How many miles can a 1.9pd do before it's scrappy time.

[adzul]

Hi

I want me a tdi 130 estate - been waiting and waiting for the 130s to get old enough for my poor wages to stretch to and I'm coming to an unpleasant realisation that they are starting to level out in price at ~£4k for anything that doesn't have impressive mileage.

Bottom of the question is;
is a 01 or 02 tdi 130 with 150k miles a car with a really limited lifespan or a series of garage bills waiting to happen? Most motorway marathon runners do not have a complete service history; change of owner after lease company owner.....and services tend to get sketchy.
I know the oil interval is not fixed but I know the type of oil used is critical.

Please ease my mind by telling me about great high milers with crappy service history or tell me the horror stories you have heard about people who have bought a money pit on wheels.

All advice gratefully received

cheers

Gareth (Cornwall)

[v6dub]

my uncle got 240.000miles out of his. That on the same clutch and turbo. He had it from new and it was always serviced and well looked after. The only reason why is it developed an electrical problem. If it has a good service history then i don't see a problem.

[adzul]

240k that's encouraging :D same clutch & turbo :notworthy

Did he stick to oil changes at 10k or go for the ecu controlled service interval?

thnx

G

[herby0001]

There are many threads relating to buying second hand Golfs and what to look for. In a nutshell, only go for a high miler with a poor service record if you know what you're looking at and listening to. Anexperienced mechanic would be a must.

You're right that the type of oil is critical, but so is its renewal frequency - I change mine every 5k (every 2 months or so) IIRC, if the oil is left in the engine beyond it's recommended life, its effectiveness is reduced, leading to increased wear of certain engine components and repair bills coming your way when you least need them. If you can't determine when the cambelt was changed (every 60k or 4 years), kiss goodbye to £300-ish to get it changed, or £1k+ if you chance it and it snaps.

Personally speaking, even though TDI's are robust cars, if looked after well, they'll cruise past 200k. I think it is a false economy to grab a 'bargain'. Though, you could be lucky...

[v6dub]

he stuck to 10k service, but he did do most of that milage on motorways. but take some one who knows what they are looking at.