Thoughts on buying a 2011 TDI not touched by VW for E-mods?

[StevenT]

Thoughts on buying a 2011 TDI not touched by VW for E-mods?

We don't do emissions testing in my area. Pros and Cons?

 

[CleverUserName]

Did you actually find one? I would imagine it would hard to find one that wasn't "fixed" as there was $$ incentive for doing so.

With that said I looked for a JSW "untouched" or from the original owner because all the buyback cars I looked at being sold by a dealership near me had issues.

I finally found a 2010 JSW that only had 5K miles on it since it was "fixed", the original owner died and I got it from the estate. It took almost 2 years to find it, so they are out there but it may take a long time to find what you're looking for.

 

[StevenT]

Did you actually find one? I would imagine it would hard to find one that wasn't "fixed" as there was $$ incentive for doing so.

With that said I looked for a JSW "untouched" or from the original owner because all the buyback cars I looked at being sold by a dealership near me had issues.

I finally found a 2010 JSW that only had 5K miles on it since it was "fixed", the original owner died and I got it from the estate. It took almost 2 years to find it, so they are out there but it may take a long time to find what you're looking for.

Yes, that's what the CarFax says. Code 23U3 which is phase 1 of the "fix"

 

[jetlagmech]

My 2010 did not get the fix. I tried to get it done for the payout but never could get the paperwork fax to be accepted. must have faxed 10 times from several different fax machines over 6 months. just kept being told there was pages and/or signatures missing. but couldn't tell me which ones.

I am so glad now. Hearing all the problems some people have had after the fix. My car has 195,000 miles and still purrs like a kitten. The thought has crossed my mind to sell it when I retire next month and no longer commuting, but with that mileage I don't believe it would be worth enough to worry about. but it should be easy to unfix if you buy one. just a software update to do with a delete.

 

[kjclow]

If I could go back and stop the fix on my JSW, I would. It took a lot of the fun out of driving it. No off line pep so now it just feels like driving a corolla. If you really found one without the fix, jump on it and never take it to the dealer.

 

[StevenT]

If I could go back and stop the fix on my JSW, I would. It took a lot of the fun out of driving it. No off line pep so now it just feels like driving a corolla. If you really found one without the fix, jump on it and never take it to the dealer.

I did and I purchased it Saturday. Complete with Malone Stage 2, Rawtek straight piped, etc.... I am so pleased with the performance.

 

[oilhammer]

The tuners can easily return it to how it was, and Volkswagen certainly gave the owners MORE than enough money to do so. Not really sure why anyone who doesn't like the way the car runs to just do this.

 

[akjdouglass]

Some loss of power and increase in frequency/length of regens was expected, so there was few surprises (or regrets) after the fix. I can pour money into both cars for quite some time before the payout cash is depleted.

Had my wife not known the fix had been done to her car, I'm not even sure she would've noticed any difference at all (she drives faster than me, too). Her main complaint from the start has to do with the inconvenience of a regen that begins just before arriving home, especially since I told her to never interrupt a regen.

After the fix, the frequency of hydrolocking each winter increased to the point that something had to be done. Easily fixed it on my own, shouldn't be a problem again.

IMO, the pros of buying an unfixed, tuned car far outweigh the cons. StevenT knocked this one out of the park.

 

[oilhammer]

The increased instances of intercooler condensation and icing is one of the primary reasons why so many people are complaining here (at our shop). People who had an issue with this before, and either got the cold weather kit installed or modified their driving behavior to eliminate it, have found it has come back... and those that never had it happen before now have it happening to them. I feel like the cold weather kit should have been part of the fix on the CBEA and CJAA cars anyway, but not only was it not, but VoA seems to either deny there was ever an issue with this happening (despite owners spoon feeding them a printed copy of THEIR OWN TSB!) or deny there is even any problem happening now. One dealer even tried to blame the owner, after they had already had the car brought into them courtesy of a tow truck three times before. Fourth time, a rod blew out the front of the block.

 

[akjdouglass]

After the fix, the frequency of hydrolocking each winter increased to the point that something had to be done. Easily fixed it on my own, shouldn't be a problem again.

Actually, I didn't fix it on my own. I had help getting suitable parts and the right tune to eliminate my annual intercooler PITA forever.

 

[akjdouglass]

The increased instances of intercooler condensation and icing is one of the primary reasons why so many people are complaining here (at our shop). People who had an issue with this before, and either got the cold weather kit installed or modified their driving behavior to eliminate it, have found it has come back... and those that never had it happen before now have it happening to them. I feel like the cold weather kit should have been part of the fix on the CBEA and CJAA cars anyway, but not only was it not, but VoA seems to either deny there was ever an issue with this happening (despite owners spoon feeding them a printed copy of THEIR OWN TSB!) or deny there is even any problem happening now. One dealer even tried to blame the owner, after they had already had the car brought into them courtesy of a tow truck three times before. Fourth time, a rod blew out the front of the block.

Wow. That's why my TDI's have rarely been back to a dealer since purchased. Some problems are better dealt with on your own when they can be fixed with basic tools and a little knowledge.

Hard to believe that VOA can be in denial when there was a dramatic change in intercooler design from the CJAA to the CKRA. Is there any other possible reason for the IC redesign? I do know the air-to-water IC completely eliminated the issue.

For me, time spent reading threads on TDICLUB since day one has paid dividends that no warranty can begin match.

 

[StevenT]

The previous owner mentioned upgrading the cold air intake for increased performance and MPG. Currently has Malone Stage 2, Rawtek straight piped, deletes etc... I know on the MK4s it's not recommended by most. I'm not sure on MK6

 

[JasonCzerak]

Slightly off topic question. If the Vehicle is past 120,000 miles with out the fix, is VW obligated to fix it still?

 

[kjclow]

I think the court ruling was that VW had to fix a specific percentage of vehicles. If they reached that number, they may not offer to "fix" yours regardless of mileage.