2005 Volkswagen Passat Consumer Reviews

Poor choice

Vehicle

2005 Volkswagen Passat GLS 1.8T Fwd 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl Turbo 5A)

Review

Enjoyed the car when first purchased, Great performance and fun to drive. Then the problems started at about 12,500 miles and haven;t stopped. Have spent more than 8,000 in maintenance and repairs with no help in correcting poor reliability. Biggest problems have been replacing 8 coils (even 2 after recall). Engine light has been on for over a year and they can not find the problem. Just spent 500 on electrical issues which are not repaired. Some of the problems: 1) 8 coils replaced. 2) Triptronic transmission doesn't work in manual. Never fixed as it is over $2000 by VW dealer. 3) AC went out, not getting power. 4) Oil light comes on regularly...waiting for the sludge problem. Bad Choice!
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Beware VW Fans!!!!

Vehicle

2005 Volkswagen Passat GL 1.8T Fwd 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl Turbo 5A)

Review

After owning VW's for years this will be my last. I actually traded the Passat today for a BMW and I couldn't be more relieved. The problems and repairs have been unending from the start. Under 3 mo. old, the sunroof leaked and all of the carpet had to be replaced, I have replaced (3) Front axles, a valve cover gasket, numerous sensors, the thermastat, (3) window regulators, motor mounts, Both headlights because they turned white after three years and wouldn't pass inspection. I even had to replace the antenna and the oil dip stick because they fell apart. Lastly the interior trim peeled off (VW sprays a coating over plastic - ???) All this at 75000 miles! The services every 5K are COSTLY!
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Bad Decision

Vehicle

2005 Volkswagen Passat GLS 1.8T Fwd 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl Turbo 5A)

Review

Bought a 2005 Passat in Nov, 2010 (less than 2 months ago). It's been in the shop 5 times already with the engine light on. Each time its supposedly fixed, yet within 2 weeks the light is back on again. Thank God it's still under warranty - car only has 60k miles on it! Issues have been:misfire, MAF, oxygen sensor, computer update, and vacuum seal. I'm beginning to think the car will need to be traded in before the warranty expires! VW has not been helpful at all. Wanted a vehicle with a great service department - have yet to experience that. Should've kept my Saturn - at 150k miles it had less issues!
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TDI Wagon Still Strong

Vehicle

2005 Volkswagen Passat GL TDI Fwd 4dr Wagon (2.0L 4cyl Turbodiesel 5A)

Review

I wrote my last review of my wagon almost 2 years ago. My car now has 55K miles and is better than ever. Since the stock suspension is very wallowy I replaced the shocks & springs @ 50K with H&R springs and Bilstein shocks from the Tire Rack. Wow, feels like driving a brand new A6. A worn CV boot was found and replaced during suspension work. Thats it, no other problems. This car had the Upsolute ECU reflash done to it over two years ago and not a single problem. It adds an extra 30HP and 50ft-lbs torque. This thing pulls like a freight train and gets 38 MPG on long trips. Replaced stock stereo which stinks with a $250 (installed!) Sony from Best Buy. Way better even w/ stock speakers.
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2005 TDI Owner

Vehicle

2005 Volkswagen Passat GLS TDI Fwd 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl Turbodiesel 5A)

Review

Up to 2009 car was great. Volkswagon decided to recall att TDI models for a R8 recall for the glow plugs. Being on top of recalls brought car in for recall and had it done in the spring time period. Well summer went by and winter was setting in (getting colder) my wife started complaining that the car was hard to start sometimes. I of course egnored it till I drove it. Well the problems with the dealership and Volkswagon began. Called Volkswagon direct and knotified them of a possible problem with thier recall. Brought it in and more than 6 months later. I got my car back with original plugs and waiting for volkswagon to find a glow plug that will replace problem plugs. Good luck to tdi owne
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Everything was great, until...

Vehicle

2005 Volkswagen Passat GL 1.8T Fwd 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl Turbo 5A)

Review

I have had this car for 5 years. It was doing great until I hit the 75,000 miles. I drive about 72 miles a day, so I understand that the ware and tear is a lot more then others. I had a warranty up to 100,000 and right when it passed 100,000 the "oil pressure STOP" light went on. According to what I have read, it looks like these models have a sludge problem. It looks like they have been having this problem for most of their passat models. They do have an extended warranty for 99-04, but not 05. Also, they make it hard to cover, because they want EVERY SINGLE piece of documentation of oil change services. Now I'm stuck with this car, trying to figure out if it's worth fixing or get rid of it
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This car awful

Vehicle

2005 Volkswagen Passat GLS 1.8T Fwd 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl Turbo 5A)

Review

I have had this car for only a year and a half and I have had the coils replaced twice ($400.00 each). Then I experienced a crack in the cylinder head which cost me $3,800.00 to fix. My mechanic said that such a crack should not happen to a car that had less than 100,000 miles on it. Furthermore, it shouldn't happen to a car that hasn't overheated (which mine didn't) which basically points to bad materials used in the part itself. Besides the mechanical flubs, the oil changes are very expensive $80, because it has a "turbo". Honestly, there is no point for a turbo in this car since it runs worse than most 4 cylinder sedans without one. I hate my car.
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Another one with "Oil Sludge" issues...

Vehicle

2005 Volkswagen Passat GLS 1.8T Fwd 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl Turbo 5A)

Review

I've owned this car for over 2 years and it is in constant need of repair. The AC has went out twice, the Coils have had to be replaced, the front axles replaced due to the boots cracking and now the infamous "Oil Sludge" problem which VW says they will not cover even though all but 3 oil changes were completed at the dealer and I have provided them copies of the other 3 receipts. After looking online at all the other 05' 1.8 turbo owners with the same problem, it would appear that the issue was not resolved from 04' to 05'. Needless to say I will never by a VW again. What can we as a group do to address this issue with VW?
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Do Not Make the Same Mistake I Did!

Vehicle

2005 Volkswagen Passat GLS TDI Fwd 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl Turbodiesel 5A)

Review

I purchased my 05 Passat TDI due to an increase in my daily commute and was sold on VW's diesel reputation for reliability and economy. After several warranty items were addressed(power window switches, bulbs, door seals, ext. brightwork, antenna, MAF and turbo sensor, battery) I wasn't too confident in the car. Despite my constant engine maintenance(oil change 8000 km with correct oil)the camshaft failed at 122km.($2400 repair) At 131km the oil pump chain tensioner failed.($1200 repair) All parts replaced with VW orig parts, not upgraded or any defects corrected. VW Cda had no interest in answering my calls, letters or questions. Now my fuel economy has dropped to mid 20's for some reason.
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Worst Car Ever

Vehicle

2005 Volkswagen Passat GLS 1.8T 4Motion AWD 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl Turbo 5A)

Review

I bought this car used learned my lesson. No one writes reviews of the long term problems. A lot of electrical problems down the road. The gas mileage isn't all that wonderful either when you travel back and forth about a 100 miles a day. Mechanics don't like to work on these cars because they are so difficult to work with. And it is just a money pit. It would be a great car I'm sure brand new, don't buy it used.
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