VW diesel (looking for opinions on getting one)
 

Hi. Would like to get the group's opinion about a good VW diesel model to look for. Rabbit? Golf?

Thanks.

Bob

Define good. I think this should be in another forum too.

diesel question
 

totally new to this site. am interested in opinions about the VW gold and Jetta diesels. what forum would this be relevant to/

General Efficiency Discussion would probably be a suitable pace for it. You should get more page views there.

Moved.

Fixed the title too (VX diesel had me wondering if we had an interesting swap going on.)

96-97 VW Passat wagon. Had a 25 gallon tank, and EPA claims 43mpg. Pretty easy to beat that and reach 50mpg. There's a record for over 1400 miles on one tank. TDi Club has the scoop. That's a far better place to ask this question.

my dad has a rabbit(truck)

he gets 45+ mpg in it

very simple to work on

I say to go with the golf as it's a lighter body, go with as old of one as you can find as the mileage tends to be better then the newer ones, figure that because it is a VW you will have to buy some of the VW only tools if you want to work on it your self, you will need to buy new front axles, suspension all around, not sure if they ever fixed their shift linkage issues from the 80's, a new timing belt is a must! do the water pump at the same time, set the timing, get an engine block heater, fuel heater if you live in a cold state and you are ready for highway driving! if you don't do mostly highway driving (10+ miles every time you start the car) then don't bother buying a diesel.

if you don't do mostly highway driving (10+ miles every time you start the car) then don't bother buying a diesel.[/QUOTE]

Best advice yet!:thumbup:
Dave

That's the first time I've heard that. Are you saying that diesels don't return good economy in short trips? Even in the summer?

Diesels do better when warmed up because they run on heat unlike the spark in a gas engine.

Correct, when they are cold you advance the timing and that is hard on the engine, also because the engine is cold it's not burning all the fuel because it's relying on heat to ignite that fuel, leading to poor fuel mileage.
You also have glow plugs that are pretty much good for a set number of starts before they burn out and have to be replaced, the starter is also rather large leading to a large battery that needs to be fully charged or it will shorten it's life as well, this happens best by letting it run.
They also have 22:1 compression or higher, leading to fuel in the oil unless it's cooked out by warming the engine up fully, because of that high compression you tend to have a heavy engine block that takes longer to heat up.

Best advice yet!:thumbup:
Dave[/QUOTE]

I drove a rabbit diesel all through a winter... the most beaten car still legal I have ever run. it started and started and started...even below zero.

bent hood, both bumpers mangled, dented all over, the drivers door was never shut, even when shut..the body was no doubt twisted. decrepid, car leaned, hood was twisted with a dog chain through it, no grille, thumped every wheel out of balance over 55, and rumbled every part not welded at an idle..

a bigger chassis, I'd do it. I just potted the comment on the passat wagon. good candidate for a little torquer.

I did drive a jetta diesel, but ya know, the box of the rabbit seemed tougher, even after all the pansiness mentioned. the jetta was like a rubber balloon.

Here in Phoenix it's getting to be 80-90*F out and my 'blue coolant' light that goes out at 160*F to resume normal driving goes out in about two blocks from a 'cold start'.
I agree about not taking short trips unless it's already warmed up from another trip.

I live in Quebec and my comute to work is 5 miles. Sure diesels suffer in the winter, just like any other car.

I've had a 90 Golf D, a 91 Jetta TD, a 99 TDI and now a 00 TDI. Each got over 250k miles problem free, but rust got the best of them.

97-2003 TDI engines have the best fuel economy, versus previous IDI designs and subsequent Pump Deuse and common rail systems. The recent CR engines run at 16.5 compression ratio. There's no way fuel can get in the oil in a TDI, as it is injected in a bowl in the piston, but anyway.

They are cheap cars to run if you drive a lot and can find a car that was properly maintainned, otherwise repairs are gonna be costly. TDIs can take a lot of abuse, but no neglect.

I recommend heading over to tdiclub.com too.

This design is prevelant in all modern diesels, yet used oil analysis says otherwise.

I should have written in a properly working TDI. Off course if your injection timing is out of whack, if your nozzles are worn affecting spray pattern or your pop pressure is also wrong and your rings are worn too. I've just never heard of fuel in oil being a problem in TDI engines, nor it being the norm.

I thought in Canada, you guys have a special way that everyone rustproofs/undercoats you cars. It's done or checked once a year!

Krown? I've heard that stuff is the bomb at keeping cars new.

Down here in the States, Fluid Film works very well, too.

Its to bad 'Ryland' and 'Dave's Civic Duty' dont appear to have any experince with vw diesel's, judging by there posts. Power and fuel economy in one package, i would find a Tdi and enjoy countless miles of fuel sipping bliss no extreme mods necessary and a motor that will go 500 000 plus. Even if you drive low kms its still worth it, plus its got some nice torque which most imports lack.

Put simply VW diesels for the main part offer great FE

-Pre-97 IDI engines aren't the best FE wise but have a typical german, simple, over engineered feel and have 'falling off a wet log' level of ease to work on.

-97-2006 PDs simple Rock. period, especially the european 150bhp 1.9 golf gt-tdi it changed so many peoples view of diesels here in the uk, when it was released it was the fastest Golf you could buy - yep faster that the 150 1.8t! especially if you showed it a back road! YET they still had a top cog that would allow conformtable 50+mpg cruising without trying.

-later CRs and CR(DPFs) are just the next step, less stressed, more tech, just as bomb proof.

- As stated earlier, they take Huge amounts of mileage and abuse - just don't neglect them.

the whole cold start thing I think is a bit misleading. I mean I do A lot of Urban and short runs in my diesel Polo, and get 50 out of it, but my 1.4 petrol polo thet had Multipont injection , WAI and all manor of other cool stuff as standard could only manage creaping into the 40s, just, once. The diesel takes the same time to get warm as my petrol did. Not to mention if do short runs from cold in a petrol, you'll be on choke effectively as the ECU will ramp the mixture just like a diesel. Also you'll also get hotspotted in a petrol engine on shorts whereas the diesels 'slower' warm up is a more consitent (wish I could find that IR video of the start up of Gas and Diesel cars)

What's Fluid Film?:rolleyes:

It's not for lack of want-to. I've have a while with Truck payments on my Dodge Diesel. I will have a TDI. I'm going to have to run my Corolla to 300,000 miles first, getting there, 241K at the moment. That will be when my payments will be over. I'm going to have to give it an oil bath this fall if I'm going to make it though!:D (Toyota) Dodge is doing great, it was Ziebarted, plus I climb under it & give it touch-ups!

I practically drool over every TDI I see parked, in fact I'm disappointed when I get around to the back of a VW & see no TDI nameplate. I just think, uninformed!

Dave

Dave

Ha! NICE!!!
 

I practically drool over every TDI I see parked, in fact I'm disappointed when I get around to the back of a VW & see no TDI nameplate. I just think, uninformed!

Dave

Cool Jay!