Passat 4motion 130 TDi Advice?

[Bailes1992]

I came on here a few months ago asking about a B6 Passat 1.9 TDi and basically got told to advoid the car and get a B5.5 with the same engine.
At the time I just ignored it and went back to wanting a Peugeot 406.
Unfortunatley I really am strugling to avoid the 4motion. I like the sound of constant four wheel drive. I think the mix between economy, handling and the fact I can take it out in the snow are making me curious about them.

Just after abit of advice really?
I think I'd go for a late Sport around 80-100k.
I noticed these don't have cruise control, is it a hard job to retrofit?
How reliable is the four wheel drive system?
I noticed AMD essex seem to have a nice remap for them taking them to ~170bhp, can the four wheel drive system handle this?
Any common faults?

Just after some general views about them really. What sort of MPG should I expect? Thinking ~40mpg on a run? I know the 4x4 system will drink some juice.

Any advice generally welcome, cheers. Bailes.

[scotty33]

1 I thought the 4 motion model comes as standard with Sport spec? both of my sport models have cruise. I think it is relatively easy to retrofit, - stalk change and some coding with vag com I think?

2 The 4 wheel drive is generally reliable and capable of carrying a lot more than the 1.9 tdi delivers. same 01E series gearbox in the A4 2.5 tdi quattro at 180hp and 2.7tt S4 at 250hp! I will say the 2wd version is known for diff bearings failing at high milage and pinion bearings failing at sometimes low milage - the latter caused by faulty tolerances during assembly so I'm told. No idea if the 4wd versions suffer in the same way.

3 as above the drivetrain can take it, 170 hp is reasonably conservative and should be ok. some remappers go further, can cause clutch slip and dual mass flywheel problems in 2wd versions. Not sure if these items are beefed up in the 4 motion. The 4 motion system is the same as in the Audi A4 quattro B5 and B6 cars, far more of them about if you want some first hand experiences.

4 all B5 and 5.5 passats potentially suffer from water building up in the plenum chamber ( the bit at the back of the engine bay where the battery and brake servo reside). This water can get sucked into the servo and mean servo as a minimum needs replacing, maybe master cylinder and engine damage too if it gets too bad! Also the water typically enters the car through the pollen filter flooding the passenger footwell, which is where VW chose to site the ECU for the central locking/windows. Can also be expensive to fix.
Economy is approx 5mpg down on the 2wd so should be 55 on a run, 43 combined. Tends to hard to achieve on short trips, and dips further during winter.

[jagr]

I have a late 2003 model ('53) Sport TDI 4Motion passat estate.
It has 88k miles and FSH. I am the second owner.

I have had 5 Passat TDI estates before this and the 4WD system makes them alot more interesting.
This is at a cost though. Road tax is £115/£210. Insurance is more. Fuel economy is around 15% worse.
On average my 2WD Passats were between 40-55mpg while my 4Motion is 37-48mpg.
Still how many other 4WD give that sort of economy??

I have owned 4 SE models and 2 Sports. Only 1 of my SE's had cruise.
It is relatively easy/inexpensive to retrofit as I helped a mate fit it to his 2003 SE TDI.

The 4WD on the B5.5 is as said above the tried and tested Quattro system which handles huge power from the big Audi's.

I have an expensive Steinbauer tuning box, K&N panel filter and Allard EGR delete on mine which has approx 165-170bhp.

The only real common fault is the pollen filter leaking (make sure it has had the newer sealant fix).

[superman2014]

hi could you help me out if you can, I have a 2004 vw Passat 1.9tdi saloon it is a uk inport and the guy I bought it off told me its a 4x4 but I don't think it is because 4x4 is not write on the car anywhere, how can I tell if it is thank you

[Guest 2]

So you have driveshafts going into the rear wheels?


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[Jim The Crim]

Does it have "4Motion" on the gear knob. Maybe faded.

[aks1989]

hi could you help me out if you can, I have a 2004 vw Passat 1.9tdi saloon it is a uk inport and the guy I bought it off told me its a 4x4 but I don't think it is because 4x4 is not write on the car anywhere, how can I tell if it is thank you

Turn off the T/C try and thrape start, if you get wheel spin you'll know from where it's coming from, if you don't it's definately AWD