2014 Passat tdi pros and cons ?

McleanBRM17

Member
Joined
May 3, 2017
Location
Missouri
TDI
06 Volkswagen Jetta Brm, 02 Jetta ALH
I am looking at buying a 2014 Passat tdi with the dsg. 64000 miles. In great shape. What issues should I expect ? Pretty solid cars ? I am used to the older Alh and brm platforms. I drive a Alh daily currently and looking to upgrade to something a little more modern. I drive around 600 miles a week. Not sure how solid the newer ones are. I have read some mixed reviews.
 

Tom in PT

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 7, 2017
Location
Twilight Zone, WA State
TDI
2005 Passat sedan - SOLD; 2013 Passat DSG; both purchased new
Sit back and read all the threads on here about AdBlue or emissions related problems, heater core failures, the endless recalls, injector issues and so on. I have owned 4 different VWs since 2002, all bought new, and my impression is that the 2013 which I own is the one I have been most dissatisfied with, and feel that the bugs were not worked out before the product was released, even though it is the most fuel efficient and feels the quickest from 0-60 and drives well at 70 mph +. It has its plusses, but the minuses cannot be ignored.

Forum members will chime in and say what a great car they have, they are at 200K miles + with no issues, etc. What you really want is the statistics for ownership problems from lots (thousands) of owners over a long period of time, not just an anecdote from me or someone else. The last time I checked Consumer Reports verdicts on the Passats of this era they were mixed at best. If I were you I would check that out.

The other thing to note is that the dieselgate warranty will expire for that car in a few years, if the fix was done. Investigate that warranty and its expiration date. Are you prepared for the pricey repairs that will be needed when the warranty expires?

Edit- I just checked out the CR 2019 Buying Guide and yep, the -13 and -14 Passats are on the "Used Cars to Avoid" list, presumably because both have the lowest possible, "much worse than average", frequency of repair verdict based on lots of real world data.
 
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rmilchman

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 9, 2014
Location
Robbinsville, NJ
TDI
2014 Passat TDI SEL
I have a '14 with 98K on it. While I really like the car, it has had its problems. Last year it had all injectors replaced, water pump failed at 90K and of course it had the diesel "fix". After reading a lot of threads I plan on getting rid of it before my extended warranty expires (2024 / 124K miles). Some of the expenses some people have posted is enough to make me cringe. My personal opinion is that the fix is causing these vehicles to have premature mechanical failures.
 

06bluebeetletdi

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 30, 2012
Location
Middlesex, NC
TDI
'14 Passat TDI SEL and '13 Beetle TDI
I have a ‘14 with 91,000 miles. Plus side: i love the car and how it drives, its more fun and a smoother ride than my tdi bug (‘13 with 95,000 miles). Repair wise: passat: 3 door latches, 2 heater cores, water pump and seals around the injectors, front pads and rotors after warping the rotors at 72,000 miles (im doing my own tire rotations know so i now the torque is correct and evenly applied); bug: dpf (failed at a sensor and dumped soot in the engine bay), ac controls, frozen intercooler twice (once with the cold weather kit, it had to be towed twice), a sensor and i have black tail pipes (just waiting on the dpf codes, 1st dpf didn’t cause soot at the tail pipes). The passat usually beats the bug by 3-6 mpg on every tank depending on weather. The passat was owned by the company i work for, so i know its entire history, i’ve had it 3 years / 41,000 miles (heater core, water pump, injector seals and brakes); the bug 6 years, 86,000 miles so I’ve done everything to it except the 10,000 mile service. If i had it to over again, id get the passat sooner and might skip the bug.
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
I like the Passat. My son has a '15 that we bought post buyback that so far has been trouble free, although because of current circumstances he's driving it less than he expected. I had a '12 Golf which I sold (pre-dieselgate), and now have a '15 Golf Sportwagen. Both cars have been trouble free, although in fairness neither was driven far. (the '12 had 30K on it when I sold it, and the '15 has only 14K on it now).

Why low miles? Because the truth is I'd rather drive my ALHs (I have two) than the newer car. My '02 Wagon is now at 419K miles, and I wouldn't hesitate to drive it anywhere. I find it comfortable enough, and it cranks out 750-800 mile tank ranges, tank after tank. The ALHs are hard to beat. You might want to consider investing in making yours 100% instead of replacing it.
 

McleanBRM17

Member
Joined
May 3, 2017
Location
Missouri
TDI
06 Volkswagen Jetta Brm, 02 Jetta ALH
I like the Passat. My son has a '15 that we bought post buyback that so far has been trouble free, although because of current circumstances he's driving it less than he expected. I had a '12 Golf which I sold (pre-dieselgate), and now have a '15 Golf Sportwagen. Both cars have been trouble free, although in fairness neither was driven far. (the '12 had 30K on it when I sold it, and the '15 has only 14K on it now).

Why low miles? Because the truth is I'd rather drive my ALHs (I have two) than the newer car. My '02 Wagon is now at 419K miles, and I wouldn't hesitate to drive it anywhere. I find it comfortable enough, and it cranks out 750-800 mile tank ranges, tank after tank. The ALHs are hard to beat. You might want to consider investing in making yours 100% instead of replacing it.
I completely understand. The Alh platform is extremely trustworthy and great on fuel. I was thinking something newer and with more room since I drive a 2000 beetle. I’m not a big beetle fan and never thought I would own one, but it was really cheap and has been a good car that has saved me a lot of money in fuel. I test drove a Passat, which was probably a mistake because it had way more room, way nicer and nice and quiet. All the emissions scare me however and all the other repairs people have had trouble with at lower mileage.
 

McleanBRM17

Member
Joined
May 3, 2017
Location
Missouri
TDI
06 Volkswagen Jetta Brm, 02 Jetta ALH
I have a ‘14 with 91,000 miles. Plus side: i love the car and how it drives, its more fun and a smoother ride than my tdi bug (‘13 with 95,000 miles). Repair wise: passat: 3 door latches, 2 heater cores, water pump and seals around the injectors, front pads and rotors after warping the rotors at 72,000 miles (im doing my own tire rotations know so i now the torque is correct and evenly applied); bug: dpf (failed at a sensor and dumped soot in the engine bay), ac controls, frozen intercooler twice (once with the cold weather kit, it had to be towed twice), a sensor and i have black tail pipes (just waiting on the dpf codes, 1st dpf didn’t cause soot at the tail pipes). The passat usually beats the bug by 3-6 mpg on every tank depending on weather. The passat was owned by the company i work for, so i know its entire history, i’ve had it 3 years / 41,000 miles (heater core, water pump, injector seals and brakes); the bug 6 years, 86,000 miles so I’ve done everything to it except the 10,000 mile service. If i had it to over again, id get the passat sooner and might skip the bug.
What kind of mileage do you see out of the Passat ?
 

06bluebeetletdi

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 30, 2012
Location
Middlesex, NC
TDI
'14 Passat TDI SEL and '13 Beetle TDI
Winter - north carolina - 34-38 mpg. Rest of the year 40-42. I drive 65 miles a day round trip - 90% at 70 mph
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
Pros:

Roomy, comfortable, great highway cruiser, fantastic fuel economy, even more astounding considering its size. Not a fan of automatics, but the DSGs work well and are well matched to the CR TDIs and they have proven to be pretty durable.

Cons:

The NMS is an American car, and with that comes the general "cheapness" of many of its components. It reminds me more of a 10 year old Impala than it does a modern Volkswagen. The price reflects this of course. Cost cutting things like the trunk hinges/springs and the cheap stamped steel subframe remind me of a Nissan. Lots of other little things like Chinese made HVAC door motors that like to die come to mind. The emissions control system is exceedingly complex and fragile. The CKRA turbochargers are very weak, so weak and failure prone they had to issue a warranty extension on them. Post-Fix CKRAs seem to have lots of injector balance problems and SCR problems (they had SCR problems before, and there were warranty extensions on the DEF tank heaters that were failing often, too). The heater cores clogging were an issue pre-Fix, but that has seemed to have increased tenfold now. Fortunately the heater cores can be replaced without pulling the dash out. Compliance bushings in the control arms of the NMS are common too. I have one of those jobs today, car didn't even make it 80k miles.

Honestly, while it certainly is bigger and more refined than your ALH, don't expect it to happily pile the miles on and be easy to keep maintained in the same way. I service a crap ton of these cars, it amazes me how the ALH cars (assuming you row your own gears) shrug off 300k+ miles with relative ease and yet these newer cars have wallet crushing things pop up often before even 100k. This is not to say they are "bad" cars overall, but I don't think Volkswagen will ever capture lightning in a bottle again. Even the PDs are less problematic for many of the same reasons.
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
If I were looking for a common rail sedan I'd be more inclined towards a Jetta than the Passat. And I'd try and find a 2015 as it has a different engine that doesn't have some of the issues the '11-14 cars have (intercocoler icing, HPFP failures), and with Adblue it tends to get better FE, especially after the fix. '15s also have better interior materials, and since the vehicle was updated to improve offset impact safety ratings the car is stiffer and quieter. The interior of a MK6 Jetta is bigger than a B4 Passat. The back seat is plenty roomy.
 

Lex Tdi

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 4, 2016
Location
Lexington ky
TDI
2013 Passat
Pretty good review by oilhammer... (and if you're even within a few hours drive thats a plus to buying any tdi!) I'm almost at 200k and after deleting at 170k and leaving the emissions and adblue, i really think this car will go the distance like my alh's did. I'm the same as you, i had to upgrade for car seat room in the back, the leg room and trunk size really are impressive. We happy car owners might be anecdotes but lets get real most people dont come to the forums to praise these cars.

-Last time i check Consumer Reports only reports on the car not the specific platform (gas vs diesel). I have had subscription to consumer reports for years and they ragged on the MK4 Vw... both of mine went over 300,000 miles and have a great reputation on the forums.
-The recalls have made zero difference in my like or dislike of a car
-"The other thing to note is that the dieselgate warranty will expire for that car in a few years, if the fix was done. Investigate that warranty and its expiration date. Are you prepared for the pricey repairs that will be needed when the warranty expires?" I have never bought cars for warranties because i drive 30-40k a year, they expire before they matter.
-I would suggest if you are willing to delete should something major emissions comes up after the warranty expires and you go in with your eyes open about it then i'd make the purchase over and over. You should factor that idea in with what they are offering the car for.
 

ejm4

Member
Joined
Apr 27, 2020
Location
PA
TDI
2014 Passat TDI
In April 2020 I purchased a CPO with 21k miles on it. I bought it because of it being a TDI and the great extended warranty from VW. I don't drive crazy miles everyday to work, but liked the TDI because it was just a little bit different than everyone else. I get my kicks to see how many miles to the gallon I can get. Since I have owned the car, it now has almost 28K miles. The heater core has been replaced and I had a wiring issue where a wire holder had broken, the wire dropped on the exhaust and the it would not always pump the DEF. Everything was completed at no charge from VW.

Will I keep the car to 100k miles or more, who knows. But for now I enjoy driving the car and that is what counts in my book.
 

Trjoel

New member
Joined
Oct 29, 2020
Location
Minneapolis MN
TDI
2014 VW Passat TDI SEL
I am looking at buying a 2014 Passat tdi with the dsg. 64000 miles. In great shape. What issues should I expect ? Pretty solid cars ? I am used to the older Alh and brm platforms. I drive a Alh daily currently and looking to upgrade to something a little more modern. I drive around 600 miles a week. Not sure how solid the newer ones are. I have read some mixed reviews.
I just bought a 2014 Passat TDI SEL. 2 months after buying it the glow plugs flashed, the car stalled on the way to dealership. They replaced the whole throttle body and now works fine. ESC error flashed once but never came back. Kinda worried but I like the car ....... ugh
 

black_slug

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 5, 2019
Location
HI
TDI
2004 Golf
I've been looking at a bunch of mk6/mk7 golfs but given the pricepoint of the b7, it's enticing. @oilhammer is right about the quality. Although it has a smooth ride on the highway, it is more cheaply made than the golfs--all his critiques are spot on and then some. Personally, I think the mk6, in terms of material quality in the interior and the like, is superior to the mk7, but I still like the mk7 more. It's the size for me. In a perfect world I'd get a loaded mk7 wagon.

If you do go for the b7, go for the SEL or bust imo. You'll get pretty nicely bolstered leathers. and the lower-trimmed seats feel like junk. This is a big reason I like the mk6 too. No matter what, you get a sturdy yet comfy high-quality sport cloth--no rubbery "leatherette". Makes settling for anything less than an SEL with driver's pkg on a mk7 for me.
 
Joined
May 29, 2019
Location
Washington
TDI
2013 Jetta Sportwagon TDI Sunroof
I just bought a 2014 Passat TDI SEL. 2 months after buying it the glow plugs flashed, the car stalled on the way to dealership. They replaced the whole throttle body and now works fine. ESC error flashed once but never came back. Kinda worried but I like the car ....... ugh
I just had this, like, just got back from picking up my car. Started it in my driveway, struggled to turn over. Finally it turned over and the glow plug light was flashing. Reading the owners manual I shut the car down and had it towed to the dealership the next day. They replaced the throttle body and my battery was dead? Anyway, they jumped it for me and I drove it to the advanced auto parts down the street and replaced the battery. Drove home with no problems and the throttle body was covered under the warranty. If it wasn't, the repair would have been about $500 so not too bad.
 

moon1234

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 13, 2020
Location
Wisconsin
TDI
2015 Passat SE TDI 6MT, 2015 Audi A3 Premium Plus TDI DSG
If you want the “best” 2015 it is going to the be the 2015 Audi A3. If your focusing on interior quality for the same money. I picked up a 2015 A3 Premium plus with all options, 15k on the odometer for 16.9k.

It is the nicest vehicle I have owned.

I also have a 2015 Passat TDI SE with a 6MT. Been a great car. 33k since bought last year. I don’t think the vinyl seats are a downgrade at all. I really like them. They clean easily. No suede leather to get dirty. Averaging 45MPG. Can’t beat that.
 

RC7k

New member
Joined
Oct 30, 2012
Location
Nebraska
TDI
2012 Golf TDI
My 2013 Passat 6-spd TDI was the finest car IMHO. A hotrod, rubber into 3rd gear, 45 mpg over 140,000 miles, 800 miles per tank, flawless then diesel gate stole it . Have a 2012 Golf TDI 6-spd now. Was de-tuned for emissions but still, with the 6-spd it runs great, 45 mpg. 600miles/tank. Get a K&N air filter for 2 mpg increase and never buy a filter again. 3rd VW it's in. The Passat then I pulled it before giving it up and put it in my 2013 Bug 2.0 turbo. A deer totaled that, pulled the filter, now it's in the Golf with 102,000 miles. Perhaps I've been lucky but I do my oil changes, go borrow scanner from O'Reilly's if a light comes on. Best of luck to you all.
 

klburton22

Member
Joined
Feb 13, 2020
Location
Lake Labish Oregon
TDI
2014 Passat TDI SEL Prem
By now you've probably made up your mind what car to buy, but I thought I'd add to this for others.
I bought a 2014 Passat in Aug. 2019. I was looking to buy a Volvo S60 to replace my 94 Volvo 940. I couldn't find one in my price range at the time but came a crossed this nice Passat. I haven't owned a VW since I was 20, that's over 34 years ago, it was a 1970 Fastback that was nothing but problems, I thought a 2014 should be much better than a1970... well, maybe.
I have put 30k miles in 15 months on my Passat, I've had three heater cores replaced but that is it. The car has 87k miles on it and still runs good. I personally wouldn't recommend the car because of the long term cost for major repairs, but if you are a VW lover you're already used to VW issues. I've had a number of Volvo's and I'm used to their issues, and there are many, but I love Volvo's. My Passat is growing on me, it's still not as nice to drive as a Volvo but it's not bad ether.
 
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