Birthday Mind Blow  (TDI Content)

"Mercedes Streeter" (smart) 11/30/2019 at 13:40 • Filed to: None

8

28

I bought this Passat TDI with a 3/4 tank. I then drove it 170 miles home and have driven it about 130-ish miles around town. That’s 300-ish miles on a half tank of diesel. That’s basically 600 miles on a 16 gallon tank and the engine isn’t even at 100% right now.

Granted, that only comes out to about 37 mpg, but that’s 37 mpg out of a vehicle from 2005 that’s less than two feet shorter than a Chevy Tahoe. And at the current cost of diesel at the nearest station, that’s a $44 fill up.

I can see why TDIs were and are still adored by many.

Meanwhile, today’s my 27th birthday! I’m considering the Passat as a present to myself. No idea what today has in store. I’m being taken out and have been told to dress fancy. Yassss.

ETA: Just learned that Crown Vics are 212" long. My world has been turned upside down.

CB > Mercedes Streeter 11/30/2019 at 13:55

1

Happy birthday! I hope your cars work!

shop-teacher > Mercedes Streeter 11/30/2019 at 14:00

1

Happy birthday!

Svend > Mercedes Streeter 11/30/2019 at 14:05

1

Happy birthday lass. 

Dash-doorhandle-6 cyl none the richer > Mercedes Streeter 11/30/2019 at 14:22

1

Happy birthday Miss! No diesel S martCars in America?  I had thought they were all diesels until recently.  (in Canada they mostly are) Also wagons are cool. 

cluelessk > Mercedes Streeter 11/30/2019 at 14:25

2

Happy Birthday.

Get those headlights restored. Most detailing shops do it for a decent price. Even a body shop might do it for you.

It’s one of the easiest ways to improve the look of a car and hide it’s age.

Montalvo > Mercedes Streeter 11/30/2019 at 14:46

1

Congrats! Glad you  are seeing some decent dividends from your recent purchase. My car celebrated cresting 50,000 miles by blowing coolant out of its reservoir. It is nice to be reminded how German BMW is (I need my corvette now please...). Fun fact about crown vics, while they start out in life at 212" by end of life they are actually around 190~200".

$kaycog > Mercedes Streeter 11/30/2019 at 14:49

1

Happy Birthday!  Have some cake!

KnowsAboutCars > Mercedes Streeter 11/30/2019 at 14:54

1

Happy Birthday!

Future Heap Owner > Mercedes Streeter 11/30/2019 at 14:57

1

Happy B irthday! I hope you have a fun fancy  night out

cberg > Mercedes Streeter 11/30/2019 at 15:01

1

That’s a very useful thing. My roommate wants an AH TDI jetta wagon, I wish they sold these as manuals.

As for me I’m searching out a Volvo V70 2.4i with the 5 speed...

Mercedes Streeter > Dash-doorhandle-6 cyl none the richer 11/30/2019 at 15:30

0

None officially in the US. A few Canadian diesels are here but they aren’t supposed to be. Hmmm...

And thank you! :D

Mercedes Streeter > cluelessk 11/30/2019 at 15:31

1

Thanks!!!! :)

It’s on my list of things after fixing the limp mode. The tails are just a tad hazy as well. :)

JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t > Mercedes Streeter 11/30/2019 at 15:43

0

Happy birthday! Enjoy those infrequent fillups. 

BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind > Mercedes Streeter 11/30/2019 at 16:26

1

Happy birthday!  I owned a B5.5 Passat for a very rough six months. Although the only issue I had was a bad fuel pump, I couldn’t help but feel like the car had it out for me. 

jminer > Mercedes Streeter 11/30/2019 at 16:32

1

Happy Birthday!

Yeah those TDIs are awesome - I absolutely love my sportwagen - i get 40 mpg with the cruise set to 85 on the highway. It does 500 miles a tank easy and is fantastic.

Steve in Manhattan > Mercedes Streeter 11/30/2019 at 18:01

1

Happy Birthday. Mine was the 10th, same as the Marine Corps.

cluelessk > Mercedes Streeter 11/30/2019 at 19:59

0

It looks like it's in nice shape overall. Jealous of your mileage.

pip bip - choose Corrour > Mercedes Streeter 11/30/2019 at 21:12

1

happy birthday!

Dogsatemypants > Mercedes Streeter 11/30/2019 at 23:36

1

Interesting... my buddy has a 92 jetta diesel that gets 48 average. 

mittzleflick > Mercedes Streeter 12/01/2019 at 09:42

1

My 1996 passat wagon record run was 1175 miles. On a 23ish gallon tank. R.I. to detroit. Round town was 800 per fillup.

mittzleflick > Mercedes Streeter 12/01/2019 at 10:13

2

If your going to keep it join tdi club. Lots of good resources and likely someone nearby has vag-com that can pinpoint your engine light and help you out for free. Hopefully its nothing seriously wrong. My 03 has 417k and my 04 has 340k .

80%German100%American > Mercedes Streeter 12/01/2019 at 19:03

2

Before you invest a single dime into having someone polish them, or even buying a polishing kit, there is a trick that many detailers use. OFF brand Deep Woods insect repellent wipes. Sounds crazy, I know. I was extremely skeptical about it, until I tried it. Did it a couple years ago to my Jetta. The yellow crazing is just now starting to come back, but it lasted a couple years and it was super cheap and easy. Do yourself a favor and look it up on YouTube.... BTW... my 2005 Jetta Wagon with manual transmission gets 54 mpg on the highway. Love it....

Alex > Mercedes Streeter 12/05/2019 at 13:10

1

Awesome! Love the TDI wagon. It’s a bummer they never sold the Passat TDI with a manual here. Looks like it’s in pretty good shape. If you’re impressed by that mileage, you should look into the A4 ALH cars (Jetta, Golf, Beetle 1998-2003). Most TDI people (myself included) will tell you this is the peak of VW diesel technology. My old Jetta could do 800+ miles on a single tank, and the best I ever did was 61mpg on a trip from NH to OH. Anyway, happy belated and congrats on the purchase!!

Mercedes Streeter > 80%German100%American 12/05/2019 at 14:42

0

Worth a shot! Thanks for the tip! :)

Mercedes Streeter > Alex 12/05/2019 at 14:44

1

Thanks so much! I’m beginning to learn some of its quirks. Previous owner repaired a bad oil line by shoving a brake line into it, that line is now leaking where the two connect together. There’s also a tiny rust spot on the left fender. Still small enough that I can DIY fix it. :)

Mercedes Streeter > mittzleflick 12/05/2019 at 14:45

0

I hope so, too! The more I drive it, the more I love it! I don’t think this one will see any serious offroad action. Which that’ll mean I’ll probably have to find a super rotted out TDI Jetta that I won’t feel bad getting some scratches.

mittzleflick > Alex 12/06/2019 at 09:16

1

But you can make em manual

mittzleflick > Mercedes Streeter 12/06/2019 at 09:26

0

Do that them give it the lift. My waggo has vr6 springs in front and tow springs in back with my version of the 2 inch lift kit with taller 16in tires. My drive to work has 2 to 3 rally stages (one closes for winter ). Clearance like a subaru so no more cracked oil pans. Methusala has seen five of those and so much more. 2 turbos 2 trannys 2 cams head gasket 2 noses on and on still makes that happy cloud in the morning and every resting restart.