Truck is paid for, but I have to give it up through divorce. Do not have the funds to replace at this time, so i thought I would try to find out more about the TDI and older MB's. I respect the people here at FTE opinions, and apreciate all the feedback.

 

can't beat the mpg of the jetta tdi. i have seen 05-07 models w/ under 100k for ~10-15K. It all depends on your budget.

 

That sucks..... John, I'm sorry to hear this.

 

Cures my PMS lol. I have some things that I had bought but never installed that I will most likely be selling. I am going to take the hpx off. I have a fs2500, coolant filter, around the belt rad hose. billet tstat housing, new tstat, billet grill, low profile black diamond plate tool box. some oil, and a filter that will have to go. May keep if I cant get a good price. A year or so I will get a another one. I wanted a crew cab anyway. Still would like to help with your mods for fun and learning.

 

I may be interested in the hpx and the toolbox.
Keep your head up John, it may be a blessing in the long run.

 

That's about what I charge for that job. It gets a new water pump at the same time because the timing belt drives the pump.
You don't want to skimp in that area, if the pump siezes up, that will strip the belt, then the engine gets out of time and wrecks everything.
It will blow the cam bearings right out of the cylinder head.
You can get the tools you need at http://tools.vw.com.
You can get the repair manual at www.bentleypublishing.com.
The manual lists the tools needed for the timing belt job and has step by step intructions on how to perform the procedure.
If you do the timing belt yourself ONCE, the savings in labor will almost pay for the purchase price of the tools and the manual with money left over.
They are not that expensive.
More than half of that $800.00 is for labor, the timing belt is threaded around the right side motor mount and you have to dissassemble the mount and support the engine with a floor jack to be able to complete the job.
It's a tight fit, turbo intake has to be removed and also the charge air tubing has to be removed. Vacuum pump, valve cover has to come off to lock the cam, etc.
Then when it's all done and back together you need VAG-COM, www.ross-tech.com to be able to correctly set the pump timing.
The CD version is $90.00 IIRC.
I bought the pro version because of what I do, it was $1200.00 but it covers every VW and Audi made from mid 90's on up.

If you decide to do this, on the early TDI's with the ALH engine, (the ones that still have the external injector pump) make sure you specify the heavy duty timing belt. It will be much more expensive, but the regular duty timing belts are only good for 40k on the automatic tranny and 60k on the stick shift.
The HD belts are good for 100k no matter what tranny you have.
The difference between the two is the HD belt will look like lizard skin on the back (non-toothed) side and the regular duty will be smooth rubber and a lot more flexible than the HD belt.
This only applies to the ALH code engines.
All the later pumpe duese engines (2004 on) the only belt option is the HD belt.
They are spec'ed out for timing belt replacement at 80k.
The PD engines are easier in that you don't have to remove the valve cover to lock the cam, you just insert a pin into the cam sprocket and lock it in position.

 

I bought an '04 Jetta GLS TDI new and have 130k on it now. It's been a fantastic commuter for me for more than 6 years now. Had the timing belt done at 100k and replace the synthetic oil every 10k. I had a "RocketChip" mild tune loaded to the ECU and it made the car seem like the DP does to our 7.3s. My mileage varies from 39-43mpg but I live in the mountains, have lots of curves, and I know how to use those curves :-)

 

Also... on the VW TDI... stick with a manual tranny. The autos have a bad rep. My son drove a 2005.5 Wolfsburg Edition TDI for a couple years (from 42,000 miles to about 94,000 miles), but sold it to 'upgrade" to his current vehicle (2002 F250 with a 7.3) due to his work in the landscape and horticulture world.