12 out of 12 people found this review helpful.
Never again...don't buy this car
Date of Review: Apr 18, 2006
The Bottom Line: DO NOT buy this car because of mechanical and safety issues; also, dealership washes hands with responsibility.
I bought my 2003 VW Passat GLX in July 2003. I swear that I will never buy another Volkswagen for as long as I live.
It is now April 2006 and I have had the following issues with my car, all before 20000 miles:
1) The brake rotors were warped and both front and rear pads wore out at 14,000 miles. They told me I had to pay for this, which was clearly a factory defect. After hammering away at them, they changed their tune and covered the rotors, but not the pads. I've never replaced pads earlier than 30,000 miles before.
2) The heating element in the seat burned a hole through the seat cover as I was driving the vehicle. I had to quickly pull off the road as I felt my posterior burning. When called about this, VW denied any responsibility and said this was a unique problem. One week later, I received a recall letter from VW corporate saying that this was an issue and I needed to bring the car in to have it fixed, but only the driver's side. The passenger side cover needed to be brought in at a different time.
3)The dealership, Pacific VW, would not provide me with a loaner car for any service unless it was kept overnight. They promised me a loaner before I bought the car, but changed their policy midstream.
4) The car is in the shop today at 20000 miles for replacement of the fuel pump as part of a recall. The recall states the engine could stall at any moment. Great...
5) An air intake sensor caused the check engine light to come on. This needed to be replaced at 14,000 miles. Same goes for the battery, which needed replacement.
6) A broken window regulator meant the rear window wouldn't roll up. This happened at 17000 miles.
7) The wheel bearing needed replacement at 16000 miles.
8) The remote for the keys wore out and needed replacement at 18000 miles.
On the positive side, the car drives very well and feels solid. I feel safe in it. However, it burns lots of gas (V6 with an avg 15-16 mpg in the city, 24-27mpg highway)
Mechanically, it is a mess. Also, the dealership could care less about servicing the customer. I have had to bring this car in for service more in 2 1/2 yrs than my previous 3 cars combined over 11 yrs.
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