2002 Volkswagen Passat GLS review from North America
"Beautiful car with little to no reliability"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
The outstanding problems with this vehicle are the ignition coil and the dismal response of VW-America. One must threaten them with the lemon-law or lawsuit to get any sort of turnaround in repair time.
I've had 3 coils replaced in the last 2 months, and for the first two coils, the car was not in my possession for over 30 days. This last coil problem had the car at the dealer for 2 days, but I blew my stack with VW-America on the phone Monday night.
General comments?
I wonder how VW-America keeps their "customer care reps" because they must be getting chewed-out hourly by irate Passat owners.
I was in love with this car at first: the safety features were on par, the feel of the car on the road, and the interior feel of the car was just fantastic. But, all those positives were erased by the sub-standard customer service of VW-America - basically a non-response to a serious problem.
Recommended Reviews:
  | 2002 - Passat GLX 4 MOTION 2.8 V6 30 Valve Great car, more than what you would expect |
| 2001 - Passat GLX 4 Motion wagon 2.8 Entry Level Luxury with problematic mechanicals |
All 2002 Volkswagen Passat reviews
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| First year of ownership | 2002 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2003 |
| Engine and transmission | 1.8 Automatic |
| Performance marks | 7/10 |
| Reliability marks | 0/10 |
| Comfort marks | 9/10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 8/10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 7/10 |
| Distance when acquired | 100 miles |
| Most recent distance | 11000 miles |
| Previous car | Ford Bronco |
| Date of Entry | 30th January, 2003 |