling your car in an accident than an HPFP failure.
 

MaddogTDI

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 13, 2011
Location
MetroWest, MA
TDI
2011 Golf TDI, United Grey, 6M
MKVI Golf's are wonderful cars. I use all these terms in a relative sense: Very fast, very nice handling, very quiet, very nice interiors, amazing interior room for such a small exterior package, the hatch carries much more than you'd think, smooth power, and increasingly amazing fuel economy... I have had mine for just over a year and I still look forward to driving it to and from work everyday.

There are a couple of very low probability items that get blown out of proportion on this website because that's what enthusiast websites do... They blow things out of proportion... Both the good and the bad. There are a few lurkers here that constantly try to overplay the reliability issues and trump up the "VWoA is evil" point of view. But the large majority on here are enjoying an amazing experience with an amazing car.

Test drive one. As soon as I did, I found it impossible to go back to the plastic, sterile, emotionless, cookie cutter world of Toyota, Honda, Subaru (although the FRS and BRZ twins look like a heck of a lot of fun),... So nice to have a car with personality again. Warts and all.
 

gmcjetpilot

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 18, 2008
Location
Memphis TN
TDI
2010 JSW TDI DSG Matalic Grey
New member here, hello everybody. I currently drive a 2006 Rabbit... I still want a TDI, and I would like opinions from the new TDI owners (2010 and on) regarding reliability and general opinions about the VW clean diesels.
Welcome aboard. The TDI (Turbo Direct Injection) CR (common rail) "Clean Diesel", is a great engine, and the Golf, Jetta, Jetta Sportwagen, Passat are great handling nice looking and appointed cars. There is a Touareg with a bigger TDI engine. With that said all German cars, including Audi, Benz, BMW and VW have reputations for being expensive to own than Japanese or Domestic brands. It is a reputation that is mostly deserved. Also VW in particular has a reputation for having lousy dealers and dealer service, as well as being hit and miss in the quality control or reliability, earned or imagined. Just look up the JD Powers, Consumer reports etc. etc. and so on. VW is not on top of the best list (or even top 10). My theory is part of that involves the people who buy Honda, Toyota, Nissan are less critical and just want transportation. People who by German cars, who pay thousands or tens of thousands more, are more likely to be very demanding, and a minor issue in a Honda will go with out complaint. A $80K Benz driver will want the most minor flaw fixed. With that said there is no other car on the market like these VW TDI sedans/hatch/wagen.... Keep in mind it is under warranty for 36K/36 months. The TDI keeps stupid high resale, so bailing out under warranty will not take too big of a bite out of the wallet. I never owned a modern VW (had air-cooled) until 7 months ago. I had talked to many people and it was a LOVE it or HATE it deal, or it was a LOVE HATE relationship with the same person. No one wants major car repair bills. Fact is parts are expensive and dealers are expensive and incompetent way too much. That is just a fact. If you are mechanically handy, advanced level in skill, knowledge, have the facilities and tools, plus patients and time to do your own work all the better. I am doing all the routine maintenance on my car, which is still under extended warranty. The dealer changed my oil. Put a quart too much. Dealer did the 40K service, left the both battery cables loose... on and on. I am never bringing it back there if at all possible. Oh yea to make up for the above they agreed to mount my 4 new tires for free. They put two on backwards, had to go back. So LOVE LOVE the car, drives like a dream, has crazy power (torque) just where you need it, handles fantastically and fits like a glove with all the right amenities. Dealer has tried to spoil that.

I am looking at a 2 door Golf TDI, manual transmission, probably a 2013 model. It would be my daily driver, commute to work, city and highway driving, occasional out of state trips. Just trying to do my homework before deciding to buy. Any major problems ? Older TDI-s had problems with clogging.
Plunk down $25K and it is yours. The BIG SCARE that you either worry about or not, is the High Pressure Fuel Pump (HPFP) in the early (2009-2010) TDI (CR) that seemed to fail early and with out cause. Cause would be putting gasoline in the tank. That said the real truth is the percentage of HPFP failures is low. With that said if it happens you are screwed. It is very very expensive to fix and the collateral damage of sending metal down the fuel lines (at high pressure) is not pretty. Under warranty no big deal; however I am of the mind I would rather a reliable car that never needs warranty repair. Out side the warranty (36/36) you are on your own. Again it freaks people out but do your home work. There are massive threads on the topic. If you are a reactionary panic type person you will get worked up. If you look at the facts, chances are that you car's HPFP will go the distance and never disintegrate. However I have about 15K left on my extended warranty. You better believe I will go through the fuel system very carefully before it expires. Remember diesel acts as a lubricant and if you put bad contaminated fuel in the tank or gasoline, you run the risk of ruining your fuel system. The other issues in the past, were the dual mass clutch flywheels (manual trans) and there is always grumblings about the DSG, which for all intents and purposes is pretty awesome in my opinion, both in operation and reliability.

The DSG cost a lot to service it (oil and filter) every 40K miles. I will do my own when it is time and the cost will be nominal, well under $100. However the dealer charges about $400-$500 (not sure). It only cost that much because you have to jack the car level with front wheels free to turn. Then you have to get the oil in. It is the most convoluted PIA thing I have seen in a long time. You need some special tools, but you can make these hose and adapters fairly cheap (if you can fab parts). Last you need a laptop, software and a VAGCOM cable to measure temperature of transmission. So the dealer has most people by the short hairs. There are youtube videos on this maintenance procedure. Again if this is not up your alley, DON'T DO IT.


Currently I am using AMSOIL for my Rabbit, I see AMSOIL has a recommended compatible oil for the new TDI-s, anybody used AMSOIL consistently on this car ? Would you recommend it ? I am planning to do my own oil changes.
You have to use very specific oil with the VW 507.00/504.00 specification. End of story. This is synthetic low ash oil and it is unique to the newer TDI's.

What is the reliability of the turbo in this engine ? Any owners out there at, or over 100,000 miles on the new TDI-s, and what is your opinion ?
+200K on several. However remember these came out in late 2009 I believe, so 2.5 years is not a lot of time to drive 200K. However the body and running gear, all have their roots back to the Golf and Jetta.... that there are countless ones made having a total of millions of miles. The body and interior are pretty awesome. Now an Audi A3 TDI has a nicer interior, with real stitched leather.

Can I install a short ram intake to get rid of that engine cover ? I did this on my Rabbit with positive results. I don’t care about chipping, just think that the intake design was/is bad in these cars, SRI is a definite improvement. My Rabbit needed a MAF insert to bring the trims back to spec.
LEAVE IT THE HELL ALONE. First it is designed just right and any changes you make will only serve to waste your money and do very little or be detrimental. Under warranty, you can't do anything. Please leave it alone. If you want to hot rod I suggest an old TDI and you can do all kind of things to it. The newer TDI have a very extensive exhaust after-treatment.... BTW the new TDI Passat uses Urea injection.

What would be other important maintenance issues that I would need to keep an eye on ? Appreciate any input. Thanks
I suggest you get in touch with your bank account (how much do you want to spend). Min price of admission for the TDI is about $25K. There are a lot of nice cars that get very very good mileage for under $25K and look and handle nice. Go test drive them all. Bring a note book and ask questions and test drive them ALL! The thing that brought me the to TDI was mileage with power, handling, styling-fit finish and amenities. I considered a Ford Focus Hatch, Hyundai Accent Hatch and several other cars. Don't laugh if you have not test drove one. I had a Ford Focus Hatch I rented for 5 days on vacation and put 1000 miles on it. I averaged 36-38 mpg and I think the styling in many ways is better than the Golf. The Hyundai with 100,000 miles and 10 year warranty and 40 average highway MPG is also pretty cool. The VW wins in fit, finish and handling, but not by that much. My car lists for almost $27,000.00. You can get into these two cars for $18,000 to $21,500 NICELY APPOINTED. However the VW is a cut above and you get what you pay for. Also resale will be higher with the VW TDI by a country mile. Never the less, there are many great cars in the Golf category.

I bought a CPO (Cert Previously Owned) VW TDI JSW for under $22K, 18 months old with 39K miles and a fresh 40K service, plus factory 24mo/24mi extended warranty. The car has been a dream except for the crud dealer service. They mean well but I think they farm out oil changes and tire changes to lower paid help. Any way no regrets but then I have another 15K miles and 18 months to go on the warranty. I might keep it, might sell it... for now it is all goodness and joy. Last if you have independent German Import car service shops in your area, that are competent, have fair prices then that is where you should take it after warranty. For warranty I think you have to go to the dealer, because the 10K, 20K and 30K services are paid for by VW.
 
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ksing44

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 13, 2010
Location
Southeast PA
TDI
2010 Golf TDI
^^Wow, awesome post!

I also agree with what was said. I love my car, I really do, but...

It took the dealer a week to replace my bad injector, but it was free under warranty. The dealer even gave me a loaner after the second visit. On the first visit they essentially just cleared the code and hoped for the best. They gave me a van with over 100K miles as the loaner.

The dealer didn't do the 30K brake flush and I didn't know at the time it was in the revised free warranty service information. They did it at 40K, but refused to do it for free. I guess I could argue and argue, but now I'm just planning to go to a different dealer.

I got new tires, drop shipped to the dealer from Tirerack. They damaged two of my wheels when they mounted the tires. They paid to have the wheels repainted on another day, but of course I had to give them the car for another day. The wheels seem to look fine.

Right now I have a flashing TPMS that goes solid, but all tire pressures are fine. My friend is going to use his VCDS to check for me to see if it just reset to 5.5 bar like was happening to many others a year or so ago.

I keep all of my receipts for diesel fuel and only fuel up at one station, the same station I've used for 2.5 years and 47K miles. Fortunately, the range of the tank helps me do that even to visit my son at the other side of the state of Pennsylvania. It is a big state, but I can make it there and back. I think I'm also lucky to have 2% biodiesel mandated by law in my state. I don't have to worry about additives for lubricity.

My wife's 2001 Honda Accord, purchased new, never had anything break ever. This year it cost $51.00 to get it inspected. The Honda also uses RUG from any station for a significantly lower price than diesel in my area.

Hey, my car is much more fun to drive than my wife's Honda and I really do love my car. I'm just saying it could be a bit of a pain in the neck and at the end of the day you may not save any money at all. I'm sure my car will not be saving me any money over a lot of other car choices.

The good news, my VW TDI is likely to be much, much, much better than my Mercedes, really no matter how bad it is. Well, maybe a HPFP out of warranty would put the VW in the same league as the Mercedes for most expensive car ever. The Mercedes was an awesome drive for 15-years, but never again for me. For the TDI, I guess time will tell. I think I can guarantee it won't be as good as my wife's Honda, but it might be OK.

Just look at that thing! (RIP, my teenage son put it out of its misery)


The TDI with the Benz
 
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r2006

New member
Joined
Jul 19, 2012
Location
Seattle, WA
TDI
Golf
gmcjetpilot, many thanks for your well thought post ! Awesome !

I owned a TDi Golf back in Germany (about 12 years ago) and loved the car. But then again mechanics in Berlin were exceptional and had lots of experience with german cars.

The thing that worries me here in the US is just that techs don't know how to work on imports and especially on german cars. Dealers are scary. I have stories about my Rabbit and dealer service, so that's why I am trying to do most maintenance myself.

Ok I understand the concern about the high pressure fuel pump. I will keep researching.

One more thing: where are these cars assembled ? My Rabbit was assembled in Germany. Are the new TDI-s assembled in MExico ? To me that would mean lower quality workmanship.

I know the MK3-s and 4-s had many minor issues (electrical system, etc) that were tracked back to poor assembly in MExico.

Again, many thanks.
 
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Autobahnner

Active member
Joined
Mar 28, 2012
Location
Germany
TDI
'12 Golf TDI w/ Tech Pkg
gmcjetpilot, many thanks for your well thought post ! Awesome !

I owned a TDi Golf back in Germany (about 12 years ago) and loved the car. But then again mechanics in Berlin were exceptional and had lots of experience with german cars.

The thing that worries me here in the US is just that techs don't know how to work on imports and especially on german cars. Dealers are scary. I have stories about my Rabbit and dealer service, so that's why I am trying to do most maintenance myself.

Ok I understand the concern about the high pressure fuel pump. I will keep researching.

One more thing: where are these cars assembled ? My Rabbit was assembled in Germany. Are the new TDI-s assembled in MExico ? To me that would mean lower quality workmanship.

I know the MK3-s and 4-s had many minor issues (electrical system, etc) that were tracked back to poor assembly in MExico.

Again, many thanks.

The JSWs are made in Mexico. For MY12 all (US) Golfs are made in Germany. I read somewhere that may change with MY13, with them possibly being made in Mexico after they retool for the new MK7. Pure speculation at this point.
 

kjclow

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 26, 2003
Location
Charlotte, NC
TDI
2010 JSW TDI silver and black. 2017 Ram Ecodiesel dark red with brown and beige interior.
One more thing: where are these cars assembled ? My Rabbit was assembled in Germany. Are the new TDI-s assembled in MExico ? To me that would mean lower quality workmanship.
That arguement has been beat to death. Since these plants are VW plants, it is hard for me to imagine them being much different on the inside or the demands of quality of the finished product being any less in Mexico versus Wolfsburg. The new Passats (North American version) are made in Tennesse. Does that make them any less desierable?

I guess that I need to state that I work for a German company and we strive for all of our plants worldwide to operate with the same level of quality.
 

Autobahnner

Active member
Joined
Mar 28, 2012
Location
Germany
TDI
'12 Golf TDI w/ Tech Pkg
That arguement has been beat to death. Since these plants are VW plants, it is hard for me to imagine them being much different on the inside or the demands of quality of the finished product being any less in Mexico versus Wolfsburg. The new Passats (North American version) are made in Tennesse. Does that make them any less desierable?

I guess that I need to state that I work for a German company and we strive for all of our plants worldwide to operate with the same level of quality.
You are correct. My last car was a Mercedes that came from their South African plant. Strangely, that plant had higher quality control standards than the ones in Germany. My guess is it's easy for VW to assume that "non-Germans" aren't as capable as putting out a good product so they check on their foreign plants very closely.
 

DEM

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 25, 2010
Location
BC
TDI
Golf Wagon 2010 - dumped it for Golf R
really??? MAJOR? if you're going to use terms MAJOR you better back it up with high % numbers of those failures
geez
Yes, MAJOR. You've got fire insurance on your house, right? How many of your neighbors had their houses burn to the ground? The low probability events that have devastating consequences are major events. High probability events with no noticeable consequences are non-events. Get it?

So when your car is out of warranty and fuel pump goes resulting in repairs worth 3/4 of the car's current value, that is a major event.

As for intercooler- VW Canada told me personally to avoid driving my TDI when the temperature is fluctuating within a certain range. When a manufacturer tells me not to use their product that is a major issue, especially as they deemed their advice satisfactory and offered no other solution.

As for probability of fuel pump failure- these cars are still new, even 2009/2010 models. The real stats on how many pumps did fail should be collected in 5 years. And based on how it goes it won't be in sub 1% range. So how would you react to the thought of your house burning down in the next 5-7 years with more than 1% probability? Would that be a major issue to consider?
 

DEM

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 25, 2010
Location
BC
TDI
Golf Wagon 2010 - dumped it for Golf R
Agreed with the low percentage of these major failures. I think you'd have a better chance of totaling your car in an accident than an HPFP failure.
In Germany- maybe because you have good diesel and no speed limits :)

But OP is in Seattle. Being the idiot that I am I am so scared of the substandard fuel in US that I only poured total of 7 gallons of US diesel into my TDI and even then I carefully timed it to have 50/50 mix with Canadian diesel in the tank. So because of fuel pump not liking US diesel I can't go South and because of intercooler I can't go North. Does that sound like a practical car to you?

The one well documented on this site case of pump failure in BC happened shortly after the owner took it on a trip across BC/Washington border and used fuel pumps on the other side of the border. The car was fine for well over 100k km and then suddenly it was no longer fine.
 

fastson

Well-known member
Joined
May 14, 2012
Location
Sweden
TDI
2013 Golf 1.6 TDI BMT DSG7
Are the US TDIs differently equipped compared to EU versions?

I checked the watcha-call-them codes on my Swedish TDI, one of them was:
[FONT=Courier New, monospace]0Y3 Cold zones[/FONT]

I wonder if that means they have a different intercooler design, because I haven't read any threads on "our" forums where people are having problems with iced up intercoolers.

As you probably know we can have some cold weather up here as well (+28 summers, -25 winters). :p

Edit: Googled my code. Apparently there is a 0Y2 also, which means Tropical zones.
 
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DEM

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 25, 2010
Location
BC
TDI
Golf Wagon 2010 - dumped it for Golf R
-25 is not cold. In fact sled dogs can't run in -15 as they overheat quickly and start licking snow and rolling around to cool down :)

Are the US TDIs differently equipped compared to EU versions?

I checked the watcha-call-them codes on my Swedish TDI, one of them was:
[FONT=Courier New, monospace]0Y3 Cold zones[/FONT]

I wonder if that means they have a different intercooler design, because I haven't read any threads on "our" forums where people are having problems with iced up intercoolers.

As you probably know we can have some cold weather up here as well (+28 summers, -25 winters). :p

Edit: Googled my code. Apparently there is a 0Y2 also, which means Tropical zones.
 

fastson

Well-known member
Joined
May 14, 2012
Location
Sweden
TDI
2013 Golf 1.6 TDI BMT DSG7
-25 is not cold. In fact sled dogs can't run in -15 as they overheat quickly and start licking snow and rolling around to cool down :)
Yes well I live in the "tropical" part of Sweden. -25C is cold for us. :p

Looked it up, coldest ever was -52.6C in Vuoggatjålme in 1966. :eek: Thats far to the north though.

Interesting stuff.
 

r2006

New member
Joined
Jul 19, 2012
Location
Seattle, WA
TDI
Golf
Re: made in Mexico - I understand these are VW plants and they strive to high quality standards, however from my research most VW assembled in Mexico had quite a few of MINOR annoying problems. I won't dwell into this, I just dont want to buy a car assembled in Mexico. South Africa, and other places, I don't know, may be good, Mexico, no.

I work in quality engineering and I know how difficult it is to have a supplier meet the quality requirements of a project. Part of it is the guy at the assembly line's pride (or lack thereof) of doing a good job.

From my experience in Germany, it matters A LOT that the mechanics know what they are doing on these cars. I believe few mechanics in US know what they are doing on European cars. Dealer ? Please ....

Re: HPFP -- From what I read, the "quality" of diesel fuel in US seems to contribute to the high pressure fuel pump issue. I won't comment on that. But it is something out of my control so really, I think I am going to look elsewhere. If I was to buy the car in US and ship it to Germany and use it there, I would not hesitate. But since I live in Seattle, I am going to pass.

Thank you all for you help. Good community. Appreciate the help.
 
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Curiousgb

Member
Joined
Jan 30, 2012
Location
Millington, tn
TDI
None
The dealer changed my oil. Put a quart too much. Dealer did the 40K service, left the both battery cables loose... on and on. I am never bringing it back there if at all possible. Oh yea to make up for the above they agreed to mount my 4 new tires for free. They put two on backwards, had to go back. So LOVE LOVE the car, drives like a dream, has crazy power (torque) just where you need it, handles fantastically and fits like a glove with all the right amenities. Dealer has tried to spoil that.

Plunk down $25K and it is yours. The BIG SCARE that you either worry about or not, is the High Pressure Fuel Pump (HPFP) in the early (2009-2010) TDI (CR) that seemed to fail early and with out cause. Cause would be putting gasoline in the tank. That said the real truth is the percentage of HPFP failures is low. With that said if it happens you are screwed. It is very very expensive to fix and the collateral damage of sending metal down the fuel lines (at high pressure) is not pretty. Under warranty no big deal; however I am of the mind I would rather a reliable car that never needs warranty repair. Out side the warranty (36/36) you are on your own. Again it freaks people out but do your home work. There are massive threads on the topic. If you are a reactionary panic type person you will get worked up. If you look at the facts, chances are that you car's HPFP will go the distance and never disintegrate. However I have about 15K left on my extended warranty. You better believe I will go through the fuel system very carefully before it expires. Remember diesel acts as a lubricant and if you put bad contaminated fuel in the tank or gasoline, you run the risk of ruining your fuel system. The other issues in the past, were the dual mass clutch flywheels (manual trans) and there is always grumblings about the DSG, which for all intents and purposes is pretty awesome in my opinion, both in operation and reliability.

The DSG cost a lot to service it (oil and filter) every 40K miles. I will do my own when it is time and the cost will be nominal, well under $100. However the dealer charges about $400-$500 (not sure). It only cost that much because you have to jack the car level with front wheels free to turn. Then you have to get the oil in. It is the most convoluted PIA thing I have seen in a long time. You need some special tools, but you can make these hose and adapters fairly cheap (if you can fab parts). Last you need a laptop, software and a VAGCOM cable to measure temperature of transmission. So the dealer has most people by the short hairs. There are youtube videos on this maintenance procedure. Again if this is not up your alley, DON'T DO IT.


You have to use very specific oil with the VW 507.00/504.00 specification. End of story. This is synthetic low ash oil and it is unique to the newer TDI's.

+200K on several. However remember these came out in late 2009 I believe, so 2.5 years is not a lot of time to drive 200K. However the body and running gear, all have their roots back to the Golf and Jetta.... that there are countless ones made having a total of millions of miles. The body and interior are pretty awesome. Now an Audi A3 TDI has a nicer interior, with real stitched leather.

LEAVE IT THE HELL ALONE. First it is designed just right and any changes you make will only serve to waste your money and do very little or be detrimental. Under warranty, you can't do anything. Please leave it alone. If you want to hot rod I suggest an old TDI and you can do all kind of things to it. The newer TDI have a very extensive exhaust after-treatment.... BTW the new TDI Passat uses Urea injection.

I suggest you get in touch with your bank account (how much do you want to spend). Min price of admission for the TDI is about $25K. There are a lot of nice cars that get very very good mileage for under $25K and look and handle nice. Go test drive them all. Bring a note book and ask questions and test drive them ALL! The thing that brought me the to TDI was mileage with power, handling, styling-fit finish and amenities. I considered a Ford Focus Hatch, Hyundai Accent Hatch and several other cars. Don't laugh if you have not test drove one. I had a Ford Focus Hatch I rented for 5 days on vacation and put 1000 miles on it. I averaged 36-38 mpg and I think the styling in many ways is better than the Golf. The Hyundai with 100,000 miles and 10 year warranty and 40 average highway MPG is also pretty cool. The VW wins in fit, finish and handling, but not by that much. My car lists for almost $27,000.00. You can get into these two cars for $18,000 to $21,500 NICELY APPOINTED. However the VW is a cut above and you get what you pay for. Also resale will be higher with the VW TDI by a country mile. Never the less, there are many great cars in the Golf category.

I bought a CPO (Cert Previously Owned) VW TDI JSW for under $22K, 18 months old with 39K miles and a fresh 40K service, plus factory 24mo/24mi extended warranty. The car has been a dream except for the crud dealer service. They mean well but I think they farm out oil changes and tire changes to lower paid help. Any way no regrets but then I have another 15K miles and 18 months to go on the warranty. I might keep it, might sell it... for now it is all goodness and joy. Last if you have independent German Import car service shops in your area, that are competent, have fair prices then that is where you should take it after warranty. For warranty I think you have to go to the dealer, because the 10K, 20K and 30K services are paid for by VW.
I have really wanted a JSW but all my reading on this site, and my visit to local dealers in Memphis has made me very leery. I do all my own maintenance and would expect to keep the car at least 10+ years. What dealer have you used in Memphis?
 

maxedtdi

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 25, 2011
Location
Kalifornia
TDI
2011 Golf 2 Door DSG
The warranty on the fuel pump (and rest of drive-train) is 5/60 and not 3/36 I don't get why ppl don't just read the manual.

It may also fall under emissions, which can be even longer, but that depends on the state.
 

Cogen Man

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 4, 2011
Location
Kingston, Ontario, Canada
TDI
2011 Golf TDI DSG.
gmcjetpilot

I couldn't have said it better.
OP
I have 2 of the 2011 Golf TDI's. Great cars. Every car can have some warts. Continue with your research. Then get one. :D
 

blownaway

Veteran Member
Joined
May 20, 2008
Location
Oregon
TDI
2002 TDI (waiting for my 02M conversion) 99.5 TDI(totalled) 2002 gasser wagon, 2012 Golf
I pick up my 2012 tomorrow, I'm not scared of the HPFP...:D
 

TDI smile

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 11, 2012
Location
Edmonton, Alberta (b4 BC - LOWER MAINLAND = Chilli
TDI
2002 TDI (ALH) with 513,000 km. First Owner and very happy... No Problems, never left us stranded on the Highway. Average useage is about between under 4 ltr. and 5 ltr. Normal longdistance travel: 4.1/100
Very nice reading...
My VW's, that I owned ( on my 23rd ) needed no Warranty work, not one.
One of these years I might like to buy a new TDI, but right now I love driving my 2002 GOLF TDI
 

seth1065

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 6, 2011
Location
NJ
TDI
2011 JSW with DSG, Panoroof, rear air bags and the always fun velcro blocks, Blue with beige int
My 11 JSW has been great for the year I have owned it, 40 k no issues, the trick is to stay far away from the dealer when you start to pay for maintenance, find a local gura or indy who knows these cars , do the service when needed and you should be golden, yes in a small % the HPPF do blow up ( less than 1%) but I think VW has covered everyone one of those ( If I am wrong someone will correct me) They are not cheap, and they are not your best bang for the buck but for me it was the best choice, good luck, see if you can get a deal on a 2012 left over.
 

Steve Clark

Member
Joined
Mar 24, 2012
Location
London, ON
TDI
2012 Wagon
I've owned 3 VW now. 2 GTI and now my first TDI. I'm very happy with the brand and the support from my dealer even though I had a wheel bearing fail in the first GTI and the engine lunch itself in the second GTI.

There was a delay in getting each car and each time the dealer gave me a loaner. Just had the first 15 K service yesterday and made sure that oild was correct spec when it showed 5W30 on the invoice but bottles were produced to indicate it is 507.

Yes, the HPFP and intercooler issues are on my mind but I've had so many cars over the years via my company that they are all prone to odd failures like a Honda Civic that had all the fuel injectors replaced, a several early Toyotas Tercels that would die as a result of bad alternators. The strangest was the first gen. Ford Focus that we had a fleet of. One ate it's tires in 15K, another would have the brake go to the floor and not stop the car and another just died on the road after shaking violently. Others had ABS warning lights firing all winter. Even the dealers hated that car.

I will try to maintain the mantra of drive more worry less. Although I am keeping all my fuel receipts. I plan to use the dealer until the warranty is used up and then find a local guru.
 
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