VW PASSAT OPINIONS PLEASE

[supton]

Do you also miss the crayon smell?

Don’t recall having that problem, only you asking about it reminds me of the complaint. Silver car in the northeast, maybe it just didn’t get warm enough. I know I did see the body filler / whatever that wax is when rooting around for various things.

I do recall random sunroof leaks now that you prompt the grey matter.

 

[UG_Passat]

With known flywheel issues. Which is fine, not a bad tradoff for what it does. But not problem free either.

Not necessarily the best transmission for toaster drivers, no?

The tradeoff for the DSG are:
1) no torque converter, which means not great for crawling speed driving (like parking)... but Acura has attached a torque converter to their "DSG" gearbox
2) Much more frequent maintenance, which adds up in ownership costs.

But, the Aisin 8-speed VW uses, has a tendency to make some weird noises which bother many owners. At least VW figured out that the Toyota-WS fluid isn't a lifetime fluid, based on all the issues they had with the 09G/M

 

[UG_Passat]

If you're driving in stop-and-go traffic a lot, I would just get a Camry Hybrid... as Toyota hybrids love heavy congestion traffic.

Case in point, on my HiHy... driving back from the ski mountain... the first 200 miles was just highway on cruise control (and have a roofbox on top), the computer said I was getting about 30 mpg (there was some climbing along the way)... and the last 60 miles was heavy congestion traffic, where the speeds were low enough that I can take advantage of EV-mode and regenerate some of the energy back... and when I filled up the tank, I got 38 mpg in the end, calculated using Fuelly app. Remember, this is a 3 row Midsize SUV.

 

[The Critic]

In the land of over-maintainers such as BITOG what's a little service going to hurt you?
We have people here doing 3 complete oil changes before the car has 2500 miles on it.

Like I said - it is fine for DIYers. But if you have to pay $200/hr+ to have it done, that is a different story.

I am nit sure all of them have that issue. I think that was specific to that engine.
Passat has Aisin AT. Same as 6AT slush box in Toyota.

Yes it needed a software update. There was a TSB pertaining to the concern regarding shift quality.

I just read this about the new F150. Not changing brake fluid as regular maintenance is absolutely ludicrous for most parts of the country.
Unless you are testing the fluid properly using a hot tester




https://textar.com/en/brake-fluid-test/

https://www.amazon.com/TEXTAR-Brake-Boiling-Tester-TEX1000BFT/dp/B07ZFZLKNJ

Ford switched to DOT4LV. That is what prompted the new maintenance requirement.

 

[UG_Passat]

DOT4LV is recognized by SAE as DOT-4 Class 6.

Coincidentally, ATE DOT4LV has always been labelled SL.6 for over a decade

 

[redbone3]

How many miles on it?

53,000

 

[edyvw]

VW coachwork is superior to anything made in Asia. Look at the Passat's door hinges, I believe they are forged units. Most Toyotas and other Asian makes have stamped steel hinges. I get that a lot of people favor drive train reliability over coachwork and refined body assembly, but most of the Asian makes are a nightmare to repair with any severe collision damage.

Tell me about it:

 

[edyvw]

Like I said - it is fine for DIYers. But if you have to pay $200/hr+ to have it done, that is a different story.


Yes it needed a software update. There was a TSB pertaining to the concern regarding shift quality.


Ford switched to DOT4LV. That is what prompted the new maintenance requirement.

Any brake fluid need replacement. Claiming otherwise is ignorance or negligence.
Lexus also uses DOT3, but wants owners to replace it. They also use same brake parts except rotors and pads and some models use absolutely same brake components as Toyota.
Not recommending brake flush tells a lot about company.

 

[UG_Passat]

VW coachwork is superior to anything made in Asia. Look at the Passat's door hinges, I believe they are forged units. Most Toyotas and other Asian makes have stamped steel hinges. I get that a lot of people favor drive train reliability over coachwork and refined body assembly, but most of the Asian makes are a nightmare to repair with any severe collision damage.

Forging is the same process as stamping but there are nuances what it does the grain structure of the metal.

For all intents and purposes, it's a fancy word used to accentuate the perception of quality.

My old Passat door hinges developed an annoying groan I couldn't get rid of every time I opened or closed the door.

On my old Tiguan, what should of taken 5 minutes to replace a tail light bulb, ended up being a few hours of cursing and destroying the head of the bolt, as it was cross-threaded at the factory.

 

[rob1715]

If you're going to keep it 3 - 5 years, then yes. Long term, nope.

 

[Trav]

Like I said - it is fine for DIYers. But if you have to pay $200/hr+ to have it done, that is a different story.


Yes it needed a software update. There was a TSB pertaining to the concern regarding shift quality.


Ford switched to DOT4LV. That is what prompted the new maintenance requirement.

This stuff about DOT 3 being less hydrophilic than DOT 4 or any other glycol based fluid is IMHO no factual, the only fluid that is not is DOT 5 which is hydrophobic. The reason they claim it does not need to be replaced is an attempt to make the vehicle seem to require less maintenance.
Where you live or the South west this may be close to being true but not in a 4 climate environment.

While brake systems are sealed better than years ago they cannot be totally sealed, as pads wear and more fluid is used from the MC it will draw the cap seal in as we have all seen. It is amazing how readily moisture from the air can get into places that are sealed against fluid seepage that are not under a vacuum, even then in a well sealed system using any fluid the cap seal does get drawn in as it is designed to do yet the fluid still gets "wet".
When the fluid is heated during normal use and cools it draws moisture in and glycol fluids (any and all) will easily absorb it.

 

[Oillover]

The reason they claim it does not need to be replaced is an attempt to make the vehicle seem to require less maintenance.

Same reason why OCI's for DI/Turbo/DI & turbo engines are being stretched out as well.

 

[wemay]

Loved my Passat (2021 - Wolfsburg 2.0T). It had decent power, tons of interior space and was moderately fun to drive. It had one issue, the brake assist would turn on when nothing was in front of us. This is why we turned it in. No one seemed to know why the sensor kept switching on. The only other grip was the engine note that is somewhat gruff.

Build quality - 10
Interior space - 10
MPG - 8
Power - 5
Driving Dynamics - 5
Driving feel (solidity) - 10
Entertainment ease of use - 10
Entertainment glitches - none
Looks (subjective) - 10
Storage Space - 10

 

[Trav]

No to add fuel to the VW hate already on this site but VW was one of the originators of this sort of nonsense with extended OCI on the old air boxers using conventional oil of 50 years ago for this very reason. $999 for the car that floats and requires little maintenance.
Lubed for life transmissions are also in this club, what life the life of the transmission however long that may be? More like till the end of the warranty!

 

[KGMtech]

So ironic to have knowledgeable people get upset that when a OEM makes a required maintenance procedure - one that virtually all BITOG'rs would take an oath of 100% acceptance - is vilified as making the car too expensive to own.

 

[TCL]

If you want a a VW , buy a VW. If you want a Toyota, buy a Toyota.
Whatever makes you happy. They all have service garages for the same reason. They all need service.

 

[Wrenchturner44]

I remember the sales guy when I bought my VW bragging about the forged hinges.

Guess what? the rest of the door warped and by 200k it was hard to open & close. A mechanic did try to twist the door and "align" it, but in short order it warped again. That car never did have "easy to open" doors (I have a disabled kid, it matters).

Lot of good those forged hinges did. Maybe you're right and after a collision no Asian car is the same again, I have no input there. And I loved loved loved my Jetta interior over anything else I've had since. Save for road noise and interior rattles when it got old, but that's probably true of most anything.

I have never heard of a sheet metal door warping.....do you possibly mean the door was sprung maybe by forcing beyond its normal opening arc? I guess I am trying to understand how an automotive door warps. Just curious.

 

[supton]

I have never heard of a sheet metal door warping.....do you possibly mean the door was sprung maybe by forcing beyond its normal opening arc? I guess I am trying to understand how an automotive door warps. Just curious.

Car is long gone now. I forget which way it was warped. Bottom side too close, or was it top (by the window)? Too long ago. A trusted mechanic put a 2x4 against (sill?) and gently closed the door onto it, then leaned into it, so as to twist the door. It helped, but only somewhat.

Whatever the warp/twist was, it made the door "grab" the striker (or whatever it was that holds the door shut) all the harder. Had to give the handle a good yank to get that door open. The other 3 were not nearly as bad.

Maybe it was from opening and closing twice a day over several years? No idea. Was never flung open, not to my knowledge, I bought it brand new and it did not have the problem when new.

 

[Wrenchturner44]

Car is long gone now. I forget which way it was warped. Bottom side too close, or was it top (by the window)? Too long ago. A trusted mechanic put a 2x4 against (sill?) and gently closed the door onto it, then leaned into it, so as to twist the door. It helped, but only somewhat.

Whatever the warp/twist was, it made the door "grab" the striker (or whatever it was that holds the door shut) all the harder. Had to give the handle a good yank to get that door open. The other 3 were not nearly as bad.

Maybe it was from opening and closing twice a day over several years? No idea. Was never flung open, not to my knowledge, I bought it brand new and it did not have the problem when new.

Your description of how the mechanic adjusted the door brings back some memories for me. They made the Dodge Daytona and Chrysler Lazer here in STL. There was a spot on the line where the doors received final fitting. The technique to do so was literally done by "man handling" the door frame to adjust them to fit. If you remember the design, both cars had a full frame sheet metal door that went into the roof. The line workers would pull the door frame either inside towards the vehicle or outside away from the vehicle to get the door to fit properly.

Mid year (63-67) Corvette coupes suffered a similar fate to get the new then "aircraft style" doors to fit properly. The line workers used a pickle fork on the hinge loops with big lead hammer to set the hinge travel correctly to properly align the roof portion of the door. To this day I can open a mid year Corvette door and see how much "factory adjustment"...LOL was made to the hinges. From my experience every one them is different.

 

[nickaluch]

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Is that the killer rabbit scene?