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Re: Ari, got much experience with the VW 1.8t? Posted by Ari [Email]  (#2847) [Profile/Gallery]
(more from Ari) on Wed, 24 Dec 2008 11:04:21
In Reply to: Ari, got much experience with the VW 1.8t?, David Ingram, Wed, 24 Dec 2008 08:44:52 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
I've had thankfully very little experience working on the 1.8t. That said, in my experience ( at total of 1), I've been pretty happy.
I've got 8+ years and 104K miles on the car, and I've had to do very little work on it other than changing the fluids (it's an incredibly early 2001). VW had a recall on the DI coils - gee, that's not an issue with Saabs. Mine never gave me trouble, but I took the replacements. I replaced a breather hose at about 60K, did the timing belt at 80+ K or so, and just did the thermostat. There is a silly air pump that runs when the car is first turned on to blow air on the exhaust valves. The rivets holding the case together started to fail, so it made a lot of noise when it ran. I just replaced the rivets with bolts, and all was well. I'd have to say that my 104K miles have been some of the most trouble-free I've ever had in a vehicle. And the engine hasn't sludged yet. I do change the oil at 5K with semi-synthetic.
Yes, there is a plastic cover on the top. Those cover the coils and other wiring. Look in the engine compartment of just about any car these days, and all you'll see is a plastic cover and a hint of an engine below. If I want to look at a pretty engine, I'll open the hood of my Sonett.
In terms of materials, the car has held up pretty well. No sign of body rot. Some of the plastic trim that sees a lot of wear (door arm rests) show a little scuffing. And I wore through the driver's floormat. But everything still works, the car is just as quick as new. I suspect the shocks could be replaced, along with some suspension bushings, but the car handles fine. The rear brake pads wore out in 25K miles - quite a shock, but the replacements have plenty of meat after 79K. The fronts went an incredible 85K - and this is for an around-town car. I did the rotors at the same time, because they were worn to limits.
I like the 1.8t engine - it's a lot of fun. It's a drive-by-wire engine, and they mapped the gas pedal to make it feel very quick off the line. There is no real feeling of a turbo kicking in, just a quick car. And mine is the old 150 hp one; a few years later VW chipped the same engine and got 180 hp.
Was the thermostat replacement a pain? Yes. I won't knock a car just because a few maintenance items are hard to do. The way cars are packaged these days, most things are at least two layers deep (need to remove at least one thing to access the 'target.') I've had my share of mid-engine cars, so after working on cars through a mail slot, I just take a deep breath and relax. I've been taking trips to the UK a lot this year, and I've been driving rental cars that are the future of the US car industry. I always take the opportunity to open the hood and look around. Many cars have a hood that's a bare 18 inches deep, and it looks like even the simplest task requires major surgery. Such is life.
I'd buy another VW, and I really like the 1.8T.
I was a VW driver before I got into Saabs, and I'm pretty happy with both.
posted by 76.221.218...
, Wed, 24 Dec 2008 05:35:01, Wed, 24 Dec 2008 08:14:21, Wed, 24 Dec 2008 11:04:21 <-- Viewing This Message
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