Will be looking at a few Passats this week, with a view to buying. Especially got my eye on a 1.9 s tdi, 07 plate with 68k on the clock. Problem is, I'm
mechanically clueless, except for changing a wheel.

Can anyone give me some advice as to what to look out for on Passats, what (if any) are the common faults etc, reliability, just anything you can think of. Cheers

I have had the 1.6 tdi blue motion for around 2 years and its NEVER gone wrong, not even a minor thing.

WTF did I say that for, got to go to Bradford and Hudderfield tomorrow

Is it private or dealer sale?

I've got a '56 plate 2.0l TDi 140 Sport, (chipped to 175) 4Motion estate. It returns an average of 42mpg (the 4wd knocks around 6mpg off the 2wd) but it holds the road as if it's on rails.

There's been cars with injector problems and others with dual-mass flywheel problems. Neither are a cheap fix but they don't seem any more prevalent than any other manufacturer problems.

Get it HPI'd to make sure there's no outstanding finance or insurance problems

Very reliable car . There ain't much goes wrong with them at all . Commonest problems that I have had with them is the EGR valve clogging (remove , clean , and re-fit A cheap job ) . Induction pipes (from the turbo ) and intercoolers splitting , but most often just the pipes which ain't expensive . And finally the turbos don't usually last much more than 80k . New/reconditioned turbo will set you back around £900 fitted . That list of problems is applicable to most modernish TD cars though , so don't worry yourself too much . Just make sure you will be able to afford a new turbo if and when it breaks . Don't spend all your budget on actually purchasing the car .

I've owned and traded VWs for years and never had a turbo problem, no matter what the mileage. My current car has 140k on the clock.

One other point for the OP - if the full VW service history is not available, walk away.

Check the tyre tread too, a full set of boots will set you back £500

Its from a dealer, says it has had 1 owner and full service history ( don't know if it's VW history though.) Reckon, its prob a reps car, which i dont have a prob about.

To protect the turbo, injectors and engine, is it worth using diesel cleaner every 6000 miles instead of 12k?

I've got a 60 plate CC, I've done just over 50K in 14 months. Can honestly say it is the best car I've had. Has posted earlier, check the tyres. Silly as it sounds they will set you back a far bit if you have to shell out for new ones in a couple of months.

I dump a can of Wurth in about every three months and also use top-grade, fully synthetic oil as a matter of course. The major problems with turbo failures are caused by lack of maintenance and poor starting/stopping technique. Turbo bearings are oil-fed, so don't over-rev an engine from cold and don't blip the throttle before switching off.

That's mainly the 170bhp ones and they've just authorised a full VAG (Audi, VW, Skoda & Seat) recall to replace the original Siemens ones .

I understood the problem extended to all VWs with the Siemens piezo injectors - 140 as well as 170

Are you sure it's a recall? If so have you any further info please? I know that they've been replacing all four injectors if you suffer a repeat failure but to take advantage of that, you had to have paid for one to be replaced, about £600 IIRC

Worth noting that alongside checking the tyre tread depth, with 68K miles on the clock it could well be due another set of discs and pads. A £500+ job if needs be. I usually average around 40K miles before they need replacing and that's with very little motorway driving.

It's easy to check how well worn down the discs are, by feeling for the lip created around the edge of the disc by the pad pressing against it.

A full VW history is no guarantee of it having been well looked after . It only tells you it might have been serviced by VW . It does not tell you that it might had it's arriss ripped out by the one very careful owner's offspring every Saturday night down at Maccy D's .There are quite a lot of non-franchised garages that are just as able to service VWs . Besides that . A stamp in a service record is exactly just that . A stamp . It is not proof that the vehicle has ever actually had a spanner raised in it's direction . Trust me on that one . I have had first-hand experience of such matters . There are people that work in dealerships that will stamp your service book for a few beers . (not myself by the way ) I have seen some cars that have had a 'dealership history' that are in a absolutely shocking state of repair . It is usually a good sign if it has dealership stamps in the book , but be careful .
Fleet cars are usually the best buy . The fleet operator can usually provide a printout of everything the vehicle has ever had done to it and is much more difficult to falsify . Although they usually have higher than average indicated mileage they tend to be much better looked after as the vehicle keeper is not the one who has to cough up for maintaing it . Of all vehicles' previous keepers I think the best ones are the Mobility cars . I am not going to divulge why as the reasons could be libellous . But if you can find an ex-mobility car then you are almost guaranteed to be onto a winner .


£500 for a set of tyres ?


There really is no need to spend that kind of money on tyres . Unless you are just wanting a well known brand of tyre then you are better off buying a higher end 'budget' tyre . It will lower the cost to around £300-£350 . I can never understand why people spend such vast amounts on tyres . Even the cheapo bargain basement tyres are more than up to coping with a 70mph speed limit . A set of them could lower the price to around £250 , although it would be worth checking that it won't void your insurance if you were to put a set of tyres on that are only rated to 105mph . There must be a good argument against that . Why should you have to fit tyres that are rated at 150mph ? It is over twice the national speed limit .

£500 for discs and pads ? It didn't cost that much when I recently fitted discs and pads all round on an RS4 . You must be making that one up . And yes it was OEM parts . At 68k miles I would guess that it will have already had at least one set of new brakes . Dealerships are never shy when it comes to breaking the news that you need new brakes . The mrs had a mobility car for three years . During which time a local dealership replaced the brakes twice .They also replaced all the tyres at 7k . It only had 15k on it at the end of the three years . And believe it or not they actually replaced the exhaust . I had checked the car over a time or two and there was nothing at all wrong with the car whe it went in for servicing .

Which is where auctions come into their own. I know SMA in Leeds get a lot of ex Motability cars their way. Usually VW Polos & Golfs but they do look immaculate and have relatively low mileage.

I'm toying with the idea of getting a Golf/Leon with the 170bhp diesel engine so I've been scouring various forums for information. On these forums there are threads that are years old complaining about it but recently it's been mentioned that VW, Skoda, Seat, Audi are now replacing the injectors for free. Some have had them replaced even though they've not had the problem and some are having them replaced for free once they've failed. It seems that there's some differences between brands and dealers but the upshot is they will be replaced.

One of the cars I've thought about is the Octavian Vrs but I'm struggling to bring myself to get a Skoda. Very snobby of me I know.

Most (in fact all but one), of the cars that have been through my hands in the last 12 years have been ex-fleet cars. I've never had a problem with high mileage, providing the vehicle's been serviced on a regular basis. I know what you're saying about dealer stamps but anyone with a new car would be a fooking idiot to trust "Joe Underneaththearches" over a franchised dealer in the first three years of a car's life.




Again it's an experience thing. Experience has taught me that most German cars operate better on Continental tyres than any other, they laso last longer. The tyre is the last point of contact between me and the road and I ain't about to compromise that by fitting some Chinese or Indian budget model. Tyre speed ratings and load indices are maximums, they are not guidelines. They are set to compensate for other contributory factors to potential failure such as ambient temperature, tyre pressures etc.

I ain't about to compromise my safety and the safety of others just to save a couple of quid on a set of boots.

Thanks for all the advice and warnings, but, I will not be buying the car I had my eye on.

Went to see it earlier. Bodywork was in excellent shape, was very pleased with the interior, and the boot was a decent size. But, on starting up, the exhaust was a bit smokey, car did'nt seem to pick up in 1st or 2nd as quickly as I thought it would, and seemed a bit sluggish. ( maybe because of a cold start, though the outdoor temp was in double figures).

Was out for about 15 mins, and exhaust was still a bit smokey on return.( Possible sign of forthcoming damage?). The car did have the VW service history, but not much work had seemed to have been done on it when it had had it's 3 services. Though, on the 3 services, on the " yes" section, replacement had been made 3 times, forget what it was though. Oh, and the spare tyre was worn.

Probably the best option.

Mine smokes on initial start-up but that's usual and is just the burn-off of exhaust system moisture but it's gone within a couple of miles. I used to get some black smoke if I booted it but that disappeared once I had it chipped. As for performance, mine accelerates hard through every gear but then it is a 175bhp.

I'd still keep a Passat in mind over most other available cars on the road.

Definately. Got my heart set on getting 1, but not a 2.0, want a 1.9. reviews I've read suggest the 1.9 to be the better option, have read of too many expensive faults on the 2.0.

Looking at paying 6-7k, how much discount could I realistically expect when paying cash?

Depends on the dealer and how bad they want to shift the car and use the cash for more stock, don't forget that they are likely to make more profit on a finance sale than a pure cash exchange, if its a model that will sell quickly they might feel its better to wait a few days for a finance customer.

Do you mind if i ask where you got that done?

The BMW stealers have quoted me around £570 for mine front only



I have shopped round and manged to get a quote of £240 for non OEM (Pagid) Disks and pads fully fitted, which i am relativity happy to pay. If i can knock a few quid of that i would be more than happy to travel over the Pennine's to get them done.

I'd seriously consider buying an ex-fleet car straight out of the auction mate or look at a VW specialist dealer. We have Bath Cars local to us and he's a good guy, I know he only made £400 out of the car he sold me. He sells on eBay [url=http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/bathcars/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=&_trksid=p3686Bath Cars[/url

I fitted discs and pads all round for a mate . IIRC he got the parts from a local (Leeds) company called German&Swedish . Mate is VERY pedantic about what goes on his car (eg £2500 for the tub of polish he uses on it ) . He will only have OEM or better quality fitted to anything he owns .

BTW . I still have the rear calipers that came off it . Nothing wrong with them . He just wanted to replace them while the discs and pads were being done because they looked grotty . It once had a noisy front wheel bearing , so I replaced it . Well .. actually I replaced both sides , and fitted new hub flanges because the old ones looked rusty . Oh ! And while the wheels were off he noticed that the coil springs were rusting . On went a full set of fancy springs and dampers that cost just shy of three grand . Told you he was fussy

Next weekend I am replacing ALL the suspension arms because he read somewhere that they have problems with the balljoints and bushes wearing .

Had a Passat 1.9TDI Estate for four years and never had a a minutes bother with it. Only parted with it because of our firms company car policy of replacing after 120k miles. I now have a Golf 2.0 TDi Estate. Again very reliable, have done 65k miles in two years and only had to replace tyres, the odd bulb and windscreen wipers.

I'm lucky that I have a company car, but having had VW Passat and Golf I would have no hesitation in buying either should I ever have to.

cod'ead mentioned early on about having any potential purchase HPI checked . That is sound advice , and I must agree with him there . An
HPI check is an absolute must .
BUT ... For there is always a but ...
One of the things that a HPI check will not reveal is wether or not the car is on a 'log-book loan' . I know of three dealers who have taken cars in P/X only to have them removed from the sales forecourts by bailiffs . The dealers then have to try chase up the person who P/Xed the car to get payment , or retrieve the car they sold .
It is quite a good scam if you want to trade up your current car . Get yourself a log-book loan on it , then go trade it in and use the loan money to cover the balance . You have a shiny new car , and the dealer has a headache . Simples . If the dealer sells your car on before the loan compnay realises there is a problem (usually falling behind on payments) then the person who bought the P/Xed car loses out too .
I have even known people trade in their company cars just prior to handing in their notice to their employer



There are several nightmare scenarios possible when buying your next new car , but the advice given on this thread regarding dealership service history and HPI checks should keep you safe (ish) .

Good luck .

I thought the security of a log book loan was the borrower handed over the V5C to the lender until the loan was repaid?