VW JEtta Sportwagon TDI (diesel)

[PoundSand]

Originally Posted by chazbird

Recently noticed a perhaps scary/ominous event with the DSG. (31k on it). Sometimes, not by any means always, leaving a stop, forward, or reverse, there's a huge flat spot from about 2-3 mph, like whatever power has been applied has been reduced by about 80%; adding accelerator doesn't seem to do anything and it won't accelerate with the power already fed in. This is only for 2 or so seconds. But if it gets worse I could see it being a now out of warranty astro-dollar repair.

not normal, not safe. bring it in.

Originally Posted by RedRocker

I've had that happen, pushed the pedal and nothing happen, even when it works normally there is a lag when taking off from a stop. That bugs the crap out of me...

um, it's not normal for there to be a lag when taking off from a stop. take it in.

[chazbird]

I just informed the actual owner of the DSG problem (he's very generous and I drive it a lot). According to him I thought it was out of warranty but I'm checking on that. I wasn't going to tell him what to buy, and while the DSG is pretty cool the periodic required maintenance would have, I bought it myself, given me pause and if I had my druthers I'd have gone with the 6 speed manual because more than the half of the driving is open usually rural highway. But free riders and free drivers can't be choosy.

[PaulGinAZ]

Originally Posted by A-Bone

Good news: you may not have to pick one or the other... VW NA may bring a diesel GTI here after the next-gen MQB platform Golf is introduced in NA in 2014...so may be available as a 2015.5 or 2016...

Engine is tuned to eek out a few more hp/tqs... but comes with the GTI body & suspension....

Source: Automobile Magazine:

Info on GTI TDI
http://www.automobilemag.com/reviews...olkswagen_gtd/

Info on MQB Golf:
http://www.automobilemag.com/reviews...lkswagen_golf/

After driving UrbanCowboy's Golf TDI... it is right up there on my list of next cars.... that is if I don't pull an Old Man and get a Passat SEL TDI for highway comfort..... depends how sick I am of the highway drone by then....

I have a 2011 Golf TDi (six speed manual) that just turned 36,000 miles. Mine has been upgraded quite a bit with a set of H&R springs/Bilstein sport shocks, APR swaybars, GTi brake setup with 12.3" front rotors and upgraded pads and lines and an Audi S3 factory short shift kit.

I also just recently performed the APR Stage I ECU flash that brought the horsepower up to 173 wheel horsepower from 143 and the torque to 297 from 251. These motors like all of the others that VW has released in the past 12 years is under-rated from stock and the transformation is very pleasant and certainly closes the gap between a TDi and a GTi.

My car has been perfect without any hiccups, squeaks or rattles. The only challenge with the Sportwagen is that it is a funny blend of the MkV and Mk6 platform so there are some asthetic things in the interior that I prefer my car for.. but nothing so significant that I would not buy it.

[Motociclista]

You guys can't leave and engine alone ... can't you!!!


Good info!

[PoundSand]

Originally Posted by chazbird

I just informed the actual owner of the DSG problem (he's very generous and I drive it a lot). According to him I thought it was out of warranty but I'm checking on that.

at 31k, it's still covered (powertrain is 60k).
http://www.vw.com/en/owners/parts-an...-warranty.html

[A-Bone]

Originally Posted by PaulGinAZ

I have a 2011 Golf TDi (six speed manual) that just turned 36,000 miles. Mine has been upgraded quite a bit with a set of H&R springs/Bilstein sport shocks, APR swaybars, GTi brake setup with 12.3" front rotors and upgraded pads and lines and an Audi S3 factory short shift kit.

I also just recently performed the APR Stage I ECU flash that brought the horsepower up to 173 wheel horsepower from 143 and the torque to 297 from 251. These motors like all of the others that VW has released in the past 12 years is under-rated from stock and the transformation is very pleasant and certainly closes the gap between a TDi and a GTi.

My car has been perfect without any hiccups, squeaks or rattles. The only challenge with the Sportwagen is that it is a funny blend of the MkV and Mk6 platform so there are some asthetic things in the interior that I prefer my car for.. but nothing so significant that I would not buy it.

Sweet...

I should really look into getting some more power out of mine... but really... I drive like an old man 99% of the time so it prolly isn't worth it...

I'm going to end up with a highway-cruiser and a sportier car I think... but which two... First world problems man... first world problems...

[C Squared]

Originally Posted by Motociclista

You guys can't leave and engine alone ... can't you!!!


Good info!

Nope. Oh, and Bilstien HD Struts with Nuespeed springs and E-Code headlights going in.

[Ted.audia]

2012 golf tdi w/41k
6 manually selected gears

came out of a 3 series so I may be overly critical...

Cons

• interior feels cheap
• the seats suck for any distance driving
• the thing squeaks and rattles bad
• Stereo sucks
• Integrated Bluetooth... great idea, poor execution
• VW Nav cant find addresses that have existed for 40 years
• Cannot disable the tc/asr to play in the snow
• The dealers in Indianapolis want to offer the "Premium" experience, but they are as annoying as any other car dealer (ymmv)

Pros

• 50 psi, weekend backpack and bicycle- 50 mpg all day long @ 65-70 mph
• Roaming around the state for my job- 42 mpg driving like a yabo
• Heated seats are awesome in this car
• Dealer says it can tow 2000 pounds w/200 pound tongue weight... Haven't tested it yet, but curious
• If you are on any kind of work reimbursement, this car will make you money

Quirks

• When the re-gen cycle kicks in the first few times, the smell and performance of the car will be a little funny. The fan will continue to run after the car shuts off and the car smells of burning rubber. Nothing to see here friends, but strange none the less.

Overall
If I were to do it all over again, I'd get the proper wagon because the Golf gets filled up too quickly on weekend trips and such. Also, keep a weather eye on their special financing (if you are into that kind of thing), as they offer 1.9% periodically on TDI

Good Luck

[Ted.audia]

Originally Posted by Ted.audia

came out of a 3 series so I may be overly critical...

not trying to sound like a prick, but re-reading that part sounds a little pretentious... Please let me apologize.

zee germans @ BMW know how to make kick ass cars.

[brewer90]

Originally Posted by TX Spike

I posted this in another thread, but at about 40k, my 2011 sport wagon dies in the middle lane of I45 at 70 mph traffic in the middle of Houston rush hour. Had it towed to the dealership, it was still under the power train warranty. Picked it up and the cost of repair was $5,700 to replace the fuel pump.

HPFP failure. Here is a 327 page thread on the issue http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=308323

[green hell]

Originally Posted by TX Spike

I posted this in another thread, but at about 40k, my 2011 sport wagon dies in the middle lane of I45 at 70 mph traffic in the middle of Houston rush hour. Had it towed to the dealership, it was still under the power train warranty. Picked it up and the cost of repair was $5,700 to replace the fuel pump. This was on top of the $1,700 ac compressor that went out at 20k. The Kelley blue book on the car is about $20k trade last time I looked.

I have never seen 40 mpg. I average about 38 on my 80 mile a day round trip commute. I run about 75 or 80 with the AC on.


I have about 45k on it now, I will get rid of it before the power train warranty expires at 50k. Mine is fun to drive, but i just don't trust it.

Originally Posted by brewer90

HPFP failure. Here is a 327 page thread on the issue http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=308323

that happened to my aunt's as well. vw blamed bad diesel, but the station where the fuel was purchased reported no other issues. before my uncle got involved vw was trying to charge them the $5~7k for the repairs.

they love the car, but they don't trust it.

[PaulGinAZ]

Originally Posted by green hell

that happened to my aunt's as well. vw blamed bad diesel, but the station where the fuel was purchased reported no other issues. before my uncle got involved vw was trying to charge them the $5~7k for the repairs.

they love the car, but they don't trust it.

The odd thing about those failures is that from a percentage of vehicles sold perspective the HPFP failure is less than 1%. VW has done a good job of paying for the replacements even out of warranty as most failures have proven to be fuel-related.

Some of the Tdi gurus have found a way to put an inline filter on the return line that provides a way to keep the debris from flowing back into the tank and cutting the repair cost down significantly in the case of it happening.

YMMV of course.

[green hell]

Originally Posted by PaulGinAZ

The odd thing about those failures is that from a percentage of vehicles sold perspective the HPFP failure is less than 1%. VW has done a good job of paying for the replacements even out of warranty as most failures have proven to be fuel-related.

Some of the Tdi gurus have found a way to put an inline filter on the return line that provides a way to keep the debris from flowing back into the tank and cutting the repair cost down significantly in the case of it happening.

YMMV of course.

i've not seen their particular fuel system, but in many cases you have two layers of filtration; one to the pump and one (after the pump) to the engine. if there is debris being returned to the module it's more likely that something is corroding after the module. if it's a turbine pump, it won't tolerate much in the way of contamination and will fail quickly if the filtration is breached.

guess number two - () - if there is filtration at the pump only, it's possible the brushes are chunking and ending up in bad places.

[C Squared]

I tow a 5X9 trailer with 1-3 bikes on it at times. No problem (even before the mods)
Drops the MPG a bit. Don't even really know the trailer is there.


Oh, and winter mix fuel drops the MPG a bit also.
That and the fact that the engine (12 mile drive to work) does not get to prime temps much.

[Ursa Major]

I bought a 2012 TDI JSW, 6 speed manual with sunroof and nav at the beginning of summer. I wanted a Golf, but went with a JSW because a) I really like the huge panoramic sunroof, and b) it's got a lot of extra storage on the same wheelbase, i.e. you don't give up much in handling. VW claims the JSW has 66.9 cubic feet of storage with the rear seat folded, vs. 64 cubic feet in a Touareg with the rear seat folded (and 57.4 in an E class wagon). I believe it, I had the rear seats down for the first time on Thursday and used it to move furniture; it's spacious (getting the rear headrests off takes a screwdriver and two people per the manual, though, which is stupid). I get around 38 mpg on average in a heavy urban freeway commute, and around 43-45 in highway driving; it's only got 2200 miles, so it'll improve with break-in. I wish it were a bit bigger on the inside, but that's another way of saying I either need to lose weight or swap it for a Passat.

The build quality and interior materials are excellent for the price point. I agree that the sound system is less than optimal, but I'm spoiled in other cars; the one thing that pushed me toward the Golf was the Dynaudio option. I don't use the nav much - nav without traffic in LA is useless, I use Google maps on the iPhone - and I'm happy enough with the bluetooth. It's not a BMW or an MB, but it's a lot of car for the money. If I still have it a year from now, I'll get a discounted extended warranty from Chris Farnham; with the HPFP issues, this is a car I don't want to own out of warranty. All that said, if, God forbid, I ever had to live with just one car, this would probably be it.