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Volkswagen Passat Maintenance and Repair

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Comments

  • acostaacosta Member Posts: 1
    i have had the most horrible experience with my passat. first the engine let go and just recently some wiring broke. vw of a could care less. not the attitude when i bought the car worst mistake of my life. i urge anyone thinking about buying a vw to forget about it the service is extermaly deceiving very disappointed and i feel it is a shame. never ever buy vw please :mad:
  • nima1nima1 Member Posts: 5
    check engine light came in my passat 2006 and took it to dealer they supposedly fixed it only to pop back up the next day....will take it in again monday...
    anyone knows much about state lemon laws and my understand is that if one takes a new car in three or more times for the same reason, then dealers by law may have to replace the car?
    ( i live in virginia by the way).
    thanks. :lemon:
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    You know about needing to tighten the gas cap several clicks? If you're not doing that, that explains what's happening to you.
  • molinefamilymolinefamily Member Posts: 1
    Taken my two year old passat in to the dealer three times in last six months. FM works fine. They have installed another AM radio once and "reset" it twice,....

    I will be driving down the road and the radio goes "pop" and I loose AM radio,... it is like the connection to the AM radio antenna is lost.

    Very frustrated,..will likely not buy a VW again. Using a $5 radio from Walmart to listen to my "talk shows".

    Any suggestions? how do I get it fixed or VW attention?
  • billpaulbillpaul Member Posts: 103
    Go to TireRack.com for very good prices.
  • nima1nima1 Member Posts: 5
    i do tighten the gas cap after three clicks...but my check engine light is still on.
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    Have a look at what they are talking about in our "Check Engine" light discussion - maybe something there will help. Keep us posted.
  • betwo2001betwo2001 Member Posts: 3
    VW of america does not care about their drives. i have a 05 vw passat that has been giving me problems than my friends oldmobile. VW has spent $41,634 wish i bought for about $30,000. i asked them to buy back my car under the lemon law but they dint want to. i got a lawyer to file a lawsuit but it will be one year before we go to trial i wonder why would they spend that amount of money on something like that instead of buying it back. you answer for them..

    :lemon:
  • fish8fish8 Member Posts: 2,282
    How about giving us some USEFUL information!! What year is your car? What does "engine let go" mean???? "wiring broke"....have no idea what that means. Posting the info you did gives people no basis as to what your experiences were.
  • remus7remus7 Member Posts: 2
    I recently took in my 1998 Passat 1.8T (95,000 miles) for some maintenance and repair, and when I got it back I noticed a small vibration and rattle on cold starts. The problem goes away after a few minues. The mechanic diagnosed it as "rod knock" and said I would need a new engine.

    Could anyone give me an idea of what kind of timeline I have with this before the car becomes essentially undriveable? Is there anything I can do to slow the deterioration process?

    Also, is it possible to induce this type of damage while servicing the car (for instance, when replacing something like a timing belt)?

    Thank you for any input!
  • jimd4jimd4 Member Posts: 877
    Buy a Scangauge on Ebay, plug it in and read the code that is turning on the check engine light.

    See www.scangauge.com
  • remus7remus7 Member Posts: 2
    The engine light isn't going on at all. Would a rod knock cause the engine light to go on?
  • gumby7gumby7 Member Posts: 3
    I would be interested in a fix that does not involve a new engine. I have 75,000 miles on my 2002 Passat and the same problem. VW said they would replaced the engine if I could prove that the oil was changed every 5000 miles, they will not accept oil receipts if you changed the oil yourself. When I picked up my car, another Passat owner with the 1.8T engine had the same problem and it had only 60,000 miles. The owner did have proof of oil change for every 5,000 miles. VW has a design issue with the 1.8T engine. The engine is junk and does not last even with the recommended maintenance.
  • 600kgolfgt600kgolfgt Member Posts: 690
    > The engine is junk and does not last even with the recommended maintenance.

    Assuming the car had an oil change every 5,000 miles, the owner's driving habits is probably the biggest factor. The cold hard fact of the matter is - the majority of drivers do not know how to drive turbocharged vehicles. Here's an important fact - turbocharged engines run much hotter than non-turbocharged engines due to the extra heat produced by forced induction. Case in point - you'll be surprised how many drivers don't know that it is recommended to let the car idle for 1-2 minutes after driving at highway speeds before shutting off the engine (to allow the engine temperature to stabilize).

    Shutting off a turbocharged engine immediately before giving it time to properly cool down will cause the oil to cook into a gooey, molasses-like substance (sludge). And since most engines are built to tighter tolerances (clearances), with smaller oil passages, it doesn't take long for the sludge to clog those passages, causing an oil starvation condition - and thus - an increased probability of rod knock.

    I hold VW (factory & dealership) responsible for not specifying synthetic oil right from the get-go, but the driver (owner) must also share the responsibility for not doing proper research on a vehicle (as well as care, maintenance, and driving habits) before plunking down thousands of their hard-earned dollars on any new vehicle.
  • krzysskrzyss Member Posts: 849
    "I hold VW (factory & dealership) responsible for not specifying synthetic oil right from the get-go, but the driver (owner) must also share the responsibility for not doing proper research on a vehicle (as well as care, maintenance, and driving habits) before plunking down thousands of their hard-earned dollars on any new vehicle."

    VW did recommend synthetic oil in original manual but it was written with marketing input so it was watered down. 5W40 oil was just recommended and not required.
    Later on VW sent a letter specifying that any oil will do as long as it meets VW specification VW 502.00. Strangly only synthetic oils were present some 5W30, some 5W40 and 0W40.

    http://www.vw.com/vwcom/content/objects/pdf/service_maint/engoil_gas.pdf

    What oil have you used for your changes?

    Krzys

    PS Many dealers were uneducated or cheap in the beginning. It seems that even now there are dealers that use wrong oils.

    http://www.audiusa.com/common/images/Audi_Approved_Oil_Chart.pdf

    http://www.autospies.com/images/uploads/files/VWOilSludge.pdf

    and look for altair4 post

    http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.ef2298b.ef0feec/1649
  • 600kgolfgt600kgolfgt Member Posts: 690
    > What oil have you used for your changes?

    I use Castrol Syntec 5W-40 in all three VWs I own (two 1.8Ts and one 2.0L 8-valve). I've been a proponent of synthetic oil since my Air Force days (the aircraft that I've worked on used synthetic oil).

    To go a step further, my gas-powered snowblower uses Mobil-1 0w40 (European Formula), after breaking in the engine with dino oil the first year (yeah, I know it's probably overkill, but I figured the extra protection is worth it over the long haul... :shades: )

    > VW did recommend synthetic oil in original manual but it was written with marketing input so it was watered down.

    ...marketing does tend to bollocks things up at times, don't they... :mad:
  • jimd4jimd4 Member Posts: 877
    Nope
  • jimd4jimd4 Member Posts: 877
    Well I know what your talking about but I am on second Audi 2.7T and never wait two minutes at shutdown. Maybe I am lucky as last mile or two at each end of daily drive is 30mph local streets. Audi manual says nothing about waiting. And Audi only changes the oil once a year or 12k!
  • betwo2001betwo2001 Member Posts: 3
    i would recommend you to visit this web site http://www.lemonauto.com/lemon law_virginia.htm. they are very good people and i have worked with them.. please dont try to work with VW. the will give you a number and thats all they will do . every time you call the will tell you that they are working on it. every day...
  • 92passat92passat Member Posts: 2
    I have a '92 passat. It seems to just cut out completely while I am driving. It will start right back up, but I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions on what to do to find the problem.
  • 600kgolfgt600kgolfgt Member Posts: 690
    > Maybe I am lucky as last mile or two at each end of daily drive is 30mph local streets.

    As long as the drive doesn't involve brisk acceleration, driving a mile or two at 30mph is just as good as idling the car for two minutes - the engine temperature will have sufficient time to stabilize before shutdown.
  • alman08alman08 Member Posts: 282
    When I bought mine (1.8T) at a VW dealership, I asked the salesman about the turbo cool down and he said it's not necessary because of new technology... obviously he didn't know what he's talking about. Anyway, I hold VW for not training their salespeople.
  • 600kgolfgt600kgolfgt Member Posts: 690
    > Anyway, I hold VW for not training their salespeople.

    Agreed...I take VW marketing/salespeople with a grain of salt... :shades:
  • krzysskrzyss Member Posts: 849
    Do you trust any marketing or sales people?

    Krzys

    PS VWoA should have trained mechanics and service advisors, it would have been enough.
  • stormystormy Member Posts: 2
    Hello.
    I am a owner of a new 2006 3.6 Passat. It was purchased on Feb. 23, 2006.

    I have the nappa leather in beige. This morning when I was about to get into my vehicle I noticed that the leather seat on the driver side appeared worn down. It looked as if someone had rubbed it down with a dark cleaner and then wiped it off. The seat appears worn and dirty.

    Just wondering if anyone has had this issue and what my recourse should be.

    Thanks.

    Stormy
  • altair4altair4 Member Posts: 1,469
    You wrote:

    When I bought mine (1.8T) at a VW dealership, I asked the salesman about the turbo cool down and he said it's not necessary because of new technology... obviously he didn't know what he's talking about. Anyway, I hold VW for not training their salespeople.

    Those sales guys are loathe to state that the manufacturer recommends premium fuel and requires synth oil. They just don't want to say that any service will cost more on this car than a competitor's model.

    When I bought my Passat, I knew more about the engine and its oil and fuel requirements than the sales guy. In fact, we never discussed either topic - I told him what I knew it needed. He didn't react at all - it was like I hadn't said a word.

    My owner's manual is a vague mess in a lot of ways. But once you cut through the marketing-watered-down stuff, I found that my '03 pretty much specified synthetic oil at a max change interval of 5,000 miles and that cool-down was recommended after "hard-driving". I pretty much let it cool down for about 2 minutes on my arrival at home (I live at the top of a long hill, so I'm in boost the last 1.5 miles home). This is easy for me - I park the car, gather my stuff up and drop it on the back porch, and then walk down to grab the mail. Automatic turbo timer!

    Personally, I've only used synthetic oil in either 5w-40 or 0w-40, and I'm sticking to a change interval of 4,000 miles or 6 months, whichever comes first.
  • robr2robr2 Member Posts: 8,805
    Leather wears and gets dirty. It's early I agree but I think it may just be dye from a coat or pants. Get some leather cleaner and see if you can get it out.
  • alman08alman08 Member Posts: 282
    Yep, I let it idle for 2 mins no matter how I finished driving. However... here is the bad part... I bought my used with 8000 miles on it and I have no idea how the previous owner took care of it.
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    Let's continue here: pat, "Passat Sludge Issues" #1, 7 Mar 2006 2:11 pm. Several recent posts have been moved there. This is an issue that's come up before and it deserves its own topic on the Passat board.

    See you there!
  • carfan3carfan3 Member Posts: 27
    I bought a new VW Passat 2006 - 3.6, on February 13, 2006. Since then, whnever i drive the car in reverse motion or forward motion for a couple of feet, i hear this light "drumming" noise in the rear. I asked the service guy about this the same week i picked up the car, and he said it may be a gas pump thing, and park brakes and blah blah blah. The only thing i can think of is gas pump. The noise goes away after the car is driven and never comes back again. It only happens when the car is driven after being stationary for a while. Yes i do warm up the engine before driving it. I am taking my car in tomorrow to let them lift it up and check it. Anyone else is experiencing this??
  • robr2robr2 Member Posts: 8,805
    That is most likely the ABS self test. All ABS equipped vehicles run this test under the conditions you describe. It's just louder in some vehicles.
  • torvgtorvg Member Posts: 1
    To carfan3:
    I own the same vehicle as yours since December 2005. Never heard any noise in the rear. I don’t think it has anything to do with the ABS as it was suggested by robr2. Let them check what is the problem and let us know.
  • willsswillss Member Posts: 1
    I've had a pretty problem-free ownership experience with my 1999 GLS 1.8T. Ever since I've had the vehicle (1999) I've had a panasonic CD changer with the stock deck. The other day while changing disks it stopped working. While the radio still works whenever I switch to CD I get an error. Furthermore I am unable to remove the CD magazine. It's not a 'disc error' but just an 'error'. Anyone dealt with a similar issue? I'd rather not take it to a dealer.
  • carfan3carfan3 Member Posts: 27
    Ok. They did not know what it was, but it might seem normal because of the following:
    1 - They did all engine test, computer tests, rear wheel check-ups and did not find anything.

    2 - I test drove with them, and had the guy listen to the noise, and he felt it was something normal. But just to be sure, he got me the keys to another Passat V6 on the lot and I drove that car too. The same, "knocking" or "drumming" noise was in that car also. So we concluded it was normal. But he will get in touch Passat Quality department to describe the noise and understand what it exactly is.

    It looks like all the Passat V6s have it. i don't know about the 4-Cylinder engines.
  • carfan3carfan3 Member Posts: 27
    i have another dilemma here. My DVD navigation system was telling me "Wrong DVD" the first week of my car purchase (week of February 13); it happened about 3 to 5 times that week. So we replaced the Disc, that same week, and ever since then it never happened until recently. Last week (week of February 27) , i got the same "Wrong DVD" sign just once. And this week (week of Febraury 6th) it happened again, but once as of this date. both times, i just removed the disc and put it back in. I don't know what is going on.

    is that normal in all navigation systems that operate off of a disc or is it just mine?? I hope it the first case.

    Anyways, i am going to talk to the guy who knows about these systems at the dealer on monday and see what he says. i hope i don't need to replace the whole Navigation system.

    Anyone, please let me know if this is NORMAL.

    thanks.
  • mtandomtando Member Posts: 1
    Purchased my '06 Passat 2.0T 6sp on 12-27-05. Have put 3,650 trouble free and very enjoyable miles since that time. It truly is a driver's car and is just as much fun to drive as past Porsches, my last S-Class, and my wife's current New Beetle Turbo Sport. There are three noises you will hear in the first few yards of travel when first starting up and taking off: The loudest will be the ABS running through it's moving check on all four corners; the automatic door locks at 7-10 mph; and, if you have the hill holder on, it's initial test. At least that's been my experience.........
    My 2 cents.............
  • 02hockey02hockey Member Posts: 3
    I had this happen to me on a 91 with a 5 spd trans. I put it in neutral and jumped the stater to see if it was the key or the starter, try this, for me it was just as loose wire on the starter even though I checked all wires before. I took each one off and put them back on and tightned it good with a little grease on to keep it free from rust. This may be your problem.
  • fainfain Member Posts: 1
    I've been thing of ordering an V6 with the Sport Pkg 2 + Nav. I have a few questions though.

    Is there a way to add an AUX (RCA) or iPod input? If so, does this involve disabling Nav or Satellite?

    I understand that the disk changer does not play MP3s, if I am not using the Nav system, can I play an MP3 CD in the player above the Nav system?

    Is there a way to add Bluetooth capabilities?

    I am ordering this direct from Germany, are there any of these options or other options I can order FACTORY installed?

    TIA.
    :)
  • carfan3carfan3 Member Posts: 27
    i have another dilemma here. My DVD navigation system was telling me "Wrong DVD" the first week of my car purchase (week of February 13); it happened about 3 to 5 times that week. So we replaced the Disc, that same week, and ever since then it never happened until recently. Last week (week of February 27) , i got the same "Wrong DVD" sign just once. And this week (week of Febraury 6th) it happened again, but once as of this date. both times, i just removed the disc and put it back in. I don't know what is going on.

    is that normal in all navigation systems that operate off of a disc or is it just mine?? I hope it the first case.

    Anyways, i am going to talk to the guy who knows about these systems at the dealer on monday and see what he says. i hope i don't need to replace the whole Navigation system.

    Anyone, please let me know if this is NORMAL.

    thanks.
  • charlie17charlie17 Member Posts: 1
    I have 2002 passat that had same problem. After dealer fumbled around trying to find the problem , turned out the drains under brake booster were clogged. Ended up costing me 1,155.00 and car is is under full warranty. VW customer care was no help at all, he agreed with dealer as "normal wear and tear" and I was responsible for repair.
  • tsf7tsf7 Member Posts: 31
    Just thought I'd share this observation--it isn't a problem, but definately a solution! ;) --while I had some down-time at work this afternoon. I own an '02 Passat 1.8T 5-speed, which I use to commute from Salt Lake City to Park City every day. There is a lot of snow driving involved in my mountainous 70 mile round trip during the winter. I put Michelin X-Ice studless tires on it for the winter.

    This morning, the highway was restricted to chains/four wheel drive only (first time all winter!), so I turned around to get my wife's Durango--I hate putting on chains! It was the first time I've really driven the Durango in the snow since we bought the Passat last July.

    Man, did I miss the Passat! The VW seems to perform as well or better in all conditions except when the snow gets more than a few inches deep (that 4" buildup between lanes is sketchy in the Passat sometimes, but that's about the only problem I ever have). The Durango feels clumsy and just doesn't feel as sure-footed when the road is real slippery, even in 4 wheel drive. Meanwhile, I'm getting 33 mpg in the Passat, and not as likely to roll over if I should lose control. And this is comming from someone who has driven 4 wheel drive SUVs all his life to this point!

    I wonder what a 4Motion would feel like in comparison? Do those snow piles between lanes make the car feel like the back end wants to move around a little, or does the 4Motion compensate for this? Also, what kind of mpg do the 4Motions get--how much of a dent does it make? I know several people with Subarus who are disappointed with the 25mpg that they get on the freeway, whether there is snow on the road or it's sunny and clear! Makes me real glad I went with the Passat.

    Have a good one... :D
  • macd1macd1 Member Posts: 2
    I have an 05 Passat TDI & am very happy with the vehicle except for the radio which has poor reception, especially on AM. Has anyone replaced their radio & what with? Did you have the 6 pack CD changer & was there compatibility?
  • americanyonamericanyon Member Posts: 10
    I have '06 Passat and lately noticed that in the morning, it takes two tries to start the car. The car will not start during the first try. The temperature in the morning is usually between 39-48 F degrees. This just start happening about two weeks now. Does anyone out there experience this with their new car.

    Thanks for your input.
  • kbhitkbhit Member Posts: 4
    I have a 99 Passat and is just shy of 80k miles. I have begun hearing a rattling sound in the engine so I took it into a VW dealer. They said the noise was obviously coming from the water pump. So the water pump estimate is $595. They recommended to also get the timing belt done at the same time and after reading threads on this website I think it's probably a good idea to to prevent engine damage if this belt breaks (even though it's not 100k miles yet). My problem is, is that the price quote for the timing belt is $780. Everywhere I read, if you get the water pump done on the 99 Passat then the timing belt shouldn't be that much more because you've already done much of the disassemblying.

    However, the VW dealers (I've been to two) have told me that in my particular model on the 4-cylinder 1.8 turbo that the timing belt and water pump aren't near each other so there is no overlap in labor, therefore I have to pay for the full charge on both. They also said that there are 4-cylinder 1.8 turbos that do have the timng belt and water pump together but mine was not one of them.

    Is there any truth to these statements? Can they actually really be in entirely different sections of the car? The 2nd VW dealer which confirmed that they are seperate only did so after I told them what the 1rst dealer said. I don't know if they confirmed it so that they could ALSO charge me more (because I'm doing service with the 2nd dealer).

    Am I being too parnoid, please help!

    Thank you

    p.s. not to mention they also found a radiator leak which I'm replacing too and some coolant hose leaks. Total so far is ~$2000 for a checkup on a little noise coming from the engine!
  • robr2robr2 Member Posts: 8,805
    I think it's the other way around. It's not much more to replace the water pump if you are changing the timing belt as the pump has to come out.
  • kbhitkbhit Member Posts: 4
    So they definately have to take out my water pump to get to the timing belt? (even though they said that in my model 1.8 turbo 99 passat, that they are in totally seperate compartments). They said there are 2 types of 1.8 turbo's and mine was the one that is seperate. Do you think they are lying? I don't trust dealers so I'm skeptical but maybe they are right?
  • robr2robr2 Member Posts: 8,805
    AFAIK, there is only one version of the 1.8T in terms of basic build. The timing belt, waterpump, and accessory belts all run off the crank.

    IMHO, I'd go for a 3rd opinion and play stupid.
  • kbhitkbhit Member Posts: 4
    They are actually doing the work at this moment. Not sure what to do now. Maybe I'll ask them to show me the crank and timing belt and water pump...
  • kbhitkbhit Member Posts: 4
    It's too late I think. They are actually doing the work at this moment. Not sure what to do now. Maybe I'll ask them to show me the crank and timing belt and water pump...
  • reidkreidk Member Posts: 46
    Are you the original owner of the car? OR a Family Member of the original owner? IF SO, then your car should still be covered by the 10-Year / 100,000 Mile PowerTrain Warranty - which SPECIFICALLY COVERS THE WATER PUMP.
    Check out the Warranty Booklet that came with the car.

    Even If you are not the original owner, it appears that your friendly VW dealer is taking you to the cleaners: the quotes may be perfectly "correct" in terms of doing each INDIVIDUAL JOB 'by the book,' but there is a lot of overlap which should significantly reduce the overall cost of doing BOTH TOGETHER.

    You should have taken the time to get a quote from a third party (must be SOME independents in your area who work on VW / Audis - ?).
    Would also pay to invest in a Haynes VW Passat & Audi A4, 1998 - (2001), 1.8T 4 & 2.8 6 Engines:
    Check out section on Timing Belt (on 1.8T) on page 2A-4, and then look at the section on Replacing the Water Pump (Four-Cylinder engines) on page 3-4.
    You will find that BOTH of these procedures start with placing the radiator support panel "in the Service Position." THIS is where most of the labor is - and why it is so Expensive to have any work done - AND IT ONLY NEEDS TO BE DONE ONCE to gain access to BOTH the Water Pump and the Timing Belt.
    Sure, some other parts will have to come off, and they might not be the same parts if you were only doing ONE of the jobs than if doing both: but, again, the point is that there is a lot of overlap, and you should not have to pay Book Rate as if they were Disassembling the car for Water Pump, Putting it BACK TOGETHER, and THEN DISASSEMBLING EVERYTHING AGAIN for the Timing Belt!....

    Sorry for the soap box, but this is something that really ticks me off: have thoroughly enjoyed my '99 Passat, and just put over $2,600 into it so I can Keep On Enjoying it, but it seems that service at VW dealers is a crap shoot at best. (Will refrain from any stronger indictment....)

    Which is why I was willing to spend the above $2,600 to have work done at an Independent Garage. Even though (in theory) PART of that work would have been covered by the fore-mentioned PowerTrain warranty - had a leaking waterpump - it was less expensive to have the entire job done elsewhere (with having to pay for all of it) than to hand it over to the dealer (where part would have been under warranty).
    Not to mention that I slept better knowing that the work had a reasonably good chance of being done Well....

    SIGH.

    Good luck with the work, and apologies for the tirade: but would still suggest you do some Research - and then POLITELY ask "WHY?!?" if they attempt to double-charge; but perhaps with the name of good attorney stuck in your back pocket....

    Reid / SE MI
    99 V6 5spd 80K
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