VW Passat Troubles (B5 platform, nee Audi)

riswami

I've done it. It can't hurt and you may help it?

Post 199 - I'm sure that many of the parts carried over from the 97 to the new model Passats.For instance the base Jetta engine has been around forever. It gets tweaking every few years.

hiwaysanity

The car and motor of the current Passat are completely unrelated to the previous edition Passat. The earlier platform and motor were both designed by VW, and the same motor is still used in the Jetta platform. The current car and motor were designed by Audi, and reconfigured by VW. If there are shared parts, we're talking maybe ash trays or something.

g20eng

Hi,

Can I ask where I can read the information that you are stating. I'm considering a 2001.5 Passat, but now that I'm hearing about so many troubles, I"m not so sure now, unless I can verify and discuss with the dealer what you are saying. Any references would be much appreciated.

jk2468

Yes,

I know the Passat was redesigned for '98. '97 was the last year of the old body style. Are you saying, that neither CR nor Edmund's liked the car back then?

hiwaysanity

g20eng - I think I red it in the Edmunds reviews when the car first came out. The origins of the platform are fairly common knowledge (hence the name of this topic.) Hope that helps. :-)

jk2468 - No, I have no idea what the reviewers said about the earlier model Passat. I was just commenting to a poster who had bought a '97 based on the rave reviews the current model was getting.

betnoyer

Farewell to Volkswagen.
I have 99 Passat 4 cyl turbo. purchased new in 99. For the record, I have had VW for the past 20+ years, have sold them between 73 and 89 and have been member of their famous "sales guild" for achievement. Over the years, I learned VW could be trusted, Right???
Well, this beautiful 99 Passat was purchased for my wife. Since day 2 the car has had intermittent starting, running, bucking and engine misfire problems. Having been in the business, I kept taking car back to dealer. They stated they can't find anything wrong, but next time, bring it back again. All of these cases have not been documented by dealer writing repair orders. Over the past 2 + years, the car has been back to the dealer 20+ times. The last time the factory representative was called in and worked on vehicle for 6 hours. so far, mass air flow, ignition parts, ECU, and other miscllenous parts have been replaced, all at no cost to me. The problem still exist, and vw rep even acknowledges there is a problem, due to fault codes on computer readout, however, they are unable to duplicate problem.
Situation has been left by telling me they don't want to replace any more parts until problem cause is known, but they have no way to diagonis.
VW is now willing to help me out of the car. There formula is cars only good for 100,000 miles. Divide original purchase price by 100,000 gives cost per mile, multiply cost per mile (appx 10,000) and deduct that from original price paid. this is offered toward "full sticker" of new. Now any genius can deduct for that for this vehicle with 37,000 mile they are offering me 23,300 minus 10,000+ 13,300 (rough estimate). This is extent of their warranty. Think I'll pass on warranty. Am purchasing new Toyota.. Dealers selling to me at $500 over invoice and allowing me $16,000 for this.
My feelings were that since there's a documented problem from day one that if dealer wants $11,000 difference to replace, cost should be split between VW and me, which I'm agreeable to or somebody has to make the car right. I mean, THE CAR IS STILL UNDER TOTED 10/100 WARRANTY. Apparently, VW doesn't agree.
Dealer offered to buy the car back a month ago. We approached dealer yesterday, and he stated he has already traded another one, and isn't a buyer for this one now for any price. (can you blame him)
Considering a new VW. Look around, there's a lot of 1 and 2 year old VW's showing up on used car lots. Maybe, it's just not me.
BEFORE PURCHASING an new VW, may I suggest you check the cost of routine maintenance parts. Spark plugs, $11.50 each. They're Bosh, but are not available anywhere but thru your dealer. You better save a lot on the purchase price, cause you're gonna spend it later.
Bitter? You're darn right I am. I followed dealer and VWs advice and "worked" with them. Consequently, everything wasn't written up and documentation provided me. Now that I'm past the "lemon law" period, I'M JUST ANOTHER LITTLE FISH IN THE SEA!!!
Last, but not least, this car will be showing up on a beautiful "preowned vehicle" lot for resale. Color the perfect color for a lemon, before it ripens.

marg1011

gotta take that thing in. It took three times for the dealer to find the source of my leak. I know they've had to completely replace a few suspension racks. VW has problems with the suspension rack leaking, but not enough to issue a recall. Make sure they put the neon dye in the steering fluid so that they can check it later on.

car_nut1

2001 "new" passat glx w/tip; gas gauge doesn't always register full; with climate-control off, heat comes out of center vents on 80 degree day; key isn't always recognized by computer, car is
"immobilized"; and car rides like a truck, dealer says maybe caps on shocks were not removed during prep. Anyone else have problems during first 1K.

rancher350

I currently drive a 1992 Camry with more than 170,000 miles. I am looking at
buying a new car and the 2001.5 Passat looks great. Now perhaps I have been
spoiled by the Camry, and by Toyota in general, but I want a car that is reliable. It
doesn't matter how pretty or sweet riding a car is if it spends most of its time, and
most of my money, in the shop. It seems that no one is happy with their Passat, and
those that are have experienced at least minor problems. Is this the case? I even
see people posting that they have experienced no problems at 6,000 or 10,000 or
30,000 miles, yet. My Camry has never had a problem, even with 170,000 and still
ticking. Are Passat's reliable? Are these problems exceptions to the rules? Or are
Passats just another pretty but very unreliable car? I would appreciate any thoughts
the group has on this matter!

hiwaysanity

to hear people praise their cars. This place is full of the ones who have complaints. Think about it - it's human nature. When did you ever see ABC News do an entire show full of good news?

For every person here who complains about Passat problems there a a few thousand happy owners out there. I love mine, and at 20k miles have had a very satisfactory experience so far. I had a minor tire balance problem, and a rear seat belt guide broke. Otherwise the car has been perfect. I would highly recommend one to anybody who values their driving experience. Reliability overall for the Passat has been average or better. Not as good as Toyota, but better than most. That means that, car for car, the probability of finding one as reliable as your Camry is very probable.

This is a good place to compare problems, but for factual info about owners' experiences I would go to Consumer Reports and similar pubs that collect actual statistics.

Good luck, whatever you buy.

rancher350

I appreciate your words and advice. It was just getting a little disheartening when I kept reading such things. Thanks again, I'll keep the group posted on what I buy!

Mr_Shiftright

He's right, This is the ER room, where almost everyone who comes in has a sick friend with him or her!

jrct9454

If reliability is a prime concern, then there is no reason to minimize the differences between Toyota and VW. You MUST want the performance and ride/handling differences enough to take on the extra risk that the Passat represents. Let's not try to sugar-coat this: for anyone used to a Camry's relatively trouble-free life, you are taking on a much riskier proposition in picking the Passat...not to mention the extra cost over a Camry or Accord, model for model.

For a satisfied Camry owner, I would advise waiting for the new Camry and for that matter, the new Altima [which sounds like the best thing Nissan has done in decades], both of which are due in September, before making this decision. I love the way the Passat performs on the road, love the way it looks and feels, but the combination of the reliability risk and the stunning differences in real-world transaction prices put me into an '01 Accord V6. My best friend went with a Passat 1.8 turbo...he's happy, notwithstanding his failed climate control...I'm just as happy about not having any failures at all. Depends on what you value most. I wish my car rode as well as his, and had the 5 spd automatic, but not enough to trade for the long run....

hiwaysanity

"for anyone used to a Camry's relatively trouble-free life, you are taking on a much riskier proposition in picking the Passat."

I wouldn't agree to "much" riskier. When comparing the overall Camry fleet to the overall Passat fleet Camry has much better than average reliability, and the Passat has better than average (CR and JD Power.) Passat's problems per 100 cars is something like 125, Camry's 108 (I'm going by memory here - maybe someone has the numbers.) I wouldn't characterize that as " . . a much riskier proposition . .". The risk of getting a car with some problems is higher with the Passat. Camry's is nearly unparalelled.

For an individual car, a troublesome car can be a real headache, for either one.

car_nut1

I was spoiled by Nissans & Toyotas. The Japanese mfg. made me think of my car as an appliance. To be as trouble free as a stove; and just as boring.
I'm sure when my dealer resolves the relatively
minor problems I'll feel better. Probably won't have another problem til the next 25K miles.
But now I realize I have a problem windshield.
Distortion in the lower left and right corners.
Is this normal??

hicaira

Beware of looking at raw numbers (ex: 108 vs 125) when evaluating reliability. Unfortunately JD Powers does not release the details of those numbers to the general public (they sell them for many, many $$$$$) but I'd rather drive a car with a score of 200 if they were all minor annoyances than a car with 50 if they were all drivetrain failures.

I am reminded of some friends who have a Lexus LS 400. They received the Powers survey and marked TWO problems in the "Fit & Finish" section. First, extrapolated, those two errors on one car would translate to 200 in the power rankings which, based only on this car, would put Lexus down there with Kia, but the actual "problems" they noted were a hoot. One was that if you were driving over a really bumpy road and changing CD in the in-dash changer at the same time, it would sometimes skip to the next CD, not the one you selected (The Horrors! Recall! Lemon!!). The other was that with the sun roof open there was a lot of wind noise on the freeway (duh!).

Regardless, the rankings are a good way to draw very general conclusions about how satisfied owners are of the car they chose. These same Lexus owners would have found about 300 problems with a Camry.

HiC

hiwaysanity

and to even make use of their data you have to understand where it comes from, the sample volume, etc. So, I agree, HiC.

But they are a reasonable reading on the overall reliability of a platform, and CR does break out drivetrain from electrical, etc.

bemused

Let me preface this note by mentioning my spotless 1996 Honda Accord record. However here is my 1999 Passat Repair History:

12/98 Rear cup holder - "fixed"
12/98 VERY Squeaky rear passenger side brake - never fixed
12/98 Front door window channel weather-stripping split
1/99 Rear cup holder - "fixed"
8/99 Rear cup holder - "fixed"
8/99 Engine control unit - replaced
10/99 Replace entire turbo unit (waste gate broke)
10/99 Bad tie rod
10/99 Brake booster hose
4/00 Rear washer motor
7/00 Side door molding coming off
4/00 Middle seat belt won't extend (locked in place)- $250 to repair
5/00 Driver side window makes creaking noise during roll-up - $100 to repair
5/00 driver's side rear seat fold-down latch broken - $200 to repair

I finally had to fix the rear cup holder myself on 9/99 to actually keep it working. I found that the manufacturing was good, but that the design was rather poor. I had to make a retaining clip to keep the springs in place.

tnt673

I've been looking for a used Passat V6 automatic for months. Now that I've found one, I find that "Consumer Reports" says to avoid the 1998 V6. How bad is it? I'd greatly appreciate any advice. Should I wait more months for a 1999 or newer?

neurotic1

I have an annoying coolant leak that the dealer can't seem to fix(4 trips in so far). The leak is where the 1inch exit hose to the coolant reserovir connects. It is a weeping leak so it is very slow, but annoying. Last trip in the dealer actually replaced the hose, clamp, and reservoir. It still weeps! Anyone heard of this before? If your coolant level is bropping ever so slowly, then maybe you are leaking there too. Is there anything in the system(pump?) that could be causing excess pressure and forcing the leak?

Thanks!

hiwaysanity

The '98 is a completely different platform than the '99+, with a different motor and transmission. The '98 motor is the VR6, which is a proven motor, but not nearly as refined as the '99+, which uses the Audi 2.8l V6 mated to the Tiptronic auto. Different animal, much more residual value.

arcgator

heating elements in side mirrors are out, not sure of when but suprisingly it only cost $55 for the pair and VW showed me how to do it myself, can you believe it! slight rubbing sound coming from steering wheel, vw fixed and paid for. have been waiting on new driver side window switch for rear driver side door since forever. unfortunately it seems to be a legit problem with VW because none of the 3 dealers around can get the piece. no major problems, but then again, thats problably because i purchased an extended aftermarket warranty. i guess you have to pay somebody somewhere. side note: why do some some of you buy the 1.8t in such a big darn car?

99 V6 5 speed manual, no lag.

tomarie

I read all these messages, and still decided to buy a Passat after three troublefree Toyotas. I picked up my new GLX sedan on Saturday. Its now Thursday and I am without transportation. The car needs to be fixed before I can drive it any distance. I want to return the car and try again but I can't.
This NEVER happened in 20 years of Toyotas and its happening in just five days with a new Volkswagen!

telaine

Just reading your message. What happened that your car needs to be fixed after 5 days? My best advice is to document everything, just in case the dealer doesn't repair it. I have a 2001.5 GLX passat. It had a problem within a month of my purchase. I was really frustrated and ticked. Dealer fixed it and I haven't had any more problems since (knock wood). I was truly worried that I had made a bad decision buying the passat, because like you I had read the horror stories. I do love my car - it looks great and since the fix, has been working wonderfully. Just so you know I have a friend who had problems with her Acura TL within months of purchase and I had a friend with a new Corvette who had nothing but problems. Unfortunately it happens. I hope you care gets fixed on the first try and you get some driving pleasure from it. Let us know what happens!

tomarie

Sounds trivial, but the windshield wipers come on at times when I start the engine and cannot be turned off. The car is not drivable when this happens. The dealer said they found a bad relay and fixed it. But when I picked up the car, it did it again right there in the dealer parking lot - no way to stop those wipers, no matter how many times you start the car. Good thing I kept my old car.

wie_gehts

My girlfriend just bought a new 2001.5 VW Passat GLS with the 1.8 Turbo. I was on a trip for some time and her car got stolen, she needed a new one soon, anyway, she bought it by herself. I couldn't be there to go to the test drive etc. so I just saw the car first after she already bought it. In general, I am very impressed with the quality of materials, esp. the leather is absolutely incredible. Well, everything is perfect except the engine in my opinion. It's the 5 spd. Automatic, and the turbocharged engine now has 170 hp in this model. Anyway, I personally found the engine rather unrefined. It's not that I could say something is wrong with it, but I just can not imagine this is normal, so I would like to ask your opinion. Road and wind noise is perfectly fine, even at 80mph it's pretty quiet, also when cruising on the highway at constant speed (3000 rpm at approx. 80 mph) I found engine noise rather low. However, during acceleration, already above 2000 rpm, when you step on the gas, the engine growls pretty unrefined.I am well aware that a 4 cylinder will never be as refined as a 6 cylinder, but I've driven 4 cyl Corollas, the 2.0l 4 cyl. Jetta (the previous model) and a 1.6 l Golf 4 cyl. (not in the US), none of them has such an unrefined engine noise as this Passat. Frankly, it's just not what I expect from a car that cost $25k before tax. In addition, I only heard praise about this engine before. My 7 yo. Mazda does have a V6, and it doesn't come even close to the Passat in anything else, but the engine, when it's reved, it sounds like sewing machine, nice and smooth, nothing like the growl from the Passat, and it doesn't even have half the noise insulation the Passat has. There is no vibration problem or anything, it also doesn't sound as if anything is broken, it simply sounds pretty unrefined to me like an 1980s Volvo engine. I also hear the turbo kick in at approx. 2000 rpm, but it's just a very slight whistling sound, no problem at all, esp. with the radio on.
Now, I would like to ask if any of you Passat owners can verify this info or does anyone think there is something wrong with that car? It only had 5 miles on the odo when she bought it, is otherwise absolutely flawless.
Please give some advice from your personal experience. Thank you so much.

russejo

I have had a new GLX w/4motion for a total of a month and a half and it is going back to the dealer for the third time later on today. The Airbag warning light keeps going on despite the dealer "fixing" the problem twice already. We also can not get the car to start about once every ten times we go to drive it. All of the warning lights go on, the radio stops working and then the car won't turn over. Has anyone else ever had either of these issues? I'm starting to wonder if I have a lemon.

tomarie

I have a friend who has a new beetle at the dealer for the third time to fix the airbag light. She says under the California lemon law she can request a new car if they fail to fix it for good this time.

car_nut1

I had the problem you describe about the car not turning over. It turned out to be a fault in the chip in the the key. The coding was changed and it's been fine ever since. Try using one of the other keys the car came with. I have GLX w/o 4-Mo. How's your A/C? That's been my problem. Otherwise, great cars.

russejo

Tried both keys and doesn't fix the problem. After "fixing" the problem the first time, VW re-set the key, but that didn't help. Very bizarre. My AC has been okay though. It's been two days now and they still have no clue. I'm almost hoping they can't fix it so that I can use the lemon law. It's too bad though, because I like the car quite a bit, minus the electrical issues of course.

car_nut1

Maybe the service dept. should try changing the entire lock cylinder assembly. I still think there's something going on between key coding and the software that controls engine lock-out. I understand how you feel, I feel the same regarding my A/C. It's very frustrating, I think VW is very arrogant towards it's customers. Considering it took many, many years to restore their market share in this country, you'd think they would be more responsive. Their attitude,"customer is always wrong" stinks. As great as the car drives, I'd never feel comfortable recommending it to a friend.

bengalman

Wei_gets: Yes... have a 2001.5 GLS 1.8T auto. I too notice that the engine is a bit "growly" when pushed in the early ranges but is very refined and quite when cruising at 70-100+ mph. Also... side note... loved living in Deutschland (sp?)- was there for 7 yrs...

MinorProblems: Why buy the 1.8T for such a big car? Because...1. Only 20HP difference between my 2001.5 and the V6 2. Acceleration (albeit maybe louder) of 4 is as good as V6 3. Save $.

wie_gehts

You were in the army there, I guess. Well, I don't like the growl but what can you do, maybe I'm too spoiled anyway.

moonbeem

I have a 2001.5 Passat, and in the past couple of days I have noticed this noise coming out of my drivers side vent. It happens whether the recirc button is on or off and it sounds similar to when you turn your AC off and it makes a hissing noise. Well this hissing noise, although it is not as loud as when you turn off the AC, doesn't seem to want to go away and it is very annoying. Anyone out here have the same problem or an idea what the problem could be???

Thank you!

jmatero

Hi, I have a 2000 Passat and if I knew the car would be a loude as mine turned out to be, I would have bought something else. It's a tiptronic 1.8T and the engine "ressonance" at hwy cruising speed is terrible... like there is something wrong with the muffler or something. Dealer said it's normal and my Dad's 2000 1.8T with Tip is the same so I assume it's normal. I always owned honda accords which are not too quiet to begin with (particularly the 4-cyl) but this is really BAD. My own fault for not driving it at 75 on the highway first. However, I have had no engine/tranny problems with the vehicle. The problems I AM having are NOISES... creaks, rattles, buzzes, clicks, clacks, rubbing, vibrating, etc. EVERYWHERE. The worst is the steering column/gauge cluster and now the infamous drivers door latch/b-pillar clicking. Also, my shift knob came off at 10,000 miles and they took 2 weeks to repair it and I had to PAY for a rental car. The warranty and dealer service are the worst in the business... shame because it's an awesome car. I'm DEFINATELY going with another make next time. I've learned my lesson.

kalci

I have a Passat 2001 model, after driving for around 17000 miles (yeah i drive a lot), its started putting in a lot of force on the turbo !! On accelerating from 2000rpm to 3000 rpm, the noise level is too high and the rpm pointer moves front and back for some time until the 40 mph is hit. I could feel the jerks. After that its a smoooooth drive. I will be showing it to my dealer, but any suggestions on this ???
If anyone could help me on the mileage tip..max miles I can drive on a Passat or any useful hints, I would be grateful.

sdmcafee

hiwaysanity said in March:

"I'm getting a loud popping from a stereo speaker, but only intermittently. It seems like a loose speaker connection, and pops as the car bounces."

Ever get this fixed? Mine comes from the passenger tweeter, and is the same volume of obnoxious popping regardless of the volume of the stereo (2001.5 Monsoon). Bumps or sharp turns exacerbate the problem, but interestingly enough:

touching the speaker fixes the problem for anywhere from a minute to a day.

Loose connection? Bad ground? Dealer couldn't replicate it, of course, but I'm pretty sure it's coming from around the speaker.

Otherwise, no problems and I love the car.

fcng

I've owned 2 WV's in the past. '85 Jetta and '00 Passat. The '85 was a horror story. To make a long story short, I replaced almost everything except for the engine before 1990. Next up '00 Pas sat. Really loved the '85 Jetta even with all the problems because it drove well. Thought WV would change its act with building a trouble-free car this time around. Guess I can't put trouble-free and WV in the same sentence. Everything worked well for one month and everything went down hill. I baby my cars but still doesn't work with VW's. The infamous window regulator went on BOTH front doors!(just after one month) Up next was the oil leaking from valve cover(six weeks and three days after date of purchase), front headlight burnt out on driver side(seven weeks since day of purchase), and trunk would not open.(3 months after date of purchase) I tried and really tried to stay with WV but WV let me down. I'm in Canada so no lemon law. I traded the Passat in for a 1999 Nissan Maxima Demo. What a difference a switch makes. Only problem was a bad ignition coil pack. That was the only problem and nothing else. This was a demo I might add. VW all I can say is that you make great cars that looks, feels, and drives great but your cars are not reliable. This is the climax for VW but will slowly fall as new owners of VW's that never owned VW's won't come back the next time. How can VW go upscale if they can't even produce a decent product that at least give us 4 years of reliable service. How would people plunk down the $$ for the W8 Passat?

car_nut1

I'd never buy another VW product. Service stinks and VW is arrogant. But, the car does drive great.
If you drive short distances, put few miles on yearly, and are a generous tipper with the service mgr., you should love your car for about the length of the warranty.

hiwaysanity

Never fixed the speaker problem, as it does it so infrequently. The symptoms are identical to yours. Otherwise the car has been flawless (25,000 miles.)

fcng: Too bad about your experiences. Mine has been the opposite so far, and the service has been very good. It's a shame to write off an entire car company based on two experiences. VW's overall reliability for the Passat and the Golf have been average, and the Jetta only slightly lower.

Actually, I have more sympathy with car_nut1's comment, because the way dealer service and VW-USA treat customers does reflect on the whole company. So far, I have not had those experiences. I've never tipped a service manager in my life, though. They've always done just fine without having their palms greased.

kartez

Can any one recommend a good tire pressure gauge?

By the way, I have 20K miles on my 4cyl 2k Passat with a manual tranny. Here is my opinion about the car:
Likes:
Good amount of torque
Excellent passing power
Smooth ride
Excellent economy

Dislikes/Problems:
Not so smooth shifter
Intermittent rattle from near the rear left window.
Too soft a suspension(should've got the sport suspension and bigger wheels)
Black car - heats up inside a lot.

The car has been a pleasure to drive so far and I hope it'll be so in the future.

One more question - Can the new 02 ECU be swapped for the 2k one?

kartez

Sorry. The question was - can the 00 ECU be swapped for the 00 one?

shawn35

I was hoping someone could help me out. I was driving my 2000 Pasast today with the 1.8t and the check engine light came on. In the message area it stated "EMISSIONS WORKSTATION" Anyone know what this could mean??

hiwaysanity

the Owner's Manual say?

car_nut1

If your mechanical problems are not able to be solved after giving the service dept. a fair chance. Maybe 2 or 3 attempts, write to VW of America. Document your problem with copies, receipts, and the VIN # of your vehicle. They are an arrogant company as I've stated before. They prefer not to budge an inch (or cm). BUT, they know that every letter sent probably means 8 or 10 others that intended to write but didn't. It's the only wat to make them a better company.

Write to: Mr. Peter Georgievski
VW of America
3800 Hamlin Road
Auburn Hills, MI 48326

No one can promise a quick fix to your problem. But, informing the company and providing solid documentation can only help. Even if it doesn't help you, it may help another customer down the road. And who knows, when your lease is up or your ready for your next car, the Passat may now be the car you thought it would be.

So, this weekend, don't be lazy, let Peter know just what ails your vehicle. And just so he doesn't get too depressed, mention the good things too.

love2fly

I have noticed several times that the tranny jumps very hard from 3rd into 2nd or 2nd into 1st gear when the thottle is depressed about half-way at slower speeds (25-35 MPH). Dealer has been unable to reproduce (of course), but I wonder if others have had this issue. It has done it almost since it was new (now has about 23K miles). Car shifts smooth as silk 95% of the time at all speeds and throttle positions. Thanks!

neo2k

So after complaining to almost everyone over at VW North America about how great the cars are but the warranty sucks -- I heard from a dealer that VW is listening and starting 2002 they're going to a 4/48 warranty.

Anyone else heard that?

sdmcafee

The problem (see #238 & 241) seems fixed. My wife took it to the dealer yesterday. They took apart the passenger tweeter and couldn't find anything. They we're going to order a new one, but when putting the old back in noticed a lack of insulation on a wire or wires. Not sure exactly, cause I'm getting this second hand, but I'm guessing the connections just need some heat-shrink tubing or something.

The guy said it's pretty tight in there, and the wire (or connector?) was probably touching the casing. When I pushed the speaker and the popping went away, I was probably just fully shorting it out and losing all signal to the speaker.

Anyway, if you've got speaker popping bugging you (at least in a monsoon tweeter), at least suggest they check the speaker and insulate any bare wire or connectors.

By the way, my wife thought the service folks were very helpful at Alexandria VW (Virginia). Surprised me, considering what I've seen in the chat groups.

hiwaysanity

This is the tweeter in the door, near the A column, right? I'll look into it!

sdmcafee

Correct. Near the passenger side-view mirror.

I'd check a few things, if you're not sure if it's coming from a speaker or which one:

1) Check each speaker first to see if there's sound coming out. Never did this myself, because it was obviously that tweet. You might try a paper towel tube or something for the tweeters, 'cause they're hard to hear directly.

2) Push on each tweeter. I found I could sometimes generate (or stop) the popping this way.

Good luck!