TDI Noob, New owner of a 2014 Passat SE Manual

[inthewoods]

Hi all,

Jumping head first in to the land of TDI with the purchase of a 2014 Passat SE manual. I'm normally a Honda and Ford type of guy but was introduced to VW a few years ago when my wife bought a 2002 Passat 1.8. Since then I've fallen in love with the VW quality and style.

I went with the TDI manual because like many I'm looking to save money on fuel and maintenance. I average 90 miles a day round trip to my work so the Passat was on the top of my list for a family car.

Nothing fancy here just a basic SE. For the people who like to know I picked her up for $24,165, and the Dealer had it stickered for $30,980!

I don't have any real big plans for her but I do have a short list of mods like LED trunk lights, and window tint.

Other than that my only play is to drive the crap out of it!

-Brian

 

[South Coast Guy]

What the hell is that "regional market adjustment" of $2,995?

 

[Herkguy]

That really is the ideal low mx cost TDI commuter. Looks good and the mud flaps will be handy in WA.

 

[VeeDubTDI]

I haven't seen too many Passats in that color in the wild... looks nice. Welcome to the club!

Also, an SE manual stickered at $30,980 is the "we saw you coming" price. That's insane. You can get an SEL Premium for that price!

 

[TurboDieselPoint]

Great looking car! Aside from the colors, your car and my car are basically identical with the same options in the window sticker. I even had the same plans: after I got my car, I put in floor mats, had the windows tinted, and installed an LED trunk light! Now I just drive the heck out of it every day, getting around 40 MPG mixed driving.

My favorite option is the set of splash guards. They really shield the side of the car well, and look very cool IMO!

Welcome, and enjoy your new car!

 

[inthewoods]

What the hell is that "regional market adjustment" of $2,995?

Yeah I think that is for the few who actually don't haggle and just pay whatever.... wouldn't that be nice!

I haven't seen too many Passats in that color in the wild... looks nice. Welcome to the club!

Thanks, tungsten was actually my second choice color. I really wanted the platinum gray but out of the 25 dealers I was tracking only one existed and it was 150 miles away. The tungsten was at my dealers other location 12 miles away so there we go. I think I'm better off with the tungsten anyway because it doesn't show the dirt.

Speaking of dealers... man trying to find a manual is a pain in the butt! The sales guy called them "unicorns"! Out of those 25 dealers in the NW only 17 of these gems were available. Used market is even worse! I could only find a 2012 and 2013 manual and the crazy dealers wanted $25,000 for cars with over 30,000 miles.

How about some more random facts?

The car was manufactured on 2/3/2014 (I'm guessing at the date because of this sticker)

Purchased on 3/24 with 35 miles and as of 3/25 I've already racked up 317 miles and it's averaging 42.8 mpg.

 

[Lightflyer1]

Congrats on the car! The mfd is usually off by a little and that should end up being around 39 or 40 mpg if you keep it up. They are usually slightly optimistic.

 

[no-blue-screen]

Congrats on the purchase. I love my 2012 manual.

 

[unixb0y]

The car was manufactured on 2/3/2014 (I'm guessing at the date because of this sticker)

I believe the sticker shows the date/time that the computer generated the build sheet for the car.

The sticker on the door shows the month/year that the car left the line.

 

[KITEWAGON]

Nice car and good deal. I like the Tungsten Silver. It looks a little bit like the white gold color of our wagon, but more silver. Kind of a slightly beige silver.

Its good that you were able to get such good pricing despite the fact that the manuals are hard to find.

 

[inthewoods]

Its good that you were able to get such good pricing despite the fact that the manuals are hard to find.

Yeah I was lucky that another dealer was advertising one for $24,885... I think it helped me get past the "first" offer because the second offer was really close to my final price.

 

[APT]

Welcome and congrats on a fine automobile!

 

[jrm]

Congratulations and welcome to the club! I almost built my house near you in Lyle but opted for 10 acors in Welches/brightwood area. I also bought my Passat from the same dealer and mine was only a couple weeks old as well. Is there a "ech" fee on your final paperwork? Best prices on Diesel are normally in the Gresham Oregon area so fill up on this side Summer blend is coming soon, so you will see a 10MPG jump by may.

 

[inthewoods]

Question... what's up with the Scan Gauge? Is that something I should get or is that tool really only good for people who like to see numbers?
I wouldn't mind getting one if it could help me reach 50+ mpg club.

Congratulations and welcome to the club! I almost built my house near you in Lyle but opted for 10 acors in Welches/brightwood area. I also bought my Passat from the same dealer and mine was only a couple weeks old as well. Is there a "ech" fee on your final paperwork? Best prices on Diesel are normally in the Gresham Oregon area so fill up on this side Summer blend is coming soon, so you will see a 10MPG jump by may.

Thanks, I really didn't notice any fee's... I negotiated via the payment amount so if they added something in I didn't notice.
How is Costco's diesel? I was planning on doing most of my fill ups there since my work is only 5 min away.

 

[jrm]

The scan gauge II allows you to view most all OBDII readings live, such as Exhaust temperatures. I personaly use a $20 Bluetooth adaptor and Android Torque app on my phone-video of my EGT's http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvsjQpjAil0
As for Costco- I don't think they carry diesel yet but rumored to soon, and when they do- Oregon's B5 diesel is all picked up from the same terminal so the quality will be fine.

 

[psd1]

What the hell is that "regional market adjustment" of $2,995?

Lots of dealerships out west try it. You should see the RMA on Sports cars and such. It is truley a stab in the dark that some people must pay occasionally?

Congrats on the car! The mfd is usually off by a little and that should end up being around 39 or 40 mpg if you keep it up. They are usually slightly optimistic.

Maybe, maybe not. My MFI is pessimistic up until about an indicated 50 MPG, sometimes as much as 2 MPG. Above an indicated 50 MPG it is slightly Optomistic, by .2 MPG or so.

Question... what's up with the Scan Gauge? Is that something I should get or is that tool really only good for people who like to see numbers?
I wouldn't mind getting one if it could help me reach 50+ mpg club.

Thanks, I really didn't notice any fee's... I negotiated via the payment amount so if they added something in I didn't notice.
How is Costco's diesel? I was planning on doing most of my fill ups there since my work is only 5 min away.

Welcome to the manual Passat TDI club. You don't need a scangauge to join the 50+ MPG club, just check my fuelly data. What you need is a longish commute and speeds under 65 MPG, IMHO.

When did COSTCO start selling diesel?

 

[inthewoods]

As for Costco- I don't think they carry diesel yet but rumored to soon, and when they do- Oregon's B5 diesel is all picked up from the same terminal so the quality will be fine.

When did COSTCO start selling diesel?

Noob mistake... for some reason I thought Costco had diesel

Welcome to the manual Passat TDI club. You don't need a scangauge to join the 50+ MPG club, just check my fuelly data. What you need is a longish commute and speeds under 65 MPG, IMHO.

Thanks, the longest part of my commute is Cascade Locks to Fairview on 84 (~30 miles). I did notice average starts to drop on speeds over 65 mph in the flats.

 

[unixb0y]

Question... what's up with the Scan Gauge? Is that something I should get or is that tool really only good for people who like to see numbers?

I use an http://www.ultra-gauge.com/ultragauge/ that i put in the cubby below the light switch.

I don't have an android phone. I have an android tablet and a bluetooth ODB reader and that worked fine BUT i didn't want to worry about leaving the tablet in the car (which has been vandalized once and broken into twice)

With the ultra gauge I'm able to monitor precat and post cat temperatures. There doesn't seem to be a reading for EGT though.

Congrats on the Passat!

 

[inthewoods]

Scan Gauge, Ultra Gauge or bluetooth doesn't really matter if the info is useful.

Without going through hundreds of threads... what type if info from these tools are things I should be worrying about? Do I really need to know EGT for every day use? Will watching boost numbers improve mpg?

 

[psd1]

Thanks, the longest part of my commute is Cascade Locks to Fairview on 84 (~30 miles). I did notice average starts to drop on speeds over 65 mph in the flats.

If your goal is MPG you will stay on SR-14. Trust me, it takes longer, but is a much better choice for MPG. Try it a couple times and then tell me I'm wrong.

Hope you enjoy the car!

 

[Lincoln]

Congrats! I've got the exact same car, but a 2013 with no mud fllaps. Paid a pretty similar amount in Auburn. Looking into the same mods too (already got a good Groupon deal on window tints and starting to look into the trunk LEDs). Might add the grocery hook in the trunk and a few other minor things, but basically going to drive it stock and gradually improve other features as they wear out (thinking of the tires and headlights, in particular). Oh, and at some point I want to find a guru to help me turn on features like the alarm in VAGCOM that come deactivated for whatever reason. Regarding mileage, my commute is ~40 miles each way and I'm able to get >50mpg without scanguage or anything similar, nor any fuel additives, etc. The key is driving ~60-65mph with a bit of pulse-and-glide (coasting in gear or neutral on the downhills) and a light foot the rest of the time. Though, I'm not afraid to push it hard when accelerating, which is apparently good for breaking it in. I paid a lot of attention to the fuel usage at first to help me "learn" how to drive it economically, but now I can just drive and not worry--still got 53.0mpg on my way to work today, and my MFI is usally pessimistic by ~1-2mpg. Long story short, make whatever mods you want to enjoy the car more, but don't stress out and I'm sure you'll be really happy with it. I love mine!

 

[inthewoods]

If your goal is MPG you will stay on SR-14. Trust me, it takes longer, but is a much better choice for MPG. Try it a couple times and then tell me I'm wrong.

WHAT?!? That makes no sense with all the hills... is it because of the lower speed?
Anyway challenge accepted!

already got a good Groupon deal on window tints

I didn't think about that... just received a quote today for 25% all around for $240

Thanks for the other tips

 

[Lincoln]

Oh, and I had the same issue finding a manual SE in WA. At the time I was looking, there were only three in the whole state.

 

[Lincoln]

My groupon deal is $150 for all-around. Prior to that the best I was finding was ~$250-$300, so I'm happy.

 

[carljanderson]

Thanks, tungsten was actually my second choice color. I really wanted the platinum gray but out of the 25 dealers I was tracking only one existed and it was 150 miles away. The tungsten was at my dealers other location 12 miles away so there we go. I think I'm better off with the tungsten anyway because it doesn't show the dirt.

Speaking of dealers... man trying to find a manual is a pain in the butt! The sales guy called them "unicorns"! Out of those 25 dealers in the NW only 17 of these gems were available. Used market is even worse! I could only find a 2012 and 2013 manual and the crazy dealers wanted $25,000 for cars with over 30,000 miles.

When I was looking for my Passat SE Manual, there were 3 in the greater LA area (December 2013). 3. All at one dealership who sort of blew me off via e-mail, so I had to find another dealer.

Welcome!

 

[psd1]

WHAT?!? That makes no sense with all the hills... is it because of the lower speed?
Anyway challenge accepted!

Speed kills MPG in these cars! I live down the road a ways from you and absolutely despise the traffic and road surface on most of I-84. SR 14, is generally nicer, less overall traffic and the road surface isnt as loud.

I would love to see what a week of running each route would return.

I picked my TDI Manual up last January at Robert Larson in Tacoma, it was the only 6 speed manual in Platinum Grey in the PNW.

 

[inthewoods]

Oh, and I had the same issue finding a manual SE in WA. At the time I was looking, there were only three in the whole state.

Yeah those 17 are spread across three states (WA,OR,ID).

 

[Papachristou]

That really is the ideal low mx cost TDI commuter. Looks good and the mud flaps will be handy in WA.

i agree. Great commuter car but will still hold 4-5 people with ease or 15 bags of mulch!

 

[inthewoods]

i agree. Great commuter car but will still hold 4-5 people with ease or 15 bags of mulch!

Deciding between a Jetta or Passat was based purely from the back seat. My wife said what ever car I get has to fit me behind the driver... I'm 6'3"

Jetta:

Passat:

 

[jrm]

Scan Gauge, Ultra Gauge or bluetooth doesn't really matter if the info is useful.

Without going through hundreds of threads... what type if info from these tools are things I should be worrying about? Do I really need to know EGT for every day use? Will watching boost numbers improve mpg?

The only reason I got one is so the wife would know when the car is in active regeneration and not to turn the car off until it completes. I have since re-gifted the Scan gauge to my father as my wife still turned off the car in regen and sent me angry text messages about how stupid regen was and that she was late for work. No turbo problems yet, but I think im one of the very few who drove the car off the lot thinking about how long it would be until I had to do a full Malone delete and tune.
I see you work in Fairview- We will cross paths often as I enter 84 on the 207th exit. this is mine up at crater lake where I seated the rings in hard with several 100mph bursts up the 4% grade- it will have mud flaps next week: