Volkswagen Passat 2005 and earlier

vocus

I work with several people who have 2000-01 Jettas, and I have an 02. I know one person with a 2000 who used 4 quarts of oil in 5000 miles. I know someone else who had a 99.5 Golf with not one problem since 2002 when he replaced it.

I have had several rattle problems with my car, but no one else at work has experienced any trouble from their Jettas.

Goes to show how variable the same model can be.

gatorsnap

I am not sure what all he has done to his 1.8 T, and I really am not sure he has hit 9000. The Tach on my GLX only goes to 7500. (He may have just buried the needle and claimed 9000.) I do know that he has spend some dough at the stratmospere website on chip, catback, and turbovalve, and he made the comment that he just about has the wife talked into the bigger brakes.
Like I said though, the way he abuses the thing is a trip.

By the way to mattfrichi - both back seats fold down in GLX without fourmotion (like mine), The dealer told me some of the all wheel drive components get in the way of the fold down seats.

boczek1

Hi:
New to this board, but have been reading for several months. Got a question about what appear to be dealer discounts on "less desirable" colors on 2003 models, such as Fresco Green. Has anyone approached dealers about this. I've seen some GLs WITH Monsoon package being offered at less than other GLs WITHOUT this option, but in "sexier" colors like Colorado Red or Blue Anthracite.

whough

Bought a GLX wagon today from a dealer who also sells Audis. So I first drove the A4 1.8T wagon. Not a great drive, it was fine starting out, but very slow when trying to quickly accelerate. And the interior felt cramped. Then we drove the A6 3.0. WOW. What a car. Loved it. But the price was over $40K. So I drove the GLX. The drive was identical in feel to the Audi A6 and the size of the interior is the same. The difference I noted is that the quality of the appointments in the Passat was not quite as fine as the Audi. But the ride and handling was identical. So I bought the GLX at $500 over invoice - less than $30K.

vocus

Congrats on your new purchase.

trlyka

I will be in the market for tires soon. The current Michelin tires are fine and they ride nice, but I don't want "nice", I want performance. I know this car is capable of more performance then these tires may allow.

Any recommendations as to a good handling tire that won't break the bank? Does anyone have high performance tires for their Passat that they like and would recommend?

I went to tire rack and put in my criteria and they came up with the Dunlop SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical. Only $68 a piece. Not a bad price.

Thanks

vocus

My 2001 Protege had those Dunlops on it. I thought the car handled wet and dry roads well, for the 20K that I had it.

I have Michelin Pilot Sports on my 2002 Jetta 1.8T now, and they are nice tires. But they are also pretty expensive, something like $150 each. Check out comparisons, consumer views, etc. on Tirerack for more info.

There might also be something here about tires, but you would have to search for it.

georgek44

I replaced the badly worn stock Continental 195/65R15s with Bridgestone RE-930 Potenzas 215/60R15s at 40,000 miles. They were about $80 each at Costco, including lifetime balance and handling.

They are quieter than the Contis, provide much better handling, grip and tracking and, after 30,000 miles, still have a lot of tread remaining.

The only area in which they are not as good as the original tires is traction in snow and ice conditions.

eyedocgirl

I have been mulling over the decision to buy the W8 verses the V6 Passat. Yesterday, I went ahead and test drove the W8 fell in love with the handling and loved the great torque off a stop. Made a great trade on my 2001 Passat (who I will miss) and brought the car home last night. Question- Any word on reliability with this engine? I have also heard on VWvortex that this engine will be d/c'd in a couple of years.

rayainsw

Congrats!
Reliability of the W8 motor - long term, too soon to tell. . .
6,500+ miles on my W8 - no engine problems so far.
Good luck!
Cheers.
- Ray
Who enjoys the W8's engine sound - but wants a bit more . . .

outrun

I've heard the same thing (about the W8 being discontinued). It's a shame. VW spent a lot of time, effort, and money developing this engine, and it's only going to see a short 2-3 year life span.

I just hope they continue to have parts 5 and 10 years down the road to fix them when they break (all engine eventually break).

I would love to see the V10 diesel in a Passat.

-Craig

jpnwdc

A VW dealer in Northern Virginia was nice enough to let me take a GLX (auto) home overnight so I could really get a feel for the car. It drives very nicely, plenty of pickup (especially on the highway where it flies), and nice features. The seats are questionable, however I got used to them.

My biggest concern is the gas mileage. When I got the car it didn't have much fuel in it. The fuel light came on and I put about $5 worth in (approx 3 gallons). I estimate I then drove around 30 miles and the fuel light came on again. So I got around 10 mpg?! The computer on the dash read anywhere from 10mpg up to 20mpg.

Is the V6 engine in the Passat really that inefficient? Much of my driving was on highway or suburban streets. I would expect the mileage to somewhat less than the EPA rating for city (19 mpg), especially until the engine has more miles. But 10mpg?

ihvapst

I have a 2001 GLX 5spd (don't care much for the tiptronic tranny - It's a pig!) I feel I've been blessed after reading all the posts regarding Passats. However, after complaining for almost a year about a left front tire vibration and pull, I've found out that the bearings are bad and need to be replaced. Since we are now out of the 2yr/24K window, the dealer is nice enough to pick up the cost of the parts and is "only" charging for labor. Have had NO other troubles with the car, it's been great!

mark2712

Our 2002 Passat just turned over 4000 miles and the computer went out. The car will not start and had to have it towed in. The dealer took 2 weeks even to look at the car. Has any one had computer problems?

mliong

Did you connect a cell phone charger to the power outlet?

I read somewhere that caused some computer
problems.

Did the dealer or VOA give you a rental?

pkradd

I have to say that my 2001.5 Passat tip has had no problems so far after 12000 miles ( a year and 3 months). I live in Florida where the weather is mostly the same all year round so that may be a factor. No electrical malfunctions, rattles or other problems so far. I still enjoy driving the car as much as when I first got it. After a '95 and '98 Camry (both reasonably reliable but not without some problems) this car has bettered my expectations. One other thing, my Passat was built at "Mosel". Are there other factories where they are built?\

vwguild

Emden, Germany

pkradd

Thanks. Any difference in the amount of problems between the two locations? I seem to remember someone saying the Passats made at Mosel had fewer.

marsha7

after an extended absence (due to my interest in the W8 Passat), I read from eyedocgirl that this new amazing invention will have a run life of 2-3 years and then discontinued...why would they even consider such an option, if the engine is good???...who is running the company, GM management rejects???

whterbt

I've had my 4Motion GLX since the end of June, and I absolutely love it. The first couple of tanks of gas, though, had pretty low mileage (13-17 MPG). It had 260 miles on it when I picked it up, so I'd imagine it had even worse mileage before. But the mileage quickly improved to 20-25, and if I take it on an extended trip, I get closer to 30 MPG. And this is with 4Motion, which is supposed to extract a 1 MPG penalty.

pkradd

I am always somewhat amused when posters say that MPG is poor with only a few hundred miles on the car. My mileage got better after 5000 miles! Patience will be rewarded (unless one drives lead-footed and keeps their other foot on the brake). Anyway we all know that MPG listings just aren't real world, don't we?

markcincinnati

. . .has a silver W8 with 234 x 40 x 18 wheels (VW center cap) and tires (Michelen Pilot Sport A/S). The car has the black interior and it looks "hot" -- so much nicer than its "unmodified" brothers and sisters on the lot.

This must be a dealer mod -- but whatever it is it really makes the Passat W8 distinctive. My guess is, at not much $$$ either.

And, yes the magazines are claiming the W8 will not make it to the next gen Passat which will go to an east west engine layout and increase the size to 3.2L (V6). This is no way is a statment that the W8 or the purchase of one is not a good thing. The enine will be dropped simply because it won't fit in sideways.

That makes the upcomeing Sport W8 -- with stick shift, etc, all the MORE attractive and all the MORE a bargain.

mnardini

Just got my first Passat, a 2000 GLS 1.8T. Needless to say, I love it.

Browsing through the maintenance manual, it calls for a service every 10,000 miles or once a year, "whichever comes first". Ionly drive 7-8K miles/year, so realistically should I be waiting until I hit the mileage or religiously get the service on an annual basis. I bought an extended warranty and one of the conditions is "follow maintenance schedule", so I want to make sure I don't screw it up.

Also, I've read some of the issues re. the oil change capacity. Do you guys trust the Jiffy Lube-types of the world to do changes on your Passats ?

Finally, oil changes every 5K ? That's even longer than on my Mazda V6 non-turbo, would you recommend changing more frequently ?

Thanks in advance for your help.

rayainsw

Mark –

So – did you arrange for a test drive in this W8?

- Ray
Who wonders what your reaction might be after finally driving a W8?

gary415

Just bought 2002 GLS. So far, so good. Questions: 1) Owner's manual describes how to set turn-on volume on radio. I have tried about 10 times and does not change the turn-on volume. Anybody have any suggestions? 2)The owner's manual recommends 5-40 weight oil. I called the dealer to see what they use and they said 5-30 and must be an old manual. Any recommendations you're aware of? Also, historically I was always told to have first oil change at 1000 miles. Called dealer on this and they said absolutely not, in fact, it's a bad idea. Why?

outrun

1. Turn-on volume. Doesn't exist (at least in double-DIN Monsoon applications). That feature was supposed to be in the firmware but didn't make it for some reason.

2. 5w-40 oil to recommended by VW. The 2002 manuals say 5w-30 can be used only if 5w-40 isn't available (basically, use it as a last resort). The 2003 manuals states that 5w-30 can ONLY be used to top off, and 5w-40 must be used. Unfortunately, I don't think a 5w-40 dino oil exists (only in synthetics). Dealers charge a lot for synth oil changes, and most use 5w-30 dino.

3. First oil change should be at 5,000 miles. The oil cocktail that it put into the engine from the factory lacks friction reducers. This helps the engine "break-in", the seals will seal, the piston/ring will get acquainted with each other, etc. Basically it's to prevent oil leaks in the future. The idea of changing the oil at 1,000 miles to get rid of "metal shavings" is long gone. Modern engine manufacturing doesn't leave any shavings in the engine. In this case, the dealer is correct.

Hope this helps...

-Craig

5speeder

Craig--A couple weeks ago we had a discussion of 5W-40 (which my '02 manual says to use) and 5W-30 (which my VW dealer put in in my first oil change.) Yoy may recall the lame explanation I got from the service department: "5W-40's just for diesels". Never mind the fact that you can't buy an '02 Passat with a deisel.

Anyway, I called VW customer service a few days ago to see what they would say. I asked the rep my question, and after putting me on hold a few minutes to "find out", the rep informed me that the dealer was correct in using 5W-30 because I live in Minnesota, and I need a lower vis for the cold temps we get (never mind it's still summer and it was 90 degrees yesterday) Hmmmmm.....

(He also told me not to switch to synthetic next change)

bjbird2

I'm going to switch to 5W-40 synthetic from dino with my next oil change. I've used synthetic in all my cars, and even though it's more expesive, it's still cheap insurance. My quick lube place will let me bring it in myself, and just charge me for the change and filter. I buy Mobile 1 at Sam's Club, 6 quarts for $24.
By the way, Porsches now come from the factory with Mobile 1.

hoodornament

I brought my Passat in for 15k service this AM, and I couldnt believe the racket going on in VW dealer. The schedule maintenance list says at 15k all that needs to be done is oil change, filter, and top off fluids. Nonetheless, the VW dealer still wanted to charge me $55 to rotate the tires as part of my maintenance. He stated that since they rotated them at 5k and 10k that I should do it at 15k. To make matters worse, I gave them a coupon straight off the VW website for a $23 oil change which he really didnt like. Has anyone heard of HAVING to rotate the tires every 5k if you did it the previous 2 visits to the dealer, or does this smell like a racket ?
Thanks

dudleyr

Nothing wrong with rotating the tires, although 10k miles may be often enough. $55 to do it is way too much though. Where I live you can get it done for less than $10. For $55 you can get lifetime balance (with free lifetime rotation) and still put $15 in your pocket.

jpnwdc

I am in the process of selecting a new vehicle to replace my Saab 9-3SE. I like the Passat, but want to get an idea of maintenance costs. My research (Edmunds, Intellichoice) tells me the Passat GLX (V6) may be expensive to maintain. Could someone provide a simple list of the major service intervals (e.g. 15K, 30K) and their approximate costs? By major I mean anything more than a simple oil change.

Thanks.

bjbird2

Have you driven the 1.8 4 cylinder turbo Passat? The maintainance, insurance and operating costs would be less, and the performance is very close. In fact the turbo is a kick to drive, and you can get 30 mpg or better on the road.
You can also get it fully featured, and I believe the only thing you can't get is the woodgrained dash, power seats(still manually adjustable in all directions, including lumbar) and 4 motion. The 6 cylinder is quieter on the road, but I love the sound of the turbo.

altair4

Can't help you on the costs, but the complete maintenance schedule can be found at:

http://www.vw.com/SP/MaintSchedule.jsp

Hope this helps.

altair4

Ah, they got ya! You have discovered the difference between the "Dealer's" 15K service and "VW's" 15K service!

Look at this website...

http://www.vw.com/SP/MaintSchedule.jsp

15K service, as recommended by VW, is only engine oil and filter change, for both the 1.8T and the 2.8 V-6. Tire rotation is on the 10,000 mile services (10, 20, 30, etc).

Always check your owner's manual for what is needed, otherwise you are at risk of the dealer upselling you on service.

wmquan

Thanks for the link. It didn't work, but told me where I needed to go.

This link appears to work fine:

http://www.vw.com/SP/SchedMaint.jsp?makeCode=PASSAT

hoodornament

I told him he could keep his tire rotation, and got a 15k oil change, filter, and fluid top-offs for $23 at the VW dealer. Lovin it. THanks

scoutm

Does everyone use Premium gas for the Passat? Can you get away with using a lower octane?

Thanks

caw103

you can use lower octane without damaging the engine. What you lose in performance and efficiency however might offset the savings in gas price. i use 93 (no 91 here).

5speeder

Around here most gas stations offer choices of 87/89/92 or 87/90/93--no 91 as VW recommends. I use the 90 and have had no problems.

clscflm

After researching, planning etc. for over a year (!), finally ready to take the plunge on a Passat -- but indeed timed it too close and missed out on any chance for a 2002. That said, got a nice offer (through Priceline.com) on a 2003, but because the new models are still just coming over, I'm having to order (stubbornly clinging to my choice of options). My dealer is saying "several" weeks, but does anyone have any ideas? 10-12 sound right? After waiting so long, time should fly... Shouldn't it? Anticipating, ClscFlm.

joel_1

hope somebody can help me out with this, my wife took our '02 passat to the dealership because the radio, moonsoon system, does not turn on. the guys at the dealership told her that they've had several cars go in because the systems have been short circuiting.
does anyone know anything about this problem.

dudleyr

Huh? What post are you refering to? I am confused, maybe you mixed me up with someone else. Yes I have driven hundreds of miles in a 1.8t Passat (5-speed), and I am a big fan. I would buy a 1.8t over the v6 any day for its lighter more nimble handling, just about equel acceleration, and much better gas mileage, not to mention much lower purchase price. Slam dunk in my opinion. Some people feel they gotta have a v-6 though - their choice.

crisscross

My monsoon system quit on me one night. I called the dealer and they told me that there is a technical service bulletin on this. Go to the fuse box and pull out the corresponding radio fuse and re-insert it. I did this myself and the problem was solved. The dealership told me they don't know why this works. It just does. This, of course, may or may not be your problem.

pkradd

Just in case, the fuse box is behind a panel on the drivers side of the dash. Open the car door to access it. Use a coin to insert in the slot to open it (or a screwdriver).

outrun

Do you have the Homelink option? I've read numerous posts about a connection between Homelink and the Monsoon shorting out. Seems totally unrelated, but true.

Have them replace your visor (with Homelink) and it should solve your problem.

I'm Homelink-less and have had no trouble.

-Craig

mbros2k

Yeah, my Monsoon has quit twice during the last year. Re-insert the fuse and it should work fine...for a while?

mliong

Asking my wife to remove that cover and pull out a fuse everytime this happens is unacceptable!

hoodornament

Any one ever put an aftermarket wood dash kit into a Passat. I used to hate them on the Passat, but after seeing a few of them on the road they really grew on me. Wondering though if the aftermarket kits are the same as the factory kits (real wood vs a sticker?),

Thanks,
HO

crisscross

It is my understanding that you need to re-insert the radio fuse only once. I don't understand it. But it has worked for me, at least so far.

bjbird2

I want to put a K&N air filter in my wife's 1.8T Passat sedan, but it looks more complicated than any air filter I've dealt with before. The owner's manual doesen't say anything about the air filter, and the dealer said they would not install anything for me except VW parts. Can someone help, or lead me to a site that explains the procedure for something that should be so simple.