21st May 2009, 13:09
I own a 2000 VW Passat Wagon 1.8T, Bought it new in 1999. Yes, I have had my share of problems, first time ever a misfire! Normally it would come from the incorrect spark plugs or gap setting when changing. Try BOSCH plugs, they were recommended to me, I think they sell them in the US.
I am working in Germany (US GOV) and had New Platinum Plugs installed, and you bet the problem occurred!
I just order a set of BOSCH plugs (Orig VW Passat Plugs), and I'm hoping the problem gets fixed. If you do change to the incorrect plugs, don't stomp the GAS pedal (The check engine light activates). Don't forget to have the check engine light reset after new plugs are installed, not before! My Passat has 116572 miles and still drive 120 +. Good Luck.
9th Jul 2009, 02:00
I have a 2001 Passat Wagon V6. The 'emission workshop' was a constant part of my life for the last 5 years. It's a good reminder that German cars are great to drive, but a pain to maintain.
The first attempt to fix this problem was around 2004, dealer replaced oxygen sensor and hoses -- all done under warranty. Still the problem did not go away and the mechanic kind of told us to just drive with it and it might go away in a few months. 2nd attempt was done a few years later because the car won't pass the CA smog test due to check-engine indicator and some emission error codes. Somehow the dealer was able to clear out all the faults on the computer to pass the smog test, but the 'Emission workshop' message went back on a few months later.
Fast forward to 2009 and I know that it won't pass the CA smog test. I read all the comments on the web about this problem and took it to my dealer and asked them to re-program/flash the eprom/or basically to upgrade the programs used in the car computer with a new version. It cost me about $400 because the car is no longer under warranty. $150 for diagnostic and $225 for the re-programming + taxes.
Now the 'emission workshop' message has not come on for two weeks now. I do miss it once in a while. It was a good reminder to me that I should be looking seriously at a Japanese car next time.
20th Jul 2009, 12:48
I have a VW Passat 2001 1,8T. I had the check engine light come on for emissions workshop. I followed the instructions posted by someone at the beginning of this post and it worked like a charm. It's worth a try: here are the steps:
Pop open the hood.
2. Insert the key in the ignition and turn without starting the engine until all of the dash indicators light and warning tones sound.
3. With the key still in the ignition, use a 10mm wrench or socket to loosen and completely disconnect the negative (-) battery cable from the battery. Wait about 60 seconds before reconnecting.
4. Re-connect and tighten the negative (-) cable to the battery and close the hood.
5. Start the engine. THE "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT HAS GONE OUT!
29th Jul 2009, 11:40
2001 passat 1.8T manual and I had the emissions workshop light come on last year, the problem was the gas cap was not as tight as it should have been, I guess one click to it is not enough need to do it at least 3 times and the light went off. hope this helps!
5th Aug 2009, 17:35
Have a 2000 Passat GLS 2.8L 4Motion. Have had it since 2006. I love the car. I have found, though, that any repairs you can't do yourself are very expensive.
On the Emissions Workshop thing - I have it. Minor annoyance if it doesn't cause you to fail an emissions test. I just live with it. Car runs great. Will be an issue, I guess, when I eventually sell it. Right now, though, just enjoying driving it!
18th Aug 2009, 23:02
I have a 2000 Passat Wagon and I've been having all the warning lights and beeps go off for the last month. (Check Engine, ABS, ASR, Brake, Stop! Brake fault, Emissions Workshop) Had the dealership look at it and they replaced 2 oxygen sensors, but that hasn't fixed the problem. Now they tell me I need a new ABS module, $700 for the part alone. I'm looking into having the original removed, rebuilt and re-installed. I read about "BBA-reman" in Massachessetts, but does anyone know of a reputable place in Canada?
31st Aug 2009, 09:41
2000 Passat V6 with 91,000 miles on it. EW work light presented itself a few times over the past week. Difference for me is - it seems to make a rumble, slight shudder, unlike other comments where folks are saying performance is not impacted. Thoughts? I cannot bear to go to dealership - they already have last month's salary due to timing belt etc.
28th Oct 2009, 21:51
Help, I'm trying to smog my car. It has passed all the emissions, but the check engine light keeps going on. Have taken it to three mechanics including the dealer. The two local mechanics have replace two different parts to "fix" the problem. But alas the light keeps coming on. The dealer will not touch the car once it has failed smog. They say they could be sued for the repair cost if they attempt to repair and it doesn't actually pass. They say that my turbo is going out. Funny thing is the car drives better than it ever has.
I feel like I am between a rock and a hard place. The dealer is definitely not looking out for me his customer. I have also had issues with the coils that constantly go out every few months. My solution is to have my own parts dept. in my trunk. I carry two spares with me at all times. Funny thing is that since the check engine light has been on, the coils don't seem to be a problem anymore. Just can't smog it!!!
30th Apr 2009, 00:29
These freakin' VW's are too sensitive.
I live in California. We have smog tests every two years on our cars.
You throw a DIME at a Passat, and its check engine light goes on and decides the emissions error is time to come up too.
My issues stem from the check engine light and doing a smog test. I passed the smog with FLYING colors, but the check engine light fails a test automatically. So my mechanic takes a quick look at it and decides we should swap out the spark plugs. So we take out the old ones - dead beyond dead by the way - so it's a good feeling as we plop the news ones in.
Wow, I couldn't have been more wrong. New plugs should make the car run BETTER yeah? You'd think. It actually runs WORSE now. The misfires are longer and more pronounced. It misfires longer when I start up. As opposed to how much it misfired before - with the old plugs - it only misfired until it got warm (about a minute or two was all it needed to get warm) then it was a dope ride.
Well, my codes that "failed" my smog test - which is really only a check engine light and my emissions were FINE - well below the levels required by the "smog test", my codes were saying that my banks were running lean and that I had misfires in all my cylinders. Again, sounds like plugs would fix that. Well, you'd think.
New plugs - once I got the check engine light off - sent my emissions over the hill. Which I suspect might be killing other things now.
On the bright side - I'm unemployed so I easily qualify for the California Financial Assistance program to fix a car and get it to pass smog tests.