Getting back into TDI's - Used Passat help!

All,

I used to have an 01 Jetta TDI and loved it. I currently have an 06 Civic and I was given permission to go car shopping again and I am really interested in an NMS Passat TDI.
Today I went and looked at a 2013 Passat TDI Highline with 147000Kms(I am in Canada).

The car had normal wear and tear but the owner gave me a laundry list of items that have been fixed/replaced. Most seem to be normal (as in known problems for the Passat) but I wanted to get an opinion on whether all the fixes are a good thing in terms of the car being ready to go for the long haul. I plan on driving this until it dies,hopefully 350K plus.

-Turbo replaced
-DSG Transmission 'brain' replaced
-Water pump at 14K0(timing belt done at same time)
-Clock spring replaced
-Ad blue tank(system?) replaced

I did notice that it took forever to defrost the front window(-8C). Heater core pooched?

What are your thoughts?

Appreciate the help and looking fwd to getting back into a TDI.

Michael

mikeyb10461 said:

I did notice that it took forever to defrost the front window(-8C). Heater core pooched?

Click to expand...

During the test drive did you notice how the cabin heat (dash vents and/or floor) worked? A clogged heater core will blow cold air - might be warm for a minute or so but that is due to the electric heater working at first before the regular (coolant) heater takes over when it is up to normal operating temperature. IIRC the cold air starts on the passenger side and in time the driver's side will be cold as well.

Had to get the heater core replaced under warranty on my now gone 2014 Passat TDI. It worked fine going to see a friend but on way back wasn't any good all of a sudden. Was one of the coldest road trips I've ever taken far as cabin comfort level goes - luckily it was only a 2.5 hour run so I managed.

Can you find out if heater core has been replaced or not? If it's still the OEM one good chance it will be covered under warranty. If it's been replaced already it still might be covered under warranty - a few members here have had to replace their NMS heater twice already and VW honored the warranty for them so you may be covered here anyway if it is bad.

Thanks for the information. I will check it out when I go back. The car was sitting there idling when I got there so if the heater core even worked a bit,it would be warm.

Otherwise,
With all the parts replaced l,should this car be good to go for a while?

I forgot to add in last week's -24 F (-31 C) frigid temps the defroster on my 2015 Passat TDI worked fine to keep the windshield clear. Basically had to leave defroster on to keep glass from fogging up. Car lives in a garage overnight so no frost to remove.

I had a 2002 Jetta TDI (same as your 2001) and the Passat NMS TDI will not put the heat out like the Jetta did. That said the Passat once warmed up to normal operating temp will not drop sitting in traffic like the Jetta would on the coldest days. Don't get me wrong, the Passat's heat is fine but it just seems to "feel colder". Just the way the air circulates inside plus it is a bigger interior to heat up.

Most of these NMS Passats haven't really racked up the miles yet so no idea on if all those parts that got replaced are normal or not. My 2014 had 88,000 miles (141,622 km) when I turned it in to VW and other than the heater core nothing was replaced - ran 100% for what that is worth.

How does the asking price of this 2013 compare to a 2015 CPO at a dealer? The 2015 CPO has an extended factory warranty (at no extra cost) which is well worth it if anything goes wrong. Not sure if you Canadians have the same extended warranty we have in the USA but something to consider if it does. In the USA a 2015 CPO TDI is covered until it reaches 162,000 miles (260,714 km) which is very generous.

Now if this 2013 is truly a deal with a low price and has been well maintained should be worth buying. Hope my opinions/advice help you make a decision!

Hi.

Thanks for the feedback, the dealer prices are still quite high.

I went for it and I will be picking the car up Monday or Tuesday night as the owner is getting it safetied for me.

I am going to take the risk on the heater core and will replace it myself if things go sour.