Volkswagen Bora S TDi PD 150

hi anyone ever have problems with a gearbox in a 19 tdi 115 bhp braking bearing and throwing the gear oil out and if so what would be the best box to put back in.

I bought the 150 TDI end of 2006 and what a car. Have the car now for quite a while now and still having terrible trouble figuring out what to replace it with. The 1.9 engine is without a doubt a brilliant engine and has converted alot of my friends and family who are all petrol heads over to diesels. My car is modified to over 200bhp and 320ft/lb torque and still easily returns over 55mpg. I don't understand why people don't look at the Bora more rather then the Golf. Personally massive VW fan but golfs are everywhere and recently I had the MkV R32 and got rid of it because it didn't give me as much driving pleasure as the Bora does. My only slight down fall on the car is the rear leg room is tight and I myself at 6ft cant sit in the rear without my head hitting the roof.

Only ever problem I had with the car was the clutch which I changed for a better one but are generally the only weak points of the 130 and 150 diesel engines.

Handling is superb but you can sometimes feel the extra weight from the boot when pushing hard into corners.

Comfort having the sports I find grip you in all the right places and hold firm at all times.

Performance is second to none for me, yes my car is tuned but because of that I pass cars with absolute ease and show alot of Impreza STI's, Evolutions and type R Honda's who's boss while still getting 55mpg which is remarkable and hence having such a terrible time figuring out what to change to.

Would recommend the car to anyone and have but sadly they are becoming very rare to find with low mileage or even to find at all.

One of the best cars I've owned for the money for practicality and performace for the money. Yes the 320D is another option but it costs more and personally I like my music and the BMW's stereo doesn't come near the Bora's.

Very economical in this time of huge fuel prices. I returned 68 mpg on my 20 mile journey to work recently, excellent mpg for a 150bhp car (it was a 1 off, I generally get 62mpg with an overall average of 53mpg)

Low road tax band (I pay £120 / year, my wife pays £95 / half year for a 1.6 Astra). Will take on most things in 3rd gear at around 1800 rpm, its nice to have the power to hand when needed.

Well equipped, good climate control and a 6cd auto-changer with a good sound to it. Massive boot space and nice touches like storage compartments for clobber.

An all round, well engineered, economical family motor with the power available for safe overtaking. I love mine, and dont think many people would be disappointed if they had one. Its just a shame that they stopped making them!

Having come from a Honda Civic type r I find the VW Bora a perfect step down to refined family cruiser from raucous rev maniac Honda. mine is remapped to 185-190 bhp, its very smooth and power is effortless with very little lag, good power from 2k to 4.5k, to none, the dash plastics are great quality as is pretty much the rest of the car, only thing slightly letting things down are the wood inserts and fake leather gaitor, overall a very impress to a 3 series and seriously good value secondhand, go for a tdi, cheap insurance and low road tax make for a very cheap car to run.

The VW Bora is basically the same as the Golf MKIV it's based on. It has a different front and back end, but the middle bit is the same. Mechanically it's essentially identical. The Bora never sold particularly well mainly due to the fact that it's a saloon and in this sector will always be outsold by its hatchback counterparts. A lot of them went as fleet cars. It's a shame really because it's arguably better looking than the Golf and it also drives slightly better mainly due to the extra overhang at the rear end resulting in improved handling. Bora's make better value second hand, because there's not as much demand for them. When VW brought out the Golf MKV they did away with the Bora name for its saloon version and called it the Jetta instead. A name they have used before. The idea was to hopefully improve on sales for the previous version, hence the name change.

The trouble with the Bora is that it has a bit of an identity crisis, as it doesn't know what it wants to be. Is it a compact executive aimed at the likes of a BMW 3 Series or Mercedes C Class or is it just a saloon version of a family hatchback? VW claimed that it was a sports saloon, but it hardly fits into that category either.

My version was a 1.9TDI 110 Sport on a 1999 plate. I bought it as a three year old example from a VW dealer for £10,000. Brand new it cost £18,500, so it's hardly a bargain second hand. The 110bhp diesel, 5 speed model is the one to go for as the 90bhp version is a bit underpowered. However, the 110 got replaced by the 115 6 speeds in 2000, then 130bhp in 2001. They even did a 150 version from 2002 onwards. All of these later models had six speed manual gearboxes as standard.

Although the one I owned for almost three years was overall a decent motor, it wasn't without its problems. The day after I took over ownership, I noticed the clutch was slipping, so it went back to the dealer and was replaced along with the flywheel under warranty. This was meant to be a VW approved used car and should have been picked up on when the vehicle was checked. Seems strange also, because it had covered a mere 45,000 miles. My only conclusion was that it had previously been based in the Lake District and may have undergone a lot of hill work. Other problems I encountered apart from wear and tear are that I had to have the Air Mass replaced. This regulates the air/fuel mixture to the turbo. I noticed this when the it wasn't revving cleanly throughout the rev range. VW wanted £250 for the part plus fitting, but I managed to get a reconditioned version for £70. Also I had the front suspension virtually rebuilt. So, not 100% reliable then and I know several people with VW € s who agree that the servicing and parts are expensive, but to be fair that could be said about most car manufacturers.

With all criticisms aside though, I can say that I enjoyed owning my Bora. It was pleasant enough to drive with plenty of poke from the 110bhp diesel and was a swift and refined motorway cruiser, though the diesel unit did become somewhat noisy when revved hard. There are certainly more refined units out there today, but this one did its job and felt like it would go on forever. I could get 50mpg on a good run, though most of the time was returning mid to late 40's. The cabin was a nice place to be and plastics and trim were all of high quality. The eight speaker stereo was one of the best I've heard and the dials were easy to read and lit up blue in the dark. Its handling was safe rather than inspiring, but you did feel like you were driving a bigger car at times. It's hardly nimble.

Overall the Bora has a lot going for it, especially if you're wanting a compact saloon that's a bit classy. These represent good value for money nowadays.

The Volkswagen Bora S TDi is a cracking car, power's amazing reminds me of my old 206 1.9 GTI,s I used to own.A really nice dash as well, a real cool blue colour just a real pleasure to drive well recommended. Level of equipment is also vey good,sport seats, air con, traction control, cruise control, very economical, I saw 59.7 mpg on a run back from Leeds WOW

The Volkswagen Bora car suits me to a T! I was the proud owner of a MK4 Golf TDI (tuned to 115bhp) before I took the leap to a saloon- and a better one I could not have chosen than this. The Bora reeks with taste and is definitely a more classy, perhaps maturer (without being too much so), alternative to the rather more youthful Golf.

Developing 150bhp, this car is excellent in any given situation, beit pulling out of country bends, or simply overtaking on the motorway- it's all effortless. It gives my dads BMW 5 series a good run for its money and makes the boy racers drool which is very satisfying.

Having done the whole 'Golf thing' that young males generally long for, the two cars have their similarities. The Bora has the same chassis as its little brother but the saloon over hang on the rear gives the Bora the competitive edge on handling and it is a better balanced car weight wise.

Also, the interior is exactly the same, admittedly, but I can't help myself from thinking that the driving position in the Bora is better- or am i just imagining it?

The car is running on a set of 17'' RS6 wheels with quite beefy 225/40 tyres on which it looks very smart and runs very well on. The magnitude of the tyres mean more grip on the road, advantageous to both handling and from standing start acceleration, although I still manage to have the ESP light flashing away when the road is greasy!

For a car like this, the running cost are very low- all things considered. It is even pocket friendly in the tax department with a rating of 146g/KM- these new PD engines seems to be very evironmentally friendly! Fuel economy is excellent too. My average is about 52MPG. I drove from Dublin to Belfast on one occasion and got a rather impressive 59MPG!

It does have some weaknesses though. With respect to the interior of this sport model, there is a fairly good range of toys to fiddle with. The Volkswagen sports seats are very comfortable with their built in adjustable lumbar support. The good old Volkswagen blue dials and red needles luminate the revised, silver plated dials tastefully at night. This car cries out for cruise control though. It is difficult to restrict the car to 70mph on the open road mainly due to the fact that the engine revs at bearly 2000RPM at this speed in 6th gear. I'm not sure about the wood trim they employ in the sport models either- its has an uncanny resemblance to what Rover uses.

This is undoubtedly a truely impressive car and is, on the long run, easy on the pocket which is what matters. However, it was a little more expensive to buy initially with comparision to its rivals, such as the Seat Toledo and the Skoda Octavia. Understandably, total ecstacy wouldn't spring to mind for driving experience- it's not a new model Audi RS4 by any stretch of the imagination, but at the age of 21 and looking for a good sensible motor, I think this car is as good as you could as there is out there. This generation of the Bora may be getting old since it was launched back in 1999, but hasnt lost it character at all. The new Bora comes out later on in the year and the 2 litre TDI unit within allegedly develops a staggering 185bhp- put my name down for one right away!!!

I have a 3 year old Volkswagen Bora S TDi PD 150 sport with 19000 miles on the clock. It ticks every box. It is fast, efficient, and has great handling, (it may be no Honda Civic Integra Type R round the bends, but for the average man in the street it's great).

Can't fault it in any way, and it was less than £300 to insure fully comprehensive.

It is quick off the mark, however once up to 30-40 it will leave most things standing.

I would definitely recommend one.

Overall package is of an understated wolf in sheepsclothing. The VW BORA S PD150 TDI has Fantastic pulling power from the tecnically advanced PD150 unit to put most scoobies in the shade. Excellent tow car with ESP, traction control (needed with all that torque), climate control and a touch of real walnut for the interior. Rear legroom had been compromised to give a truly massive boot.