I have a 2002 Passat with 52K miles and I just began experiencing the "smell" problems. It appears that the smell is coming from the interior vents and it smells like exhaust or oil. I have noticed the smell when the car is at a stop and I accelerate but also when I am driving at full-speed there is often a surge of exhaust. Does anyone know if the 2002 Passat has the same design flaw discussed by "jbuster" such that the interior air intake and the filter are in the engine bay?
thanks
mc