Quick primer on VW TDIs?

[speeder]

Without joining another forum or spending hours searching and reading, can someone tell me which years have the catastrophic pump failure that sends shrapnel into the motor, which old ones are the best, etc.?

Also, I seem to remember reading about an inline filter that can be installed on later ones to prevent the shrapnel from passing into the combustion chamber? I know that there is a lot of TDI knowledge here and with the latest development, might be a good buying opportunity. Check out this ad, (especially the pictures), I expect lots of these from guilt ridden hippies.

Volkswagen Jetta TDI Sedan 4 Door | eBay

[Arizona_928]

All the 2.0 common rail engines. 9-14. They have been revised by a couple different part number, and on the later cars failure is rare. You will burn out a dpf first.
Hpfp failure is something that I dread, and hope I never experience. Even as preventive maintenance they are costly to replace as a wear item.

The guy who made the kit has not had any for sale for a good year now.

[LEAKYSEALS951]

I too, with only one stoplight in our county, and no emission testing in the near future, look with eager towards a bargain basement TDI before VW recalls it and turns it into a self imploding timebomb.

[osidak]

My car at 91,000 miles has been through two DPF's but so far the HPFP has been holding her ground. Both DPF's and many other emission parts where replaced under warranty so fortunately I didn't have to pay for that work. I have a fair amount of other expense though in other parts that failed after 36K miles though.

Kinda scary that with "no emissions" I have gone through two DPF's in under 100K - just think of the fun after they fix the emissions.

I have been driving diesel cars since I got my drivers license (my 3rd car) and I have been driving now for nearly 30 years

I would say if you really want to get a TDI look at the 99-2004 ALH cars - more fun to drive, more reliable and MUCH better fuel economy.

[1990C4S]

My personal opinion is that all VW diesels have been a step backward after they stopped making the ALH engine (which I think was 2004).

Those are old cars now, but they can easily go 600,000 miles.

[osidak]

The engines are good for 500,000 miles - I have worked on and seen numerous ones - The bodies, interiors and the automatic transmissions....... not so much

The ALH for this country was from 1998 (New Bug) to 2004 - 2004.5 the PD engine was released and it sucked

[Otter74]

Originally Posted by osidak

The engines are good for 500,000 miles - I have worked on and seen numerous ones - The bodies, interiors and the automatic transmissions....... not so much

The ALH for this country was from 1998 (New Bug) to 2004 - 2004.5 the PD engine was released and it sucked

So the engine in 2005-6 cars is the PD engine, not the ALH?

I had had my eye on a TDI for the last year or so, though I think I've talked myself out of a used German car for sedan duty.

[Daves911L]

Wife has 2011 A3 TDI. Experienced HPFP at 78K, leaving us stranded in the desert 200 miles from home on Christmas day 2013. Inconvenience aside, all was well since dealer replaced everything, no questions asked, even though we were out of warranty due to mileage. Apparently VW/Audi are pretty sensitive to the HPFP problem now and try to keep it quiet.

Nice little car. Bought it thinking fuel mileage and engine longevity. Suspect the tranny will be the weak link in the future. Wish it was a manual (Audi only offers the evil Tip with TDI).

The current emissions flap doesn't bother me. The govt. told VW the car had to produce particular emissions under a specified test condition. VW complied. That they were maybe a little (OK, a lot) sneaky about how they complied? Well, that's just what people do. Somewhat like Porsche complying with FIA standards when it unveiled 25 "production car" 917s in 1969. Still an amazingly efficient and clean operating vehicle by anyone's standards.

But now I'm wondering what the heck is a "DPF"?

[osidak]

1998 Bug - ALH
1999-2004 - ALH
2004.5 A4 body style but PD Engine
2005-2006 (really 2007) PD engine

DPF = Diesel Particulate Filter - it is the first emissions device in the exhaust stream - It cost about $1500 and sucks to replace..... Well I think it sucks. I am sure VW has gotten pretty good at it by now

As for the HPFP - VW has denied warranty on a bunch of those - especially in the beginning.

[speeder]

Thank you very much. Any particular weak points in the old, (ALH), motor to look after? My problem with those cars is that they are old and not exactly built like a tank, with cheap parts throughout and interiors that don't last, etc.. I really wanted someone to tell me that the newer ones are ok with some fix.

I really appreciate the knowledge. Keep it coming.

[speeder]

So what is the BEW engine that this one has? Seller claims better than ALH:

Volkswagen Jetta GLS with Leather and Premium Monsoon Audio | eBay

[1990C4S]

Originally Posted by speeder

Thank you very much. Any particular weak points in the old, (ALH), motor to look after? My problem with those cars is that they are old and not exactly built like a tank, with cheap parts throughout and interiors that don't last, etc.. I really wanted someone to tell me that the newer ones are ok with some fix.

I really appreciate the knowledge. Keep it coming.

The intake manifold might need cleaning after 200,000 or so miles. The turbo will eventually wear out, the variable vane mechanism can crap out. And the window mechanisms are crap. Rear wheel bearings are another issue.

Beyond that, not much.

My car has 300,000 miles, and it is very tank-like. Every issue I've had, and I've only had a few, was from deferred maintenance on my part.

I just replaced virtually everything in the front end (struts, all bushings, OTR, ball joints, drive shafts) for about $800 and it drives like a new car.

[osidak]

intake clogging and vnt issues tend to be a function of how you drive the car. Drive it like a grandma (lugging the engine a lot) will mean more issues with intake cleaning and vnt's getting stuck. Drive it with a little more gusto and you will seldom have issues.

When my car died at the hands of a Ford F250 it had ~ 250,000 miles and the intake was virtually clean and had zero issues with the vnt. I have cleaned intakes and vnt's on cars with as few as 60K miles. The good news though is that you can clean the intake in about 2 hours work and the vnt is generally more robust so it takes more abuse to begin with.

Rear bearings in my experience has been pretty solid unless you run over size wheels and had nasty roads. At which point the rear beam gets a tweak to it and the bearings go in short order.

I replaced 9 window regulators in my car until they revised the part and I stopped having to replace mine and when I installed them in other cars no more issues.

Turbos themselves tend last as long as you feed them good oil. I have replaced maybe 4 turbos in the past 15 years - the lowest mileage one was around 270,000 miles and judging from the cam lobes they where using crappy oil and waiting to long between changes. Now reading the forums will lead you to believe a lot more turbos have puked. VW has been quick to call a drop in power a turbo fault when in real life the issue was else where.

BEW is a PD engine. The block is essentially the same as the ALH and every 1.9l engine before it. The head changes to accommodate the PD fuel system. Little more power yes but the fuel economy drops. The biggest issue is the cam lobes are smaller as you now have 3 for each cylinder crammed in the same space (injector, intake, exhaust). The lobes become to narrow and wear faster. If not caught soon enough it damages the injectors and that get EXPENSIVE really fast. Oh and with the PD cars you also pick up a lift pump in the tank. Those tend to crap out when you least want them to and then all you can do it idle until you replace it. On the plus side for the PD engines - the act of changing the timing belt is easier in general (few parts more access) it is a little tougher to get the timing spot on.

Outside of body/interior issues that you seem to be aware of there are no real show stoppers with the engine or manual transmission. There are some issues with leaking pumps but as long as the leak is in the upper portion or the pump head it is an simple DIY fix. If it is the mid section it is a bit trickier and I would suggest letting a BOSCH shop take care of it.

[aigel]

The rate of failures on the pumps is not very high. IMHO, you'd want to stay away from 09 and 10 models. The later ones are significantly better.

I have 73k miles on my 2011 now and had zero issues. They are very nice cars, also with top safety ratings not only in the US but also Europe. The Golf was still built in Germany as well, including engine and transmission.

I have a speculation on the DPF - I think they don't do so well in short trips / idling. If you have a drive that includes interestate sections on a regular basis, it can do its regen nicely without overcooking components.

G

[speeder]

Originally Posted by osidak

intake clogging and vnt issues tend to be a function of how you drive the car. Drive it like a grandma (lugging the engine a lot) will mean more issues with intake cleaning and vnt's getting stuck. Drive it with a little more gusto and you will seldom have issues.

When my car died at the hands of a Ford F250 it had ~ 250,000 miles and the intake was virtually clean and had zero issues with the vnt. I have cleaned intakes and vnt's on cars with as few as 60K miles. The good news though is that you can clean the intake in about 2 hours work and the vnt is generally more robust so it takes more abuse to begin with.

Rear bearings in my experience has been pretty solid unless you run over size wheels and had nasty roads. At which point the rear beam gets a tweak to it and the bearings go in short order.

I replaced 9 window regulators in my car until they revised the part and I stopped having to replace mine and when I installed them in other cars no more issues.

Turbos themselves tend last as long as you feed them good oil. I have replaced maybe 4 turbos in the past 15 years - the lowest mileage one was around 270,000 miles and judging from the cam lobes they where using crappy oil and waiting to long between changes. Now reading the forums will lead you to believe a lot more turbos have puked. VW has been quick to call a drop in power a turbo fault when in real life the issue was else where.

BEW is a PD engine. The block is essentially the same as the ALH and every 1.9l engine before it. The head changes to accommodate the PD fuel system. Little more power yes but the fuel economy drops. The biggest issue is the cam lobes are smaller as you now have 3 for each cylinder crammed in the same space (injector, intake, exhaust). The lobes become to narrow and wear faster. If not caught soon enough it damages the injectors and that get EXPENSIVE really fast. Oh and with the PD cars you also pick up a lift pump in the tank. Those tend to crap out when you least want them to and then all you can do it idle until you replace it. On the plus side for the PD engines - the act of changing the timing belt is easier in general (few parts more access) it is a little tougher to get the timing spot on.

Outside of body/interior issues that you seem to be aware of there are no real show stoppers with the engine or manual transmission. There are some issues with leaking pumps but as long as the leak is in the upper portion or the pump head it is an simple DIY fix. If it is the mid section it is a bit trickier and I would suggest letting a BOSCH shop take care of it.

Originally Posted by aigel

The rate of failures on the pumps is not very high. IMHO, you'd want to stay away from 09 and 10 models. The later ones are significantly better.

I have 73k miles on my 2011 now and had zero issues. They are very nice cars, also with top safety ratings not only in the US but also Europe. The Golf was still built in Germany as well, including engine and transmission.

I have a speculation on the DPF - I think they don't do so well in short trips / idling. If you have a drive that includes interestate sections on a regular basis, it can do its regen nicely without overcooking components.

G

Really appreciate the input, both from owners and pros. So Osidak, what do you think of late model cars? No way you'd own one? And the PD motor is the replacement in 2004.5? Thanks.

[osidak]

I own a 2010 JSW TDI - would I buy it again? - most likely not and that is not due in any part to all the fun currently going on. I just much preferred the way the A4 cars felt and they where much more efficient as well.

My A6 (well maybe actually A5.5) JSW has not been trouble free by any means - (door lock module failed, motor for intake flaps failed, DPF and related equipment twice, both DPF sensors have failed plus some other mostly minor things) For that I have a car that handles nice and gets aound 37/38 mpg where as my A4 got around 49/50mpg in same type of driving

As for the theory for DPF failures I do probably 55/45 split between highway/city - I rarely stop a regen cycle

The PD engine was introduced in this country in the 2004.5 A4 cars - 2005 was the US introduction of the A5 cars - my 2010 is technically on a A5 chassis but uses all the electronics of the A6 models hence the A5.5 in my view.

The 2009 model TDI's where the introduction of the CR engines in this country

[aigel]

^ ouch

How much is a DPF DIY?

G

[osidak]

The DPF's where replaced under warranty so I can't remember all the cost right off hand but I want to say the total bill back to VW was some where around $2000 - $2500 each time. I am guessing shop time was about 3 to 4 hours

[Arizona_928]

I forgot to mention the a.c. System has a switch in the compressor the will foul up. And cause the ac to run warm. Dealer does not stock the switch, and will sell you a complete compressor. The switch is available on the aftermarket though. I had mine warrantied at 34k.

As for the alh they have their own issues. Turbo will go around 200k, have to watch out for cars that drink coolant "not in oil". I bought my 2001 alh with 100k miles four years ago for 6 grand. I thought I got a good deal. Literally those four years was merely oil and fuel filters. The slush box had the original fluid and I decided to swap it over to a manual at 190ish thousand. Can honestly say that little car was the best for the money. Especially as it just totaled out for how much I bought it for. That little guy would get 45 mpg driving 80 on the freeway, and once you delete the egr/cooler you'll pick up a few mpg as well. Oh and the alh loves red diesel. Haha

[Otter74]

Originally Posted by osidak

I own a 2010 JSW TDI - would I buy it again? - most likely not and that is not due in any part to all the fun currently going on. I just much preferred the way the A4 cars felt and they where much more efficient as well.

Osidak,

What is it that you liked about how the Mk4s felt compared to your Mk V/VI?

My girlfriend has a base Mk IV Golf (2.0, 5MT) and the car feels profoundly...meh to me. Powertrain aside, I just can't get excited about them. A good friend had a Mk IV 1.8T GLI for years and he felt the same way about it.

i've only driven a Mk VI once, and it was a GTI, so I'm curious to know.