how do i make my used jetta last as long as possible for the least amount of money

[05MK4TDI]

i just bought my very first TDI and i did a ton of research before buying it. some things i’d like to be updated on is how i can keep my car running and healthy for as many miles as possible. it’s a silver
2005 Volkswagen Jetta 1.9TDI BEW motor with a 5 speed manual transmission (225,000 Miles)
i bought it off of the original owner and he claimed he let his kids learn how to drive on it and take them back and forth to school in, and when they grew older, the kids themselves drove the car to school and work etc. he used it as a daily driver and strictly as a daily. he claims to only have diesel cars and he said he knows a lot about them, but when i asked him about what oil he’s running he said that he had the mechanics at walmart do the servicing. the original owner said that it is going to need an oil change soon, and i have some questions.
i have an extremely tight budget and i would like to go through the entire thing to make sure it’s all good to go.

what oil does my BEW need? how often do i change it?
what’s the deal about the timing belt? (i’m very new to all of this)
what transmission fluid should i go with?
while i’m at it should i flush my power steering fluid?(remember i’m on a tight budget and i just need this thing to be reliable...) and how do i get that crayon smell out lol

thank you for all the help!
-Jaxon (Gilbert AZ, USA)

 

[hskrdu]

Welcome aboard. An Arizona car with no rust can likely outlast your need for it. That being said...

To answer your first question: Car care, maintenance, and upkeep do not usually align well with extreme frugality. How do you spend the least amount of money? (1) Know your car. This will allow you to spend on essentials and replace/repair only what you need to. (2) Learn how to DIY. The largest portion of maintenance costs come from labor. (3) You may have to invest (spend) on some tools to save money in the long run. (4) Use TDIClub as a resource. Your best info will come from searching. (5) Total cost of ownership is determined by a large number of factors, some of which you control. After depreciation, the next biggest cost is fuel, then parts and labor for maintenance. Want to save money on fuel? Drive less (but that's probably not the way you are thinking about TCO). (6) Get to know the vendors that support Freds, which will allow you to buy the right fluids/parts/filters at a good price.

Bottom line: If you skip out on car care to save money, you'll end up spending more in the end.

1) All the information you asked for can be found through looking at the FAQ and a few searches. Almost everything about the MkIV has been discussed here, and many of our most helpful posts regarding the platform are now in the past.
2) If the previous owner couldn't tell you the oil being used, that might be an indication he wasn't as into diesels as he thought. Walmart usually carries only 4+/- oils for the BEW engine.
3) The favorite oils for your car are generally Shell Rotella T6 5W-40 Full Synth and Mobil 1 5W-40 Turbo Diesel Truck. Both available at Walmart for a very reasonable price. Your car actually carries a different VW oil spec, but feel free to spend the next 12 months reading why many owners settled on these oils (and a few others).
4) The timing belt service should be completed every (Correction, thanks Peter) 80k miles or based on time (5-6 years). The belt rarely fails, but everything else in the path gets tired. The service usually includes the water pump and thermostat. If you are not familiar with engine timing and how the system works, feel free to research it. This service is a must, can be done for a relatively reasonable price, and if you skip it, can be the end of the engine. If the previous owner can't prove the TB service was completed by the book, then it's time to have it done.
5) There are several favorites for the transmission, including OE VW, Pentosin, Pennzoil Synchromesh, and others.
6) If you are going through the car and replacing all wear items, or refreshing all fluids, then you can certainly include the PS fluid.

As you probably know, your 2005 TDI is a great car, but if your goal is to spend as little as possible on it, then a Toyota or Honda or something else may have been a better choice.

 

[oilhammer]

Tight wallets and Volkswagens do not go well together. There are cheaper cars out there.

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

VW TDIs can be very reliable and durable cars, if maintained properly. But as oilhammer posts, that doesn't necessarily come cheap. First thing I'd wonder about is when the timing belt was last replaced. The belt system has an 80K mile service interval. Used to be 100K, but VW dropped it to 80K several years ago. If the seller didn't tell you when it was last replaced I'd have it done. Consequences of component failure are grave: it can destroy your cylinder head.

You can find the maintenance schedule for your car here; https://forums.tdiclub.com/index.ph...ance-schedule-for-your-vw-pdfs-inside.372242/ Look at that and decide what to service now, and what to do later. Regarding gear oil, VW says it's a lifetime fill, but most people like to change it every 100K miles or so. VW OE oil or Liqui-Moly are both good, as are others. As with the timing belt, if you don't know if it's ever been changed, you might want to do it.

There are other things you can think about maintaining, but if money is tight these are good places to start. Enjoy the car!

 

[Mozambiquer]

Your car has a PD engine, which requires a special spec oil, which thankfully can be found for decently reasonable price, but it's by no means cheap. I get oil change kits from either ID parts or FCP euro, or any of those vendors, which are much cheaper than o'reilly's or any other auto parts stores. It's supposed to use oil with the vw 505.01 spec oil. Some people get by with others, but I couldn't... I used to use regular 5w40 synthetic on my PD and wore a brand new camshaft out after only 30k miles. Perhaps there was problems with the cam, but I'm not going to risk it. I used to use Mobil 1 turbo diesel truck in my BHW, but found that switching to liqui-moly top tech 4100 reduced the wear metals in my oil samples drastically, plus in the kit, it costs about the same about of money.

First order I would do would be to replace the timing belt, even if they claim to have replaced it already, since I've seen many times where people replace the belt, but not the water pump or idlers.
Cheaping out on one of these cars very often leads to very expensive damages very quickly.

 

[Mongler98]

Proper maintenance at its due time or before. quality parts.
it might be $$$ now but over the long run, it does pay off. especially at 45 to 50 mpg for a few grand?
what's the next best option for you? What can you do better with the $ you have?

 

[05MK4TDI]

Welcome aboard. An Arizona car with no rust can likely outlast your need for it. That being said...

To answer your first question: Car care, maintenance, and upkeep do not usually align well with extreme frugality. How do you spend the least amount of money? (1) Know your car. This will allow you to spend on essentials and replace/repair only what you need to. (2) Learn how to DIY. The largest portion of maintenance costs come from labor. (3) You may have to invest (spend) on some tools to save money in the long run. (4) Use TDIClub as a resource. Your best info will come from searching. (5) Total cost of ownership is determined by a large number of factors, some of which you control. After depreciation, the next biggest cost is fuel, then parts and labor for maintenance. Want to save money on fuel? Drive less (but that's probably not the way you are thinking about TCO). (6) Get to know the vendors that support Freds, which will allow you to buy the right fluids/parts/filters at a good price.

Bottom line: If you skip out on car care to save money, you'll end up spending more in the end.

1) All the information you asked for can be found through looking at the FAQ and a few searches. Almost everything about the MkIV has been discussed here, and many of our most helpful posts regarding the platform are now in the past.
2) If the previous owner couldn't tell you the oil being used, that might be an indication he wasn't as into diesels as he thought. Walmart usually carries only 4+/- oils for the BEW engine.
3) The favorite oils for your car are generally Shell Rotella T6 5W-40 Full Synth and Mobil 1 5W-40 Turbo Diesel Truck. Both available at Walmart for a very reasonable price. Your car actually carries a different VW oil spec, but feel free to spend the next 12 months reading why many owners settled on these oils (and a few others).
4) The timing belt service should be completed every (Correction, thanks Peter) 80k miles or based on time (5-6 years). The belt rarely fails, but everything else in the path gets tired. The service usually includes the water pump and thermostat. If you are not familiar with engine timing and how the system works, feel free to research it. This service is a must, can be done for a relatively reasonable price, and if you skip it, can be the end of the engine. If the previous owner can't prove the TB service was completed by the book, then it's time to have it done.
5) There are several favorites for the transmission, including OE VW, Pentosin, Pennzoil Synchromesh, and others.
6) If you are going through the car and replacing all wear items, or refreshing all fluids, then you can certainly include the PS fluid.

As you probably know, your 2005 TDI is a great car, but if your goal is to spend as little as possible on it, then a Toyota or Honda or something else may have been a better choice.

thank you very much! I came to the conclusion that if i keep it up and make sure that everything is perfect on the motor and tranny and all moving parts, i should be good with it. i was looking into other cars, but god, tdis are so cool and i knew i had to experience one. my budget is tight, but i’m willing to spend however much i need on it to keep it in tip top shape. (i am about to turn 17 and my car that i drove before this is a 99 Jeep with 8mpgs so i knew i needed a little daily to keep the fuel prices low. currently have both right now and don’t plan on selling them because of sentimental value to the jeep.) i love my jetta and i can’t wait to learn more about them, being heavily into cars! thanks for the info, you’re a lifesaver!

 

[05MK4TDI]

slowly figuring this out, but after just buying it and talking the original owner down a bunch of money off the price, i’m okay with putting money into it to keep it reliable. the original owner bought a new daily and was basically giving this away because he had no use for it

 

[05MK4TDI]

VW TDIs can be very reliable and durable cars, if maintained properly. But as oilhammer posts, that doesn't necessarily come cheap. First thing I'd wonder about is when the timing belt was last replaced. The belt system has an 80K mile service interval. Used to be 100K, but VW dropped it to 80K several years ago. If the seller didn't tell you when it was last replaced I'd have it done. Consequences of component failure are grave: it can destroy your cylinder head.

You can find the maintenance schedule for your car here; https://forums.tdiclub.com/index.ph...ance-schedule-for-your-vw-pdfs-inside.372242/ Look at that and decide what to service now, and what to do later. Regarding gear oil, VW says it's a lifetime fill, but most people like to change it every 100K miles or so. VW OE oil or Liqui-Moly are both good, as are others. As with the timing belt, if you don't know if it's ever been changed, you might want to do it.

There are other things you can think about maintaining, but if money is tight these are good places to start. Enjoy the car!

perfect! thank you for the wonderful information!

 

[05MK4TDI]

Your car has a PD engine, which requires a special spec oil, which thankfully can be found for decently reasonable price, but it's by no means cheap. I get oil change kits from either ID parts or FCP euro, or any of those vendors, which are much cheaper than o'reilly's or any other auto parts stores. It's supposed to use oil with the vw 505.01 spec oil. Some people get by with others, but I couldn't... I used to use regular 5w40 synthetic on my PD and wore a brand new camshaft out after only 30k miles. Perhaps there was problems with the cam, but I'm not going to risk it. I used to use Mobil 1 turbo diesel truck in my BHW, but found that switching to liqui-moly top tech 4100 reduced the wear metals in my oil samples drastically, plus in the kit, it costs about the same about of money.

First order I would do would be to replace the timing belt, even if they claim to have replaced it already, since I've seen many times where people replace the belt, but not the water pump or idlers.
Cheaping out on one of these cars very often leads to very expensive damages very quickly.

totally man. i’m going to fully go over the car and replace what i need to replace and make sure it’s in good shape. thanks!

 

[05MK4TDI]

Proper maintenance at its due time or before. quality parts.
it might be $$$ now but over the long run, it does pay off. especially at 45 to 50 mpg for a few grand?
what's the next best option for you? What can you do better with the $ you have?

so true! can’t wait for my journey with this car! i have had it for a day now and i’m already in love

 

[Mozambiquer]

thank you very much! I came to the conclusion that if i keep it up and make sure that everything is perfect on the motor and tranny and all moving parts, i should be good with it. i was looking into other cars, but god, tdis are so cool and i knew i had to experience one. my budget is tight, but i’m willing to spend however much i need on it to keep it in tip top shape. (i am about to turn 17 and my car that i drove before this is a 99 Jeep with 8mpgs so i knew i needed a little daily to keep the fuel prices low. currently have both right now and don’t plan on selling them because of sentimental value to the jeep.) i love my jetta and i can’t wait to learn more about them, being heavily into cars! thanks for the info, you’re a lifesaver!

I can sure feel the Jeep with 8mpgs pain... When I was 17 I had a Jeep Comanche that got not much more than 8mpg. I think it was closer to 12, but that was during the time that fuel was $4 a gallon and I was driving a lot, while making minimum wage... Yeah, not fun. But then the neighbor had a 1982 vw rabbit pickup he was selling for $300. I bought it and fixed it up, then got 56 mpg (my best tank) sure was nice!

 

[wildn]

It also might be worthwhile to find a trusted TDI mechanic, just in case there's something you don't trust yourself to do fully. I found one on here that's in my region and his prices are way more reasonable than any "german specialist" in my town. I keep an eye on the for sale page to find the specialty tools or buy it off ID parts or FCP euro for the prices and warranties. I'm 19 and my ALH wagon is my first car, it also might be good to try and find the Bentley manual. These have tons of info, you can buy a physical set for about 100 bucks or try to find the PDF online.

 

[Lightflyer1]

I would also like to inspect the cam for wear when time permits. The PD's were susceptible to wear (more the BRM's but BEW too). Should be easy to do.

 

[05MK4TDI]

I can sure feel the Jeep with 8mpgs pain... When I was 17 I had a Jeep Comanche that got not much more than 8mpg. I think it was closer to 12, but that was during the time that fuel was $4 a gallon and I was driving a lot, while making minimum wage... Yeah, not fun. But then the neighbor had a 1982 vw rabbit pickup he was selling for $300. I bought it and fixed it up, then got 56 mpg (my best tank) sure was nice!

been driving it for about 2 weeks and i already see the savings. it’s a great car!

 

[05MK4TDI]

It also might be worthwhile to find a trusted TDI mechanic, just in case there's something you don't trust yourself to do fully. I found one on here that's in my region and his prices are way more reasonable than any "german specialist" in my town. I keep an eye on the for sale page to find the specialty tools or buy it off ID parts or FCP euro for the prices and warranties. I'm 19 and my ALH wagon is my first car, it also might be good to try and find the Bentley manual. These have tons of info, you can buy a physical set for about 100 bucks or try to find the PDF online.

i’m sure that tool kit could save me some cash in the long run. thanks!

 

[05MK4TDI]

I would also like to inspect the cam for wear when time permits. The PD's were susceptible to wear (more the BRM's but BEW too). Should be easy to do.

i just got a full oil change and coolant flush from volkswagen 3 days ago. i’ve never opened up a diesel volkswagen before. is there anything i should take note of when inspecting the cam? any signs of wear i should look for in particular? are there any trusted tutorials for this job on my PD? thinking about bringing it out to a shop but i’m hesitant on someone else doing work on my car, even though they most definitely have more experience than me ahaha. thanks for the help man

 

[Lightflyer1]

There are threads here about it and what to look for. Used to be pictures too. I would try and search for some of that stuff that already exists here. Try a search in the model specific forum here.