Finally a Car That Wont Die! New Passat

[PaddedHat]

Originally Posted by Bueller

No, it was a fully satisfying ownership experience. Just not for him. You need to ask his dealer

Sorry, but I would rather burn the car, Viking funeral style, than let a dealer get near it. Absent aftermarket parts availability, a great online fan base, and the desire to tackle shit like the timing belt, in my own garage, I really can't imagine that I would of soldiered on for a few years with this POS. When the dual mass flywheel shit the bed, a new one was $777 from the dealer. I'm sure that the whole package with the clutch, and bearing would of been well into the $1400 range, plus labor. I ended up with a Euro sourced work around for less than $500. I really can't get my head around having a $4K VW at the dealer, every few weeks, for another check engine light. It would be smarter, and cheaper, to lease a new 7 series BMW. A-bone is spot on. If VW's current surge in popularity is followed by a surplus of 3-5 year old, unreliable shit boxes, it won't end well. Mrs. Hat is ending a long career as a teacher. The car buying in that crowd tends to be herd based. MB intros. a fairly affordable little shit box, (160, 190, or something) and everybody in the building wants one. Next it's Honda Accords, then Volvos, then off to cute utes. I clearly recall the last round of Jetta lust. Everybody had to have one, tow or three years later, they turned out to be total shit, the local dealer goes tits up, and warranty is 40 miles away. Yea, that went well. I can see history repeating itself. About 2015 or so, the shine will be completely worn off the turd, and so it goes.

[jdiaz]

Originally Posted by Bueller

You are the VW whisperer.

Another guy at work with three toddlers and one in the oven asked if he should buy a CC. I said probably not, but when he asked about the problems we've had, I couldn't list one that was a show stopper.

I've had mostly spotless BMW motorcycle experiences as well. Its my curse for being one of the non-Jewish chosen people.

[Bueller]

Just to provide a counterpoint:

We bought a used '00 Beetle TDI with 40k on it in late '03 for her. We sold it with 100,000 miles on it. During that time I put in a timing belt, tensioner, some glow plugs, a coolant temperature sensor, and too many headlight bulbs. Other than that it returned 50 mpg and was generally fun to drive.

We bought a new '05 Jetta TDI for me. I only kept it 9000 miles before giving it to her, and she put another 90,000 on it before we sold it. The car returned 48 mpg consistently, sometimes better. During that entire time, the sum total of all parts it needed (aside from oil changes and filters) was a recall for the engine driven fuel pump at 5,000 miles, a radio replacement under warranty (CD player quit), a set of glow plugs, and the in-tank fuel pump at 85,000 miles. We sold it to another inmate here almost three years ago, who has to my knowledge been quite happy with the car.

No electrical issues, no broken window regulators, no $4000 repair bills. Just good, reliable, economic transportation that was fun to drive.

[jdiaz]

Originally Posted by Bueller

Just to provide a counterpoint:

We bought a used '00 Beetle TDI with 40k on it in late '03 for her. We sold it with 100,000 miles on it. During that time I put in a timing belt, tensioner, some glow plugs, a coolant temperature sensor, and too many headlight bulbs. Other than that it returned 50 mpg and was generally fun to drive.

We bought a new '05 Jetta TDI for me. I only kept it 9000 miles before giving it to her, and she put another 90,000 on it before we sold it. The car returned 48 mpg consistently, sometimes better. During that entire time, the sum total of all parts it needed (aside from oil changes and filters) was a recall for the engine driven fuel pump at 5,000 miles, a radio replacement under warranty (CD player quit), a set of glow plugs, and the in-tank fuel pump at 85,000 miles. We sold it to another inmate here almost three years ago, who has to my knowledge been quite happy with the car.

No electrical issues, no broken window regulators, no $4000 repair bills. Just good, reliable, economic transportation that was fun to drive.

See? Chosen people.

[Bueller]

Originally Posted by jdiaz

See? Chosen people.

Whenever people tell me the Jews are the chosen people, I always remind them that God never said what they were chosen for

[SourKraut]

Originally Posted by PaddedHat

'03 1.8T Manual

My '03 1.8T manual transmission Passat wagon was flawless for seven years and 75K miles before I traded it in. Best car I've ever owned that I bought new. Granted it probably turned into a giant smoking money pit for the next guy but I loved that car. My manual trans. GTI just hit 10K miles and recently started achieving 30mpg, despite my driving (jdiaz wasn't kidding).

[aceluck]

I've had a 03 Golf TDI that, aside from needing a steering rack at 80k (DIY at about 500$ for the part, plus an alignment) and now needing a brake booster at 130k, has only needed regular maintenance (including brakes and timing belt) and a couple small items (glow-plugs, brake-light switch), none of which were more than a hundred dollars to fix.

The key to owning a VW post-warranty is to find a trust-worthy indy shop for any work you don't want or can't tackle yourself. For TDIs (are there any Volkses that aren't TDI?), this http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=130044 is helpful. A lot of boost-related check engine lights result in dealers throwing a whole turbo assembly at the car, for a couple thousand $, while more careful diagnosis will often reveal a faulty pressure valve or actuator, which can both be fixed for much less.

[NikonsAndVStroms]

Originally Posted by Bueller

Whenever people tell me the Jews are the chosen people, I always remind them that God never said what they were chosen for

Wait Jews have good luck with VW's? Awesome

I did play Hadag Nahash as the song to test out the radio (gotta de Hitler-people's car it ) so the car definitely knows about it's Jewness.

[hysterwv]

I've had great luck with VAG. I bought my previous '04 Passat TDI in '06 with 32k miles. Performed regular maintenance with the exception of a poorly designed balance shaft module that cost me $3k. It spun a transmission pump bushing at 322k miles last September. I decided to let it go and picked up a new '12 Passat TDI. It will turn 20k next week and so far, so good.

[IMG][/IMG]

[NikonsAndVStroms]

Originally Posted by hysterwv

I've had great luck with VAG. I bought my previous '04 Passat TDI in '06 with 32k miles. Performed regular maintenance with the exception of a poorly designed balance shaft module that cost me $3k. It spun a transmission pump bushing at 322k miles last September. I decided to let it go and picked up a new '12 Passat TDI. It will turn 20k next week and so far, so good.

[IMG][/IMG]

Nice

What are your thoughts on the 12 so far? Anything I should look out for?

[hysterwv]

Originally Posted by NikonsAndVStroms

Nice

What are your thoughts on the 12 so far? Anything I should look out for?

You can certainly tell that it's "decontented" especially when compared to models like the CC. But you have to consider that it's a great "value". My SE sunroof was under $28k. It fits the bill perfectly for my 1,000 mile/week pace. I live and drive throughout the mountains of appalachia at average speeds of 75 mph and I'm still averaging 42 mpg. I've seen up to 51 mpg on a 100 mile stretch of state highway (65 mph) in Ohio. The torque delivery at highway speeds is wonderful.

The DSG transmission takes some getting used to, especially when starting from a stop. You have to remember that it's a computer controlled manual transmission and learn to drive it as a manual without a clutch. Keep in mind that that the 40k mile service will be a doosey. DSG service is recommended at that time.

The only real complaint I have is the crappy OEM Hankook tires. I always buy high-end Michelins and these OE tires just plain suck in comparison. They're loud and have less than stellar performance in wet conditions. Snow is downright scary.

[NikonsAndVStroms]

The car itself seems pretty good in the snow, I've got the steel rim 16's with continentals I think and I've had no problem getting around today on roads with 2-3 inches of snow even after plowing.

[TooFast]

Originally Posted by NikonsAndVStroms

The car itself seems pretty good in the snow, I've got the steel rim 16's with continentals I think and I've had no problem getting around today on roads with 2-3 inches of snow even after plowing.

Personally, I wouldn't be bragging about getting around with my new FWD VW car with new tires after plowing 2" - 3" of snow. Sounds like someone living near the equator

[NikonsAndVStroms]

Originally Posted by TooFast

Personally, I wouldn't be bragging about getting around with my new FWD VW car with new tires after plowing 2" - 3" of snow. Sounds like someone living near the equator

I mean there was 2-3" of snow on the road still after the bulk was plowed....remember we just got 2 feet last night and I ended up driving home through some that was about twice as high. There it would slip a little but as long as I was going a sane speed and didn't jerk the wheel it was fine.

It's no Subaru but unless a road is completely unplowed it should be fine.