I have a 2015 Passat TDI with over 350k miles, and its still running and driving perfectly. These TDI engines are absolute engineering masterpieces.

One of the most ubiquitous engines on European roads, powering everything from VW's to Audis, Skodas and SEATs. They absolutely LOVE a tune and will just go on forever. While 200+ bhp is common, it's the lovely big chunk of torque that puts a giggle on your face.

Kudos to Mrs. Wizard for going above (or below in this case) and beyond.

Love my Kerma tuned 2012 Golf TDI. Over 175hp/330tq is quite a bit for such a small car. MPG’s are insane at low 40’s around town and high 40’s on the highway, I just got my timing belt done at 110k miles. They will run forever IF you keep up on the maintenance religiously.

i just hate that the media ruined diesels, america is perfect for diesels and we have to deal with gasoline and hybrids and evs, shame on every news outlet that blatantly lied when the scandal was going on.

'KERMA' TDI is a tune package. My son had a 2012 Jetta TDI with the 2.0 TDI w/ a 6 speed manual tranny. He was able to get in the high 50's mpg on road trips.

I’ve had a 2014 VW 2.0 TDi with DSG over here in the UK from new. It’s just about to hit 199,000 miles with absolutely no engine or transmission issues. Changed the belt and water pump in Dec 2018 at 112,000 and it will be due again this December. It uses no oil between my 9k service intervals and averages 50 mpg (UK). Oil, fuel, pollen and air filters are all so easy to reach, makes it a pleasure to service.

Owned a 2012 TDI for six years, and it was one of the most reliable cars I ever owned. No matter what small thing happened, that thing cranked and ran day in and day out. Only reason I sold was to help a buddy of mine with a reliable ride. The six speed was a pleasure to drive. As long as you leave the major maintenance items like timing belt etc to a professional your brake jobs, oil changes etc were relatively easy DIY for an average person, and not overly expensive. There can be issues with carbon over time, but not having DEF to deal with, as long as you made sure to get some Regen cycles in it wasn't a huge issue. For the more adventurous a VCDS makes diag for small stuff on your own or DIY much nicer.

This customer has an ironic sense of humor: the decal on the right rear window says "Jesus" in Hebrew.

I own a 2014 TDI Sportwagen also. I have 85K miles and plan to keep it for a long, long time. I keep it clean, park it indoors and follow the maintenance schedule to the tee. Mine looks a whole lot nicer than the Florida model. I suspect it sits out in the sun.

Great to hear you speak about the legendary 1.9 tdi. Still a lot of them running around in Europe!

8:50 what? That is a cover on the steering wheel. Did you seriously think that was the original leather? 🤣🤣🤣

Never catch Scotty Kilmer's wife doing that. Mrs. Wizard is a gamer!

Love your intros, glad you aren't scared of the camera anymore. Great stuff brother 👍🏻

I have a ‘13 tdi Sportwagen with a 6spd manual, currently with 105kmi. I installed a Kerma Tdi upgrade 35,000 miles ago. It has preformed flawlessly! I’ve never had a check engine light or any issues whatsoever. As these are diesel gate cars, VW’s fix was in reprogramming the ECU, resulting in reduced fuel economy, less torque and fuel economy, and reduced drivability. The Kerma system consists of a small console that plugs into the OBD2 port. The first thing you do is download the original map programming that is stored in the console. Then you upload the new revised map. It’s super easy, and worked flawlessly. If you need to go in for warranty work or emissions testing, just plug the unit in and reinstall the original map. The dealer will never know it’s been tuned (I would NOT display the Kerma sticker!). Once you get the car back, reinstall the tune in minutes, and you are good to go! The tune provides around an extra 100 ft-lbs or torque, and a much smoother power delivery. And I see 10-20% better fuel economy! Much of what the Wizard says about aftermarket tunes is right, but Kerma TDI is the exception from my experience!

Only the 4 smaller bolts need to be removed to get the crank pulley off.

Rebuilt about three CJAA TDI Sportwagens and two ALH Jettas. Love Diesel cars. Currently driving a Diesel Chevy Cruze.

Good to see lots of diesel love in the comments. My mk1 SEAT Leon (I don’t think you get those in the US but it’s basically a Golf mk4) with the ARL engine has been going strong for nearly twenty years now. No major issues in 160,000 miles, even when I was really lazy servicing it for a few years, no minor issues really either now I think about it. You can tell it’s getting old now though, and it might be time to replace it, but if my next car lasts even half as long, I’ll be very happy.

The motor 1.9 TDI is it's bullet proof. There are videos on youtube with a Skoda 2001 1.9 tdi 110hp engine with 400000 miles and a Audi A4 1.9 tdi 600000 miles.

I had that car same and loved it! 2014 Jetta TDI 6 speed with all the options. I happily drove it for 90,000 miles and sold it back to VW 4 years later due to the Dieselgate scandal for $1500 more than I paid for it! I did regular oil and fuel filter changes and put two new tires on it in that time and it never skipped a beat. I would have kept it but VW offered me too much to turn the offer down. I turned it in and sold an old F-150 and with the proceeds, purchased a 2018 Honda Ridgeline, an equally awesome vehicle. I enjoy the channel, Wizard!

Wizard! No need to remove that 19mm 12 point bolt. Just remove the 4 “Allen key” bolts to remove the pulley. As for the the fuel pump , you need to put a timing tool or drill bit to hold the pulley in position. Repair Manuel says to loosen the camshaft pulley…. DON’T DO IT! Just don’t forget to time the pulley as well.

I have a '14 Audi Q7 TDI which I love, Wizard. I do my own oil changes, and fuel filter replacements. It's super easy, and the cabin and air filter is easy also. It's essentially bullet proof and gets great gas mileage. I average around 25 mpg, and I drive it hard. It's the 2nd gen 3.0 V6 TDI (engine code CNRB). Currently have 131,000 miles and going strong.

It’s funny the golf wagon called a Jetta in the USA

As a technician myself i just want to say what a great place your shop must be to work in.

Never thought I'd see Mrs Wizard on the floor for the undercarriage shots 😂

I have a 2014 Jett tdi with a stage 2 tune from Malone tuning and I have had no issues. It truly woke this car up and is fun to drive!

1.9 TDI are fantastic. I have 04 Passat TDI PD. Bulletproof engine. Never had any issues but only 130k miles so far. Still braking in period for those engines

I have a 2014 TDI at 65K KM I did a Malone stage 2 with a turbo back exhaust 2.5inch from Rawtek. DPF delete with EGR blocker. about 950-1100km per tank. At about 100k KM I added a stage 2 street South Bend clutch with Saches dual mass flywheel. lastly I added the Wavetrac LSD. I now have 196K KM on the car and I have never had any issues with the tune or anything just maintenance and ALWAYS Amsoil.

i have a malone stage 2 in my mk7 tdi golf. 193hp-332tq. gets 58mpg on the highway. just clocked 200k miles and my oil samples look great. love these cars to death but there getting hard to find in my area. great video!

My but we hit a sore spot with tools! I get it. As a parts man a mechanic loaned me some tools to do some minor repairs. Before I returned them, I meticulously cleaned them with parts cleaning solvent and shop towels. BIG MISTAKE! The mechanic was furious. He ranted about how I had removed what he called the protective layer of grime from them.

Beautiful Jetta Sportwagen. I have a 2013 VW Beetle TDI. I Have done the timing belt service at less than 130000 and it runs well. Learning more on turbos on cars and lots of coolant and extra oil over time makes things work out. Oil temps don't get over 213F. I get asked sometimes that the VW is Diesel.

Had one just like that in silver and dual-clutch automatic. Was a blast to drive (lots of low rpm torque that kept going when the turbo kicked in at higher rpm) while it lasted. At about 120k miles the high power fuel pump exploded and blew metal in every direction of the fuel system: from the gas tank all the way to the tail pipe. $6k to repair. Fortunately it was covered under (extended) warranty. All was good till it happened again at around 150k and out of warranty. Got the minimum work done to give it back to VW under the “diesel gate” program and still collect money (had to be able to drive a few feet back and forth). Even though we loved driving that car and miss it every day, won’t touch one again - even with the special warranty VW offered.

Yup! First thing I did when I got my GT-R was have it re-tuned. A tune can LITERALLY make or break a build and, not knowing for sure what tune was on it when I got it, how it was set up, etc, that was the first thing I did. Tunes are awesome but not something to be taken lightly! Don't blame you at ALL for being like, "noooooope"...lol

I never miss your videos always extremely interesting and informative, absolutely you are my favorite show, thank you Dave and your wonderful supportive Wife 👍😊

The pump needs to be timed so that the pulse occurs at the right time. It won't do any damage but it may not start. Changed tens of these on my day job on Linde forklifts.

Take the 4 small ones around the crank bolt off then pulley will come off. Just double check that the crank bolt is not a tty bolt.

Appreciate the humor Wizard, especially re: 10mm sockets! 😂

I've owned my 2014 VW Sportwagen since fall 2019 and I love it. It's been Kerma tuned for 2 of those years and drives amazing. I've only got ~65k miles though and mine is in a lot better shape. I'm thinking they took it to a shady "tuner" who didn't know what they were doing.

Don't forget .. part of the settlement with VW over their programming of the engine computers to recognize they were being tested for emissions .. was to detune the engines so they would meet emissions standards all the time. KERMA TDI is well known in the TDI circles for tuning. It may be that the new computer settings are in conflict with the tune and that's giving the CEL! Either way, the tuner should fix it! I had a 1997 Passat 1.9TDI that I loved - 44mpg all day long and a very comfortable commuter car!

Return of the Bug Ninja!! Great to hear it - he needs his own channel ASAP.

Had a 2012 TDI sportwagen with a DSG before the Dieselgate stuff. Loved that car! Made it 500 miles on one tank going from LA to Arizona and back

You don't need to remove the centre crank pulley bolt only the 4 smaller bolts and the pulley will come off, also even though the fuel pump has a pin to time it up it doesn't actually need to be timed, wouldn't make any difference, that's as I was told by VW themselves

I had my Golf TDI tuned years ago. It was great for a while... then the added torque started to overpower the clutch and it would slip in high gear (ultimately ruining the clutch). After that, the added soot from the extra fuel was getting sent through the intake (thanks EGR valve) which was killing the turbo and plugging the intake.

We have a 2014 TDI Passat. Love it. Just did the 160k. It does here somethings that are a bit different from the rest of the world.... And if you ever need to replace the cooling fan assembly or the radiators (yes there are 2) they must drop out the bottom. They will not fit out the top. Just had to do them when a fan blade cracked and wiped out the main radiator. Because it had so many miles and was such a pain I just did both.

I know someone who runs a small independent garage, and only last weekend I (an amateur tinkerer) had to lend him a thin-wall 36mm hub nut socket to use on a Peugeot, because the national tyre and exhaust chain's shop on the other side of the road keeps borrowing his tools and not returning them. Readers from the UK might like to try and guess which national tyre and exhaust chain that is.

I ran over an already dead deer in a Passat years ago. Luckily no damage but I still find hair under the car at times when I work under it.

Love your vids Car Wizard ! If I’m ever in the area, I will stop in to visit. 😊

2014 TDI Beetle here. Great little car with lots of torque and great mileage. So sporty too . I just ordered a bigger rear sway bar and Bilstein shocks to see if that will reduce some body roll. My only 2 complaints about the car is the gearing is too tall for city driving (just like a Porsche) and the car is a little difficult to get in and out of. Otherwise it's just a great car.

Just picked up a 1.9 ALH Beetle with a stick. I love it. I'm waiting for any problems to pop up, but it drives straight and has enough power. Such a shame these TDI cars had to die off due to not meeting emissions standards. Hardly any diesel passenger cars on the road in North America!

Great video as always, so glad you mentioned the citroen, can't wait to see that video. Tuning a vehicle these days is overriding what the manufacturer intended. Proceed at you own risk.

The VW emblem is not applied on the hood from the factory, so the bra is not covering it. The owner removed it from the grill or replaced the grill entirely. And, no, the smoked tail lights are not stock.

We have a landrover discovery1 that sits outback, like it's kind of sitting there rotting but not, it's intact, you could drive it on a road fine, but not legally as it would fail an inspection or what we call an MOT cause it's badly rusty, but it starts most of the time sometimes it needs jumped but it's cause it's not driven, but when it runs, it runs like a dream, it's the 2.5 tdi i4, those engines are bulletproof

I had an 11 TDI with a 6 speed manual. My favorite car ever. I hated selling it back to VW because of their Dieselgate scandal. Wish I could find another one.

Have a 2014 Passat. Love it. Do wish I could get the pre EPA tune back. It was getting almost 50mpg now it only gets 40mpg. But at the computer it is better for the environment.....

This is so funny but I live in Arkansas and I remember, I was on the interstate one night, and I came up behind this guy in my MK6 wagen. I remember getting all giddy, because those tail lights are super rare for the wagen’s. I even took a picture of it and sure enough it’s the same one.

Bra isn't hiding the logo, this car has after market front grilles. I drive one of these 88,000 miles with a 6MT. These are Golf Wagon/Estate everywhere else in the world. That steering wheel is beat!

I have a '14 Jetta TDI? I sure wish the 'BOB ROSS OF AUTO MECHANICS' could look mine over! Thank you for your amazing videos Car wizard and company!!

My 2011 Jetta has 148000 miles the interior is not as nice as that one but the real leather steering wheel looks far better than that one in 2011 getting a stick was near impossible and I bought mine used so you get what’s available hoping it lasts 300000 miles have had it 8 years and got a boat load of money from diesel gate so this car stands me nothing. Keeping til I can’t buy fuel anymore

I have a ‘14 Sportwagen TDI with a Malone stage 2 tune and a DSG tune. I love these cars!

I put 400K on my ALH before I sold it. That thing was a tank. I now have a 2014 Beetle TDI and a 2015 Golf TDI. I wouldn't bother tuning them, as they have plenty of power as is. That Jetta looked a little rough. My 2001 mk4 Golf TDI looked far cleaner than that 2014 when I sold it.

If you break something for the person you work for, at least let them know, then they can get it fixed or buy another one, it is the honest thing to do and you won't get fired for breaking something, shit happens, i have broken things i told straight away what broke

You don't need to take the crank bolt out. Just the 4 bolts around it. I'm glad I ordered a kit with all the bolts when doing mine.

I have the exact same problem but with side cutters. I got so fed up that i bought a dozen pairs of them. Now i find a pair almost everywhere i look in the workshop

The dash cover is to keep the Florida sun/UV, from baking/cracking it. If you have ever parked a car in the Florida summer sun, you know why the fuzzy cover is on the console arm rest. Sun is what has happened to the steering wheel cover too.

Where are the 2.0 TDI people 😄✌🏻 greetings from Germany 🇩🇪

Here in Ireland, VW Diesels are known to go 300k plus miles. Obviously they're well maintained. Taxi's here tend to be VW btw.

also thank you ms. wizard for footage that was fun lolol

Hahaha I laughed so hard seeing Mrs. Wizard being pushing around under the car hahaha

It also has a P3gauges set up on the left vent. Nice touch,.

Windshield replacement is free in Floriduh. Insurance companies are mandated by law to pay for replacement. No excuse to drive around with cracked glass. Love me a diesel.

I can’t believe they still sell those LeBras 😂

As long as you don't go Whistlin' Diesel, we'll all be okay.

Kerma Tdi That’s who I use for all my mods my tunes my bigger, turbo figure into coolers, wicked nice.

All you people saying their Jetta TDI’s have treated them well I’m blown away 😂 my 2010 Jetta wagon only has 76k miles and it has cost me $15,000 in repairs the last year and a half. It was such a great car till 70k miles and now it’s a constant stress.

VAG products to include Porsche use lug bolts instead of lug studs and nuts. That is why you see the excellent tool sticking out of the brake rotor; This threaded rod allows you to simply hang the wheel from it and then easily install the bolts. Great video!

VW and Merc are one of the few brands that make new cars that don't look like insects

I have 2005 BMW 120d 5 door hatchback up from 163BHP to 200BHP 300lb-ft 150,000 heavy foot miles. I have uprated FMIC to help keep the cylinders & EGT at the correct range to prolong turbo life. VNT turbos don’t like high temps that’s why they are not used on petrol cars…

Jajaja is so nice to see an old mexican licence plate in your shop. it comes from Sonora, México it should make a 2000 miles journey to get there. Saludos amigo Mecánico Mago.

You do a great job, greetings from Hungary. I don't know the exact engine type of the car in the video, there are multiple generations and power output models of the 2 liter CR-TDI engine. I have a 2012 Volkswagen Passat Alltrack 2.0 CR-TDI CFGB engine code, 170HP/258lbft, DSG6, AWD It is the infamous dieselgate engine. I bought it with the upgraded ECU FW, with somewhat lower emissions, which will eventually kill your EGR and DPF. I took it to a remap shop, they downgraded the ECU FW from ver. 9977 to the old ver. 4014. I got it also remapped (I'm not sure if it was a good idea) to 206HP/324lbft. The DSG transmission has been also adapted to this, and I asked for a shifting point remap, to keep it always above 1500rpm. It was as low as 1200rpm even in 6th gear in the city below 40MPH. This low rpm kills the Dual-mass flywheel and also bad for the EGR and DPF. Now my car is perfect, I always have enough torque starting from at least 1500rpm, and it will hopefully last longer. I had a vibration problem, I got the rear bottom engine mount replaced, it's much better, but I couldn't try it on highway yet. If the problem remains, I'll get back the original ECU map and remove the DSG adaptation, but the old FW and the DSG shifting points remap remains.

You don’t need to take the 12 point 19mm bolt off to do the timing belt. Also you can get that socket at any store that sells sockets

Steering wheel and cracked windshield number 1 on my list

I would highly suggest you recommend a transmission drain and fill. The transmission fluid is almost clear looks like water. but at 100,000 miles it is quite dirty.

That's crazy about the tool, and exactly why I stopped loaning my tools out to people. Of course, in a shop it's a completely different situation. Also interesting is the Hebrew Yeshua sticker on the passenger side quarter glass.

160k miles on mine and the only issue was a blown strut mount but I drive the crap out of it. Stage 2 tune made it quite fun.

I wasn't expecting to see a VW TDI in your shop. They're not that popular in USA. So it was a good surprise. I was also surprised that you didn't at least do a code read to find out what the issue was. That said totally, understandable that you didn't want to touch the tune, if that was the issue. I would be surprised that a Kerma tune would produce a code either, but the presence of a sticker doesn't necessarily indicate a tune by them. I have pretty much the same engine with a stage1 tune. By having it installed by a tech it came with an engine guarentee. Self install doesn't include that. I've had zero issues and these engines really come alive with a tune.

Does anybody else's heart stop when they see their car on the wizards lift? Geezus, it's like going to a horror movie. You don't want to see it but you have to watch.

Mrs wizard. You’re a trooper. Thanks for crawling under there

Glad to see a manual / stick shift.

I Purchased a 2006 Volkswagen Jetta diesel manual transmission new with 10 miles on it. six and a half years later I sold it with 180000 miles on it. Pretty much normal maintenance, I sold it when I started to realize that the clutch needed to be replaced and then the turbocharger was starting to make some noise. Sold it as is $4500

You do not need to remove that large bolt to do a timing belt/water pump replacement. Remove the four smaller triple squares. That middle 12 point bolt is extremely tight.

That car in the EU it is called VW Golf IV Variant , they are everywhere. On every street I see one parked

Thats a beautiful Armada hiding to your right. I need to get my '15 Passat TDI in there for the same thing.

Wizard when are you going to start working on your camper bus I can't wait to see you guys get that finished

Always a great day when you get wis(dom) from da Car Wiz(ard) from Oz!

kerma is one of the few tuners doing emissions compliant tunes they dont even sell tunes for deleted diesels anymore

The 1.9 TDI PD was a great engine, especially in 130bhp form, I remember being in a Skoda Fabia with one of those and it went like shit off a shovel, got 5/100, about 60miles to a US gallon

A diesel estate is the perfect car for the USA. Long range and very practical. Less trucks, more wagons!

You don't need to remove the crank pulley centre bolt, the 12point 19mm one. Just remove the 4pc XZN10 bolts and the aux belt crank pulley will come off. This unless you NEED to replace crank seal or gear of course. I've done tens of these belts on various 1,9/2,0TDI engines from 2000-2015. Audi A3,4,5,6, VW Golf, Passat, Skoda Octavia and so on. The system is the same on old Audi/VW from around 1976 onward, except those had four 6mm allen key bolts instead of the newer around 2003-> that have the XZN10 ones. The timing on these is VERY precise. The engine will run if the pump timing is a bit off, BUT it will throw a pump code. The timing on pump and cam need to be within a degree.

I got a 2010 2.0 TDI and I have this issue with the car not wanting to start while the engine is hot, only noticed this issue in the summer and I have to try to start it a few times before it actually starts. I noticed sometimes if I turn the ignition on for 15 seconds and cycle it a few times it starts the first time. Is my HPFP going out?

I had to pause the video and go out to my garage and check if all my 10mm sockets were still there. You just never know! 🤣