2012 Passat TDI SEL, White on Cornsilk.
Before we left, I checked fluids and tires (even though the car only had 500 or so miles). The dealer had the tires at 45-50psi!!!!! So I lowered every tire to about 35 cold. So as soon as we drove away, the tire pressure monitoring system told me to check tires. After arriving, I reset the tire pressure system and all is good. I was so mystified by the dealer's tire pressures that we contacted them; they told us that the manufacturer must have done it because car tires are over-inflated for the showroom. Fine. But the pre-delivery inspection should have noted it....
Anyway, drove from northern NJ to southern MA today, through typical stop-and-go on 95/George Washington Bridge. Heavy volume all the way to destination. 95 thru CT and RI is heavily trafficked and has lots of hills. Two stops: McDonald's for kids, emergency stop on shoulder for an expected #2 (again, my kids, not me).
I averaged 44.5 MPG per the trip computer. Pretty impressive, considering that I was averaging between 70-80mph. Had the AC on, low temperature, lowest fan setting, most of the way.
I've seen some complaints about the audio/nav system and there are some annoyances.
(1) There's a 1-2 second delay after you actually press a button before the system registers the touch. If you've got a passenger, have him/her handle it. Dangerous otherwise, unless you're a maestro on the steering wheel controls (getting there).
(2) Data entry on the nav system is convoluted and not user-friendly. Once the destination is entered, however, it's a nice system.
I put a movie on my iPad and blasted it via bluetooth thru the car speakers. Pretty sweet. I'll need to get an iPad mount.
After arriving, I filled her up at a local mom&pop station. I followed everyone's advice to avoid the dreaded "full-but-not-full" gas tank. I filled her till it clicked, let the foam settle, then pissed in fuel until I was scared I'd piss it on my pants. Gas gauge read totally full. (On my first fill up in NJ, where attendants pump, I was a tick below full.) Phew.
Neither mom nor pop knew anything about the diesel at their station (b2, etc, nothing stamped on the pump other than graffiti), and so it got me thinking about additives and whether I should buy some Optilube or Powerservice. More research needed on the forums, but I'm leaning towards using them.
I noticed a couple rattles on the way, a big one by my left ear. I can re-create it by opening the window halfway and jiggling it a bit. Leads me to believe it is some part of the window assembly. This is a matter that the dealer should handle at the 3K courtesy check, correct?
Overall, what a sweet car.
Before we left, I checked fluids and tires (even though the car only had 500 or so miles). The dealer had the tires at 45-50psi!!!!! So I lowered every tire to about 35 cold. So as soon as we drove away, the tire pressure monitoring system told me to check tires. After arriving, I reset the tire pressure system and all is good. I was so mystified by the dealer's tire pressures that we contacted them; they told us that the manufacturer must have done it because car tires are over-inflated for the showroom. Fine. But the pre-delivery inspection should have noted it....
Anyway, drove from northern NJ to southern MA today, through typical stop-and-go on 95/George Washington Bridge. Heavy volume all the way to destination. 95 thru CT and RI is heavily trafficked and has lots of hills. Two stops: McDonald's for kids, emergency stop on shoulder for an expected #2 (again, my kids, not me).
I averaged 44.5 MPG per the trip computer. Pretty impressive, considering that I was averaging between 70-80mph. Had the AC on, low temperature, lowest fan setting, most of the way.
I've seen some complaints about the audio/nav system and there are some annoyances.
(1) There's a 1-2 second delay after you actually press a button before the system registers the touch. If you've got a passenger, have him/her handle it. Dangerous otherwise, unless you're a maestro on the steering wheel controls (getting there).
(2) Data entry on the nav system is convoluted and not user-friendly. Once the destination is entered, however, it's a nice system.
I put a movie on my iPad and blasted it via bluetooth thru the car speakers. Pretty sweet. I'll need to get an iPad mount.
After arriving, I filled her up at a local mom&pop station. I followed everyone's advice to avoid the dreaded "full-but-not-full" gas tank. I filled her till it clicked, let the foam settle, then pissed in fuel until I was scared I'd piss it on my pants. Gas gauge read totally full. (On my first fill up in NJ, where attendants pump, I was a tick below full.) Phew.
Neither mom nor pop knew anything about the diesel at their station (b2, etc, nothing stamped on the pump other than graffiti), and so it got me thinking about additives and whether I should buy some Optilube or Powerservice. More research needed on the forums, but I'm leaning towards using them.
I noticed a couple rattles on the way, a big one by my left ear. I can re-create it by opening the window halfway and jiggling it a bit. Leads me to believe it is some part of the window assembly. This is a matter that the dealer should handle at the 3K courtesy check, correct?
Overall, what a sweet car.
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