Paying $29k for a 105mi 2015 Passat TDI

[IndigoBlueWagon]

How many miles do you have on your 328d? One thing I like about older TDIs (pre 2009) is that they stay reliable as the miles pile up. My son and I both have MKIV (2002) TDIs as daily drivers, totaling just over 900K miles combined. And they're both dead reliable. Easy to maintain, too.

It's doubtful that either the 2015 Passat or any BMW will provide that kind of reliability.

 

[eugene89us]

2018 328d is at 82,000 miles and 2014 Passat TDI is at 120,000 miles. Give or take. I work 2 jobs, hospital and retail, normal commute is about 50 miles round trip. Then retail side job can sometimes send me 60 miles away. So diesels have been great for highway driving. I think if my driving rate persists, I should be able to reach higher miles. In my non automotive opinion, many leaky components rear their ugly head more based on time than mileage. So despite my plan to overtake Passat which has about a 10 mile daily commute, I feel most issues with Passat are due to plastic and rubber getting brittle with time. And SOB cooking everything with its emissions oven.

As far as reliability, 328d needed replacement EGR valve under warranty. Knocking on wood, that's it so far. Besides some stupid rattles that dealer could never find.

CKRA TDI required warranty oxygen sensor when brand new, NOx sensor and AdBlue heater warranty at around 28k miles due to AdBlue countdown error, oil cooler replacement at 110k due to coolant hemorrhage, leaky valve cover 2 months ago, and leaky water pump and cam/crank seals at 120k yesterday. And a few recalls. And I voided my extended warranty with Kerma tune, I regret nothing!

But of course, Passat is older with more miles. BMW plastic valve covers also leak, so that is coming. I also have 2 recalls to do (HPFP and EGR cooler), just don't trust my dealer to do them. Found out the hard way during "free maintenance" program. I am sure @oilhammer may have an insight as an insider why dealer has such incompetent workers. I presume time crunch, you get so many hours to do the job. If you crunch more work credit within a workday, you get more pay, hence sloppy workmanship from many. Timing belt job is rated at 2.2 hours. Lol. I spent at least 12, I would make for a terrible mechanic in terms of making money. Lol. But hey, I learn valuable skills. How many pharmacists do you know that fix their own cars and build/renovate homes for a hobby? Good little distraction and costs less than golf.

Your mileage is deserving of kudos. Well made cars. Just like good tools, hard to find these days. Everything moved to China... Modern consumer willing to sacrifice quality to pinch pennies. What a shame.

 

[eugene89us]

And frankly, this thread brought some feeling in the past when I drove Japanese Nissan. And currently pay on a Kubota tractor loan. And recently changed oil on my father in law's Tundra. What do these have in common? Simplicity. Including such mundane things as oil change. Open manual for Toyota, bla bla bla 5W-30 synthetic. No 507.00 or LL-12FE standards to look for, just any oil of that viscosity that is synthetic. How simple. Noted his oil drain plug was sweaty, first O'Reilly store and they have Dorman plugs and sealing ring. No special orders and having to wait. Family visiting for a day. I can change your oil in an hour just with a quick trip to Walmart oil section. Filters all in stock. BMW and VW? All special order, all advance planning. Unless diesel sedans come back, I think the next car will either be from Asia or I will get a large truck with Cummins, depending on fuel prices. Haha

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

I've owned a bunch of Toyotas in the past, most of them both reliable and trouble-free, if not exactly exciting. The best was a '94 Previa. Quirky vehicle that worked exceptionally well. We had it for 10 years and about 170K miles until it had a fight with a stone wall. I was sad to see it go.

I think the MKIV cars are a high point for VW, both in body and drivetrains. I'm amazed at how tight and rattle free my Wagon is, even after 20 years in New England. Of course it's received a lot of care, but I still think it's a bargain. I don't expect the same experience from my '15 GSW, once it takes over for my MKIV Wagon. Right now it's sitting on a battery tender waiting.

 

[NSTDI]

I believe all the technology in newer vehicles, which just keeps increasing each year, will eliminate the ability for anyone but a dealer to service and repair them. The new Hummer EV coming out has 1000hp, weighs 9200 lbs, has 23 video cameras including those on the undercarriage, and each camera has a washer to keep it clean. All these big screen dashes, no knobs, that run hvac, backup cameras, etc, what happens when they don’t work? Dealer fix them- or just supply a new one for $5-10,000 installed. Software downloads happening while you drive. That new screen- may be on back order? Little or no universal parts from one model year to another. A new spec for coolant every year. A new spec for motor oil every year. Radar sensors cost $2,000 each on a new Jeep and early models got damaged by bumping into a snowbank or getting hit by flying gravel.

All these changes mean dealer only service is the manufactures goal?

GM just invested in a self driving car startup, I figure their goal is to supply vehicles to us, to pick us up and drop us off as needed. Pay a flat fee monthly for the service plus a fee per minute for actual use. Should work good for urban dwellers with no place to park?

My 2015 Passat TDI has been fairly reliable, amazing on fuel, great size for me, but I’m thinking I need a heater core at 110,000kms. I still have extended warranty but how long will the next core last? My old 1998 and 2003 VWs I ran for 10 years and 350,000kms each, I don’t trust this one like I did those 2. I don’t drive as much now so I’ll probably go back to gas.

I may go back to an older used car, low mileage if I can find it. I don’t trust the new stuff or the cost of dealer repairs when no warranty.

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

A number of auto reviewers refer to the current crop of EVs as "disposable", because their technology will quickly (3-5 years) become obsolete, and repairing a major failure will exceed the value of the vehicle. I don't know about others, but I'm not willing to spend $70K+ on a disposable item.

People complained bitterly about the electronics and complexity of TDIs when they were launched. Drive by wire, MAF sensors, vacuum operated turbo, injection pump operated by the ECU...people thought this was crazy and would be failure prone. This has not been the case. But the sheer amount of tech in new cars seems to be a recipe for disaster.

 

[vwishndaetr]

Looks like the DSG Passat has sold... If I had to take a guess, less than the $29k it was listed for.

Only the DSG Jetta remains. The DSG Jetta was also listed for $29k - same price as the Passat - which didn't make much sense at all. Now it's listed for $27.5k.