How to buy a recalled vw diesel

Volkswagen was forced to buy back the affected cars and fix their emissions-cheating software and parts. The cars can now be sold again, often at absolutely killer prices.

The diesels, made by Volkswagen, Porsche and Audi between model years 2009 and 2016, have been repaired to truly meet emissions standards and are now being sold, mostly through Volkswagen dealers, with enhanced warranties.

Nearly three years after Volkswagen started its buyback program, the automaker said it had approximately 100,000 of these diesels left to sell, after which it will abandon diesel cars in the American market. He now understands the cultish appeal of the cars, known for their turbocharged direct injection diesel engines.

Volkswagen 1.9L ALH TDI Diesel

While Volkswagen has produced many very good diesel engines over the years, the “ALH” engine used between 1998 and 2006 is regarded as one of the best.

TDIs Are Cheaper Than Ever

Partly due to all of the Dieselgate uncertainty and negative press, and partly due to the abundance of bought-back cars that need to find new homes, TDI models on the market right now are selling for about 30% less than they otherwise would be.

The TDI engine may last up to 500k miles but everything around it won’t. And if you depend on VW dealerships to perform the repairs, plus the added premium of diesel fuel over high octane gas, the long term cost savings will erode. For example, the Turbocharger is good for 100 to 150k miles.

The GTI is NOTICEABLY faster than a TDI at pretty much any speed, and kicks you back in the seat (torque) harder when you downshift/floor it. The GTI’s powerband is beautiful as well, so that power just keeps coming long after the TDI is out of breath.

The old 1.9 TDI was excellent for reliability, but dreadfully slow, and the late versions with higher output lost in reliability what they gained in power. The 2.0 TDI also spans quite the range depending on exact version.

The 1.9 is a tough old unit, very reliable in general but a bit of a tractor engine in terms of refinement (I’m on my 2nd, having done more than 40k miles in a car with a 1.9tdi now). Plenty strong though. The 2 litre is a much more refined, more powerful unit.

The 1.9TDI will be acceptable but not exactly fast. The 170bhp 2.0TDI is a much better engine – all around quicker and a lot more “eager” feeling. The turbo lag however, is quite noticable.

200,000 miles is considered low for the TDIs if they were properly maintained, 3-400,000 is like midrange and 5-600,000 is getting to be high. My advice is to pull the turbo hose off at the intercooler to check for oil from the turbo seals, KEEP A NEW TIMING BELT on it, and it will go a half million miles easily.

The 1.9 TDI was the most successful turbo diesel engine ever made by Volkswagen Audi Group. It’s well known for it’s low fuel economy and endless lifetime, thank to it’s Bosch mechanical fuel system. The 1.9 SDI is the non turbo (naturally aspirated) version of the 1.9 TDI.