[GadgetBMW]

I'm considering purchasing a 335d as an upgrade to my 2003 Volkswagen Jetta TDI 5-speed with 148K miles. It's been a fun and economical car for me and I find it easy to work on. I'm now thinking about upgrading. I really like the 335d (especially the performance/torque) and I've been seeing some attractive prices on pre-owned cars. I've been browsing this and other forums and gathering info. I am a little concerned about some of the issues with the 335d. Any thoughts/advice? Should I upgrade from a 2003 Jetta TDI to a 335d?

[DSB335d]

Do it! Although I would keep the Jetta too. Those tdi's are the best motors VW makes. Although I'm very familiar with working on them. They also get better mpg's than the 335d. A coworker had 2 one '04 or '05 and an '08 w/ manual trans. I showed him how to change his timing belt and he done it a second time with his son. Last I heard it was pushing over 250K miles & still getting 40+mpg.

Other than getting better mpg's.... That's where it stops. The 335d is better to drive in every way.

[bvanlieu]

Tough call to me. You have a car that is working as is, and you know the history of. If you read enough of this forum you will conclude US 335ds will all cost uber bucks in the end with carbon issues

The cars drive so different, especially if you are able to find a D with a sport package: such a good 3 series chassis and ride compared to the Jetta which, unless you have modified it, is very meh.

5sp to slushy: is this also a deal breaker or a want to do? You will need snows though you probably have them on the Jetta now in MI.

That said, our choice was to buy a new TDI or used 335d. You can see what we chose to do

Spent say 8K more but got a chassis, lots of options and an overall better driving experience then if we had went with a new Jetta. GTD is not here yet, and not sure that would have swayed me either but its more my style for sport driving. If we could have gotten the options in the Jetta we have in our D, it would have been a 30-32K car and then the gap is only a few K. Easy decision for us.

- b

[GadgetBMW]

Originally Posted by DSB335d

Do it! Although I would keep the Jetta too. Those tdi's are the best motors VW makes. Although I'm very familiar with working on them. They also get better mpg's than the 335d. A coworker had 2 one '04 or '05 and an '08 w/ manual trans. I showed him how to change his timing belt and he done it a second time with his son. Last I heard it was pushing over 250K miles & still getting 40+mpg.

Other than getting better mpg's.... That's where it stops. The 335d is better to drive in every way.

I would love to keep both cars but the wife wants the Jetta gone if I purchase a 335d. Plus I think I can sell my Jetta TDI for a very good price since its in very good condition and use the funds to offset the cost of the 335d. I agree that the 335d has much better driving dynamics. Thanks for the advice!

[GadgetBMW]

Originally Posted by bvanlieu

Tough call to me. You have a car that is working as is, and you know the history of. If you read enough of this forum you will conclude US 335ds will all cost uber bucks in the end with carbon issues

The cars drive so different, especially if you are able to find a D with a sport package: such a good 3 series chassis and ride compared to the Jetta which, unless you have modified it, is very meh.

5sp to slushy: is this also a deal breaker or a want to do? You will need snows though you probably have them on the Jetta now in MI.

That said, our choice was to buy a new TDI or used 335d. You can see what we chose to do

Spent say 8K more but got a chassis, lots of options and an overall better driving experience then if we had went with a new Jetta. GTD is not here yet, and not sure that would have swayed me either but its more my style for sport driving. If we could have gotten the options in the Jetta we have in our D, it would have been a 30-32K car and then the gap is only a few K. Easy decision for us.

- b

The long term "uber" cost carbon issues with the 335d are what I'm most concerned about. My Jetta TDI has had some minor issues with carbon and soot in the EGR and intake manifold, nothing serious and definitely nothing that has left me stranded on the side of the road. It was easy to remove and clean and I have a spare intake manifold that I swap out when needed. A 5sp to slushy isn't a deal breaker for me and the 335d auto trans has +1 extra gear to work with. The nice thing about my Jetta TDI is that fact that there are good service manuals available for it and I do service my own car for major cost savings. I'm not sure to what degree I'll be able to work on a 335d after warranty expiration, especially if service manuals aren't available for it. I wonder if anyone out there services their own 335d. I must say, the 335d is one beautiful automobile! Thanks so much for your advice and your candor!

[stevers314]

BMW services these cars just by plugging them in and throwing whatever parts the screen says at it.

My friend had an 04 golf w/ a WVO conversion and it ran great until he finally traded for something bigger. Wife has an '09 jetta TDI which she too loves.

The 335d is an amazing car and I plan to keep mine as long as the wallet allows. Whatever you do, KEEP the jetta. There is just something wonderful about the good ol' diesels that aren't neutered with all of the new emissions crap.

[335dFan]

Originally Posted by stevers314

BMW services these cars just by plugging them in and throwing whatever parts the screen says at it.

My friend had an 04 golf w/ a WVO conversion and it ran great until he finally traded for something bigger. Wife has an '09 jetta TDI which she too loves.

The 335d is an amazing car and I plan to keep mine as long as the wallet allows. Whatever you do, KEEP the jetta. There is just something wonderful about the good ol' diesels that aren't neutered with all of the new emissions crap.

+1

I'd keep the Jetta too. I wish I still had my old Jetta diesel, not instead of, but in addition to the 335d.

[WreckerX5d]

Going from what I've read around here, the higher than normal mileaged 335d's seem to have the least amount of issues. I usually do my own work on every car I have. Parts replacement wise, it's just like any other car out there. Maintenance costs out of the warrantee usually run around $100 for the oil changes (parts alone), alignments can be from anywhere you choose, and brakes can be close to the $900 range (the rears go out 2 times faster than the fronts). It's a really fun car to drive. I get bored easy with my cars, and I'm not bored yet. I have seen 47mpg highway after the intercooler install. This car really is a best of both worlds.

[DSB335d]

Originally Posted by MonkUSMC

Going from what I've read around here, the higher than normal mileaged 335d's seem to have the least amount of issues. I usually do my own work on every car I have. Parts replacement wise, it's just like any other car out there. Maintenance costs out of the warrantee usually run around $100 for the oil changes (parts alone), alignments can be from anywhere you choose, and brakes can be close to the $900 range (the rears go out 2 times faster than the fronts). It's a really fun car to drive. I get bored easy with my cars, and I'm not bored yet. I have seen 47mpg highway after the intercooler install. This car really is a best of both worlds.

47mpg!!!!
Damn I need to upgrade my IC! Lol

I assume you have the Wagner IC?

It will pay for itself in fuel savings

[GadgetBMW]

Originally Posted by stevers314

BMW services these cars just by plugging them in and throwing whatever parts the screen says at it.

My friend had an 04 golf w/ a WVO conversion and it ran great until he finally traded for something bigger. Wife has an '09 jetta TDI which she too loves.

The 335d is an amazing car and I plan to keep mine as long as the wallet allows. Whatever you do, KEEP the jetta. There is just something wonderful about the good ol' diesels that aren't neutered with all of the new emissions crap.

I agree, my Jetta TDI does have some pre "new emissions" type qualities! However, performance wise it can't compete with the 335d and the "D" is a lovely looking car!

[GadgetBMW]

Originally Posted by 335dFan

+1

I'd keep the Jetta too. I wish I still had my old Jetta diesel, not instead of, but in addition to the 335d.

Well said! I now need to figure out how to convince the wife that it's very necessary to keep the 03 Jetta TDI AND get a 335d!

[335dFan]

Originally Posted by gadget728

Well said! I now need to figure out how to convince the wife that it's very necessary to keep the 03 Jetta TDI AND get a 335d!

If for no other reason, I would use the Jetta for your short trips, and keep the 335d in the garage for trips allowing it to warm up and stretch its legs. I would use the Jetta for cases where you are certain to have a lot of crawling, bumper-to-bumper traffic. Don't get me wrong, my car has 28k miles in 18 months, but I don't take it for 1 mile trips to the grocer. I try to avoid trips less than 10 miles. All this should be taken as my opinion only.

[AzureHaze]

Does close to 500 lbs. of torque @ 1750rpm with a simple piggyback sound good to you? If so, do it.

[GadgetBMW]

Originally Posted by MonkUSMC

Going from what I've read around here, the higher than normal mileaged 335d's seem to have the least amount of issues. I usually do my own work on every car I have. Parts replacement wise, it's just like any other car out there. Maintenance costs out of the warrantee usually run around $100 for the oil changes (parts alone), alignments can be from anywhere you choose, and brakes can be close to the $900 range (the rears go out 2 times faster than the fronts). It's a really fun car to drive. I get bored easy with my cars, and I'm not bored yet. I have seen 47mpg highway after the intercooler install. This car really is a best of both worlds.

I drive a lot, especially highway. I too do my own work on every car I have. I've gotten a little bored with my 03 Jetta TDI and I'm lusting after the performance/fuel economy combo of the 335d. 47mpg is phenomenal in a 335d. I average 47mpg (mostly fast highway driving) and I've seen 50+ mpg in my Jetta TDI. I typically keep my cars for a long time and well after the warranty period so if I purchase a 335d, my hopes are that the car will last and not break me financially.

[GadgetBMW]

Originally Posted by AzureHaze

Does close to 500 lbs. of torque @ 1750rpm with a simple piggyback sound good to you? If so, do it.

It DOES!!!!!

[GadgetBMW]

Originally Posted by 335dFan

If for no other reason, I would use the Jetta for your short trips, and keep the 335d in the garage for trips allowing it to warm up and stretch its legs. I would use the Jetta for cases where you are certain to have a lot of crawling, bumper-to-bumper traffic. Don't get me wrong, my car has 28k miles in 18 months, but I don't take it for 1 mile trips to the grocer. I try to avoid trips less than 10 miles. All this should be taken as my opinion only.

That's a good idea, just need to convince the wife! I do have a another car that I can use for short trips in addition to my Jetta TDI. Also, I have a 45 mile mostly highway commute one way to the office every day, which from what I understand might be good for a 335d.

[WreckerX5d]

Originally Posted by DSB335d

47mpg!!!!
Damn I need to upgrade my IC! Lol

I assume you have the Wagner IC?

It will pay for itself in fuel savings

Yes it's with the Wagner IC. I believe there is a pressure gain of 2lbs over the stock as well.

This purchase will actually pay for itself in 8.5months for me.

[GreekboyD]

I would keep the Jetta too. I don't see you getting enough for it as it's ten years old with a lot of clicks on it.

[panerainovice]

If you're looking for more power, and a more luxurious car, I'd say move to the 335d. There isn't any other car on the road today that can offer you the MPG and power that this car and offer. There are some minors issues with the emissions systems but all in all, the engine is bullet proof.

[JDG]

This is my first post, and I just went through this.

BMW: almost 100% more power than the TDI, Rear wheel drive, more expensive.

TDI: Better fuel economy, more mod parts, less likely to get you into trouble with Johnny law.

I choose to replace my 2012 Jetta with the 2009 335d I found, so far the D is a much more refined car and I enjoy it better already. Much tighter and far more powerful before any mods. I am happy with the switch so far.

On the down side, my commute is very short right now so I do worry about carbon build up. I currently have the EGR blocked with a washer and I am trying to figure out some sort of catch can fix. With those two items, I think the D will be a tank.

Just my 2 cents from a guy who just went through this same dilemma.

[DnA Diesel]

Originally Posted by gadget728

Well said! I now need to figure out how to convince the wife that it's very necessary to keep the 03 Jetta TDI AND get a 335d!

Quote other users. I kept my '01 Mk4 Jetta TDI when I got my 335d. It makes a great little puttering around car when you don't want to get your DD dirty...I have a hitch on my Jetta so it's the puttering around, garden-trailer towing beasty. Ironically, while my 335d with 140,000km doesn't have any carbon build-up to speak of, my little TDI was badly gunned by 100,000km and I had to do a full re&re to clean the EGR valve and intake manifold.

Cheers
D.

[dixy2k]

Originally Posted by JDG

This is my first post, and I just went through this.

BMW: almost 100% more power than the TDI, Rear wheel drive, more expensive.

TDI: Better fuel economy, more mod parts, less likely to get you into trouble with Johnny law.

I choose to replace my 2012 Jetta with the 2009 335d I found, so far the D is a much more refined car and I enjoy it better already. Much tighter and far more powerful before any mods. I am happy with the switch so far.

On the down side, my commute is very short right now so I do worry about carbon build up. I currently have the EGR blocked with a washer and I am trying to figure out some sort of catch can fix. With those two items, I think the D will be a tank.

Just my 2 cents from a guy who just went through this same dilemma.

welcome to this forum

Did you get any codes, since you blocked off the EGR valve?