20th Apr 2006, 15:19

To the comment above regarding reliability.

I have owned a total of 3 Passats, a 2000 GLX V6 sedan, a 2000 GLX V6 wagon and a 2003 W8 sedan. A close friend also had a 2002 V6 GLX sedan which she sold to my 81 year old mother. All the cars are automatics. All 4 Passats have been very reliable and trouble free.

I realize that a troublesome car is very irritating, but I would not trash VW because of one bad experience.

21st Apr 2006, 12:31

You obviously haven't been following VW's recent quality problems in the industry trades and consumer magazines. Recent Passats and Jettas (hell, the entire line... especially in the States) have been plagued with problems. Reliability is a joke lately. That's not to say VW's aren't well designed cars. The '06 Passat is absolutely rock solid in regards to styling and handling. The 2.0 turbo and 3.6 six cylinder are incredible. I'd hope this poster would keep us abreast of his situation as time goes on. Supposedly, VW made a major push to put these types of problems to rest.

21st Apr 2006, 13:17

In reply to both of the above correspondents.

In over forty years of motoring I have owned a number of cars, some British and some foreign.

Unfortunately my experience with German in particular has not been good. I owned Beetles, Golfs and a Jetta before I had the particularly troublesome 1.8t Passat.

Unfortunately none have been too reliable, and the parts are very expensive.

Other German models I have owned are a 98 BMW 318i, which had a faulty water pump, power steering pump failure at 50000 miles, and a distorted flywheel, which caused clutch judder, and a leaking brake master cylinder.

I traded this in in 2003 for a newer 523 BMW. Big mistake as this car had an intermittent E.C.U. fault no-one could sort out. It would run OK for around 50 miles at a time, and then die. Leave it a few minutes and it would be alright. It would always seem to happen at the most inconvenient time. Then the alternator packed up. I was totally fed up, so I went for the Passat. The rest of the story you know.

You may now understand why I am disillusioned with German cars. Over the years they have cost me a small fortune in spares etc., not to mention the inconvenience. I could go into more detail, but time is at a premium.

I am pleased you have found your motors reliable, but for myself, German ones are a no go now.

30th May 2006, 05:02

I have owned a Seat Toledo TDiSE since the end of 1999. The car has never given me a day's trouble. It has now done 121,000 miles and should do three to four times that mileage as it is a diesel. This car also has a fantastic number of extras which all still work. My Toledo was actually assembled in a VW factory in Belgium.

My other cars were all VWs, and with the exception of the second hand first one with which I was swindled, the other two gave me magnificent service.

9th Jun 2006, 15:51

Can't understand your logic. Here in Britain you can get reliability and performance for much less than you pay for volkswagen.

18th Jun 2006, 20:46

My wife and I recently returned to the States after living a year in the country of Norway. We had a Skoda Octavia which is unavailable in the US. I am really hoping that the new Passat has addressed the issues of reliability since I believe them to be a superior car in it's style, performance and look. We are awaiting further info before making a decision and I appreciate the input that has been offered here.

24th Jul 2006, 15:28

I live in the U.K. where I believe all our German cars arrive direct from source, but unfortunately mine has not been very reliable.

2nd Aug 2006, 09:04

Been there, read it. Didn't impress or help me much though. Wish you all the best with yours.

30th Oct 2006, 11:51

I own a 2006 VW Passat. Purchased it in May and love to drive it (when its not in the shop). First the engine light came on and needed some diaphragm replaced, then the Xenon headlights went out. It took 4 days and 3 visits to fix the problem. Then the airbag light came on. It was in the shop 8 days awaiting parts. The radio had to be replaced because of reception problems. Now when I am driving in the rain the windshield wipers go into delay mode when the vehicle is stopped... back to the shop again. I am definitely getting rid of this car before the warranty runs out.

8th Nov 2006, 21:49

I have to say that I do love Volkswagens. However I work on them all day long and they can be a pain in the... but. I hope that the new VW's will be better than the older ones or VW will not be around too much longer and we all will be upset.

I wish the V-6 Passat was cheaper. VW has always built a great V-6. That 3.6 is a rocket too. Too bad that the prices were too high and I bought a new 3 Series instead.

28th Jan 2007, 13:54

I'd opt for a V6. My wife owns a 1997 Audi A4 2.8 V6 that just turned 200K. The engine in this car has been flawless and runs like the day she bought it. I've heard a few negative comments on the 1.8T especially when comes to timing belts.

20th Feb 2007, 13:31

Good luck on VW products including Audi. I had an Audi A2 2.8 Quatro 2000 that burnt oil from day one, had brake problems, O2 problems, leather seat problems, airbag light problems, radio problems, hazard switch problems, other than that, it drove nice and the HID lights were also nice, thank God I bought an extended warranty, but boy was it a nightmare to own! Never again... Good luck.

27th Jul 2007, 17:14

Here's another review for the 2007 Passat. The editors gave it a 7.9/10 and consumers gave it an 8.3/10. Fairly highly rated compared to most car ratings on this site.

3rd Oct 2007, 07:45

My '06 Passat 2.0T has been great up until now...it's got just over 25,000 miles on it. After using (which I do very rarely) the Auto Hold function at a train crossing and then releasing it; I get to another stop sign and the car starts surging back and forth kind of like it's rocking. VERY strange plus the engine just sounded loud and uneven. When I began to drive or if I had it in PARK and just idling, it would not surge, and sounded fine. It's at the dealership being 'fixed'. They are telling me it was an Emissions Valve which is being replaced today. We'll see. I am worried about the future with this car now!!