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

[Tad]

Thanks Dave, that's a good lead.

Do you just call up and ask for a "blem"?  And do you have to make do with
what they have on hand (i.e. not necessarily the right size)?


On Fri, Dec 7, 2012 at 6:43 PM, Dave Cook <davevw at yahoo.com> wrote:

> **
>
>
> 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
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
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