[Vwdiesel] 98 TDI Jetta inquiry

[James Hansen]

I had a 99 jetta tdi.  VERY good car to get hit in- a lifted dodge truck
tried to drive over me at a light- he didn't even slow down as his cel phone
conversation proved that we really can't multitask for beans.
I would add to Jason's comment that you should pull the door wiring boot
back on the high use doors when you get it, and fix anything that is cracked
or broken.  That was the biggest PITA about the car, no different from the
97 Passat really in that respect. The vinyl wiring insulation gets pretty
stiff with age, and winter kills it.
Winter tires are pretty much a must if you get real winter, and it was the
first car I have ever had to replace the seat bolster in- the foam cracked
and was less than comfortable- might have been a previous owner thing that
caused it.  Also the only tdi I've had to get into to replace the hyd cam
followers, but I suspect poor P.O. maintenance... wrong oil most likely as
there was a bit more cam lobe wear than I've seen.
Usual European paint rust boogers in salt country- it must be a pre-zinc
body panel car.
Other than that, it was good, safe, economical, no worse than the rest of
the fleet for maintenance, which sez something as I don't think the previous
owner was big on maintenance...  I got more from insurance than I paid for
it when it was totalled.
I'd go for it if it has no body seam rust.  Surface stuff is an easy fix,
but bubbly seam sealer on body seams is a harbinger of doom.  
-j

-----Original Message-----
From: vwdiesel-bounces at vwfans.com [mailto:vwdiesel-bounces at vwfans.com] On
Behalf Of Justin Bennett
Sent: January-21-12 1:24 PM
To: vwdiesel at vwfans.com
Subject: Re: [Vwdiesel] 98 TDI Jetta inquiry

I have owned a 98 tdi Jetta for around 5 years.  Good rig so far.  Problems
I have had so far have been a leaking ip pump which took out the coolant
hoses below it.  Easy fix with a seal kit and the special tool from
Metalnerd to gain access.  Drivers side window this week failed to come up
and in trying to help it along it seems to have come undone in the door
(today's project).  Wiring coming out of driver's side door is prone to
breaking at the plug and can lead to the security system thinking it is
being 'jacked and locking out the starter.  And if you live in cold country
the engine doesn't make enough heat to keep the engine up to temp and the
cab toasty.  So I dress like I am still driving an old air cooled VW.  There
are two things I don't like.  The passenger seat sits too high for most
adults to sit comfortably especially if I have the sun roof cover pulled and
like most modern sedans the car sits too low with too wide of tires for
 real snow country.  
Justin


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