Volkswagen Passat 2005 and earlier

riez

When you can buy one is determined by the seller. Many 3rd party sellers will sell you one pretty much at any time. But it isn't the manufacturer's own extended warranty. Most of these are only as good or bad as the financial state of the 3rd party. They could go bankrupt at any time. Many have significant limitations and most have deductibles.

Many manufacturers limit when you can buy one from them. Sometimes it has to be within the first year or 12,000 miles (or something similar). That is one way they make big bucks on the warranty is that they have your money for 3 or 4 years before you might ever have a claim. That is why a lengthy original factory bumper-to-bumper warranty is to be desired!

ser1

I have a 2001.5 Passat w/ tan leather interior. I was looking into getting all-weather mats and I have seen favorable reviews of WeatherTech mats. Does anyone have the tan mats and how does the color blend w/ the tan leather/carpet in the car? How is the fit?

Thanks!

sr4b

At McKenna VW. I got a 2001.5 for $28,000 plus tax and license. Brand-new. That is by far, the best price in the Southern Cal area. Most other dealers were at least $800-$1,000 over that price. There are special factory incentives on the 2001.5's right now, but the 2002's have 0% financing.

vwguild

There is $1400 back to the Dealer on 2001 Passat
V6 models...and 3.9% is the lowest APR for 2002
Passats...

teo

What is the lowest APR right now for a VW Passat Wagon 1.8T GLS Automatic?

vwguild

Hello...3.9% 24 months on 2002s...

lebodde

Is there a place where one can find photos of the various alloys the current generation Passat came with and their name?

I am looking for the name of the ones that came in 00 and 01 (I think) with 5 spokes and each spoke has a slit in its middle. It's almost like the Adelaide wheel but w/only 5 wider spokes, each with that slit along its axis. They look a littlle fancier than the Adelaide. I believe they may have some parts in brushed aluminium.

Thanks for any help.

rapro

You don't quite understand what I am saying, it's not the quattro as such that makes the warranty go up but a quattro that is prone to fail. I am not overtly familiar with quattro reliability, but it seems to me that in general it's considered quite reliable (one of the more reliable systems in Audis) and so shouldn't significantly impact the warranty cost. It's other parts that fail that account for the warranty costs. In fact it's not probably even the part failure itself as it is the diagnosis of it. Audis and European makes in general are notorious for difficult diagnosis and unpredictibility. A cheap switch worth $ 2.00 may fail somewhere and it takes the dealer two hours (or two days) to diagnose it.

vwguild

You can find all of the VW Alloys at www.vw.com
Click on Passat, then go got Accessories; you
will find that in the Drop Down titled Commerce.

mlayton694

Does anyone on this board idle their 1.8t car for 30 seconds before shutting the ignition off ? The Jetta board and owners manual say this is good practice for some turbo reason, but it is kind of a pain in the [non-permissible content removed].

whichvw

.... but generally how long does it take to get to the States if you have to factory order a Passat. I would be interested to hear the experience of anyone who has ordered before and how long it took. I live in Georgia (if that makes a difference).

vwguild

Your delivery time from Emden, Germany to Brunswick, Ga. is about two weeks.

Other information that you will need to find out
is if the car has actually been built? Is this car
actually Scheduled for Production? Or is this car
still in the *Order Bank*?

Tracking a factory order is very simple with an EXACT DESCRIPTION of the specific car, and the
name and address of the ordering Dealer.

A real clue to whether or not a car has REALLY
been ORDERED for you is the Commission Number...
If you request this number and you don't get an
immediate answer or a dumbfounded look...No car
has REALLY been ordered and the Dealer is, in fact,
only hoping to snag something that might become available...

lebodde

Thanks for your reply re the wheels. The prob with the VW site is that theuy only list the currently available wheels. The wheels I am looking for are the ones that came on the glx in early 2001.

Thank you

lebodde

I wanted to do a search on this subject beofre posting the question but I can only fing a "Board Search" and not a "Subject inside a board". .. Am I missing something?

On to my question: I have found a '02 Passat in the color I want but it does not have the Monsoon system. Can anyone tell me what the big differences are? The only fact I can find is that Monsoon system has 8 speakers vs 6 on the base setup. Does that mean that the radio is the same but Monsoon has 2 additional speakers?

Thanks very much for any info.

cupholder1

a dealer has told me the model I am looking for is expected to arrive "soon". could be a day, could be a week. could be weeks. he gave me the order number of the car, so I don't think there is any bsing. Why would it be so unpredictable as to when the car will actually arrive?

vwguild

and this order # is ???

cupholder1

Sent by email. Thanks.

ser1

Leboodde,
I personally like the Monsoon system. Sure, there are better systems out there but the Monsoon system is not bad. I had a '98 Passat w/o the Monsoon and a 2001.5 w/ the Monsoon. I can tell a big difference and I noticed it when I was driving my car home after I first got it. You definitely get more mid-range sound and bass. The non-Monsoon system doesn't even have an adjustment for the mid-range where the Monsoon system does. Overall, it is a nice sounding system, and in my opinion, much better than the stock radio.

hener

You need to go further into the VW.com web site. When you get to the 2002 passat go to the bottom and continue shopping, then put in passat and wheels and wheels from previous years will come up. I believe the wheel you are looking for is called montreal and it comes in a 16 inch size and is not cheap around $375 per wheel.

bsum70

cupholder1, I ordered mine back in Oct 17 and I talked to the dealer last week and they said my car is not even built yet. So I am looking for at least 8 weeks before I can get my new ride, may be I just order one of the rare species or something (BTW mine is a Silverstone/black 5 sp GLX).

hrvat

I test drove the Passat yesterday and noticed that the brakes are much harder than other cars I tested. On the Nissan Maxima, all I had to do was barely tap the brake and the car seemed to come to a screeching halt, while the Passat seemed slower to respond on the braking as I needed to step harder on the petal.

Any opinons on this?

cupholder1

You gotta want to stop it to stop it. It isn't a sofa on wheels.

vwguild

I have an idea about your wheel dilemma...
send me an email...

hrvat

Cupholder:

If I step on the brakes any harder, my foot will go through the floor and I'll be using it to stop the car like Fred Flintstone.

I don't think the Audi's brake's are like this if you're saying it's because it's a German car.

mbnut1

Maybe you should try another Passat. I've take a couple for test drives recently and noticed nothing unusual about the braking force and I own an Audi A4.

mbnut1

Maybe you should try another Passat. Sounds like something is wrondg with the one you drove. I've take a couple of Passats for test drives recently and noticed nothing unusual about the braking force and I own an Audi A4.

subframe1

Can anyone share their gas mileage experience on the V6 with Tiptronic?

steveiowa

I get 21.5 mpg overall with most of my miles on the highway (I commute 25 miles one-way to work). I have 4Motion. FWD mileage would be better since the AWD system adds weight to the car.

cupholder1

ouch. I get about 35 MPG from pure highway (cruise control at 70) driving w. the 1.8T.

Stop and go city driving comes in at around 24-25 MPG.

steveiowa

Hey, if I wanted fuel economy, I'd have bought a Civic...LOL

crisscross

I have been told by dealers that VW builds cars according to general demand and one cannot order the leather package without the luxury package because although they are options, it does not build them this way. I am in the process of ordering a Passat and the consultant wants 2 or 3 color choices. Shouldn't I be able to at least order a GLS 1.8 manual in fresco green with gray velour, monsoon sound, cold weather package and homelink?

subframe1

I have seen numerous examples of 02 Passats with luxury package and not leather.

subframe1

leather without luxury. I guess they assume that if you want leather, you probably also want a sunroof.

cupholder1

you'll need the sunroof to air out the stench coming from those nasty animal skins you're sitting on.

vwguild

Generally speaking you are correct, however;
let it be said that it is possible to order the EXACT Passat that you want...The only thing that
you cannot do is split out an option code...
For example...If you want want a 5 Speed GLS,
Variant with Leather and no PJ6(Lux. Pkg.) that
is very easy, but if you want the SunRoof component without the Alloy Wheels...That is
impossible. The same would true with a V6 Variant
or Sedan with 4MO...you want Leather, but Lux.
That can be done, but you get the Wood Trim...like it or not, because it comes with the V6.

What is required with a Custom Order is Patience!
Your Order will be filled from where in the queue
your car is found, or it may have to be built from Scratch...75-90 days is the norm...

bobst

We have been buying Hondas for the last 15 years, but I heard that the V6 Passat is a fun car to drive, so my wife and I thought we would stop by and look at one. I guess we saw one of the fancy models, because I think it had 4wd, and the list price was about 32K.

We both thought the interior was very poorly designed, and it was totally tasteless. It was a combination of things. The stupid wood trim looked silly, the cupholders looked like they were going to bite my hand, and the heater/AC/radio/CD controls looked like they would be hard to adjust when driving the car. Also, I didn't see nice storage bins, like our Honda has, for sunglasses and other things. The longer we sat in the car, the uglier it looked. The best word to describe it was the one I used earlier - tasteless.

When we looked at the engine, we couldn't see anything because it was covered in some ridiculous plastic. Is there a point to that? I know I can't blame VW for starting that idea because a lot of other fancy cars have their engines covered, but I don't like it. More than once I have found leaks by just looking at the engine when it was running, and I sure didn't have to remove any stupid piece of plastic to see what was going on.

Bob

steveiowa

Bob, I'd advise you not to buy a Passat

vwguild

eye of the beholder...And that is what makes a
market...

Aesthetics aside, the Shields in the Engine Compartment are there to help keep things clean...
Both in fact and appearance...

cupholder1

To me, the Passat's strongest (or one of) points is its interior appearance.

bitburg

I've contributed to this board before.....but now I can speak from experience (at least a little). Six days ago I bought a top of the line Passat (i.e. 4Motion GLX V6) about four days ago. I have found this board very helpfull (thanks all!) and pretty accurate as well. I have heard alot of things on this board, but never have I heard ANYONE say that the interior was "ugly" or "tasteless". Even folks I know that say they won't buy the Passat because they are nervous about the reliablity still say that the Passat has one of the nicest interiors out there (in its class). Check all the car magazines....they also say the same thing. Now, I understand that it's a matter of taste.....but COME ON!! What are you comparing it to? I think you are exaggerating or you just happen to sit in a poorly made one. I love this car (I know I'm biased) and yes the gas millage isn't the greatest but one thing it DOESN'T have is an ugly interior. I suggest you check it out one more time, and if you still believe that I agree with Steveiowa.......don't buy one. Please don't take this as an attack.....I just have NEVER heard that even from the biggest Passat critict out there (some of them are on this board).......Ok I'm done now.

hiflyer

...I found most Honda interiors somewhat boring and the workmanship of the plastic interior components in the Passat far more interesting than the leather surfaces within TLs. Whatever.

rickpct

I don't own a Passat or a Honda (but have driven them) - own a Saab and BMW..and looking for a new car...cannot believe that the Passat interior is "tasteless", Honda interiors are BORING...their cars are...BORING...but as someone has said....beauty IS in the eye of the beholder...

wantpassat

I'm thinking about buying a Passat and would like to see it in Ink Blue. My local dealer says there aren't any in Northern CA. He also said it is a low production color. What's up with this? How much different is Ink Blue from Indigo?

cupholder1

At all of these stories where people go to a dealer and ask for a specific model... and if such model isn't on the dealer's lot, the dealer spews some bs about the desired color/model not being available anywhere "but we have this nice Mojave Beige here for a good price..."

frapzoid

I emailed a few VW dealers about prices on a Passat Wagon and only 2 were willing to give me a dollar amount. The others only wanted to deal in percentages. One dealer in San Jose tried to pressure me into buying a car with Tip with the turbo engine. He kept lowering the percentage over invoice but never told me the dollar amount. Since I would be paying in dollars instead of percentages I didn't think it was out of line for me to ask for a dollar amount. Stay away from Bob Lewis VW in San Jose! I was lucky to get an email from Sharon at Dirito Brothers VW in Walnut Creek and she had the car I wanted. V6 Wagon with stick, reflex silver,black leather,Homelink and Monsoon with in dash CD. I was told that no such car existed in Northern California by another dealer. I drove over there
and test drove the car and bought it. Sharon made the sale because of her no pressure approach. I will send more business her way. I still love my GTI but the Passat is so much smoother. I've had it 10 days and love it so far.

stevem327

Bobst: It sounds like you're a hard-core Honda fan (nothing wrong with that) who just doesn't like the interior of the Passat. If you've been driving Hondas for 15 years then you must be very sold on them (again, nothing wrong with that). I drove an Accord for five years and, compared to the Passat, the Accord interior puts me to sleep...it is so boring...so generic...so predictable...so uninspiring.

The Passat, and all VW's for that matter, are "driver's cars" and as far as aesthetics go, I'd say it's one of the best-looking cars inside and out. I'll be buying a new car sometime next summer/fall and the Passat is one of the top contenders I'm looking at. I'd be more than happy with the way it looks. My biggest concerns have to do with some of the horror stories I've been hearing (on the net and in person) about the VW dealer networks...yikes! I guess if you can find a good dealer, you're fine, but it seems like they are few and far between.

portlandpassat

How can I find out if there have been any recalls on the 99 Passat. I read on another website that the Passat was recalled due to a problem with tie rods. I can hear an odd noise coming from the front wheels/suspension area sometimes. I have a GLS 1.8T with 25K, and have owned the car since it had 4K on it. My dealer has not provided me any info.

stevem327

Go to http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/ (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) and click on "Recalls." Then click on "Recall Searches by make, model, year." Then enter the make, model, and year of your vehicle.

subframe1

I am a current Accord owner ('93) who is shopping for a new vehicle. Although I have always been pleased with the interior of my Accord, and I like the interior of the current Accord, I also like the Passat interior very much. In design concept, the Passat's interior is very different from the Accord's interior, but still very attractive IMHO.

cupholder1

Vw Guild:

If the Passat suspension is upgraded at the time of delivery by the dealer, using the "official" VW upgrade kit, does this avoid any warranty issues?