--700,000 Miles in an Old Jetta
I’m thinking back to the Winter of 2011. After much research and clicking of “filter by lowest price first,” I found and purchased a Black 1999.5 Jetta TDI. It had around 160,000 miles, the ALH diesel engine, a 5 speed manual, and the interior was dirty enough and stunk like cigarettes enough to bring the price down to my price level. And, the big selling point for me: crank windows.
After paying the friendly owner $3500, then doing a fresh oil change while drinking a few beers with him in his garage, I drove home with my “new” commuter car. This Jetta replaced my powder blue 1996 Lumina that we affectionately named “the rental car” due to it’s plain and utilitarian mid-90s GM corporate inspired design, complete with a cloth bench seat, non-functioning AC, and one cupholder.
My goal was to put 500k on the Jetta, using it for my long commute and occasional work “on the road” as a helicopter mechanic. It’s at just over 700k now, and I thought it was time to look back at the notebook pages I use as a “logbook.”
November 10, 2011. 186,000 miles. Timing Belt.
Even though the previous owner told me “not to worry about it,” I decided to replace the timing belt because neither of us knew when it was last done. This was the first real “maintenance” I had to do to the car, and it was my first foray into the world of special sockets and flat bars and bits and little pegs and whatnot that would slowly take up more room in the “VW specialty tools” section of my toolbox. I sprung for the 100k mile interval timing belt kit–good parts for a car I wanted to keep for a while. I went a little cheaper on the timing belt tools because I figured I’d only use them a few times.
I also replaced the alternator at this time, after broke on the way home from a late night fishing trip. It started with some weird squealing as the alternator clutch seized, then I looked in the rearview mirror to see the melted-off serpentine belt flopping it’s way along the Gold Star Bridge. I got off the highway and watched someone get arrested in a New London gas station before I realized that I could probably make it the 30+ miles home without an alternator–which turned out to be correct.
May 14, 2012. 200,842 miles. Windshield.
My two dogs, Harley, and Maggie, were the worst car-riders I had ever known. And they LOVED going for rides. Maggie was a master at whining and yapping for extended periods. Harley loved drooling over your shoulder. For some reason, I had them in the Jetta today instead of in the back of the truck–where they usually had their own space under the cap to make a racket and a mess. But, what could go wrong? We were only going maybe a mile or two down to the local hiking trail. As I got to the end of our street and started braking, Harley decided it was a good time to jump into the front seat, and his 85-lb Lab/Bernese momentum carried him and his hard head right into the windshield, cracking it where a road chip had started the process. He seemed unfazed by the whole thing too. And I learned a good reason to train your dogs to wear a harness in the car, which he was also not good at (see chew marks in RH rear seatbelt).
May 8, 2013. 216,646 miles. Taillights (and other mishaps)
A few nights previous, someone had the grand idea to hang out the window of their friend’s car and toss a traffic cone at my poor Jetta, smashing the taillight in the process.
I will also use this section to include information on two suspiciously missing logbook entries. One is the rear passenger door replacement and quarter panel repair after I fell asleep on my ride home from work and woke up to a van stopping in front of me to take a left. Startled, I clumsily slammed on the clutch instead of the brake with my right foot and used up any reaction time I had left. So, I took evasive action and swerved left to pass the van, and he unfortunately clipped me on his way in to his driveway.
What followed was:
-me apologizing to him,
-his wife running out of the house to yell at me for my crazy driving,
-me explaining to her that I was not trying to pass, just fell asleep on my ride home,
-her coming back outside later to give me a plate of cookies as an apology for yelling at me.
We settled out of pocket for that one.
The other omitted entry relates to me starting my car to warm it up before work (and sunrise). There I was, turning the key while half in the car with my right foot on the clutch–then I got out not realizing it was in gear, and promptly rear-ended my own truck in our driveway. This mishap required a replacement grille, license plate holder, and license plate, which had a nice square hole in it from the truck’s trailer hitch. At least the truck escaped without damage.
I’m still wondering why the lead mechanic failed to enter these two repairs into the logbook, but I have my theories.
July 1, 2014. 245,000 miles. Clutch and LH Wheel Bearing.
The Lead Mechanic probably forgot to document this job right away, and guessed at the number later. My first clutch failure on the car–the clutch didn’t wear out, the “dual-mass flywheel” did though and jammed up the clutch with it’s broken springs. Replaced it with the same style after much internal debate, and it lasted another 399,959 miles before it too, broke.
December 13, 2014. 250,800 miles. Oil, Filter, Oil Pan Gasket.
Stripped out the drain plug threads on the aluminum oil pan during a routine oil change, then learned that removing the oil pan is pretty simple on this car. Tapped the threads and installed a plug I had from something else, then bought a device to suck the oil out of the dipstick and never touched the plug again. This “experience” removing and reinstalling the oil pan would come in handy later.
September 10, 2016. Somewhere between 285,288 and 298,236 miles. Radiator and Radiator Support.
Brief summary of replacing a radiator on an MK4 Jetta:
– 1. Disassemble vehicle.
– 2. Replace radiator.
– 3. Reassemble vehicle.
I also took this time to replace the radiator support, which was missing its bottom section–I can assume this happened during my “run-in” with a rock that slid into the road during a rainstorm on a winter night.
April 4, 2018. 331,615 miles. Serpentine Belt, Alternator.
Another seized alternator, this time closer to home. I used the “lifetime warranty” and picked up another “superior quality” rebuilt alternator (#2) from the parts store. My garage workshop was full so I worked in the driveway. The heavy rain came right after I removed the old alternator, and I finished the job rolling around in our driveway puddles like a harbor seal.
August 3, 2018. 347,152 miles. Oil 5w40+Filter, and Headliner.
Oil change and a headliner. Standard maintenance for an aging vehicle. Maria was still living with us at the time, and she used her talents as a 4.5-year-old design expert to choose our new headliner. She went with multi colored paw prints. And she helped me install it.
August 20, 2018. 349,686 miles. Air Conditioning Compressor (used).
Do I really want to pay an arm and a leg for a good AC compressor on a car with 350k on it? I didn’t think so, so I went down to the local junkyard and scored a cheap OEM compressor.
July 28, 2019. 379,177 miles. Timing Belt.
100k mile timing belt kit #3. Probably should’ve sprung for better quality timing tools in the beginning, but it’s too late now. Honestly, how many more will I do?
January 15, 2020. 391,627 Miles. Alternator, RH Wheel Hub.
Another “superior quality” parts store alternator (#3) thanks to the “lifetime warranty.”
October 26, 2021. 474,818 miles. Timing Belt.
100k Mile Timing Belt Kit #4. I keep having to hammer the cam timing lock tool back to flat again. I think it might be getting a little tired.
November 10, 2021. 476,366 miles. Balljoints, Subframe, Left Axle, RF Wheel Bearing.
I finally got around to replacing the crossmember, which was damaged in the mishap involving running over large rocks at night (see earlier entry).
April 3, 2022. 491,460 miles. 5th Gear Assembly and Transmission Fluid Change.
My approach to 500k is getting difficult. Lost 5th gear on the way to work. The gear spun on the shaft and damaged the splines on both the gear and the shaft. Luckily I could “fix” it with a new 5th gear from an overpriced parts transmission I found on Facebook Marketplace. Installed it with a whole bunch of red loctite on the shaft with the damaged splines. Remarkably, it was still working fine when I took the transmission out 3 years and 153,499 miles later.
April 12, 2022. 492,950 miles. Rear Hub Shims, RR Brake “Drum,” RF Wheel Bearing.
Ok, mk4 Jettas now come with rear “drums?” Must’ve been working on the Monte Carlo too that day and got confused. Anyway, bought some shims to put between the hubs and axle to compensate for the bent axle beam, which was causing uneven tire wear. New axle beams are expensive. Didn’t work.
July 15, 2022. 506,800 miles. Air Conditioning Compressor (used).
Do I really want to pay an arm and a leg for a good AC compressor on a car with 506k on it? I didn’t think so, so I went down to the local junkyard and scored yet another cheap OEM compressor. Which was great, other than the corroded front cover which leaked all the new refrigerant out. Here, I learned to vacuum test the AC system BEFORE charging, and I also learned that one can scavenge another junk compressor out of the trash can and swap front covers and–surprisingly–the Frankenstein compressor will continue to work “ok” for almost 4 more years.
July 27, 2022. 508,688 miles. Reverse Shift Lever, Air Filter, Cabin Air Filter.
Reverse Shift Lever? That memory is pretty fuzzy. What even is a reverse shift lever? The Lead Mechanic has been doing a lot of repairs this summer and the quality of the logbook entries is questionable. It was probably some part I stole off the parts transmission (see earlier entry) on my quest to get my car to shift properly, or at all. It got to the point where I had to pop the hood and put the car into reverse by moving levers on the transmission (push down and turn, I think counter-clockwise). I remember picking up a sample for work at a nuclear power plant in New Hampshire. I made a wrong turn and had to pop the hood and perform this maneuver right next to a nuclear fuel storage area. I wonder, what did the security guards think as they watched on camera?
December 10, 2022. 529,500 miles. Turbo Oil Feed Line, Thermostat.
This one could’ve been bad. My pants had a faint black stripe on them from brushing against my rear bumper after a long drive for work. A cracked oil line to the turbo was leaking a fair amount out of the engine and back into the world, and all over the rear bumper. Maybe I got lucky because I needed to unload my trunk, or I may not have noticed it until the damage was done.
Oh, and the new thermostat to replace the stuck open one gave me much better heat in the car.
February 7, 2023. 536,900 Miles. Power Steering Pressure Line, Alternator.
Another “superior quality” parts store alternator (#4) thanks to the “lifetime warranty.”
October 1, 2023. 573,173 Miles. Timing Belt.
100k Timing Belt Kit #5. I’m a slow learner, but I think I’m getting quicker at these timing belt replacements. One of the engine mount bracket bolts stripped, so I tapped it for a larger “grade 8” bolt which then torqued down nicely. Temporarily fixed, then promptly forgotten about. (see entry dated August 18, 2024 for related repair).
October 10, 2023. 574,731 Miles. 5th Gear Selector (used), XMSN Fluid Change.
Well, I get to take the transmission cover off AGAIN and replace the 5th gear selector because now it won’t stay in 5th anymore. Guess I should’ve DONE THAT WHEN I HAD THE TRANSMISSION APART (see earlier entry). Anyway, it works good again.
November 5, 2023. 578,020 Miles. Alternator.
THE %#$@%!* “superior quality” PARTS STORE ALTERNATOR (#5!) FAILED AGAIN! I don’t care about your “lifetime warranty.” I’M TIRED OF REPLACING %#$@%!* ALTERNATORS!
Ordered a factory remanufactured Bosch OEM alternator. Hopefully it lasts a little while.
February 23, 2024. 592,676 Miles. RH Spindle (knuckle) and Wheel Bearing, RH Rotor, LH+RH Brake Pads.
My apologies for the previous fall’s outbursts. There was a string of maintenance and breakage going on there, but we’re better now. Anyway, a tricky problem for me to diagnose was the constant brake chatter and wobble that would develop, even after new pads, rotors, and calipers. Figured out it was caused by the part of the steering knuckle where the brake pads rested. They were spread open from age and wear, allowing the pads to wobble around and wear funny.
August 18, 2024. Somewhere Between 615,038 and 622,000 Miles. Engine Mount Bracket.
I was driving for work, and got off the Mass Pike in Westfield and felt a thud, then a strange rubbing sound and vibration through the steering wheel when making sharper turns. Pulled into a parking lot and and looked it over but couldn’t figure out where the problem was. Thought it might be a CV axle and decided to continue on my way to northwest Massachusetts. Took it easy and managed to get there and back without an issue. Jacked it up at home and realized that the grade 8 bolt I had installed in the engine mount almost a year ago had sheared along with the other “TTY” bolt–causing the engine to drop and wedge itself in–but it was low enough to rub on the axle during the turns, which was what I heard. I’m not sure I would’ve driven all over western Massachusetts with an engine flopping around if I had seen the issue when I pulled over to look. Sometimes, you get lucky.
October 1, 2024. 621, 358+ Miles. Oil 5w-40 and Oil Pan.
Another one that I thought might end our long run together. We were just starting a multi-day canoe camping trip, and I was driving through the rain down a forest road in the Adirondack Wilderness north of Newcomb, I carefully maneuvered my Jetta around the rocks and large puddles. I tried to pretend I didn’t hear the dull thud as I drove through one of the last big puddles before the parking area. I couldn’t pretend I didn’t see the oil light on the dashboard, or the watery, oily rainbow following the car to it’s parking spot. Luckily I had a big water container from work and some garbage bags to catch the rest of the oil in the now cracked aluminum oil pan.
We rode to the closest town in my friend’s car and returned with JB Weld, brake cleaner, sandpaper, tape, oil, and rags. I jacked up the car with the spare tire jack and piled some rocks under the tires, then I cleaned and flushed the area with the brake cleaner, sanded the damaged area, and globbed a bunch of JB Weld on it and hoped for the best. Went camping, then I hiked back to the car the next day for a second globbing. Let it cure for two more days in the woods before refilling the oil and (even more) carefully driving back down the forest road and then 258 miles home.
Sometime in Late Fall 2024. Shifter Pivot Replacement.
Another one that the Lead Mechanic forgot to enter into the logbook. Sitting in Worcester traffic one morning on my way north for work, the shifter pivot decided it had enough of things and decided to snap, leaving me stuck in neutral mired in the center lane of I-290. Luckily, the center console plastic had deteriorated and cracked enough that it was just loosely attached. While rolling along in traffic, I carefully tore off the shifter boot, disassembled the console by carefully forcing it upward, and then carefully tossed the plastic parts into the back seat. I was able to reach down past the useless floppy shifter and find the cable ends, and moved them in random directions until I was in a gear (2nd, if I remember correctly) that allowed me to slowly make my way off the highway and into a Worcester neighborhood.
Once there, I thought and stared and decided that I had nothing in my tool bag that could help me, so I familiarized myself with the gears I could access by reaching down past the shifter and moving the cables one way or the other. I figured out I could get 2nd and 4th, and decided that we could limp home on back roads. We made it, and I replaced the broken pivot with a grade 8 bolt welded into the shifter housing. It actually works great, now.
December 30, 2024. 634,920 Miles. Oil Cooler, Heater Core, GPS Speedometer.
I was hoping to avoid doing a heater core. I think they design cars starting with the heater core and working out from there. But, the heat works great now. I also took the opportunity to fix the deteriorated foam on the heater doors. It was nice to put an end to all the little pieces of black foam blowing through every vent.
And I also added a GPS odometer so I could track the mileage easier. The early MK4 VWs stop counting at 621,358 miles.
March 16, 2025. 644,959 Miles. New Clutch and Flywheel, Used Transmission and Slave Cylinder.
The drivetrain had been making a little clunk when accelerating from a stop, and it finally got a lot worse while driving back to CT from a work trip to RI. I hoped it would last until I got close to home, but it didn’t. Sat in Exeter, RI, until a tow truck driver gave us our first-ever ride home.
Thought it might be the transmission so I picked up another one with under 200k on it for maybe $400. Turns out, the clutch broke–the outer disc with the friction material on it separated itself from the inner drive part after over 400k of driving. I guess I got my money’s worth, and I decided to swap the “new” transmission in anyway. I figured it was time.
June 2, 2025. Not Sure How Many Miles. Starter “Repair.”
I occasionally volunteer with a lost dog rescue, and we were delivering a dog we caught back to its owner’s home–after which, the starter decided it didn’t want to start anymore. Luckily, I was parked facing downhill on a steep hill, so I pop-started the car and drove it home.
I had to work early the next morning, and I noticed that the wire connecting the starter to the solenoid had corroded away. I didn’t have the right wire and terminals, and it was a tiny gap that would be awkward to fit a wire and two crimp terminals in anyway, So I flattened a piece of copper pipe and drilled two holes, covered it with heat shrink, and managed to fit some little bolts to connect it to the starter. That “repair” worked for over a year, until I finally replaced the starter because it was worn out and sounding terrible.
August 12, 2025. 664,930 Miles. Tires, Glow Plug #2.
Ordered a set of new “4 season” tires from Walmart to replace my worn set. I used to have a dedicated winter set, but I left them outside under an “Amazon Special” “waterproof” tire cover, thinking I was being smart by protecting them. Well, the sellers lied and the cover wasn’t waterproof at all, but it was great at retaining a nice damp environment and ruining my winter steelies in one summer of storage.
A few hours into my appointment at Walmart, I got a phone call. “Sorry, we’re going to have to refuse to work on your car. Tried to jack it up and it was too rusty. The whole rocker panel was starting to buckle.” To this day, I have no idea what they were talking about. Sure there’s some rust, but my rockers aren’t in bad shape–I’ve fixed the ends that typically rust out and collect water and salt. My guess is that the Walmart Technicians were really busy (they were) and they wanted to get a car out of the shop (they did).
So, I did what every well-adjusted person would do in this situation and drove to Harbor Freight, bought their manual tire changer, ordered a balancer and some stick on weights from Amazon, and just wrestled and struggled and pried and installed them myself. I figured the tools would pay for themselves if I did it once, so I did just that. No leaks, either.
September 30, 2025. 671,103 Miles. Timing Belt, Fuel Filter.
100k Timing Belt Kit #6. Funny that the water pump, which is driven by the timing belt and gets replaced with every belt change, started leaking before I got around to this change. First time that happened.
December 17, 2025. 681,400 Miles. N75 Valve, RH Transmission Shaft Seal, XMSN Fluid.
T’was the day before a Christmas road trip from Connecticut to New Mexico to visit family. A perfect time to disassemble your car. But, the shaft seal leak was large enough to make me worry when driving that far, so I:
– removed the axle and old seal,
– destroyed the $17 seal I ordered thanks to the “world’s worst” seal installation tool (and maybe a little clumsiness on my part),
– drove 40 minutes to the VW dealership to buy a replacement seal for $78,
– drove to Harbor Freight to buy a halfway decent seal installation tool for $45,
– disposed of “world’s worst” seal installation tool,
– finished job without any drama or destruction.
January 30, 2026. 690,000 Miles. Remanufactured Injectors.
Well, the old Jetta made it through New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and back without any issues. And our 1.5 year old dog Belle got to visit her home state of Arkansas–though she didn’t get as emotional as I thought she might.
Anyway, I told my Jetta I would give it some new parts if it made the trip–it deserved it. So, I finally replaced the original injectors with some refurbished ones.
May 18, 2026. 704,818 Miles. Air Conditioning Compressor (NEW!!), Expansion Valve, Drier.
More new parts for the old car–the AC pulley bearing was making a terrible noise, and the old Frankenstein compressor wasn’t cutting it in the spring heat. This new one works GREAT! You actually have to turn it down from “max everything,” it gets so cold. And no more old worn bearing whine.
May 26, 2026. 706,125 Miles.
Nothing new, no interesting stories since the last one. The car runs great, still gets spectacular fuel mileage. We’ve gone this far together–it seems absurd to have an AC compressor failure or a brake job or some other little issue or worn part or whatever and think, “Well, I’ve had it. That’s it.”
Nah, I’ll keep going, probably through some other odd breakage or who knows what. Might even replace the rusty fenders and trunk lid and throw some cheap paint on it.
It’s much more interesting than getting in a new car and just driving somewhere without issue……………..right?