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Comments
After driving both the 4 and the 6 I bought a 1.8T wagon, but when considering a V6 I looked only at GLS versions - I would not buy a GLX because of the automatic climate control.
The other thing I do not like about all Passat ventilation systems is the fresh/recirculate button that forces you to choose one or the other. The continuously variable knob or slide control used by Toyota and others is much better, allowing a blend in any proportion.
Aside from that, the short sun visors and the cupholders - all minor annoyances - I have nothing but praise for my 2000 Passat wagon.
Has anyone else had this problem or heard of it??
I took it to my dealer and they replaced the old CD player with a new one but the new one does the same thing. I'm beginning to suspect it is an electrical problem rather than a CD player problem.
Does anyone have a similar experience?
i just had my 2001 passat services, since then on parking the car overnight in the Garage. and starting it in the morning i notice water/fluid dripping consisting of (water+oil/fule+smell of fuel). It lasts for about 2 minutes.
the dealer says it's NORMAL, i would understand it's normal if it was only water. But it's viscous fluid, and i can definitely smell gas/petrol.
However i don't notice the problems @my work pk.lot (after parking for more than 8-9 hrs) ? Is it the heat in the garage ? (or) something else.. Is this normal ?
please advice, the dealer keeps telling me there is nothing wrong.I really need help.
thanks in advance
Instead, it sounds to me like like what I've got now is engine- and acceleration-related (unless there are now some kind of bushings around which the engine rocks when accelerating).
I've had it to the dealer twice on this: Their response both times has been mainly that the computer readouts on the engine are fine, and so there can't be anything to it. The last time, they suggested some personal failings, such as where I buy gas, and that the car has so little mileage yet (4K) that it hasn't yet had time to adjust itself(!)
All in all, I'm treated as another psychiatric head-case who has no life except for the pleasure of imagining problems and the joy of arranging out of town repair appointments.
Donna Anderson, (team leader of customer advocate group) 248 754 4665
Also, direct line: 248 340 5000, ask to speak with the OTS, (ownership technical specialist), mention the area of US you are in and they should connect you. If the operator hesitates, say you're returning their call. (Can't recall their name).
Don't delay in calling the above. The longer you wait the less serious they feel you are about the problem. Can only be used against you.
Indicator Lamp (MIL) and alerts you of an emission malfunction, and to drive w/ "reduced power" and have the dealer check it right away.
Dealer said it's OK as long as it's not blinking, and something about an air hose being loose. Since the dealer is backed up and I can't get in for another 3 weeks, I wanted to ask if anyone can confirm the dealer remark that it's OK to drive, and if the air hose is the likely cause of the problem based on anyone else's experience, or if it might be something else.
I'm going to keep checking the internet to see if there are any other cheaper solutions, but I doubt I'll find much.
any suggestions?
erik
- GM
The manual doesn't even mention how to replace any bulbs!
Thank you
I think the problem with VW's attempted strategy to move upscaled is that their dealers remain to have "economy" car mentality with the same comparable attitudes in operating their dealership.
Right on. That, along with substandard long-term reliability (despite excellent build quality on first blush) will be their undoing. Another setup for poor Pieschetsrieder!
1) $200 fee for diagnosis.
2) replaced power output module ($305 parts + $81 labor)
3) replaced coolant temp sensor (covered by warranty exception)
4) replaced spark plugs - fouled by power output module malfunction ($42 parts)
I called VW to request a warranty exception and they told me in a polite way to pound sand. Has anyone had a similar problem? The $200 diagnostic fee seems excessive and its hard to believe the power output module would fail on a car with 20,0000 miles. Also, while the car was in the shop I had the 20,000 mile service done for $220. Based on what they did it looks like a glorified oil change. I've been happy with the car up until now. Any comments are appreciated.
Anyone has some experience/recommendations? I heard the new Passat have above average reliability, so I wonder if it's worth paying so much money.
Do all Passat's have a pantload of electrical problems or are all these just bad luck stories?
After the first panic wave left, I attempted to decide whether to believe the computer or the low on gas warning light. After a few more miles of undecided driving, and trying to control my feelings of panic, my beautiful wife turned to me, with a smile on her face, and said, "Honey, the light you are looking at is not the low gas light, it is the icon for the miles you have left BEFORE you run out of gas."
Talk about feeling stupid, this is one I will never be allowed to forget! My attempt to save myself, by saying, "I knew that, I was just testing you.", didn't fly! I have now been removed from my "All knowing seat", at the top of the Male Ego Mountain.
gone, they have told me each time that my car was almost entirely out of oil! No
dipstick reading at all! I have begun adding oil between the 3k intervals and have
noted that it is going through over a quart of oil every 800 miles or so...
There are no oil drip stains on my driveway, so I can only assume the car is
drinking/burning the oil, and not dripping it.
Anyone with similar problems? How were they resolved? I am thinking of trading the
Passat in before the problem gets any worse.
My car before this one was a Taurus, and it also guzzled oil like crazy. Turned out that it needed a valve job.
Only serious problem to date was when some local critter chewed through the gas line (also ate considerable chunks of the hood liner). Otherwise this has been one heck of a ride, with a wonderful balance between creature comfort & performance (mediocre stock tires notwithstanding). Overall gas mileage is 28 - 29 mpg (runs around 27 mpg to & from work, mix of freeway & surface streets).
Just replaced the stock tires (195/65/15 Michelin Energy MXV4 Plus) with a set of Dunlop SP Sport 5000s (205/55/16 WR, on a set of "Valore" wheels from Tire Rack): initial impression, after 200 miles of almost exclusively WET roads, is that this is a LONG overdue change. Not simply "like having a new car again," but rather like having a Better car than original. (We'll see how they work in the snow...)
Car still appears to be in wonderful shape, inside & out - even the leather still looks new. Brake pads have lots of life left, exhaust looks good, & everything works like a charm (well, maybe the cupholders aren't all that good!)
Buy another? "In a minute" ---- although VW will need to pick up the 220HP 3liter Audi is now using if they hope to compete against the new Altima (assuming THAT car lives up to its advanced billing).
But after lurking through several message boards (including vwvortex), I am saddened to come to the realization that the Passat is not going to deliver the reliability I have been accustomed to (I own a '95 Honda Civic EX 2DR coupe). It is unfortuante that I must decide between reliability and excitement in my price range (below $25K MSRP), but such is life.
The new Altima seems to be generating a good bit of excitement, but I don't anticipate feeling comfortable with the unproven reliability of that car.
So I'll probably end up with an Accord or Camry, which will fit my personality just like the Civic: dependable, practical, and not too flashy.
Sigh...
Before the web I would have bought it, for all I would have known was that I loved the test drive and that the Passat received great reviews in magazines. It wouldn't have been possible to hear about the experiences of very many owners. But with message boards, that experience is right before our eyes.
One possible answer, which some Passat owners give, is that people with complaints are more likely to post on the various boards than people who are happy. That is no doubt true. But surely it is equally true of owners of _all_ cars. And yet, if you read the boards for different vehicles, the Passat boards (vortex, club b5, edmunds-vwpassat) have more complaints than most of the others I have seen. That is especially true if you try to factor in the number of vehicles of a particular brand on the road. {You would expect Honda Accords to generate more complaints than Passats because there are more of them.}
I currently drive a trouble-free Honda Accord EX. Maybe it is especially difficult for us Honda owners to buy into the Passat because so many of us have grown accustomed to reliability.
I'll keep reading the message boards until I make a final decision. But I'm not optimistic that VW will get its act together anytime soon.
But what a great car....
Good luck.
I have to agree, the dealer makes all the difference. Mine is pretty good on the service side - the service manager is honest and knowledgeable, the mechanics are competent and they provide a shuttle service.
The sales side is so-so. While it is a low-pressure environment and I bought for a good price, I discovered months later (too late to do anything about it) that they had lied to me about the existence of VWoA-to-dealer incentives. The other problem is that too many of the salesmen seem to have been spoiled by BMW customers willing to pay high prices - some of them treat you like a leper once they know you are looking at VWs or Subarus, the other lines the dealership sells.