Modern diesel engines are not a tinkerer's backyard dream. Even diesel mechanics are not all that impressed with the complexity, ultra-high compression, and timing new diesel engines require.
Going by your list and in my experience, I'll address like this:
- Timing belts are expensive to replace. Up until '03 I believe, the Auto transmissioned ones called for timing belts to be replaced every 40K, which is ridiculous (manuals were around 96K). Buying the TDI makes no sense with that service interval. When doing the change, it's over $500 (I think I've paid $650 myself) and the water pump should be changed at the same time since it's relatively inexpensive and the labour to replace it if it does go would be the same as a timing belt. I live east of Toronto and my dealer's labour rate is $72/hr - it's much cheaper to get my car serviced there than in the GTA and many customers drive to their location for this servicing as in the GTA the charge is hovering around $1,000.
- There was an investigation and possible recall on the seat heaters in the Golf/Jetta models. I think VW would be keen to do the warranty to keep customers happy on this safety issue.
- The window regulators are a common issue and joke on these cars, with power windows "falling down". The plastic clips should be replaced with metal clips, and VW has covered this, albeit digging it's heals for far too long.
- I've replaced a glow plug and glow plug relay myself. Luckily these items are inexpensive
- No idea on the door latch. Noticed sometimes my inside handle is getting a little harder to pull than the normal weight it requires other times. The doors themselves are heavy and welded directly onto the body, which in the case of my large 3-dr Golf when 80km/h wind caught it and flug it open has never been adjustable back to it's original position. Requires re-adjustment when necessary.
- No idea on oil pan heater. I think it's fair to say when you're diagnosing anything at a dealership these days it will cost you
- New battery is a mystery to me. They're heavy-duty jobbers with insulation for cold cranking capacity, and mine's the original battery going on 5 years and 288K.
- On my next servicing I'll require my rear bushings to be replaced. Gradually, I've noticed going over bumps I'll get a banging sound and have been told the reason would be the rear bushings wearing.
- Pollen filters are on many new cars. Volkswagen was among the first with this feature in the mass market here, as many European cars come with this and customers demanded it there. Ford was also big on the pollen/allergy filter bandwagon and advertised it rather heavily a few years ago. They do have a set replacement interval, just like any filter in your home would have... otherwise there's an accumulation of matter and I would imagine mold could start if left unattended. I'm not sure if they can simply be taken out so you no longer need to worry about it or not. I would assume not, but am unsure.
Keep in mind, for much of the above the issues for Golf/Jetta/Beetles are all the same. VW produced tonnes of these vehicles, all with similar issues. They're mostly known issues.
- As for the TDI issue, it's a wonder VW can sell any diesels here. The sulphur content in North American diesel is astronomically high compared to Europe, where engines are much cleaner and can be because the fuel is largely devoid of sulphur (which causes the black smoke and the smell typically associated with diesel fuel). At higher km's - 150K+ if you use quality diesel fuel - the EGR and Mass Air Flow sensor will become clogged because of the sulphur content in our fuel and you'll notice a gradual degredation in engine power over time as this happens. This will be a few hundred to repair in itself, so if you see the signs and were thinking of trading, it would be the time...
In the cold below -27 or so you should be pouring some Stayodyne (forget the name of it, but it's spelled something like that) diesel fuel de-icer into your tank when you fill it up. Otherwise, the diesel can easily gell and literally freeze in the tank.
My TDI is kept outside (lived in Barrie and east of Toronto, ON) and has never not started - but on the coldest -30-35dC days, it sure grumbles. Remember, the glow plug indicator lamp (looks like a spring) is on your instrument cluster for a reason and you should always wait for it to go out before starting, which I'm sure you know. But what I do is actually turn the key 4-6 cycles waiting for the glow plug light to go out (about 4 seconds each time) in extreme cold before starting the engine - this way the glow plugs heat the cylinder for more time before starting. When the engine does start in extreme cold, I know it's very grumbly (I feel like I'm torturing it and it's very big-rig sounding when driving slowly) and I do often get smoke out the tailpipe at -30- for the first 5 seconds upon starting. But it's always started. I believe VW recently added accessory engine block heaters to their catalogue, so you may want to investigate that option if it's retrofitable to your Jetta. How are you 'plugging it in' now? Just an engine blanket, or what?
The bigger issue for me is how the engine warms up. You actually have to drive it, as it will not warm idling. Therefore, it's virtually impossible to defrost or de-ice the front and side windows as you would in a normal gasoline powered vehicle until you hit some speed for 5-10 minutes and the heat starts. And I don't have heated seats myself - wish I had something to burn on thru me on those mornings! I wish it had a front heating windshield.
Sounds like a pain and a lot of 'stuff' to remember, but I actually don't mind it at all. I only pour the de-icer into my tank maybe 3 times a year if I've checked the forecast and know it'll be really cold, and the other stuff I think is fairly routine outside of winter when the engine takes forever to warm up. All European cars tend to require more maintenance than domestic or Asian vehicles, but to me it's worth it.
