Has anybody experienced a transmission skip while accelerating in their V-6 passats? I will try to pass a car on the freeway and the car will dog down(have no power)but the tac climbs to say 6 then all of a sudden it will jump forward and you will practically run over whats ahead of you. It is even more noticable when the ac is on. I have had it in to the dealership three times on this issue and they set it to factory specs which seems to help for awhile then back to the same old thing. I recently demanded to drive another new 2000 V-6 and found it didnt duplicate the problems as my car did. Hope someone can tell me whats wrong with this.
I believe that the knocking is caused by either piston slap, (a slight contraction of the metal in cold temps when cold) or just normal valvetrain noise at startup because of a lack of warm oil. 10W30 is too "thick" to quickly flow in a modern engine with tight tolerances. In low temps, you should be using 5W30, not 10W30. Change the oil every 3000 miles at the most. Oil gives life to your engine. I think you will hear a difference.
I own a 2000 Passat V6 wagon manual transmission. So far everything works well. I have two questions about the brakes.
1. When travelling backwards there is a noise, which sounds like it's coming from the rear, that ocassionaly occurs when braking. It sounds something like a trombone. I got a feeling it is not serious and when travelling forward there is no noise. Should I take the car in to have it checked out?
2. It snowed recently here in Chicago and so naturally when I was driving down the alley I had to jam on the brakes and check out the antilocks. Well they seemed to work however there was a good deal of grinding noise and the brake pedal vibrated quite a lot. According to the owners manual the noise and pedal vibration is normal however I am still not comfortable with the grinding noise. Should I be concerned?
1) It is normal to hear some brake moaning or squealing as long as it isn't heard all of the time and isn't too loud. 2) The grinding noise you hear is normal with ABS so you shouldn't be concerned. The first time I used ABS I too was surprised by the vibration and noise it caused. I thought something was wrong but after using ABS in other cars I realized that it is normal to have vibration and grinding. I hope I answered your concerns and feel free to ask more questions. Tom
Milford, I understand your problem, I think we have same dealer. On 10/17/00 my Passat died on the highway as well, it's has 57,000 miles on it and timing belt shredded. I called the dealer I purchased it from and they told me it wasn't under warranty, therefore I have my everyday mechanic start the work it, after all I trust him a lot more that this dealer. He took apart my engine, purchased the timing belt, but couldn't find any timing marks. After talking with the dealer several times and waiting in their service room for more than an hour, the dealer was unable to help him with the timing marks. Well, it had been three days since my car broke, so I called the dealer myself looking for some help. They told me to have the car delivered there right away, when the timing belt breaks there is usually severe engine damage. I don't trust this dealer, they have lied to me before, so I called another VW dealer in the area, who told me the same thing. What the also told me was that the car was indeed under warranty. So, my mechanic stops the work and I pay out of my pocket $90 to have it towed to this dealer. Great, now I think their going to fix my car. What a joke. They take a look at my car and tell my I have damaged the valves and warped the head of the engine. The head is on back-ordered, it will be in in 1.5 weeks. I'm okay with this, but not happy with the fact that there is no rental coverage.
It's now 11/7, my part should be in. I called the dealer to check...nope not in....by the end of the week it should be.
It's 11/10..end of the week...still no part, maybe next week. So I take a ride to the dealership, argue that there should be some kind of compensation, since I've been renting a car nearly a month. The general manager of the dealership tells me I not his problem and there aren't going to help. Tells me I have too many miles on my car and VW doesn't care about me. I tell all of the customers in the showroom, exactly what I think of the dealership and VW, the general manager escorts me out of the dealership (don't think their going to help much now)
11/16 Call dealership, only one person will talk to me. Part due in tomorrow, takes 2 days to fix should have car back by thanksgiving.
11/20 PART IS IN! should have my car back by the end of the week.
11/24 Called dealership today, car still not done. It's only been 41 days, what should I expect. Car won't be done until next week.
Keep in mind, this whole time I have been in contact with VW Customer Relations. I know more than they do everytime I call. Today after a lengthy discussion, the rep at VW told me my car shouldn't be covered under warranty. I told her a few things that I won't repeat. I've paid about two car payments worth of rental car expenses and I'm about to extend it another week.
I, too, was one of those Passat owners who thought I had died and gone to heaven. After 2 years and nothing but headaches, I decided to ride on the "Consumer Reports Best Buy" reputation and dump the Passat before things got any worse. I sleep again at night and smile each morning as I drive past the VW dealer on my way to work.
For those of you who have had difficulty with VW's Customer Service toll-free number, don't give up. If they didn't give you the answer you wanted, call again. I had to call 4 times before I was reimbursed for repairs I should never have had to pay. Appeal to their senses -- they're consumers, too. Keep telling them that you understand that their job is to keep the customer satisfied while minimizing VW expenses -- and that they're doing really good on the expense part but are sucking at the customer service stuff. And, that you barely tell a soul when you're thrilled with a product but you'll tell everyone who'll listen how bad VW is.
The biggest lesson I learned was that I was the responsible one for purchasing a car with the worst warranty in the business (2/24). And VW will continue with this warranty because they're making millions.
My fiancee's Passat has been making her crazy with electrical problems since the non-drive-train part of the warranty expired. A month or so ago, the fuse for her driver side parking and tail lights went out. I replaced the fuse, but the problem persisted; we took it to the dealer, who charged her $198.00 to trace a short and replace an electrical harness.
This past week, the check-engine light went on while we were doing the mid-Atlantic Thanksgiving tour. Since the car seemed to be running okay (no overheating, engine smooth) we continued the trip, but found a VW dealer near my sister's place, who told us that the gas cap had been loose, (unlikely - she pumps her own and is always careful to turn the gas cap three clicks) and that this allegedly had thrown off the diagnostic computer. They charged her $40 for the diagnosis and to reset the engine light.
We headed home, gassed up again, checked the gas cap thoroughly, drove about 150 miles in Thanksgiving weekend I-95 traffic (not quite as bad as gouging your eye out with a spoon), stopped for a bite to eat, and when we started the car, the idiot light came on again.
She's annoyed in the extreme and is thinking of selling it and getting a Honda or even a Hyundai (I love my Tiburon...), rather than geting nickelled-and dimed to death.
Anyone know what the problem is with Passat electrical systems?
Hi: My parents have 1995 Passat with 90k on it. They did not have any problems with this car so far. They did all scheduled maintenance and changed oil every 3000 with Castrol synthetic. Do you think that they might drive it for 5 more years without any costly repairs. They are retired and do not want to spend $30,000 for a new car. Does anybody know how many miles can Passat make?
Your parents car racked up 90K miles in 5 years and you want someone to predict if it will have a major repair in the next 5 years (90K miles)? I can comfortably predict that it will require some sort of expensive repair WITHOUT MAKING ANY NEGATIVE COMMENT ABOUT THE BRAND.
A lot depends on how the miles are put on the car. I would assume that most of these miles are local, which is more harsh than long freeway trips (assuming that oil is changed on time, which you said it is). I wouldn't expect a car to run to 180K (a lot of it local) without at least planning for a major repair...if you don't have one, consider yourself lucky.
A Passat will definitely last to 180K if taken care of, but you still may end up replacing all kinds of stuff in the process.
But buying a new $30k car is not their only option. Economically, some people suggest that the best approach is to buy a two-three year old car and sell it after four-five years ownership and do next to nothing but change fluids, filters, and check air pressure in between. Your parents should articulate their needs (long distance touring vs. local trips to the grocer and to see the grandkids, etc.) to determine what ownership plan makes the most sense. You can expect more reliability out of a low-mileage two year old Ford Escort than a ten year old high mileage Passat, but if you want to enjoy driving 180K miles, you might not want to do it by trading in your Escort every three years for another slightly used one.
I bought my 2000 GLX manual in March and have loved every minute of it. What a blast this car is. There seems to be a problem with the rear window defroster. It faintly seems to carry some current, but even light fog (not frost) is still there after 18 minutes driving. Does anyone know what the impedance (resistance) of the defroster is supposed to be? Anyone with a good understanding (and access to) the electrical schematics care to comment on the components involved in the circuit and how to isolate what is wrong. Before I take it to the dealer for warranty repair, I'd like to check the defroster element with a multimeter or otherwise independently figure out what is wrong.
On my 2000 Passat GLX Manual with Monsoon and dealer installed in-dash CD and customer installed CD-changer, my radio reception is GREAT...those with the monsoon who don't get good reception might suspect the connection between the roof mounted whip and the cable that is supposed to carry the signal to the radio. About the only way I can suggest checking this is to access the connection which I would assume requires a lot of work on the interior and headliner or to dig into the dash to either connect another antenna to the radio or pull the radio and "bench test it" with another antenna. Another option, which may cause a finger pointing session, is to install a FM modulated CD Changer. If the sound from the CD Changer is "received" perfectly, but signals grabbed out of the air through the whip are not, that will help to isolate the problem.
Additionally, I think there has been some confusing statements made about window antennas and whip (or aerial) style models. The VWs use a shortened external aerial mast (that funny thing in the middle of the back of the roof) which is similar to the slender shiny thing sticking out of the fender on most cars. A windsheild antenna resembles the defroster wires that are glued to the rear windsheild. A windsheild antenna is often located on the front windsheild. Some systems use "diversity" tuning which combines the standard aerial mast AND a windsheild antenna in an attempt to provide a better signal through the use of TWO antennas.
I have a 98 1.8L turbo with 52000 miles on it and just had to have it towed. I pulled the car out of the garage and parked it in the driveway in the morning. About 8 hours later I tried to start it and it would hardly crank. When we got it to the dealer they said that all four of the spark plugs were fouled and recommended a fuel injector cleaning. $288 later I was upset for the following reasons: 1. The spark plugs only had 16,000 miles on them. I had them replaced when I had the recommended 40k service done at 36000 miles. 2. One year ago almost to the day, we had the same kind of problem (the outside temperatures were also in the 30's). That time I was told that the #3 engine coil was bad and the #3 plug was fouled. 3. I have had to take the car in before where the check engine light came on and I was told that the engine was "missing". The mechs said that it was probably just too much oil in the engine (they were the ones who changed it by the way). 4. This latest fix was not covered by waranty and I want to know what is causing my relatively new spark plugs to foul. Is is a temperature sensor problem-i.e. the colder outside temps?
What you experienced is not uncommon with the Passat and other cars as well. You can do a search for this on www.vwvortex.com and you will find similar experiences.
What happens is... when you start the car, move it quickly and shut it off, the engine get's "stuck" in the cold-start mode or some such thing and won't start the next time you want it to. This condition can be exasperated by cold weather. Many people have experienced this when moving the car out of the garage to wash it, or like you just moving it's parking spot.
What basically happnes is your car floods itself. I have only had this happen once, despite moving it short, quick distances many, many times with no problems.
I was able to start the car by flooring the gas and cranking away. This is the way it has worked for many others as well. My plugs were clean, but I changed the oil shortly after this since flooding the car gets gas into your oil and am careful not to move the car like that.
I know this stinks, but people have had this problem with other cars as well, and like I said, despite doing exactly what should cause the problem many times, it has only happend to me once.
Your problem was exasperated by a dealer looking to make an extra buck off of you I believe.
Don't panic - you probably don't have *the* lemon. It is a nice car and a good buy if you don't get *the* lemon. We didn't do much research before buying our Passat and probably would have overlooked negative experiences we read about anyway because my husband really loves the car. I don't think CR recommended the V6, but he was in denial so he only accepted the positive comments. In fact, he picked the car up on Friday (again) and was so happy to have it back that he didn't notice it sounds like a tractor!
I'm not a mechanic, nor do I wish to become one. Here is more detail of the brake failure and total engine failure. Pardon my lack of technical lnowledge.
The brakes went out during the first week after I drove 35 miles over a mountain. When I parked the car, the brakes were smoking. They were severly scored due to "improper adjustment" and had to be replaced. The car was towed to the nearest VW dealer who replaced the brakes and returned the car to us a week later.
When I said the engine "fried" I meant that it overheated, cracked the block and bent 2 pistons. The engine stopped and would not start again and the car was towed. The dealer *thinks* this was due to failure of the water pump but since a belt on the pump was melted (along with some other parts that apparantly were vital), I'm not convinced it wasn't simply an effect of overheating and perhaps they do not know the cause. Then again, I'm not a mechanic.
It took over 2 weeks to replace parts and the car went back to the shop 2 days after we picked it up. It sounded like a tractor and vibrated while attempting to idol. Yesterday we all piled in the car for a Sunday drive and then decided to take the Subaru because the Passat wouldn't idol properly after warming up for 5 minutes (in a warm climate). So its back to the shop... 3 time's a charm?
My husband really likes this car. He drove a Camry (another car we considered) and he frequently drives my Subaru Outback. He prefers his Passat to these and anything else he has driven lately. This is very frustrating for him. Its like being in love with someone who won't behave when the denial phase starts to wear off. And I have yet to hear of a customer-service oriented VW dealership.
I'm interested in hearing of owner experiences with '98 Passat electricals. I just test drove one with the V6 and 5speed. Haven't had that much fun in a car in years. The price looked attractive etc., so I consulted the oracle to see what Consumer Reports had to say. All looked great except a big, black mark on the electricals. Should I stay away from this one since it's the first year of a new styling etc. or take the plunge? Thanks for your input.
I just bought a brand new 20001 Passat about a 8 days ago. I've barely put 150 miles on it and I got into this problem in the parking lot at work late last night (about 9:00 pm). My car wouldn't start ((( I couldn't believe that the car wouldn't start -- I called the VW 24-hour roadside assistance number and they told me that the best they could do was to tow it to the nearest dealer or something and that they would show up 45 minutes later.
Well since I wasn't interested in waiting for 45 mins, I decided to read the manual and see if there was something. The manual suggested looking at the fuses to see if one was busted or something. It was quite dark so I couldn't see that so I thought why not poke around inside the fuse box -- perhaps there's just some loose connection or something. And lo and behold, the car started. I drove it home fine and figured that's all it was -- a fuse not inserted fully or something.
After I came home, I stopped the car and it started again just fine. And again this morning, it started fine. But tonight when I was finishing up at work around 7:30 pm, again the DARNED THING WOULDN'T START. This time no amount of pushing around the things in the fuse box would help. I'm going to have it towed to the dealership tomorrow and have it looked ((((( However, for a car that has 200 miles on it, this has to be one of the worst experiences ever (I'm sooooooo mad).
Anyway, anybody have any ideas on what might be wrong (or anyone have similar problems) while I wait till tomorrow morning to have the car towed and looked at ?? Do I have any legal or consumer rights at all since the car is so new ??
For Exhibit A, try the post immediately following yours, #119, above...and welcome to the wonderful world of great design compromised by mediocre execution...
Sounds like something the dealer could easily fixed. You should have called the dealer the next day and reported the problem.
New cars have problems sometimes. I would not recommend poking or hitting the fuse box; you may cause more damage.
I would take the car to the dealer and have them check the electrical system before you get stuck again.
As far as "legal" issues......read your owners manual for details..... however, to substantiate your position and/or claim, you have to give the dealer an opportunity to correct the defect. Depending on the state, the dealer has x amount of times to fix the problem before you qualify for a buyback or lemon law violation.
What is it with Passat spark plugs ? I have a 99 Passat 1.8T with 16k on it. On thanksgiving day, in the rain, the car shut off after starting. When I restarted it the malfunction indicator lamp came on and it was idling roughly. The next day I had it towed to the nearest VW dealership ( 90 miles away ) under warranty. The car and I arrived at 2pm and they told me that the earliest they were going to see it was on Monday evening or Tuesday morning ! When they did see it, apparently the spark plugs were fouled. They had to ORDER IT and they did not arrive until Wednesday. They could not check for anything else until the plugs came. According to them nothing else was wrong. Spark plugs are not supposed to just die after 16k ! This car has been the beneficiary of Castrol syntec 5W50 every 3000 miles and 93 octane gas only. I saw that I am not the only one with early spark plug fouling. This car has been fun to drive otherwise, my only gripe being wind noise at highway speed.
I own a 99 Passat GLX, I have 15k, and have only had to replace an air bag light once. I have a really good dealer, and it seems to me, reading through these posts, people who have problems with the Passat also have terrible dealers that might as well work at a used car dealership. Taking out the psychological anger that comes from a bad dealer/service dept., I am begining to wonder if those bad dealers do the full 5k inspection and repair they are supposed to do when under warranty. This could just be a coincidence, but if they're not even willing to listen to their customers, who knows what corners they could be cutting each time you take it in to have a routine check up and/or to get it repaired. It might be something worth looking into....
If you have a VW dealer who has provided good service, there are many of us who would like to learn who that dealer is - assuming this is allowable on the Forum.
I returned to the dealer 2 days after I was charged $288 for new spark plugs and a fuel injector cleaning and was told that VW now recommends a different type of spark plug be used in the 1.8 turbo. They are going to put them in the next time they can fit me in. When I get the type/brand of plug I will post it. Still seems strange that the things were fouled at 16k.
WOULD NOT START IN -10F WEATHER: Hotter spark plugs installed, oil changed. Dealer says keep on cranking engine. If you stop cranking before it starts, your done. VISOR MIRROR COVER BROKE OFF: Visor catches light if visor is flipped up with the cover open. Replaced, dealer recommends - don't do that. REAR CUP HOLDER BROKE: Flimsy design. Replaced, dealer says be careful. SUNROOF WONT CLOSE WHEN HOT: Dealer could not get it repeat in their shop. Lubed runners. (Still does it). TAIL LIGHT OUT: Replaced TAIL LIGHT OUT: Replaced TAIL LIGHT OUT: Replaced CURRENT PROBLEMS THE CAR IS GOING IN FOR - REMOTE MIRROR KNOB BROKE OFF AND NO AM RADIO STATION RECEPTION AND WEAK FM RECEPTION. I now have 22,000 miles on the car, it is fun to drive but.... If I can't get a long term warranty to limit my future maintenance costs I am dumping it.
I purchased a 1998 Passat V6 with Tiptronic in January of this year from the local Ft. Worth, TX VW dealer. The car had about 30K miles on it when I bought it, and several years left on the drivetrain warranty (unfortunately the complete warranty coverage doesn't transfer to second owners!). We traded my wife's BMW 7-series towards it, and got what we think was a decent deal. I didn't originally want another VW (after a VERY negative experience owning a Scirocco back in the 1980's!). It was a toss-up between the Passat and a Toyota Avalon, and we ended up with the VW......my wife, of course, had the final decision! :-) Although this car has been *relatively* trouble free, I may be regretting the purchase!
After owning the car for about 2 months, the front brake pads (and rotors) were failing. My VW mechanic couldn't locate any replacement rotors (VW was out of stock everywhere!), and I had to order them off the internet.....lucky I even found any! I believe it cost about $350 total for this repair.
Since then, the "Check Engine" light has come on repeatedly, only to be reset each time by the dealer or my mechanic and no problems found.....actually, the light has come on again now and I don't think its worth it to take it back in since they probably won't find anything once again!
Other problems include weird transmission shifting symptoms (but nothing seriously wrong from what I can tell), steering wheel vibration (I really need new tires, though, so that's hopefully the problem), a "squeak" in the steering wheel column (which is annoying), and fairly poor overall quality of interior materials.
The bad reliability stories I keep hearing about the Passat do scare me somewhat, and I can't predict how long we will keep it. At least the drivetrain is still under warranty! Overall I would rate this car about a 6.5 on a scale of 1 to 10.
Has anyone had trouble with their clutch and/or flywheel? I have had my Passat for a year and it has 13,500 miles on it. A few days ago the clutch went completely. And now VW is trying to tell me that it is my fault and that they will not pay for it. Has anyone else had clutch problems, especially when the car is fairly new?
Following the 12 month service at about 10.5K miles, the check engine light came on and the car idled roughly.
To make a long story short, the dealer first says that it's carbon buildup, and I should use the 87 octane fuel (we had been using 89 since we got the car). The higher octanes don't burn hot enough, thus causing the carbon buildup.
Then they discovered that the #6 injector failed - they replaced all six.
So now the car runs great, but which came first, carbon buildup due to the fuel issue, or carbon buildup due to a failed injecter.
BTW, I cannot get either the dealer or VW to provide any written endorsement to use the lower ocatane fuel. I am concerned that this might cause other problems(?). Another local VW service manager said he never heard of going to a lower octane fuel.
The *manufacturer*, the guys that designed and built your car, recommend you use 91 octane fuel. Sounds like you had a bad injector, and the 89 octane probably contributed to that, 87 octane would be even worse. The V6 and 1.8T are both high compression engines and require the higher octane.
Use the 91 like the *manufacturer* recommends, and ignore the often-undertrained, often-unsupported, often ill-informed, certainly over-worked service types at your local dealership.
Amen to the above post. It's a new one when the mechanics of a car whose manufacturer recommends premium fuel want you to use regular...just when I thought I'd heard everything...all this to avoid the obvious conclusion that an injector, or some other part of the fuel delivery system, had a problem. Lordy....
One of the really, really, really big things holding the VW brand back from true greatness in this country is the shockingly poor level of technical expertise and service support at the dealer level. Anyone who has experienced service for these cars in their native element, i.e. the EU in general and Germany in particular, can be forgiven for wondering if this is the same outfit.
Have 99 GLS w 4 cyl turbo. Since new car runs relatively well on maintaining speed, however, under load at 20 to 45 mph, car feels like minor to major missing ie bad spark plug. Now at 35,000 mile and on 4th set of spark plugs. cars been back to dealer 10+ time and each time told " no engine codes so everythings fine". a week ago the "engine light" came on so back to dealer. Engine register 4 misfires, 1 cyl 3 misfire and mass air flow fault. dealer replaced air flow something. car ran fine one day and back to square one. Additionally, now the cars using oil, Just changed oil yesterday and will be keeping records, however, dealer stated it may be the turbo. I love the car, but this misfire, and the inability to find and correct it is driving me nuts. by the way, I have a 96 Passat TDI thats my work car with 146,000 miles and it's great. Due to that we purchased this for my wife. It's bad enough the cars a rat, but having to "catch it" on a daily basis from the wife for my "intelligent choice" is worse. Is there a solution. I feel if I can't get to the bottom of this mess, the car will be gone within a month. Volkswagens "lip service" doesn't help.
...the post above illustrates again that the engineering and design brilliance the car represents is just useless if the service establishment is unprepared to actually solve problems to keep cars on the road and owners happy. Clearly, the car above has a serious induction system problem, but the service people have neither the tools nor expertise to find it. My first reaction is to find another dealer, or maybe two, or maybe three...not a practical strategy, of course, if you live in a small market area. Perhaps time to demand the dealer call in some help from VWoA?
Just traded in my 99 passat gls 4 cy for a new a new 2001 passat gls 4 cy loaded with luxury pkg and leather. I delt with bay ridge volks in brooklyn ny because they gave me great service on the 99 passat and a great deal on the trade. In comparing the 99 to the 2000 I can't believe volks didn't to a fix on the rear cupholders which fell apart twice on my 99. Also the passengerside air bag cover on the dash on the 2000 sticks up an eighth of an inch like the 99. Also the the outside mirror adjustment knob which broke on my 99 looks the same on the 2000.
I've recently bought a 2000 Passat GLS and have noticed that when it is driven for some time, and when I stop, there is a strange whirring sound coming from the engine. When I touch the acclerator or drive off slowly the whirring sound stops, only to come back again when I take my foot off the gas. It isn't a cooling fan as that sound would be audible during accleration aswell. Any comments??
We recently traded in our 1999 Jetta GLS to get a 2001 Passat GLX: 4 Motion. We are very impressed with this tight handling and the 4 wheel stability. It has very good features and so far it has only impressed us. We got a good deal at Roseville,CA VW dealer. The aceeleration is smooth, the engine generates enough torque and going on steep slopes is effortless..
The added stability with 4motion you can feel the difference in handling while making those curves, its truly a drivers car.
I THOUGHT I was truly intereseted in a Passat and am scheduled to meet with a saleman this morning, but after reading this forum, even if these are the exceptions, I can't see myself risking that I too will buy one of the lemons. I can't take that risk and will now begin my research anew. It sounds that even those people who haven't had major mechanical malfunctions have quality problems like the paint blistering or the leather wearing prematurely. So long, farewell, I won't see you in the morn.
The driver side seat heater has decided to work only when it wants. The passenger side still works fine. We'll jump in the car, start it up, then turn on that luxurious seat heater. My wife will be toasty and I'll be chiverin'. Our trip may never see my seat get warm and then sometimes it comes on. This intermittent prob has just showed up. Any thoughts on what it could be? Anyone with same prob?
I just did my first oil and filter change on my 1999 Passat w/ the 2.8. I checked this board and the Vortex board prior to jumping in. I have a couple of questions.
The first is on the oil filter. The old filter (installed by the dealer) was the large filter and the one the (same) dealer sold me is the smaller one. The VW dealer said the filter is VIN dependent. Someone on the Vortex board said that VW switched to the smaller one. As filters go, bigger is usually better. I normally default to the dealers expertise in these situations, but the dealer is obviously confused. No surprise there, they are monkeys. Does anyone have info on the filter issue? Are they interchangeable?
My second question is about something I saw when installing the filter. On either side of the male threaded portion on the car (that threads into the filter) are two orange plastic inserts. One of them was broken off. A small portion was still in the hole. It wouldn't come out with gentle prodding with my fingernail, so I left it. Any thoughts on this? I'll be calling the dealer on Tuesday.
Just a couple of closing comments. The car was purchased new. It has had a couple of problems, but the dealers have fixed everything. We purchased the extended Bumper to Bumper warranty and feel good with that and the 10 yr/ 100K mile drivetrain. We like the car and feel it's pretty darn reliable. This car replaced a 1995 Ford Taurus w/ the 3.8. The HORROR stories that POS created.
Replies here and to kings4@mindspring_nospam.com would be greatly appreciated.
Our dealer missed some things at the 5,000 mi. maintenance, so I had been planning to go in anyway, and on the day I had set aside, I heard a hissing noise from under the driver's side front wheel on my way to work. Perfect timing, I thought, but when I got to the dealer, they informed me that this looked like "outside influence" and that they could tell by looking at it. If it is, then it isn't covered. The next day, I had to track them down to hear that the emissions line had been hissing because it's broken, and the brake lines leading to the rear were damaged - $800 to repair. The regional rep. had supposedly been consulted about this, and he said "strictly COD". Wish he had said that to me...
Thus started our story. I decided to get a second opinion since this was a huge surprise. We hadn't had any accidents or mishaps - not even a warning on the dashboard. Now, I had nightmares of VW service stories from the 70s and 80s.
When we picked up the car, I noticed that the passenger's airbag was misaligned in the dashboard. I mentioned it, and the guy said he could have it checked, but that they hadn't done anything to it. Whatever. The next place seemed great - and they even let me look at the damage under the car. Something had hit the dinky little emissions tube and the brake lines, but I also noticed that the muffler was leaking. That was that - replace airbag and muffler under warrantee; replace brake lines and emissions canister due to "outside influence".
That was two weeks ago, and since then we've been told that the brake lines are on "national backorder" and need to be shipped from Europe. Today, they're saying that it could take another two weeks before they ship.
With my wife 9 months pregnant, this is the only reason we even bought a new car. VWofA accepts no responsibility and has said all sorts of things to get us off the line.
It may be a new car, but beware the same old VW service.
I asked some questions of the group about the VR6 oil filter and about two plastic plugs in the oil filter adapter on the car. I also asked two VW dealers near me.
My first question was about the two oil filter sizes. VW said the smaller filter has replaced the larger filter and that they ARE interchangable.
My second question was about the plastic plugs on what the VW folks called the oil cooler, one of which appears to be broken. They didn't know what I was talking about (surprised?) but said if it was engine oil related and appeared to be broken, that I better bring it in to be looked at.
I took the car in for the broken plastic plugs on the oil filter cooler (the part that the filter is screwed onto). I have been told that the orange plastic plug is a check valve and that there is only one; that there is no check valve opposite from it, that hole has no check valve. When I asked about what appeared to be the remnants of plastic in the hole, the technician said that he looked at other oil coolers and they were identical. An interesting side note: The dealer that I bought my last filters from charged me $33.00. This dealer said they are only $14.95. Hmmmm...
Comments
Thanks,
panther83
It jerks with a sudden acceleration.
not sure if it is the same problem.
but I have manual transmission.
So far everything works well. I have two questions about the brakes.
1. When travelling backwards there is a noise, which sounds like it's coming from the rear, that ocassionaly occurs when braking. It sounds something like a trombone. I got a feeling it is not serious and when travelling forward there is no noise. Should I take the car in to have it checked out?
2. It snowed recently here in Chicago and so naturally when I was driving down the alley I had to jam on the brakes and check out the antilocks.
Well they seemed to work however there was a good deal of grinding noise and the brake pedal vibrated quite a lot. According to the owners manual the noise and pedal vibration is normal however I am still not comfortable with the grinding noise. Should I be concerned?
2) The grinding noise you hear is normal with ABS so you shouldn't be concerned. The first time I used ABS I too was surprised by the vibration and noise it caused. I thought something was wrong but after using ABS in other cars I realized that it is normal to have vibration and grinding.
I hope I answered your concerns and feel free to ask more questions.
Tom
It's now 11/7, my part should be in. I called the dealer to check...nope not in....by the end of the week it should be.
It's 11/10..end of the week...still no part, maybe next week. So I take a ride to the dealership, argue that there should be some kind of compensation, since I've been renting a car nearly a month. The general manager of the dealership tells me I not his problem and there aren't going to help. Tells me I have too many miles on my car and VW doesn't care about me. I tell all of the customers in the showroom, exactly what I think of the dealership and VW, the general manager escorts me out of the dealership (don't think their going to help much now)
11/16 Call dealership, only one person will talk to me. Part due in tomorrow, takes 2 days to fix should have car back by thanksgiving.
11/20 PART IS IN! should have my car back by the end of the week.
11/24 Called dealership today, car still not done. It's only been 41 days, what should I expect. Car won't be done until next week.
Keep in mind, this whole time I have been in contact with VW Customer Relations. I know more than they do everytime I call. Today after a lengthy discussion, the rep at VW told me my car shouldn't be covered under warranty. I told her a few things that I won't repeat. I've paid about two car payments worth of rental car expenses and I'm about to extend it another week.
I WILL NEVER PURCHASE A VW AGAIN!
For those of you who have had difficulty with VW's Customer Service toll-free number, don't give up. If they didn't give you the answer you wanted, call again. I had to call 4 times before I was reimbursed for repairs I should never have had to pay. Appeal to their senses -- they're consumers, too. Keep telling them that you understand that their job is to keep the customer satisfied while minimizing VW expenses -- and that they're doing really good on the expense part but are sucking at the customer service stuff. And, that you barely tell a soul when you're thrilled with a product but you'll tell everyone who'll listen how bad VW is.
The biggest lesson I learned was that I was the responsible one for purchasing a car with the worst warranty in the business (2/24). And VW will continue with this warranty because they're making millions.
Good luck to you'all.
This past week, the check-engine light went on while we were doing the mid-Atlantic Thanksgiving tour. Since the car seemed to be running okay (no overheating, engine smooth) we continued the trip, but found a VW dealer near my sister's place, who told us that the gas cap had been loose, (unlikely - she pumps her own and is always careful to turn the gas cap three clicks) and that this allegedly had thrown off the diagnostic computer. They charged her $40 for the diagnosis and to reset the engine light.
We headed home, gassed up again, checked the gas cap thoroughly, drove about 150 miles in Thanksgiving weekend I-95 traffic (not quite as bad as gouging your eye out with a spoon), stopped for a bite to eat, and when we started the car, the idiot light came on again.
She's annoyed in the extreme and is thinking of selling it and getting a Honda or even a Hyundai (I love my Tiburon...), rather than geting nickelled-and dimed to death.
Anyone know what the problem is with Passat electrical systems?
My parents have 1995 Passat with 90k on it. They did not have any problems with this car so far. They did all scheduled maintenance and changed oil every 3000 with Castrol synthetic. Do you think that they might drive it for 5 more years without any costly repairs. They are retired and do not want to spend $30,000 for a new car. Does anybody know how many miles can Passat make?
A lot depends on how the miles are put on the car. I would assume that most of these miles are local, which is more harsh than long freeway trips (assuming that oil is changed on time, which you said it is). I wouldn't expect a car to run to 180K (a lot of it local) without at least planning for a major repair...if you don't have one, consider yourself lucky.
A Passat will definitely last to 180K if taken care of, but you still may end up replacing all kinds of stuff in the process.
But buying a new $30k car is not their only option. Economically, some people suggest that the best approach is to buy a two-three year old car and sell it after four-five years ownership and do next to nothing but change fluids, filters, and check air pressure in between. Your parents should articulate their needs (long distance touring vs. local trips to the grocer and to see the grandkids, etc.) to determine what ownership plan makes the most sense. You can expect more reliability out of a low-mileage two year old Ford Escort than a ten year old high mileage Passat, but if you want to enjoy driving 180K miles, you might not want to do it by trading in your Escort every three years for another slightly used one.
Additionally, I think there has been some confusing statements made about window antennas and whip (or aerial) style models. The VWs use a shortened external aerial mast (that funny thing in the middle of the back of the roof) which is similar to the slender shiny thing sticking out of the fender on most cars. A windsheild antenna resembles the defroster wires that are glued to the rear windsheild. A windsheild antenna is often located on the front windsheild. Some systems use "diversity" tuning which combines the standard aerial mast AND a windsheild antenna in an attempt to provide a better signal through the use of TWO antennas.
1. The spark plugs only had 16,000 miles on them. I had them replaced when I had the recommended 40k service done at 36000 miles.
2. One year ago almost to the day, we had the same kind of problem (the outside temperatures were also in the 30's). That time I was told that the #3 engine coil was bad and the #3 plug was fouled.
3. I have had to take the car in before where the check engine light came on and I was told that the engine was "missing". The mechs said that it was probably just too much oil in the engine (they were the ones who changed it by the way).
4. This latest fix was not covered by waranty and I want to know what is causing my relatively new spark plugs to foul. Is is a temperature sensor problem-i.e. the colder outside temps?
What happens is... when you start the car, move it quickly and shut it off, the engine get's "stuck" in the cold-start mode or some such thing and won't start the next time you want it to. This condition can be exasperated by cold weather. Many people have experienced this when moving the car out of the garage to wash it, or like you just moving it's parking spot.
What basically happnes is your car floods itself. I have only had this happen once, despite moving it short, quick distances many, many times with no problems.
I was able to start the car by flooring the gas and cranking away. This is the way it has worked for many others as well. My plugs were clean, but I changed the oil shortly after this since flooding the car gets gas into your oil and am careful not to move the car like that.
I know this stinks, but people have had this problem with other cars as well, and like I said, despite doing exactly what should cause the problem many times, it has only happend to me once.
Your problem was exasperated by a dealer looking to make an extra buck off of you I believe.
I'm not a mechanic, nor do I wish to become one. Here is more detail of the brake failure and total engine failure. Pardon my lack of technical lnowledge.
The brakes went out during the first week after I drove 35 miles over a mountain. When I parked the car, the brakes were smoking. They were severly scored due to "improper adjustment" and had to be replaced. The car was towed to the nearest VW dealer who replaced the brakes and returned the car to us a week later.
When I said the engine "fried" I meant that it overheated, cracked the block and bent 2 pistons. The engine stopped and would not start again and the car was towed. The dealer *thinks* this was due to failure of the water pump but since a belt on the pump was melted (along with some other parts that apparantly were vital), I'm not convinced it wasn't simply an effect of overheating and perhaps they do not know the cause. Then again, I'm not a mechanic.
It took over 2 weeks to replace parts and the car went back to the shop 2 days after we picked it up. It sounded like a tractor and vibrated while attempting to idol. Yesterday we all piled in the car for a Sunday drive and then decided to take the Subaru because the Passat wouldn't idol properly after warming up for 5 minutes (in a warm climate). So its back to the shop... 3 time's a charm?
My husband really likes this car. He drove a Camry (another car we considered) and he frequently drives my Subaru Outback. He prefers his Passat to these and anything else he has driven lately. This is very frustrating for him. Its like being in love with someone who won't behave when the denial phase starts to wear off. And I have yet to hear of a customer-service oriented VW dealership.
Almost 34k trouble-free miles on my '99 GLS Turbo.
Well since I wasn't interested in waiting for 45 mins, I decided to read the manual and see if there was something. The manual suggested looking at the fuses to see if one was busted or something. It was quite dark so I couldn't see that so I thought why not poke around inside the fuse box -- perhaps there's just some loose connection or something. And lo and behold, the car started. I drove it home fine and figured that's all it was -- a fuse not inserted fully or something.
After I came home, I stopped the car and it started again just fine. And again this morning, it started fine. But tonight when I was finishing up at work around 7:30 pm, again the DARNED THING WOULDN'T START. This time no amount of pushing around the things in the fuse box would help. I'm going to have it towed to the dealership tomorrow and have it looked
Anyway, anybody have any ideas on what might be wrong (or anyone have similar problems) while I wait till tomorrow morning to have the car towed and looked at ?? Do I have any legal or consumer rights at all since the car is so new ??
New cars have problems sometimes. I would not recommend poking or hitting the fuse box; you may cause more damage.
I would take the car to the dealer and have them check the electrical system before you get stuck again.
As far as "legal" issues......read your owners manual for details..... however, to substantiate your position and/or claim, you have to give the dealer an opportunity to correct the defect. Depending on the state, the dealer has x amount of times to fix the problem before you qualify for a buyback or lemon law violation.
Good luck
The next day I had it towed to the nearest VW dealership ( 90 miles away ) under warranty. The car and I arrived at 2pm and they told me that the earliest they were going to see it was on Monday evening or Tuesday morning !
When they did see it, apparently the spark plugs were fouled. They had to ORDER IT and they did not arrive until Wednesday. They could not check for anything else until the plugs came. According to them nothing else was wrong.
Spark plugs are not supposed to just die after 16k ! This car has been the beneficiary of Castrol syntec 5W50 every 3000 miles and 93 octane gas only. I saw that I am not the only one with early spark plug fouling.
This car has been fun to drive otherwise, my only gripe being wind noise at highway speed.
Very good so far.
VISOR MIRROR COVER BROKE OFF: Visor catches light if visor is flipped up with the cover open. Replaced, dealer recommends - don't do that.
REAR CUP HOLDER BROKE: Flimsy design. Replaced, dealer says be careful.
SUNROOF WONT CLOSE WHEN HOT: Dealer could not get it repeat in their shop. Lubed runners. (Still does it).
TAIL LIGHT OUT: Replaced
TAIL LIGHT OUT: Replaced
TAIL LIGHT OUT: Replaced
CURRENT PROBLEMS THE CAR IS GOING IN FOR - REMOTE MIRROR KNOB BROKE OFF AND NO AM RADIO STATION RECEPTION AND WEAK FM RECEPTION.
I now have 22,000 miles on the car, it is fun to drive but.... If I can't get a long term warranty to limit my future maintenance costs I am dumping it.
I didn't originally want another VW (after a VERY negative experience owning a Scirocco back in the 1980's!). It was a toss-up between the Passat and a Toyota Avalon, and we ended up with the VW......my wife, of course, had the final decision! :-) Although this car has been *relatively* trouble free, I may be regretting the purchase!
After owning the car for about 2 months, the front brake pads (and rotors) were failing. My VW mechanic couldn't locate any replacement rotors (VW was out of stock everywhere!), and I had to order them off the internet.....lucky I even found any! I believe it cost about $350 total for this repair.
Since then, the "Check Engine" light has come on repeatedly, only to be reset each time by the dealer or my mechanic and no problems found.....actually, the light has come on again now and I don't think its worth it to take it back in since they probably won't find anything once again!
Other problems include weird transmission shifting symptoms (but nothing seriously wrong from what I can tell), steering wheel vibration (I really need new tires, though, so that's hopefully the problem), a "squeak" in the steering wheel column (which is annoying), and fairly poor overall quality of interior materials.
The bad reliability stories I keep hearing about the Passat do scare me somewhat, and I can't predict how long we will keep it. At least the drivetrain is still under warranty! Overall I would rate this car about a 6.5 on a scale of 1 to 10.
Be sure your gas cap is on tight. It is the most common reason for unexplained check engine lights.
To make a long story short, the dealer first says that it's carbon buildup, and I should use the 87 octane fuel (we had been using 89 since we got the car). The higher octanes don't burn hot enough, thus causing the carbon buildup.
Then they discovered that the #6 injector failed - they replaced all six.
So now the car runs great, but which came first, carbon buildup due to the fuel issue, or carbon buildup due to a failed injecter.
BTW, I cannot get either the dealer or VW to provide any written endorsement to use the lower ocatane fuel. I am concerned that this might cause other problems(?). Another local VW service manager said he never heard of going to a lower octane fuel.
Any comments, advice?
The *manufacturer*, the guys that designed and
built your car, recommend you use 91 octane fuel.
Sounds like you had a bad injector, and the 89
octane probably contributed to that, 87 octane
would be even worse. The V6 and 1.8T are both high
compression engines and require the higher octane.
Use the 91 like the *manufacturer* recommends, and
ignore the often-undertrained, often-unsupported,
often ill-informed, certainly over-worked service
types at your local dealership.
The *manufacturer* knows best.
My 2¢. :-)
One of the really, really, really big things holding the VW brand back from true greatness in this country is the shockingly poor level of technical expertise and service support at the dealer level. Anyone who has experienced service for these cars in their native element, i.e. the EU in general and Germany in particular, can be forgiven for wondering if this is the same outfit.
Some are told to run their 2.7T's (turbo 2.8s) on 87 octane. This is not a good idea. You are losing power, no matter what they tell you.
What about oil consumption for this engine? Should there be any, some, none? My car is using about 1/2 qt every 5K miles.
Thanks again.
Thanks
esmith@admr.com
We recently traded in our 1999 Jetta GLS to get a 2001 Passat GLX: 4 Motion. We are very impressed with this tight handling and the 4 wheel stability. It has very good features and so far it has only impressed us. We got a good deal at Roseville,CA VW dealer. The aceeleration is smooth, the engine generates enough torque and going on steep slopes is effortless..
The added stability with 4motion you can feel the difference in handling while making those curves, its truly a drivers car.
I just did my first oil and filter change on my 1999 Passat w/ the 2.8. I checked this board and the Vortex board prior to jumping in. I have a couple of questions.
The first is on the oil filter. The old filter (installed by the dealer) was the large filter and the one the (same) dealer sold me is the smaller one. The VW dealer said the filter is VIN dependent. Someone on the Vortex board said that VW switched to the smaller one. As filters go, bigger is usually better. I normally default to the dealers expertise in these situations, but the dealer is obviously confused. No surprise there, they are monkeys. Does anyone have info on the filter issue? Are they interchangeable?
My second question is about something I saw when installing the filter. On either side of the male threaded portion on the car (that threads into the filter) are two orange plastic inserts. One of them was broken off. A small portion was still in the hole. It wouldn't come out with gentle prodding with my fingernail, so I left it. Any thoughts on this? I'll be calling the dealer on Tuesday.
Just a couple of closing comments. The car was purchased new. It has had a couple of problems, but the dealers have fixed everything. We purchased the extended Bumper to Bumper warranty and feel good with that and the 10 yr/ 100K mile drivetrain. We like the car and feel it's pretty darn reliable. This car replaced a 1995 Ford Taurus w/ the 3.8. The HORROR stories that POS created.
Replies here and to kings4@mindspring_nospam.com would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
Thus started our story. I decided to get a second opinion since this was a huge surprise. We hadn't had any accidents or mishaps - not even a warning on the dashboard. Now, I had nightmares of VW service stories from the 70s and 80s.
When we picked up the car, I noticed that the passenger's airbag was misaligned in the dashboard. I mentioned it, and the guy said he could have it checked, but that they hadn't done anything to it. Whatever. The next place seemed great - and they even let me look at the damage under the car. Something had hit the dinky little emissions tube and the brake lines, but I also noticed that the muffler was leaking. That was that - replace airbag and muffler under warrantee; replace brake lines and emissions canister due to "outside influence".
That was two weeks ago, and since then we've been told that the brake lines are on "national backorder" and need to be shipped from Europe. Today, they're saying that it could take another two weeks before they ship.
With my wife 9 months pregnant, this is the only reason we even bought a new car. VWofA accepts no responsibility and has said all sorts of things to get us off the line.
It may be a new car, but beware the same old VW service.
My first question was about the two oil filter sizes. VW said the smaller filter has replaced the larger filter and that they ARE interchangable.
My second question was about the plastic plugs on what the VW folks called the oil cooler, one of which appears to be broken. They didn't know what I was talking about (surprised?) but said if it was engine oil related and appeared to be broken, that I better bring it in to be looked at.
More to follow...
An interesting side note: The dealer that I bought my last filters from charged me $33.00. This dealer said they are only $14.95. Hmmmm...