2001 Volkswagen Passat GLS 2.8L V6 DOHC 30V FI Engine from North America

Summary:

An absolute disaster and waste of money

Faults:

4K CD player defective and replaced

5k Total failure of power in car -- replaced instrument cluster

7K Running light replaced

13K Total failure of power in car, replaced transmission control nodule

19K Rear Truck lock replaced

20K Instrument panel flashing warnings on everything towed to dealer, rebooted and worked

20K Bar for transmission gear indication not functioning, rebooted on the dealer's computer and working, drove an hour and a half and same problem.

General Comments:

I have called WV Michigan 15 times and talked to 4 supervisors. They show no inclination to work with a car that is having intermittent problems and say just to take it back to the dealers. This is the worse customer support system I have ever encountered and I would never buy another WV again.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 11th March, 2004

2001 Volkswagen Passat GLX 4Motion V6 from North America

Summary:

A disappointing 1st Volkswagen

Faults:

I replaced the driver's side headlamp (3) times in 40,000 miles.

All of the dash lights went out. When I brought it in for service, the technician said they came back on when he removed the dimmer switch. He said any further investigation of the problem would be expensive and recommended I just leave it. The lights went out again a couple of days later. They've been out for the better part of a year.

The driver's door doesn't lock with the remote. I made the dealer aware of the problem at a routine service visit while the car was still under warranty. They said they would have to order parts and it would require a return visit. At my next visit (after the warranty had expired) the had no record of it and refused to fix it under warranty.

The rear cigarette lighter won't stay in.

The heater fan makes a loud squealing noise.

General Comments:

The car rides well and has plenty of acceleration with the V6 and 4Motion.

If it weren't for the problems above and the unsatisfactory service from the dealer, I'd love the car.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 25th January, 2004

30th Jun 2009, 01:10

That's really disappointing to hear, because I have a 2001.5 Passat GLX 4 Motion with 138,000 miles on it, and nothing like that has happened to it... of course it had routine maintenance like brakes, timing belt and I replaced a few control arms, but that's it... it sounds like you bought a lemon...

2001 Volkswagen Passat 2.0S estate 2.0 petrol from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Not the sexiest car, but far more street cred' than a Ford Mondeo

Faults:

The remote central locking system developed a fault. This was caused by a faulty internal sensor which was replaced under the manufacturers warranty free of charge.

The black cloth seats get dirty very quickly especially, when you have children on board!

General Comments:

The inside is spacious and the boot cavernous.

The climate control is superb, and the seats and ride are very comfortable.

The funky dial lights take a bit of getting used to, being red and purple, but are certainly a talking point when it's dark!

The manual gear box seems quite clumsy compared with some other cars which is a shame, given the otherwise luxurious feeling of the drive.

The build quality is great and you know your in a German car when you close the doors and the car shakes.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 26th December, 2003

5th Oct 2005, 05:12

"More street cred than a Mondeo". Really??

Both are decent cars, but at the end of the day the Passat is a commonplace mass market fleet car, just like the Mondeo. Unless it has one of the higher output diesel engines, it doesn't particularly hold on to its value, and although competent enough, it's hardly a buzz a minute to drive. They're as close as makes no difference on price, and in terms of how common they are on the road.

Being brutally honest, I would say for "street cred" you wouldn't buy either of them. Does anyone really look at a Passat and go "phwoar!"???