Piston Slap: Oil Burning and Carbon Cleaning (Part II)

by Sajeev Mehta

Updated: October 21st, 2019 Published: November 17th, 2015

piston slap oil burning and carbon cleaning part ii

Arley writes:

Dear Sanjeev, [Oh, come on!!! —SM]

I have a ’03 Jetta 1.9-liter TDI. Do you know if the emission controls were tampered with on these models? If they are not part of the recall, am I to assume everything is as it should be? Resale value has dropped noticeably.

After your (and reader) recommendations regarding carbon cleaning, the car runs noticeably better, even at 180k mikes.

Thanks. I read you every day.

You can tune a piano but you can’t tuna fish.

Sajeev answers:

I have no information on emissions controls tampering on your Jetta, mostly because it’s not part of the VW TDI recall. That’s only for 2009-2015 VW diesels with the 2.0-liter engine. That model was known as the ~~greenwashed~~ TDI Clean Diesel.

Your diesel is then, by default, a dirty diesel. But at least it was honest!

Sorry to hear about the loss of resale value, but the court of public opinion is (slowly?) going against diesel engines for use in “clean” vehicles. Meaningless in the world of full-size trucks, where people regularly defeat the clean diesel particulate filters…but I digress.

While your ride may have the same steering angle sensor (and other in-vehicle monitors) as the later TDI Clean Diesels, they were only used for their intended purpose. Hell, even Martin Winterkorn, the CEO that allegedly set unattainable goals fostering VW’s Cheat Culture, wasn’t in a position of power when your Jetta TDI was designed.

Perhaps expecting any other outcome is like trying to “tune a fish.”

[Image: Shutterstock user sasha2109]

Send your queries to sajeev@thetruthaboutcars.com. Spare no details and ask for a speedy resolution if you’re in a hurry…but be realistic, and use your make/model specific forums instead of TTAC for more timely advice.

#CleanDiesel #Diesel #DirtyDiesel #ParticulateFilter #ResaleValue #SteeringAngle #SteeringAngleSensor #TDI #VW #VWTDI

Sajeev Mehta

More by Sajeev Mehta

Comments

Join the conversation

2 of 31 comments

ExPatBrit on Nov 17, 2015

If you haven't replaced that POS cheap orange dipstick yet do it ASAP. After a few years, they break apart and the resulting debris falls down the tube. Only way to retrieve it is to drop the pan, fun times!

Like Reply
MRF 95 T-Bird on Nov 18, 2015

The Sell It Yourself price on cars.com for an 2003 Jetta TDI w/180k is a mere $1,350–$2,150. Better off just doing the basic maintenance and repairs and keep it going.

Like Reply

Recent Comments

Theflyersfan The wheel and tire combo is tragic and the "M Stripe" has to go, but overall, this one is a keeper. Provided the mileage isn't 300,000 and the service records don't read like a horror novel, this could be one of the last (almost) unmodified E34s out there that isn't rotting in a barn. I can see this ad being taken down quickly due to someone taking the chance. Recently had some good finds here. Which means Monday, we'll see a 1999 Honda Civic with falling off body mods from Pep Boys, a rusted fart can, Honda Rot with bad paint, 400,000 miles, and a biohazard interior, all for the unrealistic price of $10,000.
Theflyersfan Expect a press report about an expansion of VW's Mexican plant any day now. I'm all for worker's rights to get the best (and fair) wages and benefits possible, but didn't VW, and for that matter many of the Asian and European carmaker plants in the south, already have as good of, if not better wages already? This can drive a wedge in those plants and this might be a case of be careful what you wish for.
Jkross22 When I think about products that I buy that are of the highest quality or are of great value, I have no idea if they are made as a whole or in parts by unionized employees. As a customer, that's really all I care about. When I think about services I receive from unionized and non-unionized employees, it varies from C- to F levels of service. Will unionizing make the cars better or worse?
Namesakeone I think it's the age old conundrum: Every company (or industry) wants every other one to pay its workers well; well-paid workers make great customers. But nobody wants to pay their own workers well; that would eat into profits. So instead of what Henry Ford (the first) did over a century ago, we will have a lot of companies copying Nike in the 1980s: third-world employees (with a few highly-paid celebrity athlete endorsers) selling overpriced products to upper-middle-class Americans (with a few urban street youths willing to literally kill for that product), until there are no more upper-middle-class Americans left.
ToolGuy I was challenged by Tim's incisive opinion, but thankfully Jeff's multiple vanilla truisms have set me straight. Or something. 😉