I guess the TDI is the same as most cars...good ones and bad ones. I've had an '03 Jetta TDI with the 1.9L turbodiesel + 5 speed stick for almost a year, and put 20,000 miles on it with no problems - 28,000 - 48,000 on the odo (I hate putting this in writing, I never even THINK it within earshot of a vehicle - the minute you say everything is running well things start falling off in chunks). Anyway, my opinion of the TDIs are that they are fun-to-drive and very competent vehicles. I'm getting 50 - 52 mpg for real, and use it on a commute that starts at the Vermont border and ends in downtown Albany, NY. It has started every time, even at 20 below zero - and I don't plug it in (can't - no outside plug). The fwd is great in winter: for sleet, slush, and light snows I take the Jetta rather than my '04 Jeep Wrangler 4x4 or Dodge Ram 2500 Cummins 4x4 (heavy snow, 6" or more, breaks out the 4x4s), and the TDI definately does snowy/icy roads better than my 99 MB E300!!!

The Passat is a bigger and more powerful car, to be sure. The last ones you could get were the 05 models which came with a 2.0L and the new PD (pumpe duse) injection system. VW is supposedly waiting until 07 and the new low sulfur fuels to begin importing them again. My only beef with the Passat TDIs are that they only came with auto trannies. My opinion, FWIW.

The TDi *still* uses a rotary injection pump where the CDI uses common rail injection.

3.2L CDI- 201hp, 62.81hp/L
1.9L TDI- 100hp, 52.63hp/L
2.0L TDI- 134hp, 67.00hp/L

My 2000 Jetta TDI has 240,000 miles on it as of yesturday. I did have a bad maf sensor but other than that I have changed the oil and filled it up.

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2000 VW Jetta TDI with 213,000 miles and climbing
84 300D non turbo getting ready for wvo conversion

It's funny that last time I said I was more excited about Honda diesels, but now I'm being tempted by a couple of Jetta TDI's on the market. They are indeed fun cars to drive. My only gripe is the tiny back seat and the timing belts. I know the new Jettas are bigger, but they don't get as good mileage.

From my limited research only the VE engine up to the 2003 model year had the rotary injection pump. Apparently the new PD engine doesn't have a pump and it has electronically-controlled unit injectors. I'm not really sure how that works, but according to what I've read it's not the same as the common-rail technology, but similar.

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2004 VW Jetta TDI (manual)

Past MB's: '96 E300D, '83 240D, '82 300D, '87 300D, '87 420SEL

Since 2004 (in NA) all VW TDI's are PD's (Pumpe-Duse). There is no common injection pump. Each cylinders injector is it's own pump that runs off the cam and is controlled by the ECU. Nothing like CDI either.

http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/jk/040929.htm

http://www.canadiandriver.com/cgi-bin/schlabo/sp.pl?/articles/pw/images/altfuel_11.jpg&info=Volkswagen%20pumpe%20duse%20injector%20system&from=http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/pw/altfuel.htm

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1999 E300DT (131,800) 154,000 Black on Black SOLD

2006 CLK 500 coupe Capri Blue on Grey (zoom,zoom)
47,000mi

04 VW TDI Passat 80,000mi
(Techno)

How to eliminate oil dependency through market-driven approaches.
“We could cut oil use in half by 2025, and by 2040, oil use could be zero,”
The Sound of Diesel Speed
Ode to MB

I drove a brand new 2006 Jetta with the DSG transmission at the 2006 Biodiesel Conference and I was impressed with the performance and the refinedness of the "Pump Duse" engine. If I had the money I'd buy one.

Ironically when I exited the car the door handle molding was a little loose Oh well....cars are never perfect.

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1974 240D 3.0L 4(M) - 250K -OM617.910 + 300D FW + Rajay turbo power!
1977 6.9 3(A) - 84k

Nice article, but how does changing the fuel filter often reduce the wear on the injectors? Does the fuel bypass the filter when the filter becomes dirty?

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2004 VW Jetta TDI (manual)

Past MB's: '96 E300D, '83 240D, '82 300D, '87 300D, '87 420SEL

Possibly, filter failure is not impossible.
The other problem is water when dealing with such high pressures. Since there is no visible water bowl on the fuel filter, you gotta get in there to check it.

__________________
1999 E300DT (131,800) 154,000 Black on Black SOLD

2006 CLK 500 coupe Capri Blue on Grey (zoom,zoom)
47,000mi

04 VW TDI Passat 80,000mi
(Techno)

How to eliminate oil dependency through market-driven approaches.
“We could cut oil use in half by 2025, and by 2040, oil use could be zero,”
The Sound of Diesel Speed
Ode to MB