Volkswagen Passat CC 3.6 V6 FSI 4MOTION

Update on my 2009 VW CC V6 4motion.
Normal service with no problems except its got a dead bee on both brake lights. Do the dealers plant them ?
Will be 3 years of ownership of this 5 year old car.
Still mint, no kurbing
65000kms.
I will get a quote on another 3 year mechanical warrantee and put it through another 3 years cycle of dealer maintenance.

Its actually quite good to see the updates nzdoug. It gives a clear indication of how reliable (or otherwise) your car is.

OP - sorry to nick your post, Jazz - what oil is good for my '98 Audi 2.4? It has Fuch 10/40 in.

Re Passat - stunning looking cars, don't see often and bet the 3.6 would have plenty of grunt.

Photo!
https://trademe.tmcdn.co.nz/photoserver/full/367682349.jpg https://trademe.tmcdn.co.nz/photoserver/full/367683690.jpg

Update.
Blew tail light bulb.
$78 to fix.
53000 kms
Next service April.

Older European cars are not very reliable. You be would better to get a Toyota Corolla or Camry.

Are Jap cars the only ones allowed to park on the motorway shoulders? lots of Toyotas.

Any thoughts on these vehicles.

Reliability, servicing costs etc

fsi is direct injected gasolin only high octane fuel but no problems like with Gdi from mitsubishi have ever surfaced , automatic trans are not the best but most times do to non serviced correctly other then that it be the same good as any new car with the odd elecronic component craping out i would say . Rule 1 is to have the full service history and it be fine and its got to be done by good places and when you buy it you get it fully checked over to see how well the service was done thats last recorded.

personally i would find a 6 speed manual 4 motion if i was you . i got a bora 6 speed manual only problem there is the dualmass flywheel like almost any new car have since 2000 onwards with a few exemptions .

Phenomenal vehicle and an excellent choice in the price bracket. They are extremely reliable so long as they are serviced properly (not just oil changes). The only issue with the 3.6 engine of note is that like most chain driven engines the chain can get a bit loose once the km's get up there and may eventually require replacement.

The transmission in that one should be the 6 speed wet clutch DSG which is a great unit so long as its serviced. Service interval on the DSG is 60'000km and its very easy to do for a transmission service. Just don't take it to some monkey in the tree outfit like Midas or Pitstop. It absolutely needs the correct VW fluid and filter. Try and get one with either history of transmission service or km's below or fairly close to 60'000km and do it straight away if overdue. Like any automated transmission there is always an outside chance of a fault, but the VW unit is no more likely to fault than any of the other units on the market with a good reputation for reliability. If you do have a problem its usually just a valve body replacement which is an in car procedure and quite affordable as far as automatic transmission problems go.

Likewise the oil MUST be the correct VW rated stuff. So if it's got some redneck knuckle draggers sticker on the windscreen with some sort of mineral oil (or possibly even the incorrect synthetic, within reason) give it a swerve and buy another one. The oil does not have to be from VW, but it should mention VW on the bottle and have the correct VW code for the car. For example Penrite's Enviro 5w-30 carry's the correct VW accreditation.

Service costs over time are exceptionally good. You will get people who insist they are not but these are usually people who compare proper comprehensive servicing with oil changes or who don't factor in the length of time between servicing. Bottom line is they have long service intervals, parts are very well priced (even compared to common Japanese brands) so as long as you go somewhere with reasonable labour costs you can't lose.

I have noticed that Miles Continental in your neck of the woods sells VW Coolant on here for a really sharp price. Might be worth asking around to see if they are any good for servicing, both in terms of price and competency. Otherwise a third party VW/Audi specialist or even a decent general garage that sees a few VW's and does things properly could be a good option. I service similar VW's in my driveway so there is nothing difficult, just a matter of using the proper VW fluids etc.

I would suggest once you have narrowed down your choice that you get it checked out somewhere that knows these vehicles (definitely not AA or VTNZ) and get them to check what servicing is due/overdue. Budget what you need to get all servicing brought right up to date and then keep it that way. Go somewhere that has a proper VW scanner or one that shows ALL data and get them to scan it. The VW on board diagnostics is amazing and this will quickly show up most faults, even if its related to the air conditioning, an incorrectly wired trailer plug etc. Not just basic engine and transmission stuff.

Be aware that there are a bunch of Japanese import used car dealer types and their cronies that will do a little dance and try to slag off anything that is not Japanese. They will likely be along shortly.

Best of luck with it.

Couldn't quote all your post Jazz, I'd have no data use left : )

You're right about the Miles Continental coolant, well spotted, they also do SLX Long Life 111 oil at $95 per 5 litres on here, conforms to VW 507 specs, brilliant product, great price.

Thanks for that!
Just wish I could get pricing that sharp from our local stealership. For what its worth I buy the Penrite one mentioned ahead of time when Supercheap has a sale for something like $75 for 5 litres, but the SLX at that price is a great deal too.
I might actually grab some parts prices from Continental next time I am in the need, I am generally paying courier charges anyway so the extra distance probably doesn't matter much.
If only they sold computer keyboards. for some reason mine just don't seem to last.

What oil do the knuckle dragging,rednecks use?!lol

It varies. but you can always bank on it being crude.
Ba da boom!

(BTW. are you telling me you read all that? Trying to get to sleep for an afternoon nap perhaps?)

so far, aside from the service, one daylight running bulb blew.
It cost $20 to buy from parts but I had the dealer deal with it for $50 inc parts, as I get a full cleaning with any service, plus, my phone lost sync and my mirrors woulnt adjust when reverse engaged.
Turned out my phone was the fault, not the car, and I had the mirror setting wrong, that is, user error, so the dealer set me straight.
So, after a year
AWESUM!
Mines a 2009 V6 4mo. btw.
added right hand shopping bag holder on right side of boot, as per 2013.
Got the holder from eBay, $18NZ delivered NZ. and genuine cargo net for the boot.
Its like a NATO Herc loaded pallet.
AWSUM!

yea i think gilltrap is good and the only vw place i be getting my vw serviced if i was not doing it my self. they still have service info of what was done 4 years later on there computer when i inquired about a service item that had been done on my one.

Lovely vehicles- I have heard nothing but praise about these latest model passats. I'd say excellent choice. Like Jazz has stated, DO NOT take it to a run of the mill 'service' shop it needs to have the correct fluids running in it to provide longevity. (on a side note, I'd say regardless of what vehicle you own stick away from midas- they completely stuffed the brakes of my last caravan)

I wish.

Have you even used VCDS?
If you have VCDS (full version) and are struggling to diagnose problems on late model VW's there is something seriously wrong.

Miles Continental is the Chch VW dealership, they are brilliant, we purchased an eos from them.

I have a 2003 LT35. It has suffered for some time with very rough idling ( among a myriad of other problems) it has been on the machine locally in NP the mechanics scratched their heads and told me to take it to a diesel mechanic. When in Chch a couple years ago I noticed a number of rental LT35s in the agents yard so I took it there expecting a bit more expertise perhaps. the mechanics scratched their heads and told me to take it to a diesel mechanic . Basically they were found wanting and walked away but that didn't stop them charging me the diagnostic fee on both occasions. mileage was then just 70,000 km.

First thing you should do is check your engine oil. ulsd-diesel destroys seals and then diesel diluts engine oil and that wears the engine out especially camshaft on unit injected vw open bonnet and check if you can see a fuelinjector pump or not when you check the oil level of the engine . Also add diesel additive to the fuel soonest like morreys stop smoke =supersheep auto,or flash lube from parts master , then take it to somone who actuarly has a idea about diesel and has a volkswagen diagnostic tool vcds as above .
No one got vcds in New Plymouth?

1. The LT35 you are talking about is a mid 1990's tech commercial vehicle, completely and utterly different kettle of fish to what's being discussed here. To make snide comments based solely on your experience with one is just plain silly. Most of the world had not even heard of OBD2 let alone todays advanced can systems when that vehicle came in to production.

2. The fault was likely with the numpties you talked to, just because they are the agents doesn't mean they have a clue. Same goes for all brands.

On both occasions diagnostics were carried out by VW dealers , in NP and in the Chch workshop off the Sth end of xx . is it possible neither has the correct diagnostic tools? In fact Tuam St