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Potential Longevity of a 2012 TDI Engine

29K views 8 replies 5 participants last post by  ranjr13 
#1 ·
Ok, so I don't like change. If this works out, I intend on having this car (2012 Passat TDI SEL Premium) for a long time.

It is replacing my 1998 Tahoe that just turned 419,000 this morning, and is going strong. That 5.7l 350 has never been apart, and I did an oil sampling on my last oil change and the report came back "Okay, we're impressed! If you're not writing books on car care, you obviously should be, because you are clearly talented. Or maybe you should be playing the lottery because you're lucky and got yourself one heck of a Tahoe. Either way, we have absolutely no problems to report with this data. Wear metals are low and well balanced compared to averages showing no obvious problems at work inside this engine. The fact that metals are steady from sample to sample is another great sign this engine is in wonderful condition. Keep up the great work!"

So, if I do oil changes more frequently than is recommended, change all other fluids on a regular basis or no more than every 30K, what would a reasonable life expectancy be for this TDI engine? Oh, one more thing - it will have hundreds, if not thousands of idling hours on it at accident/fire scenes, and keeping my Dalmatian warm in the winter, cool in the summer, just like my Tahoe has had.

Looking forward to a long lasting relationship...if it ever comes in...
 
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#2 ·
Hummm...you have clearly not owned a VW! That said, the only issue I see for you is idling the diesel, they don't like that. The TDI is so efficeint that it can't keep itself warm, needs aux metal plugs in the coolant stream to warm the coolant. If you had a MK IV I could give you a solid estimate as to how long they last, the Passat has a new derivation of the TDI and logevity has yet to be established. That said, there have been no reported fuel system implosions on the Passat, which is a very good thing for you.

Good luck and welcome to the madness that is VW ownership...welcometomyturbodies
 
#4 ·
virtual "throttle" I know you can raise the idle with chip tuning but haven't heard of a switchable idle rpm switch.

Yeah, other than the HPFP problems I can't see any possible problems with the engine. Unfortunately it's a big possible problem and nobody seems to have enough data to know what problems this engine will have in 10 years. They seem to have fixed a few issues with the Jetta-Golf-Sportwagen and the solenoid injectors should be more reliable. There's been a few taxi Jetta which have seen high miles and they seem to be holding up OK.
 
#5 ·
On several trucks we've tied into the wire that activates a slightly higher rpm setting when the a/c compressor is engaged. On a Passat TDI, does the RPMs go up when the a/c clicks on? If so that might be my answer.

Thanks. By the time I get all of the stuff done to the car when it comes in, it will be several weeks before it's on the road!
 
#6 ·
The ECU will compensate for AC on, but not enough for your application. I think your best bet is to splice into the accelerator pedal circuit (in series) with a dash mounted potentiometer. I say this because I suspect the ECU will freak-out if throttle position sensor jumps to infinite resistance -- even if for just < 1 sec, which is what happens when a switch is used. You'll have to experiment with resistances and be careful of the potentiometer range of choice. And maybe fabricate a knob stopper to prevent the dog from bumping it to 3000 RPM.

Can't assure you it will be that simple, so breadboard it before cutting into anything.
 
#8 ·
Your Tahoe doesn't have a DPF like the Passat. Since your exhaust temps probably won't be sufficient for very much passive regeneration duing idling, your soot load will likely increase more rapidly than normal. I would be mindful of your soot load since you plan to idle the car for long periods of time and make sure that you are driving the car sufficiently at higher speeds for 15-20 minutes every few hundred miles so the ECU will initiate active regereration of the DPF.

Typically, owners see active regens every 300 miles or so. At 40 mpg, that's burning about 8 gallons of fuel before an active regen is needed to reduce soot load. If the ECU can't initiate sufficient active regens to reduce the soot load sufficiently, there's a chance that you will exceed the maximum soot load of 45 grams (assume Passat DPF same as Jetta) and require a DPF cleaning / replacement. I have not heard of anyone cleaning the DPF. VW replaces them.

You should get a warning light before you reach this 45 gram soot load. The warning light indicates you've reached about 24 grams of soot load and that you need to initiate a regeneration by driving for a certain length of time at a certain speed / rpm (customer initiated regeneration). If the customer initiated regen is not done and when the soot load reaches about 40 grams, the ECU will not allow active regens. A service regeneration must then be initiated via VCDS or by VW.

You might want to read this.
 
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