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Does the manual offer any suggestions?
The dealer (who by the way serviced the car about two weeks back) said earlist he can see the car is on coming Tuesday and I should be "fine" driving the car with the check engine light on...
The container with the green cap behind the driver's side headlights is the power steering fluid. The ideogram is a steering wheel and a drop of liquid.
A bit further behind the PS reservoir is the windshield washer fluid. It is an electric blue color with a picture of wipers on a windshield.
A bit more to the center line of the car is the coolant tank. It, too, is a blue color, but more dull than the washer fluid.
Close to the base of the windshield, you will find the brake fluid reservoir. It has a yellow cap.
Hope this helps.
If anyone has manual handy then can you please check which type of fluid (make and/or type etc) I need to buy ?
I'll have to check about the slot below steering wheel, can't wait to get to my car!!!
Thanks very much for everyone's reply. This message board rocks.
Get the VW fluid or the exact VW fluid replacement -- THE dealer, not us, are a better choice for you.
Just pick up the phone and call them!
I recall that Mark and others have managed to pull this trick off (I just searched the archives and read them). Let me ask once more: how do you do this? Will any 22" refill work, regardless of brand? Thanks!
First, all the manufacturers are now paranoid about lawsuits after the Firestone debacle. This has taken the form from VW of suggesting cold pressures that are all out of whack considering the weight of the car and the tire sizes involved. It's silly, but there it is.
Second, they are equally paranoid about the typical semi-skilled driver, who, in the absence of stability control, loses the car because the rear end gets loose. The easiest way for this to happen is with a big load in the back of the car, combined with wet or slippery conditions. Thus, even though the empty car carries something like 60% of the weight in front, and even though front-drive cars really want to understeer, the possibility of OVERSTEER is another lawsuit waiting to happen [only in the USA, of course]. Thus the recommendation for all the air in the rear tires, which only makes most cars more prone to understeer 99.9% of the time, in addition to ruining the ride.
38/36 is overkill of another kind - better handling at the expense of ride quality - but each to his own.
Anco was one of the top rated wipers in Consumer reports.
I've heard that the latest recommendations from VW have the rears inflated to 44 psi [someone with a late '04 or early '05 can say what the stickers call for] - this is patently absurd, if true.
Our C240 weighs almost the same as a Passat, uses the same size tires [195/65x15s or 205/55x16s, depending on market and model], and MB recommends 28-32 in front, and 32-36 in the rear, depending on load. I start them at 34 psi all around after a tire rotation, and let them drift down [as they will over time] to 31-32 psi before taking any action. I DO CHECK THEM RELIGIOUSLY ONCE A WEEK. If you're the kind of person who wants to treat the car like an appliance, then more air is more safety, since that is the only way to insure they don't get too low.
Now, another topic: I'd like to buy seat covers for my velour seats. I found a place on the Web that sells them in the right color for... the 2002 Passat, but I've got a 2003. Anyone know if the seats changed in some significant way in 2003, or should the '02 seat covers work?
And, more generally, anyone have any recommendations on where to get seat covers for a '03 Passat GL?
Thanks.
Do whatever you feel is right. VW apparently thinks that they will keep the lawyers away with this sort of silliness - in fact, it made no difference in the Firestone suits, and it would make no difference in this case either. Phew...
On the air pressure thing, I'm running 32 psi all around, but I'm actually thinking of going up to 34.
Last week my brother and I traveled the "blue highways" (secondary paved roads) through the Great Plains (IA, NE, SD, ND, MN) over a distance of 2720 miles and averaged 27.1 MPG. We rarely drove expressways (400 miles in total).
As I was driving these roads I thought of some of you auto aficionados who contribute to this board as we encountered straight and smooth places where we did not see another car for at least 30 miles. We could have easily driven 100 MPH in those wide open spaces, but that is not something we would be comfortable in doing so we kept at our usual 65 MPH pace.
The driveability of the Passat made the trip not only easy, but also very pleasant. I now have 6500 miles on the car and have experienced no other problems then the one mentioned above. Hopefully that will continue to be the case.
I have a V6 and thought that having to put in a quart after 2500 miles was excessive and called the dealer service dept. and they told me that was "normal". Called again later not identifying my problem and asked what the one quart oil consumption should be and he said, "as little at 1000 miles", then asked which motor I had. Turns out the 1.8 can use up to a quart every 1000 miles. Since then I have talked to other owners and have found that they checked their oil at the 5K mark and it did not even register on the stick. The dealer attributes this to the motor design calling it a "loose bore motor" which would provide more upper lubrication giving longer engine life. I suspect that any dealer that is presented with an engine problem due to low motor oil would point to the owners manual that tells you to regularily check the oil level.
If the oil level is low enough it will cook and probably produce sludge. You should be able to run your oil above the recommended oil change withhout producing sludge as long as it has not overheated.
I suspect that there are a lot of owners out there that are not aware of this problem and have taken thier car in for maint without checking the oil level inbetween. I find it upsetting that I was not made aware of this before I drove the car off of the lot.
Anyone else heard of this?
Does that .5" put the oil past the top curve on the dip stick? It shouldn't be.
Are they using the new larger oil filter? If they used 4 quarts, I think it would just bring it to the top of the cross hatch on the stick.
I've got 20k miles on my '03 with no noticeable oil consumption between oil changes. For the record, I'm changing oil on average at about 4,250 miles, and have used Valvoline Synpower 5w-40 from the first oil change. I usually check the oil level every other fuel fill.
Although I have had problems with it, most of them have been my fault. Me bad! 10K I hit a boulder turning around. Right front lower corner. Took it to the body shop and it turned out to be $5.5K in damages since they had to use all new parts. Overnight after taking it in to the body shop and in my garage the windshield cracked and was considered another incident which did not reach my deductible, rats (nick on the edge). The accident damaged the A/C system so the dealer needed to replace a high pressure line. I don't think they put oil back in because after about 2 days, the bottom literally blew out of the A/C compressor. 2 weeks later I had a new compressor.
At 20K a guy hit me in a parking lot on my right rear wheel bending it in at the top by 2 degrees. That necessitated an axle replacement, a little body work, and a refurbishment of the wheel.
I am coming up on 30K and have become afraid to drive it. LOL
Tried to sell it, even at a great price, but no one wants an 03 that has a history so I am keeping it but that is OK since I like it. Getting spoiled with the heated seats.
I have a bubble on the dash and I think it is where they tech leaned on it to replace the windshield. I am not so sure I want the dash replaced and have problems introduced. Had to have the VW steering wheel emblem replaced after a tech scratched it fixing an electronic problem in the dash right after delivery.
The shift boot is deteriorating and I will have to take it in to the dealer for a look.
Left the battery cover off and shut the hood on it and broke it. New part.
All in all I like the car but do not like the oil consumption and the time it takes to get parts (has been 2 weeks most of the time). The dealers service (Speedway Volkswagen in Indianapolis) has been great, no complaints there. They have always provided a loaner car for warranty work and have always been very helpfull.
Have previously had a Cabriolet and a TDI Jetta manual xmission. Both to small for me but loved the 50mpg in the TDI on the highway.
we just bought a new passat wagon, I ran carfax on it and found that the car already has a service record. The record does not have much detail, it only says the service is done on engine and vehicle, is this normal? Thanks
Were they missed on this car, or has VW stopped putting the pegs in the back seat (the front pegs are fine and do a great job of holding the mats in place).
Thanks!
I was so proud of my 2003 Jetta TDI, but I just needed more room and wanted more luxury. I love the feel and performance of my new 04 Passat. I got a great year end closeout deal. Like many, I have come to realize that Volkswagons can be a huge money pit for repairs.
Get this - When I bought my first 2003 Jetta TDI, within a week a rock hit the front windshield and created a circular crack. Within a week with my new 2004 Passat, the same thing happened.
Also, with my Jetta TDI the rear alignment was off because of a bent axle. They said I hit something hard (a pothole) which caused the axle to bend. I couldn't think of anything I had every hit hard with the car because I would baby it - it must have been some past pothole or railroad track. The car always slightly steered to the right which was forever annoying. I was so much enjoying the pure alignment of my new 2004 passat until last weekend when I was turning right onto a road and hit the curb with my right rear tire. I was not going fast at all and I was really angry at myself for bumping the rear tire (not to mention the new rim scratch on my mag)! I swear its pulling to the right now. If my dealer says the axle is bent then Volkswagen must be using the most pathetic durability mechanical parts in its car. Hitting a few potholes or bumping a curb, sure that might whack a tire out of alignment, but a darn axle?! I cant imagine this having happened in my old Subaru. I'm probably being paranoid because the fix is really expensive. To make matters worse, on my way home today as I was thinking about my alignment woes I saw 2 Passats broken down on the side of the road within 2 miles of each other. Woe to me! This made me worry about my purchase again. Yet I love the feel of the Passat and the "look" I get for the price.
Either way, I think it is uncanny that I've experienced the same annoying road hazard problems with the Volkswagen. When people ask me what I think of VW, I say its a great sedan for its price that seems much more expensive, but that it doesn't seem "tough" and repairs are imminent. My Jetta was in the shop a lot due to road hazards and breakdowns.
Face it, we buy volkswagen because it is a cool car with style and finesse - and we suck it up for the repairs to come. I've lost some enjoyment on my new ride at only 800 miles on the odometer!
Also, what is the earliest date in which the U.S. will get the fully redesigned '06 Passat? (I feel VW's been putting off this one)
First appearance of the '06s [the next-gen car] could be any time from July to December '05, depending on whom you are willing to believe. My personal wager would be later rather than sooner - VW's track record in our market is pretty awful for new product launches in anything like a timely fashion. On the other hand, the dealers are screaming in the ears of VWOA and Wolfsburg to get on with it, already...
They also had previously tested the GLX 4Motion which has a poor reliability rating.
I have a 04 GLX V6 sedan which has the best rating, tied with the Accord, for a family sedan so some VW products are showing up very well.
You had the seat heater on the #5 setting for 50 minutes and it didn't feel very warm? Soemthing's wrong.
I've got the leather seats, too, and after 50 minutes, the inside of my car would smell like frying bacon! Generally, I use "5" for maybe 10 minutes on a really cold morning, then switch down to 4 or 3 for another 10 minutes, and then switch it off since the car is thoroughly warm using the HVAC system.
What model year is your Passat? Brand new, or used?
I went to parts to pick the pegs up. There was a very small box containing 4 pegs that had a screw-in base (like a self tapping screw). The parts guy plugs it into his computer and tells me, I kid you not, that they cost $122.00. He actually shook his head and said something was wrong. I replied with "they were supposed to be installed before pick-up", although know one knows for sure if that was the case (or they all played like they did not know). He said no problem and sent the bill to the sales department (I am still waiting for a phone call...).
I asked about installation by service, and the parts guy told me it should do it myself (and probably avoid a $70.00/hour bill!). He said to line the mats up in their place and to poke a hold into the carpet with an awl or a nail. There is no base under the carpet for the screw; it simply threads into the carpet and underlying sound proofng material. It was very easy to do and took me all of 5 minutes.
Here's my point: In the grand scheme, this is a minor cosmetic issue but to me an important one. Both the factory carpet mats and the rubber monster mats come with holes to be secured, and the pegs should be there to hold the mats in place (the pegs were there on my '02 Jetta). The pegs ARE NOT integrated into the carpet at the factory, but seem to be an item installed at the dealer (an examination of other '05's on the lot showed that none had rear mat-pegs). I don't know who missed the ball, but it had the potential to be a "dealer add-on or after sale purchase" (and a mighty expensive one at that!).
If this little story helps someone else to avoid a charge, it was well worth my typing time!
Half load Full load
F R F R
up to 100mph 28 28 30 39
above 100mph 30 28 33 42
Question for the guy, who claims that above 40 is unreasonable:
How much driving experience do you have with sustained speeds above 100 mph ?
Krzys
At those speeds [SUSTAINED SPEEDS IN EXCESS OF 100 MPH], I think cold pressures of around 36 psi are quite sufficient for a Passat with 195/65x15s, assuming we're running H-rated tires or better, which is what should be the case.
On the other hand, we're talking about this country; where can you manage this for more than a few minutes here and not get caught? I've done it a few times, most recently in the desert last month in our C-class with 205/55x16s set at 34 psi cold. Even with the radar detector on, I worry about Air Bears...but to each their own...
1) Has anyone ever done this? Any advice?
2) How do you remove the radio in the Passat?