99 VW New Beetle TDI (non pump-duse)

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Hello all,
New to the forum...interesting stuff for sure. Seeking your thoughts on Shell Rotella T full synthetic 5w40 (CI-4 plus)versus more expensive Mobil 1 5w40 turbo diesel truck (same as Mobil Delvac 1...correct??)..have not seen the new? Mobil Delvac 1 ESP? with CJ-4 rating.,,Castrol has a CJ-4 diesel rated oil...all these available at the local Walmart....your opinions?

Thanks all!
 
The Shell Rotella-T synthetic 5W-40 has proven to be a excellent choice for the VW TDI with ALH engine.

I have personally used Delvac-1 as the main oil in my TDI with the occasional sampling of Castrol and Amsoil but the Rotella-T has proven to be every bit as competent as Delvac-1 (the Mobil-1 turbo diesel truck sold as Wal-Mart).

If I had it all to do over again I'd probably use the Rotella exclusively. It's a impressive oil.

If you're new to the Beetle diesel then there are a few maintenance items to keep on top of in order to ensure a long and trouble free life.
 
FowVay,

Please share the Beetle TDI info...my other diesel is a 02 Cummins (last one before the common rail...loud and I like it)
I'm learning about my VW...getting her cleaned up...bought the basic (Haynes)VW book...not as detailed as Bentley's or another one? 99 with 77K, manual...bought it two months ago. Changed the fuel filter and MAF sensor, I'm pretty sure the filter needed changing as mileage went from 42-43 to 48-49. Use it as my daily commuter approx 45 miles one way.
Share with me anything I need to be watchful for...so far, I love my mileage and the ALH engine.
 
Well, the Bentley manual is by far the best service manual to buy. Haynes and Chilton books don't have anywhere near the vehicle specific information that the Bentley has.

The 1998-2001 Beetle had some teething problems with items like the fuel filler door, interior finish, and a few electrical glitches.

The cars are prone to intake manifold clogging caused by engine oil vapors being passed through the intake and mixing with the exhaust soot that is deposited back into the intake via the EGR valve. It is typical to remove the intercooler and the intake manifold at every timing belt change and cleaning things out. This brings up the topic of the timing belt. If the belt has never been changed then it's time to replace it. Back in 1999 there were two timing belt intervals: 60,000 miles for cars equipped with the manual transmission and 40,000 miles for cars equipped with the automatic transmission. The difference was due to the size of the injection pump plunger which was larger on the automatic transmissmion equipped cars (11mm vs. 10mm). Most new timing belt kits sold on the internet come with a 100,000 mile timing belt and rollers.

You've already experienced the problem with the MAF sensor.

Here are some great places to buy expendable maintenance parts:

tdiparts.com; dieselgeek.com; worldimpex.com; just to name a few.

Also, tdiclub.com is a great place to hang out.
 
Rotella T 5w-40 is a good choice. I ran it for years in a pair of 00 Jetta TDS's without an oil related issue. You will find the Bentley very helpful. Keep an eye on TB change interval. And go to Freds tdiclub all of your questions will get answers there.And find how to PDF's
 
Some TDI owners average over 50 mpg. I don't drive for economy, I want to reach my destination ASAP, so my Golf TDI has a lifetime average of only a bit over 40 mpg. I can send you my fuel usage spreadsheet for the last 253k miles if you want to see how I got this mileage.
 
Originally Posted By: LT4 Vette
I am considering buying one for economy since I do alot of highway driving.

Economy is not the only reason -- VW TDIs can also be a lot of fun to drive, especially with a chip.
 
Originally Posted By: holtzadaa
Hello all,
New to the forum...interesting stuff for sure. Seeking your thoughts on Shell Rotella T full synthetic 5w40 (CI-4 plus)versus more expensive Mobil 1 5w40 turbo diesel truck (same as Mobil Delvac 1...correct??)..have not seen the new? Mobil Delvac 1 ESP? with CJ-4 rating.,,Castrol has a CJ-4 diesel rated oil...all these available at the local Walmart....your opinions?

Thanks all!
mobil i 5w40 will do a great job in that engine. i have a 2000 tdi beetle with 167,000 on and i use mobil 1 5w40 in it. mobil 1 0w40 vw 505.00 will do a good job to it meets all the specs.my beetle is a auto trans and i get from 37 41 miles a gallon going back and forth to work and some city driving.
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Search the UOA section here and you'll see lots of happy campers with Delvac1, RotellaT, and many others.
Synthetic 5w40
 
I have a '01 Golf TDI and a '02 Jetta TDI and I run Schaeffer's Supreme 5w-40 synthetic. I also run it in my '07 LBZ Duramax as well. It is a very good oil.
 
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