late 90s Passat

[dirty30]

I'm going to go ahead and throw my 2cents in on this. My mom bought her 99' 1.8t passat in 2000 with roughly 25k miles. In 2005 it developed the oil sludge problem with the largest oil change interval being only 3600 miles.

The only reason the 1.8t engines sludged was a poor design in routing the oil lines for the turbo feed/ return. They are about three feet long and run near the exhaust manifold. When stupid soccer moms drive them around town and then immediately shut them off afterwards, this bakes the oil in the lines causing the sludge. Now after rumors and all this "poor quality" BS everybody thinks its the vehicle's fault. From having personal experience with the B5 Passats I'd say go for it. Its NOT a BMW, its a front drive family sedan.

-The ride is a little soft, remember its a fairly large car.

-The V6's tend to go through catalytic converters which can get pricey.
-Check the front upper and lower links, these wear pretty regularly and should be replaced if making noise.
-If there is still a heavy clunk in the steering the rack, the bolts have worked themselves loose, tighten them.
-They eat rear brakes about every 30K, don't know why but parts are not expensive... we're talking routine stuff here people.
-Most all have coolant temp sensor issues, replace it.
-Maybe the occasional ignition control module (1.8t).
-CEL: vacuum lines, vacuum lines, vacuum lines
-I have never seen (personally) a 1.8t or 30v V6 fail (unless it was from human error).
-I worked for VW for almost three years as their dispatcher, my brother was a certified VW tech ....I saw every problem with every model you could think of. I just wanted to give you some real life experience rather then the typical "my aunt had one, they are crap" kind of responses you seem to be getting.

-Ryan

[dirty30]

Check out this manufacture rating at JD Power; VW's at the bottom in quality: http://www.jdpower.com/autos/brand-ratings/

Anyone notice the "feature, accesory, quality and design" segment? Ford, GM, Dodge with the highest rating aside from Porsche? WTF?

[KenC]

I'm not at all set on the passat... they just seemed like nice/cool cars for relatively little dough.

[craig4ie]

The mechanic I take my car to when I don't have the tools to fix it LOVES late model Volkswagens that are recently out of warranty, kinda like the years you're interested in. He makes ALOT of money fixing major problems.

Beware german cars without kidney grilles

[chucko]

I've got a 98 Passat wagon 1.8T and I really love the car except for the fact that I had to spend 4K on repairs this year. As someone said in an earlier post, parts are not cheap plus the ABS computer system had to be replaced. My car has a pretty noticeable lag, but the power is really good for a 1.8 engine. It gets good gas mileage but the turbos require 91 octane so be prepared to spend at the pump. Get the GLS model. If you're an outdoors person get a roof rack. It's roomy, nice leather, nice sound system, great for camping, biking, surfing. Cops ignore me. It's definately not a chick magnet car unless you like soccer moms and grannies. The coupe version probably has more sex appeal.

[vivalegreg]

dont doooo it

[DarkWing6]

If you get one with either the 1.8T or TDI motor in it you are in good shape. VW puts those motors in almost all of their cars, so they are bulletproof. I worked at a dealership for a year and they are solid cars.

[MarkH]

My wife drives a 98 Passat 1.8T which we have owned since it was new, and my recommendation would be to RUN as fast as you can away from any VW. The Passat is riddled with electrical problems and general quality problems. Here is the last two months:

1. Car towed home running on three cylinders. The module that powers the coil packs failed again (third time) and had to be replaced. VW wanted $380 for the part, got it for $100 on-line but the car was down until the part arrived.
2. Turn signals stopped working. Relay in hazard switch failed
3. Check Engine Light has gone on three times: good thing I have the VAG-COM software and can reset this myself. Once for the first issue and twice for sensor glitches (very common problem). I need to get the car smogged and now have to wait for the readiness code to reset.
4. Airbag Light: Very common problem if you adjust the seats with the ignition on which causes a side airbag light.
5. Coolant Leaks, on-going problem
6. Drivers side door handle pulled off the car when opening the door, plastic part failed.
7. Speedometer whacks out periodically, probabaly a bad speed sensor


And lets not even get started on the quality of the VW automatics, which was the reason I sold my 99 Jetta and got my E30 in the first place.

[Skoobeesnak]

Late to the party

Had a '99 loved the way it drove but it honestly was the biggest POS I have ever owned. The dealers suck ass and gouge the fuck out of you for parts. I used to estimate parts for that hunk of shit by taking what a part for a normal car would be and times it by 3 then it would be in the ballpark.

The engine problems are well documented, I had coil packs fail, a timing belt which cost $2500 just to get the head repaired ($50 each for the valves on a 20V head add up quickly). But the interior was so poorly made things would literally fall apart in your hands.

Oh and one thing about getting them cheap. There is a reason for their horrendous depreciation, they cost their owners a fortune to keep them running. Avoid at all costs.

[8380 Labs]

When stupid soccer moms drive them around town and then immediately shut them off afterwards, this bakes the oil in the lines causing the sludge. Now after rumors and all this "poor quality" BS everybody thinks its the vehicle's fault.

heres a thought, why put a motor that requires some kind of special attention in a passenger/family type vehicle? if it were an enhtusiast model (like a gti), people are okay getting turbo timers or letting the car cool down.

my mom actually has a b5.5 passat wagon, and the thought of her waiting to let the turbo cool down before she gets out of the car while shes flyin around town is laughable.

[8380 Labs]

When stupid soccer moms drive them around town and then immediately shut them off afterwards, this bakes the oil in the lines causing the sludge. Now after rumors and all this "poor quality" BS everybody thinks its the vehicle's fault.

heres a thought, why put a motor that requires some kind of special attention in a passenger/family type vehicle? if it were an enhtusiast model (like a gti), people are okay getting turbo timers or letting the car cool down.

my mom actually has a b5.5 passat wagon, and the thought of her waiting to let the turbo cool down before she gets out of the car while shes flyin around town is laughable.

people looking at those cars wanna change the oil and rotate the tires (maybe) and not think about it. thats why camrys and accords sell so well.

[KangamangusDriver]

The only reason the 1.8t engines sludged was a poor design in routing the oil lines for the turbo feed/ return. They are about three feet long and run near the exhaust manifold. When stupid soccer moms drive them around town and then immediately shut them off afterwards, this bakes the oil in the lines causing the sludge. Now after rumors and all this "poor quality" BS everybody thinks its the vehicle's fault. From having personal experience with the B5 Passats I'd say go for it. Its NOT a BMW, its a front drive family sedan.

-The ride is a little soft, remember its a fairly large car.

-The V6's tend to go through catalytic converters which can get pricey.
-Check the front upper and lower links, these wear pretty regularly and should be replaced if making noise.
-If there is still a heavy clunk in the steering the rack, the bolts have worked themselves loose, tighten them.
-They eat rear brakes about every 30K, don't know why but parts are not expensive... we're talking routine stuff here people.
-Most all have coolant temp sensor issues, replace it.
-Maybe the occasional ignition control module (1.8t).
-CEL: vacuum lines, vacuum lines, vacuum lines
-I have never seen (personally) a 1.8t or 30v V6 fail (unless it was from human error).
-I worked for VW for almost three years as their dispatcher, my brother was a certified VW tech ....I saw every problem with every model you could think of. I just wanted to give you some real life experience rather then the typical "my aunt had one, they are crap" kind of responses you seem to be getting.

-Ryan

This man speaks the truth!
Im a service writer for VW, P.M me if you have more questions

[StereoInstaller1]

My Aunt had one. They are crap.

Just kidding. I don't have a Aunt.

[sdcabrio]

Sorry to hear all the horror stories about the VW's. I had a '99 Passat GLX.

Absolutely loved it. Still miss it sometimes. The only car I ever bought new (everybody has to buy one new, I guess) Mine was silver on black, every option made. Eibach/Billy suspension, 18's, zender grill, clear corners, etc. It was a sweet car, got thumbs up all the time.

I never had one issue with the car,...well, aside from sliding off the road backwards, rolling down a hill through a fence and into a huge oak tree. If I was in my cab I'd be dead. I walked away without a scratch, I'd classify a B5 as safe.

The car had like 72k miles on it and was awesome. Just wish I had digital pics of it. Whatever, just my .