Volkswagen Passat 2005 and earlier

merckx

Like Machone,I compared the Passat to a much more expensive car,a BMW 525i.This was my first manual transmission,and I wasn't positive I would like it and keep it for a good while(I thought the BMW might be a little hard to sell if I didn't like it).The Passat is no BMW,it couldn't be at $16,000 less,but I am amazed at how much I have enjoyed it the 2 months I've had it.It really is a joy to drive.

vwguild

Your Head Unit is part of your B2B...If they cannot fix the problem, then they
should replace it...Contact the Service Manager and the Sales or General Manager,
if the Service Manager is not responsive...

I cannot imagine that anyone at this store has the time to mess with this problem,
nor do I feel that you should have to take one more minute of your time with it
either...Warranty Item...Remember, no one wants an unhappy customer!

loomandzoom

Hi,
I'm considering purchasing my first VW and wanted to know if anyone has any experience with Colonial VW or Patrick VW.

Thanks

kimmers71

I have something for you if you'll give me your e-mail re: "our rattle."

thsmith

Does anyone know what you have to do to get this finance rate? Do you get approval before seeing the dealer? Do you have to pay MSRP to get the low rates?

Any info/experience appreciated.

car_nut1

Do you find the a/c to be OK in Fl.? Here in NY it's just started getting hot and no matter how I adjust the a/c it isn't very cold. I probably like to keep the temp. lower than most; I have the Climatron unit, set it to "LO", keep it on recirc.; still could be cooler. I wonder what happens when it gets to be summer. I was freezing in the 10 year old car I just got rid of.

pkradd

car_nut. It's been quite hot the past week, well into the 90s. I have the standard air. I keep the rear sun screen deployed all the time. When driving alone I shut the right middle and right vents which gets the cold air faster to the drivers side. I keep the air on recirc. and the fan on 1st setting (low) after I start things at med. Compared to my '98 Camry it does about the same job which is passable. I will be having rear seat passengers this weekend so it will be a better test of things.

kimmers71

It just started getting warm (& humid) in WI also. I had the A/C on yesterday and thought the same thing. It wasn't that cold. Drove for 15 minutes and still wasn't that cold. When I put it on Recirculate, it got colder.

I have to take my car in anyway for the annoying creak above my head and will have them test it out. Because it just isn't right.

mtwallace

I just got a great deal on a new 2001 Passat V6, 5spd w/luxury package. Paid $722 under invoice because it was the old style and dealer had 6 of them left on the lot. They are offering an extended warranty ($895, down from $1195) that would extend the terms of the 2/24,000 warranty to 10/100,000 except it wouldn't include the scheduled maintenance. Would any of you buy it?

My previous car was a 4-cyl '88 Toyota wagon. I love not having to turn the A/C off when I'm going uphill!

gordiehowe

I test drove 3 Passats while the outside temp was over 90 degrees. None of them cooled down with the A/C on full, even with the fan on full speed (4). After each of these test drives my 1990 Accord, which had by now been sitting in the sun for about 60 minutes, was boiling. It cooled down in about 10 minutes. The A/C on my Accord feels cold when it comes out of the vent. This was never the case with the Passat. So I would say that the Passat A/C is not up to the task on hot days. It is the one thing that I did not like about the car (I even drove a white w grey interior to see if it was cooler, and it wasn't).

pkradd

It's very important that the recirculation button be on, otherwise the car never gets very cold. When I do that the temp. is comfortable. Since the current air systems may now use a different coolant than your '90 Accord, they may just not get as cold as fast.

vwguild

What you need to do is go www.equifax.com and see what your credit looks
like...Rates are from Volkswagen Credit and not tied to any *incentives* so they
are in addition getting your deal done.

Those rates 3.9%-5.9% are for *A* Tier Borrowers, ie. 700+ Fair Isaac Score,
but even *B* Tier is good starting at 4.9% for 24 months & 6.90% for 60months.

Go in get a *Fair Price* and know what your score is and you will be fine...

machone

In the Dallas area it's getting into the high 90s. My 2001.5 sits outside at work with little or no shade on a blacktop parking lot with the rear sunshade up and sunroof shade closed. It's silver stone gray with a gray interior. It always cools down within a minute, without re-circulate on, when I leave for lunch at noon or at the end of the day around 6pm. It's a GLX with the automatic system and I don't touch anything. It's set for 70 degrees and is very comfortable. The air is not as cold as the pre-holeintheozone AC units of days gone by but it works fine. My guess is that its not a design flaw but rather a fix-able problem.

mulfomi

My 2001.5 Passat is all but a week old and yesterday was my first test of its AC. I drove to Ann Arbor and back from Toledo and it was in the high 80's/low 90's and the AC kept things fine in the car. I never had it on recirculate either. Just had the windows down for a couple minutes to let some heat out, then turned on the air. I actually turned the blower down as I was getting cold. (of course I am a wus) I also keep my sunshade down all the time and dont have any problems with it popping off its holders.

Also, I do have the Mojave Beige with the gray interior and while I dont think its a great combination, I dont think it looks dumb or bad. I just didnt want the black cloth and the tan was way to yellow/bright for me. When you look at the car you really dont see the gray, and when youre inside, you dont notice what the outside color is. Anyways, its all personal choice and nobody can be wrong with the color combinations they choose. I really wanted the blue silver myself but couldnt get one equiped like I wanted.

Just got my first fill up and averaged 28+ mpg on mixed driving with the 1.8t and 5 speed. Love it.

pkradd

The video I received when I purchased my 2001.5 Passat suggests that to maximize the coolness of the Air to put it in recirculate. I find that to be true.
I assume you meant you keep your sunshade up as it helps to keep the back of the car cooler.

luigi72

We live in Houston. We have a 2001GLX with beige interior. We have one of the lighter tint shades on the windows. We leave the rear window sunshade up all the time. The car is parked outside during the work week. When the car is parked outside and it doesn't look like it is going to rain,we leave the sunroof rear end slightly up to keep some circulation in the car. While the car is parked outside we also pull the interior sunroof shade almost closed. We leave the AC on automatic at 72F all the time. That's what my owner's manual recommends. So far that's been fine even for Houston. We tried manually adjusting the AC for a while. We were spending too much time changing the fan speed, temperature setting, etc.

Sporin

Just posted by the Vortex guys...

http://forums.vwvortex.com/vwbb/Forum6/HTML/015756.html

No big changes for the '01.5 Passat except fo rthe stadard CD... about time.

mulfomi

Correct assumption. I find that it helps block out the blinding headlights as well without materially affecting my vision out the back window.

Sporin

Straight from the Vortex:

"All 2002 model Volkswagen vehicles (except maybe the Eurovan) will have this warranty:

- 12 year unlimited distance Limited Warranty Against Corrosion
- 5 year or 60,000 miles Limited Powertrain Warranty
- 4 year or 50,000 miles 24 hour roadside assistance
- 4 year or 50,000 mile Limited New Vehicle Warranty

Free maintenance has been eliminated."

It's about bloody time.

gandydale1

Wish to install non-VW dealer DC Changer in 2001.5 Passat sedan. Basic on monsoon system with mixer. Found compatible unit/adapter per Crutch field's, but was warned of "switch" VW dealer must disable for unit to work. Has anyone installed such unit?

itsy

Anybody have info. on a 96 passat re: reliability, performance etc?

I'm looking @ a GLX with 33k miles, auto, leather, power sunroof, v6. Dealer is asking $13,300. Does that sound like a decent deal?

vwguild

Two things...a '96 with only 33K Miles is very low...Just as important as price,
maybe even moreso is History...First go to www.carfax.com to find where this
car has been...

itsy

vwguild,

that's good advice, the dealer actually provided me a carfax report for the vehicle. The report came back clean, but for good measure I'll have a vw dealer inspect the vehicle.

The used dealer that has the car is called Select Transportation in Waterloo, NY. They claim to be one of the largest used vw & audi dealers in the country. Ever heard of them?

petmike

with increasing frequency, as I release the accelerator on my 2001 Passat (4-cyl), I hear a whistling sound. I've taken it twice to the VW dealer, and the first time they thought it was the brake vacuum which they removed and replaced (after waiting a week for the part from Germany!). That didn't do it. It is now in the shop and they have replaced all the vacuum hoses, etc. and still it whistles. They are still stymied what is causing this sound. Is it bad service at this dealer, or really a mysterious problem?

Any one else experience this?

crow72

To jmfreshour and others pining for a 3.0L engine in the Passat. VW is going to do better than that. Due out this fall is a 4.0L 275HP engine in an 8 cylinder Passat. It's not a V8. It's a W8 (or actually 2 V4's).

VW plans to rapidly enter the luxury car market in the next few years and the Passsat is leading the way. A $50,000 luxury car and a $150,000 entry will follow.

Near term, will people pay 40,000 for an 8 cylinder VW instead of grabbing a BMW or Audi? time will tell.

vwguild

This Passat carries a Kelley Blue Book Retail Value of $15,865 which is
generally speaking about $2500 to high; so at $13,300 you are right on the
money with this car...

I presume that the Carfax report is clear; so get out your pen and bring that bad boy home!!!

PS: As a New Car Dealer, 3000 miles from you I can say, without any qualification,
that I have never once heard about these guys, but that is OK!

Get that Tech report and go for it...Enjoy

cliffyb

Not to knock your find, but that generation of Passat was not very well received by the automobile media or the public. All of the rave remarks about what a great car the passat is are in reference to the 98' and newer versions. You would really be better off with an accord, camry, or maxima, if you are shopping that generation of cars IMHO.

vwguild

No arguement from me on that point at all...But, for me; I just answer the
questions when it comes to used.

I will say though that, all things being equal...I loved that car...and I still
love the engine...But I wouldn't drive any of the others that you mentioned anyway.

How are you doin'? How do you like your new .5?

cliffyb

Everything is great with the new passat. I have put about six thousand miles on it so far. The other day I notice a couple of dings in the back of the trunk where someone had obviously backed into it and not bothered to leave a note(of course). So I took it to a DentPro and they massaged them out for the most part. I did not want to go thru the whole body shop/paint process. Other than that and the headliner rattle I have no complaints. I get a lot of compliments on it, but also a lot of people insist it is a "chick car".

vwguild

Glad to hear that all is good..DentPro is great! I have a friend down here
that has the local franchise...

Do you think the rattle is associated with the Sunroof?

The only *ckick car* that we make is the Cabrio!!!!

spellbound

Most likely the rattle is the sliding sunroof shield that you slide forward to cover the glass. I've found that it can rattle under certain conditions (certain windows open, speeds etc). I've also found that the Passat can have some extreme buffeting with certain combinations of window and sunroof openings. Quirky but not major:)

cliffyb

Actually the rattle occurs irregardles of the sunroof or windows being open or not. Its really a "creak" more than a rattle. Kimmers 71 showed me a link where VW has changed the mfg process recently to include a new felt strip on the inside of the headliner. I can request that my local VW dealer do this as a warranty repair, but I am nervous that they will screw things up more than help. My car has the beige interior so the last thing that I need are greasy hands(no offense shop techs)making a mess of my headliner.
I'm weighing the options and trying to figure out if it bothers me enough to chance it.

chacal

This should be an interesting exercise. My wife wants a tiptronic and I want the manual 1.8T. This post is supposed to be a reality check as well as an opinion poll of sorts. I don' find the tip "oomphy" enough and contend that it kills the turbo aspect while my wife maintains driving comfort w/ tip. Any opinions are appreciated.

spellbound

Well after all is said and done you're still going to have to decide for yourselves as I'll bet a poll will be all over the place:)

However my own opinion is this. The manual transmission brings out the best in the 1.8T and makes it feel sporty. That's also the lightest combination of engines and transmissions available and so is probably the best handling version. It will be more responsive and also will provide the best milage. While the automatic makes the 1.8T feel a bit more sluggish (especially off the line) as far as auto's go I think the Tiptronic to be one of the best ones I've driven. I use the Tip function often in hilly areas or for engine braking. If you live in a high traffic area then the convenience of the auto could be important, it was for me. Personally I went with the V6 but either engine is good and you'll need to drive em all and decide for yourselves.

fuzzyping

I've read references in here to 3.9/5.9% financing on new VW's, but I can't find anything about this on VW's website. Can someone clue me in... is this deal over, am I just daft? ;-)

Oh, FWIW, I'm really interested in a 2001.5 Passat GLS 1.8 Tip, but I'm also giving serious consideration to the Volvo 240. Anyone else out there suffer this quandry? If so, what was the deciding factor(s)?

Thanks,
J.

pkradd

Go to the vw.com site, click on specials on the bottom left then navigate through to Passat APR. Even better go to a VW dealer and get the info.

fuzzyping

Thanks, don't know how I missed it.

Is anyone familiar with the details of the offer? I plan on contacting the dealer tomorrow, but I'd like to have an idea of what it entails today... trying to do my "homework".

-J.

vwguild

This program is pretty simple and straight forward....3.9%, 4.9%., 5.5%, 5.9% for
24,36,48, and 60 months for the *A* tier borrower...add a point for credit that is
" a little less than perfect" and so on...

Point of order! Always know what your current *Fair Isaac* score is...If you don't
know, then go to www.equifax.com

cls7

I just got a 2001.5 new Passat today, and I LOVE IT!!

It's the "indigo blue pearl" GLX V6 with beige leather interior. It's a beautiful car. I can't believe all the features that it has. The lights look incredible in the car at night!

mulfomi

I think you can tell a new Passat owner when they are away from their car as they have great big smile on their face. Ive had mine about 10 days and Im still smilin'. Hope it lasts a long time. I love it when someone sees it for the first time and they cant believe its a VW. A cousin said they had never seen one before. We got to talking volume, and I wondered how many Passats VW sells a year. Anyone have an idea?

ring2001

I've gotten a South Carolina dealer's prelim offer for a new passat 2001.5 v6 gls auto at invoice for cash. Is this for real?

machone

About a week ago I posted a message about the rear sunshade. It would snap back into the rear deck whenever I hit a rather sharp bump such as a pothole. Well, I figured out the problem. The two brackets on the overhead that you set the shade's rod into were loose and splayed apart. So the rod was just holding on by the skin of it's teeth. The brackets were easily adjusted. So far that's the only flaw I've found on the car in the three weeks I've had it. Now I have a a few questions about the micron air filter. As far as I can tell there is no mention of this filter in the owners operating guide. Only the maintainence schedule mentions its replacement periodically. 1. Where is it? 2. Is interior air flowing through it at all times or just when re-circulate is enabled? It seems it would clog up pretty fast if outside air flowed through it.

thsmith

Invoice sounds pretty good. Are there any fees associated with the price excluding tax/tags? Btw, what dealer is this?

I received a price of approximately $200 over invoice on a 2001.5 1.8T w/Lux/Leather/Tip (in NC). The dealer also charges a $179 title fee which I would guess is mostly profit.

Apparently 5-spd's are a bit more difficult to find and my price on a 5-spd was about $600 over invoice + the title fee.

These prices were received from the internet sales person at my local dealer without any negotiation.

cliffyb

That is the exact combo that I was looking for earlier this year. I was never able to find one on a dealer lot...with or without leather...in the two months that I looked. For some reason it always seemed to pop up in dark blue, gold, or black. I'm sure they are out there so good luck!

mmcbride1

Go to www.autosite.com

They will give you sales volume.

mtwallace

I read in an earlier post that you bought the extended warranty. Did you get the Masterguard extended warranty that vwguild recommended? Niello offered me the "Encore" warranty from SmartChoice2000. It extends the B2B for 10/100,000. I may still buy it. Originally, they asked $1195, but as I was leaving, said I could have it for $895 if I change my mind. Any opinion? Does anyone know about this warranty company? I assumed it was a VW-backed warranty since it was offered by the dealer.

ackiss

Does anyone know if adding a trailer hitch to the 4Motion is discouraged by VW? I understand that BMW does not recommend it. I'm pretty sure it's not an option VW offers. I do occasional light towing. Not enough to warrant an SUV, and it would be a nice option to have.

car_nut1

I see from a recent post of yours that you're probably in the LA area. I was recently in Los Angeles for about two weeks. Of course, spent alot of time in my rental, 300M. Great A/C. Anyhow during my driving between Irvine & LA, I never saw one Passat in the whole two weeks. A lot of Jettas and Cabrios. Also, quite a few 25
year old "bugs" that looked almost new. When you see them parked next to "new beetle" you realize how little they have in common.

cliffyb

Actually I never did buy an extended warranty. My earlier posts were in regard to the fact that the dealer(Lasher)who sold me the car would only offer a no-name warranty and not the Masterguard. I would never buy a "private label" warranty from a dealer because they are often more trouble than they are worth, and full of loop holes, conditions, and per repair deductibles. My thoughts would be that you should buy the VW Masterguard or nothing. And No...just because the dealer sells it to you does not make it a VW warranty(are you listening VW Guild?). I put 120,000 miles past my ford warranty on my explorer with no regrets. So like the Mary Chapin Carpenter song says..."I'll take my chances!"

vwguild

No, I am not in LA., but Monterey...Cliffy, I am confused by your retoric...What do you
mean or what are you implying???