Jetta 2011 105hp with 59000km on it; Things to watch for?

[riahc3]

I've seen a 2011 Jetta 1.9 TDI 105hp and it has 59000km. Price is about what to expect from a 5 year car and I'm interested. Is there something I should get checked out before buying it?

I've driven it and it drives pretty good for a 105hp. Nothing to write home about and no strange noises

 

[Henrick]

Mileage is not what is expected for 5 year old car in Europe.
Watch out for accidents, fire, water damage or total loss. Inspect and examine everything very carefully. If it sounds too good to be true, then probably it is.

 

[TDI smile]

Mileage is not what is expected for 5 year old car in Europe.
Watch out for accidents, fire, water damage or total loss. Inspect and examine everything very carefully. If it sounds too good to be true, then probably it is.

You said it.... Was a TAXI or a Sales Rep drove it!

 

[riahc3]

Mileage is not what is expected for 5 year old car in Europe.
Watch out for accidents, fire, water damage or total loss. Inspect and examine everything very carefully. If it sounds too good to be true, then probably it is.

Carfax looks clean.

History shows it was bought about 201km from where it is now (my city) in 2011. In 2014 it was sold to what seems to be a car dealer and that same car dealer sold it 2 months later to the guy that is trying to sell it to me now.

That's the only "strange" part; That it was sold 3 years later to a dealer and then 2 years after buying it, someone wants to sell it with only 59000km (36660 miles). His "excuse" is that he walks to work so he doesn't use it much and his daughter is going to college and he wants to get her a cheap car.

That's why I'm asking if there is a possibility that this model has some kind of issue.

 

[riahc3]

I think fuel pump issues have only happened in crappy American versions, not the European ones...

 

[Henrick]

1.9 TDI uses PD system (unit unjectors). It does not have the pump you are refering to.
However, this car has got a DPF.

I'll stress again: look for other "strange things" rather than a broken part or some kind of technical "issue". Look very carefully.

As for technical issues, the camshaft, DMF and the DPF are the most expensive ones. These cars have electronic EGR valves which also fail sometimes.

 

[riahc3]

I'll stress again: look for other "strange things" rather than a broken part or some kind of technical "issue". Look very carefully.

I cant look for strange things if I don't know what I'm looking for.

Will pictures of the outside of the car help?

 

[Henrick]

Post the pics, sure. They won't hurt.

Also, when going to inspect the car, I'd take for rent the device which measures paint/primer thickness.
Doing the measurements will reveal all previous body repairs. Start with pillars. A, B, C. Go all the way from the bottom to the top and around. Readings should not exceed 130-150 microns. If anything over 150, then you are facing a repainted area. Anything above 500 and you are facing more serious repair than just a repaint. Then inspect the roof - centre of it, as well as the edges.

If the pillars/roof fail the test, go away and never come back. Don't ask me why, it's lots of facts to explain, but trust me, if you are facing a car with pillar or roof damage, the car is junk.

If the first part passes the test, check all the bolt-on parts - bonnet, fenders, doors, etc. The idea is to do 7-8 measurements per part. Corners, then a few random spots in the centre or lower side (e.g. on doors, fenders).

Use your common sense. Inspect for previous fire, water, flood damage....

 

[riahc3]

I censored the plate since I felt since it isn't my car, it isn't right

 

[riahc3]

Post the pics, sure. They won't hurt.

Also, when going to inspect the car, I'd take for rent the device which measures paint/primer thickness.
Doing the measurements will reveal all previous body repairs. Start with pillars. A, B, C. Go all the way from the bottom to the top and around. Readings should not exceed 130-150 microns. If anything over 150, then you are facing a repainted area. Anything above 500 and you are facing more serious repair than just a repaint. Then inspect the roof - centre of it, as well as the edges.

If the pillars/roof fail the test, go away and never come back. Don't ask me why, it's lots of facts to explain, but trust me, if you are facing a car with pillar or roof damage, the car is junk.

If the first part passes the test, check all the bolt-on parts - bonnet, fenders, doors, etc. The idea is to do 7-8 measurements per part. Corners, then a few random spots in the centre or lower side (e.g. on doors, fenders).

Use your common sense. Inspect for previous fire, water, flood damage....

There are VERY expensive ones and then:

https://www.amazon.com/all-sun-Digi...779124&sr=8-13&keywords=paint+thickness+gauge

I wouldn't even know where to "rent" one.

Also, I'm curious on why you keep saying "fire" "water" "flood damage"....Do Jetta's tend to "blow up" and start a fire?

 

[Henrick]

Well, not sure about cheap meters and their reliability.... However, they are probably better than none.

I'm saying fire, water or flood damage because the car is quite old but the mileage is very low for the age. It is possible the car was burned, flooded or etc. Then another car stolen and VIN number fabricated to match the documents... I'm telling this because of possible fraud and not due to the fact that Jettas have some weird issues

 

[Henrick]

1. Also, I can see the "Airbag" light is lit on the cluster. Why?
2. Inspect the tyres and find all the DOT/date codes. put them down. They indicate week/year of manufacture in format WWYY. Do they match? Do they match compared with car build date?
3. Inspect brake pads and rotors. Are the pads genuine? How much thread left there? Does it look like normal wear for ~60k km? It must be on the first pad set at that mileage both, front and rear. How do the rotors look like? Any wear on them?

 

[Henrick]

BTW, this is the new model of Jetta. Are you sure it is 1.9 TDI and not 1.6 TDI?

 

[riahc3]

Well, not sure about cheap meters and their reliability.... However, they are probably better than none.

I'm saying fire, water or flood damage because the car is quite old but the mileage is very low for the age. It is possible the car was burned, flooded or etc. Then another car stolen and VIN number fabricated to match the documents... I'm telling this because of possible fraud and not due to the fact that Jettas have some weird issues

Ill check the plates and VIN on the car, of course. One of the reasons I did a carfax.

I do agree that milage does seem low for the years of the car BUT it isnt a car that was bought in LA and then is being sold in NY. The car was bought close to were it is being sold now so if it was used as a city car for going to and from to work it would make sense.

1. Also, I can see the "Airbag" light is lit on the cluster. Why?
2. Inspect the tyres and find all the DOT/date codes. put them down. They indicate week/year of manufacture in format WWYY. Do they match? Do they match compared with car build date?
3. Inspect brake pads and rotors. Are the pads genuine? How much thread left there? Does it look like normal wear for ~60k km? It must be on the first pad set at that mileage both, front and rear. How do the rotors look like? Any wear on them?

1. When I drove the car around, it was off so I imagine the picture is taken with the engine turned off.
2. Thread from the tires seems OK. Will check again though.
3. Breaking was good, nothing strange. What are the rotors exactly?

BTW, this is the new model of Jetta. Are you sure it is 1.9 TDI and not 1.6 TDI?

He told me it was a 2011 Jetta with 105hp. I looked around and Im supposing it is a 1.9 TDI, with the year and horsepower.

Thank you very much for all your help. Im literally being driven crazy over buying this car or not because it looks great but I dont want to get screwed...

 

[Henrick]

1. The light turns on just for a second after turning on the ignition. Then it should go off no matter of what. I can see that light in 2 pictures. The question is why? You need to try hard to capture it. No way I'd believe this is a coincidence.
2. You need to check the manufacture dates.
3. Good braking means nothing. Rotors are the brake discs. Are you familiar with cars? Seek for a mechanic...


All in all, is this a EU or N.A. spec car? In which continent the deal is happening?

 

[riahc3]

1. The light turns on just for a second after turning on the ignition. Then it should go off no matter of what. I can see that light in 2 pictures. The question is why? You need to try hard to capture it. No way I'd believe this is a coincidence.
2. You need to check the manufacture dates.
3. Good braking means nothing. Rotors are the brake discs. Are you familiar with cars? Seek for a mechanic...


All in all, is this a EU or N.A. spec car? In which continent the deal is happening?

1. Hmm....intresting. On a Opel I owned, I turned the key (without starting the engine) and Im sure the airbag light was on for 2-3 secs then turned off.
2. Yep. Will do.
3. The brake discs are nearly impossible to check without unmounting the actual tire/rim. If they were bad, braking hard (like I did) would make the car vibrate and the steering wheel as well. The braking was pretty much fine.

This is a EU car.