Owners' Stories

How much will it cost to replace a thermostat on a 2002 vw passat 2.8????

My 86k 2007 VW Passat engine siezed up 4 days after an oil change. I was driving, the oil pressure light came on, then immediately started making a loud noise, I immediately stopped the car and got it towed. I was notified by the dealer that there was sludge that caused low pressure and hence the engine siezing up. I had taken to car to the VW dealer I bought it at numerous times complaining of high oil consumption and that the engine sounded like it was working too hard, but they could never find anything wrong with it. I will never buy or recommend a VW again.

The famous idiot light for oil pressure only came on in my 2006 Passat as the engine died on the freeway just after I had the oil changed!

I've owned my 03 Passat, 1.8T for 4 years now. I've had pretty much all the same mechanical problems as everyone else. There is 1 very expensive repair I have to do soon and that's to replace the secondary air pump. VW wants over $800 to do it. I can do it for $350. Ignition coils were covered by a recall as well as the brake light swich. Oil leak is embarrasing when I park in a friends driveway. The only other issue I have with this small engine is turbo-lag and the drive by wire accelerator. I can't rely on a quick burst of speed to get into traffic. Throttle response is very slow. Also, the sealed transimission worries me that I can't monitor the fluid level and condition. Overall I think this is the safest car on the road. My wife was T-Boned on the driver side rear. I didn't know VW put airbags in the seats! Although expensive to repair comfort and safety earn high marks.

I liked this car until I got the famous "oil pressure" light. The engine blew before I could slow down to pull over! VW is aware of the problem but because I bought the car used I cannot provide all the service records. I changed the oil every 3000 miles but that is not enough for them to cover the warrenty. I will never buy a VW product again!

After rushing and buying my Passat I had to put an extra $3.000 to get it up to par ! Had Sludge problem -Problems with coils. I am now very happy with my Passat after giving it a little TLC!

You right, should be the age... My AC is giving me only warm air Sunroof is nor working, I have the same ABS light and I'm not planing to fixed either. I have the same problem with the same window (only up),.. but I love the engine and the turbo. It's 1998.. do you spend some money in lit repairs or is time to replace it??

I wonder why the air condition takes to long to blow cold air?

I get unsolicited comments from people on what a good looking car I have...why is that? I don't know but it is good looking and of course I would say that. I bought it for $3600 with 170,000 miles. It's one of the best driving cars I've ever owned and has all the right creature comforts. I hope it runs forever...the turbo is sweet and the Monsoon audio is better than my living room stereo. I prefer rear wheel drive but this vehicle handles well enough to feel comfortable in curves and at 85+ highway speeds. The A/C is great...can't say that for the heater which can take 5 miles of driving or more to warm up. I had the auto-door locking feature disabled and my life is much better for it. I would recommentd this car to anyone who likes well built cars and the luxury of a sculpted leather interior and superior performance.

We have had 137,000 pretty much trouble free miles with ours (knocking on wood) Agree with one of the other reviewers about the outrageous cost of service at the dealerships. I wish we were getting better city driving milage as well.

1st new engine 35,000 miles. Second new engine 70,000 miles. V6 model. An absolutely beautiful lemon.

I bought this car in 2005 with 42,000. I paid $17,200. I now have 160,000 miles and it has been a fabulous car. I replaced the timing belt at 90,000 and the brakes at 120,000. I have replaced summer tires once and just bought my second set of snow tires. The car rides like new. Tight steering, smooth and quiet ride. Plenty of power. Since day one it has been prone to leaking a little oil. Turns out it is an oil seal that requires major labor expenses to get to. I add a quart of oil between changes. It is a pretty inexpensive solution. I agree the dealer is an expensive way to keep the car maintained, but I have a local guy who is capable. I have a couple of big ticket items coming up. Catalytic converters, and soon another new timing belt. Also, the struts can't last for ever, although they seem fine right now. Those will all total about $2800. But they are maintenance items, not something "going wrong". I am hoping to get 300,000 miles out of the car. The body and paint are perfect.

When I bought this, I thought I was getting a very nice car. The exterior and interior was what sold me. However, it has been a pain in my a@#. Not only does it have major electrical issues, it's also expensive to fix. It started with the ABS module failing on me while driving on the freeway. Imagine the horror I felt going 70 mph when all of a sudden, I hear a beeping noise and then blinking brakes lights. Ever since then, I've been haunted. When I got my car towed for an illegal parking, all kinds of noises have been going off - it sounds as if I'm driving with the car door open. Then, I have had to replace the clutch and flywheel because of the steep hills here in Seattle. Now, 3 days later, I replaced the alternator only to have a check engine and battery light come on. To be driving on the freeway and only being able to go 60-65 mph while gasing it all the way down is very troubling. I would only sell this car to someone I don't like. Anyone know how to get some money out of the cash guzzling junk?

This car has served me well. Other people have told me they've had electrical problems with the Passat, but I've not had any.

The best value car I've had in 25 years. It gives you the best bang for your $. Look after your Passat and she will look after you. My drivers door lock is the only problem I've had in 8 years.

Didn't know we had to use synthetic oil till I saw that on this site, What bad engineering to use too small a pickup tube coming from the oil pump beware change oil every 3,000 miles and use synthetic oil or the tube will plug with sludge and destroy the motor 1.8 turbos only

I thought this car was amazing when i bought it. It got the new body style, all the options, and 106,000 miles for 8,400 dollars. I had my nice car for the first time ever, and then started realizing just how horrible of a car it was. It had a lot of perks and nice things about it. But all those things hid the fact that the car was expensive to fix, and wasn't worth much. The steering was giving me all sorts of problems, and the windows decided when they wanted to work. part of the dash readout decided when the lights wanted to fade and not show me all my mileage and everything. There were noises in the suspension that were checked by 3 shops. Each said there was no problem, just an annoyance. Small parts broke here and there as well. The kicker is that the car was actually not worth much at all. At it's mileage I could hardly get 5,000 out of it. for trade in, they wanted to give me 2,000. I finally got a family friend to give me the 5,000 because I needed out. oh, and a 5 dollar gasket for the turbo cost 200 to replace.

Perhaps I got a lemon, but this car has been trouble since day one.

Worst brakes in any car I have owned. AC is nothing to brag about but this may be age. The area for the driver's feet is very small/cramped and the gas and brake pedals are too close. Seat adjustment is a hassle and a pain when we change drivers.