# Is the 2014 Cruze Diesel worth buying?



## Diesel4Ever (May 30, 2018)

A co-worker is upgrading to a new Subaru and wants to sell his 2014 Cruze Diesel.

He is offering it to me for the same price Carmax offered him, which is $8K. He is the 2nd owner and it currently has about 50K miles.

He knows I like VW diesels, currently own a 2003 Jetta and Golf TDI 5MT which is why he offered me the car. 

He says it has an issue with hesitation and bucking and says it was from an ECU flash the dealer did. Other than that, it is G2G he says.

Is the 2014 cruze diesel a good car? I honestly know nothing about these cars, however it has leather and it pretty nice inside. It seems like a good deal if it doesn't have any issues.

Is it worth selling my 2003 Jetta TDI with 275K that averages 44.4 MPG to get this car?

Is there anything I should be looking out for, like a "Red Flag" with these cars that would be a deal killer?

TIA


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## boraz (Aug 29, 2013)

buy the car and spend $1500 deleting the emissions, then youre good to go.

im 100,000 miles and lifetime 42.7 mpg

be aware timing belt needs to be done at 100k miles

for $10k, id be looking at a 2014 volt as well


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## Rivergoer (Mar 30, 2017)

Diesel4Ever said:


> A co-worker is upgrading to a new Subaru and wants to sell his 2014 Cruze Diesel.
> 
> He is offering it to me for the same price Carmax offered him, which is $8K. He is the 2nd owner and it currently has about 50K miles.
> 
> ...


Depends.

What shape is your 03 in? 
Are you still happy with it?
What’s your reason for considering the switch?

The advantage of your VW is no emissions systems to deal with. The Cruze diesel is a great car (love mine) but some here have reported chronic issues with EGR, DPF, O2 sensors, etc...all emissions related. The motor is pretty solid and is about 10% more fuel efficient than the TDI.

However your older TDI doesn’t have all the emissions BS. Something to consider.

On the other hand, many here report no major problems with the Cruze diesel emissions systems. So there’s that.....

Bottom line, if you do a decent amount of highway driving and you’re looking for an upgrade the Gen 1 Cruze diesel will probably work well. Just be sure to do your diligence (check service records, CarFax, etc) to see if any history of repair issues.

The price seems fair but make sure you’re not buying someone else’s problem.


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## LiveTrash (May 24, 2015)

I second what @Rivergoer posted. If you're pleased with your Jetta, I'd stick with it just to keep away from the unknown. But if you're looking for a nice ride and something comfortable, which I find the Cruze is very comfortable, then go for it! But I can't compare it to the Jetta as I've never had one.

I run the highway to and from work every day and it's been great. I had my EGR seize up once back when I was doing a lot of unexpected city driving with it. A lot of soot built up on it and caused the vehicle to not start. Luckily it was at a shop as it just had an oil change done and they had the tools to remove, clean and re-install it. It was at the dealer the following week and they put in a revised EGR Valve part to replace the existing under warranty. Other than that, my DEF tank heater went bad and they also replaced the entire tank and heater with a revised part, also under warranty. Knock on wood, no issues with the sensors yet. I'm at 54,000 miles currently.

I drive lightly with this car, putting it to the floor every now and then just to let it know who's boss and keep the exhaust blown clean, etc. I average about 50mpg with my light city and highway mix and when on the highway, it'll spike up to 65mpg or more just cruising along. It'll perform its regens about every 680 miles unless it isn't able to complete a full regen while on the highway, then it's a bit less. A tank of DEF has been lasting me 12,500 miles easily which seems to be a lot more than the Gen2 drivers are reporting.

Any more questions, feel free to post away and we'll chime in.


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## Diesel4Ever (May 30, 2018)

Rivergoer said:


> Depends.
> 
> What shape is your 03 in?
> Are you still happy with it?
> ...


Hi thanks for the reply.

I have 2 ‘03 TDIs. I’m keeping the Golf. The Jetta is the one I’m considering selling if I get the Cruze.

Mechanically the Jetta is in great shape. It has lots of newer parts. I got it from the original owner who took good care of it. Doesn’t leak at all and is pretty tight however it’s 16 years old and approaching 300k miles and I don’t know what’s down the road. 

I just don’t want to get a POS to replace it with. Does the $1500 delete kit include the exhaust and software ?


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## boraz (Aug 29, 2013)

Diesel4Ever said:


> Hi thanks for the reply.
> 
> I have 2 ‘03 TDIs. I’m keeping the Golf. The Jetta is the one I’m considering selling if I get the Cruze.
> 
> ...


delete is downpipe and software


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## Rivergoer (Mar 30, 2017)

Diesel4Ever said:


> Hi thanks for the reply.
> 
> I have 2 ‘03 TDIs. I’m keeping the Golf. The Jetta is the one I’m considering selling if I get the Cruze.
> 
> ...


Yep. Downpipe (replaces DPF) plus tuner/software. There’s an optional EGR delete blocking plate as well, but not required (EGR is disabled).

More here: 









How to: DPF, DEF removal and downpipe/egr delete/oz...


I took the time to do a full writeup on this mod. I’d like to give a specific shoutout to sparspangled6.0 and Aaron/VA for their contributions and most of the photos I utilized for this writeup. This project is not necessarily a beginner project and I’d suggest if you have no mechanical...




www.cruzetalk.com


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## TheRealHip (Sep 1, 2014)

Get rid of the egr. If it's dirty it will still leak.....


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## Poje (Aug 2, 2012)

If you do alot of highway driving, nothing is better then a Cruze diesel, unless you have an EV and you stay in your range.

I have 2 of them, a 2014 and 2015, so i know what im talking about, lol. I would suggest like the others to do the Fleece tune + delete, it's worth it.

Btw the diesel isnt only the engine, it's better then a Cruze of that generation in every way. It's between a Buick Verano and a Cruze. It's not as agile as your Golf or Jetta, but its more confortable and quieter on the highway.


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## oreo382 (Sep 17, 2014)

Diesel4Ever said:


> A co-worker is upgrading to a new Subaru and wants to sell his 2014 Cruze Diesel.
> 
> He is offering it to me for the same price Carmax offered him, which is $8K. He is the 2nd owner and it currently has about 50K miles.
> 
> ...


Cold start the car(first morning start,doesn't have to be winter),let it run for 10 seconds and then put it in gear (with the brake on). If it stumbles and misses,idle fluctuates then you have carbon build up on your valves.The hesitation and bucking is not a good sign.When exactly does it do this,when first started or after being warmed up?How was the car used,lots of highway or mostly around town?If around town then not a good sign.A delete will eliminate that in the future but if they're already caked up then a delete will do nothing.If the car was mostly highway(as Boraz's) then the delete is the way to go.Mine was flashed by the dealer and didn,t hesitate and buck.Mine only gradually became worse as the miles increased.At 40,000 miles mine was to the ponit that the dealer pulled the head to get it reconditioned,a $2500 warranty job(would have been $3500 if out of warranty).


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## Diesel4Ever (May 30, 2018)

oreo382 said:


> Cold start the car(first morning start,doesn't have to be winter),let it run for 10 seconds and then put it in gear (with the brake on). If it stumbles and misses,idle fluctuates then you have carbon build up on your valves.The hesitation and bucking is not a good sign.When exactly does it do this,when first started or after being warmed up?How was the car used,lots of highway or mostly around town?If around town then not a good sign.A delete will eliminate that in the future but if they're already caked up then a delete will do nothing.If the car was mostly highway(as Boraz's) then the delete is the way to go.Mine was flashed by the dealer and didn,t hesitate and buck.Mine only gradually became worse as the miles increased.At 40,000 miles mine was to the ponit that the dealer pulled the head to get it reconditioned,a $2500 warranty job(would have been $3500 if out of warranty).


I haven’t driven it yet so can’t say exactly how bad the hesitation and bucking it is. He mentioned it to me and I was thinking it may be an issue with the EGR valve or maybe the VGT actuator. 

Is it common for these cars to get carbon buildup on the valves? It’s common with modern DI gas engines which need to get walnut blasting on the valves, but I’ve never heard of it being an issue on a Diesel.


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## boraz (Aug 29, 2013)

Diesel4Ever said:


> I haven’t driven it yet so can’t say exactly how bad the hesitation and bucking it is. He mentioned it to me and I was thinking it may be an issue with the EGR valve or maybe the VGT actuator.
> 
> Is it common for these cars to get carbon buildup on the valves? It’s common with modern DI gas engines which need to get walnut blasting on the valves, but I’ve never heard of it being an issue on a Diesel.


he's the only one on the forum to report that issue....so far...

but plenty of us have removed the egr for cleaning, either to remedy an issue or to prevent upcoming issue....the egrs are all gummed up, so common sense says the intake isnt exactly pristine

some of the bucking/hesitation can be trans related....lots complain aboot the way the trans acts...ive not driven their cars, mine absolutely has hesitation, bucking i dont think so....are all the shifts smooth like butter? no...are they rough? no...

the delete 100% removes the trans hesitation, foot on pedal and gone instantly....

the delete COULD cause an issue with plugging up the scr down the road, one has 50,000 miles since delete and still is fine, others have clogged scrs even before the delete....all depends how the car was driven and what was wrong with it


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## oreo382 (Sep 17, 2014)

boraz said:


> he's the only one on the forum to report that issue....so far...
> 
> but plenty of us have removed the egr for cleaning, either to remedy an issue or to prevent upcoming issue....the egrs are all gummed up, so common sense says the intake isnt exactly pristine
> 
> ...


I live in Winnipeg,very cold in the winter.Short tripping in the winter sped things up with me.There is a post somewhere with a guy showing pics of his throttle body at 80,000 miles.Its completely caked with carbon to the point of almost being completely choked off.Not sure of the driving history.He says no driveability issues? So maybe the TB can be severely caboned with highway driving hence clean intake valves? I don't know,but seeing that pic made me wonder what the rest of the intake tract was like.As I said Boraz,you drive a LOT of highway which is probably why your and others are ok. I just think if considering to buy one find out what the driving history is and if all or mostly city I would steer clear.


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## boraz (Aug 29, 2013)

oreo382 said:


> I live in Winnipeg,very cold in the winter.Short tripping in the winter sped things up with me.There is a post somewhere with a guy showing pics of his throttle body at 80,000 miles.Its completely caked with carbon to the point of almost being completely choked off.Not sure of the driving history.He says no driveability issues? So maybe the TB can be severely caboned with highway driving hence clean intake valves? I don't know,but seeing that pic made me wonder what the rest of the intake tract was like.As I said Boraz,you drive a LOT of highway which is probably why your and others are ok. I just think if considering to buy one find out what the driving history is and if all or mostly city I would steer clear.


yeah im 70+ % hwy, and <5% idle time, so when the dealer said my dpf was full and needed a new one i was like, go pound sand....theres no way....fix the def tank thats under warranty and gimme the car back

it still was in countdown mode, i drove it home gear or two under to keep temp up so it might regen, and 50km before the really slow limp mode, she cleared up and drove it another 4000 kms since then no issues before i put the delete in.

dunno if the dealer was a schister, or what, but my car didnt need the $3000 in repairs they said it did


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

Might just be the EGR system on the CTD in need of cleaning. It's pretty common.

They're a lot nicer cars to spend time in than the MKIV Jetta IMO.


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## MRO1791 (Sep 2, 2016)

$8K seems like a good deal, the hesitation is normal on a stock car, but there are ways to fix that, tunes, deletes, or some combination of the 2. The bucking is pretty typical during a regen event for the DPF, and not just on the Cruze CTD, my Dodge Cummins did this also. It seems to have more to do with the ECM pushing up the EGTs, which involves a strange mix of lower boost pressure, post injection and some other odd parameters. It's also almost certain with those mile you have some crud formation on the intake, provided it is not too bad, it can be cleaned on car without pulling the head (if you are creative), but I second the idea of a delete if you really want to avoid such problems (I'm considering it for mine when it's out of power-train warranty, which is 5/60K on this car). Now, that said, at the miles this car has, if not done already, it is due for a transmission fluid change (ignore the BS about "lifetime fill", and see the severe duty schedule where there is a change out). There is a great how-to here on this site to walk you through that process. 

So in summary, I'd say you should certainly consider buying that car at that price, is seems like a good deal.


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## Diesel4Ever (May 30, 2018)

I decided to buy the Cruze. I liked the way it drove and the interior was nice. The "bucking" was minor and under light throttle. It was barely noticeable really.

Overall it was in good condition with a few imperfections that will need to be fixed. It does not have GPS though which is disappointing. I will need to install an aftermarket unit.

Does Fleece still do delete tunes for this Car? I couldn't find anything on their website.

Who has the best software? Not interested in max power, want better efficiency, reliability, etc..


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## Toolman (Mar 5, 2012)

Diesel4Ever said:


> I decided to buy the Cruze. I liked the way it drove and the interior was nice. The "bucking" was minor and under light throttle. It was barely noticeable really.
> 
> Overall it was in good condition with a few imperfections that will need to be fixed. It does not have GPS though which is disappointing. I will need to install an aftermarket unit.
> 
> ...


I think the Fleece tune is under Oz Tuners now. You can get everything that you need at www.puredieselpower.com


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## Toolman (Mar 5, 2012)

You wont regret it I have a 2014 diesel and love it.


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## Plomaman (May 15, 2017)

Diesel4Ever said:


> A co-worker is upgrading to a new Subaru and wants to sell his 2014 Cruze Diesel.
> 
> He is offering it to me for the same price Carmax offered him, which is $8K. He is the 2nd owner and it currently has about 50K miles.
> 
> ...


I own a 2014 Cruze diesel. You should know that if there are any problems causing higher diesel emissions with the car, the computer will start to limit the top speed unless/until the problem is fixed. It can limit your speed down to 15mph! The bucking problem is probably caused by sludge build up in the carb intake caused by the egr. Just pull the intake off of the carb and hold the butterfly valve open with a screwdriver. I use an old toothbrush and a flashlight and pull the sludge out of the carb intake. Carb cleaner helps too. My Cruze diesel used to sputter bad but this stopped it completely.


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## cadco1 (Apr 15, 2019)

Diesel4Ever said:


> A co-worker is upgrading to a new Subaru and wants to sell his 2014 Cruze Diesel.
> 
> He is offering it to me for the same price Carmax offered him, which is $8K. He is the 2nd owner and it currently has about 50K miles.
> 
> ...


My opinion would be "Don't buy it"! The diesel has too many issues that even some chevy dealerships can't handle. If you want a cruze stick with the 1.8 DOHC 16V or 1.4 turbo. The 1.8 is my favorite. Its got enough power to make it fun to drive and its the least needy as far as maintenance.


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## MRO1791 (Sep 2, 2016)

Diesel4Ever said:


> I decided to buy the Cruze. I liked the way it drove and the interior was nice. The "bucking" was minor and under light throttle. It was barely noticeable really.
> 
> Overall it was in good condition with a few imperfections that will need to be fixed. It does not have GPS though which is disappointing. I will need to install an aftermarket unit.
> 
> ...


Cool, I would not worry about not having the GPS Nav, I do have it in my 2015, and it's not good anyway, Android auto or the similar Apple product is going to be much better than the factory nav, that needs expensive periodic update to be of any use. I don't even bother on mine, and just use Andriod Auto to take care of GPS needs. 

I did get a Kerma TDI tuner for mine, but only used it on my other 2015 which I traded. The one I still have remains stock. That tuner was for a stock emissions car, the Oz/Fleece is for a delete. If you going to spend the money, I would go for the delete, that will eliminate all of the potential issues with this car.


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## jeffreyc (Jan 23, 2015)

I HAVE A 2014 TD with 255,xxx on it. I've had the timing belt replaced twice, the def tank replaced and just had a delete kit installed. I was at 41mpg lifetime. I now get better mileage, but it is just too fun with the turbo. On the interstate I can get 52mpg.


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## MRO1791 (Sep 2, 2016)

cadco1 said:


> My opinion would be "Don't buy it"! The diesel has too many issues that even some chevy dealerships can't handle. If you want a cruze stick with the 1.8 DOHC 16V or 1.4 turbo. The 1.8 is my favorite. Its got enough power to make it fun to drive and its the least needy as far as maintenance.


While it's true some dealerships are not going to do good work, that is not by any means exclusive to work on the LUZ Diesel. Virtually every issue anyone has reported, except some of the transmission issues, is due to the emissions, and as others have already pointed out, a delete fixed that, or use on mostly highway miles and the system works OK. Now do only short city driving and you are asking for trouble, but that is actually true for most vehicles to some extent, except maybe an electric.. but you can get 800 miles plus range on the diesel, you won't do that in any gas car without some massive gas tank modification. 

I still have my '96 Saturn, it has been really low maintenance and is well over 200K miles.. I used to think it had amazing MPG, but now compared to the Diesels, it is gas guzzler, while being a smaller, lighter car with far fewer comforts. 

To have decent performance, and economy, you really don't find that in anything but an diesel car. 

It is also worth noting, the OP has a user name of "Diesel4Ever", so I don't think he's going to be very interested in a gasser.... just saying


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## jeffs64 (Oct 25, 2018)

Diesel4Ever said:


> A co-worker is upgrading to a new Subaru and wants to sell his 2014 Cruze Diesel.
> 
> He is offering it to me for the same price Carmax offered him, which is $8K. He is the 2nd owner and it currently has about 50K miles.
> 
> ...


I have a 2014 2.0L TD Cruze has 26050 miles. Purchased Dec 24th 2014 for my wife (X-Mas) present has factory Navigation and collision warning and and lane change. Needed EGT sensor at 21,000 I replaced it was out of warranty. The DEF heater tank replaced under recall. Then at 23500 miles the fuel filter. Has been a great car. No dents or dings. I would not sell it for less than $13500. Hope that helps


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## Diesel4Ever (May 30, 2018)

Toolman said:


> I think the Fleece tune is under Oz Tuners now. You can get everything that you need at www.puredieselpower.com


They won't ship anything to me because of where I live. I'll have to find another vendor. Thanks anyway.

Has anyone with a delete and tune scanned their emissions equipment for readyness codes with an OBDII scanner? 

Can somebody try doing that for me?


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## jeffreyc (Jan 23, 2015)

When I had the delete kit installed, with the dealerships knowledge and approval I might ad, they explained it to me.
They installed a new down pipe, bored out the DPF, left the sensors and wiring complete, and left in the DEF tank. Upon a quick visual inspection all appears to be OEM equipment.

Any reference to the emissions was deleted from the computer. The dealer told me that if I ever needed repairs that involved the computer, they would have to add that portion back into the computer. The place that did the delete kit can remove it again for a small fee.

I asked the delete mechanic if I would notice any difference. Yes was his reply. 10-20% better mileage and they tuned it up and gave me another 30 horse power.

My daily commute is 200 miles round trip. I can say that I am now averaging 51-52 MPG on the highway. We drive 74-80 miles an hour.

This weekend we took a trip to a county fair. 212 miles round trip. I used 3.2 gallons. 65 was the top speed the whole way.

The best I ever got was coming out of Colorado heading east on I-80. 87 mpg for 25 miles at 80 mph.

There is no question about the diesel. I'd buy another one if they were still being built.


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## boraz (Aug 29, 2013)

jeffreyc said:


> When I had the delete kit installed, with the dealerships knowledge and approval I might ad, they explained it to me.
> They installed a new down pipe, bored out the DPF, left the sensors and wiring complete, and left in the DEF tank. Upon a quick visual inspection all appears to be OEM equipment.
> 
> Any reference to the emissions was deleted from the computer. The dealer told me that if I ever needed repairs that involved the computer, they would have to add that portion back into the computer. The place that did the delete kit can remove it again for a small fee.
> ...


why bore out the dpf if a downpipe is installed?


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## 15cruzediesel (Sep 30, 2019)

All the delete options are gone now due to a crack down recently, like a month ago.

Thanks EPA.


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## boraz (Aug 29, 2013)

15cruzediesel said:


> All the delete options are gone now due to a crack down recently, like a month ago.
> 
> Thanks EPA.


i posted links to downpipe and tune, today.


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## 15cruzediesel (Sep 30, 2019)

boraz said:


> i posted links to downpipe and tune, today.


Good luck trying to actually get the items.

I'm new to this diesel delete stuff but it is over.

Some suggest that IF yours is deleted the EPA now has your signed statement it is intended for off road use only they obtained in the various raids......

Do some searching about what has been going on.









Performance Diesel, Inc. Clean Air Act Settlement Information Sheet | US EPA


Hess Corporation has agreed to pay an $850,000 civil penalty and spend more than $45 million in new pollution controls to resolve Clean Air Act violations.




www.epa.gov


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## BDCCruze (Jul 12, 2017)

I bought mine because I was tired of filling up twice a week and I was getting bored with the car I had.

My only reservation was the expense of diesel specific repairs. This car was hard to like at first due to all of the recalls and warranty issues. But the last 30-40k miles have just been normal wear and tear - non diesel type repairs - stuff you would have on any car. GM at least did a good job with the extended warranty and specialty coverages with it. If you can find one that has already had all of that done then I would pick it up if it were similar in price to a normal Cruze. The extra MPG is crazy.

I've owned this car longer than I've ever owned a car before. I drive around 30k miles a year so I figure if I am going to rack up a ton of miles I might as well keep the car I paid a premium for the better MPG. I can't imagine the resail value on these is very good so if I'm going to kill a car's value by putting miles on it, this will be the one.


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## kakers02 (Oct 9, 2020)

Rivergoer said:


> Yep. Downpipe (replaces DPF) plus tuner/software. There’s an optional EGR delete blocking plate as well, but not required (EGR is disabled).
> 
> More here:
> 
> ...


OZ is shutdown, do you know of any other place?


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## Rivergoer (Mar 30, 2017)

kakers02 said:


> OZ is shutdown, do you know of any other place?


Unfortunately no, EPA cracked down. 

But the entire US West coast ablaze is apparently perfectly acceptable (SMH).


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## sailurman (Sep 29, 2016)

What does poor state forest management have to do with intentional non-compliance with the EPA?


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## boraz (Aug 29, 2013)

sailurman said:


> What does poor state forest management have to do with intentional non-compliance with the EPA?


its federal forest mismanagement

its rumored to be started by diesel vehicle, witnesses, yes, vehicle hasnt been identified...unknown if intact or deleted.

other forest fires HAVE proven to have been started by DPFs


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## Diesel4Ever (May 30, 2018)

I’m still waiting for The Covid-In-Chief to drain the swamp like he promised...

Love my Cruze. Put 15k on it since I got it after starting this thread. Water pump went at 55k. Now it’s got a new belt, wp, tensioner ,pulleys, and replaced the oil cooler/filter housing which was leaking.


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