Vw Passat

[tony2311]

just brought a 02 reg passat 1.8T sport for my sister with 69k on clock, i Own a 03 avensis T3-X with 70k on clock both have full dealer service history and i cant find one thing my avensis is better then passat , looks like i will sell my avensis very soon to get a passat, my sister pay £4500 for it

[Chris Dance]

Check out the servicing costs on the Passat???????

[Shoto]

I concur with Chris. I have owned a Passat and now have an Avensis (T180 Tourer). VW servicing is very expensive, labour and oil costs are extortionate. A number of colleagues have recent Passats and they are all experiencing many problems (albeit on the new model). If you change, I hope you find a good one.

I find the Avensis is much better equipped as well.

Good luck.

[dkan]

Aye..my mate has a Golf, and was charged £1800 for a service, I think it's a V5 4motion. That is crazy. I have a Celica 190, and the max I've ever paid is £220. I also had a Polo a while back, whilst it had good build quality, the reliablity was dreadful it just keep breaking down, independants couldn't fix it and nor could VW. We also recently bought an Avensis, and I think it's quality...pound for pound I think the Avensis is hard to beat. I stick to Japanese.

[taximark]

just brought a 02 reg passat 1.8T sport for my sister with 69k on clock, i Own a 03 avensis T3-X with 70k on clock both have full dealer service history and i cant find one thing my avensis is better then passat , looks like i will sell my avensis very soon to get a passat, my sister pay £4500 for it

Well as a taxi driver in a city where the three main taxi cars are 1, Avensis 2, Superb , 3 Passat.

From what i've been told the Avensis still has outclassed the others by a country mile! and this is a trade where you will see a true car test, Superbs have had major suspension problems plus electrics, Passats have more electrical problems and some Gbox, suspension problems, however the Avensis has escaped major problems just some little niggly things like Hlights etc, the older d4d has some flywheel issue but this seems to have eased.

Also the Avensis comes with ten times more extras then the bland Passat, you don't even get cruise control on the High line, don't get me wrong i was in the market for a V.W at one stage because overall there still a decent car but unfortunately not so good as a taxi and thankfully i saw sense and will opt for a Avensis next year.

[tony2311]

just brought a 02 reg passat 1.8T sport for my sister with 69k on clock, i Own a 03 avensis T3-X with 70k on clock both have full dealer service history and i cant find one thing my avensis is better then passat , looks like i will sell my avensis very soon to get a passat, my sister pay £4500 for it

Well as a taxi driver in a city where the three main taxi cars are 1, Avensis 2, Superb , 3 Passat.

From what i've been told the Avensis still has outclassed the others by a country mile! and this is a trade where you will see a true car test, Superbs have had major suspension problems plus electrics, Passats have more electrical problems and some Gbox, suspension problems, however the Avensis has escaped major problems just some little niggly things like Hlights etc, the older d4d has some flywheel issue but this seems to have eased.

Also the Avensis comes with ten times more extras then the bland Passat, you don't even get cruise control on the High line, don't get me wrong i was in the market for a V.W at one stage because overall there still a decent car but unfortunately not so good as a taxi and thankfully i saw sense and will opt for a Avensis next year.

Do you want to buy mine, i live in rotherham had the car for 4 months and bored with it, its a T3-x with TNS 300 satnav fitted, 70,000 on clock with full service print out ( had short engine last year from toyota i presume for oil comsumption issues)

[Steve84]

I too can add to VW's poot relaibility I worked for a skoda a few years back and they had all sorts of electrical problems, Coil packs seemed to be a big problem, along with head gaskets. Build quality was very good tho. Just seems VW group cars are well built but can suffer major electrical problmes. Toyota are not by any means fault free but they tend to be little niggles rather than major problmes, The oil burning issue seems to be there only major problem. I had a corolla that consumed more oil than petrol but it was the only problem i had with the car.

[matty2767]

i have had both vw and now toyota. they have both had their problems although the vw had more. i expect a product with thousands of components to occaisionally fail. when it does i do expect it to be fixed by a dealer who cares for your car like you do and treats you with respect. and to put it simply toyota beats vw hands down. i dont know why vw are so up themselves, they need to sort their attitude out. when i have a problem with the avensis it is appologies all the way. carnt beat them - spot on.

[Iain l]

A fiend of mine has a Passat and he has just been quoted £1500 to get his central locking working properly again. I think they were going to just replace everything electrical in the car until it started working!!

[Electric]

Hi all,

I don't think it's fair to class the Avensis against the Passat, the VW is German and clearly out classes the Toyota in most aspects! Lets not get ahead of ourseleves the loveable toyo is in the same league as the Vectra and Mondeo - not that I would drive either of those... :)

I love the driving it but it's not reliable at all... engine wise yes but everything else... now that's why there are so many of us on here... So at least the car brings people together.. trying to fix them!

Cheers Electric

[Iain l]

If you read the reviews and stuff you will see toyota and most japanese origin cars outclass most german stuff in reliability and quality.

In a Top Gear survey it was a Merc that came last out of 140 cars. Skoda are doing very well these days but they are only German owned.

My last car was a Laguna sports tourer. It outclassed the Passat, avensis and countless others in everyway, masses of gadgets, silent ride, incredible unreliability, massive garage bills.

I just went to the parkers website and read a few user reviews at random. With Japanese cars people don't have problems although one avensis owner did have a problem with his glovebox. Just about every other nationality does. I bought my Avensis spirit as it was the most reliable, safest car of that size for my budget with as many toys as possible. Sadly the shape is aimed at pensioners but I can live with that.

As for the reason people are on this forum, are you telling me there are no VW forums? and if there are, are they empty?

Iain

[Shoto]

Check out the VWAudi owners forum. Passat owners seem to post more than their fair share of gripes and problems.

http://www.vwaudiforum.co.uk

Each to their own and good luck if you buy a Passat but I shan't be going back to one. I also think (IMO) that the Avensis is a better quality car than the Mondeo or Vectra. It's fair to say that cars such as the Avensis and Passat have a perceived build quality that tends to blur the distinction between mass produced family cars and executive cars. The fact that contract hire deals have made BMW 3 series and Audi A4s so common has contributed to this.

[taximark]

TBH i think it's an old fashioned view that V.W are built really well, the Polo has a unbelievably high unreliability record. And German manufactures still pride them selves on high reliability?? I can't understand why because a mate of mine had major problems with his BMW 5 Series.

Overall the Avensis beats the Passat hands down IMO and most taxi drivers!

[tony2311]

TBH i think it's an old fashioned view that V.W are built really well, the Polo has a unbelievably high unreliability record. And German manufactures still pride them selves on high reliability?? I can't understand why because a mate of mine had major problems with his BMW 5 Series.

Overall the Avensis beats the Passat hands down IMO and most taxi drivers!

but there are lots of skodas and passat as minicabs then new shape avensis round here

[uumode]

TBH i think it's an old fashioned view that V.W are built really well, the Polo has a unbelievably high unreliability record. And German manufactures still pride them selves on high reliability?? I can't understand why because a mate of mine had major problems with his BMW 5 Series.

Overall the Avensis beats the Passat hands down IMO and most taxi drivers!

but there are lots of skodas and passat as minicabs then new shape avensis round here

Around here it's the older shape Mercedes E classes, and pre 03 Avensis

[peugeot107?]

TBH i think it's an old fashioned view that V.W are built really well, the Polo has a unbelievably high unreliability record. And German manufactures still pride them selves on high reliability?? I can't understand why because a mate of mine had major problems with his BMW 5 Series.

Overall the Avensis beats the Passat hands down IMO and most taxi drivers!

but there are lots of skodas and passat as minicabs then new shape avensis round here

Passat better car than an Avensis? We have a Passat 130tdi, it is nice for a one night stand but long term it has been a pain in the :ffs:

[tony2311]

on the inital test drive the passat 1.8turbo was smoother quieter and more powerful then my 1.8 T3-X, But i cant help thinking you lot are a little bais towards toyota,i have made up my mind and going to p/x my 1.8 T3-X for a merc SLK as my Mrs got a 5 door car already,

i had the avensis for 3 months now and my personal though was its not that refine and not the quality is good but not BMW good

[PeaJay]

dont take this wrong tony...

But... what do you expect??

someone less charitable than I may say that this was somewhat of a Troll!

If you want convincing that the Passat is better than the Avensis, post the comment on a Passat site. ;)

or, looking at the last comment, you're not buying a passat anyway, post this on a merc site.

Avensis owners will say that they like the car they have commited to own.

If they dont like the car, they tend to say "I'm off, byeee..."

[KSS_SK7]

Passat or Avensis ? :ffs:

For me it would have to be the Avensis (even though I have only had my 55 plate T3-x 2.2D-4D for 1 month).

From the moment I first sat in it I knew that the Avensis was a far better car for me. I had a 1.9 TDi 130 SE passat from new since April 2004. Yes it's a good car but it had enough problems and niggles for me not to buy a second passat. The seats were not nearly as supportive as the Avensis and the fact that I had to have a front wheel bearing changed after only 48k wasn't very good. Also I find the Toyota dealership far more helpful thatn my local VW dealership was. Since day one of owning the Passat I had thought that the boot was stiff and difficult to open and it had been back to the garage at least 4 times to have the problem looked at. It was only when I insisted that we compare it to other Passats on the forecourt that they conceded that there was a problem with the boot after all. They finally traced the problem to the hinges need excess paint removing from the joints and greasing (not rocket science, especially since I had told them previously that I had tried the boot without the gas strutts attached and it was still stiff :ffs: ).

Anyway I look forward to many miles of enjoyable, trouble-free motoring in my new car .

[Electric]

Hi again,

I hear what people are saying here and as I said I like Toyota but Germans cars tend to be much better, IMO to say any different is just trying to defend your pride! (its human nature to defend a purchase)

My Avensis is a nice to drive, quite attractive and practical, I purchased the car on the strength of Toyo’s reputation and the misses did have a Corolla at the time which had bomb proof reliability. I enjoyed 4 years of BMW 3 series ownership but sold it to help buy a house.

It’s only done 58,000 with full main dealer history for 1 former owner, its looks mint but I have a list of faults that are all common with this forum

Including the faulty remote locking, clunky steering to left at low speed, blown front Speakers (made from paper), squealing clutch…

It’s not one of Toyota's best and only scores average in reliability in parkers where other Japanese cars score high…

Yes it's nicer than a Ford or Vauxhall but I do feel cheated

Just my thoughts - not mean't to offend sensative types :)

[Shoto]

My comments are bourne out of my own experience. I have had Audis, VWs and BMW. I have also had Ford and Vauxhall in the past.

The local VW dealer refuses to provide courtesy cars (same as the local Skoda dealer) and repeatedly let me down when I tried to book a test drive in a new Passat. Repairs on VAG cars always proved very costly.

The BMW dealer will not cover insurance on courtesy cars, many customers end up being charged for the day in a courtesy car by their own insurance company. My BMW diesel blew it's engine at 119,000 miles.

The dealer took a month to fix it under warranty and justified this by claiming regular service appointments were their priority. Bearing in mind my high mileage, they admitted I was their most regular customer for servicing but clearly didn't take this into account.

My local Toyota dealer provides an exemplary service and is always happy to provide a courtesy car at no expense to me.

Each to their own but I made my own free decision based on the experiences of each manufacturer and dealer. Rest assured if Toyota or the dealer let me down I'll pass on my thoughts, but so far I'm very pleased. No justification of pride here, I say it as I see it. I also had a succession of BMW motorbikes until the BMW dealer offered me an insulting trade-in value and started charging for 'courtesy bikes'. I voted with my feet and I now ride a Suzuki. My money goes where I choose and I don't put up with poor service. ;)

[tony2311]

i am sorry if i offended you but i did say on my one day experience with the passat, i felt it was a better drive (1.8 turbo engine) nice sporty firm suspension(sports model)nice interior(red and blue lights instead of amber)same level of equitment as my T3-X,

i didnt know of the reliable issues, Servicing cost, Customers servies from Vw as i only had the car one day to test it out for my sister,to me on that one day with VW it was the better car

[Shoto]

No offence taken here Tony. We all have to make our own judgements.

I have had many cars over the years and cover high mileages in them as I use them for business. When I consider the treatment from dealers I did wonder if the fact that my local Toyota dealership is a family-owned business rather than being part of a chain/franchise makes a difference? But then the VAG garages in Nottingham don't appear to be part of chains whereas the Audi garage in Derby is - and they were much better than their counterparts in Nottingham.

Anyway, enjoy whatever you decide to drive. The world would be a boring place if we all chose the same things.