To expand on mrjette's post. In the middle of the 2004 model year VW moved the side blinkers from the qtr panel to the side mirrors. The VW's this affected were labeled 2004.5 models. As far as the tires, most car manufacturers use different brand tires. My 2004.5 Passat came with Continentals, I wish i had gotten Michelins. As an aside, my Wife's Tahoe has general's and they are good tires so far.
To go one further than fish8, I've seen Passats with Michelin MXV's, Continental CH95's, and, far less frequently, Goodyear Eagle LS's. Mine came with the Michelins and I bought the Conti's to replace them.
General is part of the Continental Tire Group. I'd be very interested in hearing the following about those Generals:
What is the model name?
What is the exact tire size (in this format: 195/65-15 91H)?
1. The body is still tight as a drum. Some rattles show up...but then quickly go away. No long-term or annoying rattles or buzzes. Interior and exterior trim remains outstanding.
I live in downtown chicago so the roads are not the best...yet the body and ride is still tight.
2. Performance and gas mileage improved. I now average about 19mpg in mixed driving living in Chicago. Use tiptronic more in the winter as the winter formulation of gas is apparently higher in ethanol and thus robs the engine of some power.
3. Have not been stranded by any mechanical or electrical glitch.
4. Replaced the terrible 15 inch OEM Continentals with 17" Pirelli P-Zero Nero M&S with BBS VZ rims (the 18" version of these rims were on the sports package of the W8 Passat. Would have gone to 18", but Chicago roads are just to rough for such a harsh ride). With this upgrade, the Passat is feels and looks brand new (ride is harsher, but the trade off for control, quietness, and grip is a no-brainer). Did this at 38K. Do yourself a favor...ditch the OEM tire/rims and upgrade...the car was made for it.
5. Still a nice looking car for an older design. I have a colorado red with beige leather interior...
CONS:
1. Had the inevitable rear brakes done at 30K for a little under $400. Absolutely ridiculously short interval...they say that the germans use "soft" pads...well you know what?? There is NO benefit from them as the Passat is not a world beater in terms of braking performance. I'd take my old "hard" nissan and acura pads since you couldn't tell the difference. I think the pads go fast because the 15 inch Continentals undertire the car, and hence the braking efficiency. Even in the city, no previous car had to have their brakes done so early and I drove MUCH harder years ago than I did with the Passat (little kids in the back seat change you a bit...:-)).
2. Both headlights blew out by 12K...the drivers side twice. However, the dealer replaced them and they have not blown out since. Maybe the factory bulbs just sucked.
3. CAM SHAFT/SEALS replaced at 38K (under warranty) as I noticed the oil smoke from the passeger side of the engine. Even though I am under the 10yr/100K powertrain warranty, I did NOT feel good about this event.
4. Under-tired...but I mentioned this above.
5. Expensive dealer service with no loaner. For the prices they charge, you could at least throw a dog a bone...or in this case, a loaner golf.
IN BETWEEN:
1. Dealer service has been off and on. Great attitude but sometimes, poor work. But this is beating a dead horse...and the only reason I go to dealers is so they can't welch out of any future warranty work by saying the car was improperly maintained.
Now that I have typed this, watch that my CV joints collapse on the way home from work.
Tell me more about the Powertrain warranty and what you needed to show in order to get them to abide by it. Am facing an engine replacement right now after replacing 2 oil pumps and now being told we need to replace the engine - sludge problem despite required oil changes well below the 5k requirement. Not at all happy with VW or the dealership right now!
Hi, just wanted to add something too. BTW, I'm also in the Chicago area...
PROS:
1. Agree. The only minor thing might be the interior blower fan motor that might be intermittently a little squeaky during 15 or so minutes after the car is started.
2. I also prefer Tip - more fun. Gas mileage that I have is about the same: 19 mpg city, 21-22 mpg highway (sometimes up to 25 if I drive rural roads with no lights, steadily at about 50 mph)
3. Was never stranded either
4. At about 35K miles replaced the OEM Michelins with Yokohama V4S all season high performance ones of the same size (16 inch). Some improvement is noticeable. They are also surprisingly good in the snow as I had a lot of opportunities to find out as of late... :-/
5. Still looks great being regularly washed, waxed and generally babied when the weather permits (I just wish it were summer so that I could do it again). It is Reflex Silver with tan leather (I guess this color combo isn't available anymore, at least VW's online builder didn't allow it)
CONS:
1. Same break jobs here. Rears at 30K miles (just pads) did cost me about $260. A couple of days ago I did 45K maintenance and the fronts were at less than 10% of life left so were replaced too ($218).
2. Lamps burned out a couple of times too early in the car's life. No problems since (knocks on wood)
3. !!!!! ABSOLUTELY the same thing happened to me about a month ago at approx. 44K miles... Might be a result of cold weather. Besides, alas, as I rent my apt, I have to keep the car outside all year long. This engine problem took the service a week to fix under warranty.
5. But, my service was at least decent to the extent of covering a half of the car rental expenses (actually, 4 days out of 7).
6. The remote control performance suddenly degraded recently. I need to come as close as 3 feet to the car for the remote to work. Battery replacement didn't help. The second spare remote that I have but don't use works fine (from 20 or more feet away, with original battery).
7. The door started to lock itself back after I unlocked it with a remote, got inside and didn't start the engine right away. This necessitated a replacement of a door latch/power lock assembly at this last 45K service ($340, OUCH! My girlfriend almost killed me for that...)
Other than that / despite all that, I still LOVE the car and want to keep it until the wheels fall off... I just might be one of those crazy, unreasonable VW fans (G).
Recently, I experienced engine failure. My family and I were quite fortunate that a severe accident or fatality did not occur.I took my car to nearest Volkswagen dealership becasue the engine oil light was on. I was instructed to bring the car back the next day. I did so. I indicated that the engine oil light was on. Upon picking my car up I was told the light was off. Much to my dismay, I assumed everything had been corrected. I was told by the service manager that once the oil was changed the light was off. I have spoken withVolkswagen of America and their position is that I neglected my car, because oil changes were not done every 5000 miles. I am disappointed that Volkswagen of America is aware of the engine oil sludge problems with the 2003 1.8 T Passat's, yet refuse to correct the situation. My car only has 30, 000 miles. Safety is obviously not an issue for Volkswagen. If the following occurs Volkswagen still denies the warrranty claim.
Scenario I
VW owner on a trip, car mileage exceeds 5,000 miles while on trip. Oil change beyond 5,000 miles. Volkswagen of America's position is warranty denied if owner experiences problems with engine.
Scenario II
Owner buys used Volkswagen with 1.8T engine with less than 50,000 miles, i.e. 20,000
miles, owner has oil sludge engine related problem. Owner has oil sludge engine related
problem. Owner has oil change records since date of purchase. Owner had oil changed as
recommend, but does not have oil change records prior to purchase. Volkswagen of America's
position is warranty denied.
Scenario III
Within 50,000 mile warranty period owner had oil changed as recommended but exceeded one oil change beyond scheduled maintenance. Volkswagen of America's position, warranty denied
Scenario IV
Safety issue, engine seizure. Volkswagen is well aware of the safety issue . Volkswagen position is silence. I was personally told we are aware. My personal experience.
My '04 has the 15 inch wheels and I am also considering going with 16 or 17 inches when these factory tires wear out. How much did the new set of wheels cost you?
This one is a bit odd... I have noticed that the rear seat floor (driver's side) has what appears to be salt crystals forming (lot's of them). They are above the floor mat literally under the driver's seat. They are in a line in front of the heating duct, as if "salty air" is blowing out of one of the nozzles. There are 2 nozzles, and the salt is to the left near the door (away from the center console).
No one sits back there (the rubber floor mat is clean as a whistle). Please don't suggest it is from someone's slaty shoes. I run the heat on "50% windshield & 50% floor" most of the time. I almost always use the "fresh air option" to keep the windows from steaming up.
The car is quite salty from NH roads, but I can't understand how it is getting onto the rear floor and under the seat??? Any suggestions? I am not sure it is even salt...but it is too cold for mold or fungus growth. The car has only 4500 miles on it.
I used the tirerack (www.tirerack.com) exclusively for the purchase. 17" 225/45 Pirelli P-Zero Nero M&S were $123 each at the time. 17" BBS VZ's rims were around $250/wheel. Total bill with shipping came to $1514 (no tax charged as they don't have any IL stores). I think the price of the 17" VZ rims have gone up a bit since. Anyway, they mounted and shipped the wheels within 5 business days.
NOTE: The rest of this post is a rant involving my bad dealer service experience....skip it if you don't want to read another service "war story" :-).
Curiously, as a VW owner, you may enjoy what happened next. You think I could have just enjoyed removing the old wheels and putting on my brand new tire/rim package without a hassle. I woke up early on Saturday and thought I would change the tires in under an hour. Did this happen?? Of course not...I did my 40,000 mile service early (at 38.5K). They rotated the old tires. And the tech FORGOT to attach TWO lugnuts to my right rear driver's tire. One of them was the anti-theft nut! So if I were NOT changing the tires, I would never have known, and I would have been driving my family around on 3 lug nuts on one wheel until the next tire rotation (about 10K). To make matters worse, none of the chain tire/rim shops carried VW style lugnuts. So I had to remove one lugnut from the passenger rear rim, and drive to a dealer with 4 lugnuts on both rear rims. With the wait at the dealer, this event consumed half my Saturday.
Needless to say I was livid...I raised hell with my service guy. He promised to take care of me. But instead, I think I'll be shopping another dealer service as this is not their first screw up (even though, to be fair, they are well-meaning - just not completely competent). For the record, the other screw-up involved the tech bashing a huge dent in my driver's side door during the 20K service. They "took care" of that, but it involved another trip to the dealer and a day off work.
Good call on the fan squeak from the AC/Heater! I totally forgot about that. It squeaks for me on level 2 (I don't have climatronic). By the way, the dash light behind the AC went out at 25K. I read either on this forum or another that it is an easy fix (turn the fan dial to "2", pull out the dial with a needle nosed plier using a cloth between the vice, and replace bulb....I will get around to doing it sometime and skip the dealer charge.
As for loaners, yes, they did give me a loaner for factory work. I meant loaners for big service (like 40K). I was spoiled by Acura giving me a loaner integra or CL couple everytime service as estimated as over 2 hours.
Btw, they replaced my camshaft/seals in half a day! I don't know why it took your dealer a week. Maybe it was a parts thing.
Also, a good call on the remote. I've replaced the batteries in one of the key fobs. I thought maybe they were dying again but I also noticed how the performance degraded coincidentally with the extreme cold we had in Chicago a few weeks back. I plan to replace the batteries again as it is a cheap repair.
Oh yeah, one last thing...in cold weather, the 6 disc changer sometimes misreads random tracks. I've think this is a pretty well-known issue for other car manufacturers too.
I bought wheels, including mounting bolts, logo'd center caps and 5mm spacers (18" wheels) from www.achtuning.com (paid $1250 for the entire set, no tax.)
You may be able to have them shipped to you with tires on them, just like the tire rack. www.tires.com, too, does both FYI.
I mention these because I have done biz with all three for German cars Audi and VW.
WRT the rear pads. I've heard from good sources that it's the fault of the EBD or electronic brakeforce distribution. In order to prevent these softly sprung cars from diving under braking so much, VW dialed in more rear-bias in the brake distribution. I have two MK-IV TDIs and they both wear rears out quick. I've got 100K on my Golf and the fronts still have a bit left.
The oil that the Volkswagen dealership was using was 5W30 Castrol. The last oil change the Volkswagen dealership changed to the new synthethic oil. One month later, 1,156 miles, I experienced engine failure. I checked with the dealership today to see if if they had changed to the new synthethic oil. They seemed confused. They informed me that the synthetic oil was not required in the 2003 models. It was recommended. They also told me they were only using synthetic oil in the 2005 models.
So far, only synthetic oils meet the VW502.00 spec (see here http://www.vw.com/SP/pdf/oilchart.pdf) which is what VWOA deems acceptable for the 80K oil sludge warranty to be honoured. Don't depend on the dealer's service techs/writers to be anywhere near knowledgeable in this. Dealers use bulk oil and that's where they make their margins. If you follow VWOA's "edict", all bulk oils are unacceptable.
I am fortunate that (1) I have a very competent service dept in my dealership and (2) I change my own oil.
Dakota3 wrote: "The oil that the Volkswagen dealership was using was 5W30 Castrol. The last oil change the Volkswagen dealership changed to the new synthethic oil. One month later, 1,156 miles, I experienced engine failure. I checked with the dealership today to see if if they had changed to the new synthethic oil. They seemed confused. They informed me that the synthetic oil was not required in the 2003 models. It was recommended. They also told me they were only using synthetic oil in the 2005 models. "
I went back and re-read your earlier post. You said, "I have spoken withVolkswagen of America and their position is that I neglected my car, because oil changes were not done every 5000 miles."
Am I correct that you have had all of your oil changes done at a VW dealer, during which they used non-synthetic oil?
How many of your oil changes exceeded the 5,000 mile oil change interval? By how many miles?
It appears that VW is reassessing their position on maintenance compliance. You might want to dig into this more and see if you can get some relief from VWoA.
I have the lights in the left dash vent go out, the ones that are above and below the vent adjustment wheel. Pretty odd if LEDs are used, but if these are regular bulbs - too bad. Service said they'll need to replace the whole vent thingy but I passed - it's blocked by the steering wheel while driving anyway so no big deal if it isn't illuminated.
Btw, they replaced my camshaft/seals in half a day! I don't know why it took your dealer a week. Maybe it was a parts thing.
Yes, they had trougles with parts delivery too - these were the days of the BIG SNOW (beginning of Jan). But even without that it took almost two days of labor for them... I dunno.
Remote range didn't improve even when it got warmer recently, so I figure it's some kind of irreversible degradation. Oh well, I'll use it while it works, then will take the second one, then will order replacement.
Changer - yes, this is why I was reluctant ordering one, I couldn't believe such thing might work reliably subjected to cold. So I have only a cassette player (no even a single disk CD) and am pretty happy using a 40Gig MP3 jukebox hooked to a cassette adapter. Every time I arrive, I just unplug the player and take it with me.
...Driver's side headlight burned out today. Got about 20K out of it. Will try and replace it with aftermarket bulbs...anyone have any advice on bulb types and do-it-yourself experience?
You wrote: "I have the lights in the left dash vent go out, the ones that are above and below the vent adjustment wheel. Pretty odd if LEDs are used, but if these are regular bulbs - too bad. Service said they'll need to replace the whole vent thingy but I passed - it's blocked by the steering wheel while driving anyway so no big deal if it isn't illuminated."
The vent lights are NOT LEDs. And you can replace just the bulb - the exact procedure and part number is listed on another VW Passat forum (rules here prohibit mentioning the URL of the site). It's not that difficult to do (although there are a few tricks to it) and it's certainly much, much cheaper than replacing the entire vent. I see your e-mail is private, so I can't send you a private message concerning this.
Hi, you can use the address nikola_spraitov AT hotmail DOT com to send me the link. I'll greatly appreciate this tip.
Also, is there any online VW parts store that has these lamps? When I tried to search for parts before, I got a bunch of online 'stores' that all seem to use the same parts DB and thus have an identical (pretty limited) parts inventory (and identical prices too). Probably I might try to go to my dealership's service's parts dept and just buy the bulb from them - the part will be more expensive probably but at least I'll save on their outrageous labor charges (about $100/hr - shameless)
My experience with Minuteman (Bedford) is so so, specifically in service area. Car has enough problem and once they forget something so I had to take car back again the next day which was very difficult as I use this car for daily commute. Their lease price wasn't the best, may be because they don't deal with all banks, so I leased it from Atamian. They are okay for purchase, I don't know how good are they with service.
If you are buying for daily commute, then PLEASE consider toyota, honda, nissan, mazda, chevy, ford, hundai, kia, suzuki etc. before considering VW...
I have the same problem with the salt marks. I notice that under the mat is damp too. I have the monster mats (above the regular ones) and when it's really messy out water pools up so possibly on acceleration it comes out the back of the mat? I did not notice any dampness in the summer or fall. I do remember reading somewhere of complaints about water leaks.
I beg to differ - it can be a DIY job but you need small hands and/or a lot of patience. I replaced all my bulbs - HI & LO - thus (and have the scars to show for it!) Again there are details in the "unmentionable" Passat related resource - sorry ...
. . .there should be a knob on the outboard side of the seat (if it is not there it is on the other side, or you may have a power adjustment). This knob or power actuated adjustment -- depending on how your seat is configured -- is for the lumbar adjustment. If your knob controls the rake of the seatback, that is the wrong control and I'm sorry. There should be a lumbar adjustment that you can control, too.
If you have the power seats with the controls on the left hand side (of the driver's seat here in US cars, that is) it may be a bladder that can be inflated and moved up and down to allow you to have what would feel like something hard pressing into the small of your back.
If this is not the condition or if you do not have such controls, I guess it is POSSIBLE that you have a seat problem. The seat springs, however are not coils they are stiff wavy wires running up and down the back of the seat (that is, hard to imagine they could poke you unless they actually had broken -- which seems improbable.)
It only happens intermittedly during spirited driving(hey,it's a Passat). No matter how much in or out the lumbar is adjusted,i will get this poking sensation...
The question came up on one of these boards about an extended warranty.I can't seem to find it now to read any replies.Does anyone have any experience with one? Whats covered? How much? How long? etc.Is it worth it in the long run with a 2005 Passat GLX 4motion Wagon?
of a 2002 Passat GLX Reflex Silver/Black Leather certified used, 91,000 km.
I have researched this car for years,drove many others, have many customers who have high end vehicles (ie. G35, Bimmer 3 series/5/7 series, Mercedes) but to be honest, the Passat provides the best mix of luxury/handling/performance at a reasonable price point.
FYI, I am a frugal banker for a living, hence the certified used purchase. Strong believer in absorbing someone else's depreciation in the first several years.
I look for an MP3 player able to use the steeringwheel controls on my passat 1.8T, model 2001. I found that only Alpines are able to accomodate the steeringwheel controls. Do you know any other brand?
It has been six looooooong months of dealing with Volkwagen. I just want to thank you for all of your help! We finally came to a resolution. I hope Volkswagen does much better with the 2005 engines!
Just to add to the discussion, I was able to replace all four of the bulbs on the dashboard vents, and it wasn't extremely difficult. A long time ago I printed the directions from that "other" VW site. Unfortunately, it appears the site has moved or is gone altogether as I cannot locate it any longer.
I would be happy to scan in and e-mail the directions I printed. Note that when I printed them, I didn't get all of the text on the right because of printer settings.... something I didn't realize until I tried to use the directions just recently. But you might be able to get the gist of how to do it.
It took me awhile on the first one, but after I figured out how to get the bulb free, it was easy. I did the other three in about 20 minutes.
I took one of the broken bulbs to my VW dealer, and they ordered replacements. Took about three days to get the bulbs, and I believe they were $4.50 each. Although I only had 3 out, I replaced all four, since the only one that was working was on one half of the center vent. Figured it'd be easier to replace both of those at the same time.
Considering any service at the VW dealer in Marietta GA seems to take AT LEAST a day, I find doing these things myself to be much easier. With a better dealer/service department, things might be different.
i'm looking at a used 00 Passat V6 4 Motion, with mileage exactly 100k. i'm not quite sure whether there's going to be big faults with this car in the following days. people around me have so diversified opinions about passat that i could't reach a conclusion. the car looks good, org owner and is said to be well serviced. the price is $7000, i think this is the most attractive part. say something about this deal please!
That would be a VERY risky purchase. The bad part (other than the miles), is you probably couldn't get an extended warranty on such a high mileage car.
I am looking at a 2000 Passat GLX 4Motion Sedan with 52,000 miles. Records available show that it is clean and had 1 owner. The dealer has available a 3rd party extended warranty 36months/36K miles that seems to cover what could be a catastrophic repair cost. Do you think it will be OK, and what else should I be asking about? I have until Sat to make a decision.
A close friend is a GM at a VW dealer -- he tells me "the profit used to be in used cars, now new cars and used cars have to be priced so close to each other, it just doesn't make any sense to buy a used car -- the risks are so great."
His advice is to buy only a CPO'd car that is way way way below book, else the lease on a new one beats the buy on a used one anytime.
You wrote: "Just to add to the discussion, I was able to replace all four of the bulbs on the dashboard vents, and it wasn't extremely difficult. A long time ago I printed the directions from that "other" VW site."
The "other" site changed names and URLs, but is still around. Unfortunately, the photos in the instructions have disappeared over time.
I agree with Mark's post. I, personally, would never buy a used car, but thats just me.
Have you gotten an independent mechanic to look at the car? The miles aren't outrageous, but the car is almost 5 years old. I would also be a little nervous about a 3rd party extended warranty. Who's the company? Again, I agree with mark, I would look for a CPO (certified Pre-Owned) which comes with an extended factory warranty. What price do they want for the '00 Passat?
I’d research the extended warranty company. I can not recall the name, but there was a company that offered extended warranties that went “belly up”.
I’d make sure that all the recall and TSB’s have been performed on the car.
I believe, not sure, that there is major service required around 60K. I believe Edmunds has tools available that can calculate costs and items required at specific miles (there are others on the web as well). If you know you will have a few thousand of “required” maintenance, that may affect your decision as well.
I usually tell friends not to buy cars more than 3-4 years old (regardless of miles). A two year old auto CPO’d gives more peace of mind (exceptions to every rule).
52K miles for a 2000 is not that bad. I’d personally look for a post 2001.5 with low miles (even if it has less equipment than the GLX).
You also need to project your residual value. If you keep the car for only 3-5 years you’ll be left with an 8-10 year old car. Add your monthly payments for this car and subtract your projected residual. Add you maintenance (there will be some) as well as repairs (in all probability there will be some).
Have you looked at leasing a new car? What comes to mind is the excellent lease rates for a 2005 A4. You’d have your FULL warranty as well as maintenance free service. Plus the benefit of Audi service (generally well received), free loaners etc. You may find that driving a new, fully warranted and serviced car, is cheaper than buy a used one that may potentially have repair issues.
Thanks to all who responded to my concerns about buying the Passat Sedan GLX with 52K miles. The 3rd Party Extended Warranty is Xtra Care, First Automotive Service Corp. I will check them out further. The dealer who has the car is a non-VW dealer so he cannot do a CPO. The price of the car is $12,800 and the extended warranty $1195 bringing the total to $13,995. I live in MA with lots of snow and the 4Motion I hope will make the car safe to drive. Considering all the complaints about VW Service and the problems/repair issues with the Passat should I go ahead with the purchase. MA has a decent Lemon Aide law that I have been reading up on. Thanks to all for your advice and help.
Not sure as to whether you should purchase the car or not, but the car would not be covered under any state lemon law. It has too many miles and too many years.
My $19,342.57 cents - If you need 4WD (or AWD) that is not a SUV then consider Subaru. By the way, VW AWD doesn't handle nearly as well as 1999 Lexus RX300 AWD that we had earlier. So, FYI, my 2002 VW PASSAT GLX 4Motion is available for $19,342.57 (this is the lease purchase price. Car was leased in Dec 2002, is MA based and driven 35.3k miles so far).
Have you priced out, for, say 36 - 39 months a brand new (or demo, or leftover, but new) Passat w/4Motion on a lease.
If, the lease price was, for example, a number that began with a $2, $3 or $4__.__, wouldn't that be both less risky financially and more fun than "buying" (I assume 100% cash) a car that old with 52,000 miles on it.
I called my friend at the VW store and he says he -- using his own money, knowing what he knows -- would not go for this car in this economy/market/milieu when you could do so much better with a new one.
Conversly if you could get this car for another, say 15% reduction -- then you're on the bubble.
@ full MSRP you can buy a brand new one, financed for 48 months for a number beginning with a $5 with zero out of pocket. I hear that no one pays MSRP, too.
Comments
General is part of the Continental Tire Group. I'd be very interested in hearing the following about those Generals:
What is the model name?
What is the exact tire size (in this format: 195/65-15 91H)?
Thanks!
PROS:
1. The body is still tight as a drum. Some rattles show up...but then quickly go away. No long-term or annoying rattles or buzzes. Interior and exterior trim remains outstanding.
I live in downtown chicago so the roads are not the best...yet the body and ride is still tight.
2. Performance and gas mileage improved. I now average about 19mpg in mixed driving living in Chicago. Use tiptronic more in the winter as the winter formulation of gas is apparently higher in ethanol and thus robs the engine of some power.
3. Have not been stranded by any mechanical or electrical glitch.
4. Replaced the terrible 15 inch OEM Continentals with 17" Pirelli P-Zero Nero M&S with BBS VZ rims (the 18" version of these rims were on the sports package of the W8 Passat. Would have gone to 18", but Chicago roads are just to rough for such a harsh ride). With this upgrade, the Passat is feels and looks brand new (ride is harsher, but the trade off for control, quietness, and grip is a no-brainer). Did this at 38K. Do yourself a favor...ditch the OEM tire/rims and upgrade...the car was made for it.
5. Still a nice looking car for an older design. I have a colorado red with beige leather interior...
CONS:
1. Had the inevitable rear brakes done at 30K for a little under $400. Absolutely ridiculously short interval...they say that the germans use "soft" pads...well you know what?? There is NO benefit from them as the Passat is not a world beater in terms of braking performance. I'd take my old "hard" nissan and acura pads since you couldn't tell the difference. I think the pads go fast because the 15 inch Continentals undertire the car, and hence the braking efficiency. Even in the city, no previous car had to have their brakes done so early and I drove MUCH harder years ago than I did with the Passat (little kids in the back seat change you a bit...:-)).
2. Both headlights blew out by 12K...the drivers side twice. However, the dealer replaced them and they have not blown out since. Maybe the factory bulbs just sucked.
3. CAM SHAFT/SEALS replaced at 38K (under warranty) as I noticed the oil smoke from the passeger side of the engine. Even though I am under the 10yr/100K powertrain warranty, I did NOT feel good about this event.
4. Under-tired...but I mentioned this above.
5. Expensive dealer service with no loaner. For the prices they charge, you could at least throw a dog a bone...or in this case, a loaner golf.
IN BETWEEN:
1. Dealer service has been off and on. Great attitude but sometimes, poor work. But this is beating a dead horse...and the only reason I go to dealers is so they can't welch out of any future warranty work by saying the car was improperly maintained.
Now that I have typed this, watch that my CV joints collapse on the way home from work.
PROS:
1. Agree. The only minor thing might be the interior blower fan motor that might be intermittently a little squeaky during 15 or so minutes after the car is started.
2. I also prefer Tip - more fun. Gas mileage that I have is about the same: 19 mpg city, 21-22 mpg highway (sometimes up to 25 if I drive rural roads with no lights, steadily at about 50 mph)
3. Was never stranded either
4. At about 35K miles replaced the OEM Michelins with Yokohama V4S all season high performance ones of the same size (16 inch). Some improvement is noticeable. They are also surprisingly good in the snow as I had a lot of opportunities to find out as of late... :-/
5. Still looks great being regularly washed, waxed and generally babied when the weather permits (I just wish it were summer so that I could do it again). It is Reflex Silver with tan leather (I guess this color combo isn't available anymore, at least VW's online builder didn't allow it)
CONS:
1. Same break jobs here. Rears at 30K miles (just pads) did cost me about $260. A couple of days ago I did 45K maintenance and the fronts were at less than 10% of life left so were replaced too ($218).
2. Lamps burned out a couple of times too early in the car's life. No problems since (knocks on wood)
3. !!!!! ABSOLUTELY the same thing happened to me about a month ago at approx. 44K miles... Might be a result of cold weather. Besides, alas, as I rent my apt, I have to keep the car outside all year long.
5. But, my service was at least decent to the extent of covering a half of the car rental expenses (actually, 4 days out of 7).
6. The remote control performance suddenly degraded recently. I need to come as close as 3 feet to the car for the remote to work. Battery replacement didn't help. The second spare remote that I have but don't use works fine (from 20 or more feet away, with original battery).
7. The door started to lock itself back after I unlocked it with a remote, got inside and didn't start the engine right away. This necessitated a replacement of a door latch/power lock assembly at this last 45K service ($340, OUCH! My girlfriend almost killed me for that...)
Other than that / despite all that, I still LOVE the car and want to keep it until the wheels fall off... I just might be one of those crazy, unreasonable VW fans (G).
Scenario I
VW owner on a trip, car mileage exceeds 5,000 miles while on trip. Oil change beyond 5,000 miles. Volkswagen of America's position is warranty denied if owner experiences problems with engine.
Scenario II
Owner buys used Volkswagen with 1.8T engine with less than 50,000 miles, i.e. 20,000
miles, owner has oil sludge engine related problem. Owner has oil sludge engine related
problem. Owner has oil change records since date of purchase. Owner had oil changed as
recommend, but does not have oil change records prior to purchase. Volkswagen of America's
position is warranty denied.
Scenario III
Within 50,000 mile warranty period owner had oil changed as recommended but exceeded one oil change beyond scheduled maintenance. Volkswagen of America's position, warranty denied
Scenario IV
Safety issue, engine seizure. Volkswagen is well aware of the safety issue . Volkswagen position is silence. I was personally told we are aware. My personal experience.
Krzys
No one sits back there (the rubber floor mat is clean as a whistle). Please don't suggest it is from someone's slaty shoes. I run the heat on "50% windshield & 50% floor" most of the time. I almost always use the "fresh air option" to keep the windows from steaming up.
The car is quite salty from NH roads, but I can't understand how it is getting onto the rear floor and under the seat??? Any suggestions? I am not sure it is even salt...but it is too cold for mold or fungus growth. The car has only 4500 miles on it.
NOTE: The rest of this post is a rant involving my bad dealer service experience....skip it if you don't want to read another service "war story" :-).
Curiously, as a VW owner, you may enjoy what happened next. You think I could have just enjoyed removing the old wheels and putting on my brand new tire/rim package without a hassle. I woke up early on Saturday and thought I would change the tires in under an hour. Did this happen?? Of course not...I did my 40,000 mile service early (at 38.5K). They rotated the old tires. And the tech FORGOT to attach TWO lugnuts to my right rear driver's tire. One of them was the anti-theft nut! So if I were NOT changing the tires, I would never have known, and I would have been driving my family around on 3 lug nuts on one wheel until the next tire rotation (about 10K). To make matters worse, none of the chain tire/rim shops carried VW style lugnuts. So I had to remove one lugnut from the passenger rear rim, and drive to a dealer with 4 lugnuts on both rear rims. With the wait at the dealer, this event consumed half my Saturday.
Needless to say I was livid...I raised hell with my service guy. He promised to take care of me. But instead, I think I'll be shopping another dealer service as this is not their first screw up (even though, to be fair, they are well-meaning - just not completely competent). For the record, the other screw-up involved the tech bashing a huge dent in my driver's side door during the 20K service. They "took care" of that, but it involved another trip to the dealer and a day off work.
Good call on the fan squeak from the AC/Heater! I totally forgot about that. It squeaks for me on level 2 (I don't have climatronic). By the way, the dash light behind the AC went out at 25K. I read either on this forum or another that it is an easy fix (turn the fan dial to "2", pull out the dial with a needle nosed plier using a cloth between the vice, and replace bulb....I will get around to doing it sometime and skip the dealer charge.
As for loaners, yes, they did give me a loaner for factory work. I meant loaners for big service (like 40K). I was spoiled by Acura giving me a loaner integra or CL couple everytime service as estimated as over 2 hours.
Btw, they replaced my camshaft/seals in half a day! I don't know why it took your dealer a week. Maybe it was a parts thing.
Also, a good call on the remote. I've replaced the batteries in one of the key fobs. I thought maybe they were dying again but I also noticed how the performance degraded coincidentally with the extreme cold we had in Chicago a few weeks back. I plan to replace the batteries again as it is a cheap repair.
Oh yeah, one last thing...in cold weather, the 6 disc changer sometimes misreads random tracks. I've think this is a pretty well-known issue for other car manufacturers too.
You may be able to have them shipped to you with tires on them, just like the tire rack. www.tires.com, too, does both FYI.
I mention these because I have done biz with all three for German cars Audi and VW.
I am fortunate that (1) I have a very competent service dept in my dealership and (2) I change my own oil.
I went back and re-read your earlier post. You said, "I have spoken withVolkswagen of America and their position is that I neglected my car, because oil changes were not done every 5000 miles."
Am I correct that you have had all of your oil changes done at a VW dealer, during which they used non-synthetic oil?
How many of your oil changes exceeded the 5,000 mile oil change interval? By how many miles?
You might find this article of interest:
http://www.autoweek.com/news.cms?newsId=101755
It appears that VW is reassessing their position on maintenance compliance. You might want to dig into this more and see if you can get some relief from VWoA.
Btw, they replaced my camshaft/seals in half a day! I don't know why it took your dealer a week. Maybe it was a parts thing.
Yes, they had trougles with parts delivery too - these were the days of the BIG SNOW (beginning of Jan). But even without that it took almost two days of labor for them... I dunno.
Remote range didn't improve even when it got warmer recently, so I figure it's some kind of irreversible degradation. Oh well, I'll use it while it works, then will take the second one, then will order replacement.
Changer - yes, this is why I was reluctant ordering one, I couldn't believe such thing might work reliably subjected to cold. So I have only a cassette player (no even a single disk CD) and am pretty happy using a 40Gig MP3 jukebox hooked to a cassette adapter. Every time I arrive, I just unplug the player and take it with me.
The vent lights are NOT LEDs. And you can replace just the bulb - the exact procedure and part number is listed on another VW Passat forum (rules here prohibit mentioning the URL of the site). It's not that difficult to do (although there are a few tricks to it) and it's certainly much, much cheaper than replacing the entire vent. I see your e-mail is private, so I can't send you a private message concerning this.
Part number is 3B0-919-243A.
Also, is there any online VW parts store that has these lamps? When I tried to search for parts before, I got a bunch of online 'stores' that all seem to use the same parts DB and thus have an identical (pretty limited) parts inventory (and identical prices too). Probably I might try to go to my dealership's service's parts dept and just buy the bulb from them - the part will be more expensive probably but at least I'll save on their outrageous labor charges (about $100/hr - shameless)
Thanks again!
You could try:
http://www.parts4vws.com/
If you don't see the parts on their website, drop them an e-mail with a price request.
If you are buying for daily commute, then PLEASE consider toyota, honda, nissan, mazda, chevy, ford, hundai, kia, suzuki etc. before considering VW...
Beware.
If you have the power seats with the controls on the left hand side (of the driver's seat here in US cars, that is) it may be a bladder that can be inflated and moved up and down to allow you to have what would feel like something hard pressing into the small of your back.
If this is not the condition or if you do not have such controls, I guess it is POSSIBLE that you have a seat problem. The seat springs, however are not coils they are stiff wavy wires running up and down the back of the seat (that is, hard to imagine they could poke you unless they actually had broken -- which seems improbable.)
I have researched this car for years,drove many others, have many customers who have high end vehicles (ie. G35, Bimmer 3 series/5/7 series, Mercedes) but to be honest, the Passat provides the best mix of luxury/handling/performance at a reasonable price point.
FYI, I am a frugal banker for a living, hence the certified used purchase. Strong believer in absorbing someone else's depreciation in the first several years.
I look for an MP3 player able to use the steeringwheel controls on my passat 1.8T, model 2001. I found that only Alpines are able to accomodate the steeringwheel controls. Do you know any other brand?
Thank you,
Stefanita Vilcu
I would be happy to scan in and e-mail the directions I printed. Note that when I printed them, I didn't get all of the text on the right because of printer settings.... something I didn't realize until I tried to use the directions just recently. But you might be able to get the gist of how to do it.
It took me awhile on the first one, but after I figured out how to get the bulb free, it was easy. I did the other three in about 20 minutes.
I took one of the broken bulbs to my VW dealer, and they ordered replacements. Took about three days to get the bulbs, and I believe they were $4.50 each. Although I only had 3 out, I replaced all four, since the only one that was working was on one half of the center vent. Figured it'd be easier to replace both of those at the same time.
Considering any service at the VW dealer in Marietta GA seems to take AT LEAST a day, I find doing these things myself to be much easier. With a better dealer/service department, things might be different.
Thanks!
the car looks good, org owner and is said to be well serviced. the price is $7000, i think this is the most attractive part.
say something about this deal please!
His advice is to buy only a CPO'd car that is way way way below book, else the lease on a new one beats the buy on a used one anytime.
The "other" site changed names and URLs, but is still around. Unfortunately, the photos in the instructions have disappeared over time.
Have you gotten an independent mechanic to look at the car? The miles aren't outrageous, but the car is almost 5 years old. I would also be a little nervous about a 3rd party extended warranty. Who's the company? Again, I agree with mark, I would look for a CPO (certified Pre-Owned) which comes with an extended factory warranty. What price do they want for the '00 Passat?
I’d research the extended warranty company. I can not recall the name, but there was a company that offered extended warranties that went “belly up”.
I’d make sure that all the recall and TSB’s have been performed on the car.
I believe, not sure, that there is major service required around 60K. I believe Edmunds has tools available that can calculate costs and items required at specific miles (there are others on the web as well). If you know you will have a few thousand of “required” maintenance, that may affect your decision as well.
I usually tell friends not to buy cars more than 3-4 years old (regardless of miles). A two year old auto CPO’d gives more peace of mind (exceptions to every rule).
52K miles for a 2000 is not that bad. I’d personally look for a post 2001.5 with low miles (even if it has less equipment than the GLX).
You also need to project your residual value. If you keep the car for only 3-5 years you’ll be left with an 8-10 year old car. Add your monthly payments for this car and subtract your projected residual. Add you maintenance (there will be some) as well as repairs (in all probability there will be some).
Have you looked at leasing a new car? What comes to mind is the excellent lease rates for a 2005 A4. You’d have your FULL warranty as well as maintenance free service. Plus the benefit of Audi service (generally well received), free loaners etc. You may find that driving a new, fully warranted and serviced car, is cheaper than buy a used one that may potentially have repair issues.
If, the lease price was, for example, a number that began with a $2, $3 or $4__.__, wouldn't that be both less risky financially and more fun than "buying" (I assume 100% cash) a car that old with 52,000 miles on it.
I called my friend at the VW store and he says he -- using his own money, knowing what he knows -- would not go for this car in this economy/market/milieu when you could do so much better with a new one.
Conversly if you could get this car for another, say 15% reduction -- then you're on the bubble.
@ full MSRP you can buy a brand new one, financed for 48 months for a number beginning with a $5 with zero out of pocket. I hear that no one pays MSRP, too.