1997 Volkswagen Passat SE 110 TDi review from UK and Ireland

Drivers seat replaced.

Radio replaced (twice).

Air-con leaking water in footwell.

Refrigerant replaced (twice).

Clutch failed.

New window motor.

Immobilizer problem.

Door sensors.

Fuel flap.

Seat belts replaced.

Brakes seized - new disc.

Aerial connection fixed (No need to replace radio - was an aerial problem which I researched on the Internet and told VW how to fix).

This is a wonderful car to drive which is why I still drive it even though this early model seems to have every fault for which this vehicle is notorious.

Any effort at all by VW to treat their customers in some reasonable fashion combined with the vehicle's undoubted driving benefits would negate most of these other issues. However VW customer service and the VW representation locally (not the dealers) exhibit an unbelievable arrogance manifested in their offhand, unresponsive, discourteous and downright duplicitous attitude which seems to be directed at denying any existence of the noted serial faults prevalent in the 1997 models.

What I found particularly irksome was finding out through newsgroups and discussion fora on the Net that my experience was common to other VW owners, even though I was being told differently and then finding a systematic inability to carry out the necessary corrective action ie the faults were kept so secret from the dealers generally that the proper repair procedures were not in place and this necessitated several visits to the garage - in several instances I had to point them in the right direction. Also the vehicles were not subsequently checked for known faults but done on a 'fix it when it breaks basis' rather than a preventive one.

Whoops - ranting, sorry.