Purchased a volkswagon buy back. - Page 4 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

dieselmania · #46 10-19-2019, 08:05 PM

I am not on a budget either and the main reason I got interested in the Golf was after Googling "cars for people with long torsos" the Golf came up, and sure enough the base trim with no sunroof has a ton of headroom for freaks like me that got folded in half too low resulting in a long torso but not so long legs. It's been a problem all my life and cars are tough to fit me, the Golf fits me great and uses a third of the fuel my F350 uses, plus it is very fun to drive and very easy to park. Clean and economical like a Prius but which would you rather drive?

I think the short lived DPF filters could very well be the result of short drives and many interrupted regens. The car does not tell you when it is in regen like some of the American stuff and VW intended it that way, they wanted it to not be noticeable by the driver and it barely is. They do recommend regular "motorway" driving in the owner's manual and I suspect when they designed the car they figured most of them would be purchased by people who drive long distances and want good fuel economy, so they wouldn't get stuck replacing very many filters under warranty.

So far I have driven mostly highway miles and when I am in the city I never miss a regen, I always set the trip odometer when one finishes then when the next one is getting close I run the software apps to make sure I let it complete. If I am just arriving at a destination and a regen is just starting, as has happened twice, I shut it down and later when I restart the car the regen will complete once operating temp is reached. So I feel pretty confident that my filter will stay in good health for years to come.

Another thing to watch is the proper oil, you must use a low ash 507 spec oil, ash does not burn off during a regen, it accumulates in the DPF and will eventually clog it up. When I bought mine from a wholesaler he was telling me how they just had had it serviced, I looked on the paperwork from the quick lube place and they hadn't used a 507 spec oil so I had to get that changed when I brought it home. I can see this happening as these cars fall into the hands of new owners, many of whom will be DIYers.

Mxfrank · #47 10-20-2019, 11:40 AM

So out of curiosity, what triggers a regen? Miles or driving conditions?

dieselmania · #48 10-20-2019, 12:05 PM

I copied this directly from the Club TDI forum and all credit goes to forum member Kerma

There are several criteria for DPF regen

1) soot loading: This is usually the limiting factor and what triggers regen most (all) of the time. It is determined 2 ways, Measured soot and calculated soot. Measured soot comes from the d/p sensor. Calculated soot comes from the ECU's internal model, based on time and how much load is on the engine. You can see both of these numbers in VCDS. One thing you will likely notice, "calculated" soot is usually higher than "measured" soot. if you pay close attention, you will also see that "measured" soot can increase, and also decrease due to passive regen starting at ~350-400C. But "calculated" soot only increases with time and proportional to load. You will also recognize that regens are only triggered on "calculated" soot load. This is not only because the number is usually higher, but the ecu developers deemed it "more accurate". In the EA288 cars the trigger is set at 24g.

2) engine operating time: in this application the time is set to an impossibly high number like 32767 minutes of engine run time, so it will never trigger a regen.

3) Distance between regens, set at 750 km.

4) Fuel burned, setpoint is ~120 liters. About 30 gallons, so at 40 mpg that works out to about 1200 miles.

Each or any of these criteria could trigger a regen. Usually, it ends up being the dpf soot loading because that ends up being way more conservative than the other trigger points. After regen these counters are reset to zero.

DPF pressure reading is in hPa or millibar. So when you see 300 it is NOT 300 PSi, but 300 mbBar... more like 4 psi or so. 1 Bar = 14.7 psi

barry12345 · #49 10-22-2019, 10:28 AM

Good information. The wives car is used almost all highway. I felt this was the best scenario anyways overall. I have picked up a few bits of information. The filter cannot cope with base oil. So when these engines get old and start to burn components of the base oil. It could present an issue. Picked up from a volkswagon dealer mechanic. He felt the replacement of the filters had gone from 5 percent to 20 percent on the modified cars. He does not specify certain things. There are different levels of modifications with these buybacks. The levels of exhaust gasses recirculated will be substantially different on some years. Than others I suspect. I also found his terminology on the percentages. I suspect it may have been the changes elevated from 5 percent of his work to about twenty percent. Is related to the filters. Just uncertain.

I have no ideal either if the premium diesel fuel that is sent into the filter. With the detergents it has. Is good or bad. The engines inject raw fuel into the cylinders during the exhaust stroke of the engine for the filter burn. If the detergent it is strong enough to cope with the buildup along the way is unknown. The higher celane rating of the premium fuel should burn cleaner though if it is true.

Also if the additional activity with the more constant recycling of the exhaust gasses. Is increasing the loading on the filter or not. If you can find some premium diesel fuel in America try it. I think it has had some cleaning effect of the wives car. Perhaps the injectors.

It produced a 4.4 liters per 100 kilometers on the dash. Just the other day. I drove it on the trip myself. Taking it easy. It would not do that at first. That 4.4 liters was on one American gallon and about a pint of fuel for 62 miles. I have no ideal how accurate the dash indicator really is. It just is starting to show better results.

The Passat engine is programmed a little different than their other diesel cars. A wider torque band and for better fuel milage. The Passat is both a slightly heavier car and has perhaps more rolling resistance. Than the Jettas and Golfs. Styling is similar enough that the slight additional size should produce more wind resistance as well.

I do wish I could find some really good accurate description on this premium diesel fuel. The issue is compounded in that it is formulated differently for all countries and brands of fuel. It is like adding an assortment of additives in your fuel tank every time you fuel. Why it is being marketed is another question I have. I will be running a few tanks of that fuel through the old Jetta as well. Simply because there appears to have been some improvement on the wives car with using it.

Even if it just cleans the fuel system somewhat in the Jetta would be good . That 2006 Jetta has to be building carbon around the EGR valve in there. I will have to find the first indications of when too much build up is indicated by symptoms. It was mentioned to me the cleanup is a six hour job by a Volkswagon service manager when I asked him. I guess he is also the guy for me to ask about the onset of symptoms. Of the buildup.

The buybacks are a better deal for Canadians than Americans in a way. The new prices of volkswagon products in Canada are about thirty percent higher because of the decreased value of our dollar. I noticed at a dealer a really loaded golf gas car was sticker sheet priced at 45K last week. . Plus six thousand seven hundred dollars sales tax if you paid list. Far too many people when buying on credit today do pay list for cars. Or very close.

They will throw a set of rubber mats in the deal comes to mind. How old and out of touch have I become? Before I looked at the side window sticker sheet. I thought under thirty thousand. Maybe close but under. Incidentally shipping and delivery was one thousand and seven hundred and was probably included In the price. Age has it's issues as well. I all too well remember when that money would buy two houses. Or the shiipping and delivery cost alone would put me in a brand new car.

I did not mention it to the wife who was with me. Yet I thought to myself. What do women cost today? Although I have no interest in finding out. Window shopping is still free. As kicking tires is.

Although old dogs can still learn. I never ask the wife what anything costs anymore she buys. Unless she just outright tells me I have no ideal. What would be the point. I would only ask if I wanted to know. You really do not want to know is not the desired response. .What I find interesting is women really want to communicate. It is the nature of the beast so to speak. Yet only on their own terms. My explanation of the regeneration function to her on the trip did not go all that well either. My suggestion of her putting the 80.00 app on her phone if she really wanted to understand it. . Did not get a favorable response either. I really was not serious. The wife has buttons to push as well as that car.

I wanted to add.An American TDI supplier. Indigo Blue is his tdi site name. Actually is a very reputable one. Stated on the TDI forum. When in Canada he used Shells premium v power diesel and saw a noticeable difference. I had driven diesel cars for a very long time before being told this was even available. When it had been for some time. Not in America yet there are better fuels down there as well. . It might not hurt for an American to ask around where they live. I will be expecting some changes in the old 2006 diesel as I start to use it in that. I will try to keep any bias out of any change I notice. The fuel system components will get a good cleaning is almost certain .If they need it or not is not known.

Another user but Canadian stated he uses that fuel for every third tank. Believing his fuel system is kept cleaner. This would be impossible to really prove on an individual basis. Yet if my old 2006 Jetta lands up running better on it after a tank or two I will post it. If not I will post that as well. This is a Mercedes diesel site and I see no reason this would not apply for Mercedes diesel owners to consider. People where doubting millage claims some Europeans where posting on their 123 diesels. One was about six more miles per gallon. It could be their fuel is just known to be much better. I questioned him asking if he was using the imperial gallon in his post. He confirmed that he was using the American gallon conversion.For his posted results. No 123 617 engine that I am aware of on north America fuel can get 36 miles per American gallon. Without hurricane force winds on the back of the car. I put the average high at about 30 MPG on our fuel.

barry12345 · #50 10-31-2019, 11:44 AM

I needed a set of decent rims and snow tires. For the wives car. The larger available rims on kijiji where seriously rusted.
Actually people where advertising to buy them. I also did not want snow tires with wear.
There was an ad though. Snow tires as new and rims. Five hundred. Remember things cost more up here because of the lower value of the dollar in Canada.

He claimed they were off their 2018 Passat. So I thought the date code would be new enough. Because of the distance to get them on his terms. I asked for 50.00 off that he agreed to. He had also told me that the use of them was very minimal so there should be no wear.

He was far from home as we corresponded. He added that they were going on vacation as soon as he got back home. Would I agree to reconnect when they got back?

The guy seemed honest and if they were not as he claimed when I got there. I could leave. I also threw in the pun. I was not a tire kicker and both a punctual and reliable older guy.

So pull the add plus I do not want your total address till after you return. As you never really know what or who you are dealing with on the internet unfortunately.

Anyways to the meat of this simple transaction. Their 2018 Passat was written off. He took the wheels off and put the originals back on. There is not any wear at all on the tires. The rims are still as new.

I had to buy several bags of dog food at a massive auto parts retailer that now sells almost everything. I priced those larger rims. I got like new used snow tires for 21.00 each in that deal installed,balanced, with the used tire disposal fee that you pay up front here. Plus the sales tax. Over buying a set of new rims that I was going to have to anyways. Assuming he got the tires and rims on sale all in the package here would have cost him 1065.00 with any rebate as well. I doubt few buy the packages when not on sale with a rebate.

A good very high rated snow and ice tire. Pirelli an Italian company the Chinese purchased and their snow tires are now made in Russia. A ton of good reviews on them exist.

barry12345 · #51 11-20-2019, 10:40 AM

Update. I could not get three of the four security bolts off the wheels. Someone had been too aggressive with them and damaged them. I figure they hammered away on them with an impact gun. These sit in wells in the alloy wheels. Nobody had the right extractor in town. Plus I could not identify one to order. So I thought this has to be common issue at a dealership.

I got an appointment and the lady said 120.00 an hour. I figured they had the right extractor. Well they did not I found out on arrival. I told them if they could not get them out without damaging the wheels to stop.

A young mechanic said I can probably get them as we see this quite often. He took the car into the back shop and the clock was moving along. Eventually he appeared and said I got them.

Well there may have been some issue with customers. They flat rate removal at 6.00 a wheel bolt. Regardless of difficulty. As I paid the nominal charge I commented to the cashier. This should be the lowest bill out of the back shop today. I had already purchased the new bolts elsewhere.

I am far from certain yet. I have found two with less than 18 thousand miles on them that are not selling. One has 27K kilometers and the other 29K kilometers.

Just about Christmas time I an going to try an offer. They are a considerable distance away. I will be offering about 7K American. I figure what is there to lose? They are asking about 8k American or only a little more. Both are highline with the navigation etc. I think someone will come up with a creative way before the additional warranty expires for them. To get rid of the potential problems. Even a simple guy like myself has figured out one possibility. The aftermarket DPF filter is already down to A thousand American.

Up here that is just 20 percent of their original new cost or even less. The jetta, golf and the beetle where all stickered at 33K on the showroom floor. With the additional 15 percent sales tax. They are approaching forty thousand dollars.

People are scared of these and they do not offer that much more fuel millage than their newer gas engine. But they do not cost what they do and these are more mid sized cars. Doing and documenting my own maintenance work. It should somehow work out.

t walgamuth · #52 11-20-2019, 10:56 AM

Good luck with it!

vwnate1 · #53 11-20-2019, 03:49 PM

It looks like you're happy and that's the primary thing .

dieselmania · #54 11-20-2019, 06:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by barry12345

Update.

People are scared of these and they do not offer that much more fuel millage than their newer gas engine. But they do not cost what they do and these are more mid sized cars. Doing and documenting my own maintenance work. It should somehow work out.

Lets not forget how much more fun they are to drive than say a Prius or something. These cars are a little known secret just for people like us who see the real value.

barry12345 · #55 11-21-2019, 03:09 AM

The torque and instant power are quite amazing. I do not think I have even had the pedal to the metal once. The car sat for two years after buyback.Theory was they were started once a month and driven around and parked for another month. Theory and actual practice are two separate issues.

I was just getting ready to pull the grill and front bumper cover as that is the only way to get to the windshield washer motor.

I borrowed it from the wife the other day to get those security wheel bolts dealt with. Low and behold the windshield washer motor came back on line. I had thought that the sitting for so long might have semi frozen the small motor shaft.

Why it loosened off is beyond me but I am not complaining. I am pretty certain that is what it was as these cars had a lot of issues with their windshield washer motors.

Although I believe people should examine them before replacing. The foil sealing on the jugs of washer fluid. Should be carefully removed. If a small piece gets into the washer system it can jam the small pump.

These engines are programmed for more torque across the power band than the other diesel volkswagons use. Plus for some reason use the other type fuel injectors. Compared to the pizzo type. The engine appears to have zero turbo lag. I have never driven a car of any type with this seemingly instantainious throttle response.

The transmission has learnt the wives driving style unfortunately. Well age wise she is now an older lady I suppose. I could trade her in for a couple of 35 year olds and get change. Yet I am more than happy to have her.

Of general interest. A regional individual sued Volkswgon for denial of their 12 year rust warranty. In their research they found Volkswagon customer service used an assortment of eighteen scripted reasons to deny coverage. Of their rusting warranty. In his case it was bird droppings that totaled the rocker panels. Or the seat belt buckle or his shoes.

All scripted from their customer service that I grew to really disilike. Anyways the judge found Volkswagons evasions quite questionable . Awarding the plaintiff. Seven thousand eight hundred in small claims court.

When it received some publicity unwanted by Volkswagon. The companies response was they might appeal the decision. As they always honor their warranties. That company rep must work for their customer service.

These buy backs should mean not having to deal with their customer service. As they have the clause. The warranty issues under this warranty must always favor the customer. As far as I can tell the issues that have already arisen over on the TDI site. This has been in effect after the warranty was explained to the dealer. When the dealers call customer service they are just told to fix the issue it seems.

I believe all these buybacks are covered by Volkswagons 12 year anti rusting warranty. It was only reduced back to six years or so in the last couple of years.

Volkswagon had a plan I expect with these Passats. They may have defeated it by increasing the size of the Jetta to some extent. The mid sized body on the Passat is very stiff. I think the snow tires and rims where a dealer package I got. They are on 16 inch rims instead of the 17 inch rims. Plus my limited observation is the ride is more comforatable. Plus the pirrelli winter tires are not that noisy. Others have also mentioned this.

The goodyear eagles that came on these in Canada. Seem perhaps pretty stiff for fuel millage. There is still adequate tread on the original tires for at least another year. Perhaps two as they seem to wear slowly.

Happy with the car is relevant. If it survives the revenue service for a decent period it will have done well. I feel the wife is much safer in this than the Toyota. That is very important to me. I will keep on top of all maintenance as I do with any car the wife drives.

Any other thoughts are secondary. I care enough about poluting that I do not want to totally eliminate the systems at some point. I do feel it best to turn off the recycling of the exhaust gasses in the engine at some point after the warranty.

Another thing I have not checked. They had a real problem with ice buildup in their intercoolers some years back. This ice was ingested into the engines and damaged them. I should try to find out if this issue was solved. It seems to me that if there was a flap valve that was closed by turbo boost pressure. Any moisture accumulation in them would have drained as soon as the engine was shut down. The heat from the turbo should have melted any ice buildup.

I am kind of surprised at the lack of issues on my beater 14 year old jetta diesel. There on average should be some wear by now on things like tie rod ends . Where everything was still very tight on the last inspection. No rust issues anywhere yet either. I have put substantial miles on this car with little issues. New set of tires for next summer though. Wear on the old set seems very even. I do hear the slightest change in the idle sounds though. The cams are famous for failure in this year. So it might be on the agenda sometime next year. You want to catch them fairly early as otherwise a complete head can be required.

dieselmania · #56 11-21-2019, 08:34 AM

The transmission can be easily reset with OBDeleven. It doesn't really "learn" anything per se but rather it "adapts" to driving styles using algorithms that are already programmed into the software. I often put mine in "S" mode for around town driving as it is more responsive that way.

barry12345 · #57 11-21-2019, 12:37 PM

More good information. About these transmissions. Thanks.

It appears the Passat was plagued with too many issues. In 2012 models Volkswagon claimed to have corrected them all. The transmission was also substantially improved for durability sometime in 2011.

It might just be this cheaper interest on financing brand new cars aspect. I kind of noticed fairly new low milage examples. Seem to be suffering perhaps more depreciation than is really justified.

It almost looks like a fifty percent value drop in two years. The 1.4 turbo versions of the gas cars are showing up here in Canada pretty reasonably priced. They do deliver really good fuel millage. I also wondered if a percentage of the one and two year old cars are Repos. I was told this morning where one young lady was sending her 3 month old car back as she can not handle the payments. She will probably be told she is on the hook for the drop in value if she attempts to do that. Plus her credit rating will suffer.

If I do not have a pot to urinate in or a window to throw it out of. If I have a good credit rating. I can buy a 75,000 dollar pickup. With nothing down. I have been noticing this for the last while.

When we acquired the one year old Toyota with under five thousand miles. A lot of my negotiations centered around. The majority of buyers would not touch it as it would have interest charges. Where brand new would have less. Plus it was consigned to your dealership by the leasing company I suspect. If so they want it gone as quick as possible. Constant cash flow has become an absolute requirement behind the scenes.

I have been seriously wondering about peoples developed attitudes. Where the price of something is no longer relevant in their minds. Only the monthly payments. It is a real factor in todays environment.

There are growing concerns about how the next generation below mine is going to function financially in their retirement years. About fifty percent will only have the basic pensions. Many will buy into selling off the equity in their homes if they have a home. I never examined the terms of those agreements where you stay in your home while your equity vanishes.

They built the Passats in three countries. The American version and the Chinese version are said to be identical. Although the Chinese version was not exported to America. The European version is said to be different. It also was never exported to America.

The Volkswagon labels latest car that I forget the name of. Almost looks like a threat to Mercedes. There is no doubt it represents some threat to the Audis. Perhaps a marketing error. .Perhaps not. Starts around fifty thousand here. Audi could also be trying to grab some of Mercedes market share.

A wandering post.

Do not pay big money for maintenance parts. Irridium spark plugs are about 11.00 a set of four out of China delivered. In NGK boxes. I noticed this when looking for a set of fuel injectors for my brother in law. Available for 20.00 for a set of four of them. Same vendor.

If bosh is manufacturing glow plugs in China. I want to see if the expensive ones are far less than 150.00 apiece. As that seems to be about the going price in north America.

dieselmania · #58 11-21-2019, 08:33 PM

When I shop for a vehicle I do all my research first, when I am ready to buy I already know exactly what I want and I know more about it than any salesman. Usually what I want is not real common and I will wait for it, and I will not visit a car dealership unless I know for a fact they have one of what I am looking for. Several years ago I was looking for a certain SUV. A local lot that specializes in poor credit/no credit had one. The price was way too high and I thought they might come down a lot since I was paying cash. Very early in the negotiation process I told them I was paying cash, the response was that they were not going to come down anywhere near my price, they could sell it to someone else with bad credit for full price. I am sure they also make money on the high interest rate. I couldn't get out of there fast enough. I should have known, it seems so obvious now.

barry12345 · #59 11-22-2019, 12:20 PM

I kind of buy when the situation looks right. At my advanced age I try to stay flexible. Although The wife and myself seem to experience sticker shock occasionally on a lot of things.

In conclusion I believe far too many things are basically just as they are to keep the economy going. That is important yet there is a price being paid by too many individuals in the process.

I have wanted a small excavator for awhile. There is a Cat 304dcr coming up in a local no reserve auction. I have to really go over it before considering a bid. I may do it although it is almost a waste of time.

They will probably bid it up to where it just is not worth the price. Again this easy credit factor is in play. Financing at the auction site. No payments for two years. Will this actually paying for things yourself return? It is being discouraged at the present time. It is a major distorting issue on expected values.

Yet there is the chance that excavator. If it still is in decent shape and there will not be much interest. I just cannot believe that scenario. I also have to get to the actual owner for a talk. The auction house may not be too interested in giving me their name.

I suggested to the wife it might be a nice Christmas gift. Forty years ago it was some occasion or other. I asked her what she wanted. She said a wheelbarrow. So I foolishy brought one for her. Over the years since I have occasionally overheard. He actually once brought a wheelbarrow for me to some laughter. By the women around her.

The wife to my surprise was enthusiastic.Where I suspected she might be be neutral about us acquiring a smaller excavator. .That mind of hers. She almost instantly verbally spewed out all the jobs she wants done.

barry12345 · #60 11-26-2019, 01:23 PM

Got enough fuel through this buy back to give a reasonably solid indication. It appears with the mixed driving the wife is doing. Five to ten percent inside city and town limits and ninety to ninety five percent highway. Looks like about 50 or a little bit more miles per imperial gallon. The softer winter ice tires and winter fuel blends will drop the fuel milage some of course.

We may have already been on moderate winter blend fuel since we acquired the car. They now dilute the fuel by the month using the weather forcast. So there is no longer a fixed dilution rate for winter fuel. At least up here in Canada.

So we do not fill the fuel tanks unless most of it will be used in a reasonable time frame. The last thing you would want is burning Novembers fuel at the end of December. This system also mandates you use higher volume suppliers. I got semi jelling in my own car last winter one time.

I was right in my suspicion that the original tires are still for higher fuel milage. The ride on those ice tires is more comforatable. They also are not that noisy. You do not feel the bump transistions nearly as much.

The wife has also bumped up her highway cruising speeds as well she tells me. I tried explaining that the time saved is very little. Do the math if you do not believe me.

The car is returning about fifteen hundred a month after fuel costs on the expense account. Much higher most months but seldom lower. Was the pattern on the Toyota. Towards the cost of the car.

In not that many more months it should have returned the total cost of the car. The oil was changed when we got it. It is shortly due for the first ten thousand mile change. No issues really so far.

Other than I still have not changed the transmission fluid yet. I have it and the filter just lack the time so far. I have hopes rather than certainties that the high percentage of highway use might mean less problems. Time will tell.

I wish I had a baseline of the ash buildup in the particle filter. When we got it. I did find the dealership that sold and serviced this car. It took the carfax to establish that. Will they tell me? They may have done the conversion as well as no record of it shows on the carfax.

That is a pretty long shot though. The level of ash would have been recorded then. Recycling of a portion of the exhaust gasses constantly. After they are fed through a water cooled heat exchanger first. Pulls the cylinder burn temperature down a little. This probably means a cooler than normal expected operational temperature of the particle filter as well.

I do not think I would want this setup for a ninety percent city driving with only a ten percent highway useage. A lot is not known yet with the conversions. A lot may depend on the percentage of recycling of the exhaust component. It will be lower on those cars with ad blue I suspect.

It was cold enough a couple of mornings to show. This engine shows no signs of the slightest struggle to start. It catches right away. Neither does my 2006 though. So will have to wait for really cold mornings in January. Expected lifespan of the glow plugs is in the 150K miles area. This logically should vary to some extent with usage patterns.

About the worse thing you could do is shut the engine down while a regeneration cycle is underway. Yet there is no factory indicator light. The turbo will be extremely hot and there will be no oil going through the turbo bearings. I will install some kind of indication device. It just has to trigger an idiot type light when the particle filter is a lot hotter than normal. They come standard on some vehicles.