Another VeeDub - 2014 JSW TDI 6MT

[GolNat]

So yeah I picked up another VW as my daily driver. I was using a 2007 Honda Pilot but that is being used for other purposes. I certainly don't need another vehicle as the GTI is a great daily but I want to keep the miles down on it and wanted something better on fuel. I always loved wagons and was always intrigued with diesels. After looking online for a few weeks I stumbled upon this beauty with only 28k miles on it!!! The 1st owner turned it into VW after Diesel Gate and now I have it. I'm not sure what my plans are for it at the moment but want to keep it kid and MPG friendly. I'd love to put it on air but not sure I want to spend that much on it. The GTI still needs parts and that will just eat into it. I have been checking out tunes and I'm sure I will end up with at least a stage 1. It could use a little more oomph.

Has pano sunroof, bluetooth music/calling, push to start, proximity unlock, "leather" power seats and some other stuff I'm probably missing. Not my favorite color (Toffee) but it is certainly different.





So hard to find a manual. I had to drive 2 hours into NJ to get it but so worth it. I can see some shifter upgrades in the future. Maybe it's just because I am used to the GTI but rowing the gears feels like you're stirring pudding.



Still getting used to the TDI and how different it is from a gas engine. I have had it a few weeks now and it such a joy to drive. Comfortable, yet sporty and plenty of room.

[DaveSTi]

Congrats!! I swear those wagons are just fun to drive! That TDI is going to run forever too. Enjoy!

[mckpat03]

Hell yeah, good pick up! TDIs are the best! Not that I'm biased

[GolNat]

Added a Save The Manual decal. I have one on the GTI as well just a different style. Not sure how I feel about the round design yet.

Originally Posted by DaveSTi

Congrats!! I swear those wagons are just fun to drive! That TDI is going to run forever too. Enjoy!

Thanks. They are more fun then someone would think. Yes from what I have been reading the engine should last a long time it's more the other random electronic stuff.

Originally Posted by mckpat03

Hell yeah, good pick up! TDIs are the best! Not that I'm biased

Thanks. Lol yeah you are certainly a fan of the TDI. It is certainly a forgotten engine and one that I am glad to be getting the experience with.

I read in your build thread that you have the EGR and tune for your Jetta. I originally didn't want to remove any emissions stuff but from what the forums are saying the longevity of the engine can be reduced by keeping it on the car. Is this true of what you have experienced?

I was looking at the Kerma Tune since it doesn't require removing or replacing any hardware but Malone seems to be the go-to tune for TDI's. I'd love to go with Unitronic as I have that on my GTI but it is not able to be flashed at home, I have to send the ECU in.

[blue91lx]

That thing seems like a great daily. I have been hunting for a daily upgrade (hatch, manual, decent economy, etc), and hadn’t stumbled upon these. I likely overlooked because-FWD.

What’s the long term durability of these things? I’m totally in the dark with VW.

[mckpat03]

Originally Posted by GolNat

Thanks. Lol yeah you are certainly a fan of the TDI. It is certainly a forgotten engine and one that I am glad to be getting the experience with.

I read in your build thread that you have the EGR and tune for your Jetta. I originally didn't want to remove any emissions stuff but from what the forums are saying the longevity of the engine can be reduced by keeping it on the car. Is this true of what you have experienced?

I was looking at the Kerma Tune since it doesn't require removing or replacing any hardware but Malone seems to be the go-to tune for TDI's. I'd love to go with Unitronic as I have that on my GTI but it is not able to be flashed at home, I have to send the ECU in.

Ha, yeah, they're great commuters and serve my travels well. I gotta get a fast car again soon though

Yeah, I've ditched the emissions stuff on all of my TDIs. I mainly do it for the power, added fuel mileage, fun, and sound. However, since the Dieselgate fixes have been done, DPFs have been failing at a higher rate than they use to. And it's not THAT big of a deal when it fails, because the warranty covers it, but DPFs are backordered at least three months in most places, so it's super annoying if nothing else. Anyway, it's a lot of money up front, but deleting and tuning definitely makes them more reliable by getting rid of several things that are known to fail or cause problems. And you'll likely gain something like 10-15%-ish average fuel economy. Both of my Jettas gained about 7mpg mixed driving.

Malone is certainly the big one. That's who I've always had because it was convenient for me. There are lots of good tuners. Some are easier to get a hold of or have good dealer networks or whatever. The general rule of thumb is to skip the big gas tuners (APR/Unitronic/etc) and go with the diesel specific folks. RocketChip is another great one from York PA, Stevenson, JR Auto. My Touareg will likely get a JR Auto tune or I might try to reach out to RC.

Originally Posted by blue91lx

That thing seems like a great daily. I have been hunting for a daily upgrade (hatch, manual, decent economy, etc), and hadn’t stumbled upon these. I likely overlooked because-FWD.

What’s the long term durability of these things? I’m totally in the dark with VW.

I think they're great long term. They have some issues that can occasionally crop up and catch you out, but generally they're very reliable. There are many folks zipping around at 300-500k miles with no issues. Emissions equipment is the big failure point, but the dieselgate warranty covers it all. The high pressure fuel pump is another one, but that's a whole can of worms and I think it's massively blown out of proportion. Other than that, some random sensors and dumb stuff, pano sun roof leaks, coolant leaks/water pump on the 2015, lots of rattles depending on the year/model. However, I've had two 2009-2015s now, and five of my friends each have/had one. All Jettas, two Jetta Sportwagen. Only issues have been a leaky DEF injector (warrantied) on my friend's 2015 Jetta, an engine speed sensor or something on a 2013 sportwagen (warrantied), and a DPF on it's way out on a 2013 Jetta (again, warranty).

Both transmissions are great, fuel economy is roughly the same between them. I actually love the dual clutch DSG unit, but a lot of people don't. The manual is fine, not much to say, it'll hold "stage 3" "euro big turbo" power levels. The DSG will do whatever you want with a simple tune.

[GolNat]

Originally Posted by blue91lx

That thing seems like a great daily. I have been hunting for a daily upgrade (hatch, manual, decent economy, etc), and hadn’t stumbled upon these. I likely overlooked because-FWD.

What’s the long term durability of these things? I’m totally in the dark with VW.

If I didn't have a GTI and didn't need the more trunk space I would have gone with a TDI Golf probably.

I agree with what Pat said. Coming from the JDM world (Honda's) they are certainly not on the same level but they are not as bad as people make them seem. After working on German cars they are certainly a beast of their own and can not be neglected with maintenance. It's not a Corolla that you can never change the oil in and put crap fuel in it and it will refuse to die. The 2.0T in my GTI has flaws that if not taken care can grenade the engine. The MK7 has addressed these issues. The diesels like Pat said are reliable but I have read of electrical issues that can come up (windows, door locks, trunk latches).

I have noticed a difference in interior build quality between my German made GTI and the Mexico made Jetta. Not sure if it's like an economy model vs not as economy model or what.

One thing I would say that with my GTI at least the added effort and time is worth it.

Originally Posted by mckpat03

Ha, yeah, they're great commuters and serve my travels well. I gotta get a fast car again soon though

Yeah, I've ditched the emissions stuff on all of my TDIs. I mainly do it for the power, added fuel mileage, fun, and sound. However, since the Dieselgate fixes have been done, DPFs have been failing at a higher rate than they use to. And it's not THAT big of a deal when it fails, because the warranty covers it, but DPFs are backordered at least three months in most places, so it's super annoying if nothing else. Anyway, it's a lot of money up front, but deleting and tuning definitely makes them more reliable by getting rid of several things that are known to fail or cause problems. And you'll likely gain something like 10-15%-ish average fuel economy. Both of my Jettas gained about 7mpg mixed driving.

Malone is certainly the big one. That's who I've always had because it was convenient for me. There are lots of good tuners. Some are easier to get a hold of or have good dealer networks or whatever. The general rule of thumb is to skip the big gas tuners (APR/Unitronic/etc) and go with the diesel specific folks. RocketChip is another great one from York PA, Stevenson, JR Auto. My Touareg will likely get a JR Auto tune or I might try to reach out to RC.

Great info, thank you!!

A Malone stage 2 is about $1600 with high flow cat and resonator. I'll have to ask the diesel truck guys I work with about DE emissions. I thought I remember the one guy with a Power Stroke having to swap all his stuff out every 2 years. If it is a pretty easy process on the Jetta I wouldn't mind doing that if I had too.

I was listening to some TDI's with down pipes and exhaust work and man do they sound awesome!!! Between the MPG increase, better reliability, more power and awesome diesel sounds I think I have to tune it!!!

[DaveSTi]

Sounds like an excellent choice for DD then! Plus, all the additional cargo capacity over the Golf too... that can really come in handy if you have home projects or have to move. I was able to fit half of our stuff in the R just going back and forth several trips on my last move. These cars are perfect.

[GolNat]

Yeah I don't know why hatchbacks and wagons are not more popular. They offer a great balance. Part of the reason for the diesel is it should be better for towing so I can get a little trailer for it and haul even more stuff.

I have been trying to be mindful of my driving and trying to see what kinda mileage I can get. I got 43.3 on country back roads today. Keep it under 60 and use the cruise control. I'm sure actual is closer to 40 as the computer seems to be on the optimistic side usually. Might be a 500 mile tank before I need to fill up too!!

[mckpat03]

Originally Posted by GolNat

Great info, thank you!!

A Malone stage 2 is about $1600 with high flow cat and resonator. I'll have to ask the diesel truck guys I work with about DE emissions. I thought I remember the one guy with a Power Stroke having to swap all his stuff out every 2 years. If it is a pretty easy process on the Jetta I wouldn't mind doing that if I had too.

I was listening to some TDI's with down pipes and exhaust work and man do they sound awesome!!! Between the MPG increase, better reliability, more power and awesome diesel sounds I think I have to tune it!!!

Yeah, I'm not sure of emissions elsewhere. In rural PA we simply have "visual" emissions, so essentially we don't have emissions checks. The exhaust install isn't bad depending on tools and lift access, but IDK about swapping it occasionally. The DPF can be taken out fully intact, but you usually have to drop/droop the subframe to make space. It's usually about a 6 hour process for a normal home mechanic the first time, but you can get that down to about 3-4 if you hustle.

And yeah, the cost kind of sucks. There are several exhaust companies to choose from. I really like Rawtek, but they're expensive. Their downpipe is SCH10 304 stainless pipe and is VERY nice. The rest are standard 16ga exhaust tubing, which is perfectly fine, in varying grades of stainless. MecEvo Flowdirekt and Black Haze Workshop are two other Canadian companies that are 304 stainless and more affordable. BuzzKen is popular for being more affordable as well, but it's only 409 stainless. Another option is Darkside Developments, available direct from them in England or through Diesel DNA Tuning in Canada, and it is 316 stainless. I know for sure MecEvo and Black Haze are both listed in Canadian Dollars, as a heads up.

[GolNat]

^Thanks for the info mckpat03.

Added a phone mount. Same Rennline I have for my GTI.



Other then that I have been enjoying the nice comfortable ride, great handling and MPG's. I started using an additive. Only on my 3rd tank full but have not notices much of a difference as far as MPG and power is concerned. Got it more for improved viscosity and removing moisture.

I have decided that the car really needs a nice set of performance all season tires. Going to put my 17" OZ's on it from the GTI and get different wheels for the GTI.