Smart Car advice please

[CliffordK]

The biggest issue I have getting diesel for my tractor is that about half of the diesel pumps have the wider nozzles that don't fit inside the yellow 5 gallon jugs so I have to screw around with funnels etc.

The nozzles will fit into the Government Jerry Cans. And, you can also find a decent sized filler neck if you look around some.

 

[dave1949]

Funny, I've never come across that down here in MA. The biggest issue I have getting diesel for my tractor is that about half of the diesel pumps have the wider nozzles that don't fit inside the yellow 5 gallon jugs so I have to screw around with funnels etc. But, I've always been able to use a CC or debit card right at the pump.

The diesel choices here are: Irving 10 miles that way, or, Irving 11 miles the other way. :laughing: No competition I guess. The clerks have told me they would sure like to stop messing with the situation.

A couple years back, Irving out-sourced their area store operations and card authorization to Circle K. That may be some of the issue.

 

[Redneck in training]

IT, my initial reaction was well, ok, fair trade off. But...
now that I'm single again...I'm headed West with the motorhome, and if I want to go off and explore beyond the RV campground, something fun to drive is high on my list. Yes the Fit works well, and now they have inexpensive used ones, but they seem too much like an appliance to me. I'd like a little more pizzazz...

Charlie, thank you. Well...I have a golf cart and I have a UTV, both bought for my wife's failing health.
But I really need something for the road, a real car. I think I would need to have a Peterbilt to haul what I really want to, the golf cart, the UTV, a car and my 16 foot Scout dual console. But I only get to take one....and it has to be a car first.

If you want more pizzazz then look at Mitsubishi EVO or Subaru Impreza WRX. Mitsubishi Evo vs. Subaru Impreza - Top Gear - BBC - YouTube

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Congrats on the purchase. I have 2 coworkers with TDI's, they love em, get great "gas" mileage. I'm considering one for my next car.

 

[daugen]

If you want more pizzazz then look at Mitsubishi EVO or Subaru Impreza WRX. Mitsubishi Evo vs. Subaru Impreza - Top Gear - BBC - YouTube

2015 Subaru WRX, Subaru Legacy concept at the Lost Angeles Auto Show - Autoweek

well, not this time...., but the new WRX looks better, less like a kid's toy.

 

[daugen]

I was able to review the service printout on the car and not one thing was brought up for warranty service. That's encouraging. But then I looked at the maintenance intervals and went oh no. Ten thousand miles between oil changes.
The engine must be toast.:confused3:

Well, ignorant me, that's the oil change interval on a TDI. But boy I'll never let it go that long.

ok, how does one turn up the boost on this thing????

 

[IslandTractor]

I was able to review the service printout on the car and not one thing was brought up for warranty service. That's encouraging. But then I looked at the maintenance intervals and went oh no. Ten thousand miles between oil changes.
The engine must be toast.:confused3:

Well, ignorant me, that's the oil change interval on a TDI. But boy I'll never let it go that long.

ok, how does one turn up the boost on this thing????

10,000 miles between synthetic oil changes is common with German cars. MB does it too. Key is to use the right oil.

 

[daugen]

10,000 miles between synthetic oil changes is common with German cars. MB does it too. Key is to use the right oil.

good to know. VW sets a specific spec for TDI oil, and I'll likely get some Mobil 1 that meets the spec. The oil filter is a cartridge type, and must be high capacity to last that long.

ok, pin stripe color? I need help here....never had a white car before.

Zoom in on the steering wheel pic, very few of those icons were intuitive to me. What I thought was the cruise wasn't, it appears to be on a stick, which I remember from an Audi 5000 I owned many years ago.
So much of the steering wheel stuff now is phone related, which has zero interest to me, and just forces the buttons to be smaller to fit it all in. The rest of it seemed pretty straightforward, the nice looking screen is radio only. Need to get a Garmin.

 

[dave1949]

Here is a 0.8-liter TDI VW. It's a real scorcher off the line.

I don't know how real-life the 214 mpg is, but that would be something for around town.

"When it comes to performance, the Twin Up! Concept isn't exactly a rocket. In all-electric mode, the Twin Up! goes from 0-37 mph in 8.8 seconds and can reach a top speed of 78 mph. The hybrid mode delivers a little more punch, going from 0-60 mph in 15.7 seconds and topping out at 87 mph."



VW debuts Twin Up! Concept at Tokyo Motor Show - Autoweek

 

[IslandTractor]

ok, pin stripe color? I need help here....never had a white car before.

Need to get a Garmin.

1) what color is your tractor? Or even better, how about big blue racing stripes as on a Shelby Mustang!

2) Garmin would be cheaper but for around $500 you can get the VW factory GPS/radio unit which just pops in where the existing radio is. Not sure what dealers charge to install but it is a DYI project level task and takes minutes, not hours.

 

[daugen]

A Kubota orange pin stripe? I don't think so...but good idea.
though I could get a cute license plate saying my other car is a Kubota...yawn.

I'm going to call Crutchfield and see what they have and I'll ask about the factory radio too.
What it really needs is better speakers...which is easy to do.
Let's see, four 12 inch subs in the trunk, good thing I don't play golf...
oops, I don't have a trunk...

hmmmm.
http://www.amazon.com/Replacement-Touchscreen-Navigation-Volkswagen-Installation/dp/B0082EJE9Y

 

[Scooby074]

good to know. VW sets a specific spec for TDI oil, and I'll likely get some Mobil 1 that meets the spec. The oil filter is a cartridge type, and must be high capacity to last that long.

ok, pin stripe color? I need help here....never had a white car before.

Zoom in on the steering wheel pic, very few of those icons were intuitive to me. What I thought was the cruise wasn't, it appears to be on a stick, which I remember from an Audi 5000 I owned many years ago.
So much of the steering wheel stuff now is phone related, which has zero interest to me, and just forces the buttons to be smaller to fit it all in. The rest of it seemed pretty straightforward, the nice looking screen is radio only. Need to get a Garmin.

This car will treat you well. I like the understated good looks of the Golf.

We had a Jetta that was diesel and I soooooo miss the mileage. It was amazing, especially up here in the land of $1.30/l gas.

Oil is VERY important to these cars. I suggest reading up on the VW forums like TDIClub (and even BITOG) before deciding on a oil. VW has quite specific requirements. A 10K change is fine by the VW manual, with the proper oil, and shortening the interval just wastes money (and increases the likelyhood that you'll use a cheaper oil).

The Euro oils are very good (ELF, Motul) and meet VW spec 505.01 or better. I personally would not use M1. There is also a LOT of lively debate on whether 5w30 or 5w40 are better for the engines wear... Im not touching that one lol

 

[IslandTractor]

A Kubota orange pin stripe? I don't think so...but good idea.
though I could get a cute license plate saying my other car is a Kubota...yawn.

I'm going to call Crutchfield and see what they have and I'll ask about the factory radio too.
What it really needs is better speakers...which is easy to do.
Let's see, four 12 inch subs in the trunk, good thing I don't play golf...
oops, I don't have a trunk...

hmmmm.
http://www.amazon.com/Replacement-Touchscreen-Navigation-Volkswagen-Installation/dp/B0082EJE9Y

Be careful of the low cost no name in dash GPS units. Many are from fly by night Chinese companies and they have an atrocious customer and technical service record.

 

[KubotainNH]

A pin stripe to match the tow vehicle? Or huge Vdub letters on the side...lol. Really though, what color will it be after dragging it 1000 miles across the country? I'm thinking a dull gray.

 

[newbury]

Welcome to the club!

This is my 2009 JSW TDI when I was hunting for a house in Mississippi. Bought it from Chris Farnham, Langhorne VW.

I previously owned a '79 Rabbit diesel that got up to 65mpg on long trips.

I still think you would have been happy with the Fit.

I thought you had also dismissed the VW.

Definitely join the TDIClub.com. Lot's of good people and good advice.

Also be aware of the discussion of biofuel and Bosch injector problems with the low lubricity US fuels.

 

[daugen]

drove it home tonight after they put the new tires on and changed all the brake pads.
Dropping it down into Sport did make a difference, but there seemed to be so much torque it wasn't really needed.
Reminds me of putting the Suburban in tow/haul mode...holds gears longer, but other than that, I'm not sure the change in milliseconds of the shifting speed is going to make or break my day...
But if the TDI across from me opens his window and waves a twenty, well....down into Sport I go...

Already got what I think is a TPMS fault light. Will look it up in the morning. And while the guy was going over the dash icons with me, the burned out bulb indicator came on. Turned engine off, indicator goes off. Ok...

Newbury, is a diesel additive recommended? I use the typical stuff in both diesel tractors and they seem to smoke less and run smoother, though it could be all in my head.

 

[newbury]

Newbury, is a diesel additive recommended? I use the typical stuff in both diesel tractors and they seem to smoke less and run smoother, though it could be all in my head.

YES
Don't fill a tank without it, primarily for the lubricity issue.

Here's what I used as my break in procedure:TDIClub Forums - View Single Post - Break-in Period

Also - if you buy or find someone with a VAG-COM you can do some neat things and find out exactly how well your VW is running. I made my windows raise and lower with my remote.

I bought it thinking I was going to use it to tune the engine, but haven't needed it for that for 50,000 miles.

 

[daugen]

Be careful of the low cost no name in dash GPS units. Many are from fly by night Chinese companies and they have an atrocious customer and technical service record.

very cheap product lousy fm reception, very bad product, too much money for this crap, i'm trying to get my money back

Don't buy this. Nav is in Chinese radio sucks can't figure out how to use nav with the radio at same time. This shouldn't even get one star

Tyso Usa will not support product they sell . You will be talking to a wall after one e-mail BEWARE

Yup, I'd say there's some real unhappy folk out there with the 350 dollar level units. OEM is 850 online, simply fyi.

 

[daugen]

YES
Don't fill a tank without it, primarily for the lubricity issue.

Here's what I used as my break in procedure:TDIClub Forums - View Single Post - Break-in Period

Also - if you buy or find someone with a VAG-COM you can do some neat things and find out exactly how well your VW is running. I made my windows raise and lower with my remote.

I bought it thinking I was going to use it to tune the engine, but haven't needed it for that for 50,000 miles.

thanks, there was some really interesting info in there.
I found this almost humorous:

DO NOT CHANGE THE ENGINE OIL UNTIL 10,000 MILES!

sure have never seen that anywhere else. But then they put in a special break in oil and that's what they want to stay
in for the whole 10K I suppose. Also, while mostly broken in by 10,000 miles, the TDI engine does not reach its highest compression until 60K miles.

I'm really wondering about that tire sensor light. I thought it understeered and wasn't too nimble on the on ramp coming home, maybe one of those brand new tires really is low. or maybe they never filled it up. Tomorrow morning will tell.