[Vwdiesel] Golf Trip-Or On Batteries, the EPA, and New VWs

[Dave Cook]

Took the Golf over to Topeka from Manhattan, because I needed a battery, and needed to visit my Grandma.  


I went over there to get the battery from the Interstate Batteries distributor.  As I told Shalyn off list, I have purchased "blem" batteries from them for a long time for significantly less than retail.  Today's price was $44 (prices have gone up a bit).  The battery in the Golf was pretty small and I felt like it was just a little slower on colder mornings, so I wanted to beef that up a bit.  And my 4Runner needed a new battery-turns out that when the battery rubs on the power steering pump, so the too-small Golf battery went in there.

I commented about the higher price to the guy and he said that it had to do with the ever-increasing price of lead, and the EPA.  He said that several dollars of the last price increase was to account for new regulations on how they have to palletize the batteries which was an EPA regulation. He also said he has heard musings that the EPA is moving toward outlawing lead batteries in favor of AGM type, which are much, much more expensive.  Thanks, EPA...

After getting the battery, I stopped by the Topeka VW dealer.  I wanted to ask what they would have as an asking price on a car like my Golf, if they had one on the lot to sell.  (On the advice of the Kansas Insurance Department.)  The guy didn't have  alot of advice with that because they wouldn't try to sell a 10 year old car, but we got to talking about some of the new VW models.  

VW will be releasing a Jetta Hybrid in a short time.  He said that they didn't use a TDI motor because they didn't feel that it would like being stopped and started like is required in hybrid vehicles.  He said that VW felt that the stop/start/instant on features (such as instant start when you step on the accelerator pedal) simply wouldn't work with the need for glow time and warm up required with a diesel.  It has a lithium ion battery that only weighs 80 lbs.  The Jetta hybrid will only be sold with a couple of higher trim levels.  Should get about 45 MPGs.  

He told me he went to a dealer event and they were told to drive the car for mileage, and everyone got over 50.  Then they were told to drive it as hard as they could, and nobody could get under 40 MPG.  He said the torque was pretty sweet.  He also said that that Jetta would have independent rear suspension, instead of the torsion bar the less expensive ones had.  

We talked about the less expensive interior of the Jetta and he agreed it wasn't as nice as the Golf and other models now, but said he felt that they tried to keep the car "premium" in other ways.  He joked that since that interior was released, he has found himself testing whether the dash in cars is hard plastic, or soft.  (Jetta is hard plastic, other VWs are "squishy".)

He also said that the Beetle convertible would soon be available with a TDI in the US!  They had the first couple Beetle convertibles on the lot, but they were gasser engines.  he also said that VW is making a new Golf-based convertible and the Eos will be going away.  Wasn't sure if the Golf vert would make it here though.  He wishes VW would allow him to sell Polos here.

I didn't get to visit Grandma very long because she wasn't feeling too well.  I guess the flu is going around the nursing home.  But since I had driven all the way there and havent' seen her in awhile, I decided to take my chances but keep the visit short.  All the old people enjoyed seeing Caesar, my Great Dane.


Dave Cook