Have had serious issues with the car not starting over the course of the last two years, and am currently dealing with a low oil pressure/STOP engine light due to sludge, along with a leaking water pump, vacuum hose issues and two unknown computer codes.
I love the look of this car and how it drives, the space it affords. My husband has a 99 Beetle with over 100,000 miles and we thought this would be a wonderful car for me when we had our child.
I should have known something was wrong when the car needed a new battery when we left the used dealer lot, but really liking the car otherwise, we did not consider this to be a big issue. We replaced the battery immediately at their cost, but have since had two more batteries as well a new alternator. Typically, the car would not start after sitting for a few days during the winter. Most recently, it would not start on a summer day. Took it in to have it looked at, but could not find anything wrong.
Just two days ago, I was making a 300 mile trip, and the oil pressure/STOP engine light came on. Fortunately I was near an exit with a large commercial area and was able to get the oil changed immediately. I thought this would fix the problem, but the light came on again. The engine sounded great - no ticking or knocking - so under advisement, I drove it very slowly back to my personal mechanic. They have diagnosed the problem as "sludge" which will cost about $500. In addition, the water pump is leaking, which will run another $1000-$1200, AND there is general maintenance and vacuum hoses that need to be done for an additional $500. Last, but definitely not least, there are two computer codes showing up that they do not know what they mean - this is a mechanic who only deals with VWs (but not a dealer)... SO - I am now looking to trade this in. I should not have these kinds of problems on a car with only 50,000 miles!!
How often did you change the oil?
You should've been changing it every 3,000 miles.
To have an oil sludge problem at such low miles (or any miles)
at least one of the owners (you did buy it used) probably wasn't very good at having the oil changed regularly.
I, too, am unhappy with my 2002 Passat. The "alternator workshop" message lights up, but no one knows what that means. Car acutally has run fine for 4 months like this, but it's extremely annoying and intermittent.
I too, am having this same problem with my alternator. I replaced it Friday. Today is Sunday, and the light is back on, telling me "ALTERNATOR WORKSHOP" and the battery (generator) light comes on with it. The alternator was taken out again today, and checked for loose connections, to no avail. Now, the third alternator will be put in tomorrow. If anyone has had this problem, and knows of a solution, please feel free to post back to me! Id be very interested to hear what worked for you!
I too have experienced problems with my battery, right after purchasing my 2001-1/2. Three months later, I was paying to have an alternator replaced. The check engine light is on right know, due to a secondary turbo something or another? We have had problems with starting the car on very hot days of 100 degrees or more. For what reason, I do not know, because once it started, I haven't had a recurrence? I sounded and felt like a fuel issue, especially since it started after turning it over for a while, with the accelerator pedal pushed to the floor. Most recently, the stop engine light came on, followed by oil pressure, see manual light? I got an oil change immediately and it continues to display the warnings after a few minutes of driving? My wife and I love this car, but after reading all of these articles by others, I am debating on selling car!
I too am having trouble with my 2002 Passat. I bought the car in 2003 with 10,000 miles. By 2004 I had to have the oil pump replaced due to sludge. I was over the warranty miles by a couple of hundred miles. VW tried to tell me the engine was shot and it would cost $10,000 to replace engine. I didn't buy. They finally agreed to replace the pump for free b/c the mechanic told me that it was a known problem that this model had faulty oil pumps- the filter clogs causing the oil pump to fail. Two years later I'm facing the same problem again. VW should own up to their problem and issue a recall.
I have a 2000 1/2 VW Passat that has 93,000 miles on it. Throughout the time that I have owned the car, I had to spend about $1000 trying to diagnose a check engine light, replace brakes, replace tires, and take it in for periodic tune ups. The unusual thing was the check engine light which turned out to be some vacuum hose problem. Other than that just routine maintenance. I haven't had to replace the battery yet, but will need to in the next 5,000 miles. I am just having the timing belt and water pump changed as recommended. The price for both of those items after shopping around was $700. I get oil changes every 3000-4000 miles and purchase "premium" fuel to prevent any "sludge" problems. I don't know that I would buy a VW again. They are fun to drive and definitely safe, but with all of the commuting that I do, are expensive to maintain.
I am also extremely frustrated with my 2003 Passat. At 38,000 miles my oil pump failed, but luckily it was under warranty and was fixed free of charge. Now my car is at 68,000 miles and while driving it a couple of days ago the low oil pressure/STOP light came on. I immediately stopped driving the car and brought it into the dealership right away. I was told that the car is no longer under warranty and they want $3,000 to fix it. This is absolutely ridiculous and VW should be ashamed of themselves for knowing about the numerous problems happening like this and not issuing a recall. Word of advice to any of you out there thinking of buying a Volkswagen: Don't do it!
I too am the proud owner of a VW Passat 02 and am now in the position of having to find £2000 for repairs due to sludge etc etc. Yes I too love this car, but don't think it is worth spending £2000 when it could happen again quite soon after. Gutted, disappointed and car less.
I own a 2002 Passat Wagon. The oil I bought the car used in 2005. I had to have the oil pump replaced at 45,000 miles. Now the car is at 68,000 miles and am facing the same position with the oil pump. Stop engine light. Sludge, filter, etc... This is a design flaw.
I own a 2000 Passat. The STOP oil light is also going on for me, and started after I had the timing belt/water pump redone at $1100.00. A recall was issued for some cars around 2004 due to the "oil sludge" problem. Call VW of America, and ask them if your car (VIN number) should be included in this recall - some might. If you have proof of all of your oil changes in the timely manner outlined by the recall rules, you should be able to get all of these drive-train problems fixed. That said, I am taking my car in for the oil pump next week, and I will re-post to let you know what they say about the recall and the extended warranty.
Please see this post I recently put on the Car Talk web site in response to a caller on their show.
It may address your problem.
Http://action.publicbroadcasting.net/cartalk/posts/list/228619.page.
In September 2006, from a VW main dealer, I bought a certified pre-owned 2002 Passat Wagon 1.8T, with 59k miles on the clock. I have to admit to driving it another 17k miles over the following 9 months with only one oil change..., when everything started to go wrong. It started last week with the coolant warning light coming on, so I took it to a small local service center and asked for a coolant top-up and an oil change. From what he saw he advised me to take the car back to the main dealer.
There they found the water pump was leaking, but the warranty would cover that. They found the transmission to knock and needed to be completely replaced; again, the warranty covered this. But they also found that the half-shaft boots were worn and had exposed the bearings which now needed to be replaced. They decided that this was my fault because if I had brought the car to them for an oil change they would have found the problem in time to save the bearings. The bill for this is estimated to be $1500.
How could a car fall apart so badly after moderate highway driving between clock mileage of 59K and 76K? Should I accept responsibility for replacing the bearings?
I have purchased a brand new 2004 VW Passat in May 2004. Within the first two years, since I had also purchased advance service, I had the oil changed regularly at the dealer. The first thing to go wrong was my taillights. VW fixed this as it was under warranty. Then the headlights and instrument panel went completely off. VW fixed this as it was under warranty. The ESP sensor stopped working and VW fixed this -- under warranty. The rear passenger window stopped working right after the warranty was up. Much more important, however, was the oil sludge problem. On my way to my new house in Florida from Pennsylvania, the STOP ENGINE - OIL PRESSURE light came on. I stopped at a convenience store at the next exit off of I-95 and put a quart of oil in. I checked the oil level and it was fine. There were no noises and the temperature gauge showed that all as well. As I approached my final destination, the light came on again. Now the car was starting to sound bad. I pulled over at my hotel. The next day, my husband and I had the car towed to the nearest repair shop. They informed us that it was an oil sludge buildup due to improper oil changes. I had only ever had this car serviced at the VW dealer where I purchased it! The repair cost about $1,800. Since then the car started hesitating and I again took it to a VW dealer here in Florida. It was the vacuum hose. Now, the STOP ENGINE - OIL PRESSURE light has gone on again. I am told it might need a new oil pump which would cost at least $750 to repair. Time to trade and never, ever again buy a VW. I always loved the look of the VW's, but in this case, beauty is definitely skin deep.
We bought a 2002 Passat Wagon with standard shift: it has been a wonderful car to drive. However, mechanical reliability has been very poor. It has only 71,000 miles on the odometer. The problems:
- Parking Brake freezes: this has happened several times.
- Front end: the very complex multi-link front end suspension bushings and bearings have worn out and must be replaced. This is a well-known problem and very expensive to repair.
- Clutch: the clutch began to slip at 71,000 miles. Complete replacement is indicated.
- Airflow cover: the shield under the engine has had to be replaced twice. This would not occur for owners who drive only on interstates and city streets. We live in a rural area and have a gravel driveway.
My wife and I purchased our 2002 passat turbo, and liked to drive the car. It took us a while to learn our lesson about going to the dealership to get it repaired. I would say so far we have spent around 3000 dollars in repairs, and after taking it in for routine maintenance it has sounded funny and loud until a week ago when the engine blew up. We threw a rod and there now resides a 2" hole in the engine block. We have had it serviced at the dealership and so did our parents. We will never ever ever own another VW for as long as we live. It just 90000 miles old and had been warned that the engine will probably need to be rebuilt at 90000. I have heard about a class action suite against VW and don't know what the outcome was.