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I recently purchased a used Passat and, of course, no owners manual came with the car! I just replaced the rack and pinion stearing column, which, because the car had 110,000 miles on it, I figured was par for the course.
Can someone supply me with answers to the following questions:
1. How do you set stations on the radio?
2. How do you change the time on the clock?
3. How do you replace the radio antenna?
Thanks,
By turning the pin sticking out of the instrument cluster. In one direction, it changes the hours and the other direction changes the minutes.
Thanks to Fish8 and altair4 for the radio and clock answers. Has anyone else tried the new shark antennas?
Thanks
They also have a power-train warranty that is written in smoke on a windy day.
On 10 Jun 2005, with slightly over 38,000 miles of use, and well within the power-train warranty of 60 month/60,000 mile, the engine lost oil pressure in Maryland on I-95. The Passat was towed to the nearest dealer in Delaware at no cost to me within two hours. The dealership took the car in and was ready to get to work. I rented a car and got on my way. Excellent so far!
About an hour down the road, the dealership called me and informed me that the warranty may not cover the repair, since the computer system did not show the initial service at a VW dealership in Fayetteville, NC and I could not find proof that I changed the oil at 10,000 miles and 25,000 miles (which I did in my garage using oil filters from the local dealer and premium Castrol 5W-30 motor oil. The records; however, did show service at 18,000 and 34,000 miles at my local dealership. I have seven reasonable questions:
1. Why should an extremely loyal five-time buyer (more than one car every-other year) have to prove anything?
2. Why are VW owners “guilty until proven innocent” by Volkswagen of America for warranty coverage?
3. Why doesn’t VW prove why it should not honor their warranty versus having the owner prove that VW of America should?
4. Why can’t the 800 service line help the customer, other than offer a plethora of apologies?
5. How does Volkswagen of America treat their first-time buyers?
6. Why do VW Owners and Dealers believe in the cars and VW of America doesn’t?
I understand VW of America’s concerns about non-VW parts, modifications by the owner that may damage the car, or improper use (racing) of the car; however, Passat owners do not strike me as the type. I use (and always use) only VW parts from the dealership. I use the car to commute to work and to travel with my wife. Neither uses are racing activities. Such concerns do not excuse such alienation of the owners!
7. My last question is: why should I ever buy another (or recommend) VW product again?
I have 55K miles on this car and it sounds to me like the CV boots are going out. Everytime I come to a stop or go over a bumpy road, my suspension squeaks and whines. My power steering feels like it is going out too. Does anyone have any insight for me? I owe 8K on the car and am getting ready to sell it to the highest bidder just so I can get it off my hands.
Thanks!
I'm picking up my car tomorrow. I'll post again to let you know if the problem has been fixed.
Also check the exhaust pipe for any signs of oil residue. If you find oil residue, that could mean anything from worn piston rings to failed turbocharger bearing seals.
Most importantly, make sure you check the oil level each time you pull into the service station to get gas. It will give you a better idea about the engine's rate of oil consumption. And get your oil changed every 3500 - 5000 miles (and not 1 mile over the 5000 mile limit).
The inspection receipt specified these two failures... would those be the only things req'd to pass inspection or will they do their own, and claim that other misc. repairs need to be done?
Also, I called VW to check warranty, and some emissions related repairs are covered, will they still charge me a diagnostic fee/and or hourly labor fees at dealership? thanks.
My guess is that the plastic shield (also known as the "belly pan") that covers the underside of the engine is missing or not properly attached. The belly pan has about 14 attachment points, two of which are at the bottom of each front wheel liner.
The reason this only happens at speed is that the air pressure pushes the wheel liners back. The attachments to the belly pan at the front bottom of the wheel well liners prevents that from happening.
The belly pan is a notorious part, as quick lube places don't deal with it well. For that matter, even some dealership service departments have been known to lose the quarter-turn connectors.
If yours is missing, and you opt to replace it, I suggest that you price the belly pan for the W8 model. Seems that, for some reason, it is less expensive and possibly of a better grade of material. Or you just may need to buy the connectors, if you are lucky. Some owners, in an emergency (or even longer ) use zip ties to hold the liners back from rubbing.
so now considering either:
* '00 passat glx wagon with 40k miles at $15,998
* '01 saab 9-5 wagon with 30k miles at $16,998
* '01 volvo v70 wagon with 60k miles at $19,599
based on price/mileage, style, and edmunds reviews, i'm seriously considering the passat glx wagon.
questions for those who have experience with passat's and buying used cars in general:
* any other wagons,i should consider based on price, style, gas mileage, and reliability criteria?
* as for the passat wagon, is this a good price? (it's high according to tmv)
* is the passat going to last another 5-6 years at 15k miles/year?
* is the passat reasonably reliable with relatively low maintenance issues/costs? (e.g. how much difference b/w the passat and the hondas/toyotas of the world in terms of reliability?)
* anything i should know about the passat wagon before i buy it?
many thanks for your experience/insights on any/all of the above questions...
Hondas/Toyotas are reliable cars, but they lack the upscale factor of the three cars that you are considering.
my 2 cents
I would appreciate any tips on a) removing the inside door panel, and b) fixing this problem.
I chalked it up to ABS/ESP doing a self test - it's a common sound in ABS equipped Hondas which I've driven for many years.
I too was concerned , then found out it was normal!
my2cents
I am trying to change the oil for the first time myself on my 2001 1.8L Passat. I cannot find the oil drain plug and it looks loke the plastic thing is hanging on by 1 bolt. I also read in another posting, you have to remove the something to get to the filter. Did you figure this out ? What did you find?
Be careful with your search for the oil drain! More than one person has accidentally drained their transmission fluid by mistake. IIRC, the oil drain plug drains towards the right side of the car. Others may be able to shed some light on this.
To remove the oil filter on the 1.8T, it's usually easier to reach it from the top. You can either loosen the clamp on the large air hose that runs from the intercooler to the intake manifold and then push that hose out of the way (I've seen several VW techs do this). Or you can remove the three screws that hold the coolant reservoir, unplug the electrical connector and gently move the reservoir aside (you don't have to disconnect the hose). To me, moving the air hose seems easier, but whatever floats your boat...
Good luck!
Would they be having the bigger filter - if so, i could go in and have them replace the filter with the bigger one?
Thanks.
Is your engine still under warranty?
What grade of Pennzoil synthetic was used? And is it on the VW 502.00 spec approved list of oils? And did you have the oil changed at 5000 mile intervals? Most importantly, do you keep the receipts from your oil change? These are questions that VWoA or your dealer will ask you in the event you need to submit a warranty claim. Answering no to one or all of the above questions will give them justification to void the warranty and deny your claim.
Jimmy
1)The problem with the transmission is that there is a slight delay when shifting from 1st to second.
2)Does that mean the transmission is going to give me trouble or will I be able to live with it.
3)Also will i be able to side step the problem by simply shifting gears manually from first to second and then to drive. The car only has 110K miles on it.
4)Does anyone know the cost of rebuilding the transmission
Hope someone can help me out.
Thanx.
Arshad.
Good luck and welcome to the forum.
No help from VW
Fault is in computer board attached to the ABS pump.
Found re-built ( board replaced) part on-line $450
Had difficulty finding service tech who would both 1) work on VW and 2) use replacement part which I purchased rather than purchased through the tech.
Eventually was able to get work performed for $250.
I experienced the same problem. 2000 Passat 1.8T 82000miles - Front Right window dropped into door.
Repair tech found the plastic guide/bracket that holds the window and rides in the track broken. He also found that the window was likely installed incorrectly by the OEM as the rubber isolator where the window should sit was squished down into the support bracket. Although he did not think that contributed to the failed plastic part.
I spoke to local VW service found that VW carried an extended warranty covering this issue on multiple other vehicles but not the Passat. I have also found multiple instances reporting this same issue on the WEB after only looking for 1/2 hour.
The Jetta was the one I found most often all the way back to late 1990's. From what I could find the fix for future models on the Jetta was to replace the plastic with a metal part. I cannot help but wonder why a 2000 Passat ( and later models) has a plastic part for the same device.
I have filed a complaint with NHTSA. I would recommend that anyone else with the same issue file a complaint as well.
Somebody suggested I may get leaking in the air intake system. Should I bring it back to the garage? Is it a serious problem?
Thank you guys.
Any other oil change place that may work better, given the dealer's wait-time and price..
Also, My car is coming close to 40K..I realized 40K is a big service and the dealer seems to charge about $650 or so..Is it worth going to the dealer given the price? or any alternatives? Also, my 4-year standard warranty is close to expiring (in November) as well..I'm inclined to go to the dealer for peace of mind..but given the price factor I'm wondering if I should find an alternative? Any advice??
Thanks.
the car has a high pitch squeel every morning and the car eats headlight bulbs like nothing. i thought it was my imagination but too much is too much. am i alone in this boat or do i have some buddies out there?
miserable in sf, ca :sick:
You seem to have quite a few annoying defects. That is bad luck but statistically not out of line for any model car that I have owned over the years.
It was caused by ABS unit gone bad. They fixed it for ~$1500 and was covered by extended warranty.