FS: 2004 VW Passat GLS TDI Wagon (b5.5v) PNW

Dunhamjr

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 26, 2001
Location
Seattle, WA
TDI
none right now
Sold 5/16/2014 :D

FS: 2004 VW Passat GLS TDI Wagon (b5.5v) PNW - $13,000 obo

Quick specs:
Black exterior with grey interior.
GLS model - leatherette, heated seats/mirrors, sunroof
fully current on all maintenance items and just detailed

~159k miles on the chassis and trans.
complete engine (intake to turbo) replaced at 158k with a good running 83k mile unit. (have receipts)
complete timing belt kit, brakes and all fluids/filters are new within last 500 miles.

The details:
2004 Volkswagen Passat GLS TDI Wagon, also known as a B5.5v tdi.

Selling because when we took it off the road for engine work, we decided to buy my wife a new JSW TDI to daily drive. So now that the car is back in top running condition, it is car number 4 in the garage and needs to move on to a new owner since we just won't use it. We bought the car about Sept 2011 with 134k miles on it and now the car is at 159,187 miles, which will slowly increase as I am driving the car a couple of days per week.

The car is located south of Seattle (Kent) in WA. As far as I can find I am the 4th owner of the car. The first owner in WI, another in MN here and then two in WA... this info can be confirmed through carfax. I have a recent report that I can provide if desired.

Everything has been well maintained and I can/will include any documentation I received from the cars prior owners, plus any records I have from maintenance/repairs I have had done. Also have a couple of spare parts/filters that I will include with the car since they are Passat/TDI specific and will have no use for them.

The high points:
-When the original engine failed, I bought and had installed, a complete low mileage engine with 83k miles. Complete as in, Intake to internals to turbo, valve cover to oil pan... all have ~83k miles.($$$$)
-As part of the engine replacement, I had my mechanic install a full timing belt kit (belt, bolts, tensioners, waterpump) all replaced with 100k interval items. ($900)
-As part of the engine replacement, I had my mechanic install a retro fit ALH oil pump kit from BoraParts http://tinyurl.com/mcnql5f to completely eliminate the troublesome oem BHW Balance Shaft Module (BSM) with a much more reliable part. ($600)
-While troubleshooting the above engine failure my mechanic found that the in-tank fuel pump had a small leak and replaced the in-tank fuel pump. ($250)
-Both the ECU and TCU have custom programming done by InMotion Tuning in Portland, OR. http://www.inmotionusa.com/ ($600)
-At about 126k miles the suspension was replaced with the oem VW 1be 'sport' suspension, the car handles flat and composed. ($1500)
-Car was detailed inside and out on 4/19.

The good:
-Higher optioned GLS model with sunroof, cold weather package (heated mirrors/seats) and leatherette seats.
-Non-smoker car for at least the last 35k miles/3.5 yrs... we don't smoke and neither did the last owners family.
-Well maintained during my ownership, using all oem spec approved fluids and sticking to the scheduled maintenance where possible.
-Oil, air and fuel filters have all been replaced in the last 500 miles.
-Tires are upgraded to Michelin Harmony 215/60/15 with ~30k miles on them, they are supposed to be good for about 80k miles. http://www.1010tires.com/Tires/Reviews/Michelin/Harmony
-New battery at approx ~127k miles.
-Trans fluid/filter replaced at approx 130k miles
-I replaced the alternator at approx 150k miles ($150)
-Front brake pads replaced at 151k mi, front rotors and rear rotors/pads looked fine at this point.
-The AC system was serviced at 153k mi, moisture purged and recharged to spec.
-Two key fobs and owners manual included.
-Trailer hitch and wiring mounted.
-The car comes with OEM monster mats in good condition.

The not perfect:
-We are dealing with a 10yr old car, so there are a few minor bumps and bruises on the body and interior.
-The car came from the midwest, so there is a little more underbody wear then a normal PNW car would see... but nothing like cars from the East Coast.
-My mechanic noted that one of the passenger side axle boots needs replacement.
-My mechanic noted that the battery is seeing a small discharge (0.15v) and recommended that the starter charge cable be replaced.
-The AC in this car is only ok, it could be a lot better, but I am not sure why.
-The driver rear exterior door handle sticks, but I have not ever had it fail to open.
-The center console rear ashtray was broken by one of the PO's and since I don't smoke, or allow smoking in my cars, I never got around to fixing this.

The full monty (just to make sure I am not leaving out a single detail):
-In Sept 2013 at about 158k miles, my wife had a low speed (25mph) impact with two very small deer. I have a couple pics if you want. No airbags activated. Hood, headlights, radiator, cooler and core support were replaced. Other parts were repaired or refurbished. I had the work repaired by a local recommended shop, Bankers Auto Rebuild http://www.bankersautorebuild.com/, and I am willing to provide documentation of the repair and whatever images I have of the damage as requested. The repair was approx ~$4700 covered by my insurance company. As this was a comprehensive claim, it does not appear that it was reported to carfax.

-As of 3/11/2014, the chassis/trans has ~159k miles... however the engine was replaced at 158,798 with a complete used engine with ~83k miles on it.

Optional extra items if desired:
Travall Model specific cargo/pet partition. Mounts with no modifications to the car, and are a bit hard to find (UK based company). - $sold

Pics:
All - https://www.flickr.com/photos/7175064@N02/sets/72157644247591413/
 
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JELLOWSUBMARINE

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 3, 2014
Location
yes
TDI
2011 Jetta Sportwagen, 6M, red/tan, navi, pano, 83 5m diesel pickup, 82 p/u trailer,.04 5.5 TDI Passat wagon (gone), 80,81,82 diesel p/u (gone), 80,82 sportruck (gone), 59 passthru bus (long gone), 79&87 westy (gone), 57 baja bug (long gone), 73 914
bump for good looking Passat

I bought a 150k, one owner Passat TDI. Still runs, looks, drives like new.
Love the car
 
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Montezuma

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 11, 2013
Location
Montezuma,NV/Helena MT
TDI
2005 Passat Wagon TDI,2005 Jeep Liberty CRD, 1981 Caddy diesel, 1981 dasher Diesel, 1986 quantum td, 1992 d250 Cummins, 1995 2500 Cummins, 1986 dodge d50 td.
Just curious to why the original engine failed?
 

Dunhamjr

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 26, 2001
Location
Seattle, WA
TDI
none right now
Just curious to why the original engine failed?
started with the car having trouble idling when coming to a stop, dying and then not being able to restart.
shop did a ton of troubleshooting (fuel pressure, oil pressure, intank pump, tandem pump, ecu relays, checked the cam, compression, etc) and found two cylinders low on compression, plus oil analysis found coolant.

so we started pulling bits apart to find the leak. no issues in the egr/intake side. pulled the head off and found coolant crystals around the valves and scoring on the walls of the two low compression cylinders.

decided it might end up cheaper, faster for me to just get my shop a new/used complete engine to drop in, since in the long run we had already decided to get my wife a new wagon during the last weekend of Nov at a "black friday sale" for $4k off msrp.
 
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BleachedBora

Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
Oct 16, 2003
Location
Gresham, Oregon
TDI
'81 DMC-12, '15 GL350 CDI 275 hp/448 tq - '81 Caddy CJAA, '05 E320 CDI 250hp/450 tq, '23 ID4 AWD Pro S Plus
Good luck! We imported one from Texas, two from Iowa and one from Wisconsin. Great cars! :)
 

Dunhamjr

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 26, 2001
Location
Seattle, WA
TDI
none right now
Apparently the buyer of the car is not happy with the vehicle overall. :(

So people might see this car back up for sale soon, but the car will be somewhere in the Midwest again, instead of out on the West Coast.

There was a bit of staining on the bottom seat cushions from a missing carpet under the rears, I didn't even know it was supposed to have carpet. I hadn't disclosed this, because frankly, I didn't know it was there or that the carpet was missing. We used this as our dog and baby hauler, so we always had the seats ready for passengers.

The AC had a wiring issue causing it to not pump out cold air, the buyer had this corrected and the AC is apparently working fine now. My assumption is that this wiring was damaged by my shop during the troubleshooting and engine swap. I am sorry I missed this, or I would have had my shop fix it before I listed it.

Next, I did disclose that one of the CV boots was bad, shop had found it during the engine swap... but they said I would not to worry about it till it made noise. I did not notice it making noise leading up to the sale. The buyer said that is was clicking, so he was fixing that. He was gonna replace another boot too, but I am not sure there was anything wrong with any of the other boots.
 

bbob203

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 31, 2012
Location
Louisville, ky
TDI
b5.5v
Cv boots replaced clicking turned out not to be an axle and just a piece of plastic making noise. Internals of axles are in great shape no wear as both axle boot tears were only making a mess but still contained most of the lubricant. The dissapointment with the car is the low mpg relative to my other tdis. Im looking into a manual swap before I decided if I will resell. Its a solid car but the lower MPG is enough for me to want something different. Worth every bit of what I paid for it. Also rear pads and rotors are brand new as of 5 days after purchase on 5-16-14. Despite my small dissatisfaction with mpg's which are not the fault of the PO. Dunhamjr was a great seller.
 

Dunhamjr

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 26, 2001
Location
Seattle, WA
TDI
none right now
Cv boots replaced clicking turned out not to be an axle and just a piece of plastic making noise. Internals of axles are in great shape no wear as both axle boot tears were only making a mess but still contained most of the lubricant. The dissapointment with the car is the low mpg relative to my other tdis. Im looking into a manual swap before I decided if I will resell. Its a solid car but the lower MPG is enough for me to want something different. Worth every bit of what I paid for it. Also rear pads and rotors are brand new as of 5 days after purchase on 5-16-14. Despite my small dissatisfaction with mpg's which are not the fault of the PO. Dunhamjr was a great seller.
glad to hear that the axles weren't that big of an issue and it really was just boots that were needed.

i can understand the mileage disappointment, but thats one thing i have come to know about TDI's. basically with each newer, more powerful engine our mileage went down. the auto doesnt help either.
 
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Dunhamjr

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 26, 2001
Location
Seattle, WA
TDI
none right now
38mpg consistently on highway.. 32 in the city. The car I sold for this one got 45mpg @75 mph.
these numbers are fairly consistent with what we saw in this car as well.

although that was with the prior engine. at least good to see that the new(er) engine is returning similar mileage.

our b4s and both mk4's got higher mileage than this b5.5 gets though.
 
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abctdi

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 31, 2004
Location
ABQ, NM, USA
TDI
2005 Passat GLS
That's not too bad or far off the norm for mpg's. We get mid 30's combined, about 40 on the hiway.
 

bbob203

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 31, 2012
Location
Louisville, ky
TDI
b5.5v
Im actively looking for a new owner for this vehicle. It's a great car but I have decided for what its worth I want something else. The car is in better shape than when I bought it. New cv axle boots, new rear pads and rotors. I have put around 9,000 miles on the car so the engine is right around 89,000 miles and the body is at about 165,000. I work for an airline so I can deliver this car anywhere in the lower 48 for a fee and fly home. My email is bbelty@gmail.com for inquiries.
 
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