My car is really starting to be a money pit since it hit 100k so what should I do

2197 Views 16 Replies 11 Participants Last post by tallngangly, Jan 18, 2012

Candy

Discussion Starter · Jan 15, 2012

I have a 2002 Passat 4 cylinder. Original owner, garage kept, ALL scheduled maintenance done, even had the timing belt and all the 100K stuff done at 90K. It hit 100K and it has been one thing after another. I had to have all of the motor mounts replaced because the rubber was going bad and made it shake upon acceleration. I had to have the CV joints replaced, a bearing, 2 hoses, the oil sending unit, and yesterday I had to have it towed again (third time in 2 months) because yet another hose busted, and the same "STOP oil pressure low" warning was coming on again even though I just had it in the shop and they said it was because of that sending unit and yet it is still warning me. Also they said that the intercooler has a tiny little hole probably from wear (although I think it is when I hit a raccoon but who knows) and now that has to be replaced. I have spent over $2200 on all of this stuff in the last 2 months and now I am looking at another $900 for this hose and the inercooler to be fixed, AND that oil warning light is STILL coming on. I love my car, but I am just blown away with all this. I have had it so long and baby it, and *hoped* it might make it to 200K but that is not looking like a reality. What should I do? Sell it, or will it be dependable if I get all of this fixed? Or do these cars have a history of crapping out at 100K?

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DerhsLacidar

· #2 · Jan 15, 2012

All of your problems are common on Passats as well as every car on the road.. Parts and rubber wear out. Your best bet is becoming a DIY'er to save a lot of money. The intercooler is an easy replacement with not too many tools. Your car will definitely be dependable after you get it up to par. Mine is a 98 1.8t with 188k and still running strong. I have replaced / fixed a good amount of things myself, but most of the major mechanical parts are original.

You definitely need that oil sender problem fixed asap, you do use synthetic oil right? 5w-40 is the recommended weight

These cars don't "crap out" at 100k. They need a lot of TLC that the common owner doesn't feel the need to provide. Plenty of members will tell you about their frustration at times and then will also tell you how great the car really is.

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Candy

Discussion Starter · #3 · Jan 15, 2012

I know its horrible but I have no idea what kind of oil. I do know it is very very expensive for an oil change because they recommend a certain type of oil that is not in the barrel, (its in a grey bottle). I have always noticed the oil smells like gas a little, but when I asked the people at VW they say it is normal and there is no issue. Why would that warning light keep coming on though? It is not losing or leaking oil, and they assured me it was the sending unit, yet that warning came back on when I picked it up, but they were closed, so I just had it towed again when the hose busted yesterday. So do you think the little hole in the intercooler may cause this? They said it was okay to drive until the part came in. ALSO can anyone tell me why the intercooler is $600 not counting labor? Can I buy one online? They said to NOT get an aftermarket or it wouldn't fit, so I don't know what to do!

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j.wilson908

· #4 · Jan 15, 2012

DerhsLacidar said:
All of your problems are common on Passats as well as every car on the road.. Parts and rubber wear out. Your best bet is becoming a DIY'er to save a lot of money. The intercooler is an easy replacement with not too many tools. Your car will definitely be dependable after you get it up to par. Mine is a 98 1.8t with 188k and still running strong. I have replaced / fixed a good amount of things myself, but most of the major mechanical parts are original.

You definitely need that oil sender problem fixed asap, you do use synthetic oil right? 5w-40 is the recommended weight

These cars don't "crap out" at 100k. They need a lot of TLC that the common owner doesn't feel the need to provide. Plenty of members will tell you about their frustration at times and then will also tell you how great the car really is.

Like he said these cars are really reliable, but they do take time and money to run extremely well. The B5.5 are great cars. Better mechanically than the B5s in my opinion. I love my B5, but I will admit to fix can get pretty pricey. Unlike most car the passat aftermarket is high quality. Some parts you will find are better to use than OEM. You can get your car easily to 200k with the right parts and paitence.

I have 145,000 miles on my B5 and it has no signs of catostrphic failure altough I need to change wear parts. You should look into indy shops in your area. They are alot cheaper and in you case since you are no longer under warranty it may be in your interest to build the car they way you want as most of us here have done.

Good luck

scotts13

· #5 · Jan 15, 2012

The American cars I've had were generally ready for the scrapyard at 100,000 to 150,000 miles. My 2000 Passat was sold to a new owner at almost 250,000 miles and the new owner is really enjoying it - it looks and runs like new. HOWEVER, you must take care of it and fix things from time to time. A 2002 is ten years old; you have to expect to spend a little money. This isn't a Toyota.

Steve in Chicago

· #6 · Jan 15, 2012

Find yourself a trustworthy independent mechanic/shop that specializes in VW/Audi. It's easier said than done, but you'll save a lot in repair and maintenance costs.

Priority one... get to the bottom of the oil pressure issue. The low oil pressure warning is not to be ignored. Forget the hoses and intercooler till you get the oil problem sorted out.

DerhsLacidar

· #7 · Jan 15, 2012

The "hole" in the intercooler has absolutely NOTHING to do with your oil pressure problem to put it in the easiest way to understand :thumbup:

jale1

· #8 · Jan 15, 2012

Where in TX are you? If you close to DWF area contact PZ for all your passat needs. You will be glad you did.

Candy

Discussion Starter · #9 · Jan 15, 2012

What is your business name and number?

SleeperWagon

· #10 · Jan 15, 2012

scotts13 said:
The American cars I've had were generally ready for the scrapyard at 100,000 to 150,000 miles.

I hope you're discounting the pickup trucks.

My buddy has an 04 Silverado and doesn't even know what his check engine light looks like at 159,000 miles.

Sorry, just had to rep for my favorite pickups. I <3 Chevy pickups

To at least add something to the thread, yes, these cars will eat your pocketbook from time to time. The only advice I can give here is for you to find an independent shop near you that knows a bit about German cars or VWs especially, they are much different from Japanese and American cars in many ways mechanically. If you give it to a shop that doesn't know their VWs, they're going to constantly give you false information. And you are just going to have to bite the bullet, I've had to dump thousands into my car for maintenance in the past, it's not fun, but it's that or buy a new car. They'll run for a good while after those $2000+ hills... The best thing you can do with these cars is educate yourself. That's why I'm always on this forum.

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scotts13

· #11 · Jan 15, 2012

SleeperWagon said:
I hope you're discounting the pickup trucks.

Well... Mostly Fords (GRIN)

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jale1

· #12 · Jan 18, 2012

Candy said:
What is your business name and number?

I'm just referring a guy from this forum that you might contact for your Passat needs. PZ is his username in here. You can send him a PM. He did a lot of work on my car and others many times in this area.

zanzabar

· #13 · Jan 18, 2012

What should you do with your car? Sell it to me for $3300. Then I will put $700 in parts on it and it'll be like a brand-new car for $4k. Seriously, though, this is exactly the car I have now and I couldn't be happier.

What you should do, as others have mentioned, is STEP.AWAY.FROM.THE.DEALER and find yourself a good indy, shade-tree guy endorsed by passatworld, or DIY and enjoy your basic, routine, and expected (which all of your $2200 worth of work is) maintenance for 1/3 of what the dealer charges.

ylwagon

· #14 · Jan 18, 2012

My experience with cars in general and Passats/Audis in particular is that after a rash of things that need attention, they become more trouble-free for a good long time. My daily driver A4 has almost 220,000 and runs like new, my wife's Passat is over 140K and there's nothing it seems to need other than gas.

canosgmk

· #15 · Jan 18, 2012

I agree about finding a good indy. I can understand if you don't have time to learn and work on the car at this time, but the dealership is in business to make money. My wife brought my passat to a dealership just to get wiper blades (with out me knowing it) and they tried to tell her my turbo is completely bad. I drove to said dealership in our other car and took my passat back. while leaving the parking lot, i left a little tire on the road for them. Just be careful what stories they tell you.

Indys are in business to earn your trust so you come back more and more. They fix the problems that NEEDS to be fix and nothing more.

If i where you, fix all the things that will fail your state inspection (if the car is running strong). Then look at the other things that is 'used' and could need replacing.

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Steve in Chicago

· #16 · Jan 18, 2012

There are plenty of rip-off Indy's, just as there are in a good deal of all service professions. Finding an honest, qualified mechanic is easier said than done, but they are out there.

tallngangly

· #17 · Jan 18, 2012

Regarding your oil pressure light coming on, I seem to recall somebody here had a similar issue (I think within the last year) that turned out to be a bad wire going to the oil pressure sensor. Search the archives and you should be able to find the thread. It was very detailed with pictures. Hopefully that's all it is.

BTW, my 2000 V6 has 230K miles and counting...

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