MKIII TDI Reliability

d24tdi

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 6, 2019
Location
MT
TDI
96 B4V
100k. Four years old. 25k a year. The trip computer happily showed 13.2 MPG average. Do the math on that one, LOL.... wow....
Painful to even think about. Can't understand it when people make the unforced choice to drive rigs like those then complain that the price of gas for their commute is killing their budget. But there is no point in moralizing.

Friend of mine just rolled his Tacoma and wants to upgrade to a Tundra now for a daily. He needs a pickup to haul his 20lb trash cans to the transfer station a few times a month and toss his mountain bikes in the bed every now and then. Nothing a 4 banger Ford Maverick pickup couldn't do, or a 20yo Jetta TDI with a roof rack and lightweight trailer for that matter, on 1/4 the fuel. Oh well.
 

Rig

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 14, 2010
Location
New Mexico
TDI
1998 Jetta TDI, 210k miles
Nothing a 4 banger Ford Maverick pickup couldn't do, or a 20yo Jetta TDI with a roof rack and lightweight trailer for that matter, on 1/4 the fuel. Oh well.
Every time someone tells me to get a work truck, I drop the fact I can get 50mpg hwy and that shuts them up pretty fast. Roof rack and small trailer I think is the way to go with these gas prices, haha....

I've been commuting to a remodel job 30miles from my house every day for nearly three weeks now. Definitely makes a difference.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
I have owned a pickup all my driving years, varying in size. I've had several Rabbit pickups, a couple [real] Mazdas, a couple older Toyotas, a couple original Rangers, several F150s, a couple F250s, and even an F350 dually. Currently a '95 F150 and a '97 F250 (I really like the 9th gen F-trucks... the last of the "old school" beasts). I don't "need" them, and would not dream of driving them every day. But when they can be useful, they are awesome. I don't think I'd like to try and get by without them. I do too many projects and too many loads and too many outdoor hobbies that make them quite useful, but I know that much of what I task them with could be handled by my Golf and a utility trailer. But some things, the Golf just cannot handle. It can tow my camper and stuff for wife and I for a short weekend... but a long WEEK, with ATVs, kayaks, firewood, BBQ, etc.... no. The F150 can do that, and it gets a workout doing so. The F250 will laugh at it (although nobody is laughing at its 11 MPG thirst... which is why it rarely gets driven).

What really sucks is, the vehicle I'd really like to have, that would be a good all around workhorse and if necessary could be driven a bit more without worry, is not sold here:

1653389688981.png
 

TDeanI

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 14, 2007
Location
Bremerton WA
TDI
'97 Passat TDI Wagon w/ 286K mi.
Its amazing how many people think they need and buy a new full size truck and only use it as a truck for 4 times per year, and get 15 mpg year around.

Buy a $400 Harbor Freight trailer and a hitch. Tow that with your econo car when you need to. Or buy a beater truck, and park it in your back yard. Pay for the insurance when you drive it. Nowadays you can instantly add and remove a vehicle from your insurance with an app or a phone call and get proof of insurance instantly.
 

greengeeker

Vendor
Joined
Feb 8, 2006
Location
Cambridge, MN
TDI
2002 Jetta GLS
or rent a truck from home depot for the hour or two when you need it.

It took me ages to convince a coworker who was commuting 130mi (roundtrip) in a gas superduty, that a TDI commuter was the cheaper mode of transportation even after factoring in the extra insurance and maintenance. It took him 80 commutes to recoup the cost of the vehicle (mk3 TDI) and from there on out, was saving money.

Never underestimate peoples' inability to do simple math. Since gas/fuel prices are back up I've been challenged numerous times "I bet you're sad you drive a diesel with these prices".
 

Sadsack_24

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 19, 2022
Location
Northwest Arkansas
TDI
none as of now
My only concern with a TDI would be the lack of rough-road ability. I'm not necessarily doing the Rubicon, but I do end up on unimproved service roads a fair bit. And it is also nice to have the ability to do a harder trail every once in a while. The LC might be overkill, but maybe a Jetta would be too street-oriented for my purposes.

Ideally I'd keep the LC and get a TDI as a commuter but I'm just not in that situation financially right now.
 

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
Might not be so easy in a MKIII because of parts availability, but it's easy to lift newer TDIs. This is my son's '02 Golf with a 2" lift:


He's a pretty avid hiker and uses it on fire roads. And in the snow. Pretty much unstoppable.
 

Rig

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 14, 2010
Location
New Mexico
TDI
1998 Jetta TDI, 210k miles
I'm in the process of getting my Jetta a bit more rough road worthy as I will be moving out a 8min washboard dirt road soon. I think it's possible albeit expensive. Mainly you want a bit of a lift and more robust struts/shocks + better tires.
 

burpod

teh stallionz!!1
Joined
Nov 27, 2004
Location
cape cod, ma
TDI
82 rabbit vnt ahu, 98 jetta vnt ahu, 05 parts car, 88 scirocco.. :/
lifting an mk3 a decent amount is pretty easy - at least, i just put on some mk4 size wheels/tires - 195/65/15 and some suplex springs. needed some 20mm (iirc) wheels spacers, but works and looks great. it's not terribly lifted, but higher than normal and probably adequate for light off-roading :)
 

pwachs0603

New member
Joined
Apr 9, 2019
Location
Montana, USA
TDI
'98 Jetta A3 AHU
My only concern with a TDI would be the lack of rough-road ability. I'm not necessarily doing the Rubicon, but I do end up on unimproved service roads a fair bit. And it is also nice to have the ability to do a harder trail every once in a while. The LC might be overkill, but maybe a Jetta would be too street-oriented for my purposes.

Ideally I'd keep the LC and get a TDI as a commuter but I'm just not in that situation financially right now.
My bone-stock suspension '98 has seen MANY a Montana dirt road, summer and winter, since I purchased it in '05, and it's remarkable the places it's gotten me. The low clearance is obviously something to consider, but the torque and front wheel drive traction are excellent. I run 185/70 14 (slightly oversize) studded snows in the winter, which gives me a bit of extra clearance. It's a great snow car - because it's light, it can STOP in a hurry. It's also a genuine sport sedan, peppy and fun to drive. Although we won't say "fahrvergnugen."

After owning (nay, contending with) two Rabbits and a Bus, I'm convinced VW hit a sweet spot with the design of these A3 TDIs. I've had to do plenty of maintenance and replace my fair share of parts, of course, but it's equally shocking what all I HAVEN'T had to replace. Knock wood. I'm closing in on 270k, still driving it regularly, and wouldn't be afraid to hop in it tomorrow and drive it to Anchorage or Baja. If you don't need all four seats most of the time, you can remove the bottom half of the back seat, fold the top half down, and have a ton of pass-through cargo space.

Finally, this forum and its contributors are an indispensable resource for keeping these cars alive and happy.
 

d24tdi

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 6, 2019
Location
MT
TDI
96 B4V
Currently a '95 F150 and a '97 F250 (I really like the 9th gen F-trucks... the last of the "old school" beasts). I don't "need" them, and would not dream of driving them every day. But when they can be useful, they are awesome. I don't think I'd like to try and get by without them.
That is a nice combo. 7.3L in the '97? I have a similar but less desirable pair - 93 F150 4x4 with the 5.0L and T18, and an '02 F250 Super Duty with the 5.4L, 2WD, and NO A/C... easily the most unwanted SD configuration out there, LOL. Both are strippo trim work trucks and cost me almost nothing, since they are not of interest to folks who want a pickup to do commuter duties. The '02 is easily the best, hardest-working, least-needy vehicle I have ever owned and it even gets half decent mileage, 15-16 on the open road unloaded. I bought it from a surplus auction for under a grand with 180k on it, put a set of brakes on and changed the fluids, and since then it has seen 50k hard miles, most of them towing or loaded to GVWR. Other than losing an alternator in the middle of a snowstorm in Wyoming once a couple years ago, with a trailer behind of course, it has asked for nothing, it just runs. Another side benefit of this truck is that between the lack of A/C in the summer and lack of 4x4 the rest of the year, nobody else ever asks to borrow it... :cool:

The '93 is the "cooler" truck and the 9th gen trucks are deserving of their classic status, I agree.... but I think you can also kind of make an apt comparison of the 9th gen to an AHU/1Z generation TDI, where the Super Duty can be compared to an ALH powered Mk4. :p The later platform seems to be a highly evolved, perfected design that benefited from a lot of engineering effort and learning from the previous design, and a clean sheet of paper in most areas. The earlier truck has the classic look and feel, but inherits a lot of limitations and annoyances, IMHO, from the legacy chassis it uses... Has greater tendency for rust, common for door handle problems, engines (especially the Windsor gasser V8s) that are always leaking something somewhere, areas where service access is harder than it needs to be, ... etc. Paper gaskets all around in the motors where the later engines use modern seal technology. All sounds kind of familiar like a MkIII right?? Plus there's always one sender or pump that's dead with the dual tanks....

The later chassis solves all those problems and I think the 2v Triton 8 and 10 cyl engines must be some of the most underappreciated drama-free workhorses ever sold, as long as you get the spark plug torque right. But you can argue they're a little charmless compared to the 9th gen.

The big point as we are all saying, though, is that it's one thing to have trucks like this that come out of the yard once every few weeks to do some work but drive a high-mileage car for the rest.... and completely a different deal to be driving one to work every day hauling nothing but itself at 12 mpg.

Its amazing how many people think they need and buy a new full size truck and only use it as a truck for 4 times per year, and get 15 mpg year around.
Yeah not to mention every time you need tires, brakes, oil change, insurance, etc.... you're paying for it there too. And if you get into a wreck, the damage you'll do to someone else's property (or injury, god forbid) will be greater several times over also. You could argue that the waste is not just with the fuel cost.

What really sucks is, the vehicle I'd really like to have, that would be a good all around workhorse and if necessary could be driven a bit more without worry, is not sold here:

View attachment 124382
Yeah. Now that some of the early T4 platform sinka and doka trucks are importable under the 25 year rule, I am tempted to try to bring one in and swap the 1Z in my beater B4 when the rust finally takes it off the road. It is true that one of these, even with 90hp, could do 95% of the tasks a 1/2t or 3/4t domestic pickup are needed for and would be a reasonable proposition for commuter use too. The exception would be heavy towing though.
 
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oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
My '97 is a 7.5L :( It is at least a ZF 5sp, though. Someone must've special ordered it. XLT 4WD Supercab short bed... with the giant gas engine and a manual gearbox (locking rear end, too!). Not many 7.5L trucks were sold when the Powerstroke was available, especially in an XLT trim truck bolted to a manual.
 

d24tdi

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 6, 2019
Location
MT
TDI
96 B4V
The 460 is a good engine too though. Never have had one, always small blocks for me in the past, but I have heard they don't ask for much except fuel, lots of it.

The 5.4L in my Super Duty makes about the same HP as the old 460 - but it has to howl at 4500 rpm to do it. :p Sometimes wonder about letting it do that for 20 minutes at a time pulling a big pass with a trailer.... But it doesn't seem to care. Its MPG at that RPM is no better than a big block. But at least it can do a little better with the lower displacement when running light on flat ground.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
This is my second 7.5L, the first was a '78 F250 bolted to a C6, 2WD regular cab longbed, with a 4.10 rear end. It got something like 6 MPG. This one gets at least into the double digits. 10-13 depending on load/speed. It doesn't need much more than 2000 RPM to do anything. I can idle it up and out of my driveway with a trailer hooked behind it. It isn't "fast" by any means, and it won't put you in the seat like the Powerstrokes do, but it seems pretty capable of doing whatever is needed. I drove to Texas to get it, nice rust free truck... never seen a lick of salt.

 

Sadsack_24

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 19, 2022
Location
Northwest Arkansas
TDI
none as of now
I've always thought a tuned ALH swapped into a Toyota minitruck would make the ultimate rig. Either that or an OM617 or M57 maybe.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
I want a BHW in an F150. It is fairly close to the long-lived very popular and well-liked 4.9L I6. Which topped out at 145hp and 245tq, compared to the BHW's 136hp and 247tq.... both of which interestingly enough peak at fairly similar RPMs. Given the fact that the BHW with even a mild tune easily exceeds that AND it probably weighs about a third as much, it might make for a nice setup. The 2.1L OM651 in my Sprinter was even more exceptional. In its "detuned" state that the Sprinters got, it still made 168hp and 270tq (there were higher output biturbo versions in other models, too).
 

d24tdi

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 6, 2019
Location
MT
TDI
96 B4V
That's a nice looking F-series. They need to bring the 2-tone paint option back.

I put an AHU out of a '97 Jetta into my '93 Toyota 4x4 pickup a few years back (at least this gets us back to a little AHU/Mk3 content for the OP whose thread we have derailed). Pretty much stock other than an ALH 11mm pump -- just because I had it and preferred the ALH style IP timing system -- and a bigger T3 turbo running low boost and low IAT so that I wouldn't have to cut up the front of the truck for an intercooler. It was probably making just about stock AHU horsepower or maybe a little more. I could have certainly turned it up further but would have wanted an intercooler for that and also don't think the AHU pistons do a good enough job with heat extraction to be able to run higher HP for a sustained length of time in a heavier/taller vehicle running loaded in the mountains. The truck was pretty quick and had great driveability as it was.



Anyway, bottom line, it was a fun setup to wheel around in, but I ended up not being sure exactly what the truck was actually useful for. It didn't really have much more room in the bed or payload capacity than my old Volvo 740 turbodiesel wagon, and less of both than the TDI-swapped '99 Eurovan I also had at the time. Meanwhile my old F-150 was just as capable off-road yet was large enough to do actual work with the bed or a trailer. The Toyota didn't have enough weight or brakes or driveline strength to tow much more than the old Volvo or T4. First and reverse in the Toyota trans were tall like a passenger car trans, so useless for getting a trailer moving on an incline unless you dropped into low range, annoying. Basically it drove like a truck but couldn't do that much more serious work than a car... No passenger space either of course. It was a cool idea but kind of missed the sweet spot in terms of functionality I felt.

I think a stronger TDI like a BHW in a 1/2 ton domestic or a T100/Tundra would make more sense, going a little larger to get something that could be more useful for hauling or towing. Or to go a little smaller/lighter but do similar work, a TDI in a T4 pickup body. Better yet in a larger truck I think would be a 2.5L 5-cyl TDI. They used those in European 2nd gen LT and late production Pinzgauer military rigs.
 

Sadsack_24

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 19, 2022
Location
Northwest Arkansas
TDI
none as of now
That's a nice looking F-series. They need to bring the 2-tone paint option back.

I put an AHU out of a '97 Jetta into my '93 Toyota 4x4 pickup a few years back (at least this gets us back to a little AHU/Mk3 content for the OP whose thread we have derailed). Pretty much stock other than an ALH 11mm pump -- just because I had it and preferred the ALH style IP timing system -- and a bigger T3 turbo running low boost and low IAT so that I wouldn't have to cut up the front of the truck for an intercooler. It was probably making just about stock AHU horsepower or maybe a little more. I could have certainly turned it up further but would have wanted an intercooler for that and also don't think the AHU pistons do a good enough job with heat extraction to be able to run higher HP for a sustained length of time in a heavier/taller vehicle running loaded in the mountains. The truck was pretty quick and had great driveability as it was.



Anyway, bottom line, it was a fun setup to wheel around in, but I ended up not being sure exactly what the truck was actually useful for. It didn't really have much more room in the bed or payload capacity than my old Volvo 740 turbodiesel wagon, and less of both than the TDI-swapped '99 Eurovan I also had at the time. Meanwhile my old F-150 was just as capable off-road yet was large enough to do actual work with the bed or a trailer. The Toyota didn't have enough weight or brakes or driveline strength to tow much more than the old Volvo or T4. First and reverse in the Toyota trans were tall like a passenger car trans, so useless for getting a trailer moving on an incline unless you dropped into low range, annoying. Basically it drove like a truck but couldn't do that much more serious work than a car... No passenger space either of course. It was a cool idea but kind of missed the sweet spot in terms of functionality I felt.

I think a stronger TDI like a BHW in a 1/2 ton domestic or a T100/Tundra would make more sense, going a little larger to get something that could be more useful for hauling or towing. Or to go a little smaller/lighter but do similar work, a TDI in a T4 pickup body. Better yet in a larger truck I think would be a 2.5L 5-cyl TDI. They used those in European 2nd gen LT and late production Pinzgauer military rigs.
For me the utility of it would be you could take it wheeling and touring in the mountains for a week-long trip without having to worry so much about the limited range of the Toyota gas motors. I bet the AHU is even more efficient in there than the diesels Toyota offered overseas.
 

d24tdi

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 6, 2019
Location
MT
TDI
96 B4V
For me the utility of it would be you could take it wheeling and touring in the mountains for a week-long trip without having to worry so much about the limited range of the Toyota gas motors. I bet the AHU is even more efficient in there than the diesels Toyota offered overseas.
The efficiency was good for sure, 30+ mpg. Better mileage and power than the Toyota diesel options and from what I understand many of the ROW Toyota diesel motors that came in those trucks had serious problems as well. I wanted a diesel in it that had US parts availability too, plus I already had the AHU so obvious choice. :p

Yeah there was definitely a certain "cool factor" to it and it made a good trailhead or firewood rig. But again not any better than my cheapo old Ford half-ton that could do those things plus some real work when needed with a trailer or snowplow etc. The old Ford uses twice the fuel at best, but to me the key is that if this is a vehicle that is only seeing a couple thousand miles a year, that just doesn't matter that much.

As we were discussing before, the crazy situations are where a big gas hog pickup or SUV is getting used for a daily paved road commute, hundreds of miles a week. That's where the effort of a TDI conversion (or just owning a beater TDI econobox for a daily as the OP in this thread is contemplating) is worth it. Personally I don't think I really see the value for a low-usage trail rig anymore, having been there and done that now myself. All the effort and cost of a conversion like what I did is easily substituted by a decent domestic pickup, and if range is a concern, those have plenty of extra room for a few jerricans in the bed.

I guess there are always the cases where someone insists on using their trail rig as their daily long-haul commuter as well. In that case maybe a swap into something like a Toyota pickup or Jeep makes sense. But anyone doing that has to acknowledge they are doing it for the sake of appearance, not because it "makes sense" relative to just keeping a stock gasser in their trail runner, leaving that parked during the week, and driving an old TDI or Prius to work.
 

alanack

Veteran Member
Joined
May 10, 2022
Location
Rhode Island
TDI
1998 Jetta
I bought my TDIs to save fuel because my trucks werent viable anymore as dailys on a 90 mile commute.

They are 12v cummins s so they easily get 20-22MPG, but I've been getting about 55MPH with the jetta so its an easy win.

The added insurance and maintenance of multiple vehicles sucks, but i definitely cant tow my camper or backhoe with the jetta.

I love the MK3s because they are simple and easy to work on, but the that being said the mk4s are probably a lot better. Parts availability really sucks...
 

Sadsack_24

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 19, 2022
Location
Northwest Arkansas
TDI
none as of now
Yeah the MK3s seem similar to the 60 series Land Cruisers: they're older and simpler but also are notorious for rusting out from day one.
 

BoiseTDI

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 21, 2007
Location
Germany
TDI
96 Golf - SOLD
Im thinking hard about picking up a T4 and I know I want a Syncro, likely the van version but I need more time to research them. Viewing the B4V on Friday.

I have owned a pickup all my driving years, varying in size. I've had several Rabbit pickups, a couple [real] Mazdas, a couple older Toyotas, a couple original Rangers, several F150s, a couple F250s, and even an F350 dually. Currently a '95 F150 and a '97 F250 (I really like the 9th gen F-trucks... the last of the "old school" beasts). I don't "need" them, and would not dream of driving them every day. But when they can be useful, they are awesome. I don't think I'd like to try and get by without them. I do too many projects and too many loads and too many outdoor hobbies that make them quite useful, but I know that much of what I task them with could be handled by my Golf and a utility trailer. But some things, the Golf just cannot handle. It can tow my camper and stuff for wife and I for a short weekend... but a long WEEK, with ATVs, kayaks, firewood, BBQ, etc.... no. The F150 can do that, and it gets a workout doing so. The F250 will laugh at it (although nobody is laughing at its 11 MPG thirst... which is why it rarely gets driven).

What really sucks is, the vehicle I'd really like to have, that would be a good all around workhorse and if necessary could be driven a bit more without worry, is not sold here:

View attachment 124382
 
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