My travels to the dark sde - My "New" Diesel is a VW Jetta! - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

nhdoc · #1 01-06-2010, 07:29 AM

Well, late last year I sold my 1998 E300 after nearly 5 years because I was "this close" to a deal on a 2005 E320 CDI (which subsequently fell through). I then had planned on driving my C43 all winter but saw an ad on CL for a 2001 Jetta TDI in town and went to have a look. It had 157K, same owner since 20K and full service history. It ran and drove well but had rust on one front fender and a few spots of surface rust on the hood. Still, the price was right and it came with a set of near new snows so it was all ready to be my winter "beater". Came with nice winter mats (including a trunk liner) and the PO had installed a very nice european trailer hitch which I will never use. Other than the hitch it was dead stock and original.

I've been driving it for about a month and have to say the experience has been surprisingly positive. Keeping in mind it is a 9 year old VW which was made in Mexico with 158K miles on it but everything pretty much works as it did when new. It's a base model (cloth seats, manual windows, no sunroof) but has all of the basic creature comforts otherwise (A/C, cruise, ABS, keyless entry, plenty of airbags). VW will likely pick up the cost of replacing the rusted fender because it was part of a TSB and covered by their 12 year corrosion warranty so that's good - I just need to get their final approval and drop it off at the dealer for the body shop to do their thing.

As a 5 speed manual transmission I have to say it shifts better than any manual Mercedes I have ever owned. It is very easy to drive - never grinds or has any of the other idiosyncrasies often found in M-B manual gearboxes. It loves to eat up the snow and handles as well as any car I have driven in all conditions. Seats have held up well and still provide good support and comfort. Power is adequate from the 90HP 1.9L and it seems to return around 40 MPG with my driving style though the PO claimed he averaged more (what PO doesn't though).

It's also got a computer interface called VAG-COM which allows you to go in and scan and change many of the settings which we would like to be able to do on our Benzes but can't because Mercedes' SDS system is more proprietary. For around $100 for the software and a $20 cable you can have access to just about every setting the car's modules have and there is decent documentation to guide you through making the changes (things like injection timing and EGR, for example, can be modified). Even if you don't want to spend $100 for the software you can do a lot with the free shareware version.

So far I've done basic maintenance items and front brakes which it needed. Parts are cheap and everything is pretty straightforward and easy to do. I've already "taken care of" EGR which was causing an occasional CEL to come on and which the PO warned me about. Most issues are known and a search of the TDI club postings will point you in the right direction - though no tech board beats this one for help!

I'm not saying this is a perfect car. It is very slow to produce heat in the passenger compartment (a common complaint but due to its effeciency it doesn't produce a huge amount of waste heat) and it has some annoying rattles from having a lot of plastic on plastic parts in the dash which I am fixing one by one. I'd also like to see them eliminate the timing belt and use a chain which doesn't need periodic replacement but the car costs a lot less than a Mercedes and these are the tradeoffs I suppose. Mine had its timing belt done about 6K miles ago so I won't have to deal with it but for someone considering buying one it is something to know about.

But, it also has some very nice features like the fold down rear seats, which are standard, that turn the car into something which can really carry stuff around when needed. The fold down seat option on the E and C class Mercedes always puzzled me...why not just make it standard as it is in many other less costly cars? It adds a huge amount of utility. I guess they figure most people buying a Benz aren't that interested in being able to carry something bigger than a golf bag around but it is a feature that once you have it you miss if you buy a car without it.

All in all I am very impressed with it and would not hesitate to consider a new or newer TDI Jetta in the spring.

So for now, my oil burner carries a different badge!

Archdukeferd · #2 01-06-2010, 07:41 AM

One of my friends just bought an '03 TDI wagon after an extended search, they're definitely cool little vehicles.

Though not a benz by many measures, its still an efficient, durable little commuter. After owning it for about 3 months, his CEL came on and the code turned out to be "excessive slippage in clutches" which means a new tranny...

Currently at our local indy getting a rebuilt tranny thrown in, then he's gonna sell it and move on. Seems like the TDI engine will run forever if cared for but you may go through a couple trannies during that time.

Hmmm, what other idiosyncratic, german car does that sound like...

nhdoc · #3 01-06-2010, 07:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Archdukeferd

One of my friends just bought an '03 TDI wagon after an extended search, they're definitely cool little vehicles.

Though not a benz by many measures, its still an efficient, durable little commuter. After owning it for about 3 months, his CEL came on and the code turned out to be "excessive slippage in clutches" which means a new tranny...

Currently at our local indy getting a rebuilt tranny thrown in, then he's gonna sell it and move on. Seems like the TDI engine will run forever if cared for but you may go through a couple trannies during that time.

Hmmm, what other idiosyncratic, german car does that sound like...

Since I have never driven an auto tranny version and know nothing about them I can't comment...but this little 5 speed is a nice gearbox. The only "timebomb" my car has is its original clutch, but the PO did lots of highway cruising so it is possible it could last much longer...I have heard of some lasting over 300K miles...but who knows? That is the risk of buying any old car.

muleears · #4 01-06-2010, 08:14 AM

Marty,
I hate to hear you sold you 210! You were a tremendous resource when I needed advice on mine. Oh well, maybe one of my kids will by a TDI and you can give me advice on that! Good luck and may you have many many more miles ahead of you.

KarTek · #5 01-06-2010, 08:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by muleears

Marty,
I hate to hear you sold you 210! You were a tremendous resource when I needed advice on mine. Oh well, maybe one of my kids will by a TDI and you can give me advice on that! Good luck and may you have many many more miles ahead of you.

Hey, just because he sold the car doesn't mean the knowledge flew out the door with it!

I think the series of VW diesels in those years (1999-2003, I think) were the best ones. None of that funky PD crap that requires the special oil. But it has enough technology to make it fun to tweak on the computer.

My GF has a 2006 Golf with the newer automatic. The auto seems fine but I think it's the newer version with the flip-flop clutches. Only time will tell...

Her car delivers about 42 on the Hwy and 30's in the city. No problems so far except for the friggin' wheel bearings going bad and the car only has 45,000 miles... grrrrrrrr

nhdoc · #6 01-06-2010, 08:42 AM

Thanks for the kind words but I still monitor this forum and am happy to help anytime!

Also, I suspect I have not gotten the Mercedes diesel out of my blood just yet. I'd love it if there was more choice in new cars. The BMW diesel is overpriced in my opinion and the Audi TDI only comes in wagons or SUVs. VW is the only choice for a sedan other than Mercedes so I will have to decide in the spring if I want to continue hunting for a nice W211 or keep driving a VW.

My daughter will be learning to drive next summer and if this jetta were an automatic it would be perfect for her but she has little interest in learning to drive on a stick and I can't really blame her - she's better off mastering the basics without the complications of a clutch.

compu_85 · #7 01-06-2010, 09:20 AM

Re: VW automatics: VW 4 speed automatics from ~1990 to 1996 are very bad transmissions... the 096 trans. 60-70k is the expected lifetime. The design was improved for the 1996.5 to ~2003 01M units... now they last 150k or so. The 5 speed auto used in the 2004 - 2005.0 Jetta and 2004-2006 Golf is not made by VW, and therefore a much better transmission

The 2005.5 + Jetta and the current Golf automatics are the dual clutch DSG. Expect to be replacing the dual mass flywheel around 120k... longer if you drive more on the highway.

FWIW shops that "rebuild" the 01M or 096 are not generally successful, and some people report failures in as little as 10k miles. These transes like to have hard failures too... nice big chunks of the internals ending up in the pan.

The good news is that VW does know how to make a good manual transmission

NHDoc, I think you'll find yourself liking the VW. They're good little cars, not as comfey as a big Benz, but they are gerat fun to drive.

-Jason

oldsinner111 · #8 01-06-2010, 09:21 AM

I enjoy Blowing Jetta diesels away.

rs899 · #9 01-06-2010, 09:29 AM

I am just getting an (almost free) '91 Jetta diesel back on the road for my daily commute. This was the last iteration of the 1.6NA IDI VW engine (52 HP - shades of 240D), but I must say it's a giant step up from the Rabbit Pickup (the boneshaker) I usually commute in. VW diesels from that era are simple as dirt and cheap to maintain, if you can live with the lack of performance. If this had been one of the rare IDI turbodiesels it would have been great...
Rick

cscmc1 · #10 01-06-2010, 11:19 AM

Marty, I think you;ll continue to enjoy your TDI. I have a 98 and have modded it mildly. With a chip, it's a quick little bugger, too. I did the $20 cable and $100 software VAG-COM route, too, and it's nice to have. Mine has been dead-reliable (now at 180K), but needs a timing belt soon. I'll probably fool with that in the spring.

barry123400 · #11 01-06-2010, 12:31 PM

I have to agree with the other poster. The automatics were a disaster for quite a few years. Do not buy one with an automatic. They also hurt fuel milage signifigantly. To also compound that their automatics are not in the cheap spectrum at all.

The only other really poor design component in my opinion was the lack of ground clearance. You have to watch what you drive over. Replacing oil pans can result. I would preffer 2003 and lower as well if the right example could be located. Not as powerful but fuel milage is better.

Great structural body for safety in a crash as well. The japanese so far are not even close. Also most rustproof vehicle on road today by far. Ours has gone to vw heaven after a bad crash.

My wife would have certainly been killed in a japanese or american car. About all that was left was the passenger compartment with no intact remaining glass in any opening. The structural strength also kept the roof from collapsing on her.

If you drive by a towing service holding place it is quite common to see the roof down to the seats on simple rolled over american cars. In her case she slid 25-30 feet down a hydro pole upside down. The roof did not even start to collapse. Most cars would have been ripped in half from the initial contact point on the pole as well. No one wants to be in a serious accident. These cars will usually fare much better in my opinion if one unfortunatly does occur.

TheDon · #12 01-06-2010, 12:37 PM

I'd like a TDI for my commute

atomix8 · #13 01-06-2010, 12:51 PM

Sounds like a good find...hmmm, you're going to turn me towards craigslist

Change that 150K gear oil!

oldiesel · #14 01-06-2010, 12:53 PM

as for the slow cabin heat,i dont know about the newer ones but on my 98 Jetta if you turn the knob all the way till it stops toward the heat side it switches on some(i think 3) glow plugs that are in the coolant flow to the heater! Mine gets heat pretty quickly but then i am in Florida and what little heat i need probably would not be much help up north.The little TDI engine is so efficient and uses so little fuel that on what we call cold in Florida the temp will actually drop some if left idiling for very long even with a good thermostat. Don

buffa98 · #15 01-06-2010, 12:53 PM

My daughter will be learning to drive next summer and if this jetta were an automatic it would be perfect for her but she has little interest in learning to drive on a stick and I can't really blame her - she's better off mastering the basics without the complications of a clutch.[/QUOTE]

Mine will be there in a couple more years, She (and the three that follow) will all learn on a stick. IMHO it is better to learn that first that move the stick to D and press on the gas. Also thyey are all going to learn to change a tire with the tools the car comes with...