2003 Passat 1.8T Wagon

snipped-for-privacy@comcast.net (THX 1138) wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@comcast.com:

I've usually seen them called "coil packs", but there's one per cylinder for the engine's ignition system. A while back there was a run of bad ones from some VW supplier affecting some '01, '02 and early '03 cars. They were (or should have been) replaced in a recall.

Mine ('02 wagon) don't do that, but when it's cold enough to use them, I probably wouldn't complain :-)

But wasn't the Passat their "family sedan" of choice for a number of years?

I have an early '02 1.8T GLS wagon and have had no problems with it.

I would be more concerned about possible oil sludge issues.

VW has recently changed it's policy and now requires only synthetic oil for the 1.8T engines. This happened after a number of US based VWs developped sluging issues due to the dyno oil that (perhaps) was not changed regularly. If you can have the engine checked for sludge.

The ignition coils should have the 7 years 70,000 miles extended waranty on them and were recalled by VW.

Overall the reliability will be so-so. Allocate some budget for the immediate maintenance and repairs.

You should be getting a very goog price on the used 2003. The left-over new 2005 Passats were going for about 19K just a few weeks ago. I would not pay anything above 11K-12K

Bert Hyman wrote:

May not be a bad car, BUT, the general consensus is: Dealership customer service sucks. Volkswagen customer care is a joke. Check out:

I have a 1998 1.8T Saloon ('sedan' for those on the wrong side of the pond.....) - currently showing 148,000 miles - it still drives like a new one.

You'll want to have a good independent mechanic lined up for this make and model, before you need him/her. VWs have a lot of "fun to drive" factor, but that comes at the expense of repair and maintenance. But the Passat is one of the more reliable VWs (relatively speaking).

That said, I recently bought my third VW, a used 2003 GLS 1.8T with 19K miles, earlier this year. My first Rabbit went to 160K miles before I lost track of it. My (purchased new) 1995 Passat VR6 went 10 years and 110K miles before I recently sold it. Only major failures on the 95 were a clutch slave cylinder and 25K (warranty), a starter last year and a heater core leak this year (which VW covered all parts and labor--on a 10 year old car!).

VW dealers can be hit-or-miss. I've had good luck with mine, but some have not with the same dealer and other dealers. But you'll get better service from an indy shop anyway--make finding one high on your list. The good thing about these cars is that someone who works on them will know most of the issues and can do a pretty fast diagnosis and repair. But VWs are not Toyotas or Hondas, or even Fords, as far as reliability goes.

By 2003, the B5/B5.5 models pretty much had all the major bugs worked out of them. An abused 1.8T could have a sludge problem, if the oil was not changed regularly. Have the oil pressure checked, switch it to one of the VW 502-approved synthetic oils and the larger filter, and keep with a 5K mile oil and filter change interval. Other issues with this car include cracking of the small braided vacuum hoses (replace with silicone hoses), warping of rear brake rotors, minor head gasket leaks at the rear of the motor, control arms, and oil cooler leaks. Changing the timing belt, waterpump, and all pulleys and tensioners around 60-70K is highly recommended-- the belt can fail as early as 80K, and it will bend valves when it does-- a $3K repair. I think the coil pack issues were resolved for the 2003 model year, but these should be covered by VW--I think there was a recall.

There are some good online communities for the B5/B5.5 Passat. Check out:

You'll find a lot of people sharing tips, good repair shops, parts sources, etc.

Well said! I work on VW's and what did I purchase not wanting to work on mine after a day of fixing VW's??? 99 GLX Passat. The most reliable VW yet!

how to repair push rod

Volkswagens don't have pushrods!