Is anyone out there happy with their Passat?

[podwin]

It says that in my manual too. However, the remote tailgate open button and door switch are merely ornaments on my car. (the remote LED glows) The only way to open is to double click the remote to unlock all doors then lift the tailgate using the external handle over the numberplate.

I think I've read about this problem before, and VAGCOM was needed to change/recode some settings, not sure why its lost them though

[Quatrelle]

You could try disconnecting your battery for a couple of minutes to see if it resets.

[Alasdair999]

I have just bought a Passat 140 TDI SE DSG and I am quite unhappy with it, I find similiar problems to everyone in this site.

Noisy (wind noise, road noise from sport alloys and rattles)
Unsettled (torque steer and seems to be badky aligned)
Suspension (ride is unsettled and suspension creaks)
Interior (looks good but at closer inspection interior is poorly fitted)

I am not happy and i am going to sell mine and cut my losses.
Does anyone have anything positive to say about their passat

Is this forum highlighting the negatives and there are happy passat owners out there?

This is a shame because I really like the car but find all these niggles annoying.
Has anyone overcome these niggles...

I am happy with mine. I bought it last December for £10688 with 13900 miles at 10 months old. It is a AD57 plate and was previously registered to Provincial Securities of Leicester but that doesn't bother me. So far I have done 5000 trouble free miles including 700 miles towing a touring caravan, which it does with ease. It has just had it's first long life service done costing £175 and the display is now saying I have 18100 miles to next service. I find the car comfortable, responsive and reasonably good on fuel. At the moment I can say that my next car will be another Passat.

[SMEG]

Hi guys,
got a bit of a shock when i read the results of the Autoexpress Driver Power Survey this week where out of one hundred cars the B5 scored as follows 1st= best 100= worst)
These scores are from an owner survey.

Handling 100th
Ease of driving 98th
Reliability 94th
Braking 93rd
Comfort 91st
Running costs 72nd
Performance 70th
Ride quality 62nd
Build Quality 56th
Practicality 48th

These scores placed the car 94th overall with the B6 scoring 98th for reliability and placed 70th overall.

For reference the Skoda Octavia came third overall with the company taking first place over Lexus,VW came 16th.

I think the CEO of VW needs to contact Skoda for a advice on building cars, and as for Skoda jokes, well we VW owners should probably wipe the smug grin of our faces.

[Quatrelle]

Driver surveys are always subjective, and imo meaningless.

People who buy e.g. a Skoda will defend their choice (there is still a joke element) and hence it will influence their opinions, often subconsciously. Trust me, I'm not a doctor....

That's not to say Skodas aren't necessarily a good car - I've never had one.

Me? buy a Skoda - you must be joking!

[dunkley201]

Driver surveys are always subjective, and imo meaningless.

I quite agree, Quatrelle. VW and Skoda drive trains and mechanicals are all largely from the same source, so the reliabilty should be similar. I guess VW are suffering for failures in the additional peripheral toys rather than the basic vehicle. (B6 parking brake comes to mind)
Where do Audi & SEAT come in this survey I wonder? (notwithstanding your opinion above!)

[SMEG]

Audi 11th and Seat 22nd.

[pendle wizard]

I don't know about everybody else but despite the problems i love mine, all the probs are niggling little ones.
It starts first time every time. its sounds sweet.
(bit of wind noise) was a squeeeky dashboard board but found that one (yeahhhhhh) was a well easy fix.
compared to other cars i have owned i would have to give the passat 10 out of 10 for enjoyment just love it.
must be the child in me but every time i open the boot it just amuses the hell out of me.

[sl123]

I have a Feb'08 170 DSG SEL Estate and very happy with it. 1 or 2 niggles (rattle inside which I located yesterday and fixed, and1 alloy is not coated properly so will get that looked at under warranty). Apart from that, not come across any of the other issues. Its got plenty of space, quiet, and SEL with satnav has everything I need. I have previously had 2 BMWs (from new - 318i, then 320D touring). The 320D had loads of issues with it and I find the Passat a much better car. Fuel consumption is pretty good (40+mpg) and DSG is just excellent.

No issues with the parking brake, although a collegue of mine had an A6 and his let go a few times !! So I dont think its just a VW issue !

I agree with comments made by others about the autoexpress survey. The skoda's are rebadged VW, with cheaper interiors, same engines so dont see how they can score different when they are the same engine, apart from the fact that Skoda drivers do seem to stick to their brand.

[Stuart W]

I agree with comments made by others about the autoexpress survey. The skoda's are rebadged VW, with cheaper interiors, same engines so dont see how they can score different when they are the same engine, apart from the fact that Skoda drivers do seem to stick to their brand.

I think the usual explanation is that Skoda buyers have low expectations, whereas VW buyers have high expectations, thus the same product is percieved differently.