[jollyTDI]

OK I currently drive a 1996 Honda Civic, I want to buy a 2004 Jetta GLS TDI. Im brand new to VW and this website. I like the TDI because it gets 38MPG city and 46 MPG highway. Also I plan on running Waste Vegetable Oil(WVO), to save on gas.
I want to see some things I can do to it, performance I'd like 200whp but still get decent gas mileage is it possible if so send me a link. Also some interior and exterior things most liky going to doa EDM style.
Whatever you have for advice on buying it what to look for its my first VW, or other links/threads that might help me let me know and thanks.

 

[jollyTDI]

Also I'm gonna have a 10gallon WVO tank in the trunk, are there stiff shocks springs I can get for the car maybe lower it alittle in the process.
Fill me in with any info you have doesnt have to be about the TDI just VW like I said Im a newb

 

[jbrone]

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?p=708161
http://www.stealthtdi.com/UpgradePaths.html

 

[jollyTDI]

Thanks man I havn't checked out the sites yet but Im about to

 

[jollyTDI]

tdiclub was good, stealthtdi was nothing to speacial, it would be better if it included websites that sell the products I dont know what companys to use.

 

[KubotaPowered]

Re: Buying a TDI former Honda (jollyTDI)

WVO on the 04 isnt a good idea because its the first year of the PD engine, nothing over 5% bio is recommended because of the high injection pressures

 

[chittychittybangbang]

Re: Buying a TDI former Honda (jollyTDI)

If you already have a 1996 civic and you want to save gas money, keep the car you already have and drive it into the ground. IMO, the jetta will be more powerful, have more power potential, have nice things like stability control, side airbags, and long range/fuel tank, then the TDI is a good bet.
200 whp is quite a bit, at that level you'll need sticky tires and that will lower fuel economy too. You're talking upgrading the fuel injection pump, injectors, turbo, intercooler at a minimum. That's at least another $2500 investment.
http://www.myturbodiesel.com/1...r.htm
see the above link for a buyer's checklist for the 4th gen jetta, it should give you some ideas on what to look for.

 

[jollyTDI]

Re: Buying a TDI former Honda (KubotaPowered)

So then whats the newest year Jetta I can get when did, the engine change over.

 

[jollyTDI]

Re: Buying a TDI former Honda (chittychittybangbang)

Wow 200whp is considered alot? I can put 2grand into my motor, and be running close to 300whp, reliably.
But Im not thinking of going fast in the TDI thats not a big issue I really just need a safe 4door car thats diesel because I want to run WVO.

 

[KubotaPowered]

Re: Buying a TDI former Honda (jollyTDI)

200whp is a lot to shoot for especially on WVO. I could see that much on biodiesel maybe. If you want to do a WVO I'd look into the early MKIV's 99-00 or a MKIII, they are not as picky on fuel. You are going to have a tough time getting economy and power, youre better off to have 2 separate cars at that point

 

[dieseldorf]

Re: Buying a TDI former Honda (chittychittybangbang)

Quote, originally posted by chittychittybangbang »

If you already have a 1996 civic and you want to save gas money, keep the car you already have and drive it into the ground.

+1.
And running that garbage thru a PD will marks its early demise.
Buy an old '80's Rabbit Diesel or 240D for your fuel experiments. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif

 

[sprstu]

waste.
you have a 96 civic, which I assume is a 5spd, means you should be getting in the mid 30's for fuel economy as it is. if youre not then youre driving your car pretty hard so the odds of you getting into a seeming slower TDI (making you drive with a heavy right foot) you wont be getting 46mpg. sorry hoomie, just not the case.
The reason you dont want to run WVO in your TDI Pd is because of how specific and clean the fuel needs to be because of the injector tolerances. the injectors are very delicate and running something as dirty and gummy as wvo will destroy them causing you to lose a ton of power and mpg. There is also a whole lot more that needs to be done to your car than just putting in a WVO tank. you need to run separate fuel lines all the way to the engine as well as splitter valves so you can run a blend of wvo and petro diesel, you should not run 100% wvo. as stated earlier you should run only about 5% wvo on that car specifically, so at 5% is it really worth the effort?
how much are you going to spend on this GLS tdi, 10K 14K? how much gas can you buy for your civic with that much money?
youre moving from one of the best mpg, most reliable and cheapest cars to run on the planet to something that will only give you a slight increase in mpg and increase your cost of ownership in the long run. VW tdi's are more expensive to maintain than are civics. you cant just bring your tdi to any corner mechanic to have it worked on. Things as simple as your oil change will have to be done a a special service place because tdi's require a very special oil that Wal-mart oil change does not carry.
200whp is a lot for a tdi. most people who do tune their tdis for power only just reach 200whp and thats where they leave it. sure you could go further, some people run to 300whp, but its not very reliable and not very street drivable. i think just jumping into the tdi craze head first with an 04tdi is not going to make you happy.

 

[jollyTDI]

Re: (sprstu)

first off thanks for ur info, but read my posts before you give me alot of unneeded advice.
I know what goes into running a WVO car my 2 cousins have diesel Mercedes and Ive helped them set them up, tanks lines everything.
Also I realize that 200whp is alot for a TDI its just a long term goal and I wanted to know if its possible, to do and still get reliability. Which that got answered already.
Yes my civic does get good gas mileage (mid 30's), but as Ive already said I need a safer 4 door car.
I plan on spending up to 15k for the TDI.
You say its the injectors that get gummed up, can this be replaced by larger or different injectors? Maybe injectors for the earlier models?
I know that I need to use VW 505.01 oil is the oil change process the same as any other car other then that, or did VW make that difficult as well?
Thanks again for the info I did not know

 

[chittychittybangbang]

Oil change is nothing special..505.01, 506.01, or 507.00 is MY2004+ oil, it can also be used in earlier cars. Some use oil extractors from the top, I prefer to take a look under the car.
200whp in a TDI is possible and reliable but remember that whenever you go past basic performance mods:
power, reliability, low cost .. pick 2
If you really want 200whp, get a 2001-2003 since these have proven mods...do a search for kermatdi and call them. And also remember that 300whp from $2000 in a civic will be lag-wham go.
200whp in a TDI diesel is wheelspin- WHAM!, go. due to the low end torque. They feel faster than they really are and it's more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow.
If you want a fast cheap and reliable turbo project car, IMO, get a 240sx for $800 and swap a SR20 into it. It's RWD and 300hp on pump gas with just bolt ons is possible.



Modified by chittychittybangbang at 2:45 PM 3-18-2008

 

[vwcampin]

Re: (jollyTDI)

Keep searching the TDiClub forums. The performance section has tons of info in regards to mods. Aftermarket nozzles and a chip tune seem to make a lot of people very happy with the performance before starting to upgrade turbos, etc. As for WVO, search for user "chasee" He has an 04 running WVO since he drove it off the lot and is approaching 90k. It can be done, but you really need your filtering/dewatering set up to be top notch. The oil change is easy, just specific oil, although it is recomended to cut the OCI in half to 5000 miles if you are running WVO. As to mods and WVO, that seems to be up in the air. The problem would be excessive smoke (overfueling) which can lead to WVo getting past the rings and turning your oil into jello. A good tune should help limit this however. the preferred tuners on TDIClub are Rocketchip and Alligator. Goodl uck.

 

[jollyTDI]

thanks for the info, chitty... and vwcampin. I'll always pick reliability and power Id much rather spend more and have it done right. Im not going to own 2 cars atleast not at this point in my life.