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Comments
As of today, I checked VW Website and build my Passat section, and there is no Option on Bluetooth. When i picked up my 3.6 Passat, the dealer told me that Bluetooth should be out sometime, but nobody knows when as VW has not mentioned anything. He said he will let me know.
Can you please let me know where you got the info from? Thanks.
I do not know NOW if you can or can't get BT, but the VW website will be updated, oh, I'd say within 90 days of the actual event.
Not to pick on VW, many of them seem to have a mystery schedule.
If something is coming but not yet out, I would post the info with availability dates, were I VW.
I am not, obviously, but I share the frustration, since Audi does the same stuff.
Streetcarben, my younger brother just spent several months agonizing over what car to get for his growing family. Prior to a couple of months ago, he had a Jetta wagon with the 1.8T 5-Speed and refused to settle for anything that had less than three pedals under the dash. Then one day he stumbled upon an "Executive" W8 Passat Wagon with a 6-Speed manual with only 6,000 miles on it. He's now a happy man with two manual transmission equipped VW Wagons. ;-)
Regarding VWs decision, I feel your pain. I was all set to replace my first (and so far only) Passat GLX 5-Speed with a new one when VW decided to just simply not produce a manual transmission that particular year (1999), even though they did in 1998 and did again in 2000. Go figure.
Best Regards,
Shipo
shipo, obviously you have a far wider knowledge and experience on auto boxes than me to declare them all "junk" ...
With that in mind, when someone like streetcarben says, "I hate driving automatics!" I believe him and would NEVER even think of suggesting he try one, even the best in the world. So, to me, and it seems him as well, for our needs/wants/desires, all Automatic transmissions are indeed "junk" as they are quite simply inferior (according to our personal measuring stick) to the true 3-Pedal Manual transmission.
The flip side of all of this is that I can absolutely admire the engineering that has gone into devices like the DSG and even admit that cars with DSG like transmissions are faster around a race track. No doubt about it, from a technology point of view, they are far superior than manual gear boxes.
Best Regards,
Shipo
I swear this didn't used to be on, but now it's on all day.
I always thought that any dashboard light indicated trouble, but my dealer tells my this "DRL" one is SUPPOSED to be on all the time.
I really wanted a manual but wanted options and did not want to wait to see if VW was ever going to come to their senses and offer a manual with options.
Auto with triptronic =boring driving =terrible turbo lag. Also it seems like the it's driving best when it's on the highway going 70+ mph. I am thinking about trading it next year due to the Turbo lag and in hopes that a manual will be offered.
I am just really disappointed with VW, the turbo lag is my biggest complaint. I posted on here before- I thought it was the gas causing the slugginess, nope - turbo lag.
The 2.0TFSI has no perceptible turbo lag. There can be a lag off-line due to the drive-by-wire system, if you release the brake late. There can also be a transmission lag if you drive it like a grandma most of the time, and the next minute you decide it's a sports car (the transmission is adaptive). To circumvent the latter, shift into sports mode.
Again, this engine has an extremely wide torque band, and does not suffer from turbo lag. If your car does not respond immediately and with a definite surge/rush, have it looked at (at a competent VW service place).
This has to be supply and demand, and we who demand have been our own undoing.
My wife said to me "well I'd better enjoy my 2005 BMW X3 with the 6 speed manual while I can."
Even she is giving in.
She says, "do you think they'd produce a car JUST FOR ME?" She answered, "of course not, so I will buy what they sell."
I bought the new A6 -- were a 6 man avail, I would have one.
The tiptronic is the best automatic I have ever had, which is still roughly like saying this has been the least painful root canal I have ever had.
But, in "S" mode there is almost no lag -- and whatamigonnadoanyway?
What I liked - Roomier than B5 Passat, quicker acceleration, little or no turbo lag, the auto now can be started in 2nd gear for winter driving, sport mode on auto, more storage places in and around dash, handles a little better, satellite radio available.
What I did not like - Much noisier than my 2000, shoddy interior materials, torque steer (no torque steer on B5),
upgraded stereo now costs $1000 instead of $287, rougher ride than B5, much higher prices, goodies like power seats and dual zone climate control STILL not available on 4 cylinder models.
I am trading my 2000 Passat in on a 2006 SAAB 9-5 wagon. Larger, more comfortable, better ride, handling about the same, more luxurious and quicker than the 2.0. All the "goodies" of the V-6 Passat for less money. I love my 2000 and wanted to buy another Passat wagon, but extensive test drives of a number of cars led me to the SAAB 9-5, which should arrive in a couple of weeks.
Net result
If and I do mean IF your car is fed with the proper oil, then your engine should be totally happy with a 10,000 mile OCI. Just make sure that you check to make sure that any oil used in your car meets the minimum VW 502.00 oil spec, or more preferably make sure it meets the VW 503.01 oil spec. Oil changes with lesser oil at lesser miles MAY be okay but I wouldn't bet on it.
As for fuel, your experience not withstanding, the issue isn't smoothness or turbo lag, it is about power and economy. The fact is that you are running an engine with a high mechanical compression ratio and then a blower on top of it. If you use fuels that are less than Premium (i.e. 91, 92, 93, 94 octane), you are most likely robbing yourself of both peak power and peak economy.
Said another way, the engine electronics of your engine can dial back the ignition timing and the pounds of boost to provide a smooth running engine, so just because your's is running smoothly and has good economy and power, that doesn't mean that it is performing optimally.
Best Regards,
Shipo
The simple truth is that the farther your engine can advance the ignition time without inducing detonation (the benefit of higher octane fuels), the greater amount of power said engine and extract from any given amount of air and fuel. Said another way, in an engine like the 2.0T, which combines high mechanical compression and forced induction, you will most likely find the "sweet spot" for both power and economy happens when your engine is fed 92 octane or better.
Best Regards,
Shipo
Without meaning to start a "did too, did not" kind of disagreement, I wonder why pay more for less (less power and economy) :confuse: -- but it is YOUR money. Have at it.
Money factor:0.00146(VW bank).
Tax:6.5%
Residual:54%
Down payment:$140(licensing fees)
Final Purchase Price:$37,000.00
36 months, 15K miles
Monthly payment after 4 days of hagling: $589.00
Options: Navigation, 4motion, 3.6L V6, luxury package 2.
I was stating that it would be interesting to see if he tried premium if he could notice a differnece in MPG and performance over mid-grade. My guess is maybe on MPG, maybe not on performance without a stop watch.
Maybe it is clever enough to detect when it is fuelled and try to advance after fill up.
Krzys
is that normal in all navigation systems that operate off of a disc or is it just mine?? I hope it the first case.
Anyways, i am going to talk to the guy who knows about these systems at the dealer on monday and see what he says. i hope i don't need to replace the whole Navigation system.
Anyone, please let me know if this is NORMAL.
thanks.
When I took it to service, they did not know what it was, but it might seem normal because of the following:
1 - They did all engine test, computer tests, rear wheel check-ups and did not find anything.
2 - I test drove with them, and had the guy listen to the noise, and he felt it was something normal. But just to be sure, he got me the keys to another Passat V6 on the lot and I drove that car too. The same, "knocking" or "drumming" noise was in that car also. So we concluded it was normal. But he will get in touch Passat Quality department to describe the noise and understand what it exactly is.
It looks like all the Passat V6s have it. i don't know about the 4-Cylinder engines.
Stage one to 5,000 miles, initial break in
Stage two from 5,000 miles to 10,000 miles, second break in
Stage three beyond 10,000 miles -- probably to 100,000 miles (normal engine power, etc.)
==
As stage one ends, the engines I have had (some 28 Audi engines, essentially VW engines) "limber up" get stronger, more powerful and less thirsty.
As stage two ends, ditto, but somewhat more subtle.
==
Please, if you are planning to "test" power and economy differences with different fuel grades, you will most certainly need to run many tankfuls of "similar" fuel through the car. Don't put 90% gas 10% alcohol in for a week or two, then go to a Top-tier gas for a few tanks, then to a mystery gasoline provider for a tank or two and hope to come up with much meaningful information.
==
In terms of what YOU, the driver may do, you may find that you will change your habits as you learn your car's feel. If the car will accelerate to your needs at throttle position "X" and you begin using low grade gas, you may note that you press the throttle to "X+1" to achieve the same "urge." You may say to yourself, "seems the same to me," because you have compensated by using more gas since essentially the gas you are using has lower energy.
And, so on and on.
If your car has 2,000 miles on it and you switch back and forth and back and forth and then you notice a more urgent feel as you hit 5,350 miles you may not connect the dots between the end of the first long break in period and whatever gas you are using as of the last tankful or two.
You may find, for example, that if the third tank of the low grade stuff is in the thing when it reaches the 4,700 - 5,300 mile range that you might think the car actually "got peppier" on the low grade gas.
This, while a true seat of your pants feeling would be even more powerful had the last 3 or 4 tankfuls been a Top Tier super premium gas.
This will be difficult to empirically prove since this will hardly be a controlled test. To a certain extent you need to "gather information" from several sources. This information, I am confident, will suggest that using regular gas in a car designed for premium is, indeed a false economy. Yet, if you are so inclined to "feel better" when you buy the less expensive gas, you may "talk yourself into" believing you are saving money.
And, you know what? If that's what makes you happy, you should buy the lower grade gas even though it is costing more in the long run -- because we are talking about a price difference of between $1.00 and $4.00 per tankful depending on the number of gallons your tank holds and if you are comparing low grade to premium or mid grade to premium.
You don't need to do what I say, of course. If Shipo can't convince you, no one can, kind of thing.
The gist here is to suggest you will need several tankfuls to make a meaningful and even remotely valid experiment.
If it galls to you pay $2.00 more for premium over mid grade -- even with information that suggests you can save money in the long haul, well -- don't pay the $2.00.
As far as I am concerned it is illogical, but that is how I feel, it may not have the same impact upon you.
The test is probably too boring for Myth Busters, but it is one that I surely would like to see revealed and posted on a web site, just for the sheer entertainment value it would have for folks like me.
As it currently stands, all the "data" seems to conclude: if the car is designed to run optimally on Premium, it should be run on Premium.
Yet: There is no value in using Premium in a car that cannot take advantage of it, conversely there is a disadvantage to running a lower grade fuel in a car designed for Premium.
Do whatever you want -- within limits, the engine will prevent itself from self-destruction by using a lower grade fuel.
Me, I light candles with dollar bills cause the bills "burn funny" and it is worth it to see the sparks fly! :surprise:
For all intents and purposes, both grades of fuel have the same calorie count per gallon. That having been said, engines designed for Regular gasoline (as a rule) are able to extract more power per gallon of Regular than an engine designed to run on Premium (and running Regular). The reverse is also true, an engine designed to run on Premium is able to extract more power out of a gallon of Premium gasoline than if that same engine was run on Regular.
The real differentiating factor here is that if you take two otherwise identical engines, one designed for Premium and the second designed for Regular, and then feed them each a gallon of their preferred fuel (Premium or Regular), the engine burning the Premium will generate more power.
Best Regards,
Shipo
Certainly, that's easy. Give me enough money to buy six 2.0T Passats and I'll establish a completely scientific test that will prove that point beyond a shadow of a doubt to anybody who isn't "Religiously" convinced that it doesn't matter what grade of fuel is used.
So, when should I expect the money?
Best Regards,
Shipo
Tomek
Of course, short of doing all of that testing, you could simply study the huge body of scientific evidence going all of the way back to the 1920s, which was when TEL was discovered to be a great octane booster/knock inhibitor. Either way, every test I've ever read, regardless of whether we are talking about piston airplane engines or piston automobile engines, like for like, the higher compression engine run on high octane fuel yields both better power AND better economy.
Said another way, high compression plus high octane yields the best Brake Specific Fuel Consumption (BSFC), which is a measure of how many pounds of fuel is required to produce exactly one horsepower of work for exactly one hour. The lower the number, the greater the amount of power extracted from every drop of fuel.
Best Regards,
Shipo
That is more of a semi-rhetorical statement/question demonstrating one of my character flaws (impatience.)
But since the topic continues to be refreshed, I do have a question: since it seems to really bother people to buy a car that is stated to require premium and then actually have to put premium in it (and assuming the car manufacturers KNOW that it irks people to buy cars that require premium) why do the manufacturers keep making cars that require premium?
My belief is that this is a perception issue. People would rather pay more for over the lifetime of their cars than pay a few bucks more per tankful each and every time for a more powerful and fuel frugal car that requires premium. It "feels" less expensive to use regular even if there is plenty of information freely available that would seem to argue FOR building car engines that EXCLUSIVELY require Premium.
In other words, why not just build engines that require regular gas so these debates don't have to reload over and over? Or why not just build high compression engines, employing Fuel Stratified Injection (which should allow ever higher compression levels) that will deliver both better power and economy but ONLY with Premium?
The information supports Shipo's comments and in sometimes great technical detail tells why.
Buying a Premium only car and running it with lower octane fuel costs more. If it seems like an act of faith to accept this, run it on regular (just make sure the warranty will not be voided if you do so for a prolonged period of time.)
False economy is what my service guys at the Audi store call such behavior. When I looked it up, it basically says it is more expensive to use cheaper gas when the engine is engineered for Premium.
Wish I had enough time to write a short post, but as Mark Twain said, "I didn't have time, so I wrote a long one, instead."
:shades:
The person who will take the time to scan through & clip the $.50 coupons in the Sunday paper for items they intend to buy (to reduce a $40 or a $200 grocery bill - by a rather small percentage) may also be a person looking for a way reduce other expenditures.
And they want a ‘nice car’ – just do not want to ‘overpay’ regularly (hah) at the gas pump every week. Or every 3 or 4 days, for some. A 15 gallon fill at $.20 premium for premium (according to the department of redundancy department) means a saving of $3.00 each fill. About $13 or $14 per month premium, for me, in my typical driving. A typical fill here in North Georgia now costs me close to $40. Where it was closer to $30 not so very long ago . . . Around $40 more per month, for me, than I was paying. Or: Close to $500 more, on an annual basis.
And I think some people believe (for whatever reasons) that there is some sort of collusion or conspiracy between auto makers and Oil Companies resulting in claims that a car ‘requires’ something when it does not.
Fortunately, for me, the [ rather significant ] increase in gas prices (fuel for my car and fuel to heat my house this winter) does not require undue hardship.
But I can certainly see where it would annoy some. It does annoy me.
( sigh )
But I do use premium. I bought a car with a ‘premium’ motor, and I want all the HP and all the TQ and all the ‘efficiency’ to be available, whenever I want to use it.
But that’s just me . .
- Ray
Admitted TQ & HP & efficiency junkie . .
Krzys
My SAAB 9-5 is in the port and I should have it in about a week. I really will miss my 2000 GLS wagon, and regret that VW blew its chance to sell me another VW (my first VW was a 412 Variant that I bought in Stockholm in 1973).