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By HondaType
#3808612
I've got a mk6 Golf 2.0 TDi (2012) and a B7 Audi A4 Avant 2.0 TDi (2008). The Golf is a really good car. I'm doing 20k miles a year and it sits on the motorway between 70-80, has plenty of torque and will cover 700 miles plus to a tank. I took it on the autobahns this year and it's very civilised over 100. It's not a car for the enthusiastic B road blast but it serves a purpose.

The Audi has the same 140hp output but is obviously a heavier car so does feel a bit slower. We've not had it long so I can't say much more than that.
User avatar
By trancem
#3808627
Good stuff, will have a look. There's so many for sale I don't know where to start

Which is the best vag forum for info about the diesels?
User avatar
By trancem
#3808630
Are there any advantages buying Approved/Used cars from the dealers?

Having a quick look there seems to be cars around the same price as little independant dealers
User avatar
By Lewisgame
#3808631
You'll have a better warranty buying from a dealer, plus the car will probably have full dealership service history. I'd bet that majority of the cars they're now selling were leased before. VW and Audi are pretty strict on dealership servicing on their lease cars. Also you'll be able to haggle such things like a free service, MOT or something along them lines.
Independent car sales warranty is a waste of time. The process is slow and you'll only get basic cover which basically covers nothing. Most of the time they'll want the car back to repair themselves and if you've traveled far to buy the car that's a lot of hassle. Then they'll get their in house 'mechanic' to throw on some cheap parts.
You might pay a little extra from a dealer but you've got a better chance of getting some aftercare if you ever need it.
User avatar
By HondaType
#3808645
I used the mk5gti forum when I owned one, but didn't bother with the Golf derv.

I'd rather but privately in future having used a 'respectable garage' when we bought the Audi with a warranty. At least you get some insight into how the cars been driven/cared for if you speak to the owner. I got the car serviced at Audi after picking it up. They noted one of the rear springs had snapped and the garage immediately went on the defensive telling me it must have snapped in the two weeks I'd owned it. They did eventually fix the spring but only after the conversation got pretty heated.

If you do buy a VAG engine with a cam belt, make sure the belt has been changed recently. Audi charged the previous owner £750 for the pleasure and it apparently needs doing every 4 years. The GTi was the same.
User avatar
By bennn
#3809190
If you drive 10 miles a day why the hell would you want a diesel? I drive about 300 miles a week in a 3.0 BMW id probably be a bit better off on a fuel with a diesel but I'm offsetting that against the cost and ballache of replacing DPF's, injectors, fuel rails and pumps, etc. Plus I don't have to drive a car that runs out of puff after 3k RPM
User avatar
By HondaType
#3809221
bennn wrote:If you drive 10 miles a day why the hell would you want a diesel? I drive about 300 miles a week in a 3.0 BMW id probably be a bit better off on a fuel with a diesel but I'm offsetting that against the cost and ballache of replacing DPF's, injectors, fuel rails and pumps, etc. Plus I don't have to drive a car that runs out of puff after 3k RPM
I agree if you're doing 10 miles a day, diesels don't make massive sense.

Then again I'd be interested to know what percentage of people that own a diesel actually experience DPF/injector/DMF failures. Think how many cars on the road are now TDi's. I'm sure they do go wrong occasionally, but I'd also not be surprised if a lot of the negativity was from people that have never owned a diesel scaremongering or trying to justify why they shouldn't own one!

Whilst you say you don't want to drive a car that runs out of puff at 3k RPM, I'd rather not be paying £280 a month (approx £70 a tank) to fill up just to be commuting to work and stuck in traffic. Also try and find a well spec'd estate car with a petrol engine and if you do find one, compare the values to a diesel estate car. If I was covering less mileage, I'd have a petrol most of the time, but there are certain cars that it is very difficult not to opt for a diesel.
User avatar
By Lewisgame
#3809223
HondaType wrote: Then again I'd be interested to know what percentage of people that own a diesel actually experience DPF/injector/DMF failures. Think how many cars on the road are now TDi's. I'm sure they do go wrong occasionally, but I'd also not be surprised if a lot of the negativity was from people that have never owned a diesel scaremongering or trying to justify why they shouldn't own one!
I'm a VAG specialist and I'm seeing more issues with the new petrol cars over diesels. I owned a diesel before for 5 years and although it didn't have a DPF the only issue I had was a turbo failure and after remapping clutch slipping.
The issues aren't that common compared to the amount of cars on the road. But you only hear about the bad news.
User avatar
By bennn
#3809224
Well I think if you want to save money don't spend £10k on a diesel. Spend £1000 on a 306 HDI like I did and get 60mpg. It's false economy spending £10k on a car to save money. I spend £20 a week extra on fuel but my car won't lose anything in depreciation either and I like driving it. There are so any idiots out there who get a car on finance because they think it will cost them less to run.
User avatar
By skinnyman9000
#3809237
Some cars are difficult to find in petrol form too. Say if you want an Audi A4 Avant less than 5yrs old 90% of them are diesel. I briefly looked at Seat Exeo's as they are mega cheap for what you get, they were offered with the 2.0L turbo engine, but it looks like no one actually bought one.

Or the latest Accords for that matter. Try finding a 2.4 manual petrol.
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By trancem
#3809368
We won't be doing 10 miles a day. I work 10 miles away and the mrs drops me off then takes the car to her work place. In reality we do around 40 miles per day.

I'm still keeping my options open, been looking at some 130is. actually stuck at the moment trying to decide what I want!
User avatar
By dave_g
#3809414
Lewisgame wrote:
HondaType wrote: Then again I'd be interested to know what percentage of people that own a diesel actually experience DPF/injector/DMF failures. Think how many cars on the road are now TDi's. I'm sure they do go wrong occasionally, but I'd also not be surprised if a lot of the negativity was from people that have never owned a diesel scaremongering or trying to justify why they shouldn't own one!
I'm a VAG specialist and I'm seeing more issues with the new petrol cars over diesels. I owned a diesel before for 5 years and although it didn't have a DPF the only issue I had was a turbo failure and after remapping clutch slipping.
The issues aren't that common compared to the amount of cars on the road. But you only hear about the bad news.
Interesting, I also think a lot of diesel problems are overhyped, but speaking from experience they do exist. Our Audi A1 tdi broke down on us 3 times in 2 years, 2 of these were diesel related issues, glowplug problems and then an EGR cooler leak, which was never really sorted. Car was doing 20k miles a year so no risk of DPF issues but these problems have made us switch to a petrol. It was probably just unlucky, but still a pain.

We've now got the VAG 1.4 ACT petrol engine in a new Leon, the engine is fantastic compared to the diesels we tried. Quiet, smooth, but also quite torquey so still pulls really well. Averaging 45-50mpg, which I reckon is about 10 short of the diesel but we'll worth it and cost is offset by lower purchase price.

Of course, long term reliability is a bit of an unknown, so we got an extended warranty for piece of mind, but can't see us going back to diesel.
User avatar
By Lewisgame
#3809463
The emissions and electrical side of the petrol engines is very good. The internals of the engines has been its down fall. Burnt out exhaust valves, timing chain issues and even the crowns of the piston breaking.
It's the opposite with the diesels generally. The engine itself is reliable, just the shite they bolt into it that fails.
User avatar
By NHB_EP3_Chris
#3809542
Don't buy a diesel unless you're doing 15k a year or more. I'm going to be hitting about 12k on my 320d in its first year and apart from lower tax it hasn't saved me much, if anything. I'd rather have a decent petrol so am thinking about swapping for a nice edition 30 for next year.
User avatar
By b0t13
#3812655
NHB_EP3_Chris wrote:Don't buy a diesel unless you're doing 15k a year or more. I'm going to be hitting about 12k on my 320d in its first year and apart from lower tax it hasn't saved me much, if anything. I'd rather have a decent petrol so am thinking about swapping for a nice edition 30 for next year.
agreed and with the drop in petrol prices atm being so drastic its not expensive anymore :D
User avatar
By ITR BOY
#3815111
I've got a lovely 2007 Audi A4. S Line 170 with only 54k on the clock for sale, just bought a petrol as the mrs only works a couple of miles away from home, really good motors
User avatar
By Superman001
#3815118
I love it when people I work with sell a 5k petrol car that does 35mpg and buy a 10k diesel car because it will do 50mpg and think they are saving money.

One guy we worked out would have to drive 250k miles to start saving money and he only drives 25k a year, so he would have to drive a car he didn't like for 10 years to start saving money :lol:
User avatar
By trancem
#3815327
Thanks for all the advice.

In true CTRO fashion, i've gone against all the advice given (well, some of you did actually say I didn't need a diesel) and got my new car today!

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