I have just test driven one of these ( NZ new and full service history ) I was very impressed! I just wondered if they are a hand grenade waiting to go "BANG" !
intrade,
Jan 12, 6:58pm
no but any car like this is expensive to be serviced and if you dont then it will go bang just like a A380 aircraft will fall out of the sky if they just fly it without maintainace.
db.price,
Jan 12, 7:09pm
The W8 engines were pretty good and VW have a good build quality - most euro cars are more expensive to service but look for a service agent who is independant rather than attached to a dealer - they tend to be a bit cheaper.
Also would recommmend getting a warranty for the car - that way if something major does go wrong you will have to only pay the excess (most warranty companies have excesses for euro cars)
ryanm2,
Jan 12, 9:39pm
Servicing Euro cars is no more expensive than any other car, except maybe Volvo's due to parts, i did a bit of research on the W8 when looking at Passats, transmission failures and bad fuel economy seemed to be the common consensus. I guess VAG didn't continue to use the W8 for more than 3 years for a good reason. we settled on the 1.8T and very happy.
vtecintegra,
Jan 12, 9:43pm
The W8 is going to be more expensive to service than other Passats though simply because they're so complex
paula16,
Jan 12, 9:59pm
My friend had passat .now sitting in the yard parts were 2 bloody expensive
intrade,
Jan 12, 10:34pm
that is because he does not get it repaired at the right places. We import most parts direct from germany at less loads less cost towhat the agents here charge. like dualmass flywheel setup for t4 tdi van . Auckland wanted 2300$ its ex germany 440euro plus 50euro fraight delivery time 6 to 12 day depending on how long customs take to clear it it gets to new zealand within 4 days DHL courier track and traced thats total 1650$ with 20% gst and other tax from customs =650$ cheaper then to buy it here and here you got to wait 14 days also lol
mr_bond,
Jan 13, 1:42am
I've had one for 3-4 years and its been awesome.Understated power.
I have had it serviced at Giltraps, Continentals and Qualitat (in penrose).Contis and Qualitat were brilliant, but being an 8 when it need things like spark plugs it can get a bit spendy.
While most services have been circa $400-$500 I've only had one thing break and that was the torque converter, which is apparently one of the weak spots.Giltraps quoted $6500 to replace, told them they were insane.A transmission place refurbished 'better than standard' for just under $2000.
I would reccomend a warranty just to save the issue of a big bill like that.
r15,
Jan 13, 2:04am
don't know of it's just me, but i'd avoid any car that has a tendancy of a $6500 part failing. or a tendancy of a $2000 part failing
ryanm2,
Jan 13, 2:40am
same , there was w8 on here a few months back with a failed alternator - $650 for a secondhand one, plus labour. ouch.
rovercitroen,
Jan 13, 2:55am
That rules out lots of cars.
mugenb20b,
Jan 13, 2:59am
You mean there are lots more cars made by VW that have expensive problems! So it's not just the Passat!
dagon1,
Jan 13, 5:47am
The W8's are going to disappear from the face of the earth so fast, you'd think they'd been abducted by aliens. That's what a maintenance nightmare they are. Do you have your purchase price sitting in savings, ready to pour into engine maintenance! To further illustrate: A good friend of mine is the service manager at a VW dealer. Even with him helping me out some, there's no way in hell I was taking on one of these cars. They drive great, but they're simply not special enough to warrant their maintenance costs.Seriously, even a simple oxygen senor replacement requires the engine removal, not to mention that many parts on W8 engine are hard to find and very expensive.
dagon1,
Jan 13, 5:53am
If its a stick and there engine runs smooth, no metallic or metal on metal noise when the engine is running even being being revved up, If its an auto and the torque converter as been beefed up and the engine is still nice and quite than that's ok too. You want to watch for metal on metal noise, W8's have 2 big problems, the screens to the cam adjusters gets clogged and the motor gets oil starved and becomes worthless (metal on metal noise), the other is the automatics have toque converter failures as the car as far more torque than the transmission was designed to handle, some people would get them beefed up and then the transmission is fine. All other issues that may come up with the car are the same as other Passats, abs modules, cv axle boots tear etc etc.It a sensitive car that needs a little extra care. If you want to be extra certain that the motor is in good shape ask them to drain the oil and look for metal flakes that a sure sign of a bad car. :)
rovercitroen,
Jan 13, 7:18pm
No, I mean that lots of cars of many makes could develop faults that could cost that much to fix. For example my current drive car, a Jaguar XJ8, has a receipt from previous owners for auto trans overhaul - $5000.
mugenb20b,
Jan 13, 7:24pm
I know what you meant, I was just taking the piss.
boardrider,
Jan 13, 8:34pm
My local VW repair says, stay away.
wasser61,
Jan 13, 8:52pm
ummmmm. Where is Jazz!
rovercitroen,
Jan 13, 10:09pm
Jazz will be reading this and itching to reply. Hi Jazz (waves). He is having a well earned break from the boards.
gram,
Jan 13, 10:28pm
Depends if you want to pay a premium for complexity. That's how it seems to me.
valleystream,
Jan 14, 12:16am
I loved my Passat. Was the best car I have ever driven and I miss it. Was amazing to drive and hugged the road like a possum. Unfortunately it cost a fortune for me to maintain both service and parts and electrical issues (I don't know much about cars to do it myself).Had to sell to get a stationwagon.
scotty20001,
Jan 14, 1:53am
take a Merc C32 AMG for a drive same price range very nice car and a more reliable conventional type engine, they are a very underrated Euro and they seriously go like a shower of shit as in 4.8 sec 0-100 the acceleration feels like a 767 on take off take one for a drive trust me you will see what i mean.
mugenb20b,
Jan 14, 2:03am
Why would someone want a C32 Mercedes AMG when they could have a supercharged Holden Commodore! I hear they can do 0 to 100km/h in 8 seconds.
scotty20001,
Jan 14, 2:31am
why don't you get in your cr-v piss of to thailand and never come back, and take up some maths lessons while you are at it, we are talking 1/4 of the cost here thai (lady)boy, not that you have ever driven either of these cars you are way into your shitboxes to do something as wild as that.
mugenb20b,
Jan 14, 2:44am
That's because it's all I can afford. I would like to be into Ferraris, Maseratis, and old Lancias but due to my limited budget, there's no point in me registering any interests in such exotic cars.
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