DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Tailgate Forum Question for you all - Jetta TDI..

Does anyone own or know anyone who owns a Jetta TDI? I am thinking about buying one and I am not sure how I feel about owning a diesel? Mileage is great however, I am concerned about maintenance..

Thoughts??

I've never owned a diesel car, but I have a diesel Excursion that I love. Mileage is great and I've had no maintenance issues whatsoever. The 7.2 Powerstroke is a tank though that just starts breaking in at 100k miles.

European cars have used diesels for years - it's a good technology. I looked at an Audi Q7 with a TDI in it - very quiet, great mileage. I didn't want a SUV/crossover though....if they put the diesel in a sedan I would have considered it. VW owns Audi, so I'm sure it's the same technology.

I would be more concerned with the general vehicle reliability than specifically with that of the diesel engine. Everything I know about diesels (which, admittedly, isn't a vast wealth of knowledge) is that they're quite reliable. VW has been doing the diesel auto thing for a long time now; I think that if there were any major issues beyond that of a standard auto then they would've been raised already.

Thanks all, appreciate it..

VW is excellent with diesel.


If you have never owned or driven one, be sure to keep a box of disposable gloves in the glove box.

Diesel pumps are always oily and it gets all over your hands when you fill up.

Also, depending where you live or plan to drive, a plug in crankcase, fuel line heater might be in order. They can be hard to start if you live in a cold climate.

As for mileage, it is better, but put a pen to paper and factor the extra cost per gallon v the cost of regular unleaded with a reduced MPG. In most cases it is pretty much a wash.

The payback usually occurs if you are the type to keep a vehicle and drive it to the end of the earth and back over a 12 year period. I do this. I have never been one to swap cars every 3-4 years. I usually keep them 10 minimum.

There is no real question a diesel engine will last far longer then a conventional gasoline engine.

My next car in a year or so will probably be a diesel because it will probably be the last car I ever buy.

Keep it garaged and warm in colder climes; we have had afew tough start with neighbor's diesels. Uses warmers now. Much better. He is pleased with vehicles, not your model asked about, but it is a solid tech IMO. Good luck.

I live in NE PA and it does get cold in the winter.. I have never heard of this "hard to start" in cold months thing. I plan on buying a new (2011) one so I am hoping that is not the case. Because it is new the dealer changes oil and gives life time inspections for free. I may have to ask a few more questions about the starting in cold weather thing..

It's just a fact of life with diesel engines. Read up on engine heaters and/or glow plugs.

Diesels are always going to have issues starting in the cold. I usually only plug my Excursion in when it is going to get into the single digit temps - and it will normally start if I don't but it's a lot easier if I do.

A smaller diesel will start easier as well.

I can't believe Ammo hasn't jumped in yet, he is always touting diesel as the next great environmental rescue.

As others have said, mechanically they are very sound. Economically they get good gas mileage, but as the price of oil rises the price of diesel rises more so than regular gasoline, since it takes more crude oil to make diesel, so you have to figure if the overall costs in fuel and maintenance will offset.

kidd...on the issue of cold weather starting, especially since your looking to buy a new Jetta...it is a non-issue, imo.

Keep in mind, my problem occurred after 10 yrs of use and over 100,000 miles out of the warranty period. I still had the original battery, when the starter went bad.

Since the car will be under warranty, you don't need to worry about switching to a better winter time oil until after the warranty period.

I just looked up some info on cold weather options and VW has a cold weather package (they refer to it as CWP option) it includes heated front seats, heated windshield nozzles and a engine coolant block heater.

Whether that package is available on the model you are looking at is a question you can ask the dealer.

The dealer said they could install one for around 690 but that I did not need to do so as the temps do not get that cold for an extended period of time to warrant having it. I figure if I buy it without, I can always have it installed at a later date if I needed to.

Thanks for the insight all.