[Spridgets] paging Peter C

Bud Osbourne abcoz at hky.com
Tue Jan 5 19:11:32 MST 2010


Kent,
For the types of driving we do (did) with our Passat, the 1.8T delivers 
plenty of grunt, but can still deliver way over 30 mpg on long highway 
stretches.  With the early 4th generation Passats, the "electronically 
adaptive" automatic transmission is very good at making absolutely sure you 
are in the wrong gear every time you want a burst of acceleration (later 
ones I drove when ours was in for service seemed not to have that problem). 
However, using the Tiptronic feature to get immediately into the right gear, 
I find that the engine responds very quickly and there is no noticeable 
turbo-lag.  While I've never been thrilled with a "daily driver" engine that 
demands premium fuel, that little turbo motor is really a sweet unit.  And 
there is no "oil sludge" problem with those engines, if maintained 
properly..........specifically, change the oil at the recommended intervals. 
Also, when coming in off the highway, it's important to allow the engine to 
idle for several minutes (the driver's manual says 5 minutes) before 
shutting down.  This allows oil to keep circulating through the turbo's 
bearings, and carry the heat away.  When a hard working turbo engine is shut 
off w/o allowing is to idle for a while, the oil in the turbo gets "coked", 
which is what that sludge is.  Do it often enough, without changing oil at 
correct intervals and it can get so bad that the oil pump pick up screen 
gets choked with sludge.
The TDI is an impressive unit, but I don't much care for the maintenance it 
requires (well, the maintenance it SHOULD get, anyway) and most of my wife's 
driving involves 10-20 mile trips punctuated by several hours of being shut 
off.  If it were all highway and long distances, I'd probably consider it.
The car I'll be looking for will be a one-owner car and dealer-maintained at 
the proper intervals.  We'll see what comes up.  I could be tempted to buy 
another new one, but I really don't like all the electronic gizmos on the 
newest Passats.  Since I believe in very thorough maintenance and tend to 
keep a car just about forever (new car every 20 years, whether I need it or 
not), the fewer electronic gizmos (particularly if they are labeled "Bosch") 
on a car, the better off I'll be.
Thanks.
Bud Osbourne
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Kent McLean" <kentmclean at comcast.net>
To: <spridgets at autox.team.net>
Sent: Tuesday, January 05, 2010 6:50 PM
Subject: Re: [Spridgets] paging Peter C


> Bud Osbourne wrote:
> > Passat or have your brains blown out, which model would you choose
> > (and you're not allowed to pick .357 Magnum)?
>
> Can anyone play?  Having owned a few VW-family turbo'd cars,
> I'd go with a normally aspirated V6. You may find the 1.8T's
> need some revs to build power. Unless your wife puts her foot
> in it all the time to keep that turbo spinning, she might like
> the torque of the V6 better.  And though I haven't driven one,
> the TDI diesel would be worth a look. Whatever you decide, go
> for the newest one you can afford. The U.S. generations split
> at 2002-2005, and 2006-.
>
> If you Google, you'll find other VW issues with control arms
> failing early, ignition coils failing early, and the famous
> "oil sludge" problem of the turbos. As with any used car, get
> one with a folder full of past maintenance receipts (How often
> did they change the oil? With dino or synthetic?).
>
> Although I love my German cars, as someone else said, you may
> do better to go with a Honda or Toyota.
>
> -- 
> Kent McLean
> 1990 V8 w/5-speed and other mods
> 1991 200 TQA #3, with mods
> 1999 A4 Avant, V6 Tiptronic
> gone: '91 200 TQA x2, '94 100 S Avant, '89 200 TQ "Bad Puppy"
> Oh, and a '56 100 BN2


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