2006 Volkswagen Passat Comfortline TDI review from UK and Ireland

Brakes were replaced at 10k miles due to warped front discs; I argued with dealer about warranty.

Turbo failed in a cloud of smoke on the motorway after about 3 months; replaced by the dealer under warranty. This took a month while I drove around in a 1.2 litre basic Polo.

EGR valve failed at 30,000 miles, again with clouds of smoke and poor fuel consumption until fixed. Allegedly failed as a result of the turbo failure clogging it up and my using supermarket diesel!

CD changer packed in; dealer changed it and lost six of my CDS, which were stuck in it. I did not get these back.

Oil usage of 600 miles per litre. Dealer says this is within normal range for the engine, but insists on using expensive fully synthetic oil at £8 per litre.

Engine warning light came on intermittently, which was worrying. Still it has not been rectified, although periodically reset by dealer.

Aircon failed - lost gas from compressor. Replaced under warranty; another week driving a Polo.

At 35000 miles, the auto gearbox failed terminally. It started juddering when pulling away, then got worse and was replaced by dealer at a cost of £4,000 (thankfully under warranty).

Various minor electrical problems with instrument lights, fan and windows.

Dealer service extremely poor. Dealer is reluctant to admit any problems with car. Courtesy car is always a basic Polo or even a Corsa on occasion. Dealer can also be quite rude and unpleasant to deal with.

Car has been very unreliable, and I have been especially concerned by the gearbox failure, and the engine light coming on persistently.

When it is working, it goes well, and is quite nice to drive.

Comfort is generally good, but the seats are quite hard and give me pins and needles in my feet on long trips.

Fuel economy is also quite good.

Overall, it could be a good car, but I am seriously let down by poor quality control and mechanical failures.

Dealer is a nightmare.