3rd Nov 2006, 19:24

I am also having trouble with my 2002 Passat. I bought the car in 2003 with 10,000 miles. In 2004 I had to have the oil pump replaced due to sludge. The vehicle was over the warranty miles by a couple hundred miles. VW tried to tell me the engine was shot and that it would cost $10,000 to replace the engine. I didn't conceed. They finally agreed to replace the pump for free because the mechanic told me that it was a known problem that this model had faulty oil pumps- the filter clogs causing the oil pump tends to fail. Two years later I am facing the same problem. VW should own up to their problem and issue a recall.

7th Nov 2006, 12:20

I have a 2000 1/2 VW Passat that has 93,000 miles on it. Throughout the time that I have owned the car, I had to spend about $1000 trying to diagnose a check engine light, replace brakes, replace tires, and take it in for periodic tune ups. The unusual thing was the check engine light which turned out to be some vacuum hose problem. Other than that just routine maintenance. I haven't had to replace the battery yet, but will need to in the next 5,000 miles. I am just having the timing belt and water pump changed as recommended. The price for both of those items after shopping around was $700. I get oil changes every 3000-4000 miles and purchase "premium" fuel to prevent any "sludge" problems. I don't know that I would buy a VW again. They are fun to drive and definitely safe, but with all of the commuting that I do, are expensive to maintain.

13th Jun 2007, 21:30

I am also extremely frustrated with my 2003 Passat. At 38,000 miles my oil pump failed, but luckily it was under warranty and was fixed free of charge. Now my car is at 68,000 miles and while driving it a couple of days ago the low oil pressure/STOP light came on. I immediately stopped driving the car and brought it into the dealership right away. I was told that the car is no longer under warranty and they want $3,000 to fix it. This is absolutely ridiculous and VW should be ashamed of themselves for knowing about the numerous problems happening like this and not issuing a recall. Word of advice to any of you out there thinking of buying a Volkswagen: Don't do it!

15th Jun 2007, 15:47

I too am the proud owner of a VW Passat 02 and am now in the position of having to find £2000 for repairs due to sludge etc etc. Yes I too love this car, but don't think it is worth spending £2000 when it could happen again quite soon after. Gutted, disappointed and car less.

27th Jun 2007, 21:21

I own a 2002 Passat Wagon. The oil I bought the car used in 2005. I had to have the oil pump replaced at 45,000 miles. Now the car is at 68,000 miles and am facing the same position with the oil pump. Stop engine light. Sludge, filter, etc... This is a design flaw.

6th Jul 2007, 12:38

I own a 2000 Passat. The STOP oil light is also going on for me, and started after I had the timing belt/water pump redone at $1100.00. A recall was issued for some cars around 2004 due to the "oil sludge" problem. Call VW of America, and ask them if your car (VIN number) should be included in this recall - some might. If you have proof of all of your oil changes in the timely manner outlined by the recall rules, you should be able to get all of these drive-train problems fixed. That said, I am taking my car in for the oil pump next week, and I will re-post to let you know what they say about the recall and the extended warranty.

24th Sep 2007, 13:21

We bought a 2002 Passat Wagon with standard shift: it has been a wonderful car to drive. However, mechanical reliability has been very poor. It has only 71,000 miles on the odometer. The problems:

- Parking Brake freezes: this has happened several times.

- Front end: the very complex multi-link front end suspension bushings and bearings have worn out and must be replaced. This is a well-known problem and very expensive to repair.

- Clutch: the clutch began to slip at 71,000 miles. Complete replacement is indicated.

- Airflow cover: the shield under the engine has had to be replaced twice. This would not occur for owners who drive only on interstates and city streets. We live in a rural area and have a gravel driveway.

28th Sep 2007, 19:27

My wife and I purchased our 2002 passat turbo, and liked to drive the car. It took us a while to learn our lesson about going to the dealership to get it repaired. I would say so far we have spent around 3000 dollars in repairs, and after taking it in for routine maintenance it has sounded funny and loud until a week ago when the engine blew up. We threw a rod and there now resides a 2" hole in the engine block. We have had it serviced at the dealership and so did our parents. We will never ever ever own another VW for as long as we live. It just 90000 miles old and had been warned that the engine will probably need to be rebuilt at 90000. I have heard about a class action suite against VW and don't know what the outcome was.

6th Oct 2007, 10:36

I have a VW Passat 2002 V6 and I have 51000 miles on it. It was regularly oil-changed every 3000-5000 miles of driving. And the stop engine light keeps coming on and off, and now recently I have this nagging "Oil Pres Stop motor" sign coming.

Took it to Merchants and did a complete oil flush on everything (engine, brake, coolant power steering). No use. 2 days later it came back. I took my car to a dealership when I had this "Engine" light cameup (not for the "Oil Pres Stop motor" sign yet). The dealer charged $100 approx for the diagnosis and came back to me to just tell me that he was not able to pin-point the issue and still needs more time and money to find the issue. I was really frustrated and lodged a complaint with a very hostile VW corporate agent.

The engine light still keeps coming on and off and I now have to go to the dealer to get the "Oil Pres Stop Motor" issue diagnosed. From reading all the posts in various web sites, it looks like not a single VW 2002 Passat was ever fixed completely on this problem. This is truly frustrating and I'm going to trade this in for a Honda or a Toyota.