VW Passat

jayok

Hi Folks,

A collegue in work here is looking at a 1999 VW Passat 1.9 TDi (90 BHP), 83K miles. I know there was something mentioned here a while ago about the ignition coils for VW diesels, do it affect this car as well.

Also, would anyone else have experience of these good or bad?

Thanks.

el tel

On the whole these are good cars.

However the starter motors seem to give up after 3ish years these cars and there's the odd dodgy water pump. Otherwise their engines are fine. At around 60k the timing belt (and other belts e.g. power steering) should have been changed.

Hard driving should still get you at least 50 mpg and driven sensibly can easily return 60+ mpg

spartacus93

My father just traded in his 98 Passat, 1.6 Petrol. It gave him nothing but trouble.

Poor build quality in some areas, both the bonnet latch and the spare wheel release broke, leaving both locked in place. Some electrical faults. Doors not opening. Loosing lights. etc.

Most dangerous of all the engine used to cut out and many a VW dealer couldn't fix it for him.

Also 90Bhp seems a bit underpowered.

Two other lads he works with drive Passats and neither of them have a good word to say about them. One bought a new one (not the new model) and still suffers from the cutting out problem. The other has an 03 TDi and has great problems too.

el tel wrote:

Hard driving should still get you at least 50 mpg and driven sensibly can easily return 60+ mpg

Seems a bit high.

ds20prefecture

jayok wrote:

Hi Folks,

A collegue in work here is looking at a 1999 VW Passat 1.9 TDi (90 BHP), 83K miles. I know there was something mentioned here a while ago about the ignition coils for VW diesels, do it affect this car as well.

Also, would anyone else have experience of these good or bad?

Thanks.

Coil pack problem is specific to 1.8 Turbo petrol. e.g. Octavia RS, Golf GTi, Audi TT, A4, A6, Passat 1.8T, Leon Cupra (and 1.8VT)

90bhp passat is unusual - they're generally 110 or 130bhp. Maybe not in 99. The only practical difference between Passat and Octavia is rear leg room. If he's not a taxi driver, but the Octavia. If he is, buy a Superb - they're a much bigger, better equipped and better made car than the VW. For the same or less money.

Passat estate on the other hand has a good boot AND good rear legroom. Nothing beats it for space this side of a volvo V70.

murphaph

ds20prefecture wrote:

90bhp passat is unusual - they're generally 110 or 130bhp. Maybe not in 99.

The Passat was built with a 1Z engine from the early 90's and then the AHU engine from around 1996 on. Both of these were 90Bhp, fixed vane turbo charger equipped engines. The fixed vane turbo is incredibly reliable.

The whole engine is pretty bulletproof tbh. The car will give problems elsewhere if at all. I had a 98 Passat, AHU engine. What went wrong in my ownership;

Front anti-roll bar drop links. VW modified the design from a ball joint to a bushing type. When one side went I just replaced both links as they were pretty cheap from GSF.

I sold the car to a friend and he's had a few issues too;

Front wheel bearing,
Alternator pulley clutch mechanism seized, new pulley required from VW,
Alternator belt tensioner bracket broke, needed relacement from VW.

He's still very happy with the car and it has 100k on it now. That's not bad going for 100k to be honest.

The timing belt is a bit of a pain in the hole to do but once you do it once it's like riding a bike. I retrofitted cruise control to the car which was fairly straightforward to do.

maidhc

murphaph wrote:

The Passat was built with a 1Z engine from the early 90's and then the AHU engine from around 1996 on. Both of these were 90Bhp, fixed vane turbo charger equipped engines. The fixed vane turbo is incredibly reliable.

What is the difference between both types of 90bhp engine? I always presumed there was only one and VW used it from 92 until 05 or so (Octavia Tour.. it might even still be going).

I would imagine most passats have the 90bhp engine. Irish drivers dont normally pay extra for more powerful engines.

TempestSabre

maidhc wrote:

...I would imagine most passats have the 90bhp engine. Irish drivers dont normally pay extra for more powerful engines.

...and then theres the insurance. While I like VW I haven't found the ones I've owned as problem free as I have Honda's and Nissan's.

jayok

ds20prefecture wrote:

Coil pack problem is specific to 1.8 Turbo petrol. e.g. Octavia RS, Golf GTi, Audi TT, A4, A6, Passat 1.8T, Leon Cupra (and 1.8VT)

Ahh, that's what I was thinking of.

TempestSabre wrote:

While I like VW I haven't found the ones I've owned as problem free as I have Honda's and Nissan's.

He seems to have his sights set on this Passat though.

murphaph

maidhc wrote:

What is the difference between both types of 90bhp engine? I always presumed there was only one and VW used it from 92 until 05 or so (Octavia Tour.. it might even still be going).

Very little difference really but the pistons are more robust in the AHU (identical to the 110Bhp of the same era, can't remember the code) and the engine could, in theory be converted to output the factory 110Bhp (TDi) by changing the turbocharger and associated control circuitry, both electric and pneumatic, including the ECU (so not a cheap upgrade but some people who have come across the bits cheaply have done it I believe). The AHU was withdrawn some time ago though, the base nodel has been a 100Bhp PD (unit injector) engine for a few years now. No VW TDi has low pressure tandem fuel pumps these days. All in all I'd say the 90Bhp passat is a good car and if it can be got with it's timing belt recently done it should give little trouble going forward (assuming it was used for open road driving and the clutch is therefore in good nick).

Tommygib

jayok wrote:

Hi Folks,

A collegue in work here is looking at a 1999 VW Passat 1.9 TDi (90 BHP), 83K miles. I know there was something mentioned here a while ago about the ignition coils for VW diesels, do it affect this car as well.

Also, would anyone else have experience of these good or bad?

Thanks.

Hi,
Forgive me but do diesel engines need ignition coils? There is no spark required to ignite the diesel, combustion is achieved by using higher compression ratios than the compression ratios used in petrol engines.

I just ask for the sake of updating my information.

jayok

You are correct they do not need ignition coils, but I was thinking of the heating coils before the diesel engine starts, words just failed me.

Anyhow:

Coil pack problem is specific to 1.8 Turbo petrol. e.g. Octavia RS, Golf GTi, Audi TT, A4, A6, Passat 1.8T, Leon Cupra (and 1.8VT)

So I was well off.

Little-Devil

VW is a great car and very reliable engine, but with 83,000 would be the only thing that would put me off buying it. I know VW is good for 110,000 miles they say, but i would try get something with lower milage myself...

colm_mcm

a seven year old diesel with 83k isn't exactly high mileage

maidhc

Little-Devil wrote:

I know VW is good for 110,000 miles they say, but i would try get something with lower milage myself...

I think you are getting confused with Citroen or something. I was talking to a taxi driver over the weekend, he said he and his mates normally keep a car for 5 years and clock 170-180k, and never get problems apart from clutches. He had a passat. I know of plenty Ventos with over 300k and going strong.

ds20prefecture

Indeed. Any well serviced modern car should see 200,000 with ease.

PS: I know of at least 1 Citroën on it's original engine with 500,000 miles on it.

TempestSabre

While these cars can clock those kinda miles they are shagged inside and out at that kinda miles. They will however actually drive, and move from A - B. You just won't enjoying driving it. I suspect they are not telling you the complete truth either. The VW's require lots of things other than clutches. Theres a lot more Jap taxis than german ones, and the vento in particular was never popular as a taxi. So thats a good indicator of how long they last. That said we have one at 188k. However our Honda's and Nissans have require less work over the years than the VW's.

Of course everyones experiences are different.

lomb

indeed cars get wrecked as the miles go up. once tight stearing and suspension gets soft and saggy and develops play. thats the time to get rid of a car imho.

TempestSabre

ds20prefecture wrote:

Indeed. Any well serviced modern car should see 200,000 with ease....

I dunno. Theres been a lot of manufacturing flaws and design flaws which cause engine problems even in premium makes like BMW's and Mercedes. Then a modern cars reliance on electronic's, can mean that older cars can become uneconomical to repair. Especially in the current market when many garages don't want to fix anything difficult or time consuming. Try to get a place to hunt down a short, or bad earth, or perhaps a leak in an older car. We've a few high milers in our extended family. However they are mainly self maintained and many jobs are done ourselves.

maidhc

TempestSabre wrote:

While these cars can clock those kinda miles they are shagged inside and out at that kinda miles.

While a taxi will probably be destroyed, if you look after a car should still be perfect at 200k. My car has 160k up, and to be honest it is a long way from being shagged. It drives fine apart from the odd knocking that joints/bushings make every so often to signal their demise, the interior is still like new and the exterior would be perfect were it not for me fighting a loosing battle with brittle plastic bumpers. It probably isnt as tight as it was when it was a new car, but it isnt like driving a horse and cart either.

TempestSabre

maidhc wrote:

...it isnt like driving a horse and cart either.

Not something I have done, so can't compare

caesar

Yeah my fathers jetta 1.6 non-turbo diesel has 220k on the clock, he has owned since it was 4 years old when it had 56k on the clock. Imo and everyone elses(apart from his) its time for the scrapyard, the doors are nearly falling off . He reakons the engine would be do another 100k but the body work is a mess and it hasn't had an easy life either because it is used on the farm and treated like a 4x4. He loves his jetta but the nct is up in may and since we are on the subject of passats i thought it would be the good time to ask a few questions.

He has being looking at a Vw passat TDI (i.e 100 bhp)with 49k on the clock, its a 2002. It has FVWSH and the asking price is €14875 but he has got down to €14000. This seems like a good price compared to what I've seen in the past couple of months. The only problems I can see are; the timing belt has not being done and it is expensive to do because of the way the engine is mounted, the nct is coming up and it is silver which is not the best colour for him. Btw its a baseline( according to my father), a private sale and within a half hours drive from us .

Another passat that I was looking has 64k on the clock(more than likely has t/b done), its a 2001 TDI (i.e 130 bhp), its an S model( is that a comfortline here or what?), the asking price is £5700(€8358) plus vrt of about €3200 which brings it to €11538 and an rac inspection could be done aswell.I'm not sure about the service history haven't had the chance to ring yet. Its in londonderry which is about 3hours away, its black and has alloys. So which do you think is the better deal? I know that i haven't given all the details but thats all i know at the moment. I think the one in Londonderry is, but my father is very keen on the other one because it's closer to home, its newer, less mileage, and no hassle with vrt. I probably should have started a new thred for this but since ye were talking about passats, i thought that i would ask Btw both cars are from private sellers.

Thanks in advance

TempestSabre

We had two of those Jetta's, tough as nails. Great cars. Much much better than the vento's that followed it.

kyote00

jaysus.... all those problems from a VW .....

Better to get a 156 then

TempestSabre

kyote00 wrote:

jaysus.... all those problems from a VW .....

Better to get a 156 then

Well you either believe the hype or trust your experience.

caesar

caesar wrote:

Yeah my fathers jetta 1.6 non-turbo diesel has 220k on the clock, he has owned since it was 4 years old when it had 56k on the clock. Imo and everyone elses(apart from his) its time for the scrapyard, the doors are nearly falling off . He reakons the engine would be do another 100k but the body work is a mess and it hasn't had an easy life either because it is used on the farm and treated like a 4x4. He loves his jetta but the nct is up in may and since we are on the subject of passats i thought it would be the good time to ask a few questions.

He has being looking at a Vw passat TDI (i.e 100 bhp)with 49k on the clock, its a 2002. It has FVWSH and the asking price is €14875 but he has got down to €14000. This seems like a good price compared to what I've seen in the past couple of months. The only problems I can see are; the timing belt has not being done and it is expensive to do because of the way the engine is mounted, the nct is coming up and it is silver which is not the best colour for him. Btw its a baseline( according to my father), a private sale and within a half hours drive from us .

Another passat that I was looking has 64k on the clock(more than likely has t/b done), its a 2001 TDI (i.e 130 bhp), its an S model( is that a comfortline here or what?), the asking price is £5700(€8358) plus vrt of about €3200 which brings it to €11538 and an rac inspection could be done aswell.I'm not sure about the service history haven't had the chance to ring yet. Its in londonderry which is about 3hours away, its black and has alloys. So which do you think is the better deal? I know that i haven't given all the details but thats all i know at the moment. I think the one in Londonderry is, but my father is very keen on the other one because it's closer to home, its newer, less mileage, and no hassle with vrt. I probably should have started a new thred for this but since ye were talking about passats, i thought that i would ask Btw both cars are from private sellers.

Thanks in advance

Anyone?

Tipsy Mac

I'd very very careful about any diesel car with average or below average miles being sold unless it has a full stamped up service history. The reason most people spend extra for diesel cars is they believe because of the milage they do will eventually save on running costs over the petrol version. If the one in Derry was from a dealer I would go with that but it can be dodgy buying private especially when there's that much money at stake and it may be dificult to track the cars service and owner history.

TempestSabre

caesar wrote:

Anyone?

Get the one thats has the "best" history. If you can trace back the history and the servicing, that would get my vote.

motrocco

serviced a lads vw passat 1.6 01 changing oil, oil filter, air filter, spark plugs thinking it would fix a problem with his car. 100k miles on it, TB not done, has service by VW til 66k. It's a dog, no rip in it, bithch basically won't move. Sounds like it has a misfire on opening throttle up, settles down once revs level!!

Looking for easy way to read codes, then decided what bits to possibly swap out and check engine, get it running right!

Any ideas before I get codes(or easy way to read them)? EPC light was on last time I ran it.
He's driving slowly to work this morning. Seemingly, used to do ton !++! plus EASY, but NOW WON'T pull 80.

I've sat in back seat, it's not moving at all. Help appreciated folks, plz
:pac:

M

EPM

motrocco wrote: »

Seemingly, used to do ton !++! plus EASY, but NOW WON'T pull 80.

Sounds like he's made proper sh1t of it.

PS - threads over 3 years old:eek:

flamegrill

On my second passat atm, first was a 04 100BHP TD Red I. Loved that car, very comfortable and I had no issues with it. Apart from the obvious big car, little power issues.

Now however I've a 06 new model Passat 2.0 TDI 140BHP. What a feicer. Have had the mechanism in two windows replaced, the fuel pump was recalled and I've had the entire ignition/steering wheel lock mechanism replaced. I have the car since Oct 08. Not fairing well tbh.

However it's a gem to drive, 6 speed gear box is well ratiod and it goes like stink, it's actually got silly turbo lag. But that turns into neck crunching whiplash once the turbo kicks in. It's a sport, so it has the carbon fibre trim on the dash not the ****TY looking wooden dash that most of the other new models have.

Likes: Power, look, feel, speed, comfort, dual climate control
Dislikes: Several electrical problems, feels like it has understeer going into roundabouts vrs the 04 old model, turbo lag with whiplash enducing turbo kick in.

Good cars all around

Paul

Zube

flamegrill wrote: »

it's actually got silly turbo lag. But that turns into neck crunching whiplash once the turbo kicks in.

Wow, I never knew the Passat was such a weapon, I thought that was only the Golf GT TDI RS STi WRX Abarth Integrale Evolution.

flamegrill

Zube wrote: »

Wow, I never knew the Passat was such a weapon, I thought that was only the Golf GT TDI RS STi WRX Abarth Integrale Evolution.

Have pondered ECU re-mapping to get it to 180BHP, however it sounds like suicide.

unkel

EPM wrote: »

PS - threads over 3 years old:eek:

Indeed.

motrocco, start your own thread if you wish, but read the forum charter first.