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it's been confirmed that others have the lights on in 2003 variants.......schematics have been checked and all indications say there there are lights there......I suggest you post at "other" sites about this change if indeed it is a running change.....sorry peter right now I am skeptical..to accept the running change reason.
I've had wrong colors, wrong years and wrong models in the past. We usually get them corrected at renewal time. Now if the VIN is wrong, THEN you have a problem that needs to be fixed now, LOL!
Break Points:
VW Mosel Passat 3P 264 324
VW Emden Passat 3E 213 619
GLX & W8 unchanged...
Last week coming down I17 from Flagstaff, I had a small altercation with a large piece of tire tread which magically flew out from under the car in front of me. It flew like a bolo, and I had no place to go to dodge it completely. It did manage to take out a hunk of grill but nothing else. After looking everything over, the grill comes out of the car with the removal of two threaded fasteners and..... the dang "T" hood release handle. I can work with the fasteners but I am stumped with how to disconnect the "T" handle. Does anyone have a manual that shows how it's done? Other than dismantling a bunch of the front of the car, I am at a loss. The dealer quoted me $117 for the grill replacement and $120 to replace it. Any assistance would be appreciated.
Thanks
Bob in Glendale
So far, the V6 seems to get better gas mileage than the 1.8T. I have even switched cars with my wife for a week to see if it's driving styles, but the 6 wins out.
From a pure "feel" standpoint, her 6 feels more solid than the 1.8T (though we love both). Her engine is also a bit more quiet. Even though there is a bit of a lag with the 1.8T, I quickly adjusted to it, but when I drive my wife's car, I have to "un-adjust" as I tend to gun it out of the garage with hers.
On another note of comparison, if you have a choice, get leather over cloth. I got gray leather in the wagon, and it is easy to clean. My wife's black cloth seats are like lint collectors.
Regarding extended warranties, I don't think I'd get one. Put the money in a CD and hold it for repairs. We considered an extended warranty for my wife's car. It would have been $1200 to take it to 10 years, 100,000 miles. In the four years we've had the car, these are the things that have gone wrong:
- AM antenna died (warranty)
- Temperature sensor replaced (outside of warranty $125)
- Latch cover on center console replace (outside of warranty $200)
- Oil breather hose unit replace (outside of warranty $285).
As you can see, we still would not have made up our $1200 investment. We have had the front and rear brakes done. Fronts were $435 at dealer. Found the son of a friend who used to work for VW to do the rears. He charged $300. Front brakes were done at 40,000 miles, and rears were done at 50,000 miles.
Overall, we love the V6 and plan to keep it for awhile.
I've only had my 1.8T wagon for a few months, but I have had only minor problems. The rear seat power port does not work, and I haven't been able to figure out how to program the power on volume for the radio (manual directions seem incomplete).
If you have any questions, please let me know. I highly recommend the Passat - both in V6 form or 1.8T. But if you're going for a used one, make sure you get a 1.8T with the 170 horsepower.
Thanks for listening.
Regarding the seats, I agree 100%. Leather over cloth is definitely the way to go.
The "volume-on" setting thing is in the manual, but (surprise!), it's not on the radio. No one has this feature on the new double-din radio/tape/cd unit in the 2003's. This has been discussed on Clubb5 and vwvortex and no one has figured it out. It's apparently a missing feature.
I'm inclined to agree with you on the extended warranty. These sure have gotten pricey over the last five years. I did buy one for our '97 Honda (and unless something breaks soon, I'm not gonna get my money out of it) and it cost approx. $800. VW Masterguard was quoted at $1700 (yikes!). Since my model year has the 4 year/50K warranty, I think I'm going to roll the dice and just set the money aside as you suggest.
Yet, the car continues to grow on me. I have snow tires, and the car (we actually call it "the van", as my roommate has the strong impression that it is one) handles like a champion in the snow, which is really stunning. (It's partly the tires, partly the ABS, and partly...?)
We took a 2000-mile trip shortly after I bought it (not the best thing for break-in, I realize), and it is COMFORTABLE inside. You can sleep soundly in the passenger seat in almost any position. (That definitely was not true of the Civic, at least for me.) It has a capacious quality that isn't really about its size, I think.
At around 4000 miles, I haven't had any problems with it (not that I'd anticipate having any this soon), nor have I found any defects. (Then again, it's not as though I've inspected every piece of trim, etc.)
I was driving the Civic last week to fix it up for selling, and it felt like a toy by comparison. (I don't mean to speak against the Civic, which is a delightful car, and mine in particular has been great.)
My only complaint about the Passat is the crappy binder for the manual ;-)
Thanks for the info about the volume on setting. The stereo in my wife's 99 has it, and it works great (of course - no in dash CD, which she hates). It's more of a nuisance than anything else. Ironically, the stereo has a "speed up volume setting," which is actually pretty neat. When you go fast, the stereo volume increases to compensate for the increase in noise. (I'm sure you already knew that - I thought it was a neat little touch).
Regarding the warranty, I am hoping the 4years/50K provided by VW is more than enough. Judging by what has happened with my wife's V6, that warranty would have covered everything but the breather hose repair we had done recently. Although it was nice to get 4 free oil changes with her car (2year/24K warranty plus free maintenance), I'd have rather paid for the oil changes and got a longer warranty.
Thanks for all of the info, and good luck with your Passat!
By seat of the pants, my Passat wagon feels significantly more stable at high speed than my sedan did...comparing the two at triple digits, the sedan was still very controllable and comfortable at those speeds, but seemingly more sensitive to wind and experienced more wind noise than my wagon...I have had the wagon up to a higher speed than I ever got the sedan up to, and there was noticeably less wind noise, and the vehicle tracked with virtually no effect by the wind, which was blowing from the driver's side at 5-10MPH that day.
Of course, many other factors can make some difference, such as the weight differences in my W8 engine versus the V6, the front end redesign on newer Passats, the AWD system which I did not have on the sedan, etc.
Which is why I would like to see a drag coefficient comparison between a sedan and wagon of the exact same model, with equal equipment.
Anyone?
Personally, I don't know that I would use *regular* in anything but a Geo Prism or Corolla,
but test the 89 vs. 91 after the engine is broken in...
I too, just realized that the car asks for Premium gas (now $2.01 in the Bay Area!) I am just pushing 5K miles and I can't tell a difference between the cheap stuff. After reading today, I will consider Premium.
In fact, it has very little turbo lag and an exceptionally broad torque band. Unfortunately, the auto transmission introduces lags, weight, and inefficiency and makes those cars much less of a pleasure to drive.
- D
When I know I want smoother and better acceleration, such as freeway on-ramps, I definitely switch to the tip as it makes the car much more responsive and fun to drive.
On the other hand, I reckon I can get V6 performance (but not "suffer" the gas mileage penalty) from a 1.8T with a chip for a lot less $$$ ...
Thanks for any help. Also, dealer says they can't replace all four coils before purchase, only if one goes. Makes me a little nervous...
I'm not sure how the leather will be added/at the cost of the side airbags?
if your like me, if it isn't my car I drive the hell out of it....if it's mine, well I baby it.....those who drove the gl may be the same...
"the executive" line is probably a little "enhanced also"
The coils are definitely making me uneasy. My 9 year old, 150k Camry wagon has had nothing but maintenance issues, so while I can't wait to get a Passat, I guess I should wait for one with good coils.
The warranty would cover this car, though he said 50k 5 years (thought it was 4?).
part that moves the car...
New Vehicle Warranty is 48Months/50,000Miles...
Coil issue will be covered seperately and for all
cars in need of replacements...
Speaking personally, I get a new Passat every 4 months as a Demo, and have never had a coil problem. And, I have never heard from one of my customers being affected either...
the difference from used to is minimal so why not go new?
Tomorrow I'll be placing my order. Thanks to all as I've been reading these boards for months.
2018 VW Passat SE w/tech, 2016 Audi Q5 Premium Plus w/tech, 2006 Acura TL w/nav
Tip is becoming useful
Just a little over one month since the last problem, my headlight on the other side has now gone out. This is the light that stays on all the time as opposed to the one you turn on which is the one I had problems with before.
I am about to take it back again and ask them, again, to make another complete inspection of the electrical system. I expect the standard answer I always get which is, "there is nothing wrong with the electrical system".
Does anyone have any suggestions on how to deal with this matter. The Passat has just under 18,000 miles and is 15 months old. The dealer has been cooperative in fixing the problems but my concern is what happens when it goes off warranty. I know that sounds far into the future but I had planned on keeping this car at least 5 years.
Has anyone had any experience in dealing with VW of America? Is this the best way to start the process of finding out what will make them finally fix this car? Is it better to go to court right off the bat? If it makes any difference, I live in a suburb of Chicago.
Thanks in advance for any advice.