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Comments
- Passenger door problem - water leaks inside the vehicle
- Engine light comes on
- Emmissions line leaking
- Truck latch does not operate
- Brake lights/tail lights blows off every 6 month
- Remote (keyless entry) stopped working
- Driver side doors squeaks
I have had more problems with this vehicle than with my old Hondas. The original warranty got over in 2 yrs and the expensive extended warranty doesn't cover any of the above problems. So, I have had to shell out a lot of money on this crappy vehicle.
I understand that a mechanical or electrical failure can happen to any car BUT I am "pissed off" at the fact that the dealer, VW Customer Service or extended warranty doesn't help tries to wash their hands off of these issues. I feel cheated and definitely not going to buy another VW. In addition I am strongly discouraging all my friends and acquaintences from buying a VW.
Go for a Honda, Toyota, BMW, Lexus or Volvo but NEVER a VW.
If you want to really feel some lag and rush, test drive a Subaru WRX. The WRX has a bigger turbo that takes longer to spool up (engine RPM's need to be around 2600 to 2800 if I remember correctly) and it delivers a more forceful thrust once up to power due to the 12 PSI of boost it provides. (Or try a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution with its 19 psi of boost and really get a kick in the pants when the turbo spools up!)
If you get a turbo charged vehicle with a manual transmission you can also learn how to "keep the pot boiling" so that the RPM's are high enough to keep the turbo spooled up. There is not much you can do when taking off from a dead stop though . . . unless you like to rev it up and drop the clutch
Beside the point.
The torque of the 1.8T engine can be bumped considerably.
The torque bump comes with one side effect -- MAXIMUM torque increases by 50% (minimum) but it comes on at perhaps 2600 RPM's -- the stock motor's torque comes on BELOW 2000 RPM's -- so the effect we had was: almost not turbo lag stock, to noticeable lag with the chip but acceleration as long as the RPM's were over 2500 (in any gear) that was astounding!
(They both run 150 on the autobahn)
Hey crappyvw - get a lawyer and file on the dealer - you may not get anywhere but you may be suprised. Believe me, there aren't very many cars out there like yours or you would be seeing alot more of them right here
Hey Turbo lag whiners ! shoulda had a V6 !
Gatorsnap
You'll find dealers more willing to haggle closer to invoice or otherwise do what it takes to get the cars out. If the dealer is doing well otherwise, they'll sometimes go so far as to take no profit on the sale if it will get the car off their lot and you into their service department for regular maintenance (they make the real money on maintenance bills, anyway).
Personally, I'm stunned that I got the price I did for my '03 GLX ($28,276 for a GLX with ESP and the trunk-mounted CD-changer), considering that I bought it at the end of May -- not even close to the end of the model year. It wasn't quite invoice price, but it was damned close.
It has been my experience over many years of leasing (since 1978) that new cars may lease for less per month than new last year's model cars.
Of course, if the dealer or MFG has discounted the MSRP (cap cost) then the new last year's model may be less per month.
If you are getting the itch for a new car and are NOT paying cash, it may pay to get the '04.
I suspect that money factors may still incent one way or another also -- my point is don't assume that the '03 will be a better deal.
Pretty much every single quote I got was in the ballpark of what I paid -- +- $250. I basically chose the dealer based on convenience to work and standard loaner car policy for cars brought in for scheduled maintenance. I live in NJ, so I'm not sure if local economics have any impact on pricing relative to where you live (California?). Either way, sweet deal you got there!
I also got the 1.9% financing, which is great. Out of curiosity, how much did you put down (in %)? I put down a little over 40%, but I don't know if putting down more or less has any bearing on the final price you can haggle out of the dealer. I'd guess not, given that I put that much down and didn't get any kind of major break on the price beyond what was already given to me.
First, I love this car. I'm going to trade for another next year, although we'll probably get a wagon. My wife loves to drive it. It's fun, safe and has been very reliable.
The downside is the cost of service. Once you get out of the service warranty period, it is expensive to maintain. The 40K service cost about $600.
So far, the only problem I've had was a right front wheel bearing replaced at about 45,000 miles. I am also taking it in to replace the front brake shoes, which will cost $250 or so. I don't know if this is normal at those mileages or not.
Finally, I'm a litte disappointed by the fuel "economy." We put 90 percent of our miles on this car on the highway and we average about 22 mpg.
Our service is done by Carousel Motors in Iowa City. It's been great.
We will, however, have to base so much of our input though on anecdotes -- good and bad.
It is a pleasure to see someone write some good news; or better yet use this board as a discussion board amongst and between "fans" of the brand.
No wonder the manufacturers themselves don't participate on these boards, the temptation for someone to bash them would be too great for some and why on earth would you subject yourself to name calling.
Conversely, it would be nice to have interaction with a representative of VW -- Oh Well. . .at least we have VWGUILD.
But I've noticed that he has been getting beaten up from time to time or at least criticized for some of his posts on the Touareg board.
Now that we are firmly into the 04 production year, I am wondering if VWGUILD knows anything about the upcoming engine and transmission choices (in the Passat lineup, specifically)?
Any ideas when the 2004 pricing or standard/optional lists will be out?
Steveiowa - I live in Waverly. Does Carousel normally carry much inventory? (I'm looking for a wagon, they seem to be less than 10% of the production)
http://www.homelink.com/program/hlmanual.pdf
The instructions recommend replacing the battery in your handheld transmitter before programming homelink. A weak battery in your handheld could affect the range of your homelink transmitter.
I followed these steps and my range is about a block.
VW/Audi/Porsche products -- great at their various price points and intentions -- breathtakingly expensive to own/repair out of warranty.
. . .and 3 cents change from your nickle.
BTW, I'm getting quotes from dealers through Edmunds.com, the lowest one I got yesterday on a Passat GLX is $26,100 (I'm in SF Bay area). I'm pretty much ready to go just want to make sure it can get me the color I want.
Also, are there any "chip-friendly" dealers and/or maintenance shops in the area that you are aware of?
TIA.
Also you will find the regional location of an APR dealer (greater Cleveland).
I had Northland chip my 1.8T, but the DPP means that the dealer will not need to be involved.
The heavy duty Bypass valve may be a good investment based on what I have read.
Good luck.
will come with the Sport Pkg. included.
Paint & other change points can be found in a thread here under that title...
they may help reduce dusty wheels, BUT under
certain conditions braking performance may be
adversely affected. This can range from rapid
brake pad wear to outright brake failure.
Cooling air flow must not be interfered with.
Probably the worst case scenario could be
descending a steep grade while towing a heavy
trailer (boat, camping trailer, utility trailer loaded with firewood - not a golf cart.) If the brakes are applied repeatedly or for long
periods the brake fluid could boil. If that
happens - no brakes. Restricting the cooling
air flow may contribute to the boiling. Also,
residual heat that is not dissipated may cause
premature brake pad/rotor wear. While shields
help your wheels stay looking nice longer, they can have drawbacks. If someone is injured & a
sharp lawyer can "prove" dust shields
contributed, the manufacturer is probably off
the hook and you could be firmly "planted."
Choose wisely.
Man, I sure do like my Fresco Green Passat!
I always use 91 octane when the temp is 90 or above, or hauling a load, or taking a road trip.
Everyday driving consists of about 40mi on the highways.
the invoice for the repair included two new original VW rotors at $92.00 each and there was a charge of $44.00 for resurfacing them also. when i questioned the shop asking why would it be necessary to resurface new factory rotors, the answer was: sometime they get deformed by sitting on the shelf and they resurface them routinely every time they put one on.
does anybody know if this is a justified procedure or is it merely a way of charging a little extra?
FYI, next time (the rears for example) buy the parts online. front oem rotors are about $40 each. try www.germanautoparts.com or ecstuning.com
Does anyone have more information?
I have a '02 GLX with manual and I am very happy with it. With both cars stock, it is about 1/2 second quicker than the 1.8T due to the better low RPM torque. There are aftermarket parts that can turn the 1.8 into a screamer however.
The 2.8 cannot be much more than it already is , so if you want a engine that you can "juice up" the 2.8 is the wrong choice. Still if you want something that you can just let out the clutch without giving it much gas pedal, the V6 is it. If you want to pull a small camping trailer or small boat, the V6 is it. And it is very, very smooth at high speeds.
As far as engines lasting 100K miles, the naturally aspirated V6 should out live the turbo easily. Still mine only has 25K on it right now, so we will have to wait to find that out.
I drive 50+ miles every day (about 1/2 city and 1/2 highway) and I average about 28 MPG. (from what I calculate from fillups)
Hope this helps
Gator
I wanted some opinions on replacing tires on a 2002 Passat GLX 4Motion sedan. There are 55k miles on the stock MXV4 Plus and they are in need of replacing. National Tire has suggested a 15" tire. Does anyone have the 16" on their Passat and any other suggestions?
Thank you!
There are wheel and tire upgrades available for your Passat.
If YOU DO NOT WANT TO CHANGE WHEELS: you can upgrade nonetheless by a process called "plus zero sizing;" this is the least expensive way to upgrade and improve the performance of your Passat.
Let's just go down this path for a moment --
Assume you have 205 x 55 tires (on whatever size wheels) on your Passat. If this is the case and you do not want to increase the WHEEL SIZE, well you can increase the contact patch and improve the handling by virture of going to a lower profile tire. In this hypothetical example, you could PLUS ZERO size to 225 x 50 (on whatever size wheels) and you would have "more rubber on the road" and almost certainly a stiffer sidewall -- the car's handling would improve as a result. And, with plus zero sizing you get many of the benefits of plus 1 sizing (which means you increased your wheel size by 1"). If you go to a one inch diameter larger wheel you can plus 1 size and probably plus zero size on the new wheel, giving you in effect a double benefit. Tread width would increase, aspect ratio would decrease and wheel diameter would also increase -- the effect would be yet another improvement in handling.
I have no affiliation with these folks, but you can get a TON of education about the above and other subjects on line @ www.tirerack.com!
At the very least, I would plus zero and depending on where you live, I would certainly consider Ultra High Performance All Season tires (unless you have no winter whatsoever). Yoko AVS db2 or Conti Extreme or Mich Pilot Sport A/S's all qualify. Of course if you live where there is heavy heavy winter, these tires are probably not ok, but if you do not currently have dedicated winter and summer tires, these tires are the best year round choices I have ever used, personally.
Drive it like you live.
PS the National Tire people sound, um, er, ah -- "less than" you deserve, yeah, that's it -- "less than" you need.
From prior VW experience, I have found that the dealers LOVE to do lots of work under warrantee (and then charge that back to VW). I stopped going to VW dealers for service and lo & behold! the "nagging problems" went away. COMPLETELY.
Change your oil often, remember to replace timing belt, etc (all your normal maintenance stuff) and your VW should last a LONG LONG time.
I bought a 2003 Passat GLX V6 Automatic a month ago. I live in LA and have been averaging 13-14 mpg in city driving, not driving the car hard. Is everyone having this issue, or is it just because the car is too new?
I have tried both 87 and 91 octane gas, so that is not it...
I am getting really bad gas mileage. Bought a V6 Passat 1 month ago, have put 1K miles on the car and have averaged 13-14 mpg. I am using 91 octane as this is what is available in LA. I take mostly short trips, and even though I live in LA, I am not sitting in traffic.
What is everyone else experiencing? Does it improve with time?
Thanks
Hopefully, I will have an update soon.
Thanks for your posts.
So let me ask this board: is that true? Is this a good reason not to get a Passat? (I'm in a Midwestern, non-urban area, although there is a VW dealer near where I work). Thanks!