Given what we/you know about the MK6 Jetta Sportwagen.. would you still buy one?

[peterdaniel]

I have an itch to buy a manual transmission mk6 Sportwagen without a sunroof.

Has 111K miles and 2 years 15K miles left on its diesel gate warranty..

Needs a timing belt.

Runs well but is priced too high compared to others..

My big question is this.. I have 3 Mk4's. all manual transmissions

Yeah, I need another like a hole in the head but that's a silly question so


Are they worth it? Or a giant massive headache. I live in the Communist country/state of Kalifornia

so I would tune it but every two years it would have to be changed back

What's involved and are the CJAA engines durable enough?

It seems to be very hit-and-miss.. either you get a great one or a total mess..

I am only interested in a non sunroof manual transmission wagon..


Your opinions please...

and thanks


pete

 

[PRY4SNO]

YMMV with dealerships and the quality of service surrounding the extended emissions warranty. Given the proper service records and pre-purchase inspection, yes. Absolutely.

Reflashing your tune via Flashzilla every two years would be a touch tedious, but not enough to sway me against. You can also make a case for hollowing out your DPF and tuning out the regens to improve your mpg and reliability. These will absolutely affect your warranty coverage if detected (almost certainly).

 

[JELLOWSUBMARINE]

Past ownership is everything. Especially auto services

 

[pro51492]

I have owned three now and still have one, all manuals. I would buy another one in a heartbeat. Just know you have to modify things to make them a bullet proof engine. The trim level your looking for is the way to go, stay away from the sun roofs.

 

[calimustang]

like what he (pro51492) said above, run for your life if you see a JSW with sunroof.... unless you are handy.

that goes saying, coming from the original owner of 300k miles 2011 JSW... (may she RIP) the CJAA are bulletproof once deleted and tuned with timing belt protector plate, https://whitbreadperformance.com/products/common-rail-tdi-lower-timing-belt-cover

as you being in the Communist country/state of Kalifornia (I was born and raised there hence my screen name) best to keep your DPF back up and use rawtek downpipe to midpipe only and swap every 2 years if you have the patience...... stage 2 malone tune and DSG tune. you can keep stock tune in the tunezilla device.

 

[JELLOWSUBMARINE]

as you being in the Communist country/state of Kalifornia (I was born and raised there hence my screen name) best to keep your DPF back up and use rawtek downpipe to midpipe only and swap every 2 years if you have the patience...... stage 2 malone tune and DSG tune. you can keep stock tune in the tunezilla device.

OR
There is the other option the car is arguably a better compromise
than PRE dieselgate. Without the huge biannual DPF, EGR swap ordeal. A good non delete tune. Makes diesel usable again for the average person in Ca. AND 50 times cleaner than my 83. (I want to put Gov nusome's picture in the tail pipes soot spot)

 

[T1MMBOJONES]

do enough research and you will never own another vehicle again. the cjaa has quirks but so does every generation tdi. i went from alh to cjaa and the power gains and just overall quality difference is enough to make me happy with my choice. that said im sure a 2013 kia would have been almost as much of an upgrade coming from an 03....i like effeciency and i like longevity. while they may require a little more tlc than an older diesel they can still check these boxes. if you expect it to be faster than a gti or something or arent willing to do a little extra maintenance then id steer clear. they are extremely fun to drive and have plenty of power but its still a diesel.... that said i just bought a whitbread cp3 pump/kit and lower timing belt cover to install while doing my timing belt and water pump job here soon. i do see myself eventually doing a full delete and mild tune but as of right now im less worried about the emmisions equiptment than i am the cp4 failiing. i came upon some unforseen money which allowed me to pay my car off several years early so im gonna start putting my "monthly payments" asside for the next phase. i had purchased an extended warranty but trying to ditch that too as the pro rated check theoretically would cover everthing i just bought. once my parts arrive if i find metal in my fuel filter, hasnt been any thus far, i intend to try and get a new fuel system and then still turn around and pull the cp4. if not im no longer concerned....

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

My son bought one of these a couple months ago to replace his aging MKIV Golf. Here it is after we had it detailed post-purchase:

His criteria were: manual, black interior, no sunroof. He wasn't thrilled to get silver, as all he's owned is sliver cars. But this one is an '11 that just had the timing belt service done, new DPF and cat, and new clutch. So it should be good for a while. He has a 120 mile round trip commute at highway speeds, so I think the emissions system should function pretty well for him.

I convinced him to keep his Golf until it dies, and he's still driving that while this one waits its turn. I told him to not be surprised if he gets another 100K out of the MKIV (470K on it now).

 

[tjg]

I absolutely love this platform, far more than my ALH golf (once you bulletproof it that is).

2014 is generally the last year (in my opinion) for cars being generally DIY friendly. They have a lot of refinement but there's still a lot of ability to fix them yourself and not much is locked down behind expensive computer interfaces.

 

[T1MMBOJONES]

My son bought one of these a couple months ago to replace his aging MKIV Golf. Here it is after we had it detailed post-purchase:

His criteria were: manual, black interior, no sunroof. He wasn't thrilled to get silver, as all he's owned is sliver cars. But this one is an '11 that just had the timing belt service done, new DPF and cat, and new clutch. So it should be good for a while. He has a 120 mile round trip commute at highway speeds, so I think the emissions system should function pretty well for him.

I convinced him to keep his Golf until it dies, and he's still driving that while this one waits its turn. I told him to not be surprised if he gets another 100K out of the MKIV (470K on it now).

you have a son in madison Wi also correct?

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

He was there at grad school. Now in Western MA.

 

[T1MMBOJONES]

He was there at grad school. Now in Western MA.

was hoping maybe once my packages from you and whitbread arrived you could send him to milwaukee lol

 

[kjclow]

I'd buy another one in a heartbeat. The wife, on the other hand, is ready to move on from VWs and diesels. My 10 only has about 155k miles on it and has only had one major service. That was a dsg rebuild around 120k miles. Probably wasn't necessary but dieselgate money paid for it. Of course with the manual, you're skipping that possibility. I rarely drive it anymore since buying the Ram. It's become my wife's daily driver which means running back and forth to play with the grandkids.

 

[Reinout]

I love my 11 JSW, Pano, 6M, but I would have held out for an A3 Quattro.

 

[tjg]

I love my 11 JSW, Pano, 6M, but I would have held out for an A3 Quattro.

If only the quattro diesel were released here.
I know there's been people stateside who did the 6 spd manual swap to their A3 TDIs... not sure it's worth it though.

 

[Reinout]

If only the quattro diesel were released here.
I know there's been people stateside who did the 6 spd manual swap to their A3 TDIs... not sure it's worth it though.

I can't afford to replace/upgrade my shocks let alone do a 6M swap LOL. But being in the PNW with snow and ice the Quattro would be nice to have.

 

[DrGERTol]

We got our '11 6MT wagon in Sep '20 at 161K miles and 18 mos of emissions warranty left. While we weren't looking for a TDI specifically, it ticked the major boxes for us (6MT, no pano, roof rack, better-than average cargo volume, kinda-leather, heated seats, etc.). The 18 months warranty and Salsa red paint were bonuses. We missed the big bonus to replace the DPF by 6 months, but we're also getting 10K in warranty body work next month (rocker panels, left rear quarter panel, rear lid) due to corrosion/bubbling in those areas. We'd consider another, yeah. --g

 

[tjg]

I can't afford to replace/upgrade my shocks let alone do a 6M swap LOL. But being in the PNW with snow and ice the Quattro would be nice to have.

A good set of winter tires will get you 90% of the way there

 

[Tuheeden]

I have 4 of them and the CJA engines are solid. Of course all of mine have CP3 fuel pumps. Yes sunroof's will leak so the sooner you notice and fix it the better. Both the manual and DSG are reliable. However I agree with the others statements that these are great vehicles if you maintain them yourself. I can't imagine what it would cost at a dealer or a shop but it would probably make the overall cost undesirable.

 

[peterdaniel]

a fair and honest bunch of answers.. both negative and positive WITH solutions.. I thank you .. any more, please chime in..

 

[Porch]

It's pretty hard to find one with no sunroof, so if you have to settle for one with a sunroof, just cover the whole thing with white vinyl. Otherwise, you have a miserable heat dome that also leaks water no matter how well it's working.

I've had mine(2011 JSW 6sp) since 2018, I've driven it from 87k to 215k miles, it's the best driving, fastest, nicest car I've ever had, and if I knew in 2018 what the ownership experience was going to be like, there's not a chance in hell I would've bought the car.

 

[DivineChaos]

like what he (pro51492) said above, run for your life if you see a JSW with sunroof.... unless you are handy.

that goes saying, coming from the original owner of 300k miles 2011 JSW... (may she RIP) the CJAA are bulletproof once deleted and tuned with timing belt protector plate, https://whitbreadperformance.com/products/common-rail-tdi-lower-timing-belt-cover

as you being in the Communist country/state of Kalifornia (I was born and raised there hence my screen name) best to keep your DPF back up and use rawtek downpipe to midpipe only and swap every 2 years if you have the patience...... stage 2 malone tune and DSG tune. you can keep stock tune in the tunezilla device.

Hey, I've had very few issues with my sunroof. Yes I do need to extend the drain lines now. But I haven't had an issue. Granted I don't use it a ton. And it's like a greenhouse. But it's been good. I've had mine 3 years now? Have fixed it 3 times (body). It's been tuned since I got it and deleted shortly after. I'm 3k miles short of putting 100k on it. 188k. It's been a very good car. Love the space. The economy.
Just keep up on all maint.

 

[peterdaniel]

I would not ever get one with a sunroof.. But what else besides that would make you buy or NOT buy? What have you experienced? Thanks

 

[coolusername]

I would not ever get one with a sunroof.. But what else besides that would make you buy or NOT buy? What have you experienced? Thanks

Honestly I just got mine because it was fuel efficient, well priced, and low miles. (It's a 2012 JSW TDI w/ 68k miles when I bought it, for $12k last May). I've really enjoyed the refined, torquey engine, modern conveniences, and practical wagon form factor. They're definitely nicer than the Mk4s, replace the head unit and the car is as modern as anyone would need. I will say that the sunroof fears are overblown. Great car though, the CJAA engine is pretty well figured out. I would get a PolarFIS though to monitor DPF parameters and stuff like coolant temperatures, that's how I discovered my thermostat was partially failing but not failing all the way. The temp gauge in these cars is a vague-o gauge to reduce customer complaints. My car wasn't getting hotter than 180, but the ordinary gauge acted as if there was no problem.

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

Doesn't rain much where you are.

 

[Porch]

When I got my car, it had just had the dieselgate "fix" done, so it had the full 54k warranty intact. Over the course of the 54k miles, VW replaced everything covered under the warranty minus the engine block, turbo, and high pressure fuel pump. I was telling this to a gas station attendant in Oregon, and he said "no offense man, but I'd rather have a car where none of that stuff breaks"...

First repair out of warranty was the high pressure fuel pump at 162k. $4800 at a good independent vw shop. Before that, had to replace entire ac system after the compressor blew up and sent metal shavings through the whole system. Just had to replace the compressor from that repair after just over a year, and now my alternator pulley is going bad so have to replace that(EDIT: it was the clutch pulley bearing and clutch, on a remanufactured ac compressor. Only lasted one week). Oil cooler gasket needs replaced, shocks and struts, and an endless list of other crap. If my buddy wasn't a former vw mechanic with all the crazy tools, who's done 2 free timing belts for me and coached me through all kinds of other repairs, there's no way I could afford to have this car. And I'd be way richer if I hadn't ever bought it. But I'm committed now, so...

 

[calimustang]

Honestly I just got mine because it was fuel efficient, well priced, and low miles. (It's a 2012 JSW TDI w/ 68k miles when I bought it, for $12k last May). I've really enjoyed the refined, torquey engine, modern conveniences, and practical wagon form factor. They're definitely nicer than the Mk4s, replace the head unit and the car is as modern as anyone would need. I will say that the sunroof fears are overblown. Great car though, the CJAA engine is pretty well figured out. I would get a PolarFIS though to monitor DPF parameters and stuff like coolant temperatures, that's how I discovered my thermostat was partially failing but not failing all the way. The temp gauge in these cars is a vague-o gauge to reduce customer complaints. My car wasn't getting hotter than 180, but the ordinary gauge acted as if there was no problem.

Vague? Check those 2011-14 Jetta Sedan TDI’s. They are the worst with vague gauges. No MFD, no engine temperature gauge, I hate it with passion. We have one, 2013 for the step daughter. No buttons on the right side of the steering wheel. Its like flying blind.

 

[cdi320]

Vague? Check those 2011-14 Jetta Sedan TDI’s. They are the worst with vague gauges. No MFD, no engine temperature gauge, I hate it with passion. We have one, 2013 for the step daughter. No buttons on the right side of the steering wheel. Its like flying blind.

With respect to the coolant gauge, I have verified it with obdeleven and it reads about 10 degrees C lower then what the actual gauge shows. When it hits 90C, it's anywhere from 74 to 105C, which has been standard practice on VW's for a long time...mk4 coolant gauges were identical... When I had my mk4 I modified the cluster coding for the coolant gauge to be accurate, but unfortunately I have yet to find the tools for mk5 and up as the software is more complicated from my understanding, or at least not as easy to access, not entirely sure. Regardless, this is a feature that 99% of owners don't care about.

As for the MFD, my 2013 wagon is a comfortline, and while it does have the midline cluster, all it showed was the outside air temperature, and I had no buttons on the right wiper column to flip throw the various screens... did some digging around the internet and I concluded all I had to do was buy the wiper/signal assembly with the buttons on the wiper column and I could activate the the different screens... turns out I was right. Bought the column with the buttons (on the mk6 it's a complete assembly, unlike mk4 and mk5 where the signal stalk and wiper stalk were 2 seperate pieces), changed one code in gateway channel 19, and now I have distance to empty, fuel consumption etc.... why VW decided they wouldn't include the buttons on the comfortline is beyond me. With that said, I believe it can be done on mk6 jettas with the low line cluster, as long as the "MFD" shows temperature (this is an assumption of course)

Back to the topic. I love my 2013 6MT comfortline with no sunroof. I've had it since summer 2022, and the only major issue I had was the intercooler icing, which after fighting with the dealer, I had replaced with the revised intercooler under the emissions warranty... other then that i was just some simple maintenance items like brakes and rear wheel bearings when I got the car. Love the power and refinement of the CJAA engine, my only compliment is the fuel consumption is not the greatest after the fix, and is comparable with newer modern GDI engines like the 1.4/1.5 TSI engines VW puts in all their smaller cars these days

 

[calimustang]

With respect to the coolant gauge, I have verified it with obdeleven and it reads about 10 degrees C lower then what the actual gauge shows. When it hits 90C, it's anywhere from 74 to 105C, which has been standard practice on VW's for a long time...mk4 coolant gauges were identical... When I had my mk4 I modified the cluster coding for the coolant gauge to be accurate, but unfortunately I have yet to find the tools for mk5 and up as the software is more complicated from my understanding, or at least not as easy to access, not entirely sure. Regardless, this is a feature that 99% of owners don't care about.

As for the MFD, my 2013 wagon is a comfortline, and while it does have the midline cluster, all it showed was the outside air temperature, and I had no buttons on the right wiper column to flip throw the various screens... did some digging around the internet and I concluded all I had to do was buy the wiper/signal assembly with the buttons on the wiper column and I could activate the the different screens... turns out I was right. Bought the column with the buttons (on the mk6 it's a complete assembly, unlike mk4 and mk5 where the signal stalk and wiper stalk were 2 seperate pieces), changed one code in gateway channel 19, and now I have distance to empty, fuel consumption etc.... why VW decided they wouldn't include the buttons on the comfortline is beyond me. With that said, I believe it can be done on mk6 jettas with the low line cluster, as long as the "MFD" shows temperature (this is an assumption of course)

Back to the topic. I love my 2013 6MT comfortline with no sunroof. I've had it since summer 2022, and the only major issue I had was the intercooler icing, which after fighting with the dealer, I had replaced with the revised intercooler under the emissions warranty... other then that i was just some simple maintenance items like brakes and rear wheel bearings when I got the car. Love the power and refinement of the CJAA engine, my only compliment is the fuel consumption is not the greatest after the fix, and is comparable with newer modern GDI engines like the 1.4/1.5 TSI engines VW puts in all their smaller cars these days

You are in Canada therefore I cant say what is released from VW to out there in Canada, I only said for US based TDI's. Canada and US TDI's are not always the same.

sorry I should have mentioned for US TDI's to my knowledge on the previous post.

 

[cdi320]

You are in Canada therefore I cant say what is released from VW to out there in Canada, I only said for US based TDI's. Canada and US TDI's are not always the same.

sorry I should have mentioned for US TDI's to my knowledge on the previous post.

There's little difference between US and Canada other then some minor variables regarding trims. The base jetta is a base jetta, it's got the crap cluster in both markets