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AndrewT
21-05-2006, 06:27 PM
Is anybody else experiencing problems with their new Passat?

Since I picked my new car up at the end of November and covered 9,000 miles I have had the following problems with my car; a 2.0 Tdi Sport with DSG:

keyless entry - broke within the first month and took 3 months to finally sort
parking sensors - been back 3 times, front sensors still have a mind of their own and come on constantly when the car is wet - parts on back order
drivers electric lumbar support broken
service indicator has been reset once at 6,000 miles and came on again at 8,000
steering - the car pulls to the left and the steering wheel is off centre (car has not been kerbed)
when starting the car on my drive which is on a slope with the car facing down hill, the engine starts very loudly (not at high revs) and it is virtually impossible to move the gear stick from Park to Drive without forcing it. Can anyone shed light on this?On the whole I'm delighted with the car, but my patience is starting to run out. I might have been naive, but expexted more from a £25k car that aims to bat with the big boys in the compact exec sector.

Have I just been unlucky and got a lemon?

Mark Hutchinson
22-05-2006, 11:32 AM
On the whole it's a lovely car. i don't think I have any major faults yet but just a few niggles: -

- Bouncy bi-xenon headlamps
- Poor quality paint finish on parts of the car
- Rattling glove box
- Windscreen wipers that come on when it's dry, and don't come on when it's pouring
- Extremely irritating creaking coming from the driver's door, every bump, twist, turn (I think its the plastic strip on the car rubbing the door)
- Rather clunky gear box

That's it so far.

martinj
22-05-2006, 07:12 PM
Hi,

In response to your point re the steering being off and it pulling - I know that you said it hasn't been kerbed, have the dealer had your car without you being present? Our previous passat was driven into a kerb whilst the dealer had the car for a service - suggest you get it checked and corrected as if it is out, the tyres will get a 'memory' effect on them after not too long and will pull for the rest of their time irrespective of whether the steering alignment has been set.

I would recomend going to a Pro Tyre depot, or to Micheldever Tyres (they are the parent company of protyre) as they have a superb alignment system that will ensure that all four wheels are pointing in the correct relative position to the car itself, rather than simply setting one axle relative to itself. Your profile does not show where you are based to be able to suggest a local depot.

Best of luck with your car, we sold our previous car due to the service, and have only gone back to a passat that will never see the inside of a main dealer's parts fitting facility. It is a shame that with a new car you are effectively forced to use the main dealer for servicing due to people's perception that a main dealer service history is essential for a newer car!

Martin

AndrewT
26-05-2006, 05:20 PM
Martin,

thanks for the useful comment re the steering alignment; the car is in the dealer (hope mine is OK!) next week so hopefully all the niggles will be sorted

Mark Hutchinson
26-05-2006, 05:26 PM
Had the paintwork checked out and it is going back to VW to be resprayed. Also had problems with the parking sensor button which has broken/collapsed and is permanently on. Also the rubber surrounding to the interior chrome door handle is now flaking off.

Am finding the car sluggish at low revs before turbo kicks in, plus there is a lot of road/tyre noise, almost unbearable on concrete motorways.

webjk@iol.ie
06-06-2006, 08:39 PM
Bought mine new in July 2005 - launch month in Ireland. Delighted with all major aspects of the car. Experiencing nothing thus far with the likes of steering, unwanted rattles, moody wipers etc. My gripes are ...
· ashtray (or mini stowage compartment as referred to in the manual) in back of center armrest is constantly loose - a minor foot tap from one of the kids dislodges it
· ashtray in rear passenger door, located on driver's side - again easily ejects with minimal contact
· as of today the plate on the gear stick just slipped off - only reason I can think of is due to the mini heat wave we are having here at present
Has anyone had experienced any or all of above?
:mad: :1zhelp:

Mark Hutchinson
09-06-2006, 10:41 AM
Had a problem the other day where an Engine Management Warning came up and the glow plug lamp kept flashing. Car completely lost power, no turbo, nothing. Turned off, restarted, problem cleared. Returned car to dealer who said it was a known problem on some new Passats. Car was plugged into computer and has been reprogrammed. Apparently this should also fix sluggish low rev pick up. Collecting car later on...

longboyad
04-07-2006, 10:56 PM
Dear All,
My list is minor, but on the climb. Plated on 1/3/06, problems to date have been.....

Whistling wheel bearing (Rear N/S) which dealer couldnt find/hear till it collapsed.
Climatic not cooling the car, but blowing cold air. Still unresolved
Polishing off 1.5 litres of L/Life in 6000 miles. Being monitored 6-12k
Wipers wiping when turning off engine. Still unresolved
Automatic handbrake refusing to disengage. Still unresolved

Anyone with experience of the Climatic being generally crap would be good, as I'm fighting that battle next week.

blackie
05-07-2006, 10:23 PM
Just the two main (continuing) gripes with mine. The ongoing problem with keyless entry not working - hasn't worked properly since I picked it up 8 months ago. Dealer keeps telling me they can't find the cure and that the onboard fault log isn't registering a fault. Useless. Also, when changing from 1st to 2nd it sometimes judders as if its stalled. Had the engine remapped once, asked for it to be done again and guess what? Dealer says there's nothing in the fault log. Could it be that the fault log doesn't work either?

Still love the car, but wouldn't buy another one, mainly because of the disgraceful customer service from the dealer as well as VW UK.

David Binge
26-07-2006, 01:05 PM
I have the same problem with the whistling wheel bearing...did VW give any reason for this?? Was it just the Rear N/S? Have mine booked in but obviously there is a good wait and don't want to be going back repeatedly.

David

steve_c
15-08-2006, 06:23 PM
VW Passat 2 Litre SE TDI DSG Estate. Problems are with poor build quality in the interior:

1 - Creaking around the doors.
2 - Rattling mainly from the dashboard.
3 - Rattling from around the roof area.

Car has been to VW and the recommended repair from VW for the door creaking is to spray silicone on the seals. Great if you have kids clambering in and out of the car!

Both items 1 and 2 are better than before but still an ongoing problem. Item 3 has no recommended repair from VW currently and awaiting a fix (no time attched to this however). This is the worst rattling of all.

Had a 2000 Passat estate previously, wish I still had it, this car is just hassle. Having said that, the car drives really nicely and goes really well.

Mark Hutchinson
15-08-2006, 11:01 PM
Have the same problem with rattling and creaking on an 06 Sport Estate. In at the moment for instrument display creak (you literally have to shout to be heard above it), door creak which appears to be the front door rubbing on the rear rubber surround (dealer suggested using chalk to dry lubricate th rubber but is now replacing), rear door rattle (sounds like somethings loose in there) and sunroof creak/rattle. Never had a car creak like it. Not even my Hyundai Stellar from many, many years ago!

gianton
16-08-2006, 07:46 AM
All these problems makes me think it over getting a Passat Variant 2.0 TDI 170PS DSG. It's really annoying to have so many extras i.e. keyless entry etc. and none will work. Useless VW. They should fix all these before releasing the model.

steve_c
16-08-2006, 09:12 AM
Mark,

Can you let me know how you get on with the instrument panel and door seals and the dealer who is doing the work please.


Looks like mine is going to have to go back to have the instrument panel / dashboard rattle. Doors are also creaking as well allbeit not as badly as before.

Have spoken to VW Customer Care on this and opened a case as the dealer is saying the work done is based on recomended repairs suggested by VW Technical and am basically not happy with their suggestions for rectification.

msp69
19-08-2006, 01:18 AM
Hi - I took delivery of my 2005 Passat 2.0TDI SE 4 Door on 18th July last year - I'm very disappointed with this car and believe many of the issues are down to cheaply manufactured trim. The first issue which arose was when I'd had the car 5 days, I inserted the key to start the car, it froze everything and the steering locked solidly - in the end the AA attended as VW assistance we're available after 9pm. This issue was temporarily resolved by them disconnecting the battery and re connecting - next day the car was in the garage - they could not find a fault. The following issues have plagued the car since new - I had compensation from VW and believe the retailer has done their best (however this has been based on advising if the car wasn't fixed I would be rejecting it)


Rattle from rear view mirror this has been replaced twice
Rattles from trim around instrument cluster
Rattles from door pillars where seat belt mechanism is
Rattles from behind door covers
Dash assemby around ashtray making a grating noise under acceleration
Auto handbrake intermittent fault
Drivers seat belt connectorn broke which caused issues due to handbrake mechanismIn brief my car has been in the garage for a total of 4 weeks. The trim issues have been resolved and are better than they were but in my opinion not up to the usual VW standard.

The rattles get worse in hot weather especially from the door pillars.

This car is NOT well built - to add to my unhappiness I received a letter last week regarding a recall for the flywheel, which may cause a fire !!

I've had two Passats before and they were great. This one I cant wait to get rid of. Wish I'd bought an A4, albeit £3k more expensive, but definitely much better in terms of build quality.

30MGS
22-08-2006, 11:04 PM
My 2.0TDi Sport has just come out of the dealer having had the fuel cap release button changed and new door trim fitted. When I went up with it initially they couldn't find the problem and only managed to create an intermittent problem with the passenger side front electric window.

The handbrake is nothing more than gimmicky and the sluggish take-off is infuriating. I'm considering a re-map to get some torque at lower revs and as a by-product some more BHP.

Oh, and the Mrs wants it sold!!

minghis
23-08-2006, 12:24 PM
Hi all, I'm new here..

My 06 2.0TDi Sport DSG Estate has been into the dealer for the really annoying interior rattles/groans from the dash, doors and worst of all the B pillars. They had the car for two days and took the trim off inside, (and the headlining apparently) but after not being able to trace the source they called VW who told them they were aware of the problem and to hold off trying to fix it until they come up with a solution.

That was two months ago and the tapping is getting worse, it's very distracting.

More seriously has anyone ever has the parking brake ever come on on it's own? I use the autohold all the time but once (and only once) it came on as I was pulling out of a junction! Not ideal..

Apart from that it's a looker and handles well but nowhere near as fast as I was expecting it to be. I too have the clunks from the DSG when in traffic (stop-start type stuff and manuevering) but wish I had never have got it. I've come from an Audi A4 and they are simply worlds apart in build quality - I will not be having another Passat that's for sure, or another diesel for that matter..

Mark Hutchinson
23-08-2006, 01:19 PM
My car is now back from the dealer. The instrument surround has been replaced but still creaks, albeit nowhere near as bad as it was. The rear door rubber surround (the one that meets the front door window surround when the doors are closed) has been replaced and is worse than ever. The B pillar rattle is worse and I have been told the same as Minghis, that VW are aware and to await a fix (if my nerves can stand it!). Rear door lining still rattles and vibrates over each bump and when you close it.

Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy the car. I just find constant creaks and rattles, that having the radio on extremely loudly is the only way to drown out, totally detracts from the driving experience and is really unacceptable in a car of this price.

BJB
28-08-2006, 10:01 AM
Dear All,
My list is minor, but on the climb. Plated on 1/3/06, problems to date have been.....

Whistling wheel bearing (Rear N/S) which dealer couldnt find/hear till it collapsed.
Climatic not cooling the car, but blowing cold air. Still unresolved
Polishing off 1.5 litres of L/Life in 6000 miles. Being monitored 6-12k
Wipers wiping when turning off engine. Still unresolved
Automatic handbrake refusing to disengage. Still unresolved

Anyone with experience of the Climatic being generally crap would be good, as I'm fighting that battle next week.
TDI AG6 delivered March 06.

Oil light warning after first 5000 miles. No signs of an oil leak needed 1.5 litres. Returned it to the dealer who tells me the oil use is within spec. Have been told oil useage should now reduce. I am monitoring it over the next 5000.

beecee
28-08-2006, 06:21 PM
Picked up my '55 Passat Friday 25th August. Ex demonstrator,7000 miles.

Paintwork problems.
Keeps accelerating when you take your foot the accelerator. Happens randomly. Very scary.
This morning, couldn't unlock the drivers door. After much piddling about it opened , but no idea how.
Rear passenger light cluster misted up.

Rang the dealer the day I picked it up... "Ring me Wednesday morning".!!
What a great start.



We should have lemon laws in this country.

msp69
28-08-2006, 06:52 PM
Hi - It terms of your oil consumption this is correct - I encountered this too. Don't panic just fill up with a litre or so

msp69
01-09-2006, 09:01 PM
Hi - many of you have similar issues to myself with rattles and crealing from the interior of the new Passat.

I'm sure many of us, will if we think hard, remember the VW Golf TV advertisement many years ago of an interior noise, which turned out to be the lady passengers earing - and was given a drop of oil !!!!

This was a VERY bold statement made by VW many years ago - and one I mentioned to my dealer !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The new Passat is of substandard build quality and uses cheap interior trim.

VW wake up and address these issues - otherwise in my opinion you will start to lose many loyal clients.

Tanto
02-09-2006, 11:48 AM
I'm looking for a new company car and the Passat 20.TDi Sport is on my list. Ran a Passat for 128,000 miles from new in 1999 without any faults at all. Have since run an A4 and now a BMW 320dSE for 118,000 miles without any problems. Appreciate all your comments and I'm now reconsidering even bothering to look at the Passat.

Skoda owners also seem to complain of many Octavia niggles and poor dealer service (check the BRISKODA website) so it sounds like VAG quality has slipped.

blackie
02-09-2006, 04:27 PM
Tanto - Don't buy a Passat!!

I sold my 320D for this heap of rubbish and am regreating it every single day.

The dealer still haven't been able to solve the problem of the car locking itself with the key inside (when I'm outside). To be fair, they've not been able to recreate it, but VW UK are their usual useless self.

Can't remember if I've said this in another post, but for those of you who have keyless entry, don't be surprised if the car doesn't unlock when there's water on any of the door handles (ie it's raining). Mine frequently refuses to unlock in the wet and the Service Manager at my dealer has read out a confidential VW UK statement sent to all dealers stating that it's aware of the problem and not to tell any of its customers that it is indeed a fault!! Unbelievable.

If I wasn't going to suffer such a huge loss within the first year of ownership, I'd get shot of it tomorrow.

msp69
02-09-2006, 06:38 PM
Tanto - I agree with Blackie DO NOT buy a new Passat.

Here's why - the build quality is inferior and the dealers have little knowledge on how to resolve issues - at the moment they are fiercely protective if you mention issues and say it must be down to your specific car.

Get the BMW - build quality on these is superb. I wish I had done so - now I'm left with a car worth appx £5k less than when purchased.

Like you I've had a Passat in the past - I've actually had two and S plate and a 51 plate - these cars were in my opinion bullet proof - all I did with them EVER was get them serviced and put tyres on them.

Tanto
04-09-2006, 10:24 AM
Thanks for your guidance, I shan't be looking at the Passat. So many complaints can't be just coincidence.

Wish I could get another BMW but our new FD had the bright idea to save costs by slashing monthly contract hire budgets. This means the Beemer is now beyond my budget so I may now have to look at the Honda Accord for a decent reliable car. The Audi A4 TDi is still affordable so this could be an option as long as it doesn't suffer the same issues as the Passat. :confused:

msp69
04-09-2006, 10:55 AM
Tanto - I'm surprised your FD can't get a deal for a BMW in line with an Audi A4 - the new 3 series has a higher residual value (diesel) which is a big part of what a lease cost or similar is made up of.

Suggest you try a site like www.lingscars.com (http://www.lingscars.com) - don't get leasing costs from a BMW dealer - they ain't competitive.

The Accord is a lovely car to drive the engine is sweet, however, it has less cabin space than the Passat or A4.

msp69
04-09-2006, 11:03 AM
Tanto - why are you opting for a company car ?

Have you considered a car allowance ? I'm run my own cars for the past three years with a car allowance - it is very easy and straightforward. I simply borrowed money and bought a car -payable over 4 years (I know we like to change every 3 years all you need to do in year 3 is buy another and re do the loan period) Your car will then become your deposit and hopefully mean you will be in a position to buy a better car.

Sage words - "your most expensive car is your first expensive car" !!! It is like house buying.

There are considerable tax benefits too. When it needs serviced stick it in the garage - when it needs tyre put them on it ! eSure are competitive for insurance if you have 4 or more years no claims and have all the correct ticks in the boxes for business use and courtesy car.

Tanto
04-09-2006, 12:02 PM
MSP69,

Sadly we don't have the choice to opt out. My employer refuses to allow 'essential users' to use their own cars.

There is also no choice with the supplier of a contract hire deal, many suspect there is an unhealthy relationship between one of our directors and someone at the leasing company. We know we don't receive competitive rates but the FD's hands were tied when he wanted to save money. However he was allowed to downgrade the car choice for essential users, hence BMW 320d is off the list because of the poor deals we receive. He also moved us from 3 year to 4 year contracts.

Shame, because the company is otherwise a good lot to work for.

fahad
08-09-2006, 07:18 PM
hi
my dad has got a vw passat tdi pd sport it's a w reg semi automatic gear box it delay in changing gears when it is up hill.
can anyone help plz?????
what will the problam be thanke you !!!!!!

pedi
10-09-2006, 12:03 AM
To who ever reads this forum. Don't buy the new Passat Estate!!!

I live in Switzerland and took delivery, Aug 06, of a brand new 3.2 L Passat Estate. To date, the worst car I have ever owned.
Problems to date:

1) Rumbling in the driver C pilar.
2) Unaligned steering wheel.
3) When car stands in the heat and then drive off, the dashboard rattles like a plastic packet of chips....real cheap chips.
4) Bumpy Bi xenon lights.
5) Kessy keyless entry system has not worked since I got the car.

I took the car back to the VW dealership and this is the status on the problems to date:

1) Dealer can't fix the problem because VW (Deutschland) is working on fixing the problem. Great! I hope the solution will be to recall all Passats and save me and many others a lot of trouble.
2) Garage did fix it, but it is still a little unaligned. Pre-delivery quality control is definitely not at the top of VW's check list.
3) Dealer's comment: "That is not possible, the car is new!". Well, you can only imagine what I said to the dealer at that point. Car booked for the 18th Sep to look over the problem.
4) Dealer's comment: "They follow the road and that is why it looks like they are bouncing all over the place." I was speechless at this point...
5) Part ordered at delivery did not fix the problem. New part ordered and will be part of the complete car check on the 18th Sep.

Gentlemen & Ladies, the car is just 1 mth and 2 days old...if this little story does not convince you to buy another car than the new Passat, then you have to be as thick as two bricks....

I'll keep those like me who have this terrorable car informed on the status of my problems...

And for the VW managers, what a disgraceful effort you have accomplished with the New Passat.

gianton
10-09-2006, 06:47 AM
Thanks pedi for your great post.

This and all other posts really made me decide not to buy the new Passat Estate 2.0 TDI 170PS DSG (fully loaded).

Now I am on search for a BMW 5 touring new or 6 months second hand.

Alastair
15-09-2006, 02:19 PM
New Passat SE Estate 2.0 DSG
Hi, first posting to this site (or any site) and felt I had to respond when I realised how many Passat owners had the same problems as my car with creaks, squeaks and rattles. The vehicle is not of satisfactory quality as required by Sale of Goods legislation and I would like to reject it and receive a full refund. If only it was that easy! When is VW going to wake up and address these faults?

Apart from the numerous rattles my only other fault (so far) is that the glove box does not receive "cool" air as promised, even with the vent wide open. However, my other gripe is the hard fidgety ride on slightly poor surfaces. It handles undulating surfaces well enough but a few half-inch ribs on the road surface and it feels as if it has a solid axle.

The only reason I didn’t go for an A4 (apart from price) was in case a model change was imminent. My previous car was a Mk4 Golf Tdi with Tiptronic. It was extremely quiet, exceptionally smooth and comfortable on the road and had more than adequate overtaking power. Wish I still had it!

pedi
18-09-2006, 09:49 PM
To who ever reads this forum. Don't buy the new Passat Estate!!!

I live in Switzerland and took delivery, Aug 06, of a brand new 3.2 L Passat Estate. To date, the worst car I have ever owned.
Problems to date:

1) Rumbling in the driver C pilar.
2) Unaligned steering wheel.
3) When car stands in the heat and then drive off, the dashboard rattles like a plastic packet of chips....real cheap chips.
4) Bumpy Bi xenon lights.
5) Kessy keyless entry system has not worked since I got the car.

I took the car back to the VW dealership and this is the status on the problems to date:

1) Dealer can't fix the problem because VW (Deutschland) is working on fixing the problem. Great! I hope the solution will be to recall all Passats and save me and many others a lot of trouble.
2) Garage did fix it, but it is still a little unaligned. Pre-delivery quality control is definitely not at the top of VW's check list.
3) Dealer's comment: "That is not possible, the car is new!". Well, you can only imagine what I said to the dealer at that point. Car booked for the 18th Sep to look over the problem.
4) Dealer's comment: "They follow the road and that is why it looks like they are bouncing all over the place." I was speechless at this point...
5) Part ordered at delivery did not fix the problem. New part ordered and will be part of the complete car check on the 18th Sep.

Gentlemen & Ladies, the car is just 1 mth and 2 days old...if this little story does not convince you to buy another car than the new Passat, then you have to be as thick as two bricks....

I'll keep those like me who have this terrorable car informed on the status of my problems...

And for the VW managers, what a disgraceful effort you have accomplished with the New Passat.

Hi all a short update,

1st a correction, I meant the B Pillar and not the C Pillar. I have started to solve my own problems. At least the ones I have faith in fixing myself. I’ll start with my 1st problem:

1) Rumbling in B pillar. Fortunately for me, I can read German and have been reading some of the threads on www.motor-talk.de (http://www.motor-talk.de/) about this problem which seams to be affecting a number of New Passats. One post got my attention. I was quite sceptical when I read the post but like a lot of disparate owners, any solution to the problem could be a solution. So I followed his instructions and found the noise which has almost driven me to give the car back. This what the guy wrote:

Push with the ball of your hand or fist against the front door rim section where the rear door section meets at the B pillar. You should be able to recreate the kind of creaking, knocking noise. If you are able to recreate the noise then there is a simple short term solution. Spray some silicon spray on the front door rim section and rear door rubber section which forms the seal between the two doors by the B pillar. Take a drive on a bumpy section of road to hear if the knocking sound in the B pillar section is still there. If the sound has disappeared then drive to your local friendly VW garage and have them replace the front door trim section at the B pillar section and possibly adjusting the door to make a tight fit:D .

2) Unaligned steering wheel. Told the garage to look at the alignment once again, will see what the result is.

3) Dash creaking and rattling. Since this problem only occurred when the car stood in the sun it had to do with the expansion and contraction of the dashboard elements. The dashboard elements are fixed to the car with screws and there must be some tension when they expand in the heat, so all I did was place the car in the resent warmer September sun and loosened a number of the screws which held the dashboard elements. I took the car for short spin around the block to allow everything to move around a bit and then stopped and tightened everything up again. Not a squeak since.:D

4) Bouncing Xenon lights.:aargh4: Told the garage today to take a closer look, but have no faith with this problem.

5) Kessy Keyless entry. Still not working but I hope to drain every penny off VW for this problem ;) or they replace the car.

So this is the status at the moment. I hope my problems will be solved and I can start to enjoy a car which is very nice to drive and has the space I need.

My car configuration: 3.2l Highline, Chicago 18”, Deep Blue Pearle Effect, Nav, Elec. Sport Nappa Leather seats.
Till the next episode….

tagleboo
19-09-2006, 02:57 PM
Hi all,

Firstly, great forum - wish I had read all this before buying my Passat.

I just bought an ex-demonstrator 2005 Passat (new model) SE and had a number of problems with it right from the off.

Firstly got only 8 miles down the road after picking the car up when the MFD displayed "Engine Fault - Workshop" and went into emergency Limp-Home mode - this turned out to be a faulty waste gate in the turbo system. Whole turbo system was replaced (amazing, seeing as it had only done 1650 miles !!).

Got the car home and when I was cruising (ie not accelerating or braking), the car started momentarily losing power and jerking. Back to the garage again and just had word a Software Flash update has solved this issue.

I have not had problems with squeaks or rattles (as yet) like some
in this forum, but still some major issues not expected from VW.

Will keep you posted if this has fixed the issue.

BTW, just to let you know the VW dealership I bought it from has been brilliant. They were really understanding and apologetic - even gave us £100 off the first service for all the hassle.

tim wall
20-09-2006, 03:53 PM
I have a 3 month old 2.0tdi 140dsg sport estate,which has rattles in the dash nearside panel and roof.and the steering needs constant minor correction at speed.all problems currently on the website
Fuel consumption ,i am only getting 33mpg average and 40mpg on a motorway run at no more than 80 miles per hour ,collegues in the office are getting over 40 average with new bmw 5 series My previous 1.9passatt estate averaged 38mpg with up to 50mpg on the motorway at 90miles per hour What mpg are others attaining

Roy
20-09-2006, 07:30 PM
What mpg are others attaining

I don't think it's unusual to burn some oil and a lot of fuel over the first 5k miles or so. My 2.0 TDi MT averages 48mpg it's on 15k miles now.

Roy

bryandon1
21-09-2006, 08:05 PM
Had a similar thing on a Renault and they kept repairing the car up to £13,000,
Main fault was the wiring loom needed to be replaced that solved most electrical problems. I know work in the Automotive industry and you never buy a car within the first year of it being released. The problems are unreal and the customers never hear about them.

blackie
25-09-2006, 03:56 PM
Pedi - I'd be interested in the outcome of your KESSY problems - mine still aren't fixed yet (12 months on!).

Mine now jolts and judders when you accelerate - almost like kick down in an automatic. Already had the engine remapped once, we'll see what they do this time.

For the record, just down a round trip from Kent to Newcastle and I averaged 48 mpg at a steady 70mph.

barrats
11-10-2006, 02:20 PM
I have a 2.0 TDI sport estate manual bought December 2005 which when its good is very quiet, comfortable and powerful, BUT most of the time rattles from the dashboard and elsewhere spoil it.

glove box, in cold weather the lock rattles
around the fuse box area a very plasticky rattle, this comes and goes, much worse at low speeds around town.
top of B post under headlining a constant buzz, which can be stopped by pressing roof lining and it went away in the very hot weather in June this year
other creaks and rattles come and go as the car warms up.I had a 2000 model Passat Sport 1.9 tiptronic for 5 years and then an Audi A4 for 9 months, they obviously came from the same stable, the new Passat although the same price at the 2000 model the interior is far inferior.

It seems that others have had far worse trim problems, but my trim problems are been bad enough for me. I will continue to read the posts as it might help me to cure the problems, but I suspect there are just too many poor quality plastics for them ever to be quiet!

Other problems: Day after delivery, failed air bag sensor controller which took 2 months to finally solve by changing it.

When opening tailgate in wet, water poors into the boot, especially bad in winter when the rear is very dirty.

Finally the parking brake, I wonder how long it will be before this is an option, I am just glad I don't live in a hilly district, it would drive me mad.

tim wall
11-10-2006, 03:21 PM
I have a 2.0 TDI sport estate manual bought December 2005 which when its good is very quiet, comfortable and powerful, BUT most of the time rattles from the dashboard and elsewhere spoil it.

glove box, in cold weather the lock rattles
around the fuse box area a very plasticky rattle, this comes and goes, much worse at low speeds around town.
top of B post under headlining a constant buzz, which can be stopped by pressing roof lining and it went away in the very hot weather in June this year
other creaks and rattles come and go as the car warms up.I had a 2000 model Passat Sport 1.9 tiptronic for 5 years and then an Audi A4 for 9 months, they obviously came from the same stable, the new Passat although the same price at the 2000 model the interior is far inferior.

It seems that others have had far worse trim problems, but my trim problems are been bad enough for me. I will continue to read the posts as it might help me to cure the problems, but I suspect there are just too many poor quality plastics for them ever to be quiet!

Other problems: Day after delivery, failed air bag sensor controller which took 2 months to finally solve by changing it.

When opening tailgate in wet, water poors into the boot, especially bad in winter when the rear is very dirty.

Finally the parking brake, I wonder how long it will be before this is an option, I am just glad I don't live in a hilly district, it would drive me mad.
vw wolverhampton had the car for a whole week recently and cured some the more obvious rattlles ,the car still has a miriad of minor noises in various locations in the interior,my wife has a 1 series, i have driven my old passatt ,a new a4 ,bmw x5 .NO RATTLES at all.I intend to prepare for battle with VW but reallistically i may have to change the car as unless they redesign and change the complete interior their would appear to be no cure perhaps i should of paid the extra for an a6 in the first place

djjc
13-10-2006, 05:49 AM
Have a brand new Passat 3.2 V6 4 Motion in Sydney, Australia. Week 4 of ownership has been spent at the friendly VW dealership.

1. Steering problems (screaming noise & losing power assist) - they have replaced the steering rack (Great in a brand new car!)

2. Dash creaking so badly under braking & acceleration you can't hold a conversation - still unresolved and a work in progress!

3. Under hard acceleration engine loses power between gearchanges.

4. Stability control activates when braking on the uphill exit of a dip, even in a straight line at 40 km/h for absolutely no reason.

Dealership have been fantastic and have loaned me the same model (with 9000 k's), which doesn't do 1 or 2, but 3 & 4 the same.

Have previously owned 2 Boras the build quality of which were superb, but I have to say the Passat is a disappointment in this regard - my 45,000km Australian built Ford Territory SUV even leaves it for dead and has not had a single problem - so much for German build quality!

dale3103
22-10-2006, 08:53 PM
Has anyone else had problems with water ingress? My 1.9TDi SE estate bought in May this year has now spent the last four weeks at my local dealership.

The drivers footwell started filling with water which I pointed out when it went in for its first service, problem was diagnosed as "faulty air con pipe", nobody can give me any more info than that.

The complete interior has been removed and they are still waiting for new carpets from Germany, nobody seems to know when these will arrive which makes me suspicious that there is a shortage of supply, are there lots of these "faulty air con pipes?"

I can only agree with many of the previous posts that quality of the new Passat is far inferior to the old model, I'd have my 54 plate Highline estate back anyday.

Gavinne
24-10-2006, 10:46 AM
Hi everyone, I just want to share a problem with you to see if anyone else has had the same experience.

I got a 06 1.9tdi Passat last month and have already clocked up 5000 miles. Yesterday I experienced my first problem..... When I unlocked the car the doors unlocked but strangely the boot popped open. I then closed it but it kept opening up. Even though none of the buttons or switches were being pressed you could hear the boot switch releasing and attemping to open the boot. I thought it might be a one off however it did the same when I got in it last night to drive home and again this morning. It takes about 5 minutes for the boot to eventually stay closed after you unlock the vehicle. To make matters worse when I arrived at work this morning I locked the car only to for one of my colleagues to inform me half an hour later that my boot was open in the car park and he could not close it.

Anyone had a similar problem or is this a new fault to add to the ever growing list of New Passat Faults.

blackie
25-10-2006, 09:54 PM
Guess what? I've started having the boot problem. Not quit the same, in that with me, the boot pops open only when you close it and not indiscriminantly. Funny how I say 'only' as if that should be acceptable...

Another one to add to my list when my next check-in with the dealers comes along.

brian_c
27-10-2006, 01:50 PM
Hi everyone, I just want to share a problem with you to see if anyone else has had the same experience.

I got a 06 1.9tdi Passat last month and have already clocked up 5000 miles. Yesterday I experienced my first problem..... When I unlocked the car the doors unlocked but strangely the boot popped open. I then closed it but it kept opening up. Even though none of the buttons or switches were being pressed you could hear the boot switch releasing and attemping to open the boot. I thought it might be a one off however it did the same when I got in it last night to drive home and again this morning. It takes about 5 minutes for the boot to eventually stay closed after you unlock the vehicle. To make matters worse when I arrived at work this morning I locked the car only to for one of my colleagues to inform me half an hour later that my boot was open in the car park and he could not close it.

Anyone had a similar problem or is this a new fault to add to the ever growing list of New Passat Faults.

Yes, have this fault on my 3-week-old 2.0 SE FSI. Dealer has diagnosed it as faulty door motor control unit. Part is on its way from Germany - they estimate 2 weeks to fix in total.

Gavinne
27-10-2006, 01:58 PM
Brian,

I took mine in yesterday on the off chance somebody could take a look at the car. After an hour they failed to find the problem so temporarily disabled the boot release so that I can now only open the boot from the button inside the car. It's booked in again next week where they hope to find the problem. I'll mention your fault to them and see what they say.

Gavin

brian_c
05-11-2006, 06:03 PM
Yes, have this fault on my 3-week-old 2.0 SE FSI. Dealer has diagnosed it as faulty door motor control unit. Part is on its way from Germany - they estimate 2 weeks to fix in total.

Update on this - dealer phoned this week to say that the part had arrived, but was also defective.

So have to wait two more weeks for another one to be sent from Germany:(

Huweth
06-11-2006, 06:05 AM
I must say I'm absolutely amazed to read all these problems. What are the people who do the final quality control check before the cars leave the factory thinking!? Are they even doing one?
Let's hope this is just the place where everyone is telling of their problems and that 99.99% of the cars are perfect...

AndrewT
06-11-2006, 10:52 PM
I seem to have started this a long time ago - my list of problems has carried on growing, my patience tested to the limit.

Car was off the road for 4 days last week: faulty parking sensors, faulty iPod Connector, faulty electric window, faulty windscreen wipers, faulty fuel cap.

Car has done 17,400 miles and has been an unreliable heap of expensive junk!

Many of the problems facing my car affect the expensive options - even so, it should work.

Still enjoy driving the car - when it is not at the dealers! but don't know what I will do when I have to replace it. Might have to go back to Audi or try BMW.

Mark Hutchinson
07-11-2006, 10:35 AM
Following the severe problem I had with the instrument panel surround creaking during the summer, the part was finally replaced. It was fine for a week or two but the creaking soon returned. I complained again to VW and to the dealer and after two weeks at the dealer they have replaced the whole dashboard. No creaking at the moment, all nice and quiet like new. However, I don't hold out much hope for the instrument surround, the plastic material is to creaky and cheap in itself.

When the car was put on the computer it came up with two logged faults. One was a radio coding issue post ipod install, but the second was to do with the tailgate sensor (which the technician said was a known issue). I have no problems at the moment with the tailgate, but I thought it was interesting have read previous posts.

My problem with the bouncy bi-xenon headlights continues, the dealer needs to see whether it happens on another similar Passat before they can judge whether it's "normal" behaviour or not. :aargh4:

I do have an intermittent problem with the auto-dimming rear view and driver's door mirrors. On a number of occasions these have dimmed during the day when there has been a low sun. The only problem is you can not turn the dimming off with the manual button. You have to stop the car, turn it off and restart for the dimming to clear. When the mirrors do dim during the day you can not see a thing, just blackness, very dangerous.

Still waiting for the "B" pillar rattle fix which VW say is "in hand".

djjc
07-11-2006, 11:57 PM
I'm still waiting for a new centre console & gear shift surround to arrive from Germany, to hopefully fix the awful racket the dashboard makes - but as you say the plastic is very poor quality and I don't hold much hope for it fixing the problem for good.

Front brake discs have been replaced at 2000km, were warped from the factory. Steering rack replaced at 1500km due to loss of power assistance.

I'm also ecperiencing the bouncing xenons and the problem you mention with the self dipping mirror.

To top it all off I now cant select "S" or manual shift with the gearbox, the lever will only go as far as "D".

LordSphynx
14-11-2006, 09:50 AM
Ok, seems that a lot of people have problems here, seems to me I better had read this before even ordering this car. My Story: Picked up this car on 10/10/2006. Two days later, transmission pedal broke down (wouldn't come up again). Call to VW tells me this is a common problem, I will have to bring it in and they will have to replace the whole transmission system and pumps (2 days old car !!!). On top of that, the fuel door and the backdoor of the car wouldn't open with the buttons inside the car (very nice when you want to get fuel ...). Service indicator button doesn't seem to work neither... A day later it is pouring rain over here, I say to myself, let's test the ESP/ASR system and I drove into a lot of water, gave my driving wheel a good turn to check if ASR would take over --> Result: NO ESP/ASR light on the dashboard and the car is making a 180° turn ... I was ******. Took a day of from work, contacted Test-Aankoop (a company that helps people here in Belgium with commercial problems), Touring Club, The Automobile Federation and a guy from VW Brussels itself and drove to my car dealer. Result: I got a new passat, full option that I picked up one week ago. Today I'm at 1054 km on the counter, no problems found yet and this morning it was pouring rain so I tested the ESP/ASR which works fine now. Let's hope this stands !!!

Roy
14-11-2006, 10:20 AM
Bad car, *hit happens. Good resolution though.

How's the antwerp Ring - The Euro Road from Hell ;-)

IMO forums are visited by folk with problems to air it doesn't mean every one has a bad car.

How do you find the 170 Diesel? reviews I've read say it's too peaky and has higher noise levels than the 140.

Roy

LordSphynx
14-11-2006, 11:47 AM
Bad car, *hit happens. Good resolution though.

How's the antwerp Ring - The Euro Road from Hell ;-)

IMO forums are visited by folk with problems to air it doesn't mean every one has a bad car.

How do you find the 170 Diesel? reviews I've read say it's too peaky and has higher noise levels than the 140.

Roy

What conceirns the Antwerp Ring --> Same sh*t as always :) They really need to get better involved in traffic management here in Belgium (general) What conceirns the 170 Diesel. No real pain in the *$$ problems detected, I like it, love the perfect road grip it has, and the noise is really not that noisy ;-)

kenny
14-11-2006, 04:14 PM
Hi there, new to forum so not sure if I should be creating a new thread for this but I suppose it is a problem with a new 06 2.0 TDI Passat, so I'll post it here for the moment. Had the car since June and there have put 22000 Km on it, and already the oil warning light has come on twice, and I've had to put oil in it. The service warning light has not come on yet so its not due for a service yet as far as I know, but is this leval of oil comsumption normal, has anybody else found this model particulary thirsty for oil?

With regard to this thread I've had no other problems and certainly nothing like the horror stories listed here, thank god!! However the automatic hand brake is a pain in the proverbials IMO. The auto release sticks intermittently, leaving me having to pound on the brake peddle, or repeatedly press the handbrake button to release it.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!!

Cheers,

LordSphynx
15-11-2006, 09:22 AM
Hi there, new to forum so not sure if I should be creating a new thread for this but I suppose it is a problem with a new 06 2.0 TDI Passat, so I'll post it here for the moment. Had the car since June and there have put 22000 Km on it, and already the oil warning light has come on twice, and I've had to put oil in it. The service warning light has not come on yet so its not due for a service yet as far as I know, but is this leval of oil comsumption normal, has anybody else found this model particulary thirsty for oil?

With regard to this thread I've had no other problems and certainly nothing like the horror stories listed here, thank god!! However the automatic hand brake is a pain in the proverbials IMO. The auto release sticks intermittently, leaving me having to pound on the brake peddle, or repeatedly press the handbrake button to release it.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!!

Cheers,

I think it's quite normal you have had to put in oil twice if you are at 22000 km now. Seems not abnormal, surely because it's a VW.
Conceirning the service light, will be programmed as "Long Life" which means you will have to go in for service at 30000 km.

kelpy
16-11-2006, 12:20 AM
Is anybody else experiencing problems with their new Passat?

Since I picked my new car up at the end of November and covered 9,000 miles I have had the following problems with my car; a 2.0 Tdi Sport with DSG:

keyless entry - broke within the first month and took 3 months to finally sort
parking sensors - been back 3 times, front sensors still have a mind of their own and come on constantly when the car is wet - parts on back order
drivers electric lumbar support broken
service indicator has been reset once at 6,000 miles and came on again at 8,000
steering - the car pulls to the left and the steering wheel is off centre (car has not been kerbed)
when starting the car on my drive which is on a slope with the car facing down hill, the engine starts very loudly (not at high revs) and it is virtually impossible to move the gear stick from Park to Drive without forcing it. Can anyone shed light on this?On the whole I'm delighted with the car, but my patience is starting to run out. I might have been naive, but expexted more from a £25k car that aims to bat with the big boys in the compact exec sector.

Have I just been unlucky and got a lemon?
No you are not unlucky I work for VW and the bulletin's I get get are like reading war and peace your probs are quite new but the normal probs VW know about are relying on the breakdown service they provide to sort and i feel sorry for the poor sods but they are now obsolete because RAC have won the contract to provide roadside assist so read into it what you want but i drive a japanese car and have no worries at all about it

Gordon A
16-11-2006, 06:34 PM
Well I never, what an interesting read this list of faults make! I've got a 2006 TDI Estate that's got a buzzing behind the passenger side dash between 1500-2000 revs. Been onto VW and they claim that they know of no other cars having dashboard problems so I'm off to the dealers to see what they say!

Is it possible to adjust any fastenings between the dashboard/car without removal of the whole dashboard?

Martin Hawken
19-11-2006, 07:08 PM
I was interested to read your post as I'm going mad with a continious rattle/vibration which appears to be coming from the glove box area (not the lock as you had). I also have an occasional buzzing sound from passanger side dash. Been to dealer several times but difficult to solve as intermittent. Didn't realise so many people having problems with rattles.

Can you help, it's driving me nuts!:aargh4:

Martin Hawken
19-11-2006, 07:09 PM
.

blackie
21-11-2006, 09:29 PM
By crikey, you know I think I'm finally getting somewhere with the dealer!!

Car went in today for the latest round of problems. KESSY still working intermittently - technician finally agreed that it was faulty (especially when he tried it and it didn't work!) Three new door handles fitted today as a result. Hurrah!!! Won't get too carried away though until I see it actually start working.

Power steering noisy and heavy? Solution: new steering rack (after 12 months of me complaining that it wasn't right).

Step by step, little by little. Now all I need is for them to agree that the tailgate doesn't work (it always works when I show them!) and I'll be happy.

Oh, and d'you want to hear something funny (and scary)? Chatting to the technician and he told me he'd just been on the Eos training course. Apparently the trainer looked very sternly at the trainees and said: "Water leaks. The car does leak - we know that. However, when you start getting complaints, please use this to test the amount of water coming in". And each of them was given some sort of water meter - if it's under a set level, VW will say it's Ok!! It would be funny if it didn't relate to Joe Public's hard earned cash.

minghis
08-12-2006, 03:14 PM
Just a quick update on my rattle ridden estate - apparently there is now a fix available. Mine's just been done, it looks like they've taken out the interior trim and replaced it. The dash has been refitted also. On the overly sensitive auto hold function they have identified a fault and made some adjustments.

The rattles seem to have gone - looks like it's been fixed, at last.

tim wall
08-12-2006, 03:21 PM
hi minghis where was you car fixed ,my garage up to last week was still telling me their is no fix yet in fact i have taken advise on rejecting the vehicle

minghis
08-12-2006, 03:52 PM
hi minghis where was you car fixed ,my garage up to last week was still telling me their is no fix yet in fact i have taken advise on rejecting the vehicle

The lease company took it away - I don't know where it went but apparently VW have a technical centre in Milton Keynes (?) and I have a feeling it went there. What I do know is that it didn't go to my local dealer, apparently it had to go somewhere that had a bodyshop as the interior needed to be removed.

"There is now a fix available" was what the lease company said.

Good luck.

Rocket
10-12-2006, 02:32 AM
I almost got killed this afternoon. I started my car and was going down the driveway when I realized I had no brakes. Luckily between the parking brake and shifting into Park, I was able to stop the car at the end of the driveway before I got to the street. I am 75 years old and am sure if there was an accident, they would say I got confused.

The brakes were replaced in May 2006. The dealer said that pine needles got in the car and blocked the vent causing water to back up. I called after the above incident and the dealer said the pine needles blocked the vent again and this time froze. He said to wait until the weather became warmer and the brakes should return!!

I have owned Fords, Chryslers, Mercedes, parked them in the same driveway and have never had this problem before. Is it a design flaw?

mutley
10-12-2006, 12:31 PM
I almost got killed this afternoon. I started my car and was going down the driveway when I realized I had no brakes. Luckily between the parking brake and shifting into Park, I was able to stop the car at the end of the driveway before I got to the street. I am 75 years old and am sure if there was an accident, they would say I got confused.

The brakes were replaced in May 2006. The dealer said that pine needles got in the car and blocked the vent causing water to back up. I called after the above incident and the dealer said the pine needles blocked the vent again and this time froze. He said to wait until the weather became warmer and the brakes should return!!

I have owned Fords, Chryslers, Mercedes, parked them in the same driveway and have never had this problem before. Is it a design flaw?

Not too sure what vent your dealer is referring to, but the first thing that I would do would be to go to another dealer who doesn't suggest that you should only drive the car under dry warm conditions-sounds pretty much like a load of rubbish to me!

DonnyG
27-12-2006, 11:22 AM
I was interested to read your post as I'm going mad with a continious rattle/vibration which appears to be coming from the glove box area (not the lock as you had). I also have an occasional buzzing sound from passanger side dash. Been to dealer several times but difficult to solve as intermittent. Didn't realise so many people having problems with rattles.

Can you help, it's driving me nuts!:aargh4:


Martin
I have same problem around the glovebox..
My car is booked in for complete new glovebox on 4th Jan.
It seems that the hinges/pins aren't quite as tight a fit as they should be and hence the rattling noises. I was convinced it was the little hatch that the service book fits into..

I am sick of plastic creaks and rattles.. I just gave back a 1 year old E90 320D when I changed jobs and this Passat is a bucket of scrap compared the BMW. I chose the 170BHP TDI Sport and whilst power is great "mid-range" there is terrible turbo lag at low RPM and at best I can only manage 42mpg compared to a regular 48mpg from the BMW. This isn't the car that I expected from VW. I used to own an A4 and always wondered how both managed to sell as the build quality from the Passat was near identical to the A4 for much less money. IMO you definitely get more for your money now in an A4, but should you have to pay that extra money for a reasonable standard of build quality???????

PS. I now have to get another fault checked out.. Airbag warning!!!!!!!!

Tanto
27-12-2006, 03:17 PM
I feel for you Donny. Several colleagues have also experienced the rattling Passat syndrome after we had our cars downgraded from BMW, Audi, Volvo etc.

The downgrading didn't stop there as I was denied a Passat when I changed cars recently (budget no longer matched monthly cost due to VW servicing & residuals).

I ended up moving from a BMW 320d SE Tourer to a Toyota Avensis T180 Tourer and was anticpating a somewhat lacklustre experience if my colleague's jibes regarding 'an old man's car' were anything to go by.

However I seem to be at the clean end of the stick.
I have a very rapid extremely well equipped car that is comfortable and quiet (unless pointlessly revved to beyond 4,000rpm,) and best of all I have suffered zero faults and zero rattles.

I don't gloat to my colleagues with Passats, I feel sorry for them as they all chose the VW on the basis that they would have a quality car and that they would enjoy lots of 'feelgood factor' motoring.

Perhaps VW have a quality issue? I had a Passat several years ago and it gave excellent service over 128,000 miles, what can have changed?

steve_c
28-12-2006, 09:15 PM
Have just received a replacement 2007 Passat a couple of weeks back after having untold hassles with rattles and creaks from the original one I purchased 6 months ago. New one thankfully is much better (fingers crossed).

There is however a very slight rattle in the glovebox area so interested to see what the dealer has to say on this when this gets looked at.

AndrewT
16-01-2007, 09:31 AM
Seems a long time since I started this thread - guess what? In nealry 14 months, I've not had a single day when the Passat just worked.

Went in for its first service and to have the long running parking sensor issue sorted. I picked the car up to be told it has to go in again for another 2 days to have, amongst other things, a new steering column!

The parking sensors have failed again and the dealer's service manager has been told by VW that there is nothing that they can do and that they can't guarantee that parking sensors should work in the wet!!!

After 21,000 miles, I'm starting to lose patience. Has anybody else had a successful repair to parking sensors? if so, how did you achieve it?

Any help would be appreciated.

Back to Audi next time!!

Gordon A
16-01-2007, 11:58 PM
Had mine into dealer yesterday for bits as follows:

1. Parking sensors intermittent, especially in wet. Just so happened that (and this is according to the dealer!) VW issued an 'advisory' only yesterday that any cars with problems should have their sensors replaced. Mine are now on order, both front and back.

2. A metallic 'buzzing bee' between 1500-2000rpm, somewhere in the passenger dashboard area. Fixed!!

3. Loose trim on the rear door at heavy bass/high stereo volumes. Fixed!

4. Supposed 'advisory safety' thingy affecting TDi engines. Done!

Add to these, there was another 'advisory safety' thing outstanding that they also carried out but this last item was the shock: they found the near side mirror indicator not working so just replaced it!! All items under warranty, no problems at all. Just got to take it back in at some point to get all the sensors replaced but reckon that was one worthwhile visit to a VW dealer! :D

MAC
17-01-2007, 12:31 AM
Gordon,

Do you have any more info on item 4. Safety recall & the other check you had done? i.e what the recals are for and what models are affected?

Regards

Mark

Gordon A
17-01-2007, 07:59 AM
I only found out about the 'advisory' thing when contacting VW Customer Services a couple of months ago. Was told it only affects TDi engines and is something to do with upgrading the ECU software in order not to cause the engine management light to come on when it shouldn't. Sorry it's vague but that's all I know!! Haven't got the foggiest what else they did to it, though!!

AndrewT
17-01-2007, 09:37 AM
Sounds like you have the same issue as me - my front and rear sensors have been replaced 3 or 4 times (lost count) VW are aware of it and say that there is nothing they can do to stop the sensors activating in the wet!!

How do BMW, Audi, Mercedes, Lexus, Vauxhall, Ford etc, etc ,etc manage to do manufacture things that work?

mccabe
01-02-2007, 04:32 PM
might be of help:
VW Passat Recall


December 18, 2006
Volkswagen of America Inc. reports that 62,000 Passat sedans and wagons from the 2006 and 2007 model years in the U.S. and Canada will be recalled because of potential problems with wiper motors and braking in cold weather. Worldwide, Volkswagen is recalling 300,000 of its Passat sedans.

Volkswagen Passats built in 2005 and the first half of 2006 can develop a fuel leak and a 200-horse power model can develop brake problems. On some vehicles, a power brake vacuum line could fracture at low ambient temperatures and require increased effort to stop.

Volkswagen ruled out the danger of total brake failure.

Volkswagen said fixing the problems takes about an hour per vehicle. The company will begin to notify vehicle owners in January about the recall.

Mark Hutchinson
01-02-2007, 05:05 PM
Just had the rear wiper motor and a fuel cooler bracket replaced under recall/warranty. Also various engine management reprogramming carried out including re-coding the keys.

AndrewT
07-02-2007, 07:12 PM
It's me again; totally fed up. Keyless system packed up today. Has anyone experienced problems? It was -5 degrees this morning if that had anything to do with it.

Totally sick of this useless piece of junk- it is already booked in for 2 days next week, it has been in already this week.

Help!!

Matt B
07-02-2007, 11:19 PM
It is very worrying reading all these reports as I am close to ordering a new passatt (still undecided between the Passatt, V50, new CR-V or another Touran) I suppose these faults could be a small minority out of the 1,000's sold. I have to say though from owning four new VW's in the last 8 years the dealership and VW UK is by far the weakest link. the dealers are clueless, lets face it they plug the car into the computer which tells them what to replace. They never actually check to see if the item is faulty, they then follow on-screen instructions on how to replace the part. (i might be doing them an injustice but this is how it comes across) Which all costs a fortune, you wouldn't mind so much if the the faults were repaired with confidence (My Touran is out of the warranty due to 83K mileage and the radiator fans went as did the Intake manifold flap....according to the plug in computer (both at the same time!?)

I think VW need to shake the dealer network up, and take a look at the Japanese aproach to dealership (Toyota, Honda, Subaru etc.)

I am looking at getting a Passat Sport 2.0TDI 140 Estate with full leather and F/R parking sensors but not so sure now!!!

AndrewT
07-02-2007, 11:55 PM
It is very worrying reading all these reports as I am close to ordering a new passatt (still undecided between the Passatt, V50, new CR-V or another Touran) I suppose these faults could be a small minority out of the 1,000's sold. I have to say though from owning four new VW's in the last 8 years the dealership and VW UK is by far the weakest link. the dealers are clueless, lets face it they plug the car into the computer which tells them what to replace. They never actually check to see if the item is faulty, they then follow on-screen instructions on how to replace the part. (i might be doing them an injustice but this is how it comes across) Which all costs a fortune, you wouldn't mind so much if the the faults were repaired with confidence (My Touran is out of the warranty due to 83K mileage and the radiator fans went as did the Intake manifold flap....according to the plug in computer (both at the same time!?)

I think VW need to shake the dealer network up, and take a look at the Japanese aproach to dealership (Toyota, Honda, Subaru etc.)

I am looking at getting a Passat Sport 2.0TDI 140 Estate with full leather and F/R parking sensors but not so sure now!!!

I may have been unlucky - but, take my advice, if you don't need the extra legroom go for an A4 Avant - it will be a lower spec but pretty much bullet proof. If you do go for the Passat - do not order the parking sensors - after 4 replacements they still don't work in the wet! If you want a totally stress free life, buy a Honda or Toyota. You may be lucky with a Passat - on the other hand!!

Argonaut
22-03-2007, 01:46 PM
Hello!, new to the forum, and relatively new to VW. My latest company car is a 55 plate 140 TDi SE saloon, and was chosen for its VW heritage, tax break, and ability to swallow the family and luggage. Overall I'm happy with the car which achieves an average of 39mpg around town and 55 mpg on a long run at M way speed. For such a big barge it handles well, brakes well, and the mid range torque and acceleration are good. However, turbo lag is noticable, and the engine has a dislike of supermarket diesel, producing too much (IMO) black smoke under load. I switched to Shell Optima and there is less smoke. If you are prepared to put in BP ultima diesel, its a different car, with greater mpg and acceleration. Makes me wonder where the supermarkets get their fuel from...
I noticed some of the threads refer to electrical problems and want to share my experience. On a wet night in January this year, ie 11 month old car, I had total electric failure, couldn't start it, lock it etc. Brakes locked on. AA took it to the main dealer, dragging it on the transporter due to locked handbrake (have since learnt of fuse to disconnect!). The problem was the "Consumer Unit" a box of tricks located under the front passenger seat. The dealer explained that VW know that there is a problem with these units, but won't issue an official recall, they repair them as they go wrong(?!). New unit installed no problem for 3 weeks, until same problem occurs. It transpires that VW had sent an unmodified unit which the mechanic had not realised and fitted. Back to dealer, modified unit fitted and no problems since. However, going back to dealer on Monday for wiper motor recall!.

Georgeg
24-03-2007, 12:08 PM
I purchased my new Pasat TDI wagon about 2 months ago. Within a couple of weeks I started to notice a lot of creaks and rattles coming from the dashboard. Stopping, starting and going over bumps makes the whole dashboard creak. A constant creak came from the glovebox area - and an intermttent loud rattle from the around the key area. I took the car back to the dealer in Melbourne Australia who initially suggested it was due to our high temperarures and hot sun on the dashboard , till i told them it happend at night and on overcast days and I showed them a printout from this web site!

The dealer "tightened" up the dash assembly and fitted some kind of material between the bits in the dash that may rub againts each other. That helped a bit, but its still driving me crazy. The dealer told me that VW do have a problem with creaks and rattlers in the Passat dash, and said that they may not be able to fix it so that it does not rattle and creak. I am now hearing a new rattle from the door pillar!

That is not accetable. Even cheap Korean cars dont creak and rattle like my Passat. My belief in VW making quality cars is shattered.

Has any one managed to get VW to agree to replace the whole dash or the whole car with one that does not creak and rattle? If yes - how did you go about doing this?:1zhelp:

Georgeg
24-03-2007, 12:15 PM
Have just received a replacement 2007 Passat a couple of weeks back after having untold hassles with rattles and creaks from the original one I purchased 6 months ago. New one thankfully is much better (fingers crossed).

There is however a very slight rattle in the glovebox area so interested to see what the dealer has to say on this when this gets looked at.

Hi Steve

What did you do to get VW to agree to replace yr Passat? I am having heaps of problems with creaks and rattles in my new Passat - (4000 kms only), and the VW dealer in Melbourne is saying that there is not much that that can do to fix it. Is yr new Passat free of these noises?

dmac
09-04-2007, 11:24 PM
I’ve got a handbrake problem on my 06 1.9 TDI SE if you push the button and it says hand brake fault and it wont go on I have to get out and lock the car and open it and it works but the last time I had the fault the car didn’t lock I went backing into the car and it was dead and it’s still dead after 22 days and counting Vw assistance and vw Customer service are of little help maybe it’s because I stay on a Scottish island. I will have to get the car to the mainland and to vw dealer. I will probably have to pay for recovery vehicle. I have had 7 Volkswagens and 1 Audi and all have been very reliable but the passat is a bit of a disappointment.
I have wipers that stop when the car is stopped at junction handy just when you want to see I have a sticking throttle pedal. The miles change to kilometres on the display

Up date my car has made it to a vw dealer today 25 April it’s only taken 39 days and to add to the problems the car has picked up some paint work scratches

After 10 weeks without a car as soon as I got it back I traded it in for a Honda accord watch is ten times better than the passat I’m now converted and wont have a vw again.

MikeXR
11-04-2007, 04:15 PM
Hi everybody, I am a new member from Greece.
I got my new Passat estate 3.2FSI 4motion DSG in January after a 4 month waiting period.
I already have 8.000Km (5.000ml) on it and I can say I am very pleased with the overall quality and handling of the car.
I have had no noises (yet) and no problems with the various electronics (No Kessy or parking sensors installed) or the handbrake.
The only problem I have is the usual thing with VW - the local dealers and distributors.
I had the car specially ordered with the options I wanted (bi-xenon, dynaudio system, solar shell sunroof, integrated child seats etc) but when the car arrived in Greece I found out that it was missing the gear shift paddles behind the steering wheel.
The dealer then replied that you have to order these separately and when I told him that I already did that, we discovered that in his “options list” the code for the paddles was not listed correctly. There was only code PM3 for the multifunctional controls in the steering wheel and no code PM4 for the paddles.
I requested that they find a way to correct the problem but after a couple of days they replied that this is not possible because a change like that requires 2 additional control units, it would cost aprox. 2.000€, and it cancels the Warranty for the car !!!
After that I got in touch with the distributor in Greece who informed me that there is nothing they can do since the signed order was delivered exactly right and they are not responsible for their dealer’s mistakes when ordering and that more or less this was my fault for not checking the order before placing it.
Anyway after that I had to live with the fact that I have to change the gears manually only from the gear knob.
Luckily the operation of the DSG gearbox is great so far and I don’t have to use the manual +/-.
I am really sorry to read that so many of you have problems with the car and I hope that you find a way to fix them.

Thunderbird
12-04-2007, 08:59 PM
Hi new here, but have read with interest the multiple entries ref dash/door rattles - I have an 06 140 tdi sport with 21k on it which I've had from new. Its rattled and creaked from day one and been in twice - 1st time my dealer said there was no noise, so 2nd time showed them, and despite them "fixing" it, its still there. Has anyone had any success with their dealer actually curing this?? 2ndly the ipod connection drives me nuts!! I had aftermarket one in previous (03) passat which was fautless. The VW one resets itself constantly, freezes, and refuses to stay in shuffle mode. Again anyone have any ideas?? thanks!!

BenR
17-04-2007, 02:55 PM
Greetings. Just joined after reading all these horror stories. I have just handed back my Audi A4 1.9 Tdi after four not particularly satisfactory years. It had a number of problems although it never actually broke down. I went for a Passat SE estate with 2.0 Tdi 140ps after seeing how much bigger it is than the A4 and better equipped for less money. By doing this I was the first to break our CEO's rather unreasonable refusal to allow executive employees to have an estate car.

Now I'm dismayed to read this litany of problems. Not surprised to read about the handbrake though as I'm suspicious of this and am waiting for it to malfunction. Don't like the way it operates as I'm in the habit of briefly holding the car on hills with the clutch as I apply the handbrake and it won't let me do that. So far my only complaint has been a slight rattle occasionally from the glovebox area, stopped by pressing near the latch. I'm hoping that being an 07 model some of thse issues will have been resolved by VW.

The paintwork is a little orange peely but still looks smart in inky metallic blue. The engine isn't the sexiest sounding around but it hauls the car up to speed with little fuss and deceptively quickly. I'm getting about 48 mpg with 2000 miles of wear on the engine. My wife and son like the car and I can fit my mountain bike in the back without removing the wheels, which is a big bonus. Having a slightly longer wheelbase it feels steadier than the A4 at speed. Tyre noise is surprisingly resonant but better since I adjusted the pressures, which the dealer had set too low at 33. Otherwise I enjoy driving it and am enjoying the 6 CD optional stereo, which has good sound.

So far my only problems have been self-inflicted - trying to remove the rear boot light so as to fit a brighter bulb (for illumination at the back of the car) I fused the interior lights - easily fixed. Company fitted a hands-free, which triggered an airbag warning - main dealer reset it for a disgraceful £88, we have sent the invoice to the carphone company. The rearmost power socket wasn't working but this was quickly sorted by the dealer.

Fingers crossed then.

Stevebarns
02-05-2007, 12:14 PM
I've got a very unreliable Passat 2.0 TDI Sport - registered June 2005. here's the story so far:

Airbag light has come on twice.
Economy dropped by 7mpg (ish) after 3 months. No help from dealers, but has since (almost) returned to previous levels.
Electric seats have needed fixing twice.
Rattles all down the drivers side door and dashboard.
Cambelt went at 38000 miles - needed new engine
Emissions warning has come on for the 3rd time (meaning probably issues with catalytic converter) - on the way to drop it off (1 week after the new engine went in) - the coolant light came on. The hose had cracked and the car is once again undriveable. I'm not sure what the damage is at the moment.

Should the hoses have been replaced with the new engine ?

I'm a bit sick of this car now, it spends a hell of a lot of time at the dealers. I may have a bad apple - and I'm thinking of replacing it, but I'm not sure that I trust the Passats now.

Steve H
29-08-2007, 10:20 PM
Purchased my Passat B6 estate 1.9 SE In May 2007.........on the whole i am pleased with the car however i had to have the windscreen replaced due to de-laminating at bottom of screen. The new vw windscreen that has been fitted seems to be doing the same, has anyone else had this problem?
I also have a whistling noise from rear of car when changing gear? I have been advised of possible wheel bearing at fault, VW road tested car however told me they could not hear anything because of road noise?.....very helpful.

Dook
30-08-2007, 01:23 PM
Just thought I would post to redress the balance a bit!! I have had my 170PS TDI Sport DSG Estate 07 plate since late March, and haven't had any issues at all. I don't have keyless entry, but parking sensors, parking brake, DSG box, low rev pickup etc. are all absolutely fine on mine.

Occasionally there are a few creaks in hot weather, but that doesn't bother me, maybe I am just not so picky!

Overall a great car, decent performance, good economy, roomy, very comfortable and nice handling. My only quibble would be that VW should fit slightlier beefier brakes on the 170 ;)