My new (to me) MKIV! What do you think?

Jolio

Well-known member
Joined
May 13, 2011
Location
DC/Baltimore, MD
TDI
2001 Jetta TDI
Hi guys! After lurking here and looking everywhere for nearly a month, I've finally found a replacement for my old moneypit Civic. Me and a buddy of mine headed up across the PA border earlier this week and found this beautiful 2001 GLS TDI with 170k, desperately in need of some TLC:









I checked inside and out, under the hood as best I could, and took her for a ride...strong motor, clutch, and trans, neither of us noticed anything major, so I snatched it up!

As I hinted at, there is a fair amount that needs to be taken care of. She's nearly due for a TB job and brakes/rotors all around, A/C doesn't work, CEL is on (previous owner said he was told that was something about glowplugs, and that it was "normal," sure...), there's diesel on the top of the fuel filter (but there doesn't seem to be a leak, hopefully just from a messy filter replacement), and there's oil coming from the filler area and the (broken) dipstick tube, that I'm a bit worried about but the car's not going to move much before I can get it checked:







Plenty of cosmetics to fix, mostly the plastic trim, I'll be asking around for parts once I'm ahead of the scheduled maintenance. Classic, someone tore the front fender pulling away from a parking space, never fixed it so the plastic skid plate's getting eaten up, that's fine I planned on putting an aluminum skid plate on anyway...

I'll be getting it looked at on Tuesday, in the meantime, I was going to do myself what I could...I just got around to taking pictures, and haven't even cleaned it yet. I've been reading through a lot of threads here, and there's plenty more to go through. Unlike my previous car, I intend to do as much of my own maintenance on this as I can. I'm really glad I found TDIClub, and I'm looking forward to owning this TDI--and frequenting these forums--for a long time. I'd love to hear what you guys think, tips, suggestions, anything, and feel free to have a look at the rest of the album!
 

benIV

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 25, 2009
Location
Southeast NC
TDI
2003 PG 5m Jetta GL Sedan, 2003 RS 5m Jetta GLS Wagon (Golf Variant)
I was curious how much you got it for, if you don't find it too personal to ask?

I'm looking for one in need of some much needed love... mine did, and has deserved it's updated/exceptionally deep cleaned state.

It is always warming to see people clean these cars up and use them and treat them the way they should be.
 

Jolio

Well-known member
Joined
May 13, 2011
Location
DC/Baltimore, MD
TDI
2001 Jetta TDI
Well Ben, it wasn't a stellar deal...a bit under book value, though I expect to drop at least $1000 into it nearly immediately.

It's definitely a seller's TDI market right now, and my experience (with used MKIVs, anyway) has been that unless it's got major (drivetrain, collision, or title) issues, you're paying quite a bit more than book value, and bank if it's well-maintained. I was able to leverage the maintenance due as well as the cosmetics, but not very strongly against the torrent of responses the seller was getting; I was lucky to be the first one to show up to see it.

If you're seriously looking, I have seen more than a few out there in need of care, and more if 250k+ isn't a concern for you. I can forward you (and anyone else, if interested) what remains of my notes from a month of searching, just send me a PM.
 

DieselOx

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 10, 2007
Location
Spokane, WA
TDI
2003 Jetta Sedan 5sp 342,000mi
Congratulations, and welcome to Fred's. Looks about like mine did when I got it.

Get to know borapats.com, idparts.com, metalman, dieselgeek, and the rest of the tdiclub-local vendors.

Who's looking at it for you? Stay away from dealers, and try to find a real guru, not just some random import garage.

Read this about Prothe (cheap parts supplier):

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=320500

Read this about dealer fail:

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=212873

Get a VCDS. First thing I'd spend money on.

Have fun.
 

AndyBees

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 27, 2003
Location
Southeast Kentucky
TDI
Silver 2003 Jetta TDI, Silver 2000 Jetta TDI (sold), '84 Vanagon with '02 ALH engine
Go to one of the "Dollar Stores, Dollar Tree, etc., purchase a bottle of Awesome cleaner (About a $1). Take the car to a car wash (if you don't have a pressure washer), spray on the Awesome and wait a few minutes, then knock off the crud with the wand. Your engine will look like a new one and you'll be glad you did.

I pressure wash my engine at least twice per year.............





Nope! You don't have to take it out of the car to do this.....:D
 

Jolio

Well-known member
Joined
May 13, 2011
Location
DC/Baltimore, MD
TDI
2001 Jetta TDI
Thanks DieselOx, I hadn't come across either of those threads, and I'll definitely steer clear of Prothe. The guy I've got looking at it comes highly recommended by a good friend of mine, as I understand he's a certified mechanic and has nurtured several of my friend's VW Diesels (TDI and NA) over a total of 3-4 million miles, so I've got high hopes. Otherwise (and perhaps in the future) I'd definitely seek out one of the gurus, TDIRacing is close by and I'm not that far from Ninedee_Golf_Tdi and JSRMonster, and I've read several posts by and about Franko6 that speak very well of his quality of work. Don't worry, I never planned to take it to the dealer.

And I think I'll order that VCDS today, as soon as I figure which connector I need, and whether or not it's worth it to get the other connectors for anyone else who needs to use it (yes, I plan to share :)). I'm also looking for the Bentley (paper) manuals, haven't looked for where to get them, yet.

AndyBees, as soon as I figure out the proper procedure to clean under the hood--I don't want to damage electronics/hoses/fluids/etc, and I read somewhere on here that some cleaners and degreasers will strip the anticorrosive coating off the engine--I plan to go over it with a fine-toothed comb. The pictures hardly do it justice, she'll probably drop 10 pounds by the time I'm done :eek:. By the way, yours looks great!
 

BeetleGo

TDIClub Enthusiast, Pre-Forum Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 21, 1998
Location
Cambridge, MA
TDI
5-door, 5-speed Golf GLS replaced BeetleGo.
Post photo updates as you go along. This looks like a real beauty in worn clothes! Good luck!
 

Jolio

Well-known member
Joined
May 13, 2011
Location
DC/Baltimore, MD
TDI
2001 Jetta TDI
Thanks everyone, and dieselpower04 I may take your friend up on that offer once this round of maintenance is done.

Speaking of which, I got word back from my mechanic today. The news isn't as positive as I had hoped, but at least the motor and drivetrain are without serious issues. I had already planned have a complete TB job done, and I anticipated replacing brakes and rotors (apparently e-brake cables, too) all the way around. He also noticed a small crack forming in the oil pan (I'm glad that was caught early :eek:), near the drain plug, so I'll be having that replaced. 100% genuine VW parts, and this will come in at around $2k.

That should get it past MD inspection, and then I can start to tackle the rest:
rear axle beams, bushings
front strut mounts (all the struts are in good shape)
sway bar bushings
replace front skid plate and shields, re-affix front bumper
Filters and cleaning
And then, finally, start working on the body and trim!
 

thebigarniedog

Master of the Obvious
Joined
Oct 14, 2007
Location
Fail Command (Central Ohio)
TDI
1998 Jetta tdi
Go to one of the "Dollar Stores, Dollar Tree, etc., purchase a bottle of Awesome cleaner (About a $1). Take the car to a car wash (if you don't have a pressure washer), spray on the Awesome and wait a few minutes, then knock off the crud with the wand. Your engine will look like a new one and you'll be glad you did.

I pressure wash my engine at least twice per year.............





Nope! You don't have to take it out of the car to do this.....:D
Looks really nice!
 
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