Volkswagen VW Passat Wiper Blade Style, Beginning 2002 Model Year

"Dish-washing soap."

Sux, doesn't it... and VW isn't the only car maker with the hi $$$ wiper blade. I didn't like the price on the pre 2002 blades so I buy mine at the local auto parts which sells ANCO.

Or buy these at $18 for the pair,shipped, instructions included:

Or buy these at $18 for the pair,shipped, instructions included:

since the late 1980s there have been at least two widths of wiper inserts/refills...standard and narrow. I think today there might even be a

Inserts/refills are a dying product, unfortunately. With the variation in widths, the variation in lengths (it's very common today for cars to have a short arm/long blade on the driver's side and a longer arm/shorter blade on the passenger side), and now even a variation in the claws on the metal frame (trapezoidal vs. square claws), finding the *right* insert (even if any are on the shelf) is an exercise in frustration. I hate buying the whole frame too but it's becoming harder and harder to do otherwise.

Welcome to the warped world of Volkswagon!!

Where even common fluid like Antifreeze, Power Steering fluid and goodness knows what else, is *custom* VW and is difficult if not impossible to obtain outside of VW.

As a former owner of the original 1984 GTI, (sold in 1991) I was planning to purchase a brand new 2007 VW GTI.

That was until the water pump in my daughters 2003 Jetta exploded and I had to replace it, along with the timing belt, tensioner, serpentine belt etc.

That was also when I discovered all about the *custom* fluids, stretch bolts etc that VW uses...

It's amazing how VW can over-engineer the fluids with all of this expensive synthetic blend stuff, but at the same time puts a pressed on plastic impeller on a water pump and then buries the pump essentially inside the engine.

BTW this same POS is installed in some Audis as well....

I've been working on my own cars for at least 25 years and IMHO VW makes it very difficult, and EXPENSIVE to maintain their cars.

Bottom line is I purchased a good old Ford Mustang GT with a nice V8 that is user friendly and inexpensive to work on. It also has a huge amount of aftermarket parts at dirt cheap prices.

Superior German engineering? Hahahaha!

How long were they using Vacuum assisted door locks before finally switching to motors/solenoids like everyone else uses.

It's more like German OVER ENGINEERING designed to milk the consumer when something breaks.

I'll give VW one thing. The cars are extremely well constructed safety wise. They are one of the best in that area.

Only mildly difficult, and certainly not impossible. With a little initiative, you can find compatible items that cost a fraction of the VW product. My most recent encounter with this was the VW-spec gear oil to go in my manual transmission -- holy cats, almost $40 per liter at the dealer! Tranny takes two liters. Oy. But, never fear, like I said, a little investigating reveals that the only things special about the VW oil is that it's synthetic, it's GL-4, and it's 75W90. Red Line MT-90 is all of those things, and it's a little under $8 per liter. Guess which I bought?

It's not a bad thing that the lubes and fluids that VW recommends are always the highest-quality available -- they insist on top-notch synthetic lubes, the highest-quality phosphate-free coolant, etc. That's okay! It's good for the car. But, there are always cheaper alternatives that are only a little less good for the car. You don't have to use VW G12 coolant, if you don't want to, but you've got to be sure not to mix it with other kinds. Some of these items are intended never to need replacement, so it makes sense to spec the best stuff.

The mystery to me is that after it became fairly well-known that the plastic impellers were failing at a high rate, they didn't change the design for subsequent years. There's nothing wrong with plastic water pump impellers, per se, but the pump has to be well-designed, no matter what the materials used. So many of those items are designed by the suppliers, not VW -- when they hit a bad batch, it reflects poorly on VW

-- just like all those bad mass airflow sensors provided by Bosch.

I think you'll agree that any manufacturer has its own custom specs for parts -- as much sense as it would make, all car parts are not standardized. Stretch bolts are not uncommon, and heck yeah, you'd better use the right ones!

German engineers have been known to over-engineer cars since they were first invented. Mercedes-Benz designed an engine in the '50s with a valve train so elaborate that it couldn't overcome its own internal friction. Engines like the slant-six weren't fancy, but by God, they ran and ran and ran, and repairing them was easy and cheap. Unfortunately, no manufacturer makes engines that simple, cheap and easy to repair anymore. Even your Mustang is a complicated piece, and Ford specs its own replacement parts and lubes -- I bet you'll just buy your own parts, irrespective of Ford's specs, won't you? You could do the same with your VW.

You mean, like 5W40 505.01 engine oil, for instance? Which AFAIK you can't get locally from any store and have to buy online, and is only made by a couple of companies like Motul and Lubro-Moly?

-- Mike Smith

mike_UNDERSCORE snipped-for-privacy@acm.DOT.org (Mike Smith) wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@news.supernews.com:

There's also Elf, Castrol and even AMSOIL claims to have one.

Yes, I know about the Elf and Castrol. AMSOIL claims to have one, but IIRC they can't be bothered to do the actual tests. In any case, you can't exactly get these oils at your local Wal-Mart, can you? You still have to go to Impex or some other online specialty shop. I decided to screw it and go with Mobil 1 0W40 instead, which is only 505.00 but is available at the local AutoZone.

-- Mike Smith

Okay, I don't mean to sound snide, but what did I say? Take a little initiative and find an equivalent product -- the 505.01 oils are 5W40 weight, and are Group IV synthetics. That's what distinguishes them. Mobil 1 is a Group IV synthetic, and the 0W40 weight is equivalent to

And what happens when you are on a road trip and are a quart low? The entire thing is ridiculous and nothing more than a money maker for VW because the majority of the people go to the stealership for service and parts, fluids etc.

It's a nightmare and what evidence is there that these fluids are actually better? I can change my regular old green ethyl glycol once a year and it cost me a grand total of $3.95 on sale. I can also purchase it at the local convienience store should I have an emergency problem on the road (leaky hose etc) and need to limp home.

Same goes for the other fluids.

They didn't change it because they were making a fortune off of it. The pumps typically exploded just after 60k miles, right after the warranty runs out.

The design is horrid. A plastic impleller made of a very brittle (or at least it was brittle after 60k) plastic, almost like bakelite, that is simply pressed onto a knurled shaft?

Any first year engineer would cringe at such a design. The endless amount of plastic shields, secured by 8 thousand torx screws, are built better than a crucial engine part.

Of course they do, but for the most part they are standard stuff. VW marches to it's own, in many respects flawed, drummer.

So did a Chrysler slant 6 used in 70's cars like the Plymouth Duster. The 305/350 GM motor is solid as a rock. The 4.6l Ford motors are the same.

And they are dead easy and cheap to repair.

But that's just the point. You don't have to use Ford parts. Fluids are common and can be purchased anywhere etc.

The engine design is simple and one that Ford has been using for many years.

I can buy parts from Ford Racing if I like and get parts that are even better than the stock everyday parts. I can even buy a supercharger from Ford that is completely warrantied and will not void my factory warranty.

Or I can buy these things from the name brand manufacturers that make them for Ford. Borla for exhaust systems I believe.

Can the same be said of VW?

I think not.

They are not equivalent in one important way - they violate the VW warranty, don't they?

-- Mike Smith

Now you're just being pointlessly bitchy. What's so hard about buying an extra quart and keeping it in the trunk? I've been doing that forever, works well, try it!

I don't think that's true at all. I'll bet it's a distinct minority that go to the dealer for routine service like oil changes.

Well, check them out, for Christ's sake! Look for yourself! They are good-quality products.

So, who's stopping you from using it in your VW? Really, I thought you started off with some valid points, but you're being ridiculous now.

Here's a real hot tip for you, champ -- if you're just limping home, you can put just about any damn thing you want in there. Put distilled water in your radiator, if you're just limping home. Put K-Mart oil in the crankcase. Look, VWs have their faults and quirks, but come on, be reasonable.

Which "slant six" did you suppose I was referring to? They were around earlier than the '70s.

Yes, it can. There's a huge aftermarket industry devoted to VWs -- including Borla.

Absolutely.

-- Mike Smith

So do I because I drive a lot, but most people don't.

Sure it is. Try and get an appointment at a VW dealer and then while you are there, take a look at the repair orders laying on the counter.

You will see more than a few routine tasks.

I didn't say they weren't good quality. I posed the question what evidence is there that these fluids are actually BETTER.

The warranty for one. Read your book...

Oil/water yes. Coolent, PS steering fluid and I belive brake fluid as well no. You will void your warranty should they catch you.

You were talking Mercedes? I have no idea what they used.

What does it do to your warrnty?

Ford racing parts do not void your warranty in most cases. Things like racing X pipes (remove cats) obviously do because they are designed for off road etc.

But the other stuff like intakes, throttle bodies etc do not.

I realize the aftermarket for VW is huge BTW.