Volkswagen Passat saloon (2011-2014) | owner reviews: MPG, Problems & Reliability

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I bought this car at the end of a 4 year company lease as it had less than 50,000kms. I had expected to use it for commuting 60kms per day but circumstances changed so my wife drove it 20kms per day. It has now got just over 70,000kms on the clock. Last month we paid €120 for a rear ABS sensor. Last week the engine stopped and the issue has been diagnosed as a faulty central control unit. Approx cost to replace €1300 plus labour. Apparently it is a known issue with this car. Its almost funny when you consider the arrogance with which VW promote their build quality over styling (you would not buy this car for its style). Do not buy a Passat unless you are willing to fork out wads of cash on a regular basis. If I were to hold on to it, which I will not, I could look forward to replacing the entire clutch system - another known fault. Give me a Toyota any day.

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Car was great at the start, then all the problems came, I was recconmended the Peugeot 508 from a few friends but really liked the look of the Passat, many Passat drivers told me not to they had big reliability problems, and then many said the Passat was a great car, after 90,000km the abs light showed and I had to get the abs sensor fixed it cost €160 (not covered under warranty) three months the engine light and coil light started to flash, brought the car back again erg valve needed replacing , cost €1400 also not covered under warranty. One of my mothers friends also has a Passat and has had the same problem, I have heard of lots of Passat drivers having this problem too!!!, then today I was driving to Dublin - bong, the abs light was on again, this time accompanied by the ESP light, which will be more money now again! I would strongly advise people not to purchase this car, in my opinion Volkswagen has lost their great industry-leading name for manufacturing, their latest engines and electronics seem to be very unreliable, and I would not recommend this car, many of my friends have went for the Peugeot 508 instead of the Passat, and really like them and have had no problems, I will be trading this in now for a BMW 5 series, as I am fed up of these problems! Other Than all those common problems the car is nice to drive, has loads of room and a big boot!

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Yes I know 2 stars sounds improbable for a new Passat , let me explain... I've had almost all rep mobiles over the past 15 years, and because I've had a fairly free choice of car upto 22k I've always been able to spec something quite nice. This time around my company got a job lot of Passats, so i had no choice, therefore I'm probably a bit grumpy and biased. I'm not snobby about the badge, I rated by Mondeo and my 407 very highly. But I am totally failing to see where the 'quality' of the Passat is. My major gripes are simply the interior, in the first few days driving the following niggles: 1) cup holders are cheap feeling flimsy plastic that completely obstruct the gear shift in use and are awkward to slot the cup in. 2) sunglasses pocket barely holds one pair of sunglasses without a case, and the catch is feeble. 3) lower right storage bin has the upper latch completely exposed so you scratch your hand very easily as you reach in 4) glovebox tiny 5) speedo dial only in mph therefore by European law there has to be a km/h digital readout. Therefore no mph digital readout which is not helpful for speed camera compliance. 6) sat nav is hopeless. In just 100 miles almost all motorway from Essex to Eastbourne my Tom Tom disagreed on routes 4 times, and they are both supposed to be assessing the traffic continuously. 7) yes there are a few 'digital tricks', good Bluetooth etc. but why only the old style ipad connector? Apart from that, the styling is nonexistent, the ride firm, it's not particularly quiet, and the boot opening is small. It's a dull car, and for me a Mazda 6, Mondeo, even a C6 would be far better.

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no problems yet

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NO PROBLEMS SO FAR

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Love it, cannot fault reliability

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its a good runner

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Best car ever, i had about 10 cars before that one and vw is the best one. Age means nothing for this car, this car has been made to work for years. Everlasting plesure of driving.

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Never let me down

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All problems are related to the Electronic parking Brake which in my view has severe design faults

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ONLY HAD THE CAR FOR 7 MONTHS. SO FAR SO GOOD. NO PROBLEMS DURING VERY BAD WEATHER.

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No problems during my ownership

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Ongoing problem with water temp sensor

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prone to sludeging (and VW's dishonest answers) due to very low oil capacity in the sump. Must be regularly cleaned (4-5 yrs) to avoid sludge buidup (oil cooked by turbo

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starts fine, drives with no issues

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No general problems, One major problem is with the injectors on this model.

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NEVER HAD TO THINK IF IT WOULD NOT START.

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Haven t ,as yet,had any problems,impressed with build quality

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No problems at all so far

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Needs new engine after 52,000 miles despite being meticulously maintained.

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100% reliable over 10 months.

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excellent

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13 years and 150000 miles of basically uneventful motoring

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Passat B6 has common faults such as rear electronic calipers, injectors and suspension rubbers. I've had the lot!!

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I've not owned it long but it hasn't skipped a beat yet. Changed the front tyres last week and it looks bulletproof underneath - remarkable for a 12 year old car that's done 200k miles.

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not had any big issues however ive had injector recall and one park brake motor packed up.both know issues with this model.

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Small problems with electronics, mainly radio and bluetooth

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Mechanically good to excellent, however electrically very poor.

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I get in and it runs beautifully

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I have had no problems in over 60,000 miles.

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so far very reliable

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Superb

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Reasonable

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NO PROBLEMS AT ALL

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Engine management and DPF issues

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The car is 6 months old so too early to tell

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It has never let me down

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Whilst I ve only had the car since June I M very impressed with the build quality and general feel/performance.I previously had a renault Laguna ST from new

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71000 miles looks and runs like a car nearly new.Full service history and reliable.

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Never had a breakdown,always started.

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very good no problems in 3 years

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No problems from buying it at 3 years old. Starts first time, everything still working/nothing broken. Recent VW recall replaced fuel injectors and getting better mpg

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Yes Green thumbs up

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No problems since new

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Improved as it has got older (Touch Wood!)

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Runs well and is reliable. Odd niggle now and then.

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The car has only let me down once in over 7 years !

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The car has never let me down to date other than a manufactureing fault which was rectified without cost.

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Has rarely let me down- only once requiring assistance to get to a garage. (total failure of battery) touch wood

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No mechanical problems so far

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Only one major issue which required roadside assistance and that was fuel injectors

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Yes Green thumbs up

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The vehicle has been 100% reliable and to date has never let me down.

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I have had 2 reliability problems, both of which resulted in complete immobilisation of the vehicle. The first was a problem with the steering and the second was an ignition failure. Both were fixed under warranty. The second was the subject of a recall which had not reached me.

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Generally very good. Little needed between services

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180000 miles with just normal ware and tear 1 Clutch, 1 complete exhaust and regular servicing

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Mechanically very good, never fails to start. Some electrical issues due to manufacturing faults (wire loom to rear had problems affecting rear bulbs and boot release)

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Gearbox oil cooler failed after only 20k miles. Gearbox replaced under warranty

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No issues since purchase

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Does what it says on the tin.

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Very comfortable, great suspensions

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Boring but very practical, reliable and economical

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Very happy apart from noisy suspension

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Middle of the road machine that is very fit for purpose for lots of motorway miles and for the family. Germanic without being a brand that costs too much. It doesn't set my heart on fire, but to be honest every car that i have owned (or company car) previously that has been an emotional purchase (e.g. style or performance over substance) has been weaker in many areas. The passat ticks most boxes in the 80-90th percentile. Above average everywhere is much better than being perpetually frustrated by one or two major annoyances. Maybe skoda superb next on my shopping list....or can i go that far down the vw brand ladder?

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Very practical estate-good fuel economy with decent performance. good vw build quality reasonable servicing costs. An ideal choice for an active family!!!

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Overall a great car but for some minor problems which seem to be fairly common, e.g the electronic parking brake not being reliable.

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No Red thumbs down

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Boring but practical and reliable estate car.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Does what it says on the tin, but not much character overall

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No Red thumbs down

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I love driving it and the feel of the car, it was also very cheap but parts cost a fortune and it breaks much more than i thought volkswagens were supposed to.

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No Red thumbs down

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Relatively reliable, built well, some quirks, uses premium fuel (a negative), parts expensive, rides and drives well.

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No Red thumbs down

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Passat estate everything you expect it to be ,only thing against is that the car has no traction in snow

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Excellent car except for the electronic handbrake

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Yes Green thumbs up

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I love my car - it looks good - it drives fantastically and it's economical. I couldn't ask for more - in fact i can't think of a negative at all. Reliability, style, economy - tick, tick, tick!

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Yes Green thumbs up

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A good standard and optimum levels for its price

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No Red thumbs down

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Fantastic reliability and economy even with 177k on the clock

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Good to drive on a daily round trip of 70 miles. economical compared to last car which was petrol.not the most stylish car but practical for my needs.

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Yes Green thumbs up