why a VW? why not a toyota that is a direct bolt in and not to mention about ten times more reliable.
I've read that the VW engines are fine engines, just put in a crappy car.
If you have any questions, I'd PM Fred.
sisukid1975 He just traded his in last year and if I remember, it was because the car was falling apart around the engine.
The 1.9TDI is one of the finest engines built anywhere. I beg to differ that a toyota diesel is 10 times more reliable. The engines are
easily 400,000 mile plus engines with proper care and feeding. And, unlike the 3B are not prone to cracking heads. Unlike the 1HD-Ts fairly well known main bearing problem.... Once you hit 400,000 - 500,000 miles with the TDI, you probably will need to do a top-end overhaul, but the engines are well documented to run well past the 500,000 mile mark.
Also, the 1.9TDI will have more parts available to the US than any Toyota dealer. OEM parts are available at an VW dealer anywhere in the US, and the aftermarket is full of parts for this engine. One thing I've learned from a 3B diesel conversion: Calling to Australia or $pector Off Road to order parts, paying exoribitant amounts for them and the shipping the US gets old in a HURRY. It would be so great if I could go to the dealer and order power steering pump brackets... Or pick up a catalog in the speed shop down the street and tell the proprietor to "order me one of these..." and have him call a week later to tell me I can come pick it up. Scouring the globe for a power steering bracket bolt that is specially machined by Toyota to have a bearing surface, then paying the price to have it shipped over to the US is not fun. It's worth it if you have the money and time, but it's not easy.
Also, in my opinion, a well tuned 1.9 TDI can put out more torque and HP than a similar sized older Toyota. I don't think I could ever make my 3B pump out the torque and power of the 1.9TDI as cheaply and easily, and without breaking anything. THis is thanks in large part to the robust aftermarket for these engines. the 1.9TDI can be made to easily crank out 300 lb-ft of torque without breaking the crankshaft, rods, etc... All you need is new injectors, new chip for the ECU, change the boost on the turbo's VNC acuator...
An awesome engine, in my opinion, and a very worth while conversion if you have the time, skillz and money.
And to Val, the car was just fine. We sold it cause it had 200,000 miles on it, and we didn't want to spend the money on brakes, struts, bushings and all the other suspension work, as well as the clutch, new tires and all that stuff that a car with 200K miles on it (in 5 years no less) would need. Also, there were a few minor electrical issues like the dash lights cutting off and on over bumps and stuff like that.
We just didn't want to spend the money to recondition the car. The interior was getting old, the seats were shot (lets see what kind of shape you'd be in after 200,000 miles of my non-flat ass sitting on you) and stuff like that.
Other than that, the engine and transmission had no problems at all. I have no doubts that thing could be on the road another 200K miles or more....
I would most definitely own another.
