1998 Volkswagen Passat SE review from UK and Ireland
"A waste of money and time"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
New gearbox,when one was NOT needed!
Oil leak
Broken plastic lugs on both sun-visors
Fan blower unit broken.
General comments?
The car is unreliable, and it seems their quality control in extremely variable. The magazine reviews praise the car, but the annual JD Power and other car buyers reports accurately mention it's less than satisfactory reliability and dealer service.
The dealers are a disaster; rude, uncaring.. even unknowledgeable!
The auto gearbox is badly mated to the 1.9 turbo-diesel engine, in that the gear changes to 3rd and 4th are delayed. When I mentioned this and that it seemed the box was faulty, they agreed. It took 4 months to get the box, and then the new, replacement box does exactly the same as the previous one did!
To drive, its OK. On balance, no more VW cars for me.
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| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| First year of ownership | 2001 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2003 |
| Engine and transmission | 1.9 turbo diesel Automatic |
| Performance marks | 6/10 |
| Reliability marks | 5/10 |
| Comfort marks | 8/10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 1/10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 7/10 |
| Distance when acquired | 46500 miles |
| Most recent distance | 60000 miles |
| Previous car | Toyota Camry |
| Date of Entry | 4th May, 2003 |