Hi Diesel Folk,

After months of "lurking", I've registered my membership on this excellent forum and have decided to introduce myself.

Given the Search capabilities of this forum, I probably won't be posting a whole lot of messages here to begin with. But I look forward to the day when I can *contribute* to the vast wealth of knowledge here by virtue of real-world experience.

I own a modified '01 TDI with about 120,000 trouble-free miles, and am now trying to convince the wife "we need another diesel"

Thanks to what I've learned from this forum - plus going out and looking & driving - I now know exactly what I want, and I'm better armed with the knowledge of what to look for.

Thanks!

Patrick.

Welcome to the forum and good luck convincing the wife.

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1985 300D Turbo ~225k
2000 F350 (Powerstroke) 4X4, SWB, CC, SRW, 6spd ~148k
1999 International 4900, DT466e (250hp/660 ft/lbs), Allison MD3060 ~73k

What do you want?

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1961 190Db retired
1968 220D/8 325,000
1983 300D 164,150

welcome
glad to have you. dont be shy asking about anything Diesel related, as long as its not oil!

about your TDI, is it a 5 speed or auto? my bro's 2001 auto TDI beetle never stopped giving him tranny problems, just curious if you have the same deal.

once again, welcome, and go ahead and knock yourself out with the search feature.

later

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1991 300 D 2.5 Turbo, 220k
also in the family:
1981 240 D 185k
1991 350 SD 185k
2006 S 500
2005 SLK 350

Hi Ho, Another newbie here as well....I've got a '01 golf 5 speed TDI....Have started Looking for a 300D myself....I'm still on the fence. I've done alot to make my Golf last a long time but am consdiering selling it and getting into an 80-85 300D...Crawled around and drove my first prospect last night....
Rob M Concord, MA
'fer 'yer TDI I hope you're familiar with tdiclub.com...

Hey
I also have a 01 Jetta TDI (and i post regulary on tdiclub.com, my jetta has an upsolute chip and .205 nozzles )
It's a reliable car, fun to drive and it has a classy shape

I got my wife a W126 83SD (worked quite a bit to make it run and look good not finished yet) and i must admit that i like better how the old car makes me feel when i drive it then my new jetta...

So i'm in the process of thinking of selling my jetta and get a W124 for myself (first i was think big.. a W140..then i read about the benting rods etc etc) now i want a W124 and modify it a bit euroheadlights nice mags, performance chip bigger nozzles....

I must admit that i never drove a W124 and i'm looking foward to drive my first prospect

I'm leaning towards an '83-'85 300SD. Looking to buy no sooner than in about 6 months, after the weather cools. I believe the market prices on diesel cars has been a bit on the high side during the past few months, given the relatively higher prices of gasoline. Plus the fact that I told my wife "next year", and she seems ok with that.

As winter sets in, I anticipate the prices on diesel fueled cars in general to drop. Much of the public is overly concerned, IMHO, about running a diesel in the cold.

Mine is a 5 speed '01 Jetta TDI. Upsolute, G60/VR6, Pierburg, Ventectomy. I've got a Vag-Com also, and I have been over at Fred's for a couple of years .

I have to do the clutch upgrade soon..been playing with luck so far my original clutch seems to keep the power with no slippage (upsolute+ .205 nozzles)

Patrick,

That timing is probably a good idea, as generally diesel fuel goes up relative to gasoline in the winter. This is due to the need for refineries to switch their production to maximize home heating "fuel oil". That product is very nearly diesel and thusly puts pressure on the diesel supply and therefore the price during the winter months, especially during a severe winter.

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1961 190Db retired
1968 220D/8 325,000
1983 300D 164,150

i dont know what those are, but they sound like performance upgrades. you better get that out of your system if youre gunna buy a benz!

ive never been to tdiclub.com, how fast can you guys get those things going? im pretty curious.

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1991 300 D 2.5 Turbo, 220k
also in the family:
1981 240 D 185k
1991 350 SD 185k
2006 S 500
2005 SLK 350

the original 1.9 TDI engine makes 90hp and 155lbs
the upsolute chipe gives u around 116hp and around 200lbs of torque...
The nozzles are giving you more high end power and adding 5-10 hp...
We had a guy in Montreal who has his chipping comapny he had a very nice tuned TDI....(intercooler custom chip bigger IP 12mm instead of 10mm )
he was having around 170hp..
But then again he raced against a modified 1.8T and he got badly beaten.. he sold the TDI and bought a 1.8T.



Another guy with the same set-up (but no intercooler) raced against a VR6 and he was the winner... so for a car that gets 6.0L -7L /100km it's pretty fast (he dyno his car at 136hp)

Stock TDI's are not all that fast. Their real advantage is in having the torque come into play during what I call the "real world" driving envelope.

I don't care if a car has a 300 hp engine. If that engine has to turn 6000 rpm's to get to that 300 hp, then how often do you really use it...?

My TDI has the performance tweaks that I mentioned above, which makes it quite a bit quicker than it was before, but I still get about 47 mpg with excellent reliability. I have no doubt that a well maintained 4 cylinder TDI will last as long as many of the 5 cylinder MB diesels.

Problem with the VW's? None really, other than it's more of a "college kid" kind of car. I think my wife and I would be more comfortable (figuratively and literally) in a big 'Benz.

- Patrick

Hey PatrickW nice to see a Fred's TDI freak here on the MB side.

Hey you should try a low tech 240D for a second car. It's a hoot to drive. You will never find an easier car to work on either.

Wife's '02 Jetta is an automatic and the VW automatic is about as bullet proof as they come. :p

See you at Fred's, also check out my GTG in Oct on the GTG section at TDI Club. We do allow MB drivers to attend, and one guy (oilhammer) has a 300D for sale.

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'10 Chrysler T&C Stow-N-Go White. Grandpa's ride.

'13 Chrysler 200 Touring Candy Red. Grandma's ride.

Age and cunning will always over come youth and vigor.

I don't care if a car has a 300 hp engine. If that engine has to turn 6000 rpm's to get to that 300 hp, then how often do you really use it...?

a 300hp engine will beat a 140hp anytime...hp=speed.. but i love my torque


I have no doubt that a well maintained 4 cylinder TDI will last as long as many of the 5 cylinder MB diesels.

if the paint and all the electronics won't fail.....the engine will last if is well maintain

Problem with the VW's?
MAF's
wipers arms
N75 valve

Ironic that the Pierburg MAF (ie, MB) is what a lot of the TDI guys (me included) is using in place of the stock Bosch (sp?) unit. But it works just fine

Also, a newer problem to add to the list is the infamous Brake Light Switch that takes some people (again, me included) a couple of tries to get right...

Haven't had much trouble with anything else on the TDI. Having a VAG-Comm to diagnose the electronic issues helps, and having www.tdiclub.com helps *a lot*.

I see this excellent forum being to the MB's what tdiclub is to the TDI's. Both are great!

EDIT - Didn't mean to sound like I was bashing TDI's! Mine is the best car I've owned yet! My point was that no car is perfect, no matter how good it is.

- Patrick