[s-cars] Open call for info: Audi TDI, B5 chassis

[matt ludwig.]

Fred,

I cannot thank you enough for this great write-up, and technical/ 
personal insights! It is painful, yet good to know of the realities of  
diesel imports to N.A. by VAG- something I was certain was not the  
case. Regardless however, the Passat does sound like what I ideally  
want to have for this purpose, but the Jetta wagon is still in  
contention, given how much the market has fallen-out from under them.  
Choices to make.

Thank you again for this.


matt.


On Nov 30, 2008, at 8:13 AM, Fred Munro wrote:

> Matt;
>
> I just replaced my wife's '96 Camry with a 2005 Passat TDI wagon.  
> It's the
> closest thing you'll find in North America to a diesel A4 Avant  
> since Audi
> hasn't imported diesels to NA since the '80s - and the Passat uses A4
> running gear. The wagon was only available in 2005 and VW has no  
> plans to
> import more diesel Passats.
>
> Impressions so far: great ride and handling, typical diesel fuel  
> mileage
> (wowser, I like this feature - it gets better mileage around town  
> than the
> S6 gets on the highway), typical diesel noise and vibration (I'm not
> thrilled with the vibration but I think there may be an issue to  
> sort out
> with this car since the vibration seems to be getting less the more  
> we drive
> it), lots of low-end torque, good fit and finish, good interior  
> ergonomics,
> rust resistance not up to UrS bodywork quality. Much more "refined"  
> than the
> Jetta, a more comfortable highway cruiser. Some of the 2.0 litre BHW  
> diesel
> engines in the Passat have had balance shaft chain drive failures  
> around
> 100k miles, and since the balance shaft module drives the oil pump  
> this is
> generally not a good thing. VW has just issued a TSB to convert the  
> chain
> drive to the newer gear drive system, but it is not a recall and is  
> done on
> your dime (around 30,000 dimes) if not under warranty. If the engine  
> makes a
> "can full of marbles" sound from the crankshaft pulley area steer  
> clear. The
> car I bought sounds OK at 105K km and has a 2 year/40K full VW  
> warranty, so
> I figure I'm covered for a bit. Oh, one other item - if the oil used  
> has not
> been the VW 505.01 spec with the high wear additive,  the cam and  
> followers
> could be worn out by 100k or so. Read the B5 section of the forums  
> at Fred's
> TDI Page www.tdiclub.com for details.
>
> So far we like the car, but have only had it a couple weeks. The top  
> of the
> wheel arch on the front fenders seems to be a weak spot for rust - I  
> had the
> dealer I bought it from replace the left front fender due to rust  
> bubbling.
> Shouldn't be happening on a 2005 with galvanized panels.
>
> The other plus is that the TDIclub reminds me a lot of this list -  
> high
> signal to noise ratio.
>
> HTH
>
> Fred Munro
> '97 S6
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: s-car-list-bounces at audifans.com
> [mailto:s-car-list-bounces at audifans.com]On Behalf Of matt ludwig.
> Sent: November 29, 2008 11:35 AM
> To: //Scar //Scar list
> Subject: [s-cars] Open call for info: Audi TDI, B5 chassis
>
>
> Family,
>
> Slightly off-topic to this list I realize, but I figured I would ask
> for the cheat-sheet right up front. : ) I am looking for info on the
> following model(s) in North America (read: Canada) only, and really
> input/advice/tips of which combos are those to steer clear of, and
> those which are very well-sorted. If possible, examples currently for
> sale in Eastern Canada wouldn't hurt either. Specifically:
> B5 or B5 facelift (1998–2001)
> A4
> Avant
> 2.5 L V6, 6spd
> 1.9T, 5spd
> **DIESEL**
>
> Now, I realize this might be off-radar for many here, but if any of
> the Canadian listers can point me to resources online for procuring
> any of these, I would love to learn all I can. I have already found
> the TDI Club (http://www.tdiclub.com/) and the TDI forum over at that
> 'other' Audi site... ;)
>
> I live in Maine, so procurement of this from Eastern Canada is not
> terribly difficult. I believe as well that all impact and emissions
> will pass, if imported to the U.S. Additionally, I will be in Quebec
> City next weekend and would love to drive any examples that seem
> worthy. Thanks a bunch.
>
> Sincerely,
>
>
> matt ludwig.
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> 1995.5 S6 Avant
> South Portland, Maine
>
>
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