Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!
Options
Popular New Cars
Popular Used Sedans
Popular Used SUVs
Popular Used Pickup Trucks
Popular Used Hatchbacks
Popular Used Minivans
Popular Used Coupes
Popular Used Wagons
Comments
Thanks so much for getting back so quick. I will check it out this afternoon. Keeping my fingers crossed!! Thanks again.
Our 2002 Passat had water intrusion approx 2005. It was my wife's car and she could never get the "stale" air smell out of the car.
In the summer of 2007, I heard and felt a thump on the interstate - thought I had run over a 2" x 4" or 4" x 4". The same thing happened on the return trip. Within a few days the car have very little takeoff power - enough that we would be honked at. The car had 24,000 miles - my wife does not drive that much.
The yellow engine symbol would come on periodically for extended periods.
We took the car to the dealership at the end of June and fought with the warranty [non-permissible content removed]'s for 5 months about covering the $2500 transmission control module. The car sat at the dealer for 5 months while the letters went back and forth. We claimed the module was ruined by the flood, the warranty [non-permissible content removed]'s claimed the flood had nothing to do with the transmission module and the car was out of (time) warranty despite being under 25,000 miles.
VW would not even move on the $2500 price tag - out of warranty.
We had the module replaced and picked the car up right before Christmas. The dealership only charged us $1800 - but a very nice Christmas present.
Any other ideas?
Add'l information would be helpful, too. How many miles? What engine?
thanks
It appears to be a decent car. No reported accidents. Is this a good car for $7200. Do these Passats start having any serious issues above 100K miles. Is the V-6 engine a decent engine or has annoying problems.
Are there any expensive repairs beyond the timing belt/water pump that is already done on this car? What is the oil type requirement on this engine? Can you use regular 5-30W or it needs synthetic oil.
Thanks,
Joe
What are my options. :mad:
Thanks and I love this forum.
Thanks!
The majority of dealership service departments (especially VW dealerships) are only concerned with the volume of vehicles they service (that's their profit center), not necessarily the quality of service they provide.
I don't know if you've figured this one out, but it sounds like a classic case of ABS module failure. We have a 99 Passat V6 auto, and this is exactly what happened to us as well. I removed the ABS module and sent it off for repair ($215, including insured Fed Ex shipping). It took about 10 days with shipping to get it back, and then I reinstalled it. Problem is gone, and the rebuilt unit is warranted for 5 years.
I googled the problem, and that's how I found the site we used for repairs. Module Master is the company I used, but there are a couple that do it.
The removal was not really that difficult, so if you are at all inclined to save a buck, this is the route to go. I hear that this is a pricey repair if you take it to the dealer.
Good luck
If you consider doing this, do it on a warmer, sunny day after the car has been in the sun for a couple of hours. Otherwise, you risk having the paint chip / crack on that flexible piece. It's a wack design, for sure - I've never had a similar issue on any other car.
I have an 01/02 Passat with the 1.8T and 180,000 miles. Problem: While sitting idle and in gear (forward or reverse), problem takes about a minute to cycle through.
Cycle: idle speed starts normal at 900 revs and will start to fall and recover at about one second intervals slowly progressing to a fall of about 100 revs and then slowly recovering in the same way to a normal, consistent 900 revs.
Other than this the cars has no known problems. Runs fine at high speeds.
I took it to Autozone to get codes and here are the results:
"The computer has recognized a rich or lean condition on one engine bank only."
"Probable Causes"
"Oxygen sensor defective"
"Ignition misfire"
"Fuel injector problem"
Is there any way to test an oxygen sensor? Has anyone else experienced a problem like this or know some test I can perform to help narrow this down?
If you really like the car, and live in a climate where it is needed, go for it. I tended to use my AC perhaps 20 days a year (I live in CT and did a lot of driving between CT and DE/PA/NY). If you live in AZ, that could explain it. :-)
Seems kind of pricey, but I don't know what it should cost.... You could always consider going to a second party and get another opinion (I would at $2,000). My experience with VW dealers was mixed - one superb (fixed things on the first try, would correctly diagnose issues spot on), another pathetic (and I would never go there again). I feel sorry for people who are totally clueless, as they probably get robbed left & right from lousy dealers (who come in all makes, not just VW).
Someone told me that the mileage has to be reset to avoid a "Change Oil" light coming on. I don't think the Passat has this light; would the MIL perform this function if they failed to do this?
Another friend said that an air filter hose had been inadvertently left disconnected after an oil change where they'd checked the air filter, and it made his MIL light come on. Is that feasable?
Either way, I suppose it might it be worth mentioning to my service station that the light came on. If for no other reason than to see the shrugs and blank looks.
BTW, Mobil 1's 5w-30 is not compliant with VW's required oil for the 2003 Passat (it's not 502.00 compliant). This could be a problem for you especially if your car is equipped with the 1.8T engine with the possibility of either sludging or coking the oil. I suggest that you go with Mobil 1's 0w-40 formula. Of course, that brings the possibility that your MIL is related to your choice in oil.
Anyway, I took it back to the place that changed the oil and they pulled an error code of 2181--cooling system performance. They reset it and yesterday it didn't come back on after about 30 miles of driving (15m each way to work). Of course, today it came back on after about 10 -15 mins of interstate driving. My mileage is 52k. Am I due a thermostat/water pump failure do you think?
Anyway, back to your code - VW does have a warranty extension on the coolant temperature sensor on the 2001 through 2003 Passats with the 1.8T engine.
Google "volkswagen recall coolant sensor". The first link that I found has a copy of the recall letter. Maybe you'll get this covered for free - worth looking into.
However, about every other week, I have to add 1 - 2 cups of coolant to the reservoir. I see no other signs of leakage. The mechanic also replaced the reservoir cap at one point, but that hasn't stopped it either.
Any ideas on what might be causing this?
I'd be a lot more concerned if they hadn't said that VW was picking up the tab! Didn't you get this letter?
BTW, if you read your original owner's manual, you won't see the words "use synthetic oil." You will, however, see wording to use 5w-40 weight oil that meets certain VW specifications. 5w-40 only comes in synthetic.
Have you read your user's manual?
Have you seen the letter that altair had posted?
Krzys
I have had no oil sludge problems and the dealership only switched my car to synthetic oil this year and I have 92,000 miles.
To stray slightly off topic - this is what scares me and others about VW dealerships. Look at the date on the letter I posted recently on the sludge warranty extension - August, 2004. And they've just switched you to synth this year.... :confuse:
Krzys
When I got my '03, I already knew it needed synth from some of the forums I had joined before buying the car. But to make sure I was buying the right oil, I had to cruise the interwebz a bit before I settled on Valvoline's Synpower 5w-40 and then switched over later to Mobil 1 0w-40 Euro Formula.
In the beginning, all was swell. Then came The Problem. As a group, a set of dashboard indicators (Tach, ABS, Oil, and Brake) fail. Intermittently. That is too say, when The Problem manifests, they all do their wrong thing (Tach doesn't move, ABS stays on, Oil and Brake blink together). And when The Problem goes away, they all work correctly. Over time, "intermittent" has transitioned from occasionally, to Most of the Time. Like 99% of the time, the Problem manifests. I hate this. The dealer offered to change all the related sensors (but NOT to fix The Problem). The car is not offering up a Code. My local Auto Repair shop did not want to get involved.
Various armchair mechanics have suggested a loose connection on a wire harness. Where do the wire harnesses terminate? I'd happily try to reseat it.
Maybe a sensor is wearing out - shorting, opening - causing the problem.
So any thoughts you might have would be appreciated.
My problem - which was in evidence 100% of the time through the summer, has disappeared briefly a few times in the last week. Coincidently, it has been quite cold when it's worked. I don't think anything is 'blown' since it can still come back to normal operation. Maybe cold allows loose contacts to 'make' until things warm up. Grasping at straws.
Next to the brake fluid reservoir, straight back from the engine.
I tried reseating the fuses by pushing on the top of all of them - but does anyone know if this is a fuse problem - or any other suggestions? I can't get into the shop until Tuesday or Wednesday, and I don't feel like hearing a constant beep every time I am in the car. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks,
Joe
I looked at the coolant level under the hood, and it was indeed below the MIN level. I don't know if it means there is a coolant leak or could there be something else wrong like thermostat gone bad, water pump has disintegrated, etc..
Any ideas what could be going on, what should I do, and what to expect in terms of repair expenses?? Thanks!