2015 tdi owner here, my golf gets 63mpg on the highway going 55mph. I usually have a 40 mile commute one way and that’s my avg daily at the end, as high as 68mpg :) long live the diesel !
I don’t have a TDI, but I have a 2018 GTI 6spd Manual, and it’s my 3rd VW GTI. They are the best cars ever made. 35mpg, quiet, nimble and reliable. Now give it ~50mpg, hard to beat
new gear ratios in the mk7 are much better than the mk6 like I have, the 6th gear sits way too high in the rpm range . 75 is like 3.5 k 4k at 90mph, they were more close ratio. if you drive decent even tuned I can get about 28 or more with cruise control at like 75 but I have to run 93 octane in this. Not sure if the manual is closer ratio than the dsg but manual in these is so much more fun. my company car 1.4t has worse mpg as it can't even maintain 75 on steeper hills without downshifting. The tdi is insane honestly, driven the same gen tdi and it is insanely torquey and it was the manual one too and was still fun to drive. Buddy had a tuned tdi wagon mk4 with a bigger turbo that would smoke me off the start and it had 200000 on it.
1.4 is much better with stage 1 remap. Will cruise much nicer in 6th gear. Had one for a while. Remap closes gap in torque quite a bit to tsi. Very good improvement.
I don't have a VW diesel, but a 15 year old 2009 Toyota Auris diesel. It just refuses to die. The 2.2 liter turbo diesel with 177 hp and 400 NM of torque only consumes 5.5 liters per 100 km on long journeys, and it's extremely reliable on just about everything. My parents have a 2010 Golf TDI Blue Motion with a 1.6 liter turbo diesel with 110 hp and a 7 speed DSG and it consumes an impressive low of 4.7 liters per 100 km on average.
Great video and agreed that the TDI is amazing. Have a 2011 JSW with 6MT, added 17" wheels and GTI rear sway bar and it is both fuel efficient and handles amazingly well. Lots of fun to drive, yet still amazing practical, holds a tremendous amount of cargo in the back, and still more fuel efficient than the Altima Hybrid I abandoned years ago (it drove like an appliance and fuel economy is not worth mentioning.) I plan to keep my JSW forever.
No TDi here (own a MK6 golf 5 cyl instead) but have huge respect for them and really both engines have superb reliability and the choice comes down to either more fun or more mpg. Great vid
My wife has a 2.5 Rabbit (auto) and my brother has a 2.5 Jetta wagon (5spd). I have lots of respect for them and I love the sound. They each have their strengths, I'd like a 2.5 for a winter beater. They heat up quickly and I like the 5spd ratios in the snow.
Cool video. Learned the hard way these things need to be driven. Thought I found a low mileage gem and it turned out to be clogged with soot. With a new $3,000 DPF/EGR for my 2014 JSW I’m logging 60 miles a day at around 41mpg.
180,000 miles on my 14 tdi, got 80,000 miles before my first major repair, of course the emission system 🤦♂️ Still love the car, when I purchased it , I never thought it would be my forever car, but how can you beat 52mpg and 35mpg when towing a motorcycle
I owned a 2009 TDI Jetta Sportwagon for 8 years and I got rid of it via the diesel gate buyback. Loved the mileage, interior fit and finish and the handling. Unfortunately, had many issues such as the DPF, which was replaced just before the warranty expired, CV boot splitting due to improper clamp installation at the factory, sunroof drain tube blockage causing interior flooding, various oil leaks at the turbo, water pump failure. Most annoying was the creaking of the pano sunroof which required regular lubrication to make it atleast tolerable. All of these occurred within the 8 years I owned it and 140k km. I also own a BMW 335d which, with the exception of the emissions system, has been trouble free in the 13 years I have owned it.
I get 58 mpg on my 2001 mk4 tdi bio converted lowered and rocking a skybox 21 and a tool tray in the trunk and a system I got Porsche's and audis but my tdi is always first on tap!
Wife and I own a 2011 TDI Sportwagen. It's a great car that's served us well! It handles awesome, and the engine has low end torque like an American big-block engine. Great for accellerating onto highways. I like it just because it's a strong, responsive, precice handling car. The 48 MPG's it gets on the highway is just an added bonus. Where hybrids sacrifice all for fuel economy, a TDI VW is just simply a great driving car that happens to get amazing mileage. I drove a 2015 a few times. They are good too, but feels like they sacrificed a little bit of the low end power to improve top end power. Still a great driving car, but I like the feel the CJAA's bring when it doesn't even need to down shift to go!
same, my mk7 crua TDI can go up any hill and stay in 6th gear, never has to down shift for added power which cant be said for gas models like my old camry which was always gear hunting haha
It's competing with 1970's petrol 4 cylinder fuel economy, and 1990's economy car reliability. Diesel costs more than petrol on average. Also, the TDI was part of the lawsuit, because it was found to emit much higher levels of nitrous oxide than legal limits. Cool car though, i'd drive one as a daily for sure.
Nice looking Mk6, didn't know they made two door TDI Golfs and I was surprised to find out thats the stock bumper. My Mk7 has been very solid and after a stage 1, lowering springs, and few other minor mods I'm looking a options for a different bumper to finish the OEM+ GTI look.
Dpf failures yes, cp4 failures are blown out of proportion it is not as common as people make it out to be. Use good quality fuel and you won’t have an issue with cp4.
@@Cristian121212100 That might be true but there’s a reason every vehicle with a CP4 has a CP3 swap kit available. Mine shelled and had to be replaced, consequently my old man immediately CP3 swapped his powerstroke It’s not just fuel, look up the CP4 design flaw, they didn’t key the floating pump roller bearing that the cam rides. It can spin vertically with the cam and no longer roll, making it grind against the cam and you get the good ol’ metal flakes
for your dpf, just drive the car long distance and floor it occasionally and use good diesel + additives - a friend of mine has 315K on his passat dpf and still the stock unit that's never clogged
@@eurodriven2507 mercedes has a few diesel hybrids too in some of their taxi cars in europe when I visited, I think they can get as high as 80mpg on an e-class chassis
Thank you! This is where I got it from. Hopefully the link works! www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_dkr=1&iconV2Request=true&_blrs=recall_filtering&_ssn=partsbrokersllc&store_cat=0&store_name=partsbrokersllc&_oac=1&_nkw=oem%20rear%20spoiler%20wing%20air%20dam%20vw%20golf
2013 Golf TDI owner here. Its EPA rating of 30/42/34 is what I get, yet there’s all this folklore about 50 and 55mpg for cars like this. Perhaps that’s possible after deleting the EGR valve, deleting the DPF and messing with the mapping. I was excited to buy the car, but find the constant maintenance to be such a disappointment as compared to Hondas for example. The car has made me a decent diy mechanic and its required me to buy lots of new tools which isn’t the worst thing in life I suppose. When the car is dialed in, it’s a hoot, but up here way north in the snow belt, there are too many compromises in terms of reliability.
My buddy got 57mpg going through a few states with all of the EPA stuff installed. I'm also at 198k and the only items that I've ever had to mess with are brake pads at 175k and a sway bar end link at 192k. Otherwise it's just fluid and filters. And I'm in Minnesota so definitely not a nice climate. It has less issues and more miles than the Toyotas I've been around.
That has not been my experience unfortunately, but I’m glad it’s yours. First there was the charge air cooler TSB 21 12 01 / 2025464 regarding potential hydrolocking, then a MAF sensor, broken e-brake cable, intake air temp sensor, an exhaust gas temp sensor last week, repeated replacement of the driver’s seat height adjuster, and one of my favorites, a charge air efficiency threshold error which requires cleaning the heat exchanger. I’ve had random rust issues, none on large exterior panels thankfully, taken care of three times under warranty. My favorite quality gremlin was the day that the DSG transmission wouldn’t respond to paddle-shift inputs. Turning the car on and off was the remedy. The funniest quirk is the warning light to tell you that a lightbulb somewhere in the car is out, yet all the bulbs are good. Again, cycling the car off/on remedies the problem. Lastly, one of the two sunroof gutter drains became detached at the firewall. Not any one item is that big of a deal, but if these were occurring on anything but a German engineered product, it would be considered cheap. Because it’s a VW, it’s quirky.
Well, a lot of those aren't even potential items on mine. Manual seats, manual transmission, no sunroof, and of course, a delete would solve a lot of that too. I did use the 12yr corrosion warranty myself, got two new fenders, a hatch, and rockers on both sides. Should it rust? Ideally, no. Am I glad it had a warranty and that it will now be clean for another 12yrs? Definitely. That beats a car that doesn't rust for 15 years and then starts developing spots. I have seen the headlight out issue, but it's remedied by replacing the soon to be dead bulb. (At least so far in my experience). None of that is to say that your experience doesn't sound frustrating. The seat adjuster is surprising to me though. I've had multiple Mk5/Mk6 cars with beyond 200k miles with perfectly fine seat motors.
@@eurodriven2507 And I don’t mean to shit on your VW experience. I will say that the car will effortlessly drive 80 - 90 mph all day confidently with acceptable fuel mileage when all systems are go.
TDI are great if you live in a rural area or stick to just highway driving but doing only urban/suburban driving is very damaging to these. Lost mine in an accident (not my fault) looking to switch to a BMW diesel but cant find any that aren't crashed or overpriced.
@@vhurtado85 I didn't add it so I'm not sure. The fronts used to have them as well, but they were removed when the car was in for the corrosion warranty as both fenders got replaced.
@@eurodriven2507 Gotcha. Appreciate the feedback. They look good. Gives me a piece of mind during winter. If you ever get a chance to replace struts and have to remove the rear liner, I respectfully request the part number. Thanks. 😎
Hey man great video! I have a 2015 golf tdi myself and overall it’s been pretty reliable. Although I was wondering if you had an idea about an issue I have. When accelerating or under torque I hear a knocking sound. While cruising or on idle there’s no knocking sound. I don’t think it’s a rod knock, I was thinking maybe injectors issues ?
Sounds more like a bushing or mount issue. If you can get the car up and use a prybar, you can probably find out which bushing/mount has excessive play.
I wish it was this simple. Yes a TDI is an economical choice for long distances but for short distance city driving it's the absolute worst. It clogs the EGR and DPF like crazy and I don't know who works on a TDI in the US.
There are ways around the DPF/EGR problems. And places like TDIClub and Facebook groups are a great way to find TDI gurus and shops familiar with them.
In the meantime I try to sell a 2021 Jetta sport wagon DSG that still covered by the diesel gate warranty for 2 years or 40,000km and nobody's interested.... Is 5,500$ Cad too expensive? The car had the flywheel replaced, new timing belt installed, new brakes and new suspension all around. Even the windshield is brand new! It have 325,000 km (around 200kmiles) on the clock
Well Audi did sell one in 1997, the Audi A4 Avant Duo III with a 1.9TDI with 90HP and 30HP electric motor, both coupled to the same 5 speed manual gearbox. It had a 10kwh total capacity from it's lead acid batteries giving it a expected 50km range that could be recharged by plug it into the wall, by the engine or by regenerative braking and it had switchable modes from a switch on the center console so Duo mode, Diesel mode or Electric mode. Only 100 were made since the hybrid version had basically the same MPG as the normal TDI so the added cost and weight didn't make much sense for people to get them.
I do think your maintenance cost risks for TDI's (you're referring to commonrail TDI specifically) versus hybrids (you're referring specifically Priuses/ Toyota hybrids) is poorly informed. I'm all for both TDI's and Toyota hybrids... But Toyota hybrids do NOT use conventional CVT's. They're not even really transmissions at all - they're just a planetary gear differential. Very simple and robust, no belts. They rarely fail because of that. In fact, the motor wire insulation and the electric oil pump on some are the only failures I know of. All commonrail TDI's have a much higher risk for expensive repairs than the Prius (maybe other hybrids are worse) because of the CP4 high pressure fuel pump that all commonrail TDI's have. When they fail, they take out the entire fuel system. They're both good systems. Toyota should build 3-4 cyl diesel hybrids, honestly. I'm building a plugin hybrid Tundra using Toyota/ Lexus hybrid parts and a TDI Golf commonrail engine. Should be lit.
@@tanner3801 The CP4 is largely overblown. I know it's not a one in a million, but if you are mindful or take any preventative measures, I've seen them last past 400k. The Toyota CVT is still a chain driven CVT. A real first gear does help it, but they're still expensive and still take a lot of $ to maintain properly. Better than a Nissan CVT, but that's a low bar. VW did make a hybrid TDI, the XL1 iirc. Incredible machine!
@eurodriven2507 the Toyota hybrids do not use a CVT, they are called an eCVT and they are so different that they shouldn't be called a CVT... they're called CVT because they are continuous variable but they accomplish it in an entirely different way. There is no chain or belt. Only gears. I'm not saying the CBEA/CJAA/CKRA should be avoided but if people don't take care of their fuel and fuel filter (getting water or dirt in the tank or not changing the filter often enough), the risk of failure increases. The CP4 will absolutely fail eventually due to its design. The CP3 had quite a different design and didn't fail that way. With a disaster prevention kit and proper care, I agree, they're great engines.
Yeah, his MPG figures are somewhat inflated. The best I ever did in any TDI was 49mpg in my mk4 ALH. That was driving like an old man. My mk1 would regularly get over 50mpg, though. Best I ever did in it was 55mpg on a drive from Loveland, CO to Albuquerque, NM. Drove the whole way on one tank (10 gallons) and still had some left over. Crazy mileage in these things. We do have a Beetle with the same engine as his mk6, and real world it gets around 42mpg highway.
Yeah my 2013 Passat 45mpg is all I get after an emissions delete. When it was stock the best I ever got was 43mpg and that wasn't highway like the deleted number was. With the 2015 Passat tdi in stock form I've got up to 51mpg. No idea how anyone gets beyond that. The 2012 Jetta averages 49 mpg on a tank though, but man is it basic (base model, skinny tires, stick shift, no one else in the car).
My friends are dickheads and maybe should have not done it, we travelled up and down the CA coast, avg 25 with an avg speed of 80-90 mph, at times going over 100 on cruise control yes i know the car stock is not ment for that but avg 25 doing that is fucking nuts. Get a Diesel
@@drakekennedy2353 Mid 50's MPG is attainable totally stock. Easier with the "pothole" of course, but I know someone that's actually done 57mpg on a stock car with the diesel gate tune on a Mk6.
@@eurodriven2507 ya but his car is tuned still. My Dad had an 09 jetta TDI and I do remember he got 52mpg before the diesel gate fix. I have a 10 jetta TDI I’ve gotten 39 but my EGR was clogged. I think I’ll get 41 when I drive to TX in November. My car is fixed with no tune. If you know, I’m still trying to figure out what the pre diesel gate tune was like? Since the car did have its dpf and Nox still right, before the fix?
I have a 6spd 2015 that’s karma tuned after the “fix” tune. I get 45mpg combined, if I do mostly short trips I never see below 42, and if I hop highways only I get 62 and have seen as high as 67. It’s a fantastic car but you need to plan on a DPF fix and some other miscellaneous electrical demons that don’t throw error codes. My “no heat” happened to be the two auxiliary water pumps failed and wouldn’t allow the car to bleed properly. Replaced them and the vvt bolt and solenoid and it’s been stone reliable
Toyota hybrids dont have cvt as in they dont have the metal belt, the transmission its called e-cvt and has nothing in common with a traditional cvt, it has two electric motors mg1 and mg2 and planetary gears, its one of best transmissions ever, it does not have torque converter either, they outlast any other transmissions be it manual or auto. Traditional cvts have bad reputation because of poor reliability and because of the rubber band effect upon acceleration, these are traits due to having the steel belt, they also have a torque converter which also lowers the reliability, e-cvt its a totally different animal, it may have the word cvt in it but they are not related in the slightest at the mechanical level. One more thing replacing the transmission fluid in an e-cvt is also way simpler than a cvt or any other auto trannys, u fill it up until fluid overflows and u are done u will button up the overflow port and job done, u dont have to do the special procedures of warming up the tranny until temp gets into the Goldilocks zone 35-40 degC then u open the overflow port wait until the surplus fluid drains out etc bla bla bla. Toyota has cvt cars but those are not hybrids, they are pure ICE cars. (ICE=internal combustion engine) You clearly didn't do your homework, your comparison between TDI and hybrids is not valid since you thought hybrids have cvt transmission which they don't.
I love TDIs and I feel like this video is legit propaganda. His mpg math is out of whack, no stoplights, no traffic, just open road. 45 is way more realistic and that's trying to eek out every ounce of mpg. The ALH is a tank of a diesel engine I wouldn't say the same about others. I would rather get a 2.5 which is considered one of the best VW engines by many because that is truly a "simple" engine not a TDI which in most cases come with a DSG if you cant get a 5 speed car.
@@jabaho 45 is easier, but that doesn't mean that my 57mpg tank record didn't happen or that I don't see 55 regularly. My wife has a 2.5, it is among the best VW ever made, but my TDI has been more dependable and it's hugely cheaper to drive ofc. I would recommend most look at a 2.5 over a TDI if you're not doing drives that are complimentary to the TDI (long hauls, not city traffic).
My TDI was just meant to be shitbox runaround but have kept it over 4 years now and has never let me down! 😃
2015 tdi owner here, my golf gets 63mpg on the highway going 55mph. I usually have a 40 mile commute one way and that’s my avg daily at the end, as high as 68mpg :) long live the diesel !
Currently in the process of swapping a BRM into a 92 Jeep Wrangler.
I don’t have a TDI, but I have a 2018 GTI 6spd Manual, and it’s my 3rd VW GTI. They are the best cars ever made. 35mpg, quiet, nimble and reliable. Now give it ~50mpg, hard to beat
new gear ratios in the mk7 are much better than the mk6 like I have, the 6th gear sits way too high in the rpm range . 75 is like 3.5 k 4k at 90mph, they were more close ratio. if you drive decent even tuned I can get about 28 or more with cruise control at like 75 but I have to run 93 octane in this. Not sure if the manual is closer ratio than the dsg but manual in these is so much more fun. my company car 1.4t has worse mpg as it can't even maintain 75 on steeper hills without downshifting. The tdi is insane honestly, driven the same gen tdi and it is insanely torquey and it was the manual one too and was still fun to drive. Buddy had a tuned tdi wagon mk4 with a bigger turbo that would smoke me off the start and it had 200000 on it.
1.4 is much better with stage 1 remap. Will cruise much nicer in 6th gear. Had one for a while. Remap closes gap in torque quite a bit to tsi. Very good improvement.
@@austinwahl2945my 6spd mk6 hovers at 2k at 75 and about 2.5k at 90 in 6th
I don't have a VW diesel, but a 15 year old 2009 Toyota Auris diesel. It just refuses to die. The 2.2 liter turbo diesel with 177 hp and 400 NM of torque only consumes 5.5 liters per 100 km on long journeys, and it's extremely reliable on just about everything. My parents have a 2010 Golf TDI Blue Motion with a 1.6 liter turbo diesel with 110 hp and a 7 speed DSG and it consumes an impressive low of 4.7 liters per 100 km on average.
Great video and agreed that the TDI is amazing. Have a 2011 JSW with 6MT, added 17" wheels and GTI rear sway bar and it is both fuel efficient and handles amazingly well. Lots of fun to drive, yet still amazing practical, holds a tremendous amount of cargo in the back, and still more fuel efficient than the Altima Hybrid I abandoned years ago (it drove like an appliance and fuel economy is not worth mentioning.) I plan to keep my JSW forever.
No TDi here (own a MK6 golf 5 cyl instead) but have huge respect for them and really both engines have superb reliability and the choice comes down to either more fun or more mpg. Great vid
My wife has a 2.5 Rabbit (auto) and my brother has a 2.5 Jetta wagon (5spd). I have lots of respect for them and I love the sound.
They each have their strengths, I'd like a 2.5 for a winter beater. They heat up quickly and I like the 5spd ratios in the snow.
Cool video. Learned the hard way these things need to be driven. Thought I found a low mileage gem and it turned out to be clogged with soot. With a new $3,000 DPF/EGR for my 2014 JSW I’m logging 60 miles a day at around 41mpg.
Really love my 15 passat manual. Super high comfort, loads of room, manual keeps it entertaining, truly a highway queen. Highest ive gotten was 61mpg
180,000 miles on my 14 tdi, got 80,000 miles before my first major repair, of course the emission system 🤦♂️
Still love the car, when I purchased it , I never thought it would be my forever car, but how can you beat 52mpg and 35mpg when towing a motorcycle
I owned a 2009 TDI Jetta Sportwagon for 8 years and I got rid of it via the diesel gate buyback. Loved the mileage, interior fit and finish and the handling. Unfortunately, had many issues such as the DPF, which was replaced just before the warranty expired, CV boot splitting due to improper clamp installation at the factory, sunroof drain tube blockage causing interior flooding, various oil leaks at the turbo, water pump failure. Most annoying was the creaking of the pano sunroof which required regular lubrication to make it atleast tolerable. All of these occurred within the 8 years I owned it and 140k km. I also own a BMW 335d which, with the exception of the emissions system, has been trouble free in the 13 years I have owned it.
I get 58 mpg on my 2001 mk4 tdi bio converted lowered and rocking a skybox 21 and a tool tray in the trunk and a system I got Porsche's and audis but my tdi is always first on tap!
Wife and I own a 2011 TDI Sportwagen. It's a great car that's served us well! It handles awesome, and the engine has low end torque like an American big-block engine. Great for accellerating onto highways. I like it just because it's a strong, responsive, precice handling car. The 48 MPG's it gets on the highway is just an added bonus. Where hybrids sacrifice all for fuel economy, a TDI VW is just simply a great driving car that happens to get amazing mileage. I drove a 2015 a few times. They are good too, but feels like they sacrificed a little bit of the low end power to improve top end power. Still a great driving car, but I like the feel the CJAA's bring when it doesn't even need to down shift to go!
same, my mk7 crua TDI can go up any hill and stay in 6th gear, never has to down shift for added power which cant be said for gas models like my old camry which was always gear hunting haha
It's competing with 1970's petrol 4 cylinder fuel economy, and 1990's economy car reliability. Diesel costs more than petrol on average. Also, the TDI was part of the lawsuit, because it was found to emit much higher levels of nitrous oxide than legal limits. Cool car though, i'd drive one as a daily for sure.
Nice looking Mk6, didn't know they made two door TDI Golfs and I was surprised to find out thats the stock bumper. My Mk7 has been very solid and after a stage 1, lowering springs, and few other minor mods I'm looking a options for a different bumper to finish the OEM+ GTI look.
Don't forget to warn about CP4 failure and dpf failures after the dieselgate recall.
Dpf failures yes, cp4 failures are blown out of proportion it is not as common as people make it out to be.
Use good quality fuel and you won’t have an issue with cp4.
@@Cristian121212100 That might be true but there’s a reason every vehicle with a CP4 has a CP3 swap kit available. Mine shelled and had to be replaced, consequently my old man immediately CP3 swapped his powerstroke
It’s not just fuel, look up the CP4 design flaw, they didn’t key the floating pump roller bearing that the cam rides. It can spin vertically with the cam and no longer roll, making it grind against the cam and you get the good ol’ metal flakes
for your dpf, just drive the car long distance and floor it occasionally and use good diesel + additives - a friend of mine has 315K on his passat dpf and still the stock unit that's never clogged
Car looks almost same as mine, even down to exterior mods. I have rear oled lights which look great. Still going strong 100k miles.
OLED lights?? Link?
@@eurodriven2507never heard of olded car lights but th-cam.com/video/dS89sUWVlFE/w-d-xo.htmlsi=22ZpOFTXX5HfW3U2
Get the best of both worlds and create a diesel hybrid powertrain
Look up the VW XL1. They also did it in the European Audi S5 Avant.
@@eurodriven2507 mercedes has a few diesel hybrids too in some of their taxi cars in europe when I visited, I think they can get as high as 80mpg on an e-class chassis
Another great vid man. Its rear looks so good- is that an Sp1 roof spoiler? If not, could you send us a link?
Thank you! This is where I got it from. Hopefully the link works!
www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_dkr=1&iconV2Request=true&_blrs=recall_filtering&_ssn=partsbrokersllc&store_cat=0&store_name=partsbrokersllc&_oac=1&_nkw=oem%20rear%20spoiler%20wing%20air%20dam%20vw%20golf
2013 Golf TDI owner here. Its EPA rating of 30/42/34 is what I get, yet there’s all this folklore about 50 and 55mpg for cars like this. Perhaps that’s possible after deleting the EGR valve, deleting the DPF and messing with the mapping.
I was excited to buy the car, but find the constant maintenance to be such a disappointment as compared to Hondas for example.
The car has made me a decent diy mechanic and its required me to buy lots of new tools which isn’t the worst thing in life I suppose.
When the car is dialed in, it’s a hoot, but up here way north in the snow belt, there are too many compromises in terms of reliability.
My buddy got 57mpg going through a few states with all of the EPA stuff installed. I'm also at 198k and the only items that I've ever had to mess with are brake pads at 175k and a sway bar end link at 192k. Otherwise it's just fluid and filters. And I'm in Minnesota so definitely not a nice climate. It has less issues and more miles than the Toyotas I've been around.
That has not been my experience unfortunately, but I’m glad it’s yours.
First there was the charge air cooler TSB 21 12 01 / 2025464 regarding potential hydrolocking, then a MAF sensor, broken e-brake cable, intake air temp sensor, an exhaust gas temp sensor last week, repeated replacement of the driver’s seat height adjuster, and one of my favorites, a charge air efficiency threshold error which requires cleaning the heat exchanger.
I’ve had random rust issues, none on large exterior panels thankfully, taken care of three times under warranty.
My favorite quality gremlin was the day that the DSG transmission wouldn’t respond to paddle-shift inputs. Turning the car on and off was the remedy.
The funniest quirk is the warning light to tell you that a lightbulb somewhere in the car is out, yet all the bulbs are good. Again, cycling the car off/on remedies the problem.
Lastly, one of the two sunroof gutter drains became detached at the firewall.
Not any one item is that big of a deal, but if these were occurring on anything but a German engineered product, it would be considered cheap. Because it’s a VW, it’s quirky.
Well, a lot of those aren't even potential items on mine. Manual seats, manual transmission, no sunroof, and of course, a delete would solve a lot of that too.
I did use the 12yr corrosion warranty myself, got two new fenders, a hatch, and rockers on both sides. Should it rust? Ideally, no. Am I glad it had a warranty and that it will now be clean for another 12yrs? Definitely. That beats a car that doesn't rust for 15 years and then starts developing spots.
I have seen the headlight out issue, but it's remedied by replacing the soon to be dead bulb. (At least so far in my experience).
None of that is to say that your experience doesn't sound frustrating. The seat adjuster is surprising to me though. I've had multiple Mk5/Mk6 cars with beyond 200k miles with perfectly fine seat motors.
@@eurodriven2507 And I don’t mean to shit on your VW experience.
I will say that the car will effortlessly drive 80 - 90 mph all day confidently with acceptable fuel mileage when all systems are go.
@@eurodriven2507 The seat lifters I’ve had trouble with are the manual type, not motorized.
TDI are great if you live in a rural area or stick to just highway driving but doing only urban/suburban driving is very damaging to these. Lost mine in an accident (not my fault) looking to switch to a BMW diesel but cant find any that aren't crashed or overpriced.
Saw your video. Enjoyed that rear fender wheel arch addition. Part number would be awesome. I have had no luck finding it in ETKA. Thanks.
@@vhurtado85 I didn't add it so I'm not sure. The fronts used to have them as well, but they were removed when the car was in for the corrosion warranty as both fenders got replaced.
@@eurodriven2507 Gotcha. Appreciate the feedback. They look good. Gives me a piece of mind during winter. If you ever get a chance to replace struts and have to remove the rear liner, I respectfully request the part number. Thanks. 😎
Found them. However your full wheel arch, no avail.
5K0807833 - left rear
5K0807834 - right rear
5K0807823B - left front
5K0807824B - right front
Bro I just remembered dieselgate!
Wish we had diesel powered small cars in Brazil
Hey man great video! I have a 2015 golf tdi myself and overall it’s been pretty reliable. Although I was wondering if you had an idea about an issue I have. When accelerating or under torque I hear a knocking sound. While cruising or on idle there’s no knocking sound. I don’t think it’s a rod knock, I was thinking maybe injectors issues ?
Sounds more like a bushing or mount issue. If you can get the car up and use a prybar, you can probably find out which bushing/mount has excessive play.
I wish it was this simple. Yes a TDI is an economical choice for long distances but for short distance city driving it's the absolute worst. It clogs the EGR and DPF like crazy and I don't know who works on a TDI in the US.
There are ways around the DPF/EGR problems. And places like TDIClub and Facebook groups are a great way to find TDI gurus and shops familiar with them.
@@eurodriven2507So true.
I'm only subscribed to be told how great my mk6 tdi is 😁
In the meantime I try to sell a 2021 Jetta sport wagon DSG that still covered by the diesel gate warranty for 2 years or 40,000km and nobody's interested.... Is 5,500$ Cad too expensive? The car had the flywheel replaced, new timing belt installed, new brakes and new suspension all around. Even the windshield is brand new! It have 325,000 km (around 200kmiles) on the clock
DSG hurts resale quite a bit. So does pano roof if you've got one
Im max out at 42 mpgs combined. Potholed and .5 Tunezilla. Any suggestions?
Manual or DSG? Drafting helps, engine braking helps, granny shifting and of course, keeping your foot out of it lol.
@@eurodriven2507 DSG. I did have to replace the flywheel. BUTT!!! In all fairness I don’t drive like I care about mpgs. lol
Hear me out, what if: Hybrid wagon with a 1.9 TDI engine.
Well Audi did sell one in 1997, the Audi A4 Avant Duo III with a 1.9TDI with 90HP and 30HP electric motor, both coupled to the same 5 speed manual gearbox.
It had a 10kwh total capacity from it's lead acid batteries giving it a expected 50km range that could be recharged by plug it into the wall, by the engine or by regenerative braking and it had switchable modes from a switch on the center console so Duo mode, Diesel mode or Electric mode.
Only 100 were made since the hybrid version had basically the same MPG as the normal TDI so the added cost and weight didn't make much sense for people to get them.
Diesel is fuel efficient regulations killing it
I do think your maintenance cost risks for TDI's (you're referring to commonrail TDI specifically) versus hybrids (you're referring specifically Priuses/ Toyota hybrids) is poorly informed.
I'm all for both TDI's and Toyota hybrids...
But Toyota hybrids do NOT use conventional CVT's. They're not even really transmissions at all - they're just a planetary gear differential. Very simple and robust, no belts. They rarely fail because of that. In fact, the motor wire insulation and the electric oil pump on some are the only failures I know of.
All commonrail TDI's have a much higher risk for expensive repairs than the Prius (maybe other hybrids are worse) because of the CP4 high pressure fuel pump that all commonrail TDI's have. When they fail, they take out the entire fuel system.
They're both good systems. Toyota should build 3-4 cyl diesel hybrids, honestly.
I'm building a plugin hybrid Tundra using Toyota/ Lexus hybrid parts and a TDI Golf commonrail engine. Should be lit.
@@tanner3801 The CP4 is largely overblown. I know it's not a one in a million, but if you are mindful or take any preventative measures, I've seen them last past 400k. The Toyota CVT is still a chain driven CVT. A real first gear does help it, but they're still expensive and still take a lot of $ to maintain properly. Better than a Nissan CVT, but that's a low bar.
VW did make a hybrid TDI, the XL1 iirc. Incredible machine!
@eurodriven2507 the Toyota hybrids do not use a CVT, they are called an eCVT and they are so different that they shouldn't be called a CVT... they're called CVT because they are continuous variable but they accomplish it in an entirely different way. There is no chain or belt. Only gears.
I'm not saying the CBEA/CJAA/CKRA should be avoided but if people don't take care of their fuel and fuel filter (getting water or dirt in the tank or not changing the filter often enough), the risk of failure increases. The CP4 will absolutely fail eventually due to its design. The CP3 had quite a different design and didn't fail that way.
With a disaster prevention kit and proper care, I agree, they're great engines.
@@tanner3801 Ah, we're both right. They eliminated the chain with the third Gen Prius.
I can't get better than 45mpg on a completely stock MK6 driving like a grandpa all highway... 57 is impossible.
Yeah, his MPG figures are somewhat inflated. The best I ever did in any TDI was 49mpg in my mk4 ALH. That was driving like an old man. My mk1 would regularly get over 50mpg, though. Best I ever did in it was 55mpg on a drive from Loveland, CO to Albuquerque, NM. Drove the whole way on one tank (10 gallons) and still had some left over. Crazy mileage in these things. We do have a Beetle with the same engine as his mk6, and real world it gets around 42mpg highway.
Yeah my 2013 Passat 45mpg is all I get after an emissions delete. When it was stock the best I ever got was 43mpg and that wasn't highway like the deleted number was.
With the 2015 Passat tdi in stock form I've got up to 51mpg. No idea how anyone gets beyond that.
The 2012 Jetta averages 49 mpg on a tank though, but man is it basic (base model, skinny tires, stick shift, no one else in the car).
Me want
ALH TDI is king.
My friends are dickheads and maybe should have not done it, we travelled up and down the CA coast, avg 25 with an avg speed of 80-90 mph, at times going over 100 on cruise control
yes i know the car stock is not ment for that but avg 25 doing that is fucking nuts. Get a Diesel
What rims?
VW "Goals". They're the lightest 5x112 17" they made.
Deleted 2014 man trans 3.5 l per 100 liters on hiway yes 60 plus average
get 50mpg from my 1.2tsi
But isn't yours deleted and tuned?
@@drakekennedy2353 Mid 50's MPG is attainable totally stock. Easier with the "pothole" of course, but I know someone that's actually done 57mpg on a stock car with the diesel gate tune on a Mk6.
@@eurodriven2507 ya but his car is tuned still. My Dad had an 09 jetta TDI and I do remember he got 52mpg before the diesel gate fix. I have a 10 jetta TDI I’ve gotten 39 but my EGR was clogged. I think I’ll get 41 when I drive to TX in November. My car is fixed with no tune.
If you know, I’m still trying to figure out what the pre diesel gate tune was like? Since the car did have its dpf and Nox still right, before the fix?
@@eurodriven2507 oh my bad you said diesel gate tune like my car. But was that the entire tank avg? The 57mpg. Theres no way
I have a 6spd 2015 that’s karma tuned after the “fix” tune. I get 45mpg combined, if I do mostly short trips I never see below 42, and if I hop highways only I get 62 and have seen as high as 67.
It’s a fantastic car but you need to plan on a DPF fix and some other miscellaneous electrical demons that don’t throw error codes. My “no heat” happened to be the two auxiliary water pumps failed and wouldn’t allow the car to bleed properly. Replaced them and the vvt bolt and solenoid and it’s been stone reliable
You sponsored by vw? Lol. 🤣
@@costasgeorgiou5015 Nope, just love my car.
@@eurodriven2507 lol you and me both but I really got to clean mine out! 🤣
Toyota hybrids dont have cvt as in they dont have the metal belt, the transmission its called e-cvt and has nothing in common with a traditional cvt, it has two electric motors mg1 and mg2 and planetary gears, its one of best transmissions ever, it does not have torque converter either, they outlast any other transmissions be it manual or auto.
Traditional cvts have bad reputation because of poor reliability and because of the rubber band effect upon acceleration, these are traits due to having the steel belt, they also have a torque converter which also lowers the reliability, e-cvt its a totally different animal, it may have the word cvt in it but they are not related in the slightest at the mechanical level.
One more thing replacing the transmission fluid in an e-cvt is also way simpler than a cvt or any other auto trannys, u fill it up until fluid overflows and u are done u will button up the overflow port and job done, u dont have to do the special procedures of warming up the tranny until temp gets into the Goldilocks zone 35-40 degC then u open the overflow port wait until the surplus fluid drains out etc bla bla bla.
Toyota has cvt cars but those are not hybrids, they are pure ICE cars. (ICE=internal combustion engine)
You clearly didn't do your homework, your comparison between TDI and hybrids is not valid since you thought hybrids have cvt transmission which they don't.
The Gen3 Prius is when they stopped using a typical chain CVT setup. Gen1 and Gen2 had chains. And plenty of other hybrids do too.
I love TDIs and I feel like this video is legit propaganda. His mpg math is out of whack, no stoplights, no traffic, just open road. 45 is way more realistic and that's trying to eek out every ounce of mpg. The ALH is a tank of a diesel engine I wouldn't say the same about others. I would rather get a 2.5 which is considered one of the best VW engines by many because that is truly a "simple" engine not a TDI which in most cases come with a DSG if you cant get a 5 speed car.
@@jabaho 45 is easier, but that doesn't mean that my 57mpg tank record didn't happen or that I don't see 55 regularly. My wife has a 2.5, it is among the best VW ever made, but my TDI has been more dependable and it's hugely cheaper to drive ofc. I would recommend most look at a 2.5 over a TDI if you're not doing drives that are complimentary to the TDI (long hauls, not city traffic).