1995 Volkswagen Passat GLX V6

Summary:

I wouldn not purchase another volkswagen

Faults:

We had all regular maintenance performed on car. The transmission needed replacement in 2000. Costof replacement was $5,000. Only dealer can work on car. Parts are very expensive and hard to get. Fuel Injection system needed now.

General Comments:

Cloth interior roof drooping at 75,000 miles. Door handles don't work all the time.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 8th March, 2004

26th Aug 2004, 14:00

What more can I say, I have spent over $5000 in repairs in the 4 years that I have had this car. I will never buy another Volkswagen.

27th Sep 2004, 18:19

Do I miss my VW Passat 1995 GLX? Yea right :) I do not miss that car. Even though when I first got it was a great car.. supposedly only had 41k miles on it, but I found out later after the transmission blew it had 141K miles on it when I bought and that the trannie blew at 205K...that car cost me nothing, but heart ache. It had numerous problems. It turned out I needed another trannie to be put in after the jerks put the wrong fluid in to begin with... The car looks nice, but looks can be decieving. I spent over 5k on that car in the eight years I had it. I just feel sorry for whoever has it now. I got 1k for it when I traded it in... and now who knows maybe it is in a junk yard somewhere. I would never ever get another VW again. Jules.

1995 Volkswagen Passat GLX VR6

Summary:

More bang for the buck over BMW

Faults:

Water pump went out at 80,000 miles.

Vacuum dampening canister exploded due to possible backfire at 82,000 miles.

Fan control sensor and temperature control switch went out at 80,000 miles.

Heater core failed at 101,000 miles.

Air bag light and anti-lock brake senor lights are on at 101,050 miles.

General Comments:

This car can have some expensive and uncommon repairs needed.

However, love the torque, braking, large fluid capacities, and cabin details.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 20th December, 2003

6th May 2004, 19:35

Might want to have the ignition switch replaced on recall from VW. It is usually the cause of the ABS & Brake lights staying on and will eventually lead to headlight and wiper failure at unexpected time (at night, in snowstorm for me)

1995 Volkswagen Passat GLX V6

Summary:

This car is fun to drive

Faults:

Clutch slave went out.

Doors are difficult to open from exterior.

Head liner is falling down.

Oil changes are very difficult because VW does not use screw-off one piece filter. Several oil leaks occurred from filter because of problems getting filter on correctly.

General Comments:

Car handles well and has been reliable.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 10th November, 2003

1995 Volkswagen Passat GLX Wagon 2.8L gasoline

Summary:

Bad performance for it's price

Faults:

Power window stopped working at 82500 miles.

Major breakdown on 98750 miles.

Very expensive tires.

I purchased my Volkswagen car from a dealer in February 2002. By that time car had 82500 miles.

A week later the rear left power window stopped working. Fortunately it stayed closed and couldn’t be opened. I took the car to VW dealership and it cost about 350$ to have the rear window motor and regulator replaced. At this time also I realized the car will need a new tires. However my only options available if wanted to keep the original equipment size tires 215/50/15 were tires with prices over 150$ a piece. The only manufacturers of tires of sizes were Dunlop and Good Year.

Later in the fall in September 2002, the problems started arising again. One night when driving in a big rainstorm, when passing through a puddle on the road, engine stalled and didn’t start. I thought that might be the wires got wet and after the car dries later should be able to start it and drive it. Unfortunately it didn’t happen. When car was brought to certified technician, he suggested that first in order to inspect it, engine needs to running. He replaced the starter and the car seemed to be OK. Regretfully the car lasted only a week before another major breakdown happened. I was driving on a Highway with speed about 65 Miles per hour, when suddenly I heard a noises of breaking metal parts and a smoke stated to coming from the engine. Immediately I was able to pull over in the breakdown lane before an accident happened.

By that time car had slightly below 100 K miles. And car had to be towed again to the mechanic, who fixed it about a week ago. And on the next morning the bad news came first: There was a hole in the engine cylinder block, therefore the car was already a junk. What might have happened as he suggested is that the

Head gasket is blown and this caused antifreeze to mix with motor oil. Then not having oil pressure pistons are moving without lubrication. It seemed that a piston rod broke apart, causing the piston to rip the cylinder block…

Car had the oil changed just a 3 days ago before this happened, so obviously can’t say it was my fault, because the engine had enough oil. Also the gauge for the engine temperature never showed there is any sign of overheating.

I finally ended up with 2,600$ replacing the engine with used one with less than 50 K miles.

Unfortunately Volkswagen covered these models with 10 years/ 100 000 miles Powertrain Warranty. However being a second owner of the car, warranty automatically reduces to 50 000 miles. The 100 K miles Power- train warranty is given only for the first owner of the car. What a wonderful news!!!

Also my Car insurance company refused to reimburse me for towing the car, since as they said:

“No Accident has occurred. You are only covered for towing which results from an accident. You have a mechanical failure and therefore we do not cover this. You are solemnly responsible for all charges”.

Would they be happier if an accident has happened that day? Or what if I wasn’t only a 15 minutes form my home when that happened. My mechanic said he has never seen anything like that before. He said that might happen on 50 years only once. As a matter of fact it happened just to me.

General Comments:

Mechanically, it's almost identical to last year's model, but the Passat gains a more sophisticated look and represents one of the best values in the market. Powered by Volkswagen's acclaimed V-6, the Passat offers unmatched levels of standard amenities in the family-oriented midsize segment. When comparably equipped, the Passat beats its primary Asian rival by a couple thousand bucks, but not by the reliability of his Asian rivals.

Once accused of designing cockpits with all the warmth of day-old bratwurst, VW has responded with new interior fabrics, color-coordinated trim and plastic trim described as having a "luxury feel," newly designed door panels and handles, switches and ventilation controls, and, yes, dual folding cupholders. The instrument panel is easy to read yet full of information. A minor glitch is that the digital clock fades to almost invisible when sunlight hits it.

Another issue is the lack of a proper glove compartment. The passenger's airbag uses up that space, and VW's solution is a lockable bin between the front seats. It's none too large and the lock appears as though it would yield to a hefty screwdriver without much struggle.

We preferred the standard five-speed transmission. It doesn't have quite the velvet-smooth operation of a Honda transmission, but it coaxes more muscle from the V-6 rated at 172 hp. Of course, sporty driving comes at a cost: the EPA ratings of 18 mpg in the city and 25 mpg on the highway aren't great, but the 18.5-gallon fuel tank means a maximum driving range of more than 450 miles.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 8th April, 2003

7th Jan 2007, 16:45

These things happen because lack of understanding and respect to proper maintenance (in you case deferred one from previous owner). Timing belt broke sending valves toward pistons brkaing them and consequently destroying the engine becuase it is an interference engine!

If your pants rip in crouch area, who do you blame manufacturer or your clumsiness?

Advise for you and others, do full research before hand or pay the piper!

Cheers!

18th Sep 2011, 18:54

You mention tires, I just bought 4 new tires for my Ford Probe, $250.00 each, that's $1000.00 for 4 tires, not even mounted yet.