VW Passat TDI

cansu · November 2008

Thanks for your reply gagrice. Can they trace through the VIN number what has been done to the vehicle? Is this normal that the Passat TDI Turbo is breaking twice withing a year? Today, the fact that I could not make more than 40mph is again a Turbo problem. Honestly, I am not planning to buy any new cars at this point. In the past 3 years I had 5 recalls and is that suppose to happen?

gagrice · November 2008

I owned a 2005 Passat TDI for 13 months and had no problems with it. I don't know if the dealers document repairs tied to a VIN. Some say babying a TDI can cause some of the problems you described. Cheap diesel can also be problematic. I only used BP/ARCO ULSD the whole time I owned it. That is very good diesel. Generally CA has good diesel. With diesel more than gas all over the country you may have a harder sale. I would try to get an extended warranty if VW will sell you one after all the problems.

cansu · November 2008

I use shell or exxon. I do not buy cheap diesel as I believe it is not worth it to save. I think they sold me a defective car. I cannot sell all of the sudden because of all the problems they are responsible for selling me a car with existing problems. How can the Turbo breakdown twice within 3 years? It is unbelievable.

sebring95 · December 2008

Honestly, it sounds like you have VW dealer syndrome, particularly on this "turbo" issue. It's very rare for a turbo to go out on a tdi, but they get misdiagnosed all the time. It's a very robust low-pressure turbo, and very common to see 200k-300k with original turbos. There's quite a few sensors and relays that can effect the performance, and that's usually the real problem. Sometimes just unplugging one can fix it for awhile, so after they've pulled the car apart to replace the turbo, violla the car runs fine. For awhile. In my experience, sensors on VW's are VERY touchy.

Most VW dealers have very minimal training on TDI's and I'm guessing many of the techs sleep through it. There are some good dealers out there, but finding one can be a project in itself. It's the biggest short-fall of the TDI...a poor dealer support network. I don't recommend a TDI to anyone that's not capable of doing their own maintenance/repairs. They're actually pretty easy to work on if you research the problem properly and follow the factory repair manual. But dealers get paid very little to diagnose warranty problems and a set amount to repalce parts, so it's easy to just throw parts at it and hope something sticks.

If you're going to keep the car, you have three choices. (a) Research and find a very good dealer that knows what they're doing and use them. (b) Find a good TDI specialist that can do the repair and you'll have to pay for it. (c) Research/diagnose the problem yourself and fix it or steer the dealership to what you believe it needs. tdiclub.com is a good place to start trouble-shooting.

cansu · December 2008

Thanks for your suggestions and comments. I will follow your instructions. You are right, it was not the turbo itself as you mentioned a little plug in problem or something that was attached to the Turbo. Makes sense. I love my car as it gives excellent mileage. Better than hybrid.

anointedhelp1 · January 2012

I have a 2005 passat TDI gls. The MIL light came on last wk. Took to VW dealer for diagnostic ck. I was informed that the torque converter has failed; $2,700 to replace it. The dealer also recommend that I replace the transmission for $4,900 as well since they do not know if the transmission is about to go out too. I've done some research and apparently torque converter failures are a known problem with the 1998, 2004, and 2005 models. There is no way I am sinking $6 or $7K into a car that is 6yrs old. Has anyone else had a similar issue? I am will to fix the torque if that buys me 2 or 3 more yrs. Any advise? Please share your wisdom.

sebring95 · January 2012

I would do research into finding a GOOD independent shop and discuss with them. I have very little faith in any VW dealers and those are some huge numbers. There are good transmission shops (not AAMCO) that can rebuild for a fraction of what the dealer is charging to just replace.

houstonken · April 2012

Just completed the 100,000 mile service for my 2005 Passat TDI. To paraphrase Fred Sanford, this was the big one, Elizabeth. I called 2 different dealerships and 3 independent mechanics. One of the independent mechanics told me that he didn't want to mess around with the diesel engine. The other two quoted me a 2 day repair for "around $1300 to $1500".

I ended up taking to West Houston VW dealership. Dropped it off on Friday night after hours. They got it done by 1:30 PM on Saturday and the cost was $1300.45. To their credit, they gave me 2-3 things to keep an eye on on the Passat ... leaky engine mounts, suspension control arms and front brake pads. No hard sell on their part for additiona services.

Altogether a relatively pleasant experience ... if you ignore the $1300 part ;-)

colin_l · May 2012

wow, no discussion of the new 2012 Passat TDI here at all. are people talking about it on Edmunds in one of the other Passat topics?

coontie66 · June 2012

dudleyr · June 2012

I am considering one for my next vehicle. I am a little concerned about reliability (current Accord has 150k with only one repair - O2 sensor. I did have to replace the rear brake pads at 130k, but that was because the e brake cable rusted on one side from hitting a rock)

My main requirements are comfortable seating for 4, power seats with lumbar support, no sunroof and a stick shift. I would like to have leather or vinyl.

Right now this configuration is pretty hard to come by. An Accord SE would be perfect but it is automatic only. Maybe they will offer something with the redesign.

Love the huge back seats in the Passat and the great mileage. It is definitely near the top of my list. Nissan and Toyota are out since they dropped the stick. Honda may be in the game depending how things shake up with the redesign. Ford will have a stick on the Fusion, but not too crazy about the 1.6 ecoboost - seems like it would be high strung and mpg is no better than 2.5 liter Altima, so what is the point of the tiny engine.

So I am hoping reliability is at least a little above average for the Passat.

folkswagon · September 2012

I own a VW passat 2.0 TDI ( 2006 ) DSG Automatic. When I drive in the city i.e on 3rd or 4th gear continuously for about an hour or so, I start hearing a whizzing noise,almost identical to some sort of friction and is sychronous to the engine's rythm. The noise is absent when the engine is cold but keeps occuring every time the engine has run continuously for about 1.5 hours and in low gear. On top gears, it comes just after 4 hours drive. The dealer blamed it on the flywheel a year ago and had it replaced but the problem is still unresolved. Please help

broker81 · October 2012

I purchased a new 2013 Passat in October 2012. It is the SE trim. I love the power, the economy and the looks!
Things I think VW can improve on.... I get a really sore tail bone every time I drive it for more than an hour. - seats need some improvement.
There is a surge of power when accelerating from a stop light....(abnormal surge) like you either accelerate really slow or spin the tires.... type thing.
when letting off the gas at a slow speed there is a "putting the brakes on slightly" feeling that is too aggressive.
Those are my only faults with the car. otherwise we love it so far... have owned it for a little over a month.

grthka · November 2012

The way you are describing the stronger acceleration and the feeling of the brake being pressed when slowing down sounds like you have the transmission in the sport mode. That car has a (D) drive mode and a (S) sport mode. Look at the shifter next time you experience this. It will also show a D or a S on the display next to the speedometer. Sport mode will have a lot more torque when the gas is pressed and will rev a lot higher. It will also downshift when slowing down causing the car to jerk. Also if you put the shifter into the (d) drive mode and push the shifter to the right you can shift up and down somewhat like a automatic. It is called tiptronic. Read the owners manual.

cosmo · November 2012

I agree that it seems that the transmission is in sports mode. However, I suggest that the TDI be driven in sport mode during the first 1K miles to break in the engine. And do not use the cruise control for the first 1K miles.

broker81 · November 2012

I am aware of the sport mode. The car is not in the sport mode when this happens.
I have actually only used the sport mode once... it was fun! I should use it more!

Kirstie_H · November 2012

A reporter is looking for a recent car buyer whose car's sunroof/moonroof feature was a big factor in their purchase decision. Please send your daytime contact info to smar@edmunds.com no later than Monday, November 5, 2012 at 5 p.m. Pacific.

mdd671955 · November 2012

I just purchased a 2013 Passat SEL Premium TDI and we love the car. I just put the first refill in it and averaged 38.6 in combined driving. I love that VW is offering free maint for the first 36 months / 30000 miles. I looked in the service warranty manual and no mention of timing belt checks / replacement. Has VW changed to timing chain in the engine or am I looking at some potential issues down the road?

sbbrbb · December 2012

I bought 2012 new in aug. I am very disappointed in the Bluetooth & sound system in general. Where should I go to get my issue resolved?

broker81 · December 2012

I am sorry to hear that you are having issues with the Bluetooth and sound system in general... that is actually one of the things I love most about my new passat. I'm sure that there is something that can be done to resolve your issue. if you don't have success at the dealership you purchased it from, I would take it to another dealer. if you don't get results there start making the calls to Volkswagen. Good luck!!

stevedebi · May 2014

Wow, it has been a long time since anyone posted. We just got my wife a 2014, and this is a great car. It accelerates and handles extremely well, the DSG transmission is really neat, the handling is nimble (and like a much smaller car), the ride is great, and the rear seat room won over the kids immediately. This is a great car. For such a small engine, it really pulls well at every speed we've tried.

bthessel · July 2014

Hope everyone is having better luck than we have. We bought a TDI new a little over a year ago. It has been in the shop 3 times so far and we had to pay for a new battery besides those times. It is in the shop again for the last few days after the dash lit up like a christmas tree with every warning light on. (Did you know the battery is only warrantied for 25k miles?) If I wouldn't lose so much money I would get rid of this car. I had hoped when I bought it that VW had fixed their quality issues but it doesn't appear that way.

ruking1 · July 2014

I do not currently have a 14/15 Passat TDI, but it would be on my list, if I was in the market for a TDI.

I would give VW Customer Care a shout out and a shot !!

jhinsc · August 2014

Just bought a 2014 Passat TDI SEL Premium - my previous 2013 Prius v5 was rear ended and totaled. Bummed about buying a new car because I did like the Prius v, but the Passat TDI was on my list before I bought the Prius in April 2013. Since a new car purchase was the farthest thing from my mind, even though the Passat was roughly the same price as the Prius v, I of course won't recoup the depreciation so it felt like money taken out of my pocket by the other driver's insurance company.

Every car I've owned had something that had to be corrected right after purchase or a part went bad during warranty. I had a battery go dead on a 4 mo old Honda Accord - replaced free of course. I had two Prius's before and had to have the steering wheel straightened on both - it's an odd shape doesn't look right if it's not straight. Love the MPG's I'm getting, nearly as good as the Prius v - reason why I bought - and it's a top safety pick which the Prius v was not.

jocabo33 · August 2014

Considering a 2014 Passat TDi with sunroof and nav. MSRP is 31430. Dealer is showing a sale price of 26,865. I qualify for the zero percent, but was told by the dealer that $750 goes back into the price of vehicle if I take zero percent interest. Is this correct?

jocabo33 · August 2014

tax rate is 8.25%. plus destination fee of $820. plus reg fees of about $300. monthly payments are $527. Does this sound good?

VW Passat TDI

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