Why do You Still Have Your MK4 TDI?

[JDSwan87]

I'm a glutton for punishment

 

[Rob Mayercik]

At least partly stubbornness on my part - why buy another car to replace this one when I haven't "used it up" yet? (yes, I'm on my 3rd 01M in 365K miles, I've filed it under "wear parts" )

Besides that, how many other cars are out there that are as fun to drive and simultaneously get the kind of MPG (stock or modded) as a TDI? Truly a "have your cake and eat it too" scenario.

All these years in and I'm still blown away by how hard this thing pulls on a top-gear acceleration run, all the while still making 42-43mpg. Can't quite match IBW's trip-odo shot above, but I do have pictures of two 700-mile tanks stashed somewhere.

Well, the above post was just shy of 6 years ago. The odo now stands at 503K miles (and that 3rd 01M is still hanging in there), and I still feel the same.

Rob

 

[Judson]

23 years old now. Only about 275k and just settled in. I watch mechanics struggle with the complexity of modern cars, the really thin motor oil auto companies are speccing - 0w 20 - and have decided to just stay away.

 

[csstevej]

Nothing out there even comes close to what the family’s 5 TDI’s do. Yes newer cars have alot of creature comforts……but for daily driving and how fast the new cars depreciate and the nightmare to work on them…… I’ll stick with my TDI’s.
Now the wife ……. She has her car and that’s all I’m gonna say…….. if momma ain’t happy ……nobody gonna be happy.

 

[GlowBugTDI]

Well, the above post was just shy of 6 years ago. The odo now stands at 503K miles (and that 3rd 01M is still hanging in there), and I still feel the same.

Rob

I hope I can be similarly blessed with my 01M. I already have the trans swap waiting and ready, but the wife and I are going to wait and see how many miles she goes before problems occur.

 

[pkhoury]

Let's see... no car payments, stupid simple to work on, parts are plentiful, good fuel economy during the non-summer months when I don't need AC all the time, pulls a trailer pretty damn good, fun to drive, insurance is relatively cheap, and a mk4 Golf saved my life three years ago when I hit an F-150 head on that pulled in front of me. I'd say those are pretty good reasons.

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

I was talking with my local guru yesterday and we agree that the MKIV ALH TDI is one of the most dead reliable cars out there. Take care of it and it won't let you down, even with more miles on it than most cars ever achieve.

Last fill on my wagon with almost continuous A/C use: 48 MPG.

 

[TurboABA]

* It has become my ‘retirement’ drive, only 5.0km per year.

Do you ever even have to buy diesel?

 

[Rob Mayercik]

I hope I can be similarly blessed with my 01M. I already have the trans swap waiting and ready, but the wife and I are going to wait and see how many miles she goes before problems occur.

Sounds like a plan! Maybe we should start a pool on how many more miles you get out of it?

I've been doing fluid/filter changes annually on mine (lands around 25K miles or so); one issue that's cropped up with doing that regularly is thread fatigue on the holes for the pan bolts - my mechanic's slightly upsized a couple of them in the past year or two to get them to hold properly.

The other thing I do that I think is probably good for it is that I always let it idle for 5-10 seconds after starting the engine before I put the transmission in gear - always engages positively that way, since the pump's had a chance to build/top off the pressures in the valve body; if I try to go into gear right after startup, I the gear engagement is decidedly "mushy".

Oh yeah, here's another 01M tip to keep in your back pocket: A couple years back my current 01M did a very convincing impression of "needing a rebuild" - had it at the shop, the mechanic went to pull it into the bay and got no forward or reverse engagement. He pushed it in, threw it up on the lift, and dropped the pan, expecting to find all the clutch material down there. Instead, the fluid looked good but the star wheel for the line pressure adjuster (which, being a plastic part was apparently worn out) ejected itself from the valve body into his lap. He swapped in the one from another 01M valve body he had laying around, it started shifting/engaging fine again, and been good ever since. Makes me wonder how often that happens and gets misdiagnosed as "needs rebuild"...

 

[GlowBugTDI]

Sounds like a plan! Maybe we should start a pool on how many more miles you get out of it?

Oh yeah, here's another 01M tip to keep in your back pocket: A couple years back my current 01M did a very convincing impression of "needing a rebuild" - had it at the shop, the mechanic went to pull it into the bay and got no forward or reverse engagement. He pushed it in, threw it up on the lift, and dropped the pan, expecting to find all the clutch material down there. Instead, the fluid looked good but the star wheel for the line pressure adjuster (which, being a plastic part was apparently worn out) ejected itself from the valve body into his lap. He swapped in the one from another 01M valve body he had laying around, it started shifting/engaging fine again, and been good ever since. Makes me wonder how often that happens and gets misdiagnosed as "needs rebuild"...

Haha, we shall see. I am considering using the car for a tow trip here soon to put the trans to the test. 3 atv's, camping gear and 3 persons. Should be a good haul, but I'm not sure I want to test it yet as I haven't put many miles on it.

That is good to know. I will keep it in mind. I doubt the car will stay an automatic for more than a year or three as my wife already wants to swap it.

 

[irvingj]

Just got back home from a 5000 mile trip into Canada with our Camper RV on a 2015 MB Sprinter chassis. That RV runs around full gross --8500 lbs-- when set up.

Next day, I hopped in my 2005 Jetta Wagon for a short trip... what difference! I just couldn't resist chirping the tires in most gears!! STILL love that little wagon!

Now has about 180K on the clock.... And no DEF! (Yep, got the dreaded "10 STARTS REMAINING" message on the Sprinter, while in the boonies of Newfoundland.... had to drive 250 miles to St John's, the ONLY MB dealer in NL...) Did I mention that I love that little wagon?

 

[towforce]

I'm in the "Club".... at 560,000km's its a wonderful vehicle. We are far from kind!... do many miles/km's of gravel, its got a 2" lift stiff as hell and no longer a "little old lady going to church" car....

Yes, there are times I wish I had learned German but I'm the mechanic tasked with maintaining her (saw only two trips to the dealer... brake switch and the glow plug software fiasco... ). Change the oil, brakes, wheel bearings and suspension. I'm on the 4th timing belt, Did a turbo, clutch number two (thinking about #3... or not....). It's got a basic Malone Stage one tune, I suspect she needs her intake de-coked (and yes, still running a stock EGR system!).. so maybe worth pulling the engine at the next belt change... we will see.

Would I get a new vehicle to replace my Jetta TDI.... admittedly yes.... but!.... There is not a manufacture out there that has a product worth S###! Dealerships are bent on hosing everybody. Worse, a new vehicle (any) is not likely run 200,000 km's without something catastrophic taking place. In fact I'm pretty sure I can keep my old Mk4 BEW running another 200,000km for far less than the money pit a new car will cost for the same distance.

I guess I'm lucky I can do the basics and the rust has not infected her.... save for ongoing maintenance and considering a proper block/water heater for the cold climate that we have moved to... this is what I'm happily stuck left driving..... like a good marriage.... "for better or worse, till death do us part" ;-)

Martin

 

[vw4keith]

I'm in the "Club".... at 560,000km's its a wonderful vehicle. We are far from kind!... do many miles/km's of gravel, its got a 2" lift stiff as hell and no longer a "little old lady going to church" car....

Yes, there are times I wish I had learned German but I'm the mechanic tasked with maintaining her (saw only two trips to the dealer... brake switch and the glow plug software fiasco... ). Change the oil, brakes, wheel bearings and suspension. I'm on the 4th timing belt, Did a turbo, clutch number two (thinking about #3... or not....). It's got a basic Malone Stage one tune, I suspect she needs her intake de-coked (and yes, still running a stock EGR system!).. so maybe worth pulling the engine at the next belt change... we will see.

Would I get a new vehicle to replace my Jetta TDI.... admittedly yes.... but!.... There is not a manufacture out there that has a product worth S###! Dealerships are bent on hosing everybody. Worse, a new vehicle (any) is not likely run 200,000 km's without something catastrophic taking place. In fact I'm pretty sure I can keep my old Mk4 BEW running another 200,000km for far less than the money pit a new car will cost for the same distance.

I guess I'm lucky I can do the basics and the rust has not infected her.... save for ongoing maintenance and considering a proper block/water heater for the cold climate that we have moved to... this is what I'm happily stuck left driving..... like a good marriage.... "for better or worse, till death do us part" ;-)

Martin

 

[vw4keith]

I’m with you, brother. My 2004 Jetta has 480,000 and still has the original exhaust and clutch! I did have to replace the turbo shortly after the warranty finished and just did a rebuild of said turbo but it starts at -20c no problem still. I will be the one driving this to the junk yard.

 

[Sting]

Well, I was gifted my 2003 ALH Wagon by my best friend in 2020. At that point she had 527K km, and outside of some minor body issues, was in good shape. Fast Forward 4 years (exactly). Car is still going strong at 710K km. I've moved from Ontario to British Columbia. I did have to take care of some issues especially in the last 2 years - starter, AC Compressor seized (replaced with Dorman AC By-Pass Pulley), Control arms, injector pump seals (DIY) and some underside Rust issues (had to get those done professionally due to provincial safety requirements). Plus regular maintenance. Yes, a bit pricey to fix some of the issues I couldn't or was unable to do due to work, etc, but spread over a couple of years, it's really not been that bad. Overall still better than buying a new car. On the highway, I'm STILL getting below 5.0L/100 (avg around 4.7) and now living in Victoria doing more local driving, so fuel economy down to 5.5L/100 km, but half my 20 km commute to work is city traffic, so... Before I moved, I was doing nearly 90km one way. Right now, I'm filling the car every 3-4 weeks. I'm doing oil changes with Rotella T6 every 10K km.

I have a spare engine I bought during Covid still sitting in my storage, as I have no good reason to throw it in. It's from an automatic, so I'll have the 11mm injector pump, and I'm looking to do some modest tuning. If I could get it anywhere between 150-200, I think I'd be even happier. Burpod gave me some direction with mods, which seem pretty reasonable (GTB 1856, PD intake and race pipe, 260 injectors).

Honestly, I love the car. I also grew up around VW diesels from 81 on. I owned 2 pre-TDI MKIIIs, and I had a gas 2.0 MkIV Jetta. I like the MkIV package overall. Its manual, doesn't have the stupid bells and whistles of newer cars, drives well, is comfortable for me (and I'm 6'3"). The cargo room is decent, and if I was on a road trip, the seats are comfortable enough to sleep in, or if I could roll things down, I could crawl in the back and be comfortable enough. Maintenance isn't too bad. I might still consider trying to do a timing belt at some point, but I'm annoyed at the engine mount removal, as my last daily was a E30 Eta, and you could do a timing belt and water pump with the car on the ground without much fuss.

 

[scrapen]

After having a fun 250hp ALH build and basically giving up on it (rust monster, stupid boost leaks., having a 335i, school loans, etc etc) i went 4 years tdi-free.

Then i came across a 2dr w/ 30k on it. 335i was approaching 160k and it was at 70k on it's 3rd hpfp. Decided it was a no brainer.

Fast forward to now it just hit 80k last week. At the end of the day i couldn't trade this car for anything. They are truly simple machines and cheap to work on.

I strictly use it as a work commuter (well at least until the kids are older and can ride in a normal seat). I work w/ 7 other guys in my department and half of them own diesel trucks. They rag on my "Farfegnugen" but at the end of the day they're putting all that wear and tear on trucks where parts aren't very cheap. My family hauler truck is gas but at least the mileage is staying low (2017 w/ 35k now)

My work has a saying where when you leave (quit), you always come back. I feel it's the same w/ VW. Once you own one, you just keep coming back.

 

[irvingj]

And a trip just yesterday, 35 miles or so to pick up 328 pounds of batteries on a pallet. Hooked up my 4x8 utility trailer, zipped down the interstate to a truck terminal: just under 41 mpg on the way down with the trailer empty (and tailgate off), 38+ on the way back. Better than a pick-up, gotta love it.

 

[Judson]

Additional reasons I have no desire to change: I got her pretty quiet through the liberal use of sound absorption material. I’ve upgraded the interior so it’s a nice place to be, the wood euro steering wheel is a true highlight, the stereo is awesome (but then I spent a boatload), and pretty much everything has been addressed in terms of wear items, so she’s worry free for years now.
The headliner needs replacing, I have a bit of rust at the fender/door area, the paint is old, but the silver color hides a lot.
And cars…. $45k for a cheap two door Wrangler? $55k for an F-150? Yeeesh.
I mean, I’ve spent a lot on this car, putting in the 1756, various tunes, nice headlights, different interior, auto to 5 to 6 speed…. But I always do this kind of stuff.

 

[PakProtector]

I think I can get most of the way through my driving career on my current herd. The daily is just shy of 230k, I have a cleaner '02 swap with 180k on him, and an '05 with 53k for when I am done wid the first two. Then there is wife's 2D Golf, and son's '00...and who knows, maybe I find another 2D?

Douglas

 

[454k30]

I still have mine because it's reliable, inexpensive to fuel and maintain, actually fits in those parking spaces marked Compact, and it's not in perfect condition. I have to street park and this car gets ignored by the thieves because it's old, kinda beat-up. I use it to haul camping gear and a canoe. I use it haul lumber, firewood, appliances, and perform cross country moves. It is easy to work on and I enjoy keeping the little diesel purring along. And I've had the thing for 22 years so I'm kind of attached to it emotionally.

 

[csstevej]

I have my herd as I cannot find anything that even come close to what these cars will do.
They will have to pry the steering wheel from my dead cold hands…..or bury me in it.

 

[GlowBugTDI]

and pretty much everything has been addressed in terms of wear items, so she’s worry free for years now.

Be careful man....thats what I said right before I got into an accident. Thankfully, since fixing all that its been smooth sailing

 

[Boosty]

Once you learn vws it kinda becomes a cult. Das Kult. It's easy to slip back into one rather than do what you know is right; get a Honda or Toyota.
The mkiv tdis don't have dpf nor the need to have the new battery talk to the car before the car will start or any of that bs common to the newer vws.
They seem to have a kult-like following even in my tiny town of less than 7k ppl. One guy a block over has an alh on bags and it looks like a show car, another guy a few blocks over got a tdi jetta he's working on. I have a 2.slow Jetta that helped me learn vw and the tdi golf. Rebuild the front end after say 160k miles and it'll be good for another few hundred thousand. The 1700m road trip in the Jetta let me know I do not want to spend time on any highway trip on coilovers ever again (ever ever ever), thank you, nice struts and springs will do from now on.

 

[Steve Addy]

Almost bought an 04 Jetta TDI this last year, the salvage yard I had driven rollback for got it in and I got it started, only error code was flapper motor, it ran nice. The 5 AT however, needed some work but it did shift and probably just needed a good service. The body was cleanish but had been sitting, but unfortunately the person who sold it to the yard never put the title into his name so they had to buy it on a bill of sale, so they could not reassign title to me, so it went into the yard.

Unfortunate, it ran well.

Steve

 

[aztecducky]

It's just one of the best cars one can have, at least to me.
Platform is very easy to work on, there are a crazy amount of mods available for it, tons of aftermarket support, parts aren't too expensive, I can fix it myself, and they're very reliable. They are modern enough to have plenty of comfort features such as AC, cruise control, heated seats, power locks/windows, etc. but they're old enough to where they're easy to work on and modify, for example adding a double din radio. They don't have all the BS that new cars have like lane assist, auto braking, etc. but they're still very safe with curtain and seat side airbags. Oh and I can modify it to make plenty of power and still get 45-50 MPG!

 

[PakProtector]

I have my herd as I cannot find anything that even come close to what these cars will do.
They will have to pry the steering wheel from my dead cold hands…..or bury me in it.

As long as it is either a Mk5 or Mk6 flat bottom wheel...

Douglas

 

[oilhammer]

I've been driving a deleted 2013 Jetta sedan this week, I think my Golfs are getting jealous.... but I'm not gonna lie, the way this CJAA with its MIL-avoidance package eats up the highway, I think I may want to give the ol' ALH some help, LOL.

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

I've been driving a deleted 2013 Jetta sedan this week, I think my Golfs are getting jealous.... but I'm not gonna lie, the way this CJAA with its MIL-avoidance package eats up the highway, I think I may want to give the ol' ALH some help, LOL.

Lots in common with a MKIV under the skin.

 

[oilhammer]

Where is that? the NCS always feels like it has more in common with a Kia Forte than any other Volkswagen product. Powertrain is great, but the car feels very much like the $15k bottom-feeder sedan that it is. Maybe that's why I liked the 2.slo Jetta S. It just seemed to fit better.

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

Although part numbers may differ, calipers, rear brake pads (some cars), and struts are essentially the same. And the overall drivetrain design with simple control arms and beam (albeit different type) rear are close to MKIV.

I also like the 2.slow. With a manual it's fun to drive.