From what I've read. V6 is most reliable, followed by 1.8T and last is W8. as far as i remember there was something wrong with cam lifters, plus it's overly complex to work on.

PW gurus can enlighten you on this subject. im just a noob

 

As far as this goes I would have to disagree. I know I'm bias becuase of owning a W8 but this is not entirely true. I've worked on and/or with VW-Audi most of my life. While yes the W8 is absurdly complex to work on, it is by no means the LEAST reliable. The 2.8s from what I remember were very very prone to head gasket failure, while the 1.8t always has that sludge issue lingering over its head.

For badmonkey, as far as my 2cents are worth, my only real concern would be if it is a tip model, those from what I've come to know had some form of an issue with heatshields, not too familiar with the issue but it is a problem I know of. The cam issue stated by beaumisbro is in regards to the screen that covers the cam gear/variable controler, it can get gunked up, but like anything else, so long as your using oil that isnt crap, and dont go 8k miles between oil changes you shouldnt really be worred. Mine currently has 127k on it in a 6 speed 03 wagon, I use valvoline maxlife 10w40 synthetic blend, and running on that the car is happy all the time, and I am by no means a gental driver, in fact this march it will begin its first autocross season.

Regards, WS

 

there is a google search for passatworld on the bottom of the page, try it..lots of answers

 

Red Passat W8 has a great number of information on the W8 platform. Too bad he was banned....

 

they had a w8 forum too right, what was the name???

 

I'm obviously not going to get into an arguement over it, but i worked for VW for awhile, my father worked for VW as a mechanic for the better part of 15 years. The 2.8 had pretty consistant problems with head gaskets, an issue that was taken care of when it was updated to the 3.0. However, like the people that don't own a W8 making comments of what they can and cannot, or will and will not do...I've never owned a 2.8 so I cant say what they WILL do, just throwing out the info I've seen in the past.

 

VW never got the 3.0

 

Let me elaborate a little. The car is a 2002 W8 sedan, TIP tranny, sport suspension. It belongs to a buddy of mine and has 64,000 miles. It has been impeccably maintained, oil changed every 3500 miles with Mobil1 or Valvoline. Oh, and i forgot to mention, he'll sell it to me for $4000. Wadda ya think? Y or N?

 

Yeah, for the price why not? You wont likely find many other cars that age that well maintained and with that mileage. Plus, it's a friend and you know how he is with it... I see no reason not to.

 

I would say yeah, its all up to you if you want a kinda rare car that with the right exhaust work can sound crazy, but has the draw back of being rare so parts are a little more pricey and from my experience, i get anywhere from 14 to 18 mpg (the best I ever got was just short of 19 and that was a 300 mile trip all highway), dunno how the tips are though so you might do better.

 

For four grand, I'd drive it around like a maniac, then part it out when something too expensive broke. And I never drive like a maniac.

 

Well, the W8 Tips had a pretty high failure rate of the torque converters...that's one of the biggies. Nothing an IPT unit couldn't fix.

 

X2, I would plan to upgrade the TC right off the hop. If the TC clutches start slipping then it heats up the trans fluid and varnishes the clutch packs. Then you're into it for another $3000 for a trans body rebuild. Best to be preemptive there

As for the cam issues, it mainly has to do with the actuators getting gunked up. Apparently you can work them loose by 'shocking' the solenoid with a 12V battery and working them loose that way. So there shouldn't be any need for expensive repairs on those components unless things are way too far gone.

 

What kinda work?

 

Buy it, and put $2K down for an extended warrenty. You can buy extended warrenties, my local VW dealership offers them, for a couple of grand you can have your car covered to 80-100K milage. Mines good till 106K or 2013, whichever comes first (mines from carmax, previous owner got the warrenty, and Ive take over with it).

The Torque Converter will go at one point. Either spend $3K then, or now for a warrenty, which will cover it and any other problems that could happen. Mine gave me a CEL at 49K, despite there not being a problem with it! The VW dealership was stumped, and since it fell under factory warrenty, it was replaced free

 

Honestly, for $4k, this should be a no brainer. You know that gas mileage is going to leave you gasping for air ...but so will the fun factor. And you've got a good resource here with info on possible failure points.

 

Oh man, I think most people on PW would jump all over that for 4000

 

if you know ur friend took good care of it i would say go for it for only 4 grand and only 64k miles. enjoy it and if something major breaks that will cost a good chunk of money just get rid of it or part it out.

 

I would jump on this in a heartbeat, it's a steal!
Just look at the NADA value for that car with that mileage...
$7k-$9k TRADE-IN Value
$11,700 Retail Value

You could buy it tomorrow, and sell it the next day for a several thousand dollar profit. Or, do the right thing and keep it and ENJOY it

 

Test drive it

 

My TC went at 64,990 - but others have gone at less than 35k miles, and a good number have held together into the 100k+ mile range.

 

If you know the seller and it's only $4000 I would go for it. However I would plan to upgrade the TC if you plan on keeping it for a while. The other advantage to the TC upgrades is that a) you can up the stall speed and b) the IPT design is a more efficient one that lets you put more power to the ground.

 

If you know the seller and it was well cared for, go for it. Plan on replacing the TC in a few years. You can also upgrade the valve body in the trans and it should keep the TC healthy for a longer time.

If it needs a TC, I know someone who can do that

 

Is the problem with the Torque converter and the cams reoccurring? I'm looking at an '03 W8 4Motion wagon that has already had the TC replaced at around 45k miles. It's at 96K miles now?

 

I'm far from an expert, but... My guess would be the Torque Converter problem could reoccur. From what I've seen & read, it's more common to fail & be replaced for the first time at around 100K miles, as mine was. If you figure the replacement lasting about that long, not many W8s have had the chance to make it another 100K. If whoever didn't spend the money to have the Torque Converter beefed up and instead just used a new or rebuilt OEM model, I'd say failure is imminent in the same timeframe.

The cam problem is probably less likely to reoccur. I was getting some misfires and codes related to the dreaded camshaft problems a couple months ago. Some SeaFoam and the DIY ElectroShock Therapy seems to have cleared up the problem for now.

 

Take this flow chart, any reference to a dollar amount, double it. That should tell you wether or not to purchase a W8. Oh and do you have an engine hoist?

 

I'm pretty sure the OP either passed or took their friend up on the deal. Either way, the flow chart already takes W8 maintenance into account.

NCSRF22, I have not seen a reoccurance about it on this site. This site may give you more insight. The W8 forum - Powered by Web Wiz Forums™

 

Lol, I wonder if his friend is still trying to sell it to him for $4k... 2 years ago

 

No, the OP had his timing belt eat the engine and was never heard from again.

 

That's awful

 

hey there sorry i cant be of any help to you, but i have an issue myself, which is, spark plugs refuse to come out, and dont want to end up with major heart surgery over a simple service issue, they obviously have been overtightened by one of those monkeys you mentioned earlier, so, any help much appreciated,(welded Almost!! she is running 100% but i would like to replace them, more-so now because i cant get them with the fear of ending up in a mess .
Many thanks
Simon1970