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Comments
Got a pretty good price on it, too -- $28,276! And I'm doing the 1.9% financing for 60 months, so the payments are quite reasonable.
I'm taking ownership of the car tomorrow morning -- just waiting for them to install the CD changer at the dealership. I can't wait!
I also get the impression that they help give the engine a few extra HP -- I assume by better filtering the air going into the engine and thus letting it mix better with the gasoline and burning better or more cleanly. Is this correct?
Has anyone here used these filters? Are they in fact a worthwhile investment? Would my dealer install it for me if I brought it in with me to a service check? I'm 100% car maintenance illiterate and have neither the tools, the money, nor the time to put in parts like this myself.
Thanks for the help!
The K&N allows greater flow but uses oil to trap the dust particles, etc. you have to clean them and re-oil them, and if one uses too much oil it can screw things up. I'm not sure in a Passat's case how many cleanings / re-oiling a K&N can take, but my experience with other vehicles tells me that they do wear out and do not last indefinitely.
Unless you are looking at chipping and catback exhaust too, I wouldn't.... although it it won't hurt a thing if you do, just be vigilant about checking the filter alot.
Gator
We just bought a GLS 1.8T Tiptronic about 3 weeks ago. We live in Austin, TX and the dealer told us to use regular gas instead of premium - something to do with the formulation they use down here. It has been running fine. I haven't driven a manual Passat but do notice the hesitation you are talking about. The car starts to pull once the RPMs hit 2000 and I've noticed that I have just naturally compensated by giving it more gas to get it up to 2k and then back off - I hate driving a stick in traffic so I'm okay with the slight lag. The ignition coil problems have been solved.
I've looked at the Altimas and the quality of the interior just doesn't compare with the Passat.
Carrie ~2003 VW Passat 1.8T automatic, Candy White/tan leather interior.
Also, if you'll excuse this advice, check your oil often - it will burn roughly about half a quart. This is very common and accepted in the break in period. It is also advisable to change the oil much earlier than the 5k marker to rid it of the new engine grit.
Hope this is helpful!
Making the appt for oil and filter change later this week...5w-40 Valvoline Synpower is going in, I think.
She keeps the car under the carport and to this day it does not even has a door ding or the smallest blemish, after a good detailing and wax job one would be hard pressed to tell from a new one other than the small changes, I concur with everyone who owns one and that is that the interior materials and quality is tops so is the body.
The only problem is that is a stick shift and my wife is tiring of it sometimes in traffic, we went a couple of times to the dealer to get a new one, an automatic V6, they sure are nice, the ride quality can be noticed after all the improvements and I am not saying that ours is deficient in any way but there has been 5 years of improvements, any way when it gets down to the money talk she says is nothing wrong with hers (bless her heart, I assure her there is no problem in getting a new one or any other car like a Benz)) and there is no need to get a new one, plus we still have the old warranty (10 years/100,000K)
The gas tank lid says premium gas and she always use it, I figure the difference from medium grade is less than 2$ per tank fill up and she will go a long ways on one tank so we don’t see the need to skimp since she does not put that many miles on it.
All in all very pleased with it, is a car that invites to drive.
It is HIGHLY recommended to NOT change the oil before the first 5,000 mile interval. The old stories of "change your oil at 1,000 miles because there are metal shavings from the manufacturing process" are long gone. Modern engine manufacturing does not leave anything "bad" in the engine.
The original oil is a little thinner and helps the seals/rings/etc seat and break in properly. If you change the oil out early, the break in period will not be complete and there is a higher risk of oil leaks/oil burning down the road.
Also, use premium gas. You knew before you bought the car (at least you should have known) that the 1.8T requires premium. It's a small price to pay for one of the 10 best engines currently in production (Wards). Yes, regualar will work, but at the expense of decreased power and decreased gas mileage, which will offset the cost saving of buying the cheaper gas.
-Craig
I hate to take my cars to the dealer unless absolutely necessary - but this sounds like one of those times . . .
You DO carry a fire extinguisher, don't you?
Good luck!
- Ray
Wondering how I'd try to explain to the insurance company why the car ended up a smouldering pile by the side of the road - after smelling like it was going to for thousands of miles . . .
- Ray
Feeling lucky that the expensive oil changes are only required every 7,500 miles . . .
Isn't there a label inside your gas cap instructing what octane to use? There is on my '02 and it says to use 91. (around here the closest choices are 92 and 90 so I use either). I would follow the mfgr's instrcutions before I'd listen to a salesman about this.
Many car 'buffs' - and others have different opinions regarding oil change intervals. I always go by VW - the manufacturer. Same with the premium octane fuel. BTW: My dealer north of Atlanta charges $85.00. And I check the fluid levels more often . . .
For instance - from BMW regarding their M cars: "The oil change interval of approximately 15,000 miles or once a year remains unchanged.
BMW Service Information
Bulletin 11 06 01, October 2001"
Cheers,
- Ray
Enjoying each of the 7,500 miles between oil changes . . .
As far as frequent oil changes go - I truly believe that there is engine grit and that changing oil & filter early will not undermine the break-in process. If the V6 is burning oil and adding a pint is required then what's the big deal to purge it altogether and replenish with fresh - it's already brackish at that point. I can't imagine that the brackish oil is going to do any better job of seating the seals/rings/etc. If so, what makes the oil that much healing/sealing? It shows wear & tear due to the break in, which surely must contain some reciprocal contaminants
We'll use the specified oil for the change and sample & test the old oil just for kicks. I truthfully rely on the owners for their experience and advice against the manufacturer's recommendations - there are way too many class action lawsuits against manufacturers (notably MB) who claim absurd intervals for marketing purposes but the seized engines are making them eat their ambitions. Additionally, changing early does not adversely affect the warranty - it is only recommended to do so at 5k - not by any wording required.
It is a personal preference but I remain true to check & change early & often - It's done me well with other (American) V6s I've owned new.
Many Thanks ! b-
The hardest thing to do is getting the plastic under-cowling/air dam (underneath the engine) on/off. The first time I did it I drove the car up on some 2X4's to get a little more clearance under the car,(my wife calls me a redneck for using 2X4's) but I don't need to do that anymore. The Plastic cowling is held in place by 1 nut (in front) and 6 Plastic and 2 metal 1/2 turn screws - I would advise using a very wide blade, short screwdriver to get to these screws.(go buy the screwdriver before you start) I call these screws 1/2 turn screws because you really only have to turn them about that much to make them fasten or release.
There are 2 plastic screws at the bottom front of each front wheel well, 2 near the front of the cowl, and the metal ones attach to a semi flexible piece near the back of the cowl.
Once you get the cowl off, find the oil filter, and odds are the oil drain plug will be very close by the filter. On my GLX everything is up close to the front, so I really don't have to get under the car.
Remember that the threads in the oil pan are probably aluminum, so don't over tighten the plug, and be sure to put a layer of oil on the rubber gasket before installing the filter, and don't over tighten the filter either.
FYI - Use either K&N or the stock VW/Audi filter from the dealer. K&N is the only one I have found so far that looks like it meets the specs.
Another word of warning - I have broken the plastic 1/2 turn screws before.(a set of 2 screws and 2 plastic nuts cost $15 at the dealer) You have to be sure and push them in firmly before turning gently (to tighten).If you break one, it is really no biggie. The cowl will stay on with one broke.
Take your time, and save the beer for after you get finished, and you'll do O.K.
Gator
BTW, I would use premium 91+ octane regardless (I'm chipped so its prescribed). Its false economy to do otherwise - work it out, its only a cup of fancy java a day ... Besides, you did know that the Passat takes premium when you bought it, right?
The wording in the manual states that EVERYTHING is "recommended". 91 octane is recommended. An oil change every 5k is recommended. The 10k, 20k, 30k, etc services are recommended. That doesn't get you out of any warranty denials.
If you don't service your engine at all, and seize the engine at 15k since no oil changes were done since they were just "recommended" but not "required", you would not get any help from VW (or any other manufacturer).
Also, the oil in the first 5k does help seat the rings, etc. because (as I've been told) there is some additives in there that help the process.
VW doesn't have a good record in regards to oil leaks/burning, but this is the story I've been told.
I have 19,000+ miles on my 1.8T, and thus far have no oil leaks/burning (knock on wood).
-Craig
However, if I am feeling frugal and have the time, I will "mix" a tank of gas. I put in half a tank of premium 93 Octane and then the fill up with mid-grade 89 octane. A chemist friend of mine who worked in the oil industry said that you can mix octanes and then the octane rating you will get will be the average. So if I do 1/2 tank of 93 and a 1/2 of 89, I get 91 octane, which is what is recommended. In the end, I save about 70 cents a tank if I do this.
What you need to ask yourself is this: Is my time to basically do TWO fill ups worth 70 cents. If so, you can save a little bit of money. I will say I have noticed no degradation in power or fuel economy whenever I mix tanks. I don't do this all the time. If I fill up at Costco, they only offer regular and premium - no mid grade. In those cases, I just use their premium (which is discounted a dime or so over competitors).
I'll be interested to hear what feedback there is regarding mixing octanes.
Regarding oil changes, I do the oil changes in my wife's 1999 Passat. It takes me about 30 - 45 minutes, and it is VERY easy (and I like that 2x4 idea - might be easier than jacking up the car!). Compared to my old Taurus wagon, the oil filter in the Passat V6 couldn't me more accessible. When you take the cowling off, it's right there. On the Taurus, I had to bend my arm all sorts of ways to get a filter wrench around that thing. I haven't tried to change the filter on my 2003 Passat wagon yet. I've had a couple of small warranty issues, so I've just had the dealer do the oil change while they were addressing other warranty items (I've only had one so far - next one should be in July sometime). First oil change was $35, but I've noticed that at 10K, there are all sorts of little things they are supposed to check. Seems to me that that's just a way for the dealer to rack up extra costs. I will just request the oil change and do my own inspections and topping offs.
Thanks to everyone for their advice on this board. It's always enjoyable reading what everyone has to say!
With oil changes, I buy Mobil 1 5w-30 at Sams or Costco for about $23 a case. I bring the oil into my local IndyLube, and they charge me slightly less than a regular oil change for full service, about $21 with a discount coupon. The coupons are always available.
87 octane definitely decreased performance when i tried it pre-chip.
If you can't afford the maintenance of a vehicle, don't buy the vehicle.
VW is going to give you hell if something just happens to break at 11k when they should have inspected it at 10k and you told them not to.
The services aren't expensive until you hit 40k. I think that one is in the $300 range. But that's the same with any car (Honda has theirs at 36k and costs in the $300 range).
Some people like doing their own oil changes. For me? I think that $20 ($23.95 - oil - filter) is well worth it for the hour I'd spend changing it myself.
-Craig
Gator
They have gotten better about scheduling. When I had my first oil change in my 2003 Passat, I was able to schedule it two days out. But they had to keep the car overnight because they overbooked. That meant they got me a rental car, but then I had to go to the rental car place, pick up the car, fill out paperwork, go back to Jim E, get my son's car seat from my car, install in rental...and then reverse all of this the next day. All for an oil change and two very small warranty items.
That's why I prefer to do the oil changes myself on the 1999 Passat. No hassling with schedules or having to arrange for a pick up or drop off. I save all receipts and document what I have done (I even purchase the filters and drain plugs from the dealer). Besides, the 1999 Passat only had a 2 year/24 month comprehensive warranty. It does have the 10 year/100K mile powertrain warranty, and I am performing all maintenance according to the schedule in the owner's manual to maintain that warranty.
I do feel Jim E. does good work. It's just expensive and they have on more than one occassion had to keep the car overnight, even when we had scheduled an appointment. For the 1999 Passat, I now have a BMW mechanic who used to work for VW who does my major repairs (brake jobs and the like). He uses genuine VW parts and I save a bundle on labor.
To answer your question...I *can* afford the maintenance of the vehicle. I choose to save money and do the work myself or find a more affordable and equally reliable source to do the work for me because I am tired of hassling with the dealer.
For the 2003 Passat, I might keep having it serviced at the dealer (if anything just to avoid the hassles you spoke of since the 2003 does have a 4 yr. warranty), but I fail to see the value in having them charge me about $60 to check fluids, tires, gaskets, etc. when I can either do that myself or have my "personal" mechanic do it at a much more reasonable cost (and a much more reasonable schedule). And since I document all of this, it's considered properly maintained according to the VW warranty guidelines (I know, I know....might be a hassle if something happens, but I *do* have all of my paperwork).
To be honest, if the VW dealer had been easier to deal with for service (i.e., fixing the car the day we brought it in for service...being easier to get service appointments right from the start), we probably never would have explored alternative routes with our 99 Passat. Unfortunately, even in Atlanta, there are only four VW dealers, and two are owned by the same guy. Jim Ellis is the only one that's close to being convenient.
And regarding oil changes, here Jim E. charges $35 for the oil change. So I am saving a little bit by doing it myself. And I am a "do-it-yourselfer" so I like accomplishing these kinds of things. I certainly understand if it's not your cup of tea, and hey, my time is worth something too.
Thanks again. Take care, and enjoy your VW!
Coming up on my 20k service next week - I think they charge $129. Also have minor warranty issues (knew manual shift knob, fog light burnt out, loose headlight housing). If they can get me out the door by 10am, I'll be happy.
-Craig
Oh well. I have given feedback to the service department on a number of occassions, and like I said, they are getting incrementally better (like with being able to get you IN the service department without a two week notice). We'll see if they can improve on turnaround next.
Thanks for the info.
Gator
The country of assembly and of major components (engine, transmission) are listed on the window sticker. Look carefully and you'll see all of this info.
-Craig
Getting a Certified Pre-Owned VW will give you a 24Month/24,000Mile Bumper to Bumper and 24/24
Road Side Assistance...
Stay on the good side of your neighbor and buy from an Authorized VW Dealer...
It largely concerns how well you know your neighbor, and it seems to me if you are asking a bunch of strangers on a chat board you don't know the person very well.
Additionally, you are asking a very open-ended question - 2001 GLX high mileage with VW service records, ... but no price. I would be very careful with any dealer that knows how much I could spend. If you don't know much about cars, and you don't know much about the dealer, watch out!
Gator