28th Nov 2010, 10:11
Another update. 10.000 miles later, switched back to Castrol 5w30. Engine is suddenly alive. Engine sound is back to normal, no more lumpy idle, turbo sound also got back to normal. This car is not for cheap oil, even if you plan to change it sooner. Better to spend on a quality Castrol oil than an average oil and trash the engine.
Replaced front suspension arms bushes. Seems the top shock mounts are failing (one of them replaced 15.000 miles ago). Probably has to do with the tough roads I am using from time to time.
Replaced front pads with Bosch pads... DON'T do it. Brakes are a lot weaker and fade sooner than the OEM's I had before.
Only constant problem is that I need to top up with coolant twice a month.
Car is at 340.000 miles... and still starts first time, even if now it is -10 and 40cm of snow outside. Performance a little bit lower, but I can see exhaust smoke coming out near headlight when standing, so a new intercooler or pipes are coming soon.
5th Dec 2013, 15:40
I also had a Passat 1998 1.8T and a Volvo S60 2003.
By no means does the Volvo drive better than the Passat. The only things the Volvo has better are the engine power and more durable electric parts. In every other aspect, the Passat was a better car.
The Passat had better: seats, driving position, handling, road stability, interior space, suspension.
The Passat had more annoying repairs, but no issues with the transmission. The Volvo had known issues with the transmission. Both had problems with the engine sludge (BMW and Saab had the same issues) because of the PCV systems in those years.
The Passat was more expensive to run, but was a superior car. The Volvo was better looking.
25th Mar 2010, 01:15
Me again.
I have made the mistake of changing the oil from Castrol to Aral 10w40 Bluetronic full synthetic. It made the turbo go, the engine sounds like a 20 years old engine. I will never use a low quality oil in any of my cars again.
I cut cost on oil, but now I have a large bill for the turbo.