By accessing this website, you acknowledge that Edmunds and its third party business partners may use cookies, pixels, and similar technologies to collect information about you and your interactions with the website as described in our
Privacy Statement, and you agree that your use of the website is subject to our
Visitor Agreement.
Comments
I know there is "one of you" on every board, but cmon man.
Girly? Pink is girly. Perhaps that shade of Purple Metallic that Chrysler offered on Sebring's was girly. Fresco Green just looks cool.
My wife liked the color, I liked the color -- it shows really well.
I would love to be able to once again buy my favorite Audi/VW color: Pearl White (with a grey leather interior with black piping!
Fresco Green is manly. It's the best. I wish I got one. Ok?
Let's move on.
-Craig
I have to replace one of the daytime headlights: $22 on my 2002 Passat! Does anybody know of another, cheaper, source for the lamps?
what kind of seat covers (or any thing that makes the leather seat not so sticky) do y'all use?
sometimes I wish I had not chosen leather...
I had a 2000 Taurus wagon while my wife was driving a 1999 Passat GLS V6. To address reliability. The Taurus never once left me in the lurch. It never failed to start. The AC or heat always worked. It never leaked oil. The car never stalled. But then again, most cars run this way. I would be inclined to say it was a "reliable" car.
However, from a quality standpoint, it was sorely lacking. I had several recurring meddlesome problems. (1) the front rotors kept getting warped (car had less than 50K miles on it when I sold it). The brakes were resurfaced twice. I should have, of course, replaced the rotors, but that's another story. (2) The engine knocked and pinged under strain (going up hill or a full load). (3) The car needed to be aligned every 3 months - and it still ate tires. I had Ford check the suspension and alignment components twice, but they said all was well. I know I don't aim for curbs and pot holes, so something must have been wrong with that car. (4) miscellaneous creaks, noises, clacks, etc. that could not be tracked down. All of these things caused me to finally throw in the towel and get a 2003 Passat wagon.
My wife's 1999 Passat has been a high quality, very reliable car. No squeaks and groans. No alignment problems (well, one problem, but it was a recall item on the tie-rods - VW replaced the tie-rods and realigned the car). No knocks and pings. No warped brake rotors. And to top it off, the car exceeds EPA gas mileage estimates too!
Every time I get into one of our Passats, I feel like I am in a very safe $40,000 or $50,000 German automobile. When I got into my Taurus, I felt like I was in a $15,000 American-made Taurus (so I got what I paid for there). The Passat strives to be more than it is, and I think it succeeds. My Passat feels so solid and safe. I never worry about what might happen in an accident.
Thanks for listening!
The right side front light assembly is a little difficult to reach, but it is not nearly as much trouble as trying to replace brake or tail lamps on my 2000 Passat wagon.
Nearly all cars ARE silver, black, red, or white. Which is why I was choosing between Indigo Blue and Gray. They are far less popular on the road. Gray won because with Indigo Blue, I wanted a nice tan leather interior. But VW choose Banana Yellow instead. Thus Gray was my only choice.
But that green. Ick.
-Craig
Whatever Lexus is doing with their brakes, VW should take notice. I haven't once washed the wheels of our '01 RX300, and they look as clean and shiney as new.
-Craig
An interesting part is the dust appears on the rears more than the front on most Passats. Something to do with the brake bias more towards the rear to give it a more "balanced" feel.
-Craig
Thank you.
2002 GLS with 7800 miles
new 2003 GLS with 0 miles
I can get the used one with a 6 year 100,000 bumper to bumper warranty for the same price as the new one with just the standard warranty.
What would you do?
The amount of brake dust is less than the amount of dirt that accumulates on the rest of the car over a period of a week or so. Do you blame VW for a dirty car too? If you buy a VW, expect to give it a little more tender loving care than a Honda or Ford. It's part of being a member of the VW family. If it's a problem, then buy a car with hub caps and painted with primer. Then you can get away with washing it once a year whether it needs it or not.
You may be able to get brake dust shields more or less specifically designed for your Passat (or any car for that matter).
The sheilds, IMHO, MUST BE VENTILATED and they must clear all areas around the rotor, brake mechanism parts and wheel. And they must be "wafer thin" to not increase the offset and also due to the thinness and venting not cause "critical" heat issues.
These shields are or at least used to be widely available -- actually I got mine for an Audi 4000CS quattro (a long time ago) at the BMW store where I also got them for my wifes 325ix (1988) -- I had no side effects that I am aware of.
But, on the other hand, I LIKE to looks of the brakes -- the shiny rotor against the CLEAN wheels on my 03 allroad and my wife's 03 TT look pretty cool.
Ask around about the shields if you really want to take this route.
One other route is to use a different pad compound -- of course you will probably end up with brakes that squeal.
I know, picky picky -- I say clean your car at least weekly and drive it like you live!
Another question...we have two small children...are they going to be safer in a Volkswagen Passat because of the side curtain air bags or the Subaru Forester because it rides higher and has the safe side impact reviews (Passat has not been ranked yet I think from IIHS) ....any thoughts or opinons would be helpful as my wife is trying to decide between these two vehicles... I actually have a 03 Forester that I got last week and she loves it and is considering buying one as well, but she also loved driving the Passat...just trying to get the safest car for the kiddies..
JO
Having said this, I do not currently and have no plans to employ them, choosing instead to wash my car a minimum of one time per week.
I had a Jetta with the side curtains, and there was no warning the owner's manual about putting children in the outboard seats, so I think it would be ok. The curtains don't come 'at' you like side airbags in the seats do, they just drop down. So keep that in mind.
The Subby is supposedly more reliable and cheaper to maintain, but it probably doesn't handle as well as the Passat. It also lacks the Passat's style and luxury amenities.
If all brake pads cause dust, why is it our '01 RX300 has squeaky clean wheels after 2 years of use, yet my 1 year old Passat has brown crap all over them?
Maybe it's a design issue that Toyota put into the RX300 that "vents" away the dust while driving, and VW doesn't. It's intereting that the RX300 weighs more than the Passat, yet produces virtually no dust.
And yes, the RX300 does get dirty on the outside as well.
When I was younger (ie single/no kids), I'd wash my car twice a week. The wheels were always clean. My first car (an '89 Firebird Formula) would coat the wheels in dust in a matter of 10 minutes of driving. Then my Honda CRX didn't have any dust. The Isuzu Rodeo has dust, the Volvo S70 T5 had dust, but the Acura TL didn't.
Looks like Honda/Toyota have figured it out. I've seen countless BMW's with severe brake dust on the fronts. Maybe it's a German thing.
-Craig
Before the switch to mintex pads...yes, it gets dusty quick in the rears.
At least it's not as bad as my cousin's G35 with the Brembos. It gets dusty in one trip after washing the car and the wheels.
If you can, wax your wheels. It helps protect the clear coat, and makes them a little easier to clean.
Like 8u6hfd said, the mintex red box significantly reduces brake dust.
1. Different rotor/pad combo (like caw103 said)
2. There is some kind of air venting while driving that pushes the dust away from the wheels.
I think 2 makes more sense, as one is always moving when braking. Why not use the air flow to your advantage?
-Craig
- Ray
Can't imagine whe the problem could be - '02 W8 . . .
Towards the rear, there are 3 headrests/restraints across the rear seat. This hinders the rear view.
It's kind of interesting. Safety (the view) is traded for safety (structure/restraints).
It's not a hinderance while driving at all. I find it just as easy to drive as any car I've had.
-Craig
I'll wax the wheels next time after I wahed it.
Meanwhile, is the mintex pads expensive? Why did VW think of using it in the first place?
Reason why Mintex wasn't the OEM supplier? Don't know...I'm sure price is a huge drving factor.
Word of caution, when it's time to replace the pads, most likely you need new rotors, also available cheaply from good internet sources such as
www.vwparts.com
www.germanautoparts.com
www.parts4vws.com
Ah - point well taken - I literally removed those before I left the dealer's lot. They remain in the garage - probably until I trade it in . . .
Cheers,
- Ray
Who does not typically carry rear seat passenders . . .
Thanks