I own a 2001 VW TDI,Here is a quick thing to check before bringing your car in for another MAS. Check the turbo charger hose if torn it will cause similar symptoms "loss of power, power jumping, so on..." This fix will cost you 80.00 and can easily be fixed.
I own a 2002 Jetta TDI GLS automatic with 167,000 miles on it. At 107,000 miles the transmission went totally out at the tune of $4,800. The interior is peeling, and is hard to clean. The factory stereo & CD changer was replaced under warranty at 30k, but still won't play CD's in the winter until the trunk warns up. The engine has run great all this time, never replaced the MAF sensor or glow plugs. Hit a few jack rabbits over time that has torn up the front plastics and blown away the lower grates in the bumper. As others have said, with the repairs (trans cost), I lost all my savings of having a diesel. Car drives and handles nice, and I will probably drive it into the ground, hopefully to the tune of 300-400k miles.
Hi,
I just got a 2001 Beetle 1.9l TDI. My question is how hard is it to change the timing belt on a TDI? Never did one. I am a ASE master... and own a 1984 jetta diesel and have changed the belt on it. (from a broke one) I see the 100K kits... What special tools are needed.
Thanks
Tom.
I bought a 2001 VW Golf GL TDI 5-speed brand new, and over 280,000 miles, I've had very few problems with it. No window, cupholder, ashtray, or peeling problems, nor any problems at all that I can blame on the car or it's design. I had a seat belt retractor on the driver's seat go bad, the A/C compressor clutch was going bad and was replaced, and I did replace my MAF once, although it was more of a preventive measure than because of a failure of the original part. My timing belt changes, including the rollers, cost around $500 or less depending on where I take it.
I'm still on my original front brake pads, and second set of rear pads. Strange, I know. Still have original shocks, struts, turbo, injection pump, clutch, and just about everything else. The car still runs like new, doesn't smoke or use any oil, still gets 48mpg, and while I could probably use new shocks/struts, it still handles all right.
That said, anyone who gets a TDI needs to read up on them, join a group such as www.tdiclub.com for research and support, and be prepared to do something more than just drive it and put fuel (not gas!) in it like you might do with a Toyota. An example is the wiring harness problems mentioned before. Some coolant bottles had a small leak in the sensor, and coolant would fill the wiring harness, causing several thousands of dollars worth of damage. Research would show that to be a weak point, and shows you how to prevent it by making a weep hole near the connector. Takes about 5 minutes and is free, but you have to know about it.
I'm very satisfied with my Golf, and I'm going to try and see just how far it will go.
Yes! My girlfriend's 2001 Jetta GL is constantly burning out tail-lights, head-lights, and brake-lights. It is ridiculous! The "oh jesus" handles glide back to place ever so smoothly because of some mechanism they paid for, but they can't pay to solder the head-lights correctly? Bologne!
Other problems: If you slightly touch the key in the ignition with your knee, the car will shut off because the mechanism is worn out.
The red temperature light came on this winter, so she took it back to Carmax (where she bought a warranty) and the entire cooling system was replaced because the coolant level was low. The Jetta uses some kind of special coolant which doesn't need replacing for the life of the car.
Of course, the interior is peeling.
Door latch replaced under warranty.
I just test drove a 02 Jetta tdi and liked it very much. When I showed it to a friend he showed me a comment in consumer reports that 02 jetta tdi was a CAR TO AVOID. My question is what is the best year with the least amount of complaints?I am a mechanic so I can do repairs, but cannot afford and don't want to buy new. Thanks for the advice,I enjoy reading all of your comments.
I own a 2000 Vw Jetta Gls Tdi. I love this car. I don't really baby my car too much and only put about 1200 in repairs and service since I bought it. My Dealer claimed the timing belt was good untill I noticed problems. My second Problem was the Mass Airflow Sensor which my dealer fixed at no cost. The interior is a little "cheap" but I bought this car as a beater to get me to work and home. Its not as sporty as the 06 audi a4 but it has a special place in my heart. I have 163k miles and have a lifetime mpg of about 48. Mostly City, and rural travling. If you get your car serviced every 3 or 4 k or service it yourself you can save yourself a lot of trouble. And the cupholder thing is very true, I experienced the same problem, a glx cupholder which can be bought on ebay will fix the problem. German Cupholders are not freinds with soda.
2000TDI Jetta 163k miles(really nice economy car)
2006 Audi A4 with HPA twin turbo and upsolute stage 2 chip 12k miles (breaks about every 5k)340whp from 3.2 4 wheel dyno (my stoplight thriller)
1995 Jeep Grand Cherokee 215k miles (trans x3 only problem ever!!!)
Purchased a 2000 1.9 TDI new. Since that purchase:
- slight shimmy in shifter at about 2200RPM in 4th gear
- head lights, tail lights and brake all lights failed, but at different times.
- passenger door window mechanism failed (plastic clips broke) replacement "kit" had steel clips
- radio failed and now has very poor reception
- front cup holder broke
- rear cup holder does not work - and it's seldom used
- both heated exterior mirrors are burned out
- air flow sensor replaced (x's 2)
- fuel system failed
- glow plugs failed
- glove box door - right side hinge (thick plastic) broke
- "check engine" light seems to come on every 18 months or so, (it's been on now for nearly a year) yet fuel mileage does not change and no other noticeable issues.
- the muffler and hanger bracket are welded together (one piece) and the weld broke - had to put in a "normal" hanger.
- the dash idiot lights (check engine, glow plugs etc.) stopped activating when the key is turned on. Engine will turn over, but will not start. Power windows not working. Everything else works.
Has approx. 170,000km and to date nearly all the money saved from better fuel mileage has been spent on the additional cost of the diesel engine and various repairs, not to mention the cost of my "wait" time and aggravation. When I start looking to replace it in 2008, it has a very poor/weak business case to purchase another one.
Ontario, Canada.
I have two TDI Jettas, one MKIII, early 1999 model, and one MKIV 2000 model. I purchased both with over 200,000 miles on the odometers. I have not had negative issues with either car. Maybe all the bugs have been worked out of them by the previous owners. I did speak with the previous owners, and they spoke very highly of their old cars. They did have them routinely maintained.
I do my own maintenance and I recommend looking at wwww.tdiclub.com for information, resources of parts, maintenance tips, and a list of qualified mechanics in your area. I am in Atlanta, GA if needed in this area. I have done my own timing belts, struts, filter changes, and enjoy working on these cars. I have invested in some of the tooling necessary to perform these services. If I can't, usually can recommend someone who can do the work. edantzer@comcast.net.
I do believe that these VWs will outlast most other cars, but they do require some specialized attention to detail. I have been able to get 43 mpg out of my automatic 2000 model, and 48 from the 99 with some conservative driving habits.
I have been able to relate too many of the ones with VW issues. I traded in my 2001 f-250 v10 for a 2001 Jetta TDI due to some financial issues that were out of my control. The fuel savings was noticeable from day one. This car was purchased 13 Oct 2004 with 60k on the odometer. On 14 Dec I was towing my "new" used car into the dealer. It had 1700 miles on it from the time I owned it to this point. After 3 days in the dealership, they came back with the diagnosis of a thrown rod. 2 weeks later I had a remanufactered engine with all the old stuff stuck back in it. At this time I chose to get the clutch replaced and that ran me $200. The engine was replaced on warranty. 4k miles later it was back in to have a recall brake light issue taken care of and a faulty glow plug harness and glow plugs replaced. My glow plug module/relay has now been replaced 3 times and the engine light is on again with the same problem. I have replaced the battery, timing belt once, rear shocks, brakes all the way around and rotors on the rear due to rust from the salt up north, a set of BF Goodrich tires all the way around, 2 sets of glow plugs, lights all the way around. My interior is peeling, my passenger window doesn't move and stares at the curbs. My antennae has broken off, leaving a nub that gives extreme clarity to stations that I do not wish to listen to and won't even stop on the stations that I want. My sliding trim piece that covers the ash tray fell back into the consol. I have to hit my remote lock feature on my key about a dozen times for it to close all the doors these days. I have what sounds like a very loud cricket coming from my drivers door now and I must rest my knee on it to make it go away. I have also heard the loud thud that a previous commentor had mentioned about a spring letting go on the passenger seat. This has now happened to both passenger and driver seats... They are still sitting on the floor board. My front lower trim piece has to be kicked back into place from time to time, due to my gf parking too close to curbs. Yet her '05 Sentra Spec V SER has no problem with rubbing curbs and my car is still using spec springs, shocks, rims and tires. This car has lost its comfort (I have to drive 70 miles one way to work) and it now feels like a park bench instead of a comfortable leather seat. From the time I bought the car at 60k I now have 130k miles on it. I just looked at all the cost of repairs, not maintenance of fluid changes and such and it has ran me about $2300 usd. I still like the car and just expect to drop money in it from time to time on these tedious items. It has made a great work car and I would love a trouble free version to buy as a everything car.
Very useful advice. I have a early 2005 jetta TDI with 57K miles and have had little problems with it. It gets great fuel economy about 49mph. I am having problems with my headlights. Both lights just stayed off one night. I checked all the fuses and saw no problems with any of the other components. If anyone has an idea on where to look next I would like to hear from them.
I have the same headlight problem with a 2002 1.8 turbo Jetta. Got into car tongiht and headlights refused to turn on...Y??? Who knows these is among the myriad of other problems. I will NEVER purchase a VW again.
I am so glad I came upon this site. I have a 2001 VW Jetta GLX V6 which has had the Mass air flow meter and ignition coil replaced which werent covered under my extended warranty for a grand total of 1100 dollars to get fixed at the dealer, but got it done somewhere else for $500 less. My check engine light has been on since 35,000k which I have paid for diagnosis at least three times and they never can figure out what it is. Right now it is getting the spark plug wires changed because they are apparently worn and my car has the random energy burts and the check engine light is on still. I am extremely dissatisfied with this car and should have listened to others when they said I should buy a Toyota and not a cute little sporty car that has been nothing, but headaches!
I have a 2001 Jetta TDI with about 145k miles on it. I have had 2 problems with it. The turbo and the AC compressor. The AC compressor I saw as usual maintenance. The Turbo sucks when you are driving at speeds of 100 mph or higher. After 2-3 hours of that, the turbo just stops working. You have to turn the key off and on to reset it. It doesn't even have to bee that fast or long. Has anyone else experienced this? The dealers can't figure out what it is. Been there many times.
Other than that, I love the car. High fuel prices are not bothering me. City mileage is about 50 mpg and highway is running me between 65 and 70 mpg. The mileage is crazy for highway. Atlanta GA to Vegas on 2 tanks.
LOVE it.
Yes I had that turbo shutting down problem several times in 120k miles with my 2002 Jetta TDI 5 speed. I suppose turning off the ignition switch resets the computer and it always worked for me.
Bought it new and in 120k and six years replaced the clutch, timing belt, mass air flow sensor, passenger window lift mechanism and battery.
A pleasant car to drive but eventually grew tired of it so now my Son is enjoying it.