I need your opinion

[Augustus]

I am looking at a 2003 tdi... Volkswagen : Beetle - New : eBay Motors (item 260551579305 end time Feb-20-10 15:13:56 PST)

The guy who answered the phone said the tb has not been changed but the local VW dealership said it was fine until 107000 miles and the dealership quoted him 800 bucks to do the job, he also said that he could get it done for half that price...

This guy is full of crap isn't he?

I am interested in a TDI but I don't think this is the one.

Thanks for your opinion..

[Smileybug]

Full of crap. TB and water pump should be done together and usually between 60k-80k miles. The belt might be fine until 107k, but if the water pump hasn't been done (which if it has, its stupid that the belt wasn't done too since you take the belt off to do the pump) you are on borrowed time at that mileage. Water pumps tend to fail miserably way earlier than the belts will fail. They are made of plastic and fall apart.

[Evanrude]

My beautiful, lovingly cared for 2002 Beetle only has 51,000 miles on it and I just had the water pump & timing belt done. Cost of parts plus labor was only $501.

When they mechanic pulled my old water pump out with the plastic impeller, I was able to push my THUMB through the impeller, because the plastic was old and had micro fractures all around it. The plastic impeller is terrible.

If the dealer does it they usually use the same stock part, so I bought my entire kit from ECS Tunining, a GREAT buy, you get all parts and fluids for $240ish, then find a good mechanic to do the work locally and save a ton over the dealership.

But, timing belt & waterpump should be done before like 55K if you want to be safe. The manager at the local McDonalds just told me her car had low miles on it, but the timing belt broke the other day and she's not having to pay over $4,000 to repair the engine due to damage

So, whatever you get, if the timing belt hasn't been done. Do it and the water pump immediately.

[DZLBUG]

Looks like a nice and clean car. I'd go for it if the price was right. The TB and all associated components are due for change NOW and should not be done by the VW dealer...nor by his $400 mechanic. That will not be a complete job as the parts alone are about $300 or so.

Where are you located? You might seek out the services of a Trusted TDI mechanic in your area.
Fred's TDI Page. TDIClub.com. VW TDI Enthusiast Community
Trusted TDI Mechanics - Google Maps

[MichelleRoze]

The oil has been changed every 3,000 miles from day one!!

Why? According to VW manuals (I have mine here and looking at it) Oil Change at 5k then 10k then 20k and so on. So an oil change every 10k miles.Every 3k is overkill. Not sure if it'll hurt anything but who knows. Make sure if it has been dealer maintained and oil changed....make sure they can prove they used 505 full synthetic oil, or it doesn't matter how often you changed it. Some dealers are known to use recycled oil (most of the time conventional oil) even though they know these cars need full synthetic 502 or 505

This VW has been serviced every 5000 miles!!

Which is it? 5 or 3?! And if they don't mean oil changes, what what "service" was done every 5k?

This Beetle just had 4 brand new Glow Plugs installed at Archer VolksWagen which cost us $540.00.

Why? What would cause a TDI to need 4 new glow plugs before 100K? I have 140K and haven't replaced a single glow plug. There is no pre-scheduled maintenance on glow plugs. You replace them if they break or if there is a recall. As far as I know, ALH engines weren't included in the recall. And my feeling is that they mentioned the price to try and justify their asking price.

We replaced the front windshield on this Beetle also which cost us $275.

Why? Again with justifying the asking price. Why a new windshield? Did it break? Was it chipped up? I know I don't like my chipped windshield, but I still wouldn't break that factory seal unless I really needed to. Who installed it? Is it a VW windshield?

It has had all its scheduled maintenance work done at the VW dealership!

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Just because it's done at a dealer doesn't mean it's done right. Many cars have been maintained by the dealer and are in worse shape than those maintained at home or by TRUE TDI mechanics.

The guy who answered the phone said the tb has not been changed but the local VW dealership said it was fine until 107000 miles and the dealership quoted him 800 bucks to do the job, he also said that he could get it done for half that price...

First off $800 for a Tbelt change is WAY too cheap for a dealer. I was being quoted no less than $1100 all the way up to $1550 at dealers here in Georgia. I found an independent shop who did it for $740. And I paid for all of that $740 too. I have a remanned waterpump; more than likely with another plastic impeller. They used the "mark and pray" method ( I really think it should be "prey" not "pray" though since usually they are hoping for repeat business with that method ). I have full reason to believe they reused and topped off my coolant with just whatever they had lying around. The invoice wasn't even close to being correct, as they listed a 1.8T belt, but people have confirmed that the correct belt is on the car. So now, 50K miles later, my coolant is low and I have reason to believe that my waterpump is going bad. Needless to say, I will have a TDI guru from the TDIclub do it for me this time. It's between $250 and $300 (depending on if there is a sale) for the whole kit that includes a waterpump with a METAL impeller. Then go to VW for some coolant which I hear is fairly inexpensive and 1 gallon will be more than enough. Pay a competent person to do it, and you could have a $600 - $700 repair done properly and KNOW it'll last 100k miles.

Don't let VW dealers touch it for TB change. Anyone who believes Timing Belts/waterpumps can go to 107K don't know what they are talking about. I changed mine at 89K and the belt was rough. According to the manual, Timing belt and ilder pully REPLACE on TDI engines only at 80K miles. Obviously whomever is selling this car hasn't read up on TDI maintenance.

Otherwise the car looks great. Seriously, I'm not trying to down the seller. Most people think they are doing right by "dealer maintaining" their cars. I thought that when I first started. I was NEVER going to let someone from online who claims to know how to replace something as important as a timing belt on my car. NO WAY. Now...I trust them more than I trust anyone else. If I could find someone to do ALL my repairs, mount tires, balance, alignment and all that. My car would never see a real shop again.

Make sure, if you want this car, to ask LOTS of questions. Ask everything, even if it seems nit picky. You'll regret not asking when something goes terribly wrong. Has the tranny been serviced at all? What about soot in the intake and turbo? With those kinda miles it's probably time. The advantage you have, is with the mileage on the car and the major maintenance items that are needing to be done real soon, you have bargain room. KBB Suggested Retail Value is $9,4151 based on excellent condition. Meaning, ready to go, no major services due right away; which is not the case here.

I don't know for sure but weren't 2003 models also included in the camlobe wear? Probably not an issue at this mileage but something to consider. And full headrests? Mine has donuts...was there an option for that? Not that it's a big deal, I'm just curious.

[sullyTDI]

Originally Posted by Augustus

I am looking at a 2003 tdi... Volkswagen : Beetle - New : eBay Motors (item 260551579305 end time Feb-20-10 15:13:56 PST)

The guy who answered the phone said the tb has not been changed but the local VW dealership said it was fine until 107000 miles and the dealership quoted him 800 bucks to do the job, he also said that he could get it done for half that price...

This guy is full of crap isn't he?

I am interested in a TDI but I don't think this is the one.

Thanks for your opinion..

Anyone talking that kind of stuff trying to sell a car is up to something....

Don't buy from them.........