THINK TWICE

The 2.0 TDI's Bosch CP4 high-pressure fuel pump can fail catastrophically and destroy the entire fuel system. When the CP4.2 pump self-destructs it sheds metal debris that circulates through the injectors, rails and lines, so the repair is not a pump swap but a full fuel-system replacement -- tank to injectors -- typically quoted in the region of $8,000-$10,000. Owners describe it striking without warning (a stall or no-start, the car stranded in traffic), and it is not confined to high mileage: corpus complaints on these diesels include failures well under 30k miles as well as older cars. No federal recall covers the CP4, so this is a complaint-sourced defect with no VIN campaign to check -- it must be verified through the car's history.

Check — Ask whether the high-pressure (CP4) fuel pump has ever failed or been replaced, and if so confirm the repair included a full fuel-system flush/replacement (a pump-only fix leaves metal in the system). Treat any fuel-pressure fault code, hard-start, or stall history as a serious warning, and budget for a five-figure repair if it lets go -- on a diesel with an unknown pump history this is the single largest risk.

These 2.0 TDI "clean diesel" cars are the dieselgate vehicles: VW fitted an emissions defeat device that detected the test cycle and cheated NOx limits. This was resolved through the 2016 EPA/CARB and federal court settlement -- an owner buyback or an approved emissions modification -- NOT an NHTSA safety recall, so there is no safety campaign to VIN-check and it will not show on a recall lookup. It is a compliance and value matter: an unmodified car can be difficult or illegal to register or resell in some states, while owners of cars that received the post-2016 emissions "fix" report reduced fuel economy, lost power, and drivability faults (limp/derate and regeneration problems) afterward. Buyback cars that returned to market also carry a branded/lien history worth checking.

Check — Ask whether the car received the VW/Audi emissions modification (the post-2016 "fix") or was a settlement buyback resold to the public, and get the paperwork. Confirm it can be legally registered in your state, and on the test drive watch for weak power, poorer MPG than the TDI's reputation, and any DEF/regen or limp-mode faults.