Volkswagen Passat Maintenance and Repair

onpar

So you're saying, since all 5w-40 oils in the US are synthetic, my independent dealerhip was within specs of using Quaker State?

Also never did get a sludge letter from WVoA.

onpar

There isn't any 5w-40.

altair4

You wrote: So you're saying, since all 5w-40 oils in the US are synthetic, my independent dealerhip was within specs of using Quaker State?

Depends. QS is noted on the VW oil sheet, but I gotta say, I've never seen it in any auto parts store I've been in.

Regarding the sludge letter - are you the original owner? If not, did you file a change of ownership card with VWoA?

Here is the letter and the list, in jpeg format:
http://70.84.30.212/~dpham00/passat/vwsludge1.jpg
http://70.84.30.212/~dpham00/passat/vwsludge2.jpg
http://70.84.30.212/~dpham00/passat/vwsludge3.jpg

A couple of things about that list - first, the only oils I have found on the shelf to meet VW502.00 spec are Mobil 1 0w-40 and Valvoline SYnpower 5W-40. Advance Auto, Autozone and NAPA stores carry one or both. Second, although the list carries Valvoline Synpower 5w-30, e-mails from Valvoline (and their website) reveal that it does not meet VW502.00. Interestingly, though, Valvoline MaxLife Synthetic in the 5w-30 does meet 502.00. I suppose it's a typo on VW's part or they are referring to Valvoline's European product line. None of which helps the situation of consumers trying to comply with the spec. They could have done a better job handling this, IMO.

altair4

You wrote: There isn't any 5w-40.

There isn't any 5w-40 what? QS? I've never seen it. Any 5w-40 from any manufacturer? Valvoline Synpower comes in that grade - I've used it for about 5 oil changes. See my other post. I'm running Mobil 1 0w-40 right now through this weird weather winter! Geez, December was freezing and now it has been unseasonably warm this week (not that I'm complaining!). 66 degrees in SW PA in January!

onpar

The Passat is a leased vehicle that was a demo from Three Rivers VW in McMurray.

As for synthetic vs regular oil, VW has only required synthetics beginning with the '05 models. The letter, thanks for taking the time to scan and include those. I printed it out, says to maintain your oil change scheduling of 5,000/6mo.

I'm still waiting for my BP mechanic to print out my service record. Hopefully soon. Then I'll take it all down to the dealership.

altair4

I knew you were in PA. I caught the Three Rivers VW reference in your first post.

You wrote: As for synthetic vs regular oil, VW has only required synthetics beginning with the '05 models.

Yes, theoretically that may true. But like I said, when I read all of the oil stuff in my '03 manual and looked on the web to see what oils actually hit the mark, I was left with the conclusion that I needed to use 5w-40 synthetic. So that's what I've been using on a 5,000 mile / six month interval. In actuality, I'm probably averaging about 4,200 miles between changes - I hit the 6 months before I hit the 5K.

Good luck with engine and the dealer. I hope it all works out.

PS: How many miles were on the car when you bought it and how many now?

onpar

total 30,600 When we leased it 4,400, So we're talking 26,200.

We shall see. I see a fire fight ensuing!

tom

no_more_vw

:lemon: i dont know what 2 do with my vw :lemon: . after taking it 8 times to the dealer to repair and them giving me different reason of what is wrong they tell me i am the one who cause the problem by going to the engine and cutting of wires. i have hired an lawyer to work with vw cause they very difficult 2 work with but i still dont know what i will do. what do u all recommend me of doing... :confuse:

rmsblue

I think I had a similar problem 2 yrs ago w/ my 2000 Passat. Tie rod ends replaced, then did front-wheel alignment. $400+

onpar

Things went well at the dealership. They even gave me a folded pamphlet. It's from VW. Title - "Choosing the Right Oil for your 1998-2004 VW with gasoline engine."

And I quote: "If SAE 5w-40 is not available,you can also use viscosity grade SAE 5w30 or SAE 0w40 as long as it meets VW oil quality standard VW502.00"

alman08

shell makes 5w40 regular oil and walmart carries them, very inexpensive also, but I didn't read the back to see if it meets VW's requirement. Not sure if i would use that oil in a car that's known to have engine trouble though.

:shades:

krzyss

these are the magic words.

My new problem is that recent sigthing (and buying ;-) shows that 502.00 disappeared from Mobil 1 0w40 container. It says that it fulfills VW spec but does not name 502.00.

Any ideas?

Krzys

PS When I was buying my 2003 1.8T Passat I asked the service advisor about oil. I knew from the Internet that VW strongly suggests using synthetic even though they did not word it strongly (yet - it changed with sludge letter and addenum). The answer was - we use our regular oil. I was bringing my own Mobil 1 0w40 (bought from Walmart or AutoZone) ever since.

jacksibrizzi

If the moaning / groaning sound is coming from the actual column, or at the point where it comes through the firewall, some lithium grease may correct the problem. Work it into the spaces where materials may rub or slide across each other.

A second possibility is the power steering. Here I have used LubeGard Power Steering Fluid Protectant. Make sure you turn the wheels full left and right after adding the product.

altair4

If you are referring to Shell Rotella Synthetic 5w-40 (usually considered an oil for diesel engines)...the product sheet makes no mention of VW502.00 spec, per:
http://www.shell-lubricants.com/products/pdf/RotellaTSynthetic.pdf

If you are referring to Shell Helix 5w-40 it does meet 502.00 as per:
http://www.shell-lubricants.com/products/pdf/HELIX%20ULTRA.PDF

I'm still sticking to my comment that no manufacturer makes a regular (dino juice) 5w-40.

altair4

Yes, I noticed that it no longer has the 502.00 spec on it. It also doesn't have the API emblem on it, either.

I've read elsewhere on the web that this is due to damage of Exxon-Mibil's facilities by Hurricane Katrina. They've reformulated the oil but haven't submitted it for any approvals since it's a temprorary change. I just sent an e-mail to Mobil 1 to see wht their response is. I'll post it here.

I'm thinking when I change my oil in the spring, I'll switch back to Valvoline Synpower 52-40, unless the 0w-40 has the certifications back on the bottle.

BTW, I had the same reaction from my dealership as you did. If I just pulled in and said, "Change the oil and filter," they'd have poured in dino juice. Without fail, I have always brought my own synthetic oil for the change. It's never been a problem and I've watched the tech pour the stuff in for the first couple of changes. They've been straight up about it and have no problems with what I'm doing.

shiftstuck

My '99 Passat wagon with 50,000 miles left us stranded at the airport last night at midnight. In 16 degree temperature, with a wind chill about -5 degrees, the car started fine but the auto shift wouldn't move out of Park. Desperate to get out of a very cold and remote lot with 2 kids waiting, I forced the shifter into the R position, but the dash light still said P and the transmission was not actually in reverse. More pushing and pulling resulted in the shifter moving to Drive, etc. but it still showed Park on the dash, and obviously was not in any gear. Had to abandon the car and luckily found a cab. The trans has been fine until now. Any ideas on what the problem was and if I damaged the mechanism by forcing the shifter? I have to figure out if I can go back to the airport when it warms up or if I have to get a tow. Between the $60 cab ride, probably a hundred+$ for towing to a dealer, and over $1500 in repairs over the last year, my wife wanted me to just take the plates off and leave it in the airport lot. We used to like this car, but the last year has made us very unhappy. Any insight into this would be greatly appreciated.

altair4

Spoke to a rep from Mobil 1 this afternoon. Confirmed that the oil was reformulated after several of their facilities in Louisiana were impacted by Katrina. Any formula change requires recertification from the API and auto manufacturers. Merecedes granted their approval (and I think he said Porsche) quickly and the curretn product carries their approvals.

He said that there was no problem running the reformulated Mobil 1 0w-40 in the 1.8T. Also told me that their plants are back on line after being down for three months so we should start to see the old formula back on the shelves very soon (with the API and VW 502.00 specs on the label again).

krzyss

now about transmission.

Any chance that water froze and transmission was unable to shift. I guess one needs to wait for warmer weather.

Krzys

altair4

Wonder if the original poster had depressed the brake pedal? Or maybe the brake switch on the brake pedal has gone bad and the car doesn't recognize that the brake pedal is depressed? I can't recall ever reading a situation exactly like this one.

Wonder if the car has the infamous water leakage issue and the transmission control module/computer got wet? It's under the front seats like the Comfort Control Module is.

scoot

as an owner of a used 2000 v6 4motion I am finding my oil leak problem is not unique. I changed valve cover gaskets but oil still pours out- I'm feeling it is the cam chain tensioners-it leaks from the back of the right side and from the front of the left side. Do i need to replace the tensioner or just the seals and gaskets involved?

no_more_vw

is there any one with electrical problems were the ESP,ASP and other light turn on. thank you

tamaraster

I used to have a weird problem like that sometimes. The car wouldn't start and various lights would be on. It could be solved by folding up the sun visor. I've heard it had something to do with having the garage door opener thing that came in the visor. But it only happened occasionally and it was very mysterious to me.

majors

I purchased my first VW about 6 weeks ago. An '06 Passat 3.6 with lux #2 and nav. After 2 weeks the driver's bi-xenon headlight burned out. The dealer replaced the bulb, but there is a heavy coating of water droplets covering about half of the interior of the headlight lens. The dealer and VW are claiming that this is normal operation and the service dept. told me that the water would dry up from the heat of xenon headlights. It obviously is not normal as the water is still there 4 weeks later, day or night - lights on or off. Can anyone more familiar with VW tell me if there is a dispute resolution process or something similar that I can follow up with on this issue? Many thanks.

kek1

I purchased a 2003 Passat V6 last year but notice that when you accelerate fast from stand still, initially the car jerks forward then hesitates and will only then continue. When the motor is cold, it continues to do this until you take your foot of the pedal. It doesn't do this when you use the tiptronic.
Also, when you push the windshield defrost button on the climatronic, everything is fine until you start driving. The fan speed will continuous change from very slow to very high. As soon as you slow down, the fan speed levels off.
Does anybody have a tip on what can cause these problems?

mbracken1

For brake pads to be replaced, is is really necessary to get new rotors on the Passat instead of just machining the rotors? When I took it to the dealership, they told me they only replace the rotors with new ones and do not machine them. I didn't get the brake pads done at the time because I thought this was a dealership scam. I wasn't able to find any other good information online about the rotors and brake pads. Does anyone know?

Thank you.

altair4

Not a scam. The rotors are thin to begin with and having them machined will either take them out of tolerance or encourage warping.

krock71

My ASP light on but went off the next time I drove the car and haven't had any problems since. I asked the tech to look into right before my warranty expired and they couldn't find anything.

beyondo

I recently got stranded on the highway driving my 2006 Passat 2.0T. After running less than 500 miles, I found the car did not have any power and was loosing speed on a busy highway. I shifted the gear into neutral and back into drive but the transmission did not engage. The VW dealership initially scanned the problem as a transmission problem, but later said that the issue was a poorly installed passenger axle shaft. Can someone explain to me what this means in regular English and has anyone else experienced this problem?

krzyss

that something happened with axle on passenger side (separation from wheel of some kind) and all power was diverted to it (open differential sends power to the least resistant axle).
It is bad thing that it happened but I do not think that it has any long time repercussions.

Krzys

PS My father in law had his half axle snap but it was car repaired after accident.

tdeal

Anyone have clue or direction to adjustment of the fuel door (2000 model year)?

jimd4

Where did the 2006 Passat forum go?

jahjr

Had same issue on passenger seat, pin hole size burn in cloth, cushion in area feels hard. Covered under warranty. I have not received a letter!!
See article: http://www.thedenverchannel.com/call7forhelp/6216572/detail.html

Mr_Shiftright

Here you go:

Passat 2006+ Topic

2001passat1

I have a 2001.5 Passat V6. The engine warning light has come on a few times and every time I take it in, they tell me that the catalytic converter sensor is registering a malfunction code. The strange thing is that after about 300 miles, it resets itself and the engine warning light turns off. In addition, when I have had the emissions checked for PA compliance, the car passes with flying colors. Any suggestions? A new catalytic converter is about $3000 installed. What should I do?

vwdriver2

The one-touch option for the driver side window sometimes works and sometimes it doesn't. Has anyone had a similar problem? I read the manual and tried to reset it, but it still doesn't fix it. Also, I tried to use the convenience mode of being able to close the windows using the remote and it doesn't work. Has anyone tried using this option with any suceess?

emerls1120

My 19 month old '04 Passat TDI Wagon has 60K miles. Since the first week I owned it(I bought it New) I had shuddering problems with the cruise on when going down hill. No one could find anything and I was told "it it fine". Obviously, with 60K miles I don't sit around much, so I got use to it.
Right before Christmas '05 my wife called. When she hit the set button for cruise the car stop going(engine ran fine but press the accerlerator no go power) on the interstate. I told her to turn the car off and restart it. She did and everything worked fine. I dropped the car off at the dealership on Dec 28 for 60K maintenance and check the issue my wife had. They called next day couldn't find and issue and the computer didn't have any errors. Their service manager took it out and called me while he was driving it and it happened to him.
Too late to make this story short but it is now over 6 weeks it has been at the dealership and they know what happend.
There is a sensor in the antifreeze reservoir. This sensor is molded into the reservoir. The sensor has allowed antifreeze to leak into the wires. I mean under the wire insulation! The antifreeze has traveled the wiring harnesses under the hood (they all have to be replaced) and has reached the following;
1. The accelerator pedal module (must be replaced)
2. The dash gauges (must be replaced)
3. The interior carpet (must be replaced because it pooled underneath)
My bill is estimated at $4,375. VW Customer Care says they will pay $500 of the bill becasue "it is out of warranty". As I asked the gentleman at VW Customer Care, "What does the mileage have to do with this problem, the car is not even 2 years old?" The Regional VW Rep has made his decision.
I have owned 6 VW since 1985. I have a '97 Passat with 134K on it in my garage that I owned since new. I can't believe VW has taken this position. My heart is seriously broken over this whole ordeal. I love my '04 Passat, and this is the only problem I have had. My maintenance has been done by the dealership religiously and on time.

nima1

I have a 2006 passat as well....and after exactly a month
of owning it, I havae had several warning light including "check engine light" and " check gas cap" light come on.
what should I do now?
I took it by the dealership tonight and was told I could still drive it if the light is not flashing, until they get to it!!!
any suggestions?

signed, angry mad new passat owner :mad:

mvc_jones

Could be an emissions issue if you are not tightening your gas cap at least three clicks. Hopefully it is just a code to be reset by dealer. Read your owner's manual on the gas cap issue if this is not your common practice for more information.

I have heard a lot of warning lights coming on for the 2006 Passat. I had a 2003 Passat GLS 1.8t/Tip ans was thinking of buying out the lease but VW Credit had no deals on this and interest rate was horrible. I liked my 2003 design better than the 2006, unfortunately, and went with an Acura this time. I was also concerned about first year quality of a new VW model with their low quality ratings, and, unfortunately, my suspicions appear to have some verification based on what I read.

Good luck in getting your issue resolved.

beyondo

Thanks. The issue is fixed and I am enjoying the car, again.

beyondo

It's cold here in Chicago (14F today) and my '06 Passat 2.0T MFD showed the "Tire Pressure Too Low" warning. Apparently in cold climates this problem occurs with new Passats. The dealership checked it out and said the tires were at 26psi and they inflated them to 36psi, 3 psi past the recommended pressure, because of the cold weather. I've ordered a digital pressure gauge so I can check the pressure myself. The 2.0T '06 Passat does not have a manual reset of the pressure via the MFD - which is really unfortunate. To boot, the MFD does not even tell you which tire is at a low pressure - bad design. Thankfully, Fletcher Jones Chicago did not charge me for the check-up and reinflation.

krzyss

What was it? Curiosity is awful but I cannot help ;-)

Krzys

beyondo

Krzys: Not sure I understand the question. I assume you are asking about the tire pressure issue? I'll be happy to feed the curiousity....

kelcpa

I have an 01.5 Passat with 59,700 miles and wanted to know if anyone else has had the following problems:

1- When the car is in drive and idling at a stop, there is occasionally a rumbling in the engine, almost like a hesitation before a stall. The car has never stalled but it does this quite often. My mechanic, (not the VW dealer), changed the spark plugs, fuel and gas filter. In addition, he put in a can of injector cleaner and said to let it run through a tank of gas. Well, that was about a thousand miles ago and it is still doing it. I don't know if this has anything to do with the sludge problem or not. No idiot light has come on and the performance of the car still seems ok.

2- The car has a loud noise coming from , what I think is the front driver wheel. It sounds like a hole in the muffler but it is not. The mechanic says it is a wheel bearing but he can't tell which front wheel it is. He wants me to drive it until it's louder and he can tell, he says it won't harm anything. That was about three thousand miles ago and it still seems loud to me. He still can't tell for sure he says. Has anyone else had this problem.

3- Right rear passenger power window and lock don't work. Mechanic fixed it once and next day it wouldn't work. He then fixed it with a clamp on the connection and it worked for about three weeks. Now it doesn't work again.

If anyone has any ideas or thoughts I would appreciate it. I bought the car new and have had no real problems with it up until now. It worries me about the engine in particular.

Sorry for the length. Thanks for your help.

krzyss

axle shafts and you were left stranded.
I wonder how it was fixed. That is all.

Krzys

beyondo

The technician said that the passenger side axle had slipped out of the 'housing', and needed to be reinstalled. They did not replace the axle shaft or axle, just reinstalled it. There was no explanation of why it occured - so I do not know if it was a design flaw or shoddy engg. (maybe the car was made on a Friday). To make matters worse, the folks that actually work on the car are not the ones who talk to customers - so it's hard to get the true technical story. If you have any suggestions to get more from them, I am open to calling them back.

joshman4

My Volkswagon Passat does not heat at all in the cold. I'm in Canada and when it gets colder than 14 F, the heating system isn't adequate enough to keep the windows from defrosting and we physically get cold, even though there are heated seats. My dealer thinks I'm either lying or crazy. They told me to bring in it (again) on a cold day so they can check. They have already - and found nothing so far. Has anyone else had any problems like this or heard of this with any other volkswagon?

cosmo

I have found that it takes about five to six miles of driving before the heater even begins to warm when the temperature is below 15 F. I have the manual heater controls, so I turn the fan to 1 or 2 and turn the heat knob to the highest setting AFTER the temperature gauge shows the coolant is warming up. Turning the fan on too soon or turning it up too high just makes the heater core act like another radiator and keeps the engine running cold. Once the engine reaches normal operating temperature the heater seems to work just fine no matter what the temperature is outside. If you have automatic climate control, you may have to turn it off until the coolant temperature gauge shows the engine has reached normal operating temperature.

reidk

Control arm ends are shot (old news, although their condition has deteriorated faster than expected) AND outer drive boots are torn (New News: this was NOT the case at last oil change).
As long as will be replacing these items, makes some sense to look at new shocks/springs - and might as well do so all the way around, just to maintain "harmony"...

Beyond a "reasonable" price, goal is to achieve a Slight lowering and firm up cornering / braking, without giving up too much by way of ride quality.

VW sold an "OE Sport" suspension package at one time that Promised just these characteristics. And H&R sells a set of "OE Sport Springs" that would seem to fit the bill: BUT, what Shocks should they be mated to?

Eibach sells a "Pro-System" - shocks and springs - that spec About 1.2" lowering -- slightly more than the OE Sport springs themselves (presumably when fitted to "stock" shocks).
Have also seen a combo of Koni Sport Shocks with Eibach Pro-kit springs that spec the same 1.2" lowering.

Is 1.2" - more-or-less - enough to worry about Alignment issues?

Car is effectively out of service until a decision is made, parts ordered & received - AND installed(!).

Any experiences? Thoughts?

Thanks......

sadatx

Hi All,

I have an 03 Passat GLX 4motion sedan. Recently, a tire has failed and I've been using the spare. The dealer quoted me abt $175 for a new tire but I turned it down. Can someone recommend a good cheap tire that I can purchase? Car has abt 32k trouble free miles. Reason for the *cheap* approach is b/c I will be trading in the vehicle this fall. Nothing wrong with the car - just bored with it

Thanks!

reidk

Do you not have a full-size spare? Or are you running after-market wheels? (My '99 came with 5 alloy wheels - made rotation easy.)

Always have tried to keep 4 of the same tire on the ground, as mismatch can cause problems (and understood that that is ESPECIALLY TRUE on an AWD vehicle).

In any event, would recommend At Least running same tires on each axle - which means buying TWO new ones.
- OR, check around at local Tire Stores (Discount Tire or Whatever...) and see whether they have any "take offs" that would fit.
Can sometimes get quite a bargain on a Slightly Used set of tires - or a matched pair (usually All Season / Touring variety) that someone has exchanged for a set Hi Perf ones.

$175 may seem like a lot of $$ to spend, but Tires are NOT a good place to get Cheap....

Good Luck -