By accessing this website, you acknowledge that Edmunds and its third party business partners may use cookies, pixels, and similar technologies to collect information about you and your interactions with the website as described in our
Privacy Statement, and you agree that your use of the website is subject to our
Visitor Agreement.
Comments
I meant to say "exciting". Sorry.
Also whats the importance of torque?
That and a red car = Tempting Fate
Horsepower (HP)(also can be translated to kilowatts(KW)(Amps * volts = watts)) is a measurement of work that can be very elusive in internal combustion engines. (relax class, I won't get too far into the theory behind horspower). to get the real picture, one has to look at torque and the horsepower at the given RPM. (horsepower is usually rated at the optimum rpm for horsepower).
A engine can have a high rated horsepower and have a measely (sp?) amount of torque. Other engines, especially diesels, have a very high amount of torque but low HP rating. That is due to the fact that diesel burns slowly whereas gasoline is a controlled explosion.
At any rate, when car manufacturers rate their engines, there is a potential for "cooking the books" - an engine can be rated for 255 horses (not naming any names here
The question is where is your usable power ? No one gets very good mileage running around at 5000 rpm all the time.
Horsepower is nice, torque is what matters most of the time, and the more cylinders, the less vibration (but a little more weight).
Tried to make this as objective as possible, but I like my V6. I have had more than a few people comment (including 1.8T owners) comment on how smooooth -- and it has all you need to get a ticket - got my first in 25 years about a month ago.
Gator
First, you say you have changed the bulb and the fuse, and I know this sounds like a silly question, but are you sure you changed the right ones ? The reason I ask is I went though that with a taillight one time on another car.
Second, have you tried to follow the wires and checked for places they may be rubbing or broken ? It is a remote possiblity but might help.
Third, I would get a multimeter (a meter that measures Voltage / ohms) and check for continuity between the fuse and the fitting where the bulb plugs in (probably want to disconnect battery for that), and for voltage at the fitting with the light switch on. Check for voltage at the fuse too, for that matter.
Think of it like plumbing - if all the sinks in you house have water except one, keep working your way back from that one until you find where it is plugged.
I cannot give you any advice as to where to take something like that - some places charge by the hour to trace electrics and it costs huge money. It might be cheaper just to buy a new wiring harness. Surely somebody (like Chilton's) has a book you can buy with a diagram to help you trace it.
Good luck - Gator
Also, any suggestions on what type of wash and wax to use?
I just bought the monster mats and they are great. The mats are made of thick rubber and protect the carpet much better then the stock mats.
Thanks!!
...my question--if you swap out ECUs before going for any warranty service, is the *past* presence of the chipped ECU still detectable? Does the mere fact that it was in there once (and will be again as soon as you bring it home
thanks
thanks again--
If one wants a smooth, sedate ride, then the 2.8 is fine.
-Craig
As a matter of fact, I was trying to "dry" my brakes one day. So I was driving about 25mph (no one behind me), and applied the brakes and hit the gas (so I wouldn't lose or gain speed). Well, that worked for about 3-5 seconds, when all of a sudden, engine power went way down, and the car slowed down. This was the ECU cutting in, since brakes and gas aren't allowed at the same time (and this is with a 5 speed manual).
As always, if you're after speed, get a 5 speed manual. No tippy is going to match it.
-Craig
First, you don't mention which engine you have. The 1.8T, or the 2.8 V6.
Assuming the 1.8T, 5w40 is the recommended oil weight. The 2002 manual says 5w40 is recommended and 5w30 can be used only when 5w40 isn't available. The 2003 manual states (from what I've heard) that 5w40 is required, and 5w30 can ONLY be used to top off. Same engine both years.
But, VW dealerships will NOT put this in your car even though the engineers who designed the engine say to. The dealerships think that they know more than engineers, and usually put in 5w30 (dino oil). That's the only oil covered if using their coupons (on vw.com). They say "Oh, that's only for extreme driving and extreme weather during extreme years of extreme heat during leap years". Or something like that.
You CAN use 5w-40 synthetic (and 0w-40 Mobil1), but it costs more, and the dolts at the dealership will tell you that it's for the TDI only (even though there isn't a TDI Passat sold here in the States).
-Craig
I am almost tempted to go and drive the newer 170hp engine with the Tiptronic (I can't drive stick) to see if it differs alot.
Second, I drove a Passat over the weekend and fell in love with it. I wasn't, however, impressed with the upitty attitude by the salesman. After viewing the cost of a new passat, I have decided a late model with low miles would be good for me. I have tried to enter the info on autobytel.com but they won't accept the info. Is there another search engine that might be able to help me find the car I'm looking for? There are only two dealerships in the state of Oklahoma and they are not willing to budge much. I am willing to drive 200 miles to get what I want does anyone have any suggestions? I would appreciate any that you might have.
Also, check out http://www.getauto.com. You might find what you want on that site. Also check out VW's site (http://www.vw.com) under "Certified Used", or whatever they call it.
fob, noun, perhaps akin to German dialect Fuppe pocket
a short strap, ribbon, or chain attached especially to a pocket watch
or
FOB, abbreviation, free on board
-Craig
Just keep reminding him/her how bad October sales were, and whether or not he/she wants a repeat!
Sorry for not giving you what type of engine I have. I purchased a 2003 Passat 1.8T. The manual says to use 5w40 and only use 5w30 to top off. I've heard that the dealer uses 5w30 and they say it's fine. I think I'm going to purchase the synthetic 5w40 and do my own oil changes.
Has anyone compared prices of Passat between LA and the Bay area? Is there any difference in price as offered by dealers?
gator
I am certain that chipping will affect gas mileage (for the worse)
Gator
I believe the the ECU will learn your driving style / habits after a short while (50/100 miles?) and respond better. At least that was the case with my precious baby.
I have also read about other ECU's that can be "taught" by disconnecting the battery, then re-connecting and immediately driving the car wide open on the highway. Kinda clears the cobwebs or something.
Gator
I thoroughly enjoy both of your comments - I'm just wondering if I need to separate you two or something -
Gator
Go to the dealer and tell him to beat the best price you get off the internet or you buy from the internet. (In the end the internet purchase is from a dealer anyway) If the dealer wants to sell you the car he will beat the price.
Just like the advice mliong just gave career lady - remind the salesman it's a recession.
You have the power ! Make them put the whole deal in writing before you pay a cent. And don't hesitate to walk away, go home, and go back later - it drives them nuts !
gator
What's the source of your information? I seem to recall reading that all oil (synth or dino juice) is compatible. This would make interesting reading. TIA!
Let's be realistic. When switching from dino to synthetic, do you REALLY think that ALL the dino has been drained? There's about 0.3 quarts left in the engine/pan after draining. This is the resulting TSB from VW stating to refill the 1.8 with 3.9 quarts instead of 4.2. Using 4.2 will result in an overfill.
As for mixing different synthetics. Again, there's no harm done, but you never know what the resulting protection is going to be. Different synthetics has different properties, chemicals, etc. Some may counter act each other. But, you should be NO worse than using plain dino.
-Craig
I went to pkradd.com to see the true definition, but the site didn't come up. Maybe the DNS server is having problems?
-Craig
I'd assume a little mixing is okay between different oils - as it is impossible to get rid of one before filling up with the other - unless you flush the system out.
All this talk of oil, I'll make sure to ask my dealership what they use... It should be w40 - given the heat here.
But I just won't pay new. Like careerlady, I want a late model used. I think one of our best chances for a 2001.5/later will be to wait for another year until they come off their 3-year leases (that would be 3 years, right? I'm not sure I'm calculating right) then all the upwardly mobile folks who lease new every 3 years will be dumping, and I'll be there to pick one up. I'm not proud
-Craig
Maybe should be, but don't bet on it. VW dealers are notorious for not using the oil spec'd in the manual. Don't be surprised if it's not what you're expecting.