TDI Passat?

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Good evening folks,

Needless to say, and evidenced by my numerous past posts, I will be in the market for a commuter DD car this spring.

How are the later model Passats? Specifically the TDIs? Does anyone have a modern TDI that can chime in on how well they start in very cold weather. I looked on YouTube and the cold start situation is all over the board -- some start great, some not so much. The poor starts, I can only imagine that someone might have gelled fuel and or weak/bad glow plugs.

I also see they have a DSG 6-speed auto. Are these trannys pretty good? I of course maintain stuff very well, so if it is a matter of keeping to the service interval, no problem.

Have never had anything German so really curious on VW. The seats in the cars look comfy.
 
I had a 2015 Passat TDI and put over 60k miles on it in 2 years. Nice car, handles well but a bit more "floaty " than many VW fans like.
Cold start is very dependent on fuel quality and proper use of anti gel additives. Lowest temp I ever started mine in was 8 below in Cleveland. Started right up with no problem but quite a bit more clattering than usual. Dress warmly as a diesel takes a while to warm up even with the electric heat assistance and heated seats.
The DSG was flawless for me and I do all the transmission maintenance on my DSGs.
It's a great open road car that gobbles up the highway. I hand calculated over a dozen 900+ mile tanks (48+ mpg prefix) all highway of course but it's the only vehicle I ever had where the tank lasted longer than my bladder.

You mentioned as a DD but I wouldn't recommend them if your daily trip is less than 15 miles one way.
 
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Thanks for the info. Yes my daily commute is 55-60 miles round trip. Is the DSG pretty painless to service?
 
You only buy one of these because your a fan of diesels. Nothing wrong with that. Many people here hate VW and or German vehicles.
This is an oil board after all where people worry about what oil to put in their Toyota Camry.

I happen to be a semi mechanic for UPS and will suggest a few things. Don't buy a diesel if you have a short commute. Don't buy a modern diesel and let the vehicle warm up more than 2 minutes before driving off. Don't let a modern diesel sit and idle for extended periods. Emissions on modern diesels are stupid costly when something goes wrong and can easily wipe out any fuel savings for the next 200K miles. Letting a modern diesel idle is bad on the emissions system.

Stay away unless your a fan of diesels, have a proper commute and can afford to drop thousands of dollars getting it fixed if out of warranty only to drop thousands of dollars 2 months later to fix something else.
 
Originally Posted by redhat
Thanks for the info. Yes my daily commute is 55-60 miles round trip. Is the DSG pretty painless to service?

The DSG service is not bad. Imho the hardest part is taking the battery tray out to get to the transmission filter. I just dropped the transmission fluid, measured it and replaced. I put the new fluid down the filter hole brought it up to temp and checked the level by removing the drain plug until the overflow slowed considerably and plugged it back up.
My wife's daily commute was 50 miles each way and we also chased my daughters college softball team all over the east coast.
 
I had a 2015 Passat TDI that only had 20k miles on it when VW bought it back for dieselgate. I loved that car but couldn't not take the $8500 free money and the use of the car for 2 years. Mine was a 6 speed manual and I got upper 40's consistently. Anything you buy will have the "Fix" applied so mpg and performance will be less but a good warranty is offered from VW. I love diesels/VW's and do my own maintenance but I can't with a clear conscience recommend one to someone unless they are prepared for the different experience they offer. You would probably be better off with a hybrid for fuel mileage and ease of ownership.
 
Not a Passat, but my 2011 Jetta TDI starts in the cold just as fast as in the warm (ie. instantly), the only difference is that in really cold weather you wait a bit longer for the glow plug light to go out before you crank.

As for the DSG, can't complain about it. I prefer manual, but my wife can't drive a manual so we bought the DSG. I have serviced it myself at 40k and again at 80k. Now I am at 120k and it needs another service, but I will wait until it gets a bit warmer. I get the fluid and filter at idparts.com.
 
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They are great vehicles. They will start at seriously low temperatures going below -30. The way you can mitigate that is using oils that are VW 504.00/507.00 (you must use oils approved for this specification) and 0W30 grade like Mobil1 0W30 ESP or Pennzoil Platinum 0W30 LX.
Those 2.0 TDI with CR technology are serious improvement over their botched 2.0TDI and pumpe-duse technology. In Europe there are millions of them on the road, and my brother had a fleet of VW's with that engine that racked up hundreds of thousands of km per unit.
DSG is excellent transmission if you do not plan to tow. It is actually robotized manual transmission and does not ahve torque converter. Make sure you change fluid and filter in transmission every 40-50k.
 
HPFP and DPF failures are too common. Expensive service on DSG and timing belts too.

There's no savings over a gas car. Been there and done that.

Paying for extra fuel and depreciation on the F150 is a lot cheaper than buying another car and paying for insurance, registration, maintenance, and repairs on a 2nd car.

Plus, once you get to the higher mileage point, you get to buy a new truck (cheaper, again).
 
The previous generation models are much simpler and cheaper to fix with the PD engines. My 06 Jetta averages 55 mpg but is a stick. You can find them for a third the price of a late model.
 
Originally Posted by Nick1994
HPFP and DPF failures are too common. Expensive service on DSG and timing belts too.

There's no savings over a gas car. Been there and done that.

Paying for extra fuel and depreciation on the F150 is a lot cheaper than buying another car and paying for insurance, registration, maintenance, and repairs on a 2nd car.

Plus, once you get to the higher mileage point, you get to buy a new truck (cheaper, again).

DSG service is around $250.
 
Originally Posted by edyvw
Originally Posted by Nick1994
HPFP and DPF failures are too common. Expensive service on DSG and timing belts too.

There's no savings over a gas car. Been there and done that.

Paying for extra fuel and depreciation on the F150 is a lot cheaper than buying another car and paying for insurance, registration, maintenance, and repairs on a 2nd car.

Plus, once you get to the higher mileage point, you get to buy a new truck (cheaper, again).

DSG service is around $250.

$200+ thrown down the toilet.
 
Originally Posted by Nick1994
Originally Posted by edyvw
Originally Posted by Nick1994
HPFP and DPF failures are too common. Expensive service on DSG and timing belts too.

There's no savings over a gas car. Been there and done that.

Paying for extra fuel and depreciation on the F150 is a lot cheaper than buying another car and paying for insurance, registration, maintenance, and repairs on a 2nd car.

Plus, once you get to the higher mileage point, you get to buy a new truck (cheaper, again).

DSG service is around $250.

$200+ thrown down the toilet.

I had several of those services, never thought they went down the toilet.
 
My brother bought a 15 Passat TDI 6 speed manual. I found the car and worked the deal out. We drove an identical TDI with the DSG on the same day. The manual felt like it was noticeably quicker, to the point that we wondered if it really was detuned. He's put 40k on it and loves it. I do not like VW, neither does my brother. But I would buy one of these if I was driving 30k a year or more. And I would only buy one with a manual trans.

Oh, and he's seen over 52mpg on a full tank average numerous times.
 
Does the DSG still use the problematic DMF?

I loved my TDI but at the end I was sweating bullets that I'd get rid of it before the PD injectors went--somehow the cam in mine went the miles, but I'm still not sure how.
 
Thank you all for the info and advice. I would say that I'm pretty accustom to how well Honda's age in terms of maintenance needed and parts cost. With that said, I am assuming I probably wouldn't like a Passat let alone a TDI.
 
I've a 2015 Passat Tdi, 6 speed manual, I bought before dieselgate with only 2,800 miles. Currently have right at 70,000 miles. Made a few bucks from the dieselgate fix. Car runs just as well if not better than before. Same with mpg's. No issues, other that a battery replacement. It now has some kind of wicked extended warranty because of the settlement, but I doubt that I'll ever use it. Car is solid.
 
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Originally Posted by supton
Does the DSG still use the problematic DMF?

I loved my TDI but at the end I was sweating bullets that I'd get rid of it before the PD injectors went--somehow the cam in mine went the miles, but I'm still not sure how.


No, completely different inside those transmissions. Cam issues are very common on the PDs, usually we recommend replacement at 150k with lifters, or as problems arise.

Coming from an older TDI, these new motors are really nice. Their power delivery combined with fuel economy is worlds better than my ALH, however they can have sme pricey issues. As long as you have an emissions warranty, most is covered but my buddy had a few more costly repairs, wastegate actuator for one. Most forums are showing people in the high 40s low 50s on highway cruise, but another friends gasser golf wagon can average 37-38 so if youre going for fuel savings its not a huge difference. Apples to apples drive them both and make your decision, the tdi torque delivery is much nice than the gasser, and with a flash down the road you can get even more power and mpg out of them. Its really the emissions equipment that makes them pricey out of warranty. The older test was if there was any noticebale buildup of soot on the tailpipe, it probably has a broken/cracked DPF. My Gl has 102k and the tips are still extremely clean no soot.
 
Originally Posted by Audios
Originally Posted by supton
Does the DSG still use the problematic DMF?

I loved my TDI but at the end I was sweating bullets that I'd get rid of it before the PD injectors went--somehow the cam in mine went the miles, but I'm still not sure how.


No, completely different inside those transmissions. Cam issues are very common on the PDs, usually we recommend replacement at 150k with lifters, or as problems arise.

Coming from an older TDI, these new motors are really nice. Their power delivery combined with fuel economy is worlds better than my ALH, however they can have sme pricey issues. As long as you have an emissions warranty, most is covered but my buddy had a few more costly repairs, wastegate actuator for one. Most forums are showing people in the high 40s low 50s on highway cruise, but another friends gasser golf wagon can average 37-38 so if youre going for fuel savings its not a huge difference. Apples to apples drive them both and make your decision, the tdi torque delivery is much nice than the gasser, and with a flash down the road you can get even more power and mpg out of them. Its really the emissions equipment that makes them pricey out of warranty. The older test was if there was any noticebale buildup of soot on the tailpipe, it probably has a broken/cracked DPF. My Gl has 102k and the tips are still extremely clean no soot.

I thought my '04 TDI was pretty nice. I did 314,000 miles and decided it was time to bail, people were starting to tell me I was getting to the service life of the motor. I think injectors were still $700 each at that point? Even at $500 it didn't seem justified to me to be getting ready for a cam, injectors and full rebuild. Not since I needed fenders, a rear hatch and who knows what else. I got the 300k I had planned for, but not without a lot of worrying about what might break along the way.

I'm still miffed that the DMF failed. I saw the pressure plate and clutch disc, and they were minty fine despite 250k on them.
 
Yes thats common, the springs fail internally, and some explode! Injectors were very very pricey, and unfortunately not many aftermarket replacements due to the innovative PD. However even the more common alh injectors would still be pricey if needed to be replaced. 300k is awesome nowadays, like most older diesels the engines usually outlive the cars theyre installed in. 500k or more in not unheard of, but at what point do its costs outweigh its value? I absolutely love these little cars, besides my 02 I have an 04 and 05 im prepping for sale, they were the end of an era.
 
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