Faults:

Was trouble free for first two years, then I brought it to Canada.

Had a problem. The car would start and run fine for a couple of kms, then stumble around at 4-500 rpm or rev to full throttle. Took the dealer several trips to fix, never did find out what they did.

Have gone through several mufflers.

Replaced heater control box twice - overheated. VW claimed they never had any problems with them, dealer told me otherwise.

Replaced alternator twice.

Several brake jobs - normal wear and tear, although parking brake cables have seized.

Door switches for interior lights all have broken.

Heater core blew - VW did a recall for every other model but the Passat (same part number of heater core).

Computer constantly resets - but I'll live with that.

Heated seats don't heat anymore.

Replaced motor mounts twice.

Rear drivers side window regulator replaced twice.

Has overheating issues especially with A/C on in stop and go traffic.

Just replaced both front axles.

Replaced oil and water temp and oil pressure sensors.

And have a nagging power drain on battery that I haven't been able to trace.

Door locks will freeze in cold humid weather.

General Comments:

I still have original clutch, engine leaks a little, but burns very little oil.

Ride is still solid, only very minor rust - was easily touched up and still gets me to work every day.

Faults:

Bought the car 3 days ago.

2 days ago the t/o bearing went.

Had to replace the whole clutch. Cost $1500.

Fuel pump also broken, $500 just for the part.

Comfortable car, handles smooth, but also notice blue smoke from the tailpipe.

Paid 2000$ for the car, had it for 3 days, and I've already paid for the car twice.

When I took it to the shops, no one wanted to work on it. Went to 10 mechanics in town, one shop had a 2006 and they couldn't figure out how to change the lights, and it was having problems.

I will never buy a Passat again.

General Comments:

The interior is in great condition.

The car handles well, but I've only had it for 3 days.

Faults:

Automatic blew so we did a swap into a 5spd.

New clutch t/o bearing resurfaced flywheel, pressure plate.

Fuel filter needed replacing... led to more problems.

Front end plastic is extremely brittle resulting in going through front ends like crazy.

Rear brakes did not work.

E brake cables needed replacing.

Clutch master cylinder was shot.

Whole muffler was leaking.

Most vac lines needed replacing.

Original wiring is a mess left rear window is stuck up headlights would cause dash lights to go out.

Temp light flicks on and off randomly.

High beams will cause everything to shut off.

General Comments:

Although the car drove nice and handled well, I have been under it more than I have been driving it.

The wiring from the factory is a mess, and will strand you on the side of the road if you don't go through it.

After all the work I have done on it, it still only managed to get me 23mpg on premium and 19 on regular.

Faults:

Well now where do I start?

When I was taking delivery of the car, it was in getting a new water pump.

One hour after I got it, it would not start. The battery was dead.

Discovered it was a problem in the instrument panel with a broken wire. Solder fixed it.

Replaced the alternator.

Numerous problems with the temperature sensor.

Problems with broken wires that created drive-ability issues.

The car would run good for a day or two; sometimes even up to 3 weeks without breaking down.

Not something I would trust on a trip far from home.

New strut mounts.

The car would veer to right when decelerating.

Idling problems.

Starting problems.

Just a generally quirky car that I loved when it ran well, and hated when it didn't.

General Comments:

A super nice car to drive.

Lots of power, excellent handling, solid ride.

No rust, great looking body.

Good gas mileage; 25 MPG city.

Don't buy an automatic; they are ridden with problems.

If you don't have a good cheap Volkswagen mechanic that really knows these cars, don't buy one. Mine saved me probably thousands of dollars.

The interiors of these old Volkswagens are incredibly durable. Even after 15 years, the seats looked brand new. You would never find that in an American car.

My only regret is that I never had the guts to see how fast it could really go.