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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...