2001 Volkswagen Passat GLS review from North America
"Piece of junk money pit, with good amenities and handling"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Oil pump.
Window regulator.
Drivers side door lock fell apart.
Various lighting issues (exterior).
CAM position sensor.
Axles/CV joints.
Throttle body adjustments.
Radio display distorted.
Leaky valve cover gasket replaced.
Leaky coolant flange on the back of engine block - make of plastic!
Turbo return line developed a mysterious hole in it!?
General comments?
The car handles very well for a front wheel drive car and is fun to drive. But the thing is so freakin unreliable and expensive to maintain, you end up hating it.
This car has left my wife stranded more times than I can remember. And we spent a lot of time and money on preventative maintenance as well. We were angry when we just spent $800 on a timing belt job, to find out a month later that the oil pump was shot - another $1000 please. SUCKS!
It might not be as bad if parts and labor were reasonable. But no, everything is like $500 starting, and higher. It's just insane! You may as well be driving a Porsche.
I've had 2 Audi's that are high maintenance as well, and this Passat has cost me more than both those cars together to keep on the road, and I've owned it the least amount of time.
The car is in the shop right now (12 days now), and they don't know what's wrong with it. But I know that it's going to end up being electrical problems. Either way, as soon as we get this car back (fixed or not) we're dumping it at the first seller or dealer willing to taking off our hands and count it as a loss. Obviously, I will never buy another VW again. Total CRAP! We're going to get an Infiniti I35 or a Lexus ES300.
Recommended reviews
| More for your money, honey |
|
| 2001 - Passat GLX V6 4-Motion Wagon 2.8 Great car, other than faulty sensor problems |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| Model year | 2001 |
| Year of manufacture | 2000 |
| First year of ownership | 2004 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2008 |
| Engine and transmission | 1.8t Automatic |
| Performance marks | 8 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 2 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 7 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 0 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 0 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 70000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 122000 miles |
| Previous car | Volkswagen Passat |
| Date of Entry | 15th January, 2008 |