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I hope you're on the look out for this new bluetooth kit. It will be retrofittable but it will be an expensive retrofit. It should work for those without nav but it's optimized for it. VW is going to release the RCD-510 sometime this year or maybe next year for 2010. That radio is touch screen 6 disc Changer model.
And, as a Passat V6 owner, I have heard countless horror stories about a sludge problem with previous VW 4 cylinder engines. Has the company done anything to REALLY address this, or am I asking for a nightmare experience?
Thanks for all for any input,
MF
I "settled" for the 2.0 liter 4 cylinder.
http://rapidshare.com/files/196596039/0320.part1.rar.html Part 1 of 2
http://rapidshare.com/files/196596041/0320.part2.rar.html Part 2 of 2
Download both .rar files and extract part 1 which will extract both files. Burn the ISO to a CD with nero or easy cd/DVD creator. You can burn it with the equivalent for OSX. Key must be off and out of ignition. Insert the disc to the RNS-510 and wait about 30 to 35 minutes. It will then finish and you can reboot the RNS-510 by pressing <> and brightness. Don't start car until it's done. GPS fix must be done by leaving the car outside for 30 minutes while the nav is on. Nothing is lost with the firmware update. Even if you're not having problems, do this update since it will make it better. Enjoy!
If you are the type of person who lets oil changes slide "a little here and there", stick to the V6's - they can tolerate that more than the V4s (not that it's a good idea mind you). If you don't maintain the engine well, then yes, I wouldn't be surprised if the sludge issue reared it's ugly head. Maintain it well, and those engines are superb. Personally, I like the improved gas mileage over the V6's, while still having lots of power.
Oh, and another thought. I would be extremely paranoid about who you let change the oil. My father is getting lazy I guess and is taking his cars to Jiffy Lube and watches them the whole time to assure they are putting in the synthetic oil. My approach is "do it yourself". My Audi dealer was more than a little perplexed (and annoyed I think) when I turned down the offer of getting the first oil change done for free at 5,000 miles. I had already done the first change at ~1,400 miles and the second one at 5,960 miles. I value my cars that much that I pretty much trust nobody with the oil & filter. Now, unfortunately my abilities don't stretch up to timing belts and things like that, so I do trust others for that.
BUT, would I get the car if their was a good lease out on the car? I probably would, I would just have to get a rental to go on vacation. Black, with the tan and black interior leather seats. That would be beautiful!!
Still only 4 seats!
The interior is a nice welcome compared to the regular Passat. It looks more pulled together. The exterior looks very sharp, especially in the black.
Chances are:
1) The dealer performed the oil changes using their oil (either the bulk 5w30 oil or a hydrocracked " (petroleum base stock) synthetic" oil which meets the minimal VW 502.00 spec).
2) The owner changed the oil himself with a motor oil that does not conform to VW 502.00 or VW 503.01 spec.
3) The owner didn't adhere to the 5000 mile oil change interval (went over the 5000 mile interval a few times.
I have two 1.8Ts with 135,000 and 98,000 miles, respectively. No sludge. Not even a hint of sludge. Would you like to know why?
Before I reveal the answer, see this link for a background of synthetic oils:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synthetic_oil
Based on my nearly 30 years of VW ownership (as both a mechanic and a regular owner), here's my secret - I use Group IV (synthetic base stock) motor oils that are on the VW 502.00 list. The handful of VW 502.00 spec Group IV motor oils available in this country include:
Mobil 1 0w-40 European Formula
Motul 8100 X-Cess 5w-40 (My preferred motor oil)
Elf Excellium NF 5w-40 (Formerly known as Excellium LDX)
The newer VW 503.01 Spec Group IV motor oils (which your friend's GLI should have been using) available in this country include:
Mobil 1 0w-40 European Formula
Castrol Syntec 0w-30 (Bottle must say MADE IN GERMANY)
All other oils on the VW 502.00 spec sold in this country consist of dino-based "Hydrocracked" Synthetics.
I refuse to use the Hydrocracked Group III motor oils. Period. End of Story.
Anyone who doesn't do the research and sweat the details on the oil isn't the
"master of detail" that they appear to be..
But don't take my word for it. I will gladly refer you to my colleague Shipo for his knowledgeable perspective on this topic.
not un-cool like the Accord coupe & Altima coupe
I understand the reasoning...2 comfortable seats in the back as opposed to 3 uncomfortable ones, but I need 3 uncomfortable ones for small children
I loved the CC (except the no nav with manual) but the 4 seats excluded it from my list...
I love the CC too, my mom and I sat in one at a car show! Love how you sit back snug in the drivers seat. The leather felt so good. I could possibly get by without the 5th seat. But, I certainly won't pay over cost for one on a lease. Other cars will shine better on lease deals. Even the new Acura's out now are selling for amazing deals.
This was for a CC sitting in port (or just came in); base/manual.
I don' think there is much room to go under invoice, but it certainly is a good starting point.
The one thing that bothers me is reliability. Not sure I want a first year car. My old room mate had an older Passat, and made sure it was long gone before the warranty ran out. One thing after another. How has the CC been? Have you owners had any problems? After a Toyota, I can't/won't live with that. What kind of real world mileage figures are you seeing?
I think you mean 3600lbs...
which is about inline with all 6cyl cars of this size (meaning too heavy )
I think you mean 3600lbs... "
Just quoting the salesman. I asked the weight. He guessed 3100. I said More like 3600. He found the label on the door post and said Wow. 4600#. We were both wrong. I didn't verify.
kcram - Pickups/Wagons Host
Now that makes much more sense. More what the car felt like. At first the salesman couldn't find it and went in to ask, therefore I didn't question it, and we got off on something else. Thanks for clarifying it. It just didn't sound right.
Thanks in advance
From what little I know, I agree wholeheartedly that hydrocracked oil is clearly not as good as original synthetic motor oil, in either protection or durability. Granted.
But as an EX-Volkswagen owner (with premature valvetrain wear that was later reported to be endemic to a whole generation of VW fours), and as someone who now has over 150,000 miles on a Japanese engine running with hydrocracked oil, I have to call foul. The specs for regular dino oil today are so good, any approved SAE oil should be able to keep you running well past 100,00 miles in any dependably designed engine.
The notion that hydrocracked oil isn't good enough for the current VW 2.0 turbo is not an indictment of the oil, it's an indictment of VW's engine. I'm blown away that you've chugged so much Wolfsburg Kool-Aid you can't see that.
Other than that, a a high number of errors in the manual, I'm real pleased.
The Passat was a car that I looked at too, and I loved the cobalt blue color, but the black interior with its weird seating, harsh feeling doors. It was sorta tacky. The Jetta interior is much more refined that the passat. The VW CC interior is more inviting and plush. The drivers seat is so comfortable. It sink right into it. Very contoured to your back and head.
The VW CC has gotten great reviews, and you can blame the economy, because it seems to me you can get a fairly good deal on one. When normally they are so strict in price. I am thinking of getting one, but it only has 4 seats available.
Best of luck! I think you will love the car! Looks classy, drives great!
The biggest change is one acronym. DSG baby! DSG will be available on 2.0T models. Bluetooth and a new non nav headunit are now standard. The 3.6 sport now gets dynaudio. I think the VR6 models now get Dynaudio standard. I did hear that homelink will be available on the 2010 models. Hope this helps.
I'm trying to find out if this something to legitimately get excited about or if it is a bunch of hot air from VW.
Thanks for any input!
kcram - Pickups/Wagons Host
The window movement "feature" when first explained by the salesman made me wonder if all that extra movement would cause problems.
Try this formatter. Also try FAT16 on the SD cards. It will work with 2 GB SD cards.
Doesn't look too bad in normal operation either (Compared to the clipping it too the bottom of the visor which is what I was doing):
Courtesy of my-gti.com for the pic. This is the european RCD-510 aka Premium VIII. The US version supports Sirius and HD radio. I've posted information on that radio a bunch of times. It does however support full iPod integration via the MDI and it's special iPod cable. I hear that Bluetooth will be standard and there will be two bluetooth kit. 9W2 which is a basic kit and nav models get the 9W3 UHV Premium kit that supports Bluetooth Audio streaming.
It confirms of what I've just said. The POS VW iPod adapter is being replaced by the MDI with it's special iPod cable. I'm glad they made that decision since you now get full iPod integration. Non Nav owners can finally enjoy full iPod integration .