the saga of the '09 TDI and its bio-indigestion

The following is compiled from a road test journal the author has kept at http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=224644

I took delivery of my 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI (base model, manual transmission) on August 29th. I bought it with the express purpose of using B100 exclusively. I was up front with the dealer. I even have a "powered by 100% biodiesel" sticker on the back window.

My goal was not to force the dealer's hand by making them cover anything that is caused by biodiesel. My goal is to know whether or not B100 works in the 2009 Jetta TDI. It's really that simple. If it works, great. If it doesn't, it may change the direction of the B100 industry as a whole.

If VW had documented any real testing with high blend biodiesel, and any possible check engine lights or actual problems, we wouldn't have needed this test - we would just be consulting the literature.

What evidence is there that VW has done any homework with high blend biodiesel and the new vehicle? B5 is what they have supported for years, they may bump to B20 with the new ASTM spec sheets, and will likely never endorse B100 due to the small market for that product. That doesn't mean it won't work.

The dealer (Charles Maund VW in Austin, TX) immediately said I would void my warranty. After some verbal back and forth, I wound up emailing them some information about the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, including a letter from the Oregon Auto Dealers Association regarding the use of biodiesel. I don't know if that warmed them up to my plan, or they just wanted to sell another Jetta, but I wound up getting my ordered vehicle just like I wanted it, in the color I wanted, and two months ahead of what was quoted initially!

The service advisor said, after my first service visit 10/11/08, that VW told him that if I come in for service on the vehicle in the future, and I have B100 in it, they will "void the entire car's warranty." That ridiculous notion, as if they could not fix my radio because I'm using biodiesel, made me almost angry enough to pursue it on principle. I do hope to get something in writing from VW stating this policy, because it's obviously not legal to do such a thing.

With the 2008 Fords and Dodges having some spotty issues when using high blends (check engine lights (CEL's) causing recurring EGR burn), the 2009+ VW platform is going to be a major indicator of where we go from here. Should we have major problems (even a lot of people with an occasional CEL would be major), the overall market may drift off into B5-B20, with the big oil companies taking over distribution and rolling in the low blends with regular diesel. While that would be a good thing from the perspective of getting it into consumers, it would signal a very disappointing demise to an exciting business model for environmental entrepreneurs and community-scale co-ops around the country. If the VW's have real issues, B100 could go the way of vegetable oil - a niche product for an educated crowd. There will be a fixed number of vehicles that could run on it, with those eventually breaking down or wrecked over the years to come.

Full Disclosure: I run a business selling biodiesel. I WANT this to work. I am not exactly a neutral scientist recording data and coming to a hypothesis. However, if something doesn't go the way I hope it will, this information could be extremely valuable for the future of biodiesel.

If we want to break our country's addiction to oil, we have to take bold steps. Everyone's comfort level is different, so let your conscience and pocketbook be your guide. I'm willing to take what I feel is a very small risk for a very big reward. The chance of something being irreparably damaged by using B100 is so slim, I'm not worried about it. However, the point of my testing is to give others a measure of comfort that I already have.

I drove 378 miles on the initial tank of diesel (poor average of 28.8MPG), and ran it until it had 5 miles remaining on the tank (according to the display). Then I put in 16.1 gallons of pure biodiesel, made from recycled fryer oil, produced to conform to the ASTM specification D6751. I have a certificate of analysis from the producer, New Energy Fuels in Houston, did my own quality tests (clear and bright, methanol, water, and pHLip), and have sold 5,000 gallons from the same batch, from the same tank, even some just before my fill-up. So I had every reason to believe that my results would be indicative of an average B100 user in the new TDI platform.

At 1380 miles, the check engine light (CEL) came on. Car drove like normal. Using my Scan Gauge, I found code P247A: EGT Sensor 3 Bank 1: Exhaust Gas Temperature Out of Tolerance.

I took it in to the dealer. The dealer said they found excessive oil dilution AND the CEL was due to excessive biodiesel. They consulted with VW's tech line (this is a policy for all 2009 Jetta TDI's regardless of what they come in for). They took a fuel sample from the fuel filter, took pictures of my "powered by 100% biodiesel" sticker, and gave me a copy of all the data, including diagnostic logs. I had to ask for it, and they didn't want to give any of it to me, but I pressed them and they agreed. I told them up front I was using biodiesel, so there was no worry that I would be seen as being sneaky about anything.

I was not convinced that my tiny bit of crankcase oil above full was out of the norm. I decided I would take my own samples, change the oil, run it on petro-diesel for two tanks (same as I ran bio) and retest. At 2800 miles, after 1300 miles on petro-diesel with no CEL, I went back to B100 to repeat the experiment. If the check engine light comes on again, I'll clear the code myself and keep driving, keeping an eye on the oil level. I'll also take samples every 1000 miles (starting at 4000 miles).

I need everyone to understand that my testing is not to see how far I, as an end user of B100, can push the 2009 Jetta to get it to work. It is to find out, "Does B100 work in the 2009 Jetta well enough to recommend it to all the people who want to buy it and use B100 that they purchase from me?" I have to factor in the likelihood of them having a CEL themselves, getting hassled by the dealer (always a concern, but more so if codes are being thrown all the time), messing up a sensitive emissions system, or having so much unchecked oil dilution that major problems occur.

From this initial "beta-test," it appears that that the days of Volkswagen producing (willingly or not) the best cars to use biodiesel with are over. From the 1977 diesel Rabbit to the 2006 Jetta TDI, Volkswagen has led the way for diesel passenger cars in America. With the newly designed emissions system in the US, they've jumped the shark and disappointed the faithful. Personally, I'll be looking to unload this petroleum-sucking turd and buy something that I can safely fuel with domestically-produced biodiesel made from recycled fryer oil.

VW did not misrepresent the vehicle. They misrepresented every other diesel vehicle they've ever made. Despite the fact that VW has never said anything over B5 will work in their cars, there are many, many people who know that they work just fine with quality B100 when handled properly.

The Volkswagen TDI has become a cultural icon. Its very existence is responsible for probably half of all biodiesel drivers on the road today. It's the middle class of diesel cars: double the fuel economy of the old Mercedes and double the reliability. It's the Honda of the environmental movement, the progenitor to the Prius in many ways. It's the car that most of us in the biodiesel business drive, the majority of my customers, and a fantastic family and personal vehicle.

Now, we are suddenly faced with the prospect of losing this old friend. Although they will continue in the used market for many years, we are losing the only standard sedan we can tell our friends and family to go out and buy to use biodiesel. I can't overstate the importance of the TDI to the biodiesel community, and its loss will be felt by us all. S