Newbie to VW's buying a a used 99 TDI Beetle tomorrow

[Dee-Bug]

Tomorrow I am buying our first VW ever and I have been reading alot of the threads and gaining info for these cars. The car is a yellow 99 Beetle and has 86,000 miles. My wife has always wanted a bug and I started looking for a Diesel car. I plan to purchase a timing belt kit as well and have it installed. Was wondering what oil filters and type of oil others use in their TDI's? I want to do some maintenance things as well. We are planning to run the car in summer months mainly but will possibly use it sparingly in the winter months.Another thing I have been reading about is the rear shims to straighten the wheels. Any suggestions on the oil,filter and the shim kit? My wife also wants to add the eyebrows and rear spoiler plus the upper windshield spoiler. Suggestions for vendors would be welcomed.

 

[AndyBees]

Welcome to the club!

Excellent find!

Yes, do the TB job for sure. I feel quite certain it came with a 60k mile belt, which may have never been changed.......if that is correct, both miles and age are not on your side!

-Rotella T fully synthetic 5w-40 oil.
-I use Purlator Oil Filters from Advance. My engine is almost to the 300k mile mark and basically uses no oil (may add half quart in 10,000 miles).
-I'd suggest changing out the 109 Relay (black to gray). The original 109 Relay is problematic to say the least.

Maybe a guru will chime in on the shims for the rear. My wheel shop, where I've done business for 36 years, "aligned" my rear suspension/wheels that corrected a wierd tire wear issue. I don't have a clue if they used shims or what. I just know it corrected the problem. That was about 7 years ago!

 

[Nutsnbolts]

First, like many people here will recommend, find a guru near you (the Trusted Mechanic's List in on the top of the TDI 101 section). Even if you have to drive a bit to get to them it will be to your benefit. Most general repair shops are not informed or qualified on the nuances that these engines present. For general repairs, such as brake jobs, etc, a competent mechanic can handle it, but leave the engine to the guru. In addition, let the guru recommend what parts (timing belt kits, etc.) to use. They will have more information, and may have several options that they can give you for suppliers.

The oil of choice for your engine is Mobil 1 Turbo Diesel Truck 5w-40 synthetic. Do your oil changes every 10,000 miles, and the engine will live a very healthy and long life. See my signature below.

-Rich

 

[GenMan]

Stay away for the automatic transmission cars.

 

[Porcelain Blue]

A 1999 car with 86,000 miles is a good find. If your bug is 99.5 you will have the ALH engine. I used to use Chevron Delo 400 15w-40 oil with oil change intervals every 5,000 miles. Since then I "wised up" and I now use Mobil 1 Turbo Diesel Truck 5w-40. The Chevron Delo was a good dyno oil but synthetic is so much better for your car. Some vendors I use is autohausaz.com where you can get OEM parts pretty cheap like the Mann oil filters. I also use idparts.com and worldimpex.com, both good vendors.

One other thing, watch your injection pump (IP). Mine developed a bad leak at 94,000 miles and I had to get the gaskets replaced.

Good luck with your bug!

 

[belome]

Stay away for the automatic transmission cars.

Or at least know what your getting into if its an automatic.

 

[Dee-Bug]

Well, we went out and retrieved the yellow bug this am. Took it for a test drive and it ran really good. I see what others say about being somewhat sluggish on take of(not even close to the power of my Hemi Grand Cherokee)I started nice,drove well and got around town pretty well. We brought it home back I-80 for 110 miles and I started to really like this car.It steers well,brakes well and goes up hills pretty good. I looked at the manufacture date and it's 1/99.The car is also a 5 speed and to my surprise,the 6 disc CD changer in the trunk works. Some of the radio knobs aren't too well though. There is also a cup or something missing on the back of the console. When I called the dealer,he told me the trunk hatch lid wouldn't open,but we have had it open several times with no trouble. I then noticed the spare tire missing. He went to his other garage and gave me a brand new full size spare for it. We actually got it for $5595 plus tags and taxes about $6400 total. My wife likes it alot and already has a to do list for it. I liked the fact we came home after 135 miles and the fuel gauge is still between 3/4 and full..Here is my wife all thrilled with her new car..

 

[anahata]

Many recommend a Panzer (belly plate)! You have low clearance and a fragile cast aluminum oil pan! Check the intake and the MAF. Car should be first rate wonderful on hills and not feel sluggish. Once warmed up and up to 2600 RPM you should start to feel a real turbo push and accel pretty evenly well past 4000. Looks like a good deal!

 

[loganbmx4gt]

I recommend lubro-Molly 5w-40 oil, some napa's actually stock lubro Molly and pentosin products, and Mann filters.

 

[belome]

Congrats on finding a low mile 5-speed!

 

[Tom W.]

So, you bought it from a dealer?
I would IMMEDIATELY take it to a TDI guru for a thurough check-up. Dealers are NOTORIOUS for screwing up TDI's. Find a local guru here: http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=130044
I buy my parts thru Autohausaz- EXCELLENT, OEM quality parts, excellent prices, fast service and free shipping http://www.autohausaz.com/

I buy the Total/ELF synthetic oil (approved by VW) and Mann filters( VW OEM)- I can buy premium OEM oil and filters thru Autohaus for about the same price as the cheap stuff at my local Autozone.

Welcome to the club!

 

[AndyBees]

My 2000 Jetta TDI with the ALH engine doesn't consume Rotella Full Synthetic 5w-40.....available at your local Walmart for under $22.00 per gallon! (In other words, its a great oil that meets specs for your engine.)

My ALH is pushing 300k miles and is just awesome to be basically all original!

 

[Tom W.]

The key to everyone who goes over 300k (like AndyBees) is they are very meticulous/obsessive abt maintenence/upkeep/repair, they follow proper TDI driving techniques, and hugely knowledgable about TDI's.

So, Read the owner's maintenence manual cover to cover, and follow it to the letter.

If the rust doesn't get your Beetle, you could have it for another decade or two. Or longer.

 

[Lightflyer1]

I see your front drivers side grill is broken just like my 05.

 

[procupine14]

Congratulations on your purchase! I really love my Beetle. If you have Beetle specific issues you might want to check out newbeetle.org as well. They have some knowledgeable people over there (sometimes not as quick to respond as the TDIClub but they are good people) and they have definitely helped me out a few times.

As far as the rear alignment thing goes there isn't a ton you can do to the Beetle according to a few people I've spoken with. If it is really off, I think they can shim it or something. If it is just a little off I would just rotate the tires more frequently. That's what I've been doing and I haven't had any funky wear issues even though my driver's rear tire is a bit....off.

If the rust doesn't get your Beetle, you could have it for another decade or two. Or longer.

The good news about this part is the shear amount of parts on a Beetle that are plastic instead of metal like on every other VW

 

[dalchri]

Yup, that looks like PA in Nov. Lumber mill in front of stubby mts w/gray skies. lol

Congrats on a good deal.

I recommend that you disconnect the intake air hose where it connects to intake just before the EGR valve. Then take a peak in there with a mirror to see how clogged it is/isn't. It is possible that the intake on this car has never been cleaned and that would restore some of the get up and go.

http://pics2.tdiclub.com/gwillie/VW/Sballintake/INTAKEMAN101b.htm