5th Nov 2002, 22:31
Regarding dead batteries in your VW doorlock transmitters:
The lithium batteries used in the doorlock transmitter are about 2 bucks at Radio Shack. The transmitter is opened by prying at the little notch. After the battery is changed, the transmitter has to be recoded. For this reason, the manual tells you to have the dealer change the battery. However, my owner's manual also has the recoding instructions, and the whole procedure takes only about a minute. Note that regardless of what the instructions say, the SERVICE key (the one with the picture of a wrench) should be the one in the ignition while recoding.
The price stated above for battery replacement is about what VW quoted me for an whole additional transmitter and cutting a new security key, so something is fishy here.
23rd Jun 2003, 06:56
I can only echo many of the negative comments by others on this page.
My '99 Passat performs well, but the maintenance and repair costs are overwhelming.
At 20,000 miles the main electrical cables began corroding. After a struggle with dealer they covered partial cost of replacing the cables and added a metallic cover to the housing to prevent further moisture entry and corrosion.
Front Brake Pads wear frequently and are very expensive to replace.
After every oil change my dealer harassed me by phone to give them a "perfect score" in surveys to VW North America.
Now at 110,000 miles despite religiously sticking to the maintenance schedule on the vehicle my salesman told me would easily give me 200,000 vehicle has developed an engine oil pressure problem
Dealer says it will cost $800 to $1,000 dollars for their "perfect" service dept. to figure out what is wrong.
This car is a dream to drive, but the repair costs turn this "reasonable" sedan into a luxury vehicle. You might as well buy a Lexus or Acura because by the time you total the massive repair costs you will have paid that much.
7th Jul 2003, 12:35
I'm sorry to say that I can only echo the woes of my fellow Passat owners. I purchased my 99 Passat GLS V6 with less than 4K miles in Feb 2000. For the most part the car has been a dream, however, I too have begun to feel the impact of costly repair bills with currently only 46K miles to date.
I remember the back cup holder breaking several times and the dealer promptly repair... I concluded it was just poor design.
I have replaced the driver side mirror because it broke completely off. I also replaced the driver sun visor because it broke completely off.
The water pump was recently replaced and luckily covered under warranty.
My biggest problem to date is my fuel injectors. A month after replacing the water pump, the engine light comes due to faulty fuel injectors. I was told it was due to the a specific gas I was using (BP). I have gas receipts going back 3 years showing I purchased the required premium gas for my car and didn't understand why the fuel injectors were bad. Of coursed, VW of America is telling me they cannot assist with repair ($486) due to the my car being over its original warranty (2 years/24K miles) and also due to outside influence, which was the gas I used. The gas company is saying it is the car. Needless to say, I'm stuck with the repair bill and what I'm beginning to think is a poorly built car.
3rd Aug 2003, 01:34
2000 Passat 1.8T performed very well over 60k miles
One of the window lift motors failed shortly after buying the new car. It was fixed for free. And that was the only problem I ever had so far. I easily get 30 mpg (mostly freeway, some stop & go) and with the Neuspeed Chip this car moves!
19th Nov 2003, 22:54
My 1999 Passat has sustained thousands of dollars in engine system failures from 58k- 60k, i.e. Just past warranty coverage.
To wit: Throttle body- $560; On Board Diagnostic Module- $900 (dealer allowed warranty) ; Engine wire harness-$1100 (dealer allowed warranty) ; And finally the "piece de resistance", Oil Pump failure while being serviced by dealer for alignment-my cost (yes, mine) - $800 oil pump & $3300 new cylinder head. Something is wrong here.
22nd Nov 2005, 02:24
99 Passat V6 Alloy Package. Love the car/hate the bills. I haven't gone 1 full year without a problem: wire harness replaced, injectors, electrical problems with locks, CV joints, gaskets... you name it. Tomorrow, I am about to trade it in to some poor sucker for a brand new vehicle with a 5 yr/60k warranty... I feel like I am losing a hot girlfriend that mistreated me all these years, but I was too in love to care.
Good riddance! I am sticking to dependability, not looks.
1st Aug 2007, 13:33
My '98 Passat has less than 70k miles. I have had experiences similar to those enumerated on this board; the car has been breathtakingly expensive to maintain. It seems like every few months, some struts or shocks or something give out and I'm out another $800 or so. The Passat isn't even any fun to drive any more; in fact it is an ordeal. Something has gone wrong with the acceleration; in first gear (it is a 5 speed manual transmission), it takes forever to get to about 15 mph. Fifteen year old Chevy Luminas blow me off the line. The dealership has taken more than $900 of my money, and can't seem to diagnose the problem. Possibly related to this, the mileage is horrible--maybe 16 mpg city. My previous car was a Honda Accord; my next car will be a Honda or a Toyota, and so will every car I own thereafter.
29th Sep 2002, 16:30
I am still suffering from lust of my 1999 VW Passat. Even though I have just spent $850 dollars on repairs and was without my car for 11 days straight I don't want to give it up.
Rear cup holder broken about a week after delivery.
Tiptronic (manual) failed at 20,000 miles. It took over a week for the failed part to arrive from Germany.
Brakes squeal intermittently for the past 10,000 miles.
Misfiring at 56,000 miles due too bad ignition coil and bad ignition module. Dealership didn't know what to do about it. They called us after they fixed the coil and then the replaced coil went out while the service manager was driving it through the car wash. Then they finally figured out the real problem was the module. After 11 days, I finally have my car back and it has been fine since.
VW Customer service was no help with the costs of repairs and rude to me on the phone. I asked for copies of the case files so I could keep them and they balked at the request saying I could get a lawyer to request them, but they would not send them to me. I asked for the records because the information given to them by the dealership was inaccurate and I believe the reason they did not offer assistance.
I will say that it did perform well in a collision and my son and I were safe. A small truck ran a stop sign on a small side-street in our town. I slammed on the brakes and was almost at a complete stop when the right front of my car hit the truck behind the passenger's side door. The truck swerved to miss a light pole and flipped over and slid about 30 yards on its windshield. Everyone was OK, but my bumper was gone, the hood was bent and there was slight damage on the right front quarter panel. The total repair cost was $2500. (Paid by the other guy)
My husband wants to get rid of it ASAP before it costs us more money.