Potentially crazy idea, oppopinions  requested (update: reflection)

"and 100 more" (nth256) 01/21/2019 at 22:50 • Filed to: None

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Looking at adding a 2004 Golf TDI as a daily. Insofar as upkeep, what am I looking at? How expensive are these to maintain? Obviously it’s 14 years old, so there’s gonna be some major stuff coming up; what should I be on the lookout for? The one I’m thinking of needs front-end work, but the guy who owns it knows exactly what to do and where ti get it all, he just hasn’t had the time to do the work.

A rally Golf (not the one I’d be buying) for your time:

U pdate: Thank you all for your experience and input. My takeaway here is that, for my intended purposes, the Golf c ould probably be more headache than i want to deal with. My intent it to have a daily driver that gets better fuel economy than my current rig, and for what it would take to upkeep a MkVI, i could get a Civic of similar vintage, get similar gas mileage, and spend less on maintenance. Might be looking  that route instead. Thanks for your help, y'all!

vicali > and 100 more 01/21/2019 at 14:11

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Here for the Golf Rallye

2004 is going to be a mk4, so pretty reliable, idk about buying one with front end work . Tdi are probably going to have high mileage based on the po type.

Tareim - V8 powered > and 100 more 01/21/2019 at 14:17

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Had a mk4 tdi (the 115) and had so many problems with it (mechanical and electrical) , so much for german reliability...

T he main issue with them is sticking vanes on the turbo which puts it in limp mode

RallyWrench > and 100 more 01/21/2019 at 14:32

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That’ll be the PD BEW engine, not a bad motor, if prone to oil leaks (plastic valve cover in particular ) and EGR problems. I’ve seen them well exceed 350k miles with good maintenance. They only used them for a few years, so a bit of an oddball with regard to parts. Their injection system is completely different than the preceding old-school ALH and subsequent CBEA (the TDI scandal engine). I don’t recommend VW automatics of that (or any) era, but they can last quite awhile if the fluid is changed every 40k or so. Fuel filters must be done every 20k, that’s imperative. Timing belt is a 100k interval but they often don’t make that before the water pump leaks. Maintenance is a little more than the equivalent gas Golf, but the torque and fuel economy is nice. The front suspension couldn’t be easier. Upgrade to R32 control arm bushings with a good set of struts and off you go. Decent little cars.

thejustache > and 100 more 01/21/2019 at 15:15

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Never had a tdi so I can’t speak to that, but I did have a 2002 gti for a few years. The front end work sounds about right to me - I took mine from 120k miles to 220k miles and in that time I replaced both front wheel bearings twice, as well as front axles as many times. I also did ball joints, control arm bushings, and a new tie rod. Sold it when the steering rack exploded in the dead of winter and I didn’t want to bother fixing it.

Are they all like that? I don’t know, every car needs parts with use and I do live in the pothole cratered north east... but it felt like something went kaput in the front end about every other month when I had it.

SPAMBot - Horse Doctor > and 100 more 01/21/2019 at 15:38

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Building on TFritsch’s reply:

The camshafts on the BEW’s can also be an issue if you use the lower weight oil. Mine hasn’t ever leaked (except the stupid O-rings on the charged air pipes but that is extra boost related). EGR will need work if you have emissions testing. If you don’t, block it off because the tubes will crack eventually. Can confirm on the water pump needing to be replaced before the timing belt. Both of mine lasted about 90k mi before they started making noise.

If you are in a cold climate, it will eat more than a liter of oil within the 10K mi service interval during the winter. Since moving to a warmer place, my oil consumption is way down.

They are easy to tune since the injectors are oversized from the factory. You get a decent bump in power/torque but I have experience the O-rings leaking on my charged air pipes, as mentioned above.

Cascade German and ID parts has all the parts and maintenance things you would need. The 20K service is about 100k

I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > and 100 more 01/21/2019 at 16:42

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An old VW? Do not.

Tristan > and 100 more 01/21/2019 at 23:53

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I’ll be the one guy...

I had an ‘04 Jetta GLS TDI with the same BEW PD engine and manual transmission. I took it from 150k to 250k. It was easily one of the best cars I’ve ever owned and I miss it all the time.

In my time with it, I did the timing belt, the driver's door module, tires twice, several oil changes, some cosmetic stuff like replacing the saggy cloth on the door panels, replaced a couple vacuum lines, and that's it. I drove it from Florida to Minnesota and back several times. The comfort of the seats and the amazing cruising range on a tank make it an ideal long hauler.

and 100 more > Tristan 01/21/2019 at 23:58

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AAARRRGGG, man, I just talked myself out of it, and you’re talking me right back in...

My buddy owns the one i’m looking at, and it’s literally just sitting in his yard, unused. He loves it, but just doesn’t have time to do anything with it. And then here i come with my damn hero complex...

Tristan > and 100 more 01/22/2019 at 00:39

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If the price is cheap enough and the history is known, go for it. The biggest thing I miss is going anywhere from 500-700 miles between fill-ups!

bhtooefr > and 100 more 01/22/2019 at 06:55

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Personally, I wouldn’t, but here’s a summary of the big problems:

Camshaft wear due to design issues, exacerbated by running lower-weight (5W30) oil even once. Some cars it’ll show up before the 100k mi timing belt interval, some cars will go 300k+ mi without a problem.

EGR cooler failures due to improperly performed recall work (the dealers don’t reinstall the bracket properly, and then stresses on the cooler cause failure).

Various turbocharger issues - VNT mechanism sticking, vacuum control system failing, VNT actuator failing (and it’s a “smart” actuator with position sensing, and that can fail too)

Manual transmissions: Dual mass flywheel failure (can be backdated to a single-mass setup that’s more durable)

Automatic transmissions: These aren’t anywhere near as bad as Volkswagen’s own automatic transmissions (it’s a JATCO 5-speed) , but AFAIK they’re not great

Coolant migration into the wiring harness (this is a general Mk4 issue, and these are later cars and it’s less likely to happen, but it can still happen)

Various little annoying Volkswagen shit like plastics breaking, random electrical shit, etc., etc.

Front fender rust (and the rust warranty will be expired on a 2004, even though it’s a known manufacturing problem)

Intake clogging - less likely on a PD, and less likely on ultra-low-sulfur diesel, but still something to watch out for.

The big problem I find with Mk4s basically boils down to ... shit breaks that shouldn’t break, and when it does break, the parts are way more expensive than other makes.

Also, what’s your commute like? Lots of freeway? Stop-and-go?

bob and john > and 100 more 01/31/2019 at 01:06

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TDIs are some of the best, most fuel efficent motors you can get. Our old A3 TDI (2011) went from brand new to 250K km with nothing ever stranding it. it consistantly got 1100KM out of a tank of diesel, pulled like a little train and never failed to start.

We miss it DEARLY. 

and 100 more > bob and john 01/31/2019 at 01:11

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Wow, stellar recommendation!