Volkswagen Passat (2010 and older) Midsize | Compact
Volkswagen Passat (2010 and older) Midsize | Compact
|
[Jan 26, 2003]
Robert W Baron
Model Reviewed:
Passat GLX
Strength:
Build quality, ride, handling, styling, spaciousness, low cost of ownership.
Weakness:
None really. Would like to see a front wheel drive V6 with a little more horsepower without having to go the W8. Like the Audi 3.0 with 220 HP. This would be incredible in a front wheel drive Passat. Then add a 17" wheel option for icing on the cake. Fantastic cars - some of the best we've owned. My wife has a 2000 GLX Tiptronic wagon and I have a 2000 GLX Tiptronic sedan. I have 47,000 miles on the sedan with no problems other than road hazzards that took out the windshield and damaged a few tires. Otherwise, not one problem. My wife has 33,000 on her wagon and just had the oil seal replaced for the timing chain tensioner. We noticed an oil spot in the garage, dropped the car off at Boucher VW in Hales Corners, WI, they drove my wife to work and picked her up later in the day and the car was fixed. VW covered under warranty - no cost to us. Her car also had a brake light burn out at 22,000 miles. But that was it. Fun cars to drive. Have recommended them to 2 friends who have purchased 2002 GLX sedans, one with Tiptronic and one with 5 speed. Both are absolutely in love with the cars. The one with the 5 speed had both a Honda Accord and Toyota Camry previously. Their opinion of the Camry was not good! I've owned Japanese cars in the past and yes they are very reliable but lack the character and styling of the Passat. In my opinion, this is one of the best buys in an automobile today. From reading this site it appears that VW had some problems with ignition coils on the 4 cyl engines. This is unfortunate but stuff happens. Some of the other complaints I've read are minor in my view. Similar Products Used: I've purchased more new cars in the last 25 years than I car to admit including BMW 3 series, Nissan Z's, and many GM varieties. |
|
[Jan 26, 2003]
kevin wood
Model Reviewed:
passat 1.8t
Strength:
Looks ride features.
Weakness:
Vws' poor response to an obvious defect. I have owned this car for 5 months.At4400 mi. lost first coil. Lost second at5300,third at5600.The car was in the shop for over three weeks the last time! My confidence in this autos Basic function of getting from point a to point b,has been shattered.I Have decided to pursue either upgrading to a v6 on a replacement, or getting a refund. I have contacted an attorney and they are confident that they will succeed. Similar Products Used: n/a |
|
[Jan 26, 2003]
Fred
Model Reviewed:
Passat
Weakness:
Coils, Customer servic from dealer & VOA 13 months, Towed 3 times in last month due to coils. still have 2 H cils waiting to go. NO ONE at VW SEEMS TO CARE!! |
|
[Jan 26, 2003]
Patrick
Model Reviewed:
Passat V6
Strength:
ENGINE, TRANSMISSION, NICE STYLING
Weakness:
PREMIUM FUEL REQUIRED AND CAR PULLS HARD TO THE RIGHT.Reliability Good looking, quiet and smooth. Quality interior. Nice 5 spd transmission and good accelleration. Alignment defect Similar Products Used: Maxima Subaru Legacy |
|
[Jan 24, 2003]
mason
Strength:
Style
Weakness:
Ignition coils,Ignition coils,Ignition coils, time for a recall by government I have had 3 ignition coils fail on three different incidents on the 1.8t engine within a period of 3 months. VW of America was unsympathetic to this issue and treated incident with a lackadaisical attitude. I have this vehicle for 10 months, and am seriously considering returning the car, because it’s an unreliable for travel and an embarrassment to own. I have lost faith in a product that I used to believe in, and from what I am reading on this website, I see that other people have had similar experiences with Volkswagen products and its customer support. Be informed about your vehicle choice Similar Products Used: Nissan Altima, Toyota, Volvo, Mercedes Benz |
|
[Jan 23, 2003]
Sean
Strength:
Looks.
Weakness:
Everything. This vehicle is horrible. I have had 6 headlamps burn out and 2 coils in the engine replaced. There have been over 20 issues with this vehicle total. VW service is horrible. I will never buy another VW or Audi, and I will not ever let anybody I know buy one. |
|
[Jan 22, 2003]
Margaret Clancy
Model Reviewed:
Passat Wagon
Strength:
Good looking Wagon is offered in standard transmission When working, drives nicely
Weakness:
Ignition coils! I was afraid to leave town, drive on the highway, or at night. The car was not fit for its intended use and VWUS refused, in my opinion, to deal effectively with the problem. They never even returned phone calls. They are putting customers at great peril. We will be out thousand of dollars, but we feel we must unload this car. All four coils have been replaced in our car and it has less than 24,000 miles. Now that they are removed, maybe the car is safe but we do not feel that VW deserves our business any longer. We are lucky we can walk away at a loss, most people can't. It is a crime really. They have your money and you have a product that you cannot use without risk. The dealerships are victims too. VW US refuses to ship them enough coils to repair all of them. They must fix them as they fail. If you buy one, just hope the coils don't go on a highway with an 18 wheeler on your A. Beauty is only skin deep. Similar Products Used: Honda Accord Wagon. They stopped making standard wagons so we bought a VW. Bad idea. |
|
[Jan 22, 2003]
Tricia
Model Reviewed:
VW Passat 1.8L
Strength:
Look; smooth ride
Weakness:
Engine design and components; chrome molding I loved this car until about day 4 of having it, because since then the vehicle has been in 3 times for the coils to be replaced; 3 times for the chrome turning cloudy and falling off; no the expansion piece behind the steering wheel is coming loose and making an aweful ticking noise; dealer scratched my door requiring it to be repainted; I'm fed up and filing for the WI lemon law. I hope it's not a waste of my time. VW offered me $400.00 for the one month in total I was without a car; my reply was no thanks, of course. I'll never buy another Passat. It is unreliable and I can't have that with a family to drive around. Similar Products Used: Camry |
|
[Jan 21, 2003]
Jean
Strength:
...love the look, its comfortable, it has a great stereo system, its great in the rain & snow, and is great on gas...
Weakness:
shouldnt have these problems with it already..... So, in the past month, I've had my Passat 1.8 in the dealership twice..for almost the same thing! Yesterday, I had it towed. Please tell me, how is it that a car that is exactly one year old, with 11,416 miles on it, has to be towed? Problem: bad ignition coils....why? why? why? Evidently, this is just the beginning of my problems! Sounds like a "trade-in" is going to happen real soon! I had a Toyota for almost 10 years, had 176,000 miles on it, and the worst thing I had to get done was a new clutch...and that was at 130,000 miles! |
|
[Jan 20, 2003]
Tiffany
Model Reviewed:
Passat
Strength:
It looks absolutely great!
Weakness:
It does not go. No literally, it doesn't start. If you think the Passat mechanical problems are isolated. Think again. My first coil went out @ 30,000 miles, so it wasn't covered by the warranty. My second went out today, so I called VW customer service which says it KNOWS this is a BIG issue. So much so, the part is on back order. If you haven't had problems with this car, trust me, you will. Other Passat owners run me down in parking lots asking: Do you hate your Passat too? This is my first and last VW. I cried this morning as I towed my car in for the second time in five weeks. It's only 18 months old! Similar Products Used: Nissan Sentras and Toyota Camarys. I'm coming home to you baby!!!! |