Are VW's crap???

Hi all, I just wanted to get some insight on the sworn quality and reliability of the VW's. I have heard they are great cars.........How true is it??? is the question.

My girlfriend has a 2001 Passat and it has had several problems. I have really started to question the quality of these cars.

1)After 700-1000 miles she totally runs out of engine oils and stop engine sign turns on. She has gotten it checked but the dealer says its normal. You should check the oil levels every two weeks. I think she would have been better off buying some piece of junk so atleast it was expected to check oil on those things every so often. Neither its a super performance engine where one would expect such oil consumption.

2)The heater core leaked and made the car smell like crap and full of condensation. What a piece of crap if you have to spend $1000 on only 3 years old car which is suppose to be reliable.

3)Now back of passenger seat has literally a pool of water which the dealer is not sure where its coming from. The dealer suspects some climate control pipes run under there and they might have leaked and thats about 600 to $1000 job.

For as long as I have seen it. I think its just a piece of crap and VW is ripping off people for what ever name they have earned in the past.

Please let me know if they are normal problems or she should report it to someone in VW who would actually give a rip about it.

Thanks for reading and I appreciate any help in advance.

1. If the engine is "totally out of oil" within 1000 miles, there is a serious problem. If it's loosing 1 quart in 1000 miles, that is acceptable industry standard for oil consumption. Some agree with that, some don't.
2. Heater core - how many miles on the car ? Has the cooling system ever been flushed ? Never believe in "5 year" or "Lifetime" coolant. Should be flushed every 2-3 years or before 40,ooo miles. Possibly a manufacturing flaw as well.
3.Water on the floor - The fresh air/pollen/dust filter housing under the hood on the passenger side is leaking. Either the seal is bad or someone replaced the filter and did align the housing properly after the install. Rain water is leaking down thru the blower motor housing onto the floor.

BTW... my personal & family vehicles over the years:
74 Ghia
85 GTI
86 Jetta Coupe
97 Jetta
2001 Passat GLX 5 speed
2003 Passat W8 6 speed

The 86 & 97 Jetta's were my sisters. I took the 86 from her when she bought the 97. In 2001 she traded it for a Volvo C70 Coupe. It's the first car she ever leased and she's glad she did. It's a POS. Once the lease is up, she's getting another Jetta...

Thanks for replying VW/Chevyguy. BTW the VW dealer decided to take the roof lining off in order to inspect the leak on the floor without any visible signs of water mark on the roof linning. I have told her to change the service dept to another dealer. We'll see. But thanks for the insight.

Ive got a 99 Passat 1.8 that has had alot of probs. The car is a great car except for all the mechanical problems. I dont think I will be buying another VW. They charge way too much for their parts , especially electrical parts, and I dont feel that they use good quality components. The 100,000 mile engine warrentee was good though, I used that for several oil leaks, a water pump, and an oil pump. Unfortunatly all the electrical components arent covered. Good luck with yours, Im hoping to sell mine as soon as i can get it running good enough to sell.

a common point of water leaks on many vw and other cars is the vapor barrier in the doors, the doors seal to the windows dont seal tight, never and some water leaks in, it is supposed to run out the drains in the bottom of the doors and outside, if the vapor barriers have been damaged, maybe if the power window was repaired or stereo speakers, then th water leaks out between the door panel and the door, on hte inside of the seal, allowing it to puddle on the floor, ant easy tes, open the door, have someone watch the bottom of the door, run water over the door window and obserrve if the water leaks out of the drains or inbetween the panel and the door
good luck,
p.s.
find a good local independant shop that specializes in vw for future service!

Hey, that was your shop on Evergreen Way wasn't it? Or was it? Too many years since buying sandrail stuff.

My post seems to have similar issues, namely heater core problems. I have a 2001 V6 Passat as well. I'm not terribly encouraged by a car that requires a heater core replacement after 45k.

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=212614&highlight=heater+core

Yo nailed it. VW has a serious heater core issue. We had one fail 2000 miles ago on our 2000 VW Passat. Then the rotor in the rear of the car melted and dealer did not know why. Now 100 miles later, A/C is going out. This is the worst car we ever owned! I hope VW goes under. I will never buy another German car! Stay far away from them. It is scary to see there quality control issues at VW. I'm glad I never became a VW dealership. VW does not care about its customers. I am with you on this and feel your pain.!

I work on the electronic control units in various makes of automobile. Bosch which was once one of the best.. has seriously fallen off the wagon.

Their electronic control modules are extremely poor and radically overpriced. For example the Bosch ABS module; they want $1000-$2000 (depending on features) for an electronic part that probably cost no more than $20 to manufacture!

I have opened these up to try and repair them since they are failing quite regularly. Occasionally a crappy spot weld on the terminals breaks. There is nothing inside the plastic box but spot welded contacts and a 2"X3" ceramic "circuit board" that has two $1.99 16 Mhz processor chips (motorola) and a few external signal conditioning chips. I tell you there is no more than $20.00 worth of CRAP IN THE BOX (even the box itself is crap) and they want $1900 for a new one!

If you press too hard on the thin plastic housing, it will crush the die bond wires of the CPU chips. They were too cheap to epoxy encapsulate the integrated circuits!... and you just can't get any cheaper than that. At least the disposable $1.99 digital watches encapsulate their chip to protect it.

Absolutely insane where this is all going... and the car will not drive without the ABS module in place; or if you press too hard on the plastic case; crushing the chip's die bond wires. What kind of engineering is that???

This is my post from the "How to disable ABS warning light" thread...

Quote:
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Originally Posted by veedubmechanic
If VW knew about problems of a safety system like this they would fix it and sell an "updated" module to people. I have only seen 4 ABS modules replaced before (not including the RECALL abs modules on jettas).
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You kind of contradict yourself. Here is what you said in a separate Passat thread...

Quote:
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Originally Posted by veedubmechanic
If the brakes dont apply right away when you step on the brake pedal then theres air in the brake system.
THe abs control modules go bad alot on 98-01 passats... vw seems to fix the problem on 02+ models.
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Which is it, they don't have ABS problems or they do? I only ask because the ABS Control Module just failed on my '01 Passat also. With a quote of $1,500 from my VW dealer to replace it! I'm willing to roll the dice and try Gavin's solution any day of the week vs. continue to throw $$$ at the dealer. VW should be ashamed of themselves for their lack of customer service!

Here is a "short" list of problems I have had with the car since it was new...(01 VW Passat 4Motion - Paid >40k for the car)

- Virtually all of the interior wood panels have formed cracks in them. The dealership replaced one set before the warranty was up. 2000 miles later (26k miles total) the rest of them had formed cracks but VW refused to replace them because they were "out of warranty". Yea right.

- VW replaced the cataletic converter because of a warning light. Turned out to be the sensor (luckily it was still under warranty)

- Replace the A/C system fan because it threw a blade. ($400)

- Replace the interior over head light because the switch broke ($200)

- Both steering arms had to be replaced because one of the ball ends went bad. Was quoted >$700 to fix them, $400 parts & labor to replace them and $300 to re-align the front end. This one was the straw that broke the camels back. When I questioned the dealership about the $300 for a front end alignment they told me that because it was a 4motion that it was "special" and would take 3-4 hours for the alignment. I called three other alignment shops (including one at a Toyota dealership), their quotes for the alignment varied from $79 to $89. Needless to say the entire job cost me under $300 for the same work the the dealship quoted me $700.

- Had to replace the interior window trim that started to fall away ($150). VW wont admit it but it started to fall away after they replaced the wood trim on that door.

- The trunk release has quit working (not going to even bother fixing it).

- The armrest/compartment latch broke (again, not going to fix).

- I've gone through 3 sets of headlights on the car because of the dumb*ss (on all the time) programming that they have built in.

- My favorite are the brakes! When I had the car at the dealership with 30,000 miles on it they told me I needed new brakes in the back. I said fine, give me a quote. They quoted me $600! When I cornered them on the price they told me that they had to replace the rotors! Who replaces rotors at 30k miles?!?! I took it to Midas and paid $40 for new pads, rotors calipered fine.

- At roughly 60k miles the dealership told me the same thing (need new rear brakes) and quoted another $600. I took it to Midas again, paid $40 for a pad slap (rotors still calipered fine!)

- At 100k miles the dealership quoted me $700 for new front brakes. Again they told me I needed new rotors. Again I cornered them on the rotors and again they told me that "By Law" they were too thin and needed to be replaced. Took it to Midas, $180 later I have new pads on the front, still the same rotors. And in case anyone is wondering, still the same rotors all the way around, no warps, and within specs!

I feel sorry for the people who take their cars to the dealership and just go along with the line of bull they feed you.

This is the last VW I (or anyone I know if I can help it) will buy! Back to Honda!

If anyone reading this is considering buying a VW, here is a quick test for use in your decision making process.

Call a dealer, ANY dealer and simply tell them that you are a current VW owner, have a major problem with your vehicle and would like to make a complaint to someone higher up in the VW corporation (beyond the dealer). Ask them for a name and phone number. Good luck! You will hear the crickets in the background! If they do give a name and number, try it! Again, good luck, all you will get is voice mail and never a call.

Here's another test. Go to VW's website. Find the Consumer Issues/Complaints link or some kind of contact link. Good luck. There is a "questions" link that you can write to all day long but good luck ever getting even "we recieved your e-mail and are looking into it" kind of response.

VW...Vehicular Waste!

I have a 1995 Passat diesel and I would say that it is still better than an American car. Although that's not saying much.

My Passat is that last of the affordable VW's that's made in Germany. All of the new USDM cars (aside from the Tourag and Phatheon) are made in Brazil/Mexico.

The dealer is by far more expensive than Honda/Toyota. Although the VW experience dealer is nice and they market an up scale image over the big 3 and Honda/Toyota. Like the Sprite commercials say "Image is nothing".

My advice, if you don't specifically want a diesel DO NOT buy VW! Save your money and buy a Toyota.

Personally I wouldnt buy a vw if it was built before 2002, cuz vw QC was just crap untill then. In 2002 they actually started having the money to have good QC.

I would have to say yes.

As for my 99 Passat v-6, I have had unusual items go bad, most of them under 60k miles.

First, the one thing that really peaved me when I bought this car used, was the fact that VW cuts the warranty in half. What was a 100k mile warranty became 50k. What a crappy way to do business.

At about 28k, a $300 air valve went bad, was not covered under warranty. Around the same time, needed a new side view mirror switch(very cheaply made).

At about 30k miles I had a $550 front brake job on the car with new rotors at Midas. The dealer quote was $800.

At about 40k, had the rear brakes done for $250.

At 49k, I had a ticking noise in engine. Two crappy VW dealers said it was the gas I was using. near the 50k mark, I left the car at the VW dealer for 10 days and they figured out it was a combination of the tension pulley, water pump, and timing belt. The total $$ was $1400, but I had to show documentation that I had my oil changes before the warranty would pick up the tab.

At about 50k, the blinker and brake lights went out.

At about 55K, had to have another side view mirror switch, and a main window and lock switch. The original just deterioated. $100 for these two parts.

At about 60k, the two front cv joints need to be replaced. Have not done this yet. $300 quote.

At 65k, water starts appearing on floor behind passenger seat. Why on God's green earth would a clogged pollen filter lead to a wet floor. I think it is crappy engineering.

At 70k miles, still have the water leak.

This is my 3rd VW and last. On a Honda Accord with 150k miles, the only things I changed or repaired were: 1 cv joint and axel, front brakes, timing belt, and oil.

My brother in law has an 01 GTI with a v-6. The driver's window track has been fixed 3 times and the airbag has been fixed 4 times, all under 30k miles.

VW's drive GREAT, but the reliability is crap. They would have the best car in the world if it had Honda or Toyota reliability.

As for the window and mirror switches, I am going to mail them to the U.S. VW Pres.

I would have to say yes.

As for my 99 Passat v-6, I have had unusual items go bad, most of them under 60k miles.

First, the one thing that really peaved me when I bought this car used, was the fact that VW cuts the warranty in half. What was a 100k mile warranty became 50k. What a crappy way to do business.

At about 28k, a $300 air valve went bad, was not covered under warranty. Around the same time, needed a new side view mirror switch(very cheaply made).

At about 30k miles I had a $550 front brake job on the car with new rotors at Midas. The dealer quote was $800.

At about 40k, had the rear brakes done for $250.

At 49k, I had a ticking noise in engine. Two crappy VW dealers said it was the gas I was using. near the 50k mark, I left the car at the VW dealer for 10 days and they figured out it was a combination of the tension pulley, water pump, and timing belt. The total $$ was $1400, but I had to show documentation that I had my oil changes before the warranty would pick up the tab.

At about 50k, the blinker and brake lights went out.

At about 55K, had to have another side view mirror switch, and a main window and lock switch. The original just deterioated. $100 for these two parts.

At about 60k, the two front cv joints need to be replaced. Have not done this yet. $300 quote.

At 65k, water starts appearing on floor behind passenger seat. Why on God's green earth would a clogged pollen filter lead to a wet floor. I think it is crappy engineering.

At 70k miles, still have the water leak.

This is my 3rd VW and last. On a Honda Accord with 150k miles, the only things I changed or repaired were: 1 cv joint and axel, front brakes, timing belt, and oil.

My brother in law has an 01 GTI with a v-6. The driver's window track has been fixed 3 times and the airbag has been fixed 4 times, all under 30k miles.

VW's drive GREAT, but the reliability is crap. They would have the best car in the world if it had Honda or Toyota reliability.

As for the window and mirror switches, I am going to mail them to the U.S. VW Pres.

I forgot one more thing about my 99 Passat. I am on my second hazzard switch as the first one started a very rapid buzzing sound. Now the new one does it too, but slower.

as soon as vw added water to their cars, besize water to wash a window or two, the cars went to hell. working on a 92 passat, timming belt broke, head needs to be replaced. new used head $300, set of head bolts $100. head gasket set $100. labor to remove and install for daughter $0.

as soon as vw added water to their cars, besize water to wash a window or two, the cars went to hell. working on a 92 passat, timming belt broke, head needs to be replaced. new used head $300, set of head bolts $100. head gasket set $100. labor to remove and install for daughter $0.

I have a 1995 Passat diesel and I would say that it is still better than an American car. Although that's not saying much.

My Passat is that last of the affordable VW's that's made in Germany. All of the new USDM cars (aside from the Tourag and Phatheon) are made in Brazil/Mexico.

The dealer is by far more expensive than Honda/Toyota. Although the VW experience dealer is nice and they market an up scale image over the big 3 and Honda/Toyota. Like the Sprite commercials say "Image is nothing".

My advice, if you don't specifically want a diesel DO NOT buy VW! Save your money and buy a Toyota.

Well reading these posts here I would have to disagree...these are later model VW's. You know 40% more expensive then mid 90's and late 90's cars because of the strong EURO. I will also say that they continually tried to make things more complicated for the driving experience and it has led to reliability issues. And example of this is the Balljoints. 95-97 Passat had 1 ball joint on each side. 98 on had 4 ON EACH SIDE. And the go bad constantly...

QC can only be checked with time, so a 2002 starting date is still to young, in my opinion, to take for fact. Give it another 2 years and then we can look at the data.

BUT ABOVE ALL: WHY ARE YOU GUYS TAKING THESE CARS TO THE DAMN DEALER???? Those guys usually have their heads the farthest UP their asses...

They are snakeoil salesman and the premimium the mark on their parts is retarded! Buy them online and DYI or get a good independent mechanic. The staff at the dealership is rarely top notched. They are usually mediocre lifetime mechanics who often lack any real skill sets (they don't rebuild tranny's or headgaskets) or young eager mechanics who lack the experience, but are trying to get a good independent job once they've put their time in the trenches. And those guys are usually grossly underpaid and overworked. The DEALERSHIP walks with all the money and will only provide you with one platitude: "We always reccommend dealer original parts and fluids". Well guess what they take a liter of Pentosin and poor in their own bottle and double the cost! The same with the parts.

The bottom line: You have to be more involved with the car and mantainance of your car and the payoff is a great driving machine! But sometimes the parts and the overengineering can be maddening (how many cooling hoses can a car need??) If your the kind of person who only trusts the dealer or thinks "JiffyLube" is a good place to get work done-you are mad. You need a VW specialist who understands how the cars work specifically. Who uses ALLDATA and a proper Bentley shop manual. Not some pimple faced 19 year old who kinda knows about cars and really likes to torque the crap out of your oil drain plug.

I got a 1995 Passat GLX Automatic Wagon used with about 56k on the block. I got a good deal on the price because someone didn't want to read about HOW SPECIFICALLY to take care of the car. Nor did they want to pay for proper parts. Some real half ass work on the car...so I lovingly restored many of the components and its a dream. I put about $3500 into it in the end, but its done for awhile.

I work in the computer industry and its the same way: mechanical things wear out. The more high power the computer and demanding the tasks, the more chance for failure. Every hard drive from any company could fail. Its the laws of mechanics.

Hondas and Toyotas are reliable. But I've had major problems on both of those brands as well. Trannies, Head gaskets, leaks...etc,.etc.

I see your point, but learn about your car and you will know how to take car of it and you will start to appreciate how great it is....
AND STOP GOING TO THE DEALER....you might as well borrow money from the mob....

TG

I have had a New Beetle since 2000. It now only has 44,000 miles on it. So far I had it in the shop because the check engine light was on and it wouldn't pass state inspection. It had a bad O2 sensor and reset computer to the tune of $325. Then the rear view mirror switch broke off in my hand. That was a couple of hundred, but I raised hell with Volkswagen USA and they refunded my money. My dipstick tube desentegrated and they wanted around 100 bucks to replace it. I got one on Ebay for $9.95 :wink: The window switch fell apart, and I bought a new one and fixed it myself. That was $80. Should have got one on Ebay for that too for a fourth the price. The latch on the console broke, the rear brakes wore out at 20,000 miles, it gets 25 miles to a gallon, burns a quart of oil every 1000 miles, and the brake light switch went out and they hosed me for $570 at Clear Lake VW to repair that.:eek: The battery only lasted 3 years, so is the VW New Beetle a piece of crap? Oh yeah! Biggest piece of crap I have ever owned since 1968. I only bought it because my wife thought it was cute! Well it is cute, but so is a baby hippo. Did I say the hatch back will never open without going back there and pulling on it? Yeah it went to the shop for that and got a lube job. That lasted about a week. Another fine job from Clear Lake VW. I let them change my oil one time, and got it back home a quart low! Oh but they washed it though. :grinyes: When this pile is gone, I will never buy another one----and to think, I was considering a Touareg! With the way the service department is, I'll never buy another VW again.:shakehead Clear Lake VW has ripped me off for the last time.