[bigreddog]

Hello Everyone! I can't say I'm a newbie on here because I was on the site probably 8 or more years ago when I had a 99 Passat with the 2.8L 30V engine with manual tranny. Now, I am back and wanting to buy a 08-13 CC. I just want the 2.0T engine. What I want to know is; are there any bad years of CC models that I should avoid? Do all years of CC's have Bluetooth or is it in a "tech package" or unavailable in the earlier years? What does PZEV mean as some are advertised? Any transmission or engine issues with any of the years? Also, I want the touchscreen so what "packages" have that as a standard option? I'd also like a sunroof if possible. Those are my questions for now. Thank you everyone! I know VW has taken a hit lately but I know it's only their TDI engines that are affected. I still remember the fun I had in my old Black on Black Leather while going through the gears. So, I want another VW again....... thanks in advance for the answers!

 

[TheRustySuper]

I just got my 2012 CC back in December when my '09 GTI got totaled, so I'm not a huge expert on the car yet. But I'll pass on some of what I know, maybe it'll help you out.

The 2.0T is a pretty great engine, plenty of power for the CC. It only weighs a few hundred pounds more than my GTI with the same engine so it's got plenty of get up and go. The only major issue I've heard of with the 2.0T is carbon buildup which occasionally requires manual cleaning. However, my GTI had 60k on it and this CC has 85k on it, and neither one has ever showed symptoms of buildup.

Regarding transmissions, there's two, the 6spd DSG and the 6spd manual. The DSG requires routine fluid changes, I don't recall what intervals as I've always had manuals. From what I've read the DSG is reliable provided you keep up with these, although you may wanna do some additional research on it if you're interested in one. The 6spd manual is what I've got, and it's great. No issues and it's got a nice tall 6th gear--took a ~300 mile round trip in it just last weekend and got nearly 32 mpg with the cruise on 75 the whole time.

I'm not sure if all years of CC have Bluetooth. I do know that my 2012 is the Sport package (basic trim) and it's got Bluetooth, so my guess is it's standard on all CC years where Bluetooth was offered. Same with the touchscreen. The sunroof is not offered on Sport models, so if you want one you'll want to get a higher trim level.

A Google search came up with this regarding PZEV: "A partial zero emissions vehicle is a vehicle that has zero evaporative emissions from its fuel system, has a 15-year (or at least 150,000-mile) warranty on its emission-control components, and meets SULEV tailpipe-emission standards (Wikipedia)."

That's as much as I know, lol. You'll definitely have fun in a CC, it's a lot of fun to drive and super comfortable on trips. You can also get a great deal on one--my 2012 stickered for nearly 30k but I only paid 11k for it with 78k on the odometer. Go test drive some and see what options and features are available in your price range with your desired engine, transmission, etc. Good luck!

 

[bigreddog]

Thanks for your reply. I wanted to do a little research and I came upon this. He is a VW Mechanic and VW fan for life.

After watching this video I found a CC that I was interested in so the first thing I did was go to the service department to get prices on the 5 things that are most common to occur. Now, good thing, that parts for all 5 of these things are cheap for brand new parts online, but the VW department won't put those parts on. The VW parts prices were quite a bit more. So, I asked on the labor prices only. 1. Timing Chain Tensioner Kit, they finally make a new tensioner with a guide. Get the whole kit otherwise you'll leak oil after they take the cover off. But, labor to put on the $39 Timing Chain Tensioner, $747.50. I have read about a guy that had his engine blow at 15K and another guy at 23K so if you want your CC to last, check to make sure you have the latest tensioner which I "think" is model K. The video says you can look through a hole and see the part number/letter but VW service played dumb on this. 2. Intake manifold. I have read that if you don't have VW do a DE-Carb service every 40K for $150 and buy de-carb solution to add to your gas, you'll be replacing the intake manifold which is $144 online but the cost to install is $750. 3. VW swears there is no issue with the water pump so I didn't get a labor price on that. I should've. 4. Cold start idling rough also due to buildup on back of intake manifold. Labor to clean the valves in the intake manifold, $800-$900. 5. Rear Main Oil Seal - I can't believe the dumb design of this. You have to pull out and drop the transmission to replace the rear main oil seal. Cost of just the labor, $1115.00. YIKES ON ALL 5!!!

So, then I went to drive my first CC. It had black matte rims on a high gloss black car. So, the blacks didn't match. The picture I printed showed silver factory rims. They said they could switch the rims with another car. This was a 2010 CC sport. Next, the touchscreen radio won't play bluetooth music from my phone. That feature comes in 2011. And the inside was plainer than my 2012 Hyundai Elantra. Black on black but the trim was so plain and cheap. No woodgrain, only a tad bit of trim. The driver's seat's leather was all ripped and they said they would "fix" that section. I started the car and was extremely impressed by how silent it started and idled. It had the DSG transmission which I did NOT like. We were getting ready to pull out onto a road after cars went by but the transmission kept throbbing the car forward again and again. Once I got out onto the street it was a dog and the suspension was tough. Could've been the rims. I decided to floor it and when I punched the gas pedal, it did nothing for a few seconds and then took off but it was nothing impressive. We got back to the dealer and they wanted to drive my 2012 Elantra with 48K and factory warranty. The finance manager kept saying, "Wow this car has got some power and it shifts so smooth!" Their car was worth $9950 at full retail value with 92K. Mine was worth $13,275 retail but only $9975 trade-in. So, basically we'd trade cars and they'd owe me $25. I was starting to have second thoughts and then they were so embarrassed they had to get the manager to hand me their offer. They wanted my car, they was worth $4000 more and I was willing to do an even trade, and then they wanted ANOTHER $3967.93! I told them I offered them FULL RETAIL and only wanted TRADE IN on my car that was in MINT condition and in better condition than their's. I left feeling glad I did not buy a CC. So then I started looking at Cadillac CTS 2008-2013 and they have even more problems. I would still be interested in a CC if it was a MANUAL and I got the tensioner kit right away and then routinely de-carbed. Problems are, I've found the manual transmissions have the least amount of options. I want the touchscreen and would like to get a sunroof if at all possible. I'm still debating what I want to do.

 

[Electron Man]

It depends on how long you tend to keep the cars you buy. The newer CCTA and CBFA engines still do not have the four extra low-pressure injectors (one in each intake runner) to keep the tops of the intake valves clean. VWAG has made "claims" that the US will get this more-costly version (already available in Europe) of the 1.8T/2.0T by ~2018. They initially claimed late 2017, but being pessimistic (realistic), I've bumped that another 12 months due to "Dieselgate" fallout.

VW made a lot of questionable changes that took the engineering robustness out of this EA888 engine platform in exchange for more power. In other words, your maintenance costs if keeping this car for ~175K miles will be quite a bit higher, perhaps double, what it took to maintain a B5 for the same duration. I guess the B5's were just too robust since a few (~25%) of us can get ~200K or more out of them.

If you trade cars ever 4-5 years, go for it and enjoy.

 

[bigreddog]

Thanks Electron Man, my old 99 Passat had the engine that was not "first choice", most people said. It wasn't a turbo but instead a 2.8L 30V V6 and when I sold it, it ran like new with 186,000 miles on it. I sold it for $2500. The car NEVER went to the VW service shop once. I changed the oil and filters and the car kept going just fine.

I fell in love with the CC's looks, but now that I've heard all the problems, I think I'm going to pass on the 2.0T. Now I understand why the normal Passat 2.5 se cars are selling for more money. That brings me to that question....is the Passat's 2.5 5 cylinder engine any good? Yes I do want a good car that I won't have to spend a fortune to maintain and that doesn't have out of the normal carbon issues, etc.... I also know the CC was available in a 3.6L V6. Is that engine any better as far as cost of maintenance and reliability? I seem to only find the 3.6L V6 on the AWD. I didn't really want AWD as that was just one more thing to go out on it. Let me know mainly about the Passat 2.5 5 cylinder if you know about it. Thanks!!

 

[9elf]

My wifes 2002 Passat never had a failure on the 4Motion in 186K. Not even CVJoint boot failure. The VR6 on her new CC is outstanding. The CC has excellent suspension, brakes, and power when the trans is in "S." It gets a solid 26 mpg pushing 80mph on the interstate. The CC has close 40K with small warranty issues like bad radio and two bent wheel rims (made strait by dealer under tire warranty of all things!) It is a great car.