2003 Volkswagen Passat GLS review from North America

Turbo gasket was not installed properly and it leaked. Fixed under warranty.

Fuel pump went at 28,000 miles.

At 40,000 miles the radio LED went blank and the back drivers side window would not roll up and down. Had to fight hard with customer service to get it paid for despite warranty. Got the car back from the dealer and one headlight pointed directly towards the ground. I have no idea why! I fixed it myself.

Fog lamps have a short in them and immediately blow the fuse when they are turned on. This happened at 60,000 miles.

At 78,000 the turbo blew. The dealer states that the bearing in the turbo wasn't getting properly lubricated. Friction caused pieces of metal to break off of the bearing and travel through the engine as the engine and the turbo are on the same oil loop. These pieces of metal ruined the valves, piston heads, cylinder walls, etc. The engine has to be replaced and despite a perfect maintenance record, VW will not pay a dime towards the repair. They will extend the warranty on oil sludge for people who don't conduct oil changes at regular intervals, but they won't fix a problem for a customer who cares for his vehicle perfectly. I have to pay for a new engine to be installed. I found on-line that VW has had to replace over 400,000 1.8 Turbo engines.

This car performs okay, it is not fast, but has a little umph to it. The turbo isn't bad when it isn't falling apart. The car is safe and handles nicely when it is running.

However, the car is completely unreliable. VW continues to manufacture cars with electrical and drivetrain problems. Please, please look up reviews of VW's cars and customer service on-line before you buy. If after reading all these reviews, you still want to buy a VW? Then your asking for the headache you are going to receive. Buy the extended warranty on the drivetrain. The customer service in my opinion is the worst in the business. They only have a five year 60k warranty on the drivetrain enough said! They have no confidence in their own product.