Faults:
Ongoing problem-- car will not completely fill up with fuel unless topped up. Fuel shutoff engages when tank is 3/4 to 7/8 full. VW is unable or unwilling to diagnose any problem.
Cruise control has worked intermittently since I bought the car. It works, quits, mysteriously starts working again, quits, etc.
Needed front brake pads at 28,000 miles.
Radio reception is poor outside urban area. My other car seems to have twice the reception.
Significant interior rattle when temperature is below 25 F. This appears to be from the rear-view mirror.
Many recalls, including tie rods and, most recently, front control arms.
General Comments:
The car handles and performs very well, especially in highway cruising. I often find myself driving 90 mph without even knowing it. It seems like it has more than the rated 190 hp. I love driving it. It makes 60 miles of commuting a day tolerable.
Body has held up well with a nice finish.
Despite some of the bizarre problems (namely the fuel issue and the cruise control), I seem to have had better luck with my V6 Passat than others who purchased the 1.8T model and have experienced numerous and costly repairs. Of course, I have relatively low miles (40K in five years) and am concerned that the car will become very expensive to maintain as the miles increase.
8th Aug 2005, 03:42
If you read the motoring press, you won't find too many complimentary remarks about the reliability of more recent VW's, particularly the Golf and Passat models, and the list of known faults has been well documented.
Check www.reliabilityindex.co.uk and you'll see nearly half of all Passats have had some kind of suspension problem, more than 15% have had electrical faults, and more than 10% have had fuel system faults. According to the overall reliability index, the Passat is less reliable not only than the Japanese competition, but also the Vauxhall Vectra, Ford Mondeo and Peugeot 406. Strange for a manufacturer which people still seem to think represents engineering excellence, and which commands residual values to match, although if it's any consolation, the more expensive Audi A4 fares even worse. The JD Power survey wasn't much more complimentary.
My brother bought a 2 year old "VW Approved Used" Passat TDI PD 130 from a main dealer two years ago, and although it's a great drive, reliability wise it's been a nightmare. Two water leaks into the passenger footwell, leaking air conditioning, a mysterious tappet noise, failed central locking, split turbo pipework, and it's recently developed a clutch judder, which will cost the best part of £1,000 to put right (the parts alone are £600!). The car has a full VW service history, and has not yet done 50,000 miles! The repair costs in year 2, without the clutch, have totalled almost £700. I know someone with a 1986 Ferrari 328 GTB who doesn't spend that much on maintenance!
On the evidence of these surveys and my brother's experience, I wouldn't touch a modern VW.