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Good Luck!
Check your cat. converter. A burned up converter will cause blockage preventing your exhaust to escape. do you have a gas smell in the cockpit?
If I want the transmission to be replaced, I am not going to send my car to VW in Wellesley, MA where I bought my car. Today, I sent my car to this dealership for first service at 5,000 miles. On the way to home, I heard very stranger noise when I applied brakes. After driving car home, there were very strong bad burn rubber smell. Two months ago, they changed my car’s heating ventilation unit but they installed new one ugly. The technicians in VW in Wellesley, MA, are terrible. Dose anyone have good one for recommendation? Thanks lot!
Regarding shifting, you can shift at 4000. You can shift at 2500. You can shift at 3000. It won't hurt the engine either way. You'll likely get better gas mileage shifting at lower RPMs.
I'm curious, are you relatively new to manual transmissions?
Regarding Wellesley VW, I did not like my experiences with their service department. No, I haven't found a better dealer.
I love my Acura. I don't totally trust my Passat.
I think my Acura was a great deal (bang for the buck). I feel like I was ripped off when I bought my Passat ($32k).
The problems have all been minor annoyances and are finally fixed (almost 2 years later) but the biggest "problem" I've seen with VW is the service and the treatment that VW imparts on its customers. VWOA, in my opinion, just doesn't care. As long as they sell you a car their fine. You want something in return, you're screwed!
What you are saying makes sense to me.
Regarding to manual transmission, I drived manual transmission when I learnt to drive in Australia. It is very difficult to get manual license over there. I normally shift gear at 3,000 rpm and I can get 30 miles/galon when I drive on route 9 (45-60 mile/hour) with this car.
Thanks again
Yesterday when I posted my messages, they did not show up right away. I thought I did not do it properly, so posted them again and again at different location. I am apologizing for this.
More than 850,000 Volkswagen and Audi vehicles --
about 530,000 sedans and hatchbacks sold in the
U.S. alone -- are being recalled for a faulty
ignition coil. Volkswagen announced the recall last
week, noting that the problem could cause spark
plug failure and rough running, which is usually
indicated by the vehicle's "Check Engine" light.
Most of the cars affected carry the VW corporate
1.8-liter turbo four (which includes the Audi A4
and TT coupe; the VW Golf, GTI, Jetta, New Beetle
and Passat), the 2.8-liter VR6 and the 3.0-liter
V6 engines, as well as the VW Passat's W8.
1.Replaced a house cost:~$100
2.Oil Cooler Pump blew out cost: ~$400
Not fixed yet:
1. Back left window doesn't roll down from driver controls
2. Wind noise from driver side window
3. Slight rattle in engine (had mechanic look at it, but says it is nothing to worry about)
4. Brakes have squeeked since day 1. Also, had to replace pads and rotors at 50k miles
Thanks,
Prime
Story - She has a 2000 Passat w/ 52,000 miles. 2 months ago, my wife noticed a strange sound and took it into the VW dealership. They identified the problem as the secondary airpump and replaced it. Her noise problem went away. She did not pay a dime because it was covered under the emissions warranty. At least the dealer did not give her a hard time about that.
About 2 weeks later she got the engine light and a messgae on the panel saying Emissions Workshop appeared. She took into the dealer and they replaced the air pump again.
1 week later, same problem, same repair.
2 weeks later, same problem. This time they decided to repair some additional hoses with the air pump thinking this might be the issue. Again, no charge for anything. Did take them 1 week to get the parts (snow strom up here) and they broke her mirror knob to move the side mirrors. Of course they would not admit it and thet fired her up even more. They of course offered to fix but my wife decided to wait and see if the emissions problem came back.
Last night (2 weeks from last repair), same problem. She is taking it into the dealer on Monday.
She now just wants it fixed so she can trade it. She had her eye on a Passat wagon (she has also owned a golf and a jetta and loved them), but today we went to the Subaru dealership. We live in the MA and travel a lot to ME so AWD would make a lot of sense for us.
Just too bad that a life long VW buyer now will not even consider one. Especially with all of the coil problems being reported on newest models.
Anybody else had the emissios problem ?
Volkswagen USA would not consider customer support by reimbursment for unreasonable failure.
The Passat should not be recommended as the mid price sedan top candidate. It is of low product quality.
I have a '03 GLS Passat Wagon, and I'm getting horrible gas mileage. One of the reasons that I chose the wagon over a mini-van or a suv was because of that. I thought for sure I would get better mileage. I have about 6K on the car now. Since I have purchased it in November, I've only been getting about 15-17 mpg. I thought for sure by now it would be better. I do drive short distances, but it is not stop and go....just a regular suburban area. I've also had the A/C running the last few days, would they really have that much affect? Forgive me for being so "stupid" about all of this, I just don't think it seems right. I'm being to wonder if something is wrong, or do I just need to get out on the highway for a few hours and just drive? Like I said, any input would be appreciated!!
Thank so much!
I have read some posts saying that the mileage improves after 10k.
Thanks for pointing that out to me.
After reading your posts, I am happy that I own a Honda Accord and Toyota Camry. I have heard about VW electrical problems for the last 5 years whether it is made in Germany or Mexico.
Gary
If it was 12,000 miles or less, it is covered under warranty.
I'd tell them to put the wiper arms and blade from the pre-2002 Passats, so when it comes to the next replacement, you have better options.
If it's covered under warranty, see what you can do about the inspection costs
I am getting mentally prepared for the next maintenance event. What sounds like the clutch throwout bearing makes a lot of noise when driving in bumper to bumper traffic although the clutch continues to work normally. I'm sure this is another $1,000 at VW retail rates.
For reference my car, a 1999 Passat 2.8 manual, now has 62,000 miles. I'm sure VW corporate considers this normal for a car of this age. All I know is the three preceding cars (2 Hondas, 1 Volvo) all went 105,000 to 130,000 before a major clutch replacement.
My Passat remains, however, a pleasure to drive.
Regards,
Joe
The Passat is a nice car but it is somewhere between a Fiat and Renault in terms of durability.
On many accelerations from a stop - the car just sits there for a second - you never know when it's going to move - very balky and kind of jumps.
Dealer says this is "normal" - the computer doesn't show any problems.
My wife and friends feel the problem too.
Anyone our there know what I'm talking about and have any fixes. I've looked into chipping, but would rather not mess with warranty - have 27k on car - otherwise I love it - handles great and over 20mph is fine. Suggestions?
thanks,
steve
I agree with an earlier post..... when considering/gauging reliability you have to get scientific. Dont listen to those who have had one-off BAD experiences and dont bother listening to those who have had one-off GOOD experiences (me). Go to Consumer Reports et al.
However, if you must know my VW reliabilty perspective......The Passat is the 5th new VW I have owned. Confidence was not always there. Not counting the 1970 Bug I had in college in the 80s (zero confidence) the others were: 3 Golfs (85, 87, 92)and a Jetta (95).
I never had what I would call intolerable reliability experiences with the Golfs and Jettas. But they werent perfect. Mostly electrical and ball joint issues, occasionally brakes. But I digress. The Passat, at least the one I have, is different. Full confidence. More confidence than 80s and 90s Golfs/Jettas. Of course, what product hasnt gotten better since then?
I called later the same day; the service manager in charge of my car was gone for the day. No one knew if VW had gotten back to him about the warranty. The next day, I called the service department again and was told that the service manager I was dealing with had the day off. Once again, no one knew anything about my car. I was told to call back the following day. (Long stays at the dealership are typical in my experience, they had the car for six days to replace the ignition coil.)
Has anyone else had a similar problem with a faulty throttle? It seems this essential part failed very prematurely. Could driving habits in any way cause it to wear-out sooner than normal?
Thanks.
Whenever I bring my car to the service department at a nearby VW dealer, they find some problem that is very expensive to fix and the repairs take days (waiting for parts, waiting for authorization from VW corporate on warranty, etc.). Even a reputable VW service department will do.
Thanks.
The sales people were OK to deal with. They weren't too happy that I had gotten the true dealer costs from Edmunds.com, but they sold me the car at the price I wanted without any games.
I've never used the service dept.
The service manager I spoke to said that because the B-B warranty period had just ended in March, VW would still cover this. Apparently, there had been another customer with a similar problem that VW was only willing to cover 50% and there was some confusuion as to which car was covered.
The car was probably ready by last night, but no one at the dealership could tell me this!
I brought the car in for service today, brake replacement - hoping to just do the pads since I agree they wear at the same time as the rotors; oil change; automatic lock that would only lock manually; a whirring noise; tire rotation. Over a thousand dollars later I picked up the car - only to find that the door could no longer be opened from the inside, and as I drove the bottom plate of the car dropped out - seems they forgot the screws...
How is this car rated #1 by consumer reports? It is obviously not just mine, as the thread indicates. But, I am such an optimist that I have kept it this long, and even considered buying another VW. Though I am taking this sign from above to let go of the VW and move onto to something that won't bleed me dry.
On May 19, 2003, I bought a used 2002 Passat 1.8T 5 Speed. Have driven only VW's/Audi's my entire life, I was back at home again with my Passat.
I have 12,000 miles on this car. When does the Coil problem usually show it nasty self.
I don't want to be caught somewhere and not know what the problem is.
I'm considering an online extended warranty company (Warrantydirect.com); they seem much better than most on the net; great rate on their unique powertrain "wrap" policy but it does NOT cover the aforementioned pumps.
are these two items likely to go Kaput and so costly to repair that I should reconsider the true value of the warranty, which is otherwise very comprehensive, resembling the original VW bumper-to-bumper?
My 2000 GLS was an awesome car until 50,000 miles. At that point, it was as if someone pushed a "destruct" button and everything went wrong at once. The air compressor failed, the heater core ruptured ("never saw that on a Passat," said the service technician), and NOW I've had a powertrain failure (turbocharger). There has also been a multitude of nuisance repairs: hood latch, trunk latch, 3 headlights in a few weeks.
On top of all the $$$, the service stunk and the car was always in much longer than I was told the repair would require. During one 2-week period, I was without the car for 6 days!! One repair required 3 return trips before everything was as it should be ... something was hooked up backwards and water was draining into the inside of the car -- almost ruined my laptop.
I'd like to add here that all my preventive maintenance was done on schedule. All oil changes were done as recommended by VW and I use synthetic oil as an extra precaution.
Bottom line is that this has been my most expensive car to date and yet the worst for reliability! But enough of this rant -- I'm off to pick up my new TOYOTA!!!
MIRRORS - ongoing
I have that problem also with my mirrors, usually it happens after some valet or other person push the mirrors in manually. Next time I try to fold it in it jsut sits there and makes some horribble crunching noises -- until i guess it resets itself.
CAT Convertor - 2001
I have 103,000 miles on the car now, I too lost my CAT convertor at about 68,000 I think I was jsut shy of misisng that warranty. I've never but anything less than 93 - oops I'm lying once in TX heading back from a roadtrip -- The highest octane was 91.
Air Bag Fault - 2003
So my new problem is that my Air bag fault light is on. More to come on this new development - -could have something to so with the fact that my car leaks on the dirver side (the worst side -- since all the electronics are housed there) The leaking is my fault NEVER INSTALL AFTER MARKET ACCESSORIES. Which I now have to pay for.
Creaking Noise - ongoing
I have to fasten the middle seatbelt to prevent the two from creating a rattling noise. sSoulution worked.
WATER PUMP FAILED - 2003
Actually the pump survived until 90,000. You have to watch dealers also some will be proactive, but others will do exactly what you tell them to do. So apaprently the pump is good until about 75,000 miles and then you're on you're own -- of course if your pump fails -- you need to change your timing belt too -- and don't change your belt without changing the pump -- even if it's still good. ooh that's about $800 (you can tell my warranty was shot 2 years into the car) I had the crappy 2year 24,000.
REAR WINDOW - 2001
Lost my rear window, actually it could go up but not down. Actually to be more specific, the unit would go down but not the window-until you touched it and it "dropped". Found out this is common among 2000 VW's thanks to some cheap parts, think they wised up with later models.
Those have been the major problems. Love the car -- 100,000 in 3 years and 8 months. I think I should long term test other cars on VW's tab next time