ALH (and older ALU) was 2003 and older. Not sold after 2003. 2004-2006(?) was BEW in the Jetta. So you can go by the year. Alternatively, look for the injector pump--no external injector pump on the BEW.
My BEW did all of its 314k on its original camshaft. I was impressed, what with all the complaints. I suspect the rollers on the followers were getting old, and was toying with an injector swap & maybe a new cam, then decided it was time to move on.
Timing belt kit, $200-$300.
here
BEW camshaft kit: $549.
here
I think I drove a VE, but did not put any miles onto one, obviously. But I did like my BEW, and others agreed with me: if you're not heavily into the mod scene, the extra 10hp and better NVH makes it a nicer motor.
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Problem areas:
-DMF (Dual Mass Flywheel). If you listen under the hood with the engine running, and hear what sounds like marbles in a tin can, then the flywheel is dead. It needs replacement, which is basically a clutch job. Which isn't a bad thing; I upgraded to a South Bend stage 2 clutch, and could not believe how good the clutch was afterward.
-Front fenders like to rot. TDI's got an extra bit of insulation above the fender liner, and they liked to rot there. Not sure what years affected. Fenders are like $100 (or were 2 years ago), albeit you have to paint them.
-There is a dirt trap between the front wheel liner and the front of the rocker. You can kinda peel the liner away and peer into the rocker area. This is where it'll rust first. And possibly the only place. The MkIV platform is quite resilant in the rust dept.
-Unless if you get a wagon. A number of them had problems with the pinch weld near the bottom of the window in the rear hatch.
-Rear axle beam is known to toe-in over the years. Some mechanics will fix with spacers between axle hub and axle, others say this is bad and you should get a new axle. I dealt with mine by doing frequent tire rotations.
-The BEW uses a $500 intake flap which likes to die at 200k.
-it's an interference engine. Just plan on doing the timing belt job yourself, unless if the seller can tell you (and document it) who did it. Then you can look up if they are reputable or not.
-the BEW does use an electric lift pump, in the fuel tank (the VE models did not), and they can die. Most of them have been replaced by now (just like most of the bad cam BEW's had that fixed too).
-most anything can be found on tdiclub.com, although myturbodiesel.com is another place (I didn't frequent that one, it came later).
-if you do buy one, figure out who your local TDI guru is. It certainly isn't your VW dealer, and it very likely isn't your local corner garage.
