TDIClub

When Mark and I were in the market for a new car in 2000, we test drove several. I was adamant about getting a new car--we had been doing repairs on his Subaru for a year and I was tired of it. I wanted a new car with a warranty. We really liked the Prius, but it was the first year they were here in the States and they didn't have cruise control--a huge issue to me since we travel so much. The other car Mark really liked was the VW Jetta. I liked it just fine, but I wasn't about to pay that kind of money for a car that got worse gas mileage than his old Subaru. Then, while reading through the dealership literature, we came across a note that said the Jetta was also available in a diesel engine. Sold! We bought our first Jetta TDI sedan in 2000, and then sold that and bought a Jetta TDI station wagon in 2002.

In the process of trying to sell our sedan, I came across the TDIClub website. Lo and behold, I found family. People who were just as passionate about their fuel efficiency (most of the time) and their VWs as we were. Michigan had a fantastic group of TDIers. They had regular get-togethers (GTGs) and we made a lot of new friends. Even better, many of the people in the TDIClub love to work on TDIs, and they love to share their knowledge. Glen (aka MOGolf) actually changed our timing belt for our first Jetta and our second Jetta. We trust many of these people more than we would a dealership, as they've been working on diesels for decades and they know these engines inside-out, and can literally take them apart and put them back together (I've watched them!).

When we moved to St. Louis, I really missed (and continue to) our TDI group up there. There doesn't seem to be a strong group in St. Louis, although there are GTGs held every year down in Poplar Bluff and we have made it down there. The MI group got together every couple of months for just fellowship, tinkering, maintenance, and sometimes major repairs, and I miss that. Point being, I've been a little out of the TDIClub loop lately, which is why it took me a bit to think of that on Sunday night. Once I did, though, the TDIers came through like I knew they would.

I posted on the forum what was happening with our car, and as mentioned, within an hour Brian called to check on us. He's been working on diesels forever and we are so happy to have him as our mechanic here in St. Louis. We are incredibly picky about who we let work on our car as diesels are significantly different than gasoline cars (one mechanic told a TDIer he needed new spark plugs...diesels don't have spark plugs). Brian is amazing (as is everyone else at Car-Doc!) and takes great care of our car. But he didn't have any tools with him in Cincinnati, so while he was willing to come up and take a look at the car, he thought it was best to call in Glen.

Glen drove over at 7:30am on Monday just to take a look at our car. It's about a half hour drive for him each way. He spent about an hour with Mark, and took him to get a new battery, and then installed it. What a guy! Thanks to Glen, the only schedules that were disrupted that weekend were the two guys who stayed an extra day to help us (they crashed in our hotel room that night--ask Paul about that adventure sometime ;)) and his.

I love my TDI, and I love my TDI family. :)