1999 Volkswagen Passat Sport 1.9 TDI turbo diesel

Summary:

Bangernomics

Faults:

ABS sensor £11.99 off eBay; this fault was present when I bought the car.

Central locking does not work correctly; again, I knew about this prior to purchase.

It needs a track rod end to cure a knock from the front.

General Comments:

This is the best £550 I have ever spent. The car is so cheap to run. 40 MPG at least round town, and up to 60 on a run.

The car is on 203000 on the original engine, gearbox, clutch, fuel pump, injectors etc. Only thing that's been changed are the over complicated front suspension arms. Can someone point me towards a modern diesel that can achieve this?

A couple of years ago I sold a 5 year old TDCi Mondeo with only 128k on the clock, that needed dual mass flywheel, rear wheel bearings, handbrake cables and calipers, and fan belt pulley and tensioner. Rubbish.

Anyway, back to the Passat; it handles like a bath tub, there is lacquer peeling off the roof and upper tailgate, but I love it. The engine pulls like a train and is still returning its factory MPG figures. No other car I have ever owned has done this.

Everything still works, apart from the central locking, but you can still lock/unlock it via the internal button.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 13th August, 2012

5th Jul 2013, 05:19

Glad you like your Passat, though I will say that my 2005 Volvo V70 D5 is up to 296,000 miles and still runs like new, and with the exception of an intercooler, is all original with no big repairs. It still gives up to 48 MPG, which is very impressive given it's a 2.5!

1999 Volkswagen Passat TDi Estate 1.9 turbo diesel

Summary:

A vehicle of good quality, let down by poor design

Faults:

Alternator pulley seized, dealer could not remove pulley from alternator, so had to replace alternator (the pulley is a clutch type).

Both rear brake calipers seized. Had to be replaced.

Doors lock and unlock themselves. Cause faulty rear hatch lock solenoid.

Fuel filler flap refused to open. Wiring fault between switch and fuse. Pig of a job!

Lacquer peeling off most body panels. (Paint is original, not repaired). Seemingly a popular VW and Audi trait if you search on Google.

Exhaust heat shields broken away from mountings and rattle. Cause was dissimilar metal corrosion.

All front suspension arms replaced due to failed joints. Expensive job due to seized pinch bolts.

Tailgate rusting below rear window.

Rubber air intake hose split. Very small hose, very big price!

Reversing light switch failed (switch on top of gearbox, very difficult to get at).

Front brake calipers replaced due to unbalanced operation.

General Comments:

All in all, this car has been a great disappointment. My first VW and definitely my last. Okay, it is a high mileage car, and failures due to wear and tear are expected. I have previously owned high mileage BMWs and Porsches that have been totally reliable. The thing that annoys with this car is that most of the problems are down to poor design. I do my own maintenance whenever possible, and this vehicle will frustrate any DIY mechanic with its pointlessly complicated and poorly thought out design.

By far the most expensive car in terms of maintenance that I have owned. The only car I have ever owned that always needs work to pass an MOT.

If the car wasn't so economical (I can get almost 60mpg on a long journey), I would have got rid of it by now, but in any case, its days are numbered!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 5th September, 2010

29th Oct 2010, 14:07

Well it sounds like usual wear and tear stuff, nothing major league really. I have owned a 2000 (W plate) Passat TDI 115hp version for 4 years, and yes the boot/tailgate solenoid has refused to work intermittently, and the wishbones have needed replacing.

As has the clutch and dual mass flywheel, A/C fan and it's had a leak on the rad, needing a new radiator, but all this is normal stuff. New Mondeos are inherently poor when it comes to clutches and flywheels, but cost around twice as much to replace.

I bought the car as an ex demo / VW garage car with 80,000 miles on the clock. She has just rolled over 246,000 miles and still goes strong, it never ever lets me down, even with a damaged flywheel it ran for 5000 miles before the problem was rectified.

I think the VW Passat surpasses itself with quality and reliability. Yes things break, they do annoy you, but all cars have problems, let's face it. As for the BMW and Porsches you have owned, I couldn't comment as I never owned one personally, but sounds more like luck than anything else. My friend owns a BMW 5 series 2002 model, and has had far more problems than my Passat, and mile for mile, mine has cost a lot less than his.

Neal.

13th Jun 2021, 21:56

I agree with the overly complicated access for repairs. German engineering means no one cares to design in such a way so as to make repairs simple.

In reply to 13th Jun 2021, 21:56

14th Jun 2021, 20:57

I would never buy a new BMW with issues reported. Or a VW. As a Porsche 911 owner they are very well made. Yes service is high. Like a $550 oil change. But they love to run, hard all day without complaint. Best handling you will ever experience. Forgiving at all speeds. Drive one and you will never want to drive anything else. They are that great today. Currently ones a couple years old are literally selling at asking or above when new. Lengthy lead time into 2022. And many will not wait. Warranty is 4 years; only expense I have had is fluid changes. That’s it.