VW Passat headlight horror story

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intrade, Sep 22, 9:09am
they do have there quirks like a sub ignition computer so the main one dont gets nuked when morons never change sparkplugs and a coil nukes the drive. for example. or relays that only vw use with diodes inside to cut noise down and when you use a relay that looks the same and plug it in while its not a vw one it starts smoking stuff up.
or intermittend no starts cause the fuel pump relay contacts are worn out . but that one is not unique to vw Toyotas will also do no start if the ecu relay has that problem So do loads other car makes. the problem is when the boot lock of the car starts to make intermittend no starts. and thats not on vw . or mercedes steel rims that leak air on the welded seem. its all garbage trash today. from T shirt to shoes to cars to appliances who only last 5 secounds cause they cut every last corner during manufacturing.
if you have a car with 10 components and 1 fails its easy to find and fix as You only have to replace 10 hings to fix it for sure. and you call that a good reliable car
if you have the same car now with 1000 components and 100 things fail thats the same amount of faults as the other one .
zou replace 100 things and its as broken as it was before. because you have another 900 things left over now . Same % of faults different outcome. its why you need special training for each car make and 300 doller flashlights and 3500 doller oscilloscopes and 4500 doller subscriptions to factory information. That stuff all has to be paid for. if not You better only own a car with 10 items.

franc123, Sep 22, 9:43am
Some people can't accept the facts that car buyers need to know. You of all people make some of the absolute worst recommendations, just as bad if not worse than that backyard idiot from Te puke who slunk off because he got busted telling too many porkies by the pros.

gazzat22, Sep 22, 10:12am
Sort of explains why Euros are not as popular as the jappo,s and cheaper second hand.

richardmayes, Sep 22, 10:52am
Thanks Poppy62, have passed the link on, it appears to be good news and definitely what he wanted to hear!

kazbanz, Sep 22, 11:29am
keeping in mind this is a USED item at /about the same age as the unit that has already just failed.

realtrader1, Sep 22, 4:10pm
Ah! Good point! Actually, also, it is $695 for one, not $595 for two.

poppy62, Sep 22, 4:23pm
You miss read my post I pointed out that there were other sellers (in OZ ) for example selling both lights for $595.00.

poppy62, Sep 22, 4:35pm
Room for negotiation! logic says that the other side light is due to go as well? The actual Ballast Control Module unit is $90- $130 new. It would have probably fixed the problem.

realtrader1, Sep 22, 4:43pm
I see now that the Au comment and the link don't match. Where is the link for Au parts? Anyway as has been pointed out whichever way you cut it, it is a lot of money for second-hand which could easily go the same way as the one which has given up. I would be happy to recommend Euro's if they were any good but they will keep the motoring public poor! As an example, tell me which auto trans will stand up to the neglect of 160 000 km without a fluid change from coming into the country secondhand from Japan, and as well, still operate like a new one? Camry. Fact. Euro? No!

djrandomguy, Sep 22, 11:46pm
I was thinking exactly the opposite of this after spending some time driving my mothers SX-4 then a Toyota Noah van then a Toyota Carina before getting back in my 206 S16 wagon. It reminded me instantly why I choose to own such a car when, it felt like I was more in control of everything and that my every input had an effect and while the others I drove are not set up as sporty to drive, their interiors were bland for no reason and the seats were awful. So "personality matters if it matters to you". I wish I could be someone who just uses a car as an appliance, I imagine it's nice not caring what you drive as long as it's silver and reliable on paper.

cattleshed, Sep 23, 8:19am
Try comparing apples with apples. Like for like regarding ride etc. As well the fact is European cars cost a fortune to fix and you had better maintain them totally to the book. But in any case they will still cook you! And devaluation? Wow!

djrandomguy, Sep 23, 8:44am
Apples with apples. ok. PSA set the benchmark for fwd handling a long time ago. They no longer cost a fortune to fix, this is an old wives tale, I can tell you some Honda parts prices will make you see god. As for devaluation, that is based on what. Perception, and you have 100% backed this up. My post was on a car culture that worships those who came in 2nd and 3rd. I'm sure a Civic Type-R is a great drivers car in any guise, however the same year car in Type-R when compared to a GTi180 for example is often twice the price, so whatever devaluation has already taken into account on second hand market and I'll have money for all those scary repairs you claim. Why don't you google EW10 engines? Simple, reliable and easy to source parts for. My point stands, character/personality counts and the 206 killed it on the world stage and people just wanna pretend that ass-whooping didn't take place. The 307WRC that followed was garbage btw.

djrandomguy, Sep 23, 8:48am
To follow up, the Type-R is the faster car, it has more power by far, but, get it on a tight circut where it cannot scream to it's redline and the Gti180/Rc200 will match it, and the purpose of a hot hatch is not straight line speed imo, it's chuck-ability. I drove an Accord Euro-R and that is a car I'd chose over my Pug to go long distance anyday.

tamarillo, Sep 23, 9:55am
Wow, no hiding Prejudice here. Or do you not notice when I discuss recommending simple jap cars to many people inc friends. Maybe only see what you want eh? Trump supporter? As for facts, remember this euro bashing thing is peculiar to NZ, even Aussies don’t have quite the same problem. In Europe the default reliable good car is a golf.

tamarillo, Sep 23, 9:58am
what fact? It’s not fact it’s opinion.

kazbanz, Sep 23, 10:54am
Actually it would be interesting how the Kiwi mindset would be to makes/models if we had the same sanctions on Jap imports as they did in Australia. I think our car culture would be totally different.

msigg, Sep 23, 11:07am
None of this matters if you can afford the car you want and can afford the maintenance, if you are struggling with costs for everyday living then the suggestions to stick to the simple reliable jap car is the way to go. What happens in other countries makes no difference here, they have their own tax policies and economies, drive what you like and own it, any problems don't complain. Very simple. Each to their own.

kazbanz, Sep 23, 12:06pm
nahh sorry dude I don't wear that. As a car owner you wouldn't be budgeting $2500 for a headlight as part of "routine maintainence" no matter your income.

meow_mix, Sep 23, 12:51pm
I just wish Jazz was here, he would probably laugh at this thread and come up with an affordable solution which would cost less than a quarter of what the OP posted.

poppy62, Sep 23, 3:18pm
Lobotomy for some maybe, but in your case (and others ) you'd need to see a Rectal surgeon for the procedure. BTW they only lost WW2 because the coin landed on Tails for Russia. and GB lost with heads. Mein Freund!

poppy62, Sep 23, 3:31pm
Nah mate!. you were obviously not in the game when a Datsun Bluebird (1980s) variety were written off pronto if the head/tail lights were broken. $2500 per head light $1500 per tail light. The Nissan Cefiro continued the trend in the 1990s. Cue, the rise of the after market light /body panel manufacturers. I know because I made a tidy sum from the sale of Pirate parts. I also sold cheaper option fibre glass panels for Corollas/Mazdas/Minis etc., Jap parts have always been expensive in relation to the value of the cars.

poppy62, Sep 23, 3:39pm
Yes he and I, tam and others would definitely have a laugh at the idiot posts on here. What I don't understand is why you and others take delight in some poor punter who has been ripped off. The OP cited a huge amount for a light, that actually has a replacement price range from $120- $900+ with the offending ballast module priced at $100+ . It's hardly a fault of a particular brand of vehicle if the parts price is a result of ignorance by the owner /repairer. The up side is as always it's an excellent vehicle to drive.

trade4us2, Sep 23, 3:45pm
Have you all ignored my comment that a bad earth can cause a problem to be shown on a perfectly good bulb? I have this fault on my very old car every few years.
First, with the light turned on, I measure the voltage from the earth side of the bulb to an earth on the body. If that is not zero, there is your fault. It probably just needs cleaning and some CRC. That costs nothing.

poppy62, Sep 23, 5:18pm
He was Austrian! Japs?

cattleshed, Sep 23, 5:48pm
Except for when black is painted as white. Euro's in general have an horrific reputation and can not handle any neglect. It would be good if it was simply a case of each to their own. Depreciation is massive. Enthusiasts pretty much buy low km examples with total service records. But here is the thing, generally you can buy a Japanese car that has no service records, has been serviced intermittently and it is still a great car. This is not the case with Euro cars in general and that is something that even Euro fans will readily agree with.