What do you love or hate on your Passat and why?

Since i'm now in the market for one because of unique strengths but hear scary things like "the B5 is one of the most expensive to maintain VW's ever" (from 'the humble mechanic' on youtube) I was curious to just open the floor for opinions...

I'd love to know both the strengths and weaknesses of the chassis in general, what people do about the weaknesses (if there are any well known fixes for instance) like if modifications can fix it (i've heard about water leaks and control modules placed stupidly on the floor - i'd think you could move them somehow!), what things were great vs bad compared to other cars in it's class or on the market, etc. I'm a little scared of talk about reliability in general possibly being a problem, and would love to have more accurate details.

1. BSM. Do a search if you want to read more about this. If you replace the BSM, it's a $2k in parts alone, more if you do all the parts that are around it (timing belt etc). You can also just retrofit an ALH oil pump

2. Transmission. The ZF box fails. Somewhere between 200-300k, it will need replacement. Swapping in a stick from a euro vendor is probably cheaper or you can source your own parts locally (v6 standard shifts' ratios aren't so bad)

3. Camshaft wear. It isn't as prevalent on the BHW engine as the BRM, but it's still a potential problem that costs a couple bux to fix

4. Front Control arms. Notoriously weak/noisy. Always better off doing a complete kit (there are 8 of them) as opposed to 1 by 1.

Regardless of these faults, I have a fondness for these cars. I ran a b5.5 gasser for a while an enjoyed the space and the comfort.

Great cars ! Fun to drive, well built and terrific fuel economy.
Build quality was unbelievable with this car.

I have owned many cars and trucks over the years and the 2005
Passat TDI Wagon is one of my favorite cars. We own two.

They are not perfect and they have mechanical issues and quirks and can be very expensive to fix..

The camshaft is an issue with the BHW , the balancer shaft (factory chain drive) is a big concern and the
ZF automatic transmissions fail. You will find lots of valuable information here on the tdiclub regarding these issues.

I suggest you educate yourself on the car before buying one as they are definitely
an enthusiasts car.

my 15 se is my spare, my 05 is my daily driver

Hate is probably a little strong, but the front seats on long trips. 2002 Beetle seats are firmer and more comfortable on long trips.
Luv the torque.
Yes, they take maintenance and have quirks.

Maybe you have some bad seats in the Passat. I have sat in a few that have lost their firmness and are not that comfortable. Normally they are of the pleather type. However that is a very low percentage. Most are great for long trips.

The black oil is truly hate-able. We have all dealt with oil leaks whether from, tandem pump, intake manifold, any one of the joints in the charge pipes, it collects around the base of the intercooler, valve cover gasket, oil fill gasket, turbo oil inlet, and on and on. The leaks are fixable and part of life, but that black oil gets on everything.

Yes, the 505.01 oil is truly a necessary evil. It has to flow through the turbo and small amounts will naturally find the way into the intake and all points in between. It is black even right after you change it. When that tell tale drip finally hits the driveway you know you have some cleaning to do all the way up to and around the leak. Maybe it is just me, but I really do hate it.

turtle1026 said:

The leaks are fixable and part of life, but that black oil gets on everything.

Yes, the 505.01 oil is truly a necessary evil. It has to flow through the turbo and small amounts will naturally find the way into the intake and all points in between. It is black even right after you change it. When that tell tale drip finally hits the driveway you know you have some cleaning to do all the way up to and around the leak. Maybe it is just me, but I really do hate it.

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What is the 505.01 oil, a special motor oil just for the VW's? Is there any way to prevent all the leaks (higher quality aftermarket gaskets that can be put in at rebuild time) or is it just something you have to live with?

How long should I expect a fresh rebuild to last before it's covered in drips and using a quart per change from leaks, at least in a TDI?

I have never had an engine oil leak in all the 181,500 miles since the car was new (Knock on wood). I did have a tiny power steering fluid leak about 45,000 miles ago, but some stop leak product fixed that. A friend with the same car put 260,000 miles on it without an engine oil leak.
The auto trans still shifts great. So far the trans has been serviced 3 times. At 181,500 miles it really does not owe me too much more. I will be happy if it lasts to 250,000 miles, but will take close to 4.5 years to reach. If it does break on me I will replace it with a VW rebuilt unit, or sell it to one of you guys.
Camshaft is original. Started using the thicker oil when people noticed wear. Lucky for me I was not driving the car all that much for the first few years and went with the 5W-40 that the forum recommended. So far so good.
Balance shaft was replaced with the geared unit at 60,000 miles. We were all agitated about it. Some people got lucky and were able to get VW to cover the costs. I and most others were not.
So far the front end it still tight. Don’t know of any of my friend’s same cars that ever had to have the front control arms replaced. My car was lowered when new (4,000 Miles) and had HD shocks and a rear sway bar installed. Maybe that helped prolong the life of the front control arms?
My alternator went at 176,000 miles. One of the wires inside broke and would only charge the battery when at idle. Anything off of idle the wire would open up and throw a warning on the dash. New winding assembly (if that is what it is called) cost $45. I bought a new Valeo alternator from the local repair shop ($250), and had the old one rebuilt for $125 (new bearings, voltage regulator/brushes, and pulley).
Outer CV boots are a bit of a pain. You would think that at this point in the evolution of CV boots they would have been perfected with a more intelligent design. For me, they lasted about 80,000/100,000 miles. Both outer boots tore open on a recent trip back from Florida. Last week I replaced both axels with units from Raxles. Should be good for a long long time.
My experience has been great with the car. It has a Rocket Chip stage 2 program that makes it a pleasure to drive on the highway. Roll on acceleration is great, especially at highway speeds and does not need to downshift. When you roll on the accelerator with some cars, they downshift far too much for my liking. The Passat is a great long distance highway car.
I can’t complain about the mileage having gotten 901 miles from a tank when the engine had about 45,000 miles. The car can beat that number now with over 180,000 miles on the engine. 800 miles from a tank at an average speed of 65 miles per hour is no problem at all. I have made many trips from Des Plaines Illinois to Rock Hill South Carolina all on 1 tank of fuel in 12 hours. There are probably 2-gallons remaining as I roll into the hotel off of I77.
If VW came out with an identical (except for the chain driven balance shaft) Passat in Ferrari Red, I would buy it all over again 12-years later.

Hate:
What the engineers were thinking when they designed where the heater core and evaporator go
The flimsy orange oil dipstick funnel

When I say leaks, I don't mean enough where you notice actual level reductions between oil changes. I am talking that occasional drip that finally makes it down to the ground caused by various components mentioned.

It's just my thing that I don't like. We are on a forum where I think it is a given that we like these cars so take my comments in that spirit.

I think OP has a lot of research to do, and this forum is the place to do it. These cars are not maintenance free, but if you want to do the work yourself, this forum has seen pretty much every project.

Are you sure I can't talk you into a sedan instead of the wagon?

turtle1026 said:

When I say leaks, I don't mean enough where you notice actual level reductions between oil changes. I am talking that occasional drip that finally makes it down to the ground caused by various components mentioned.

I think OP has a lot of research to do, and this forum is the place to do it. These cars are not maintenance free, but if you want to do the work yourself, this forum has seen pretty much every project.

Are you sure I can't talk you into a sedan instead of the wagon?

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Okay then that's tolerable, has anyone done anything to make the engine compartment or such more easily cleaned or blasted with a power washer (without mussing up sensors and wiring) by chance?

Yes, i'm slowly compiling up a list of information of things i'll want to know before I even get the car (or what to shop for), along with things I plan to modify on the car not just for performance but for reliability, better function, whatever. I'll be honest in that i'm not choosing the Passat as an 'enthusiasts' car (though I hear they are nice roomy cars and all) but because I got tired of researching whats involved in a custom engine swap into another chassis realizing it was going to be awhile before my fab skills were up to par. I mostly wanted something with a TDI in it and i'm hoping the car either will be, or can be modified to be, relatively low-trouble (i'm a guy that likes manual window cranks, manual seats, give me less things to break!) plus I also wanted a chassis that's good for Class 2 towing without the normal MPG hit midsizes have over compacts.

Moderately sure at this point, sorry. I really like wagons with their ability to haul junk - and i'm someone always hauling junk in my car. Possibly when I get a SECOND Passat for my girlfriend she'll be happy with a sedan but that wont happen for maybe two years yet! Besides having just gotten warnings about the B5.5 $1800 BSM thing maybe that makes me want to stick with a B5 earlier year.


FWIW i'm hoping to choose everything VERY carefully and when I get a chance, rebuild things for greater longevity. I previously did some traveling sales stuff where driving 30-40k miles a year less than full time was normal, between random tow use with a compact, and if I resume it I could very well see a half million miles over the next decade. I don't know whether a Passat will go the distance but i'm hoping at least the engine will, and i'm hoping that anything I fix will be "fixed right" meaning if it costs a little more to modify something for a superior solution i'm all ears.

Personally, I think the B5.5 TDI Passat is Volkswagens' best effort to date in every respect. Mine does have a genuine VW rebuilt automatic in it so I can't speak to the tranny issues. It also has the gear driven counter shaft upgrade. But as far as driving, they are up there at the top.

BEST CAR WE bough EVER for the WIFE & WE were the HAPPIEST when WE SOLD IT AND BOUGH 2 TDI GOLF's (BEW's) for the Price of ONE...


IT"S LIKE BUYING A BOAT

I have no complaints about the operating costs of my 05 wagon. I couldn't say that or kept the car this long without my local guru.
I still enjoy driving it everyday at 198k. Since 50k, I have drained and filled the ATF every 30k. Auto still functions well. It will be interesting to see how long it lasts. I am on the fence about a manual conversion if needed.
It's just about the right size. GSW would be a step down IMO.

The B5.5 was the last of an era of really high quality German assembled TDI Wagons that were exciting to own and fun to drive.

What makes the 04 /05 Passat TDI Wagon so unique, is that you really get a full sized wagon with the added benefit of the TDI engine for added torque and fuel economy. It offers the fit, finish and structural body integrity and the driving characteristics that we expect from a German car.

The TDI Passat for 04 / 05 was the icing on the cake for North American customers.

What could VW do to become a success in the North American Market and to put the entire Dieselgate behind them ?

1. Listen to your loyal and longtime customer base and put those big German egos in the closet.
2. Build another car with the quality of the 05 Wagon and offer it with both a manual and an automatic transmission.
3. Offer AWD models, quality TDI engines and combine those drivetrains with electric Hybrid technology. ( TDI motors with Hybrid Technology)
4. Build the car in Tennessee not Mexico ( American Made).
5. Straighten out your screwed up VW dealership service departments.
6. Quit relying on your cost accountants to run your business and work together as a team to offer exciting VW vehicles.
7. Quit taking shortcuts and making huge cost cuts that negatively affect your brand, product mix and sales.

8. Produce all those new TDI / Hybrids in Tennessee and replace all the TDI emission scandal cars, at no charge to the customer.
The VW group will be out 600,000 new U.S. built cars, but in the end; the hugely positive PR will ultimately save VW money by eliminating all the pending fines and lawsuits.
The positive media image and customer goodwill will make the VW brand shine like a rock star. VW just cannot see the big picture and the opportunity on their doorstep !

truman said:

I have no complaints about the operating costs of my 05 wagon. I couldn't say that or kept the car this long without my local guru.

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The second sentence says it all.

Granted mine's not a TDI version so at least I don't have to worry about the Balance Shafts and camshaft nightmares but I do actually own a B5.5 Passat.

They're good looking, smooth, quiet, fun to drive, and absolutely terrible for so many reasons in so many ways.

There were several class action lawsuits WON by owners against VW (and Audi) over the B5 and B5.5 Passat including engine failures, chassis water intrusion (which causes electrical system problems and can cause automatic transmission failures), and more.

If you're seriously considering buying a B5 or B5.5 Passat or the Audi equivalents I strongly suggest that you google the Audi Allroad which is basically a super-deluxe B5.5 Passat wagon sold by Audi if you want a better idea of what you'd be in for when considering a B5 or B5.5 Passat or the Audi versions of that same chassis.

I also recommend going to the Passat World forums and see how many justifiably disgruntled B5 and B5.5 Passat owners there really are and then spend a little time reading the multitude of reasons why.

Sure, it's a "great car" if you just ignore all the major problems they have and overlook how much more expensive they are to operate, maintain, and repair than almost any other decent modern vehicle on the planet...

I really like my factory ALH powered (no balance shaft or cam problems) 2003 TDI manual Jetta wagon, even with 322,000 miles on it.
It's my primary means of transportation and it just keeps on going...

I'm extremely frustrated and somewhat disappointed in the 2003 1.8T Tiptronic Passat wagon that I bought from the original owner in 2016 with a leaky water pump at just 89,000 miles on it.
It was her only car, she was driving it daily until the water pump failed, and when her mechanic told her what he would charge to fix it she though about how much she'd just spent on the transmission service and a set of tires a few months earlier and decided it was time for a new car instead.
I bought it from her, did the timing belt service (apparently 9,000 miles overdue for an automatic Passat) which included the new water pump it needed, and quickly discovered more problems that she apparently was oblivious to somehow, any one of which will take me from an investment of low trade-in value to far above clean dealer retail value invested into it just to get it operating well enough that I won't be too nervous to make my 50 mile each way work commute in this B5.5 Passat wagon.
When my Passat decides to cooperate well enough to run errands in it's a nice smooth quiet and fun vehicle to drive. Unfortunately, I never know what surprises I'm in for whenever I try to drive my Passat and of course they're never good surprises.
As much as I really like the nicer looking body styling and quieter and smoother ride and far more spacious interior of my Passat wagon over my Jetta wagon I trust my Jetta, it does what I expect, and it rarely complains about anything at all. My Passat is its' polar opposite.

If it will be your sole means of transportation and you don't have the budget, time, knowledge, and skills to work on your own vehicle and/or you don't know a really good german vehicle repair shop then please do not be tempted by the often low prices for buying any version of a used B5 or B5.5 Passat even if the current owner claims it's awesome and that they're driving it every day. If it's so awesome they wouldn't be selling it.

I don't hate these Passats. I'm just very disappointed in them and I'm astonished by reading things like "it's a great car" and "greatest example of german engineering ever" (unless maybe that's actually sarcasm? if not, it should be!) because there's an entire forum dedicated to the Passat and according to most of its' members my personal experience and frustration with my B5.5 Passat thus far is completely normal and my disappointment is entirely justified.

You have been warned...

Wow, you need to sell the Passat before all that hate eats you up. Obviously I am doing something wrong. Mine has been one of my most reliable cars. I would not hesitate to jump in either of my 2004 Passat TDI (334k miles) OR Passat 1.8t (88k miles) and drive to California. I guess I am just too ignorant to know any better and should join a group of disgruntled Passat owners. I prefer to enjoy my Passats. You can find similar sites for Jettas with bitter/angry owners too. As well as Hondas, Toyotas, etc

I had a 2000 Sienna that had a transmission go bad at 80k. My 2005 Tundra had a rear main seal leak at 15k. It currently has 155k and the driveshaft has a vibration (common on Tundras). I didn't hate either car, but the point is all cars have their weaknesses.

Your advice on looking at an AllRoad is very humorous. Anyone that thinks an AllRoad is better on maintenance and/or has fewer problems, shouldn't own a German car. I have owned several AllRoads and they have their share of issues too. Just more expensive

Again, you need to sell the Passat before you pop a blood vessel.

zukikat said:

Blah Blah Blah

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So you bought a poorly maintained gas car, and are using that as your basis for how terrible a Passat is, just to go on and complain about it on a TDI specific forum.......you might wanna double check your logic there bud lmfao!

I honestly have to say I love to drive my 2005 Passat. But........ it has been the most expensive car i have ever owned. It has cost me more in repairs that all cars i have ever owned (45 years). The balance shaft is a ticking time bomb. I did mine preventively shortly after my purchase the car 2000$. At 135K transmission went 3600$ (rebuild), At 155K torque converter failed 1200$, At 192K transmission failed again. I converted to a manual transmission 3000$. I have not done the camshaft yet but at 220K my timing belt is up i will perform the inspection then. I hope it will make it to 300K now or else it will go to the junk yard.
If i were to buy one i would be looking for one that at least the BSM upgrade done, or priced low enough to make it worth your while doing it. The transmission will fail its almost a guaranteed. I am sorry i did not convert mine to a MT the first time the tiptronic failed.
But as i said it a love hate relationship.

Note: I perform the maintenance and the repairs, dealer prices would be much higher

zukikat said:

....and quickly discovered more problems that she apparently was oblivious to somehow, any one of which will take me from an investment of low trade-in value to far above clean dealer retail value invested into it just to get it operating well enough that I won't be too nervous to make my 50 mile each way work commute in this B5.5 Passat wagon

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Who was the oblivious one? She sold the car...You bought it, LOL

My ‘05 Passat still runs, drives, handles like new and has been trouble free. Never had a CEL since new. Anvil reliability. I have done a preventative BSM delete and serviced the transmission at 61k miles. Now at 71k miles. I maintain it well, change oil every 5,00 miles. Love the torque and fuel economy. The paint and interior materials have held up well. Still on the original shocks, brakes. I have driven several W123 and W126 chassis Mercedes recently (diesel and gas) and their ride, acceleration and handling are much worse than my car.

Cons: the power door locks are goofy in colder weather. That’s about it.

Bombarded by Passat fans as expected...
But it's not just me. His second sentence and all that follows in his response says it all...

simonbee said:

I honestly have to say I love to drive my 2005 Passat. But........ it has been the most expensive car i have ever owned. It has cost me more in repairs that all cars i have ever owned (45 years). The balance shaft is a ticking time bomb. I did mine preventively shortly after my purchase the car 2000$. At 135K transmission went 3600$ (rebuild), At 155K torque converter failed 1200$, At 192K transmission failed again. I converted to a manual transmission 3000$. I have not done the camshaft yet but at 220K my timing belt is up i will perform the inspection then. I hope it will make it to 300K now or else it will go to the junk yard.
If i were to buy one i would be looking for one that at least the BSM upgrade done, or priced low enough to make it worth your while doing it. The transmission will fail its almost a guaranteed. I am sorry i did not convert mine to a MT the first time the tiptronic failed.
But as i said it a love hate relationship.
Note: I perform the maintenance and the repairs, dealer prices would be much higher

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I couldn't agree more. I do actually enjoy driving my Passat wagon... when it's not broken again...

So it's not just my Passat that has some pretty significant issues.
If you buy a manual TDI Passat or an automatic and do a MT swap AND somewhere along the way you deal with the BSM before it has a chance to fail and destroy your TDI engine your chances of less Passat chaos improve significantly but there are so many far better and lest costly options for reliable transportation than that.

johnboy00 said:

Who was the oblivious one? She sold the car...You bought it, LOL

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LOL, you're absolutely right. She was the smart one and I'm the oblivious idiot for buying a Passat.

d0u8l3m said:

So you bought a poorly maintained gas car, and are using that as your basis for how terrible a Passat is, just to go on and complain about it on a TDI specific forum.......you might wanna double check your logic there bud lmfao!

Click to expand...

Aside from missing its' timing belt service interval by a few thousand miles the original owner took this Passat wagon to the dealer for every service interval including oil changes until the warranty expired before switching to a popular local german auto shop for the routine maintenance and repairs it has needed since then and they didn't tell her she'd missed the timing belt interval. (and yes I'm sure it's listed in the owners' manual somewhere...)

So in buying a Passat apparently I made 2 big mistakes. I bought an automatic Passat that's also a 1.8T gas Passat as opposed to a MT TDI Passat which apparently isn't anywhere near as terrible as the gassers.

I also find it perplexing that having an engine partially taken apart to resolve the BSM problem and converting the vehicle from an automatic to a manual transmission (or buying a MT vehicle from the start) are perfectly fine, totally acceptable procedures for deeming a vehicle reliable. Imagine if VW had acknowledged those issues and done both of those things at the factory at some point along the way instead of knowingly continuing to produce these vehicles with those pretty significant issues and leaving the costly expenses of dealing with them for the vehicle owners to suffer through...

Again, as stated, I don't hate my Passat!
I'm just extremely disappointed and frustrated with it and based on so many things I wouldn't ever recommend one to a friend in need of a reliable and cost effective means of transportation.

First, You keep saying the timing belt was changed 8000 miles late. Like that is a nig negative strike against the car. Plus I always change my belt at 100k intervals. Gas or TDI. I must be a bad owner.

Second, you are obviously disappointed with the car. Why don't you sell it and stop whining about it? I would not keep a car I didn't think was reliable. Or those "few of us that are happy" with our cars could all send a participation trophy if it would help you feel better about your purchase.

Since the general concensus seems to be that I should get rid of my B5.5 Passat wagon, does anyone wanna trade this clean low mileage indigo blue on flannel grey 2003 Tiptronic 1.8T Passat wagon with cold AC that's had a recent timing belt service (dayco belt, geba/hepu water pump), new genuine VW condensor fan, and a big new battery for their highway worthy (running/drivable) manual TDI Passat wagon, or maybe a running manual ALH Mk4 Jetta?

I never said the late timing belt change was a negative strike against the car. In fact, I'll totally agree with you that it's not the car's fault whatsoever that its' original owner missed that recommended service interval.

Although in fact now that you mention it you couldn't have waited until your preferred 100k mile service interval to do a timing belt service for this Passat so I guess in a way it could actually be considered a big negative against this Passat after all. (kidding!!!)
Well, technically it probably could've waited if you really wanted to pinch some pennies and I know there are some cheap owners and shady used car dealers who would actually choose that option but it would've been a foolish decision since it's ultimately more costly in time and/or money in the long run to go that route considering the timing belt has to come off to replace the failed water pump anyway and the amount of labor to do that job twice within 12,000 miles would've been senseless unless their car is only getting fixed as cheap as possible just to be sold by a not so ethical owner.

If you wait until 100k on an interference engine that has a lower factory recommended timing belt service interval for whatever reason and you haven't suffered through bent valves or worse yet then you're a lucky gambler.

There have been some Mk5 and Mk6 VW automatic gassers that didn't even make it to their recommended timing belt intervals before having either a water pump failure or actual bent valves from belt slippage or worse.

In mentioning the mileage this Passat had on it when the water pump failed I was merely stating that the factory water pump happened to fail with just under 89,000 miles on the car to acknowledge the fact that this particular vehicle was apparently several thousand miles beyond the recommended timing belt interval for an automatic Passat, and at the time when I bought this Passat I was actually surprised that the water pump had failed so soon (well under 100k miles!), especially since this vehicle does appear to be running what looks like the correct engine coolant, but I was also very relieved that it happened to fail because its' failure made her stop driving the car before a looming timing belt failure could occur.

By the time your 2004 was made it's my understanding that 100k miles had pretty much become the factory recommended timing belt interval for numerous manual transmission VW models but the automatic version of a same model was often either 80k or 85k miles for some reason and ignoring it until 100k is a roll of the dice.
This particular VW automatic car, for example, most likely would not have survived to 100k miles for various reasons if the water pump hadn't failed and the owner hadn't heeded the big red STOP warning message that appeared on her MFD instrument cluster when the coolant reservoir went empty.

As for others referring to this Passat's missed timing belt service interval as indication of a poorly maintained car, my previous Mk4 Jetta that an 18-wheeler destroyed in 2014 had been completely rode hard and put up wet for its' first 10 years of existence by the original owner before I bought it including several at-fault front collisions she caused and it appeared to be in far worse mechanical, electrical, and cosmetic condition inside and outside when I bought it (as-is NOT running with just 138,000 miles and good timing belt on a TDI manual Mk4 Jetta!) than this super-clean and far lower mileage Passat wagon seemed to be and yet this dealer maintained and garage kept Passat wagon has turned out to be far more demanding, problematic, and expensive in a number of ways with far fewer miles on it than that Jetta was including at least 2 class action lawsuits by owners that were won against VW for major problems with this generation and model of Passat, neither of which the original owner was aware of at all and the time window for having those problems corrected by VW has long since closed.

My current Jetta wagon is my third Mk4 TDI Jetta, all of my Jettas were bought used with well over 100k miles on them (and beyond) and in varying states of very good to rough condition, and so far none of them have been anywhere near as clean, pretty, or frustrating as this low mileage Passat.

BUT when it's not broken as I have said several times so far, and others have also said, I actually do enjoy driving the Passat.

Based on personal experiences so far with Mk4 TDI Golf/Jetta, Mk4 1.8T Jetta, and this 1.8T B5.5 Passat I love the size and comfort and ride of the Passat over the G/J but so far the number of Passat gremlins I've experienced and read about has left me disappointed in more ways than the Passat has excited me thus far.

I have zero interest in swapping this Passat to a manual transmission, it's just not that great of a vehicle for me to feel motivated to put that much time and money into although that would certainly solve any of the tiptronic gremlins it's currently having.
If it was fully loaded with all the gasser bells and whistles and stuff like climatronic and 4-motion I'd be slightly more motivated to pour even more time and money into it but sadly my TDI Jetta is actually better equipped than this particular Passat which only adds to my overall disappointment.
When I decided to buy this Passat wagon I was really looking forward to having more interior space and more cargo room and most definitely looking forward to having more than my Jetta's 90hp and especially liked the idea of still having a 5-speed but not having to manually shift anymore, and all it supposedly needed was a water pump...

I've un-buried the transmission ECM from under the passenger seat and was pleasantly surprised to find that its' water tight box was completely dry inside so I'm contemplating having the filter changed and the fluid flushed to see if that would solve the automatic's gremlins but between the fluid cost and labor I'm being quoted $500.00 to have that done and I'm not currently all that eager to throw another $500.00 at the Passat...

I have found through many years of used car ownership it is MUCH better to focus on the past ownership than low miles!

My present 2004 BHW was bought from the 1st lady owner with 145k miles but garaged, dealer maintained with records and looked, drove like brand new. I'm an over cautious nut about preventative maintenance and would have no worries about a coast to coast drive. At 230k it is a reliable, beautiful and a joy to drive. Oil changes done religiously every 10k and NO cam wear @230k, 35 mpg mixed driving and 40-45 mpg+ freeway.

I was new to diesel with the common hesitations. No issues now what so ever. GREAT MPG, all the turbo'd power I need, comfortable ride, lots of room. With a good history and a few upgrades you WILL love the Passat TDI. Even fun to roll coal occasionally on the Prius behind you on a hill climb

The trans oil pump chain to gear drive conversion, and proper 100k trans service IS a must

FACTORY timing belt/pulley/water pump @ every 100k

PROPER spec oil changes every 10k... no more, no less

usual non deferred maint. keep up like coolant, wipers, brakes etc...

2. Transmission. The ZF box fails. Somewhere between 200-300k, it will need replacement. Swapping in a stick from a euro vendor is probably cheaper or you can source your own parts locally (v6 standard shifts' ratios aren't so bad)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Any west coast specialist anyone can recommend that does these swaps?

So yes I would definitely replace the TB at 88k miles if I was replacing the water pump. However as for the 80k replacement interval, most all of the TB's which broke were well past 100k. Out of the 100's of TB I have replaced and many broken timing belts I have repaired heads on, none were because the timing belt broke on it's own. In order of what takes out the timing belt is 1) water pump locking up, 2) adjustable roller, 3) hydraulic tensioner (on 1.8t and 2.8), 4) idler roller.

This includes all 1.8t's whether they are in a Passat, Golf, Jetta or Audi.

So to me 100k is not a gamble at all.

These cars are great if you know how to fix them yourself.