2002 Volkswagen Passat Sport TDI 1.9 TDI PD 130PS

Summary:

Great car ruined by poor engineering and reliability

Faults:

Turbo pipework has split twice.

Was letting water into the cabin via the pollen filter seal.

Two central locking faults.

Computer display died requiring a complete replacement unit. The function selector button on the end of the stalk is also seriously temperamental.

Gearbox oil leak left puddles on the drive at 35,000 miles.

Clutch failed at 49k (judder and "grabbing"). No clutches anywhere in the UK for 3 weeks due to "exceptional demand". A common fault in other words. Had to argue to get VW to pay up - they were trying to charge me £1,150 as it apparently damaged the flywheel too.

Water getting into both front footwells in heavy downpours (still not fixed)

Power steering fluid dropping mysteriously every couple of weeks (still not fixed)

ABS warning light comes on intermittently (still not fixed)

General Comments:

Good to drive, but I will be glad to see the back of it.

Cannot fault the engine. It gives excellent performance and even better economy. 55 mpg can be achieved on a motorway run at 70-80 mph in 6th. Pulls hard from nothing - near zero turbo lag. Better than many of the more modern common rail units.

Seats good on first acquaintance, but not great on long stints. Too flat and hard. Good refinement and interior quality.

Appalling reliability and dealer backup. Colleagues have Mondeos, Vectras and even Rover 75's which have had nothing like these problems. VW need to sort out their dealer's attitude too. The onus is always on me to prove the car has a fault. Almost like they refuse to accept that a VW can break down.

Had I not had these problems, I would be ina new Passat by now, but I'm not prepared to risk it at the moment.

Very disappointed with the car, and with VW.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 26th October, 2005

27th Oct 2005, 08:33

I too had the clutch judder except that the dealership was refusing to do anything about it unless they dismantled the car first, sent the clutch away for "independent inspection" and then would negotiate with VW based on the outcome as to what proportion of it, if any, they would contribute.

That was all well and good, but in the meantime that left me without a car, and with mine in bits. This meant I wouldn't have a leg to stand on if they decided to chuck me a bill for "about a grand" which they initially quoted. They also wouldn't provide a courtesy car for the entire duration. Considering the car was only 18 months old and had 41,000 miles on it I found this disgusting.

I have since learned this is not an uncommon problem with the 130PS TDI Passats and Audi A4s.

As the finance period on the car was half up I cut my losses and after using up all bar the last dregs of fuel in the tank, parked it up outside my house and told the finance company to come and collect it. There were other silly little problems, but they paled into insignificance next to the clutch.

There are far better built and more reliable cars out there. I suggest you get rid of it and move on.

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2002 Volkswagen Passat SE 1.9 turbo diesel

Summary:

Not as good as expected

Faults:

The Turbo has blown twice.

The Alternator failed at 90,000 miles.

The interior around the gear stick looks shabby.

General Comments:

Generally the car runs well for the amount of miles it has covered, and is very comfortable on a long journey.

I don't think that the pick up is as good as I would expect from a 130 BHP Turbo Diesel. A Mondeo or Vectra seem to leave it trailing behind.

Another gripe I have is that of reliability. I chose a Passat specifically because of the amount of miles I cover, and assumed that reliability would be excellent. Two Turbos and One Alternator leave me a little skeptical about purchasing another VW.

I think the car would benefit from the 150 BHP Diesel engine found in the Mark 4 Golf.

I cannot find fault with the dealer. Excellent service.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 28th February, 2005

13th Sep 2005, 13:51

The 150bhp engine found in the golf is the same engine as yours, but with a slightly different turbo. The turbo on the 130 engine provides more low down punch than the 150 turbo. People who performance tune these PD TDi engines will always go for a 130bhp engine over the 150bhp as the power gains are greater on the 130.

The vast majority of Passat and Golf PD TDIs have had no turbo problems whatsoever. Are you allowing sufficient time for the turbo to warm up before using full throttle and again allowing time for oil to circulate and cool the turbo down after each journey?

I have seen plenty of these cars covering over 200000 miles and they still drive like they were 20000 mile vehicles. The Passat is synonymous with Quality and Reliability.

14th Sep 2005, 07:33

Mine isn't. 50,000 miles, just a year out of warranty and it's cost me £1,200 in repairs. Juddering clutch (common fault), water leak around pollen filter (common fault) and one of the turbo pipes split (common fault).

Great for the first three years and 40,000 miles, but now seems to be falling apart around me just as the warranty has run out. To be told by dealer technicians that the fault they're charging you to repair is "common", adds salt into the wounds. The clutch parts alone cost over £700 with VAT! Ferrari wouldn't even charge that much.