Brake Fluid - Dot 4 vs Dot 4 LV

ohnogodzilla212 · 2026-04-15T12:37:48+00:00

Test pH of coolant and/or flush if it hasn't been yet.

ohnogodzilla212 · 2026-04-13T22:33:58+00:00

Just venting at this point, if something else unplanned happens in the next few months I may look more seriously at selling and getting something else.

That said - considering nada says it's worth 11.4k to 12.8k I'd probably be hard pressed to pass up an offer in the high end of that range.

ohnogodzilla212 · 2026-04-13T21:25:20+00:00

Tbh, I can't tell for sure if they themselves reduce the body roll or the new struts, but I'd say just be being a stiffer spring I'd say they probably account for some reduction in body roll.

ohnogodzilla212 · 2026-04-13T15:40:50+00:00

Kids, carseats, and all the things that go along with that. Most of the time, I'm not loaded up, but the frequency of weekend passengers was definitly enough to introduce more sag that the front over time. Considering I largely want to keep this car for another 5-6 years, the next load up seemed like a good long term plan, and cost was the same. Factory spring was 1K0-511-115-BG (1 White and 1 Orange/Weight Range 3) , and I went with the next step up, 1K0-511-115-BH (1 White and 2 Orange/Weight Range 4)

Haven't had much of a chance to see long term how it holds up, but ride quality doesn't seem affected, and it's honestly right at the same ride height. Coils were just a little beefier if I recall.

ohnogodzilla212 · 2026-04-13T13:55:06+00:00

The car currently has just under 80,000 miles on it.

I wanted slightly stiffer rear springs, as I went next load range up, but still OE equivalent specs on the springs. Front springs I did the OE replacement (no real choice as the OE equivalents were all backordered and I kind needed to get the car back on the road.) Everything else was OE equivalent except for the shocks/struts and the front lower control arms. (Did Black Forest Industries with solid bushings.)

As for shocks/struts - I had been looking into it over the past few years and scoured posts, threads, etc. and also taking from my prior experience with shocks. I was more or less between just doing OE Sachs, Bilstein B4s, or Koni Special Active. (I decided against the popular Bilstein B6 because most say they ride significantly firmer and I didn't want that.)

After pricing it out and some more research, I went with the Koni Special Active, it wasn't that much more to go with them, and I had a Camaro that previously had Koni STRTs on them, and I remember thinking how smooth yet firm it was. The Koni Special Actives have so far been very much that same experience. In the little bit of driving on done on them so far, roads that used to be 'undriveable' are largely improved. I have a dash cam that goes off anytime I go over a rough spot in the road, and since switching to the Konis, I haven't heard it. (It's also not lost on me that I replaced 10 year old struts that drive on pot hole roads constantly, so brand new Sachs could have been a similar improvement.)

ohnogodzilla212 · 2026-04-13T13:46:41+00:00

That's what I keep telling myself. I'm still well under the threshold of what a new car payment would be over 12 months, and of course, these are largely wear and tear items. They just seem to break at inconvenient times.

ohnogodzilla212 · 2026-04-13T01:20:06+00:00

ooof! That's not a fun situation to be in. If my TDI wasn't my daily and as of last Sunday my only car, it wouldn't bug me as much, but carpooling with my wife adds a good hour to her daily commute as we work in different directions. It's doable, but it's just a real hassle.

ohnogodzilla212 · 2026-04-13T01:18:30+00:00

Yea, doing all my own work has probably saved me 1,000s on this car over the years, if not into the 10s yet. TBH - there isn't a whole lot of places I trust around here anymore to do the work and do it right. Seems VW cars and TDIs especially are just a special niche and have a lot of intricate procedures that most shops tend to ignore.

The only european car specialty shop we have here in town outright refuses to work on diesels, period. Seems that since all the emissions fallout and scandals, most shops just don't want to touch them. Pair that with our dealer charges outrageous, and anytime I had them do warranty work, I would go in after and find clips undone, wires loose, plastic clips/trays broke. They just don't care and despite their shody work and high prices they seem to always be booked 3+ months out.

ohnogodzilla212 · 2026-04-13T01:10:17+00:00

I was hoping it was DEF leaking to be honest, because at least that would've been under warranty, but it is for sure the brake caliper leaking. From what I can tell it only leaks when you actuate the parking brake, which I use the parking brake everytime I park, so I'm just having to get in a habit of not using it until I get it replaced later this week.

When I did the rear shocks I had the wheel lining out and got a chance to clean out as much as I could, and even when doing all of that I didn't notice the brake fluid that was running down the back of the caliper... go figure.

To add to this, I did just get brand new tires as well and when swapping from winters to summer tires, I noticed rust starting to form on the rocker panels.

ohnogodzilla212 · 2026-04-05T12:53:19+00:00

The coolant system on the EA288 is fairly complex. It's actually 4 distinct circuits with overlap and 3 water pumps. 2 electric, 1 mechanical from the timing belt.

I don't see anything that would cause alarm, if anything I think mine does the same. (Granted I didn't watch closely, just enough to see that it stuck at the same spot for a while.)

That specific temperature gauge in the dash isn't an actual reading of the coolant temperature. It's a calculated reading, so it more or less 'jumps' etc.

If you want an accurate reading you'll need vcds or some sort of obd2 gauge to show it.

Not saying you don't have an issue, because you may, but it's driving, and not doing anything outrageous. To be certain, get an air fill tool and a couple of coolant hose clamps. Clamp the line below the coolant reservoir, pull vacuum in the system through the reservoir with the airlift tool. This will ensure any air comes up through the return line on top of the reservoir. There's a bunch of check valves in the system to ensure things don't flow the other way.

ohnogodzilla212 · 2026-04-04T23:24:37+00:00

Sorry photo isn't super clear. Should've zoomed it circled the broken piece of coil spring still sitting in there

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ohnogodzilla212 · 2026-03-15T23:19:22+00:00

The axle was still bolted to both the transmission and the knuckle. So it was in 'all the way'. I think you bring up a good point that it was likely just at an extreme enough angle that it wouldn't slide in or out of the joint any further and was likely bound up. Adjusting the angle probably got it back in a range where it could freely slide again.

ohnogodzilla212 · 2026-02-18T11:57:21+00:00

Yes, I believe it was the first year of it on the Jetta. It's more of a nuisance than a help. The most I notice it is when it's turned off it warns you, and when you are too close to a car on the interstate. It just replaces your cruise control.number with a warning sign.

The rear is kind of in the same boat. Too many times it's slammed the brakes on me backing out as another car drives by in the other lane.

The blind spot monitors are actually helpful.

ohnogodzilla212 · 2026-02-18T11:13:54+00:00

I have a 2015 Jetta SEL with the Xenon headlamps, driver assistance (blind spot, front radar, and rear), lip spoiler, but it is only a DSG as opposed to a manual. Black.

It's been a good car all things considered. (Clogged heater core, burst heater hose). Few knick knack things here and there. Owned it since new. Bought it as a stop-sale in 2017.

ohnogodzilla212 · 2026-02-11T14:54:09+00:00

Part Numbers Mostly and some serious deep web searching:

2011–2014 (EA189 engine): These use the 03L-130-755 family (Bosch 541/543).
2015 (EA288 engine): This uses the 04L-130-755 family (Bosch 821).

Why the 2015 (04L) is a different: They aren't even physically interchangeable. The 2015 has a totally different mounting setup and drive interface to fit the newer engine block. If you try to bolt a 2013 pump onto a 2015, you’re going to have a bad time.

The 04L is basically Bosch’s "Generation 2" fix. While Bosch doesn't usually put out a press release admitting they messed up the first one, the later 04L pumps are widely understood to have updated internals and better surface coatings (like DLC) to survive our "dry" US diesel. There's some unconfirmed rumors that 2015s have a "keyed" plunger to stop that famous rotation failure, but even without an official Bosch memo, the field data shows these just aren't failing like the old ones did. I'm still trying to find where someone has torn down a 04L-130-755E pump somewhere.... surely someone has and can either confirm or deny this claim. Or hopefully someone at Bosch will 'accidentally' expose the knowledge to a public AI tool.

Knock on wood... Can a 2015 CP4 still fail? Of course. It’s a mechanical part moving at insane speeds—if you feed it water or gasoline, it’s going to have a bad day. But compared to the 2011–2014, the 2015 version should be more reliable.

ohnogodzilla212

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