I had to replace the battery at 20,000 miles as I had inadvertently left the heated wing mirrors on. There is no warning sound to remind you to switch them from the 'heat' position.
I had an ignition coil failure at 27,000 miles, resulting in misfiring and a flashing yellow light warning me that driving the car further could damage the catalytic converter. The misfiring was so bad that I could hardly drive the car anyway.
Generally it is a comfortable car which I enjoy driving.
Long journeys are far easier in this car than in previous, smaller cars.
The cabin is a nice place to be, roomy, with an excellent climate control system. I have got used to the gloomy colour scheme, which is outweighed by the overall feel of quality.
The sound system isn't bad and I feel safe in the car.
The handling isn't very good, but its OK as long as you are careful.
The car is expensive to own, in a very high insurance group considering its cost when new, and with poor mpg and expensive parts. I had 2 wing mirror brackets replaced due to vandalism, costing me £140. This wasn't covered by my insurance as they insisted on a £200 excess for the Passat.
The failed ignition coil was cheap to replace as I'm in the AA, but I am now worried that more coils will fail. I have read that ignition coil failure is a problem on this engine. I asked the dealer about this when buying, but he assured me that the model had been updated, and the problem eliminated. However, this clearly is not the case.
I have the same car.
Buy the coil packs from a VW dealer. Change ALL of them yourself and send the receipt to VW Customer Services in Milton Keynes, saying that you know it is a known problem. They will refund the money. That's what I did after my first coil pack went. They didn't quibble about it.
Even if they don't refund you, for about £100 at least you get piece of mind.
Ps - also change the MAF sensor - about £70 from VW for an exchange unit - your MAF sensor will also go soon at that mileage.
Good luck - it's a great car - you'll realise it when its time to change and nothing else feels 'quite right' anymore.
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