The "What the Passat is lacking at 32K" thread.

TDICT

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One word "QUALITY":(

Only reason I bought the car is this is the only choice we have in affordable diesel. But in today's day and age QUALITY is not too much to ask.

Hopefully VW will work out all the bugs and 2012 Passat TDI will be the best car made by VW to date.
WHAT BUGS? I don't have any "Bugs" What "Bugs" have you found.
 

Texas Realtor

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WHAT BUGS? I don't have any "Bugs" What "Bugs" have you found.
Look at my post titled Passat issues. I am not rooting for this car to be an unsuccessful though, I bought one and I would like for this care to be the best one.

My major bugs so far is the rattles. I have two. One in the dash or front and one in the rear.
 

TDICT

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Look at my post titled Passat issues. I am not rooting for this car to be an unsuccessful though, I bought one and I would like for this care to be the best one.

My major bugs so far is the rattles. I have two. One in the dash or front and one in the rear.
Did you take the car to the dealer to let them find the problem ? I would think your problem is an isolated issue. I have 3,000 + miles on my TDI SEL and no issues at all. Same with my last VW, 2009 TDI JSW, tail light and head light bulbs only in 82k miles and almost 3 years.
 

ScottW

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Maybe I missed the post, but the expected longevity of a diesel engine over gasoline is important to some who plan on racking up many miles.

Also, my sister has a S80 T6 and is not happy about the new transmission needed at 72K along with the other expensive items needing replaced along the way. She eats brake pads as well. My 2005 Passat wagon with 130K was still on the original brake pads showing 50% wear.

It would be interesting to compare the ownership cost of the new Passat TDI after logging 175K miles verse the hybrids with same miles? I'd bet the resale would be better on the Passat as many are concerned about purchasing a used hybrid with say 80K miles on the odometer.
 

740GLE

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Is volvo still doing "life time fluid" in their tranys? My the Asin in my old 960 was the weak spot and enjoyed good fluid flush every so often.

BTW the DSG far from perfect.
 

HeliTec

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Agree with TDICT

Have to agree that the Passat TDI is a nice package for the money. Picked up mine this week and first tank is 40+MPG average out of the blocks.
 

Dismayed

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I disagree with the OP. The Passat SEL-Premium TDI is an excellent value. What other car can carry my 6' 4" tall 15 year-old son in comfort in the back seat? And to show my sincerity, I voted with my wallet. The deposit is down, so now I just wait for my car to be delivered.
 

Dismayed

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well we wanted a new mid luxury car this summer and looked hard at the market. we knew the Passat 2012 was coming. We wanted....power/torque, automatic, looks, and the "right" size and a stunning original interior and a massively strong and safe car that was not decontented and was not flashy (bimmer and benz were never considered). Diesel was not as critical as it was on the 11 golf....and it had to be FWD(4 snows) because honestly when you are a skier and you want to get to the mountain RWD wont cut it and 4WD feels heavy. We love our new 250HP/266ft/lb 2012 S60 T5 Premium pack with City safety and 18" wheels and the mileage is surprising for a non diesel. Why ? Sorry guys but the Passat is just plain ugly IMHO. I dont think I will ever wrap my head around it and it does not have the interior or perfect packaging of the Volvo...The dollars are very close and in the states you get FREE maintenance for 4 years...and they threw in a trip to Europe...and we have a 12 yr warranty on the body as well and the best seats ever designed for the human body.....all this to say...It aint gonna be easy for the new Passat.....the market is chock full of great product....but I get it....it aint a diesel. !
Good luck with the Volvo. We dumped my wife's V70 - it need tie rods and ball joints at bot 22,000 and at 32,000 miles. Inexcusable. My Saab went 90,000 miles on the same roads before it needed front-end work.

I hope you don't plan to carry people in the back seat of that S60. I test-drove one and my 6 year-old son complained about the lack of space! Ugly car, too, that Volvo.
 

tdi90hp

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Good luck with the Volvo. We dumped my wife's V70 - it need tie rods and ball joints at bot 22,000 and at 32,000 miles. Inexcusable. My Saab went 90,000 miles on the same roads before it needed front-end work.

I hope you don't plan to carry people in the back seat of that S60. I test-drove one and my 6 year-old son complained about the lack of space! Ugly car, too, that Volvo.
ooooo but that passat is sooooooooo beautiful and artfully styled.....onre of the best designs of the year for sure.....just blows all the mid lux cars outta the watter.....almost as pretty as an......IMPALA.....and oh...by the way....i drive in the front seat of my S60....and from my viewpoint it eats the Passat alive....Each one has his own opinion.
 

gergg

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ooooo but that passat is sooooooooo beautiful and artfully styled.....onre of the best designs of the year for sure.....just blows all the mid lux cars outta the watter.....almost as pretty as an......IMPALA.....and oh...by the way....i drive in the front seat of my S60....and from my viewpoint it eats the Passat alive....Each one has his own opinion
.
To each his own! No need to defend your choice, quite frankly none of them are perfect, you should drive the one that makes YOU happy.
 

TDICT

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ooooo but that passat is sooooooooo beautiful and artfully styled.....onre of the best designs of the year for sure.....just blows all the mid lux cars outta the watter.....almost as pretty as an......IMPALA.....and oh...by the way....i drive in the front seat of my S60....and from my viewpoint it eats the Passat alive....Each one has his own opinion.
Looks like all of us 2012 Passat owners are still being out paced by the Volvo S-60 good looks and out standing value. I've got a feeling that you driving an S-60 is more a choice of you wife (significant Other) than that of a VW driver, but thats just a guess. It is just not a "Car Guy's" got to have car, IMHO.

If you are the only one driving the car way not a WV CC. No question, in my mind, that it is one of the best looking cars in that class out there.
 

TDICT

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Wish my 2012 Passat SEL had the 120v. outlet that is standard in the 09-10 Jetta TDI.
I felt the same way at first. I travel for business so having the ability to recharge/run my laptop and charge camera batteries is important to me.
I purchased an Inverter from Bass Pro Shops that is round like a soda can. It fits in the front cup holder. Works better for me because I can monitor the charge or change chargers with out getting out of the car and going into the back seat. Also can travel with it to be used in other cars and rental cars. The cost was about $30.00
Just a thought.
 

Dismayed

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ooooo but that passat is sooooooooo beautiful and artfully styled.....onre of the best designs of the year for sure.....just blows all the mid lux cars outta the watter.....almost as pretty as an......IMPALA.....and oh...by the way....i drive in the front seat of my S60....and from my viewpoint it eats the Passat alive....Each one has his own opinion.
I always thought of the S60 as a chick car;) And, yes, I drive from the front seat, too. But I do have to carry about a 6'4" tall 15 year-old. If I had an S60, his knees would be in the front seat with me.

Better save up for the suspension parts that you'll need once your S60 is off warranty. Volvo covered the tie rod and ball joint replacement in my wife's V70 at 22k, but I got stuck with the full amount at 32k.

I hope that you enjoy your car, and I hope that you have better luck with your S60 than we had with our V70.
 
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tdi90hp

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Looks like all of us 2012 Passat owners are still being out paced by the Volvo S-60 good looks and out standing value. I've got a feeling that you driving an S-60 is more a choice of you wife (significant Other) than that of a VW driver, but thats just a guess. It is just not a "Car Guy's" got to have car, IMHO.

If you are the only one driving the car way not a WV CC. No question, in my mind, that it is one of the best looking cars in that class out there.

More wife than me for sure. gotta tell ya though that it's a strong performer and the interior is borderline spectacular... easily trumping the CC and strong safety record with a free trip to Europe that we did not have to pay for....It's definitely her car though. I drive my Golf 6 speed as you said.... and my Camaro SS in summer on nice days....I stand by what I said though that the 12 Passat design boys blew it. Blew it badly. It's a hot seller now but does not(IMHO) have the style to pull sales say 2-3 years down the road as so many nice designs have hit the street in the past 2 years and many more are coming....(13 Malibu, 13 Accord, 13 Fusion looks good etc....and many many more)...
 

tdi90hp

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I always thought of the S60 as a chick car. And, yes, I drive from the front seat, too. But I do have to carry about a 6'4" tall 15 year-old. If I had an S60, his knees would be in the front seat with me.

Better save up for the suspension parts that you'll need once your S60 is off warranty. Volvo covered the replacement in my wife's V70 at 22k, but I got stuck with the full amount at 32k.

I hope that you enjoy your car, and I hope that you have better luck with your S60 than we had with our V70.
You are right....that generation of Volvos had weak front ends.....but in general strong performers, engines(the inline 5 cylinder and turbo on those cars is proven and tough).... and mechanicals....I did some front end work and normal other maintenance (one expensive brake booster at 10 years which kinda upset me but hey....10 years...) but she plowed through 11 winters and still got 5000 bucks for her 11 years later which is no more than I would have gotten for a 2001 3 Series or Passat or any other mid level luxury car.... Never had a major issue. all electrics and major mechanicals stayed sound ....and like VWs their steel is strong and just plainly does not rust at all. Wife refused the BMW, MB thing and I cant blame her. In west end Toronto every little succesfull girl drive an automatic 320-325i. They are more common than a Chevy Cruze or Toyota camry. One other thing that was really cool was spending an hour at the Volvo safety center in Sweden this past August. We got a personnal tour as it was quiet day and the scope of their safety research is in another world. they live it and breathe it....I wont bore you with all the details but it is just an intense part of the "volvo" thing so that is the deal.
 

TDICT

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I kind of figured you were pulling the wagon but not steering it. I understand. When it came time to get a new car for my wife I wanted the CC, too small for her, next was on my list was the Audi A-4 but the extra luxury look of the MB got her attention. She drives it, complains the trunk and glove compartment is too small but for me it was a major victory getting her out of her beloved Lincoln Continental.

In my eyes (not important to any one but me) you have redeemed yourself by fessing up. Hope your wife enjoys her Volvo. Oh, by the way, the trip was not free. If Volvo could have sold the car with out that perk they would have done it. Sometimes you need to bribe the consumer.
 

Dismayed

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You are right....that generation of Volvos had weak front ends.....but in general strong performers, engines(the inline 5 cylinder and turbo on those cars is proven and tough).... and mechanicals....I did some front end work and normal other maintenance (one expensive brake booster at 10 years which kinda upset me but hey....10 years...) but she plowed through 11 winters and still got 5000 bucks for her 11 years later which is no more than I would have gotten for a 2001 3 Series or Passat or any other mid level luxury car.... Never had a major issue. all electrics and major mechanicals stayed sound ....and like VWs their steel is strong and just plainly does not rust at all. Wife refused the BMW, MB thing and I cant blame her. In west end Toronto every little succesfull girl drive an automatic 320-325i. They are more common than a Chevy Cruze or Toyota camry. One other thing that was really cool was spending an hour at the Volvo safety center in Sweden this past August. We got a personnal tour as it was quiet day and the scope of their safety research is in another world. they live it and breathe it....I wont bore you with all the details but it is just an intense part of the "volvo" thing so that is the deal.
Everyone has different needs. I absolutely must have a spacious back seat because my older son is so blasted tall. So, for me, the Passat is perfect. There aren't many cars at the $30k price point that will comfortably seat my wife, our two sons, and me. We could even fit the dog in the back center in a pinch, but it's more likely that we'll haul him around in my Saab wagon.

Good luck with your S60. It is a solid car. My sister had one that was totaled. She was rear ended while waiting to exit on a freeway off ramp. The impact was so hard that the rear doors couldn't be opened. She was injured, but she did recover without surgery, in large part because of Volvo's seat design.
 

tdi90hp

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I kind of figured you were pulling the wagon but not steering it. I understand. When it came time to get a new car for my wife I wanted the CC, too small for her, next was on my list was the Audi A-4 but the extra luxury look of the MB got her attention. She drives it, complains the trunk and glove compartment is too small but for me it was a major victory getting her out of her beloved Lincoln Continental.

In my eyes (not important to any one but me) you have redeemed yourself by fessing up. Hope your wife enjoys her Volvo. Oh, by the way, the trip was not free. If Volvo could have sold the car with out that perk they would have done it. Sometimes you need to bribe the consumer.
Agreed. But i was going anyways so I would have spent the cash on the tickets, one luxurious night in europe and a nicer car than I would have rented to drive in Europe for 3 weeks and free insurance. That was worth close to 6K to me....She does like it and I like the manushift cause the car is bloody quick using that . I know immediate resale first 3-5 years) is typically a bit weaker than 3s and C's and A4's but surprisingly not that much and a comparable 328i rear drive loaded would have been nearly 50K in Canada with less HP. the S60 netted us 35K if you factor in...... I would have paid for the trip anyways.... (car was 41K). lastly as stated before in 10 years...they all sell for within a thousand or 2....
 

abctdi

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Still, it's kind of strange all this non-vw talk in a vw forum.
Don't other makes have their own forums?
I've never seen this before in all the years, so something is up here...
 

williamgd2

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Some people don"t need to open the hood they just have the dealer do everything.I would love to be able to do that but I think it would be a big waist of money,I don't trust the dealer and there is alot of things I can do better than even the dealer can.And I like doing alot of it.
 

cookin50

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2012 B7 manual SEL?

Am I to understand that the Canadian version of the 2012 has additional options than the "plain Jane" version offered in good old USA. I have been promised additional equiptment options on the 6MT, but so far the basic SE is all that is avaiable. Can we import SEL's with 6MT's from Canada Mr. VWoA? But why should we have to?
 

Derik

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I had a FJ cruiser and traded it for a 2012 SE Passat. Was the 4x4 cooler looking?? maybe but who cares at 16mpg.

In this economy I doubt if too many Passat owners are buying because of the Wow factor of it's looks.

It's not bad looking and much better than anything in my opinion looks wise out Japan.
I certainly don't think VW blew it in making a large mid size car that kicks every other cars butt in MPG. VW will sell tons of them this year next year and 4-5 years from now unless gas prices really go south. Doubtful.
 

MyAvocation

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Am I to understand that the Canadian version of the 2012 has additional options than the "plain Jane" version offered in good old USA. I have been promised additional equiptment options on the 6MT, but so far the basic SE is all that is avaiable. Can we import SEL's with 6MT's from Canada Mr. VWoA? But why should we have to?
Yes, they can get a Highline SEL with 6MT... and a plug in coolant heater to boot. But... they're paying through the nose compared to the US, then socked with huge sales taxes -- so no complaints from me.
 
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tdi90hp

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and and some high prices.....including taxes for a stick highline 39,891 dollars. NO nav. NO sport pack. yep....expensive way to save fuel.....
 
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