2001 Volkswagen Jetta GLS TDI from North America - Comments

Rear windshield had to be replaced because one defrost line was not working.

Original windshield wipers were streaky; replaced by dealer.

Temperature gauge has a mind of its own. Once a week or so, it decides not to work properly. Dealer tried three times to fix it without success. It is no longer under warranty and still doing the same.

The TDI is a fantastic car! Mileage is incredible. Everything I've ever read about the great mileage is understated. You can get 1000 kilometres per tank-full with 75% highway driving. You can get 900 kilometres per tank-full with 50%-60% highway driving. You have to fill the tank right up though. I cannot imagine ever driving a gasoline powered car again, especially since you can get diesel at easily one out of every two gas stations.

In the city the car is nothing to write home about. However, on the highway the car can fly. It has tons of torque and can accelerate from 100 km/h to 140 km/h as fast as any V6 I've ever driven. It'll blow the doors off most four cylinders. It is stable and quiet. It is a joy to drive.

There is no foul smelling diesel exhaust to deal with. The emission control systems cause the car to emit an exhaust that is similar to a gasoline powered car. You never need a block heater - it's not even an option!

The best feature on the car: the auto-up power windows for both driver and passenger (there is auto-down for both as well). It is great for drive-thrus or when you hit the basket weave to get on the highway. You just lift the button all the way and the window comes up by itself allowing you to have both hands on the steering wheel when you meed it most. Hard to believe more companies haven't copied this feature.

Another bonus is the high marks the car has for safety ratings.

Knock on wood, so far the car hasn't cost me a penny.

There is only one downside to this car: winter warm up. I really mean it - this is the only negative about this car. In the winter, you cannot turn the car on and let it idle for a few minutes so that you can drive away in a warm car. No chance. The car is so fuel efficient that at idle it wastes very little energy. That means that the car will not heat up at idle. You must drive the car for at least five minutes before it warms up. It is a pain. You must get heated seats to better endure these painfully cold few minutes.

Another cold weather downside is the initial exhaust smoke created on start-up. This is really just a minor annoyance, probably not worth mentioning. For the first few seconds after a cold start-up, you get the traditional diesel exhaust and smoke coming out of the muffler because the emission system is still cold. Within no more than 5 to 10 seconds this disappears and the clean exhaust begins to be emitted. It is an annoyance because when you get out to clean your car, you may still catch a whiff of that smoke in the air.

Warmup is our hassle too. It was -30 Centigrade here, (just North of Toronto, Ontario, Canada), yesterday and after idling about 20 minutes then driving about 3 miles, (5 kilometres), the car had not reached 90 degrees C.

Our seat heaters, under the leather upholstery, were put to very good use!

We are considering an after-market coolant heater or perhaps a sump oil heater.

The Volkswagen dealer of course wants to install the Jetta sump-oil heater, but I lean toward the heater in the coolant hose.

I have to check whether or notour warranty will be affected, perhaps voided, by the coolant heater.

I had a Jetta TDI - and I loved it. It lasted until someone decided to turn into me without checking their blind spot.

I had mine chipped with a Wetterhauer chip, which increased the pickup significantly. In town, I could out-accelerate a Jetta GLX with the VR6 engine (both were manual transmission) - the VR6 would have dusted me at higher speeds of course, but it doesn't get 50 mpg.

The one problem with the TDI engine though is soot build up, both in the EGR line and in regards to the turbo. That can be solved by using a diesel rated motor oil and low-sulfur fuel. This isn't an issue for the TDI's in Europe for two reasons:

1) The sulfur content in European diesel fuel is SIGNIFICANTLY lower than what we have in the US (with a higher cetane number as well) and

2) VW-Germany recommends a proper diesel oil. VW-America uses Castrol-Syntex. This is a big area of disagreement between the two. For myself, I'll trust the guys who actually designed the car on this one, thank you very much.

I used a cetane booster as well, but as long as you use an API CH or CI rated oil (such as Delvac 1) and a low sulfur fuel (generally premium diesel fuel is low sulfur), the soot issue won't be a problem.

I loved that vehicle. No complaints at all.

2001 tdi cold start problems has anyone tried the block heater the one that hooks up to the rubber line and where may I purchase one at a reasonable price Larry Quebec Canada.

I've had my 2000 Jetta TDI since new and I love it for all the reasons mentioned above. Regarding maintenance: You will have to replace the EGR (by this I mean the device that catches exhaust soot) and it's expensive and required.

While it was plugged up, my mileage dropped by 10% and the car was clearly down on power. The worst of both worlds.

I needed mine replaced at around 40,000 miles and it cost me around $1100 (USD). My understanding is that this is considered "normal" maintenance for the TDI, so budget accordingly.

I agree with all of the positives. My 2001 TDI has just gone over 200,000kms (120,000mi.) and I expect it to last 200,000kms more!

It is, however, an expensive proposition to maintain the vehicle. The need for synthetic oil, specialty oil filters and a fuel filter change every 30,000kms adds up. Not to mention the big maintenance that includes the timing belt, EGR cleanup etc. that will set you back $1100 - 1300.00.

Even with these extra costs though it has never let me down, in warm or extremely cold weather (I'm in Ontario, Canada eh?), drives like a much more expensive car and feels rock solid on the road.

I guess I'll be buying a new one in 200-300,000 more kms (total of 500,000kms)! LOL. How many gas powered vehicles are around for this long!

Help, I love my 2001 Jetta TDI, but it is parked outdoors in winter and it has a hard time starting up in severe cold -10 f. I cannot allow this any longer, sometimes I have to wake a neighbor at 6:00 a.m. for a jump and this seems to get it warmed up enough. Is there another way? Can I possibly get a heater of sorts and where? I have looked all over! Please help.

1. Do not attempt to idle the TDI to warm it up. This is covered in the TDIClub FAQ. Let it idle for 30 seconds, and then gently go. After a couple miles, you'll start to get heat out of.

2. I installed the inline heater (the one that goes in the heater hose), and it works great. I use it whenever I can when the weather is below freezing. It takes about 2 hours to fully warm it up, though. Anything over 30 minutes helps a lot, though.

3. To those with EGR 'soot' issues: you do not need a new EGR valve. Mine was 80% plugged at about 55k miles. It takes about 2 hours to completely clean it, with no new parts involved.

4. 'An expensive proposition to maintain the vehicle'!? What? First, let's compare oil changes. Gas car with conventional oil: $2 per quart x 4.5 quarts + $8 filter = $17. Time spent: 15-20 minutes. Good for: 3000 miles. TDI with Delvac 1: $37 per gallon + $9 filter = $51. Time spent: 15-20 minutes. Good for: 10,000 miles. That's a SAVINGS of $6 and 30-40 minutes every 10k miles. $1000 timing belt? The Audi A6 gas car I just sold runs the same for a timing belt, so the TDI is not special in that regard. The fact that the engine will last at least 300k miles, and save me $12k in fuel in that time, trumps all others. It's an excellent engine.

Even though many people recommended me against buying a used TDI jetta 2001, I did it. Now, I have a question, this is my ver first car ever, so I am not versed in mechanics:

1. It is not even winter, and the car is having problems to start the engine. I put the key, wait until the coil licht (heater light) disappears, and after 10 seconds more I turn on the engine. This morning this procedure didn't work. Trying once more and it worked. What I am afraid of is of not being able to start the engine in the winter.

2. Along with (1.), I will do an inspection at a garage, but what should I make enphasis on, or what to have revised? I mean, breaks, the engine, etc. What should I care the most in the TDI Jetta to emphasize on it during the inspection?

Thanks a lot.

I have a 2003 Jetta TDI that won't start. It sounds like the batterie is dead when I try to start it, but a jump start did nothing. Does anyone know of a button or lever that is supposed to be pulled or pushed in cold weather when the car won't start?

Wow. Not sure what planet some of you purchased your vehicle on, but as for the 2001 owner who posted comments in 2002 - how's that Jetta running now? You shouldn't have ANY problems with a car after only one year, you had problems right off the top. Funny how all my problems started 2 months after my warranty ran out. I will never buy another Volkswagen, certainly not a diesel. You can talk all you want about the mileage, but it more than makes up for it in the repair bills. Outrageous! My ancient Mazda ran better and cost far less than my Jetta to maintain.

My '03 Jetta TDI has been a great car until this week! The only car I have ever owned that EXCEEDED the EPA mileage estimate!

Up till now its only shop visit was for a timing belt/water pump replacement at 100K miles.

At 102K miles I experienced intermittent loss of power, and the Check Engine light went on. I had about 40 miles on the most recent tank of fuel, so I thought that I may have gotten some bad diesel. The dealer took my history and escorted the car into the hospital. The diagnosis was soot build-up. The dealer asked if I had had the soot cleaned every 40K miles. No mention of this as a maintenance item in the owners manual, so I asked him, "What soot"? Well I guess I was living on borrowed time. Big $$$ for "decarbonizing" and a new MAF and EGR.

Got the car back and it was obvious that the technician had not test driven it. Engine ran OK at idle, had good acceleration in 1st and 2nd but would not make it over about 60mph. Drove it over a weekend until the dealer was available again. This time the check engine light was for a turbo control problem. Apparently another victim of that deadly carbon build-up. More $$$ for a new turbo control actuator. Dealer DID test drive this time and reports all is well.

The car's OK but I'm limping from a seriously bruised wallet! VW needs to mention at least the POSSIBILITY of carbon buildup in the intake manifold so we unsuspecting owners aren't blindsided.

Looking to buy.

I'm looking at a 2001 TDI with about 120000 K's or 75000 Miles. I have read some of the previous comments about carbon build up, being the main crutch of this vehicle, as well as the starting in cold weather. I'm in Winnipeg, Manitoba which may be the coldest place in the civilized world from December-March. How big of concerns are these and should I reconsider purchasing the vehicle b/c of it? Thanks.

There is an additive that you can add to oil changes that will keep your turbo diesel emission system CLEAN. It's called SEA FOAM and can be bought at any reputable auto store. I started adding it (4.0 ounces) per oil change and it keeps the system clean.

At 125,000 miles, I had a turbo impeller go bad, replaced, and a complete inspection done on the EGR valve. My mechanic works on these turbos all the time, and shook his head when looking at my system. He said it looked like I had 12,00 miles on it. He asked what oil I used and I said Castrol turbo oil. Oh, a small amount of Sea Foam also. Walking away, he commented to me to keep using it. He said I was looking at 350,000 miles out of this vehicle. Pretty cool huh?

For those in Northern climates, I have an oil pan heater that is glued to the bottom of the oil pan. It gives off heat in the equivalent of a 200 watt bulb. I believe most auto parts stores handle them in "cold areas" (I live in North Dakota). It works well and is not costly. Be sure that the oil pan is sanded clean before the heat transfer glue is applied. It is flat and about 4x6" square. You can run the electrical wire out through the grill or wherever you like. If you heat the oil pan, the whole engine gets warmed. Cost is around $35. It makes for easy starting.

Someone wondered about starting a TDI in cold weather. Turn the key to start position immediately after the glow plug light goes off. Also, if it is real cold, you might cycle the glow plug on two or three times before turning the key to the start position. This gives a little more warmth to things inside the cylinder head and enhances starting (like when it is 15 or 20 degrees below zero.

2001 Jetta TDI 340,000 kms

Still a great handling and riding car. Still very easy on fuel. Still starts fine in cold Maritime Canada weather.

It is true that the TDI will not warm up while sitting still in winter.

There are a few things, such as both engine and coolant glow plugs, that *may* need to be changed/checked to ensure good starting and reasonable warm up in winter.

Do not wait after the glow plug light goes out... start it right up.

Most web sites still have nothing good to say about the dealers though.

I do most maintenance myself with help from www.TDIClub.com; it truly is a great resource even if to only educate yourself before heading to a VW dealer.