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Maintenance & Repair Maintenance & Repair - Archived Discussions Problems with 99 VW Passat GLS 
527 messages, Last post on Aug 08, 2000 at 11:56 PM
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Hello. I picked up my 2000 Passat GLS a few days ago. This morning when I was looking it over I noticed a wet passenger floor. I dried it out fairly well, and called my dealer. I figured the "detail" guys that cleaned the car up before delivery had left the rug wet on that side from a shampoo job? They confirmed that the car was cleaned inside and possibly shampooed. SO today I go driving for a few hours, with the AC on most of the time. I'm noticing as the day goes on that the passenger floor is getting wet again. When I arrive home it's WET. I decide to turn on the engine, put on the AC and there it is. Water is dripping into the passenger side well area from under the dash when the AC is on. Anyone else have or hear of this problem and if so, did you or they have any luck getting it resolved? I've already arranged to drop off the car on Monday but want to be well prepared for the typical dealer BS. Thanks. Fred (Fred Oldslots.COM)
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I've had this problem on another car, not my Passat. What happens is that there is a drain hole in the housing of the AC cooling element where the water that condenses off the cooling element is supposed to run out through the firewall onto the ground. The drain gets plugged by debris, the housing fills up until the water finds another route out, in this case onto the floor. Cleaning the drain hole should fix this problem. --Mike |
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Hi! Three weeks ago, I bought a new 2000 passat GLS, 4 cylinder, 5 speed manual transmission. I love the car to pieces but have had to bring it back 4 times now for alignment issues (and stereo/speaker problems, but I think those have been solved). The car doesn't seem to be able to go straight in any lane for more than a couple of seconds. It drifts to the right more than to the left. The dealer is telling me (over and over again) that it's due to the curve of the road and that the car is within alignment specs. If it's within alignment specs, why does it still not go straight that often; even in the middle lane on the highway? I've driven too many miles and types of cars to know that something feels wrong, especially for a new car. I've had a couple other people drive the car and they agree that it doesn't stay straight as much as their cars. I took two other cars on the same roads to be sure I wasn't losing my mind, and they both held a straight line better than my Passat. They've aligned the car 4 times now and to me it still drifts off to the right almost every time I let go of the wheel (I only let go of the wheel because I know there's a problem…I don't normally drive without my hands!). They even had my car sent out to an "independent alignment specialist" when they discovered their machine was out of calibration/broken (heard two different stories about that). I've never driven VW's before so I'm looking for someone who maybe can give me some insight. Is it normal for the new Passats to be so sensitive to the curve of the road as the dealer states? But, if they are, then why does the car not pull to both sides equally (comparing left and right lanes on the highway)? I've heard from some people that something larger is wrong like a bent axle, etc. The dealer rotated the Continental tires (never put on a new set, though) and checked tire pressure. The pressure was 40 in the back and 37 in front. Seemed high to me, but when I checked the oddly placed tire pressure sticker in the gas cap, they were within normal levels. They've had my car, off and on, forever, it seems. I did drive another Passat (same exact car) with the same tires and it held straight for longer than mine does (it still seemed very sensitive, though...is this a normal VW thing?). I've driven BMW's and Japanese cars and none have been this sensitive or drifty. They also tended to correct themselves because of the way the roads would be. My car automatically heads to the right and never comes back. What else could be causing the problem? Is there even a problem? I've been told there is no problem even by the general manager of the dealership. However, he drove my car in 5th gear going 30 mph, so I don't have all that much respect for his professional driving opinion of my cars' performance. Every time the car would drift to the right, he'd jump into the left lane and say "see, it depends on the road" and pointed out how the car would go off the road to the left...he was over the white line in the left lane's shoulder area, though. ANY car would go to the left over that far! I've also encountered nightmare dealer/service issues and am looking elsewhere for a more competent dealer for service. The car has never been done when they'e promised it and they haven't made this a priority, which I think it should be. They took 6 hours to rotate tires and check pressures, while I was anxiously waiting to pick my car up to head out on a business trip. The car is awesome and after driving a Toyota Coralla for 8 years, I've been much more excited each time I get into the Passat and really DRIVE! Keeping my fingers crossed that there are no other problems!! Thanks for any help! |
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| I have read all of the 'fun' some Passat owners have experienced here. My question, PARTICULARLY to those of you who have had such problems is: Do you get the impression that such problems do finally get fixed? The reason I am asking is that I would consider buying a used 98 Passat. If I got the impression that the 'first owner' has to deal with the glitches and then I would have a relatively trouble free car, then I would be more comfortable in buying. Or do you get the impression that 'they really don't know what they are doing'? Also, how can one tell in advance that a dealer's service dept is going to behave as some of these have done. It sounds like test-driving a vw dealership is more important than testdriving the car! There is a VW-Porsche dealership near here; do you think the fact that they also work on Porsches indicates that they have a clue? | |
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Drifting, The roads in my area are so rutted form heavy trucks and crowned due to sever weather, that EVERY car I have owned has veered (to one degree or another) when removing your hands from the wheel. I don't think my Passat is any worse then my previous cars (2 Hondas, 1 Mazda, 1 Toyota.) I would insist that your dealer let YOU choose who aligns the car and that they foot the bill. Then bring it to the most reputable alignment shop in your area. If that STILL doesn't cure the problem, then you may just have to accept the fact that the car is sensitive to road crowns, sorry. Most roads are crowned with the highest point in the center, then an equal drop-off to each side. Add to this the severe ruts that heavy truck traffic creates, and I'm not sure ANY car is MEANT to carry on straight and narrow with no hands, and NO CAR can compensate or "correct itself" because the grades, crowns and ruts are infinately diverse. Good luck, I hope you get satisfaction. |
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Check the air pressure on the front tires-if there is a difference of more than 2 or 3 psi-this can cause the car to pull L or R. Had it happen on a VW van-took several months to figure out what was going on. Also if the air pressure is ok-move the front tires-right to left and left to right. On occasion tires have defects and can cause the car to pull left or right. When you have the front end in the air-turn the wheels by hand with the tranny in neutral. A sticky disk brake can cause it to pull also-not likely on a new car though. Also be aware lots of roads are rutted like the devil-check it out in the empty portion of a new shopping center parking lot. This vehicle has a lot more sensitive steering than a most-so it provides more road feel. |
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I was considering buying a pre-owned '98 VW Passat GLS. However, the general comments have been a little disconcerting. Should I consider this car? I am looking for a reliable and fun car. Your advice is much appreciated. |
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Welcome to Town Hall! Are you speaking of the comments you've read in this topic? Keep in mind that since this conference focuses on maintenance and repair issues, this topic is focused on Passat problems by design. You'll get a much more balanced viewpoint on any model year of the Passat over in our Sedans conference. I suggest you use the Topic Search feature on the left side of the page for Passat and check out some of the many discussions underway in Sedans. You'll find a topic dedicated to this vehicle, and also quite a few "comparison" topics that you would probably find helpful to read through. Good luck, and again welcome. Pat Community Leader/Maintenance & Repair Conference |
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I just bought a 200 Passat GLS, and had paid that extra $270 for the Monsoon audio. Now, how do I know that my car actually has the monsoon ? I am getting a little paranoid here, as after having bad times with the car salesmen, I tend to not trust them at all. So, is there any visual and/or audio clue by which I can make sure my car came with monsoon ? Thanks for your time. -outofmind |
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Check out my post #539 just prior to yours. I think you too will get a better response in our Sedans conference. Good luck! Pat Community Leader/Maintenance & Repair Conference |
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