[stevegolf]

Back for Sale!

My buddy has a line on a Passat that needs work. However once I heard some stats on it it sounded unusual. It supposedly is a 6-speed car with a 3.6 liter turbo diesel engine, which I don't believe was offered in the states by VW. We did some more investigative work with the VIN, which said it is a European market vehicle. The trim letter was for the 6 speed W8 AWD, but the 4 letters that say the engine were all Z's which means undefined. There were a couple other fishy things with the VIN but I forgot what they were. More investigation shows the last owner was a german guy in Indiana. I guess there was a 3.6L diesel in the European A8 and Phaeton. You can see the twin intercoolers in the photo.
It was hit in the front and skipped timing so it probably needs new rockers or valves which isn't a big deal. Otherwise it is sound. Do we have some one off vehicle here?

New Info
We have a VIN, it is WVWZZZ3BZ4E223152

 

[NEWMAN'SOWN]

That is definitely a Euro Market Passat, the US never had that seat option. It was probably a diplomat/emissary vehicle.

 

[dbrick]

Interesting. If your friend's thinking of buying it, I'd be worried about EPA/DOT compliance and licensing.

I'm an attorney. In a previous life, I represented folks who wanted to, or did, import cars that hadn't been certified by the manufacturer as compliant with US EPA (emissions) and DOT (safety) regulations. While it is legally possible to import a non-compliant car and have it brought into compliance so it can be licensed and sold here, it's extremely expensive and not a rational course of action unless the would-be-importer has money to burn.

Non-compliant vehicles may be easily imported for temporary use (by tourists, say, or someone from overseas who's working temporarily in the US), but can't be licensed or sold here; these temporary imports wear their original previous-country license plates, and must continue to be registered there even while they're physically here. The most likely scenario here is that this Euro-spec car was brought to the US by a tourist, or civil or diplomatic employee for temporary use, got in an accident, and the owner decided that the difficulty and cost of local repair, and the cost of shipping a non-running vehicle home, were both prohibitive.

A non-compliant car may also get EPA and DOT approval if the manufacturer certifies that the vehicle meets US regulations even 'tho it was manufactured for a different market. To protect their importers and distribution channels, however, manufacturers of both cars and motorcycles (one does the same dance with bikes) routinely refuse to provide such certification, or only do so for very high cost.

A state DMV won't register the car unless the EPA and the DOT say "OK." It's possible that the previous owner "German national" might have worked for VW, who might have, as a favor to their employee, certified this particular car so it could be licensed here. But I think that's very unlikely: as you point out, that motor was never sold here, so it's unlikely that the factory ran the full EPA test (on the motor) and DOT collision test (on the body with this type of motor installed, and it's even more unlikely VW did so for just this one vehicle or employee.

All in all...your buddy should be very very skeptical. He might be able to buy the car, but that's far from getting it registered and insured. Were it me, I'd consider it a parts car only (or for off-road use as a show vehicle, or a racer...hah!) unless it somehow already has state registration and license plates; as discussed above, that is extremely unlikely. If the seller says "Oh, don't worry - it'll be easy to register," your buddy should run in the opposite direction and keep his checkbook in his pocket.

David Brick
Santa Cruz CA
2001 V6 GLS

 

[vbora01]

You definitely have one "off" vehicle, lol. The US market Passat had the 1.9l TDI, 1.8t, V6, and W8 as engine options. A 3.6L diesel, in a Passat? I'd build the car back up to running, see if it complies with US emission standards, and than you'll have a very unique Passat. I don't know how easy it would be to get parts for a 3.6L in the states, unless it was sold on another type of vehicle like the Touraeg or something. That's an awesome find! If it got here somehow and has been driven around a lot, it's probably conforming to emission standards, the previous owner couldn't have gotten away for all that time without doing something to be able to drive it.

 

[stevegolf]

Thanks for the info so far. The car is titled, so it appears to be somehow legal in that respect. We also don't have emissions testing here in MI thank goodness. We are going to be fixing it up, should be pretty beastly once done . Any other info anyone has would be appreciated! Someone on vortex said there were a few of these floating around so hopefully someone knows exactly what it is.

 

[wolfsburg_de]

Looks like this is the car in question and it's a 2.5L V6 TDI (110 kW or 150 hp): 2004 v6 tdi don't want to start after the accident - VW TDI forum and Audi TDI forum - myturbodiesel.com

 

[dbrick]

Thanks for the info so far. The car is titled, so it appears to be somehow legal in that respect.

Excellent! That is quite extraordinary; it'd be interesting to know how it occurred.

Legal issues resolved, now it's an interesting and unusual car needing some TLC.
Keep posting to let us know about bringing it back to life.

David Brick
Santa Cruz CA
2001 V6 GLS

 

[ZachB5.5]

^^X2

It will be cool to see it up and running. Getting it working again will be fun, but hopefully finding parts isn't too difficult.

 

[Passat2.8]

That is a 2.5 Liter Turbo Diesel, Alacantra Seats, OEM tinted glass, OEM Navi w/ antenna and probably TMC and TV Tuner, Full FIS cluster, Euro Hatch, Bi-Xenon headlights with auto-leveling and washers.

 

[V4VanGelder]

i would do very bad things to get my hands on that car.

 

[macaddiict]

Wow! Seems there are some interesting vehicles running around here. Thanks for posting pics


Sent from my Autoguide iPad app

 

[stevegolf]

Yup, that link is the car in question :thumbup:

That is a 2.5 Liter Turbo Diesel, Alacantra Seats, OEM tinted glass, OEM Navi w/ antenna and probably TMC and TV Tuner, Full FIS cluster, Euro Hatch, Bi-Xenon headlights with auto-leveling and washers.

Interesting, are you sure it is a 2.5L? we were told it is a 3.6 liter but we can't really tell just by looking at it. Let me know what we should check so we can be sure what we are getting. Thanks everybody!

 

[swcrow17]

how cool

 

[bizkitt]

Its definitely a 2.5 V6 TDI, these are very common in europe, i drove one of these and they are pretty good also check the engine if you see engine code like these: AKN/BDG/BDH/BAU and AFB all these are for 2.5 V6 TDI. I dont think that there is any 3.6 engine in any passat..

PS. http://www.auto-pics.com/#/Volkswagen/Passat/2.5-TDI-4motion-23236/

 

[pablitormDub]

Me likey!

 

[jrv1.8t]

Its definitely a 2.5 V6 TDI, these are very common in europe, i drove one of these and they are pretty good also check the engine if you see engine code like these: AKN/BDG/BDH/BAU and AFB all these are for 2.5 V6 TDI. I dont think that there is any 3.6 engine in any passat..

PS. Autopics

There's a 3.6 gas in the B6 and the B7, but no 3.6 TDI as far as I know, ever.
Maybe it was a one off engine and it's even rarer? :icon_eek:

 

[hu vw]

It is either a mid to late 2004 or 2005 model year Passat with the 2.5 liter V6 TDI engine. You have a possibility of 3 horsepower levels, 150 (110kw), 163 (120kw), or 180 (132kw) depending on which engine is installed. You should be able to look at the option sticker in the spare tire well and determine which engine it is as engine code and power rating will be listed. AFB/AKN=150 hp, BDG=163 hp or BAU/BDH=180 hp. Considering the model year I would say it is most likely the 180 hp version.

Is it a 4Motion? From the looks of the gear selector it almost appears to have the 4Motion logo on it.

If it is able to be put back on the road it is a torque monster.

Edit:

There was never a 3.6 liter diesel engine in a Passat.

Looking at the post on myturbodiesel.com the operator manual is under the steering column and should also have the option sticker inside of it for further information.

Reading the description the OP states it has xenon headlights. Those are not OEM xenon headlights. Maybe someone installed a HID kit.

tdiclub.com would be a good source for information as there are individuals there who actually import engines from Europe.

 

[aran]

I'll buy it from your buddy if he doesn't want to mess with it, I'd love to get my hands on it

 

[Passat2.8]

I'll buy it from your buddy if he doesn't want to mess with it, I'd love to get my hands on it

So would I...

 

[stevegolf]

Thanks for all the info, its going to help a lot. I guess the cams were shot so we are getting some new ones and rebuilding the head. It should be back on the road in a month or so. I'll keep this thread updated if we find more info. My friend might drive it for a while or sell it once its done so keep an eye out if you want a rare german luxury torquemonster.