Hello, I'm looking at buying a used 01 Jetta auto that a guy has for sale. It has 65,000 miles on it and is in nice shape. I plan to test drive it sometime time next week and was looking for any good or bad things to look for. He said the timing belt has not been changed yet, so what does this cost and could I do it my self with the right tool. What kind of milage are people getting with the TDI auto's. Thanks for any advice, Rob.
If you buy it make him replace the TB. Or figure about 5 hours labor + the belt + the tensioner. Also would be a good idea to have the VW dealer do a quality/safety check to see what they find.
Sunoco Gold Diesel, Howes diesel fuel additive, PSI tuning box installed on engine (doesn't affect fuel economy unless I lay onto the throttle a lot)
1999.5 Golf TDI, 4 speed Auto.About $700.00 for the timing belt, and you don't want to even attempt it yourself. You'll need almost that much in special tools and if you're off by as much as 1 tooth and turn the engine, it's history. Diesels are interference engines and there's no room for error. Once the belt is changed you'd need to connect it to a VAG-com (computer) and set the injection timing. A VAG-com will set you back another $200.00. Automatics get timing belts replaced every 40,000 miles ... manual trans every 60,000 miles.
You might want to look here for more info
has 65,000 miles on it and is in nice shape. I plan
things to look for. He said the timing belt has not
right tool. What kind of milage are people getting
Wow! that much. That's a big disappointment on the timing belt change. Anybody here on this site own a TDI auto and think it's still worth test driving. If the maintance is going to run that high it seems like the fuel savings would be eaten into pretty fast over time.
Pretty much... Old style tensioners on the automatic cars have no savings when you factor in maintenance vs savings in fuel consumption.
The new style tensioner allows for I think an 85000 mile replacement life.
Mike Beede
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