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Volkswagen Passat Maintenance and Repair

3340 messages,  Last post on Apr 25, 2013 at 10:07 AM

You are in the Volkswagen Passat Forum.

What is this discussion about? Volkswagen Passat, Sedan, Wagon

    
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Messages Page 322 of 334

#3211 of 3340 Re: Need Advice: Should I keep my 2002 passat? [yogamama] by emunch

Jan 18, 2011 (7:42 pm)

Replying to: yogamama (Dec 31, 2010 6:39 am)
Yogamam, My Passat 2000 has more than 200k miles on it and it keeps on running. I've never had any major problems with it but I also do all of the recommended service. My service costs have gone down considerably since I left my local dealer at around 80k mile. Had a disappointing experience where they said I needed major repair and had a second opinion from another VW dealer that said nothing was wrong with the car. Your Passat will be good to you if you're good to it.

#3212 of 3340 Re: Need Advice: Should I keep my 2002 passat? [yogamama] by camperman

Jan 19, 2011 (9:10 am)

Replying to: yogamama (Dec 31, 2010 6:39 am)
Yogamama. I may be able to give you a wee bit of advice on the body work. I just finished working on my wife's 1998 Golf which needed $1.500 body work (a quote). If the rust is surface only and not gone through you might be able to grind out the spots. If it is deeper you could do as I did. I have a Dremel tool with some grinding bits and cut off wheels with which I cut out the rusted pieces. In this case I also had some Bondo and fibreglas left over from another project. I used that to rebuild the bottom of the car door and the fenders. It was a bit messy but once it dries you can then grind or sand it down and feather it out with sandpaper and elbow grease to match the surrounding area. Then make a visit to an auto supply store where they can mix matching paint in a spray bomb for you and get a good primer. The auto store can also recommend the various grades of sandpaper you will need to get a nice smooth finish. GEt a good paint mask for your face also. Use masking tape and newspaper to cover the area you do not want to paint. Practise painting a bit on some scrap wood or cardboard before painting the car. It's better to put on 2-3 light coats than a heavy coat. I bought a cheap spray can to practise with also so I didn't waste the good stuff. My total costs were $25. If I had to purchase everything including the Dremel tool I would have laid out $250. Still a significant savings for a days work. Even she was happy with the job and that was the really hard part.

#3213 of 3340 Ghosts in the Machine... by vwdawg

Jan 19, 2011 (9:57 am)

Hello All: 2006 Golf, 2.0. OK, I have had complete faith in this rig since my son purchased it about two years ago with 36k miles. Suddenly, it's starting to remind me of my '02 Passat 1.8T, and let's just say...that's NOT a good thing. Problem #1: A couple of months ago, all of the dash lights, including the instrument cluster (!), bonked out. No problema during the day, but it sucks having to use a small flashlight in the car at night! I checked EVERY fuse...all OK. Pulled the headlight switch and reostat out of the dash...no apparent problem there, either (there is NO juice flowing IN to the reostat. I was wondering if I could fix this by running a line from a power source into the line side of the reostat...might that power the instrument lights (my mechanic DID run a test and advised the lights ARE functional...there's just no power getting there). Comments, anyone? Problem #2: A few weeks ago, the interior lights quit working when the driver door is opened (they do work with the other doors), and now the door does the automatic "self locking" even when the door has been opened (I instantly realized that I better not leave the key in the car!). I'm thinking microswitch... anyone had this problem, and can the microswitch be replaced separately without replacing the entire latch, or can the microswitch be repaired somehow? Problem #3: Airbag light came on...knowing V--dubs, this repair sounds very pricey. Any advice out there? This Golf has only 68k miles...I'm very disappointed...I've had other rigs that run to 150-175 with no such problems, and not happy that I should even have to deal with this crap. Thanks for any advice...vwdawg

#3214 of 3340 Re: Crankshaft Tab Broken [altair4] by vwdawg

Feb 10, 2011 (11:38 am)

Replying to: altair4 (Nov 20, 2006 9:50 am)
Hello, altair and others: Would like to ask a question on behalf of a good friend who owns a 2001 Passat VR6 with around 110k. Odor of burning oil in engine compartment...assumed bad valve cover gasket...had checked by his mechanic. Mechanic could not find problem with that, but said perhaps leaking "camshaft seals" (?). I'm not familiar with this issue, but can anyone comment from personal experience, is it a common occurrence with the VR6 at this mileage, and what's the approx cost to fix? Thnx...vwdawg

#3215 of 3340 Odor of burning oil in engine compartment by xyzzy1954

Feb 10, 2011 (12:18 pm)

FWIW,
 
I (1999 Passat GLX) have had burning oil smell on two different occasions, and replacing the valve cover gaskets solved it both times.
 
Good Luck!

#3216 of 3340 Re: Crankshaft Tab Broken [vwdawg] by camperman

Feb 10, 2011 (1:34 pm)

Replying to: vwdawg (Feb 10, 2011 11:38 am)
Had the same problem with a 2000 Passat. 2 gaskets replaced which cost less than $50 and $800 for labour.
I took the car to VW specialists and was advised it was a common occurance. Because they specialize in VW I imagine they would see more than the average mechanic. But, this is a small city of 70,000 people with 10 times as many Golf and Jettas around as Passats.

#3217 of 3340 Re: Odor of burning oil in engine compartment [xyzzy1954] by chuckhanson

Feb 10, 2011 (2:27 pm)

Replying to: xyzzy1954 (Feb 10, 2011 12:18 pm)
I just got my Audi A6 (sister of the Passat) out of the shop. VW dealer wanted $2,000 to repair the oil leaks. I took it to local shop with VW/Audi mechanics. They found the cam shaft seals leaking and several "plugs" leaking. When they finished, the oil leak and smell were gone. The cost was $1,250. The A6 was 1999 with 95,000 miles. I would figure I have had the leaks for about 10,000 miles. One related problem was that about 5,000 miles ago I replaced the seals around the spark plugs. They leaked and filled the spark plug holes with oil and finally grounded out several of the plugs.
 
I 1999 I paid $42,000 for the A6. Since that time I estimate I have spent $20,000 on maintenance. My wife loves the car and won't let me sell it. The dealer doesn't want to sell us another A6 because they are making a killing on maintenance.
 
I have a 2005 Passat Station Wagon TDI with 115,000 miles. I love it. Other than routing maintenance I haven't spent much on the car at all. I hope it lasts for another 200,000 miles.
 
Chuck

#3218 of 3340 Re: Odor of burning oil in engine compartment [chuckhanson] by Mr_Shiftright HOST

Feb 10, 2011 (6:17 pm)

Replying to: chuckhanson (Feb 10, 2011 2:27 pm)
you know, your expenses pretty much fit into my rule of thumb for older German luxury cars out of warranty. It costs about $150 a month to keep them ship-shape.

#3219 of 3340 Re: Crankshaft Tab Broken [camperman] by vwdawg

Feb 11, 2011 (9:07 am)

Replying to: camperman (Feb 10, 2011 1:34 pm)
camperman: Thanks for info. When you say "gaskets", do you mean "camshaft gaskets" (seals?)? With an $800 labor bill, I'm assuming you're NOT talking about valve cover gaskets, right? Thanks, vwdawg

#3220 of 3340 Re: Crankshaft Tab Broken [vwdawg] by camperman

Feb 11, 2011 (4:09 pm)

Replying to: vwdawg (Feb 11, 2011 9:07 am)
vw dawg. There was an oil smell and the items that were replaced were
1) Bank 1 Camshaft chain adjuster gasket kit
2) Bank 1 V/C gasket ; total cost was $802.97.
I have no idea what those things are other than it solved the burning oil smell in the car but left me burning inside at myself for buying that money pit in the first place.
A quick story. I got everything fixed and parked the car so nothing else could break. I sold the car a few month ago and 3 weeks later I took my motorhome to the mechanic for servicing. The mechanic said " I have something to show you." it was a list of either 11 or 13 items (I can't remember which) on the VW that showed up on the scanner. The purchaser used the same mechanic I used for car repairs.

Messages Page 322 of 334

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