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 bought a certified pre-owned passat GLS recently (38K miles).I have noticed that a lot of times while driving on snow covered roads,the car goes out of control and starts skidding,it has happened a couple of times and I have avoided an accident till now.The brakes just don't seem to have any effect when it skids.I have to turn the steering vegorously and take it off the road.Has anyone else experinced this problem and if yes then is there any remedy for this?Should I keep the ASR on?Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Jeremy
http://www.aaamidatlantic.com/automotive/snow/frontskids.asp
http://www.aaamidatlantic.com/automotive/snow/braking.asp
Consider upgrading your tires to dedicated snow tires.
Keep the ASR "on" that's for sure. If your VW does not have ABS, suggest you get winter tires and summer tires and use them based on your location.
thanks again
But something as basic as FWD or RWD, well, I'm in agreement with you...
And, does this particular car have the 4Motion option (which would be demarcated with a badge on the trunk lid).
Phaetons, btw are all wheel drive as are Passat W8's and the RS 32.
Obviously, hopefully anyway, Touareg's too are all wheel drive and depending on what country you are in VW does offer several of its models with AWD -- here in the US as noted above and as an option, the Passat (non-W8) models (depending on the year, of course) were also offered with 4Motion (All Wheel Drive).
It is virtually, if not literally true, that for years VW's and Audis have fundamentally been either Front Wheel Drive or All Wheel Drive -- even the current generation Beetles are Front Wheel Drive (but as you may recall, the original Beetles were rear engined, Rear Wheel Drive.)
I know of no regular production VW Group product available in North America that is exclusively Rear Wheel Drive, FYI.
ABS for VW/Audi automobiles has, in some form or another been available since calendar year 1986 -- I believe the first US bound car to have ABS from VW/Audi were 1987 models. Other markets may have enjoyed ABS in this family of cars in 1986 (perhaps in Germany even earlier).
In Europe, VW and Audi both appear to offer (either standard or low cost option) the fantastic technolgies lumped under the TLA of ESP. The current version of ESP (offered on Audis, Mercedes and VW's and probably other brands I am not aware of or that are not imported to NA) by Bosch bundles Anti-Lock Brakes (ABS), Brake Assist (braking force determined by the speed that the driver depresses the brake pedal, not necessarily the force applied) and ESP electronic stability program which can selectively apply one or multiple brakes (as if the driver had 4 brake pedals and four legs) as needed up to 18 times per second in order to compensate for the effects of oversteer and understeer. ESP can also cut engine power when it evaluates the position of the steering wheel, braking force, difference in wheel speed vs road speed and effectively provide "yaw" control.
So, the question still remains, fgump: does your particular car have any of these vital technologies?
I've noticed that the wind noise, when driving in the 60-80mph range, is quite excessive and annoying. Has anyone come across this problem before? I have my 5k service coming up shortly and would like to give the tech some hints, just in case he states, 'can't reproduce it.'
It's a 2k3 Passat GLX 4motion. Any input would be great.
Thanks!
thursday for a yearly state inspection. I feel that VW should be paying for the air bag repair. This just seems too critical a system to only get 20,000 miles out of it;of course,it has passed its two year warranty.
I thoughty I should contact the Department of Transportation to see if others have had this problem.
Am I being unreasonable to want VW to pay for this repair?
http://www.edmunds.com/townhall/chat/townhallchat.html
6-7pm PT/9-10pm ET. Drop by for live chat with other members. Hope you can join us!
kirstie_h
Roving Host & Future Vehicles Host
MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR
Find me at kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name.
2015 Kia Soul, 2021 Subaru Forester (kirstie_h), 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 (mr. kirstie_h)
Review your vehicle
I originally had buyers remorse and wanted to gte4 rid of my Passat ASAP after I bought it May 9th, 2003. However being upside down I couldn't trade it in and now am *so glad* that I couldn't!
I love my 1.8T engine (although my husband still wishes I had bought the V6), the comfort, styling, safety and amazing drive of my Passat! I'm now hooked on German cars and drool over the Audi's
I wanted the Blue Silver (still love that color) but none were to be found in my area so my local dealer (Stohlman VW in Tyson's Corner, Va) had the Candy White with Beige Leather interior with all of the options I wanted and for invoice! VW didn't try to sell me undercoating, scotch guarding or any of that other stuff the way Honda had on my former Civic.
My only problems to date (currently at 6500 miles) are that once my moonroof wouldn't close from the vent mode but the next day miraculously did! So knock on wood so far so good! My Civic had 11 problems the first 4 months of ownership whereas my VW hasn't had any so far (the moonroom corrected itself).
I wouldn't hesitate to buy another Passat (although I would hold out for the Blue Silver!) and defnitely recommend them to friends and family!!
Carrie
I was driving by our VW dealer, and they had on the lot the following:
2001 Passat GLX 4Motion Sedan (old body style)
All Options including CD Changer
55,267 Miles
VW Certified
Car drove beautifully, but the only thing that bothered me was the high miles. However, bearing in mind that it had a warranty and my son would just be using it to drive up and back to school each day (less then 2 miles each way), it would not be a problem. Initially the dealer was asking $18,365 and right now have him at $16,700 and $18,000 including tax and tags. I feel like $16,200 (before TTL) is fair, and that price could very well happen within the next day because it looks like they have had it for a while.
According to Edmunds the deal they are offering is well under what it should be for dealer retail, however for my area, the numbers have been consistently off on everything used.
Does what they are offering now seem fair or am I being unreasonable with wanting $16,200?
Also, what are the terms of the VW Certified Warranty?
Thanks so much for your help and promptness in responding.
AS
Sorry Passat owners for talking about a civic but I think Carrie might have a solution for me.
Have a great day everyone.
It should be under your warranty!!
Good luck and hope this helped
Carrie
Jeremy
On a different note to everyone: I have noticed that the 2001.5 models of the passat similarly equipped to the one I have been looking at (GLX 4Motion) are significantly higher priced and dealers will not move on them. Were the changes really that different to it when comapred with the old body style '01? Were there any differences in reliability?
Thanks for the help...
AS
The FWD 1.8T manual trans Passat "felt" quicker and more nimble than the GLX 4Motion 6 cylinder version by a considerable margin.
Without meaning to suggest that a Passat thusly configured would be a bad choice, we came away feeling that the GLX 4motion (which came ONLY with the 5spd tip) was "a slug." Conversely the 1.8T with the manual transmission was quite spunky, almost lithe. The two cars had a completely different character -- the GLX was certainly "nice" but we felt that it would have been "the" car with a manual transmission.
As I went on many test drives with my friends, here is how it all netted out -- one friend went with the FWD manual 1.8T passat and then performed some after market surgery/accessorizing. The other friend went with an Audi A4 1.8T quattro with the sport package and did no after market surgery/accessorizing.
The Audi had a higher MSRP and a lower lease payment than the VW due to the Corporate Logic that pushed the money factor very low for the Audi.
If you are looking for a Passat, be amazed how a car "this big" can be motivated by the 1.8T motor with the manual transmission.
Suffice it to say, the Passat awd with a tip and with the 1.8T would probably be even more of a slug.
0-60mph speeds;
1.8T 170hp Manual 7.9 Automatic 8.8
1.8T 180hp Manual 7.7 Automatic 8.9
2.8 V6 4-motion Manual N/A Automatic 8.4
2.8 V6 Manual 7.5 Automatic 8.4
Not a big difference in acceleration between the 6 cyl. and the 4 cyl., but there is a big difference in the gas mileage.
Thanks
After 4 separate trips to the dealer, they finally figured it out and fixed it with what mitdagessen states in his post. I was told it's got to do with some type of protectant coating they spray all over the underside of the car for when they ship it over on the boat to protect it from seasalt....Yeah...whatever, huh?! Typical dealer!
Anyway, hasn't happened at all this winter and I'm in MN!
(Off topic, but boy was I surprised by the difference in responsivenes with the manual. Kind of sleepy off the line in the automatic, but lots of pep with the stick. Also, I guess you get used to the manual operation of the Tiptronic if you like, but I found it distracting--easier to go all manual or all automatic.)
Either from VW or aftermarket, you can replace the springs, swaybars and bushing and wheels and tires. You can replace the BPV in the 1.8T with a sport By Pass Valvle and improve the responsiveness of the turbo without "chipping." You can replace the exhaust system and you could actually chip it and the thing would be made into a screamer.
Personally, I'd first go with Plus 1 sized wheels and tires (1" bigger wheels and both lower profile and wider high performance tires); then I'd contemplate the sport anti-sway bars since one of the things I am suggesting is related to doing the most for the lowest (relative) $.
The BPV should be under $100.
The final thing would be sport springs which would lower the car by about 20mm and improve the whole package (esp when the sport sway bars are utilized).
Since I'm spending your money, you can also go for the sport struts if you want, which will complete the handling transformation (Personally, I would do the struts, if at all, last).
Other things that make the car more sporty include, a short shifter (shorter throws), street high performance brake pads or pads AND rotors. I have also seen some tasteful ground effects on a silver Passat that presumably add more than bling bling -- but the minimalist approach to the rear deck spoiler is nice too.
The Passat 4Motion with a stick shift and just a couple of warranty friendly mods can be transformed from a very nice competent driver oriented sedan to a very nice competent sport oriented sedan -- that looks just a tiny bit more purposeful (if you like).
You can -- if you go really nuts -- upgrade the 1.8T to the 225HP version, using VW/Audi parts. This is more like major surgery, and probably would not be supported by VW's warranty. But, hey, like I said, "if I'm spending your money. . ."
Good luck! Nice car.
I found out that the ground clearance on the Passat is the same as some crossover SUV's, about 7", same as my Pacifica. You have to decide where your priorities are. Is a slight improvement in handling worth getting stuck in the snow if you live in the snow belt? Lowering the car also affects the ride quality and increases the odds for underbody damage. Most of the driving I do does not warrant a suspension change since I'm on the highway, not on the track. The lowered cars look cool, but I don't think they are very practical for everyday highway driving.
Chips are a different story though...
Thanks!
Carrie ~2003 1.8T VW Passat AT, Candy White, Tan leather interior
Check the brake fluid level in your reservoir. If it's low, and you've never changed any of the brake pads, I'd have the brakes inspected for wear. I wouldn't just add brake fluid.
FYI... the owners manual recommends having your brake fluid flushed every two years.
I have read mention of rear brakes wearing out early...but at 20,000 miles? No vibration or pulsation at the brake pedal. Could this probably be related to weather and humidity factors? (Sioux Falls, SD has been having variable humidity) I don't see rust, and the car is driven everyday. The service manager suggested the above factors. What I remember from basic physics is this - the car is heavy, and friction should cause the temperature to rise high enough to make humidity non-factorial.
Getting my 20K tune up next week. All suggestions welcome..........BB
So, what gives?..........BB
I did just have one of the original tires go bad. I had a vibration in the wheel and it was the front left tire. I rotated it with my spare and all is smooth again. I am hoping to go 80,000 to 90,000 on the original tires, we'll see. The two in rear are pretty worn but the two in the front are in great shape after many rotations.
R. J.
I thought only
VW dealers can sell certified cars. Is it possible to get an extended warranty from VW on a
pre-owned car. How do I verify if all the coil packs have been replaced on this car? Since which model year Passats started coming out of the factory with defect-free coil packs?