2002 Volkswagen Passat S 1.9 TDi from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Strong engine, very good fuel economy and reliable!

Faults:

Nothing.

General Comments:

The engine is the cars greatest strength in that it is has power and economy. I cover 1,000 miles per week at speed of up to 80 miles per hour and regularly achieve in excess of 50 miles per imperial gallon (based upon miles covered and neck to neck filling).

The cars handling does not equal that of my previous car (Vauxhall Vectra) however there are a number of electronic devices that kick in if I get it wrong. One is called ESP which selectively applies the brakes on corners if I am about to go into a skid. This is activated most days particularly on roundabouts when I am overtaking vehicles that I would otherwise be stuck behind on a single carriageway.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 22nd January, 2003

2002 Volkswagen Passat 1.8T from North America

Summary:

Attractive, solid, completely unreliable car

Faults:

At about 6000 miles, an ignition coil blew necessitating a tow for repair. The dealership could not guarantee that the remaining three would not blow because they admit to having innumerable problems with coils on the 2002 1.8T.

General Comments:

Volkswagen must recall and repair these Passats as soon as possible. To blow a coil at high speed may cause serious damage or death.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 17th January, 2003

23rd Sep 2005, 20:38

Just a quick comment in VW's defense. I believe that VW did in fact conduct a recall on the problematic ignition coils...however, I can hardly believe that failure of the ignition coils (be it one, or all four) would be anything more than a delay and an inconvenience... at worst the engine would shut off, and one would have to pull to the side of the road.

24th Sep 2005, 05:29

So you're driving to the airport to catch your flight and one of your coils decides it won't run any more... Or you find yourself driving home on a rainy night and you have to stop by since the coil (s) "decided" so. Come on, at least VW should have acknowledged the problem and issued a recall instead of changing coils one by one every time a car broke down. All cars have problems- it's inevitable since all cars are far more complex (electronically and mechanically) nowadays. BUT, and this is a big, but, the companies are also judged by the way they treat their customers on after-sales terms. The truth is that VW (being in part shortage) decided they would not admit the problem as long as they would be able to do so, and this is inexcusable.

1st Dec 2007, 00:03

I have to say that I totally agree with the last comment, however I know from personal experience that this type of attitude that VW America has should be fixed, and I have to say that all the fault comes from the dealers itself. I have lived both in Germany and Spain (job reasons), and in both European countries I have owned a VW. First the service over there was way better than over here; never had a problem with either of my cars.

I do have a friend that had the same coil problem that you had with your 1.8T (in Spain). He took it to the dealer and changed all coils no questions asked.

I do thing that VW needs to step up over here in the US; the dealer's attitude, knowledge and customer service is one of the worst.

2002 Volkswagen Passat GLS 1.8 turbo from North America

Summary:

Cute, but useless for reliable transportation.

Faults:

Four ignition coil packs have gone out in 12,000 miles (at 2K, 8K, 10K and 12K miles) causing the engine light to come on and the car to lose power. I don't believe that Volkswagen has a fix for it yet, and they have agreed to repurchase my car under the California Lemon Law.

General Comments:

This is a very fun and attractive car, but it's poor reliability overshadows all else.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 2nd January, 2003