Fuel-system, engine, breaks - all major parts are poorely designed

Many people have been fooled by VW "service" and the "German engineering" design.
My personal experience with Passat 2004, 1.8T, 4MOTION (still under "warranty") is:

broken ABS at 48,000 km
suspected oil-sludge (indeed a defective oil-pump) at 65,000 km.

And even do not dream they will fix your "oil-sludge/defective oil-pump" problem free of charge. The warranty is automatically revoked and you are at your own. VW breaks lease contracts without any penalties for them. They arbitrary void any warranty obligations as they wish.
The dealership, I have been dealing with - Oakville VW (Ontario, Canada) - has a bunch of ignorant "service" people with the exception of hard working mechanics which have to cover lack of design and fix defective "vehicles" so they can run at least few hundred kilometers till another problem. An Assistant Service Manager of the dealership even could not distinguish oil-sludge from a defective oil-pump (what a surprise!).
VW does not care about its reputation or what customers think about them, they are here just getting quick money and hide behind "manuals" and papers they invented to protect themselves from lack of engineering. The whole business is based on the "one-time-grab-money" model. VW gives only 18,000 km per year (lease) as they know their "cars" can not clear more kms :)). Other auto-dealers just do not want to deal with VW's pre-owned "cars" as their depreciation rate is very high, in two and a half year a "car" loses more than a half of its original price (think about ;).
Also, check their recalls, every year every model they "designed" has major problems including fuel-system, engine, and breaks. No one automaker has such kind of "quality"!
Think over before you commit yourself to this "company", it will be fierce way out !

When it runs, it's a nice smooth ride

Completely unreliable. Spend all your time at the dealer.

I'll never buy another Volkswage. Currently have 39,000 miles on it. At 15,000 miles everything started breaking and it's bee a nightmare ever since. I've had it in for three recalls (coils, fuel pump, seat warmers) and four warranty repairs (ABS Light twice, electrical issues (signals not working), and bad battery

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Honda - I want my Honda back.

Seat comfort and suspension system.

Continuous electrical problems - gas mileage - must use 91 octane fuel or greater or performance suffers greatly - non-AWD version with same 1.8T engine uses unleaded regular 87 octane.

Location of oil filter allows oil to accumulate on engine block when filter is changed. The only two times that I allowed the dealer to change the oil they did not clean up the spilled oil and smells of the frying oil on the hot block permeated the interior of the car. This is a very difficult procedure to endure.

The oil filler area also accumulates road dust/particles and if it is not cleaned prior to opening the oil filler cap, these particles will definitely go into the engine.

I purchased a new Passat in 2005 and have driven the car over 60K miles since then. This was our first VW/Audi product since 1993. I previously owned a new 1975 VW Rabbit and 1988/1993 Audis, both new.

Prior to the 2005 Passat we owned 3 new Honda Accords and 2 new Honda CRVs.

The Passat is a return to the great handling of a German vehicle. While we don't have the weather to completely warrant the all-wheel-drive we travel to New England and other ski areas by car some trips.

The AWD is great on rain slick streets. Where the Honda CRV AWD would allow the front wheels to spin on a wet street just before the AWD would engage, the VW 4-Motion system does not. The control of traction is second to none. I previously owned 3 new Jeep Renegades and Wranglers, and have had a vast experience with 4 wheel drive.

The 1.8 turbo engine is adequate in town, but really provides a fun driving experience on the highway in excess of 80 MPH.

The best highway mileage was obtained recently on a 4K mile trip to New England and back. It was the first time that our mileage had exceeded 22 MPG on the highway. I keep meticulous records and the computer in the car and my calculations at fill-up were both the same.

Between Memphis and Charleston, West Virginia, the car attained 27 MPG. From Charleston to Washington and on to New Hampshire I recorded 24 MPG.

In town driving the car barely manages 20 MPG. Here in Memphis the local streets are continuous start/stop interspersed with three interstates that provide access to the entire area.

The comfort and support of the leather seats are great for my 6'2" 200 pound body. This is especially evident on our long trips, some days driving in excess of 600 miles.

I just replaced the 17" low profile tires at 57K miles. This is one of the two areas of the car that concern me. The low profile tires are rough on road imperfections.

The other problems are the electrical components. I am not accustomed to having maintenance problems with the 5 Honda vehicles. I drove as much as 90K miles on one CRV.

To date all four spark plug ignition coils have been replaced. Three were replaced under the 40K mile warranty. Also replaced was a brake light switch for the ABS system. One of the ignition coils split in two sections on our recent road trip.

We spent $314.00 in Newport Rhode Island at a VW dealer, service was great for our emergency, but all that they could determine for the money was a suspicion concerning the platinum brand of spark plugs that I had installed 17K miles earlier at the 40K mile recommended change point.

A parts house read the error code for me prior to stopping at the dealer and the codes indicated "multiple cylinder misfires".

Being quite frankly stuck-between-a-rock-and-hard place when the dealer mentioned to me and my wife that the plugs may be causing the problem, we agreed to have the four plugs replaced at a cost of the $314.00 which included the initial $89.95 charge for their diagnostic that revealed nothing.

I now have on of my spare tool sets in the trunk along with a 5" spark plug socket and an additional new ignition coil.

Two days later in the Pocono’s in New Jersey we awoke and the car was this time shaking from what was later determined by a very helpful Advanced Auto Parts manager as cylinder three misfire. The parts houses do not yet have the ignition coils for sale. Since I did not have my invoices from the previous dealer repairs, I located the local VW dealer and purchased two ignitions coils.

I then returned to the location of Advance Auto Parts and let the engine coil before proceeding to replace the coil.

When I attempted to remove the ignition coil it came apart and the base remained on the spark plug. Had it not been for the helpful people at the parts store I would have been in a quandary attempting to extract the coil from the 5" deep sparkplug hole in the head. I purchased a double hinged pair of needle nose pliers which allowed me to remove the other half of the part.

It is clear now that the ignition coil was the original problem that had previously cost me $314.00. Cylinder three was the only coil not previously replaced.

When we reached the Knoxville Tennessee area on I-40 the next new problem surfaced. After using the turn signal during a lane change, the clicking sound emitted from the signal unit continued on an almost continuous basis. We have endured this ever since.

I purchased a new hazard flasher/signal unit from my local dealer. The parts manager stated that VW must have a problem with he unit because he sells quite a few of the items.

Now the new unit is doing the same thing. There is no error displayed by the car. Another 2005 owner has the same problem.

I have also replaced the driver's side low beam lamp and passenger side fog lamp.

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Audi / Honda

Comfortable, stylish. Love the look and feel of my wagon.

Completely unreliable

One problem after another. I bought my Passat new and it now has 37,000 miles. Since buying the vehicle the following issues have occurred: Faulty fuse; steering column bolt loose (4 trips to dealership before they figured out what was wrong); leak in the firewall resulting in ~ 2 inches of standing water in driver's side floorboard after a rainfall (mildew smell for months); Bad fuel pump; Malfunctioning moonroof switch (roof would open on it's own); coating on the center console is peeling; roof molding pops out of place frequently; front grill fell off; and now air conditioner has stopped working. Fortunately most of the above has been covered under warranty; however, now that the warranty is about to expire, I definitely will be trading. Will never buy another Volkswagen.

Original owner---6 1/2 years---105,000 miles. Engine is 1.8T with 5 speed manual. My overall experience is very good. It is reliable, rides well, comfortable to drive, 30 - 31 mpg mixed suburban streets and highway driving. Does not require a lot of time getting maintenance, but when a repair is required it is somewhat expensive.

Planning to drive car for 150,000 miles or more.

Cons:
Recommend 91 premium. Alternate gas purchases at 1/2 tank with 89/93/89/93 etc.

Dealer service always required appt. far in advance for all service. If check engine light was on...dealer did not have service next day for diagnostic to check if car could be driven. Best to find good local mechanic.

Told by mechanics some items are time consuming to repair. For example, timing belt repacement and tensioning requires all day at shop including complete front end disassembly.

Cup holder is an annoyance. Dangerous to drink hot beverage because cup holder located to rear of seat. It is very awkward to move right arm back to grab cup. Using left hand requires driver to turn to right in seat. Enjoy your coffee while reading the paper at coffee shop.

Handling
Styling
Interior
fit and finish

needs more mainentance.
weak low end power

Car looks and drives great even after 7 years and 62k miles. Much better drivers car than any Japanese sedan including the 6 cyl Honda and Toyota
Chassis dynamics are just great.

On the flip side it's not like owning a toaster or a tv set, this car needs to be maintained and the VW mechanics are not the best.

In 7 yrs I've replaced brakes and tires, 2 hazard flashers and an ICM myself. I paid to have the tire rod ends replaced and VW changed the water pump under warranty.

Also the rear brakes wear before the fronts which is odd but livable.
I'd buy another one buy I prefer to buy American.

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Acura Legend

Handling, interior room, body integrity, comfortable seating, body style, conveniences, gas economy, engine has a lot of get-up-and-go, instrument cluster easy to read, trunk space, dealership.

Choppy ride over really bumpy roads, only option for satillite radio is Sirius(XM is much better).

My Audi was giving me all kinds of trouble so I decided to trade in. I test drove many cars. The worst being the Honda Civic (I was looking for better gas economy). I just couldn't stop yawning. And the saleswoman was about as arrogant as it gets. The last dealer I stopped at was VW. Have to say, I was treated better than I was at the Audi dealership. I drove the Passat and fell in love with it. Solid, powerful engine, comfortable and beautiful. I drove off in mine the next day.
VW hit the mark on this one. The sticker said 30 mpg highway but I'm averaging 34 to 38 mpg! And I can use regular gas. The Turbo engine is remarkably smooth and peppy. I've only had it for a month and a half but it's been an absolute pleasure to this point.

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Audi A6
Cadillac SLS
BMW 325

Fun to Drive; Nice styling

Poor build quality; Un-reliable; Expensive to repair

I was so dead set on buying a VW against everyone's advice that they produce unreliable cars and I must admit I regret not listening to those people. I purchased my Passat used in December of 2004 with 41,800 miles on it. A week after I bought it I kept having problems when I tried to fill up the gas tank. The pump kept stopping because there was some kind of leak that was causing the gas pump to think the car was full. It took 4 trips to the VW dealer to remedy this situation. A week after I got the car back the check engine light went on. Another trip to the dealer indicated that there was something wrong with the emissions system that was remedied under warranty. One month later I went to the dealer for a tune-up. A week later the check engine light went on and blinked while I was driving it. I had VW roadside assistance tow it to the dealer. It turns out the dealer installed the wrong spark plugs. After those incidents I didn't encounter any problems until a year later..once the warranty had expired of course. On 12/31/05 (New Year's Eve) I got in the car at the mall and started it up and the check engine light lit up and blinked without stopping and the engine sounded funny. It turned out that the ignition coil went and there was a leak in a vacuum hose. On top of all of that there there was a leak from my valve cover gasket bringing the grand total to $471 to fix. VW had recalled the ignition coils but mine were not covered because it is VIN specific and I didn't have one of the VIN's that qualified. A rather silly recall since it is obvious that mine was one of the defected. A month later my wheel bearing went on the front right tire costing me another $420. Don't get me wrong...the car felt solid and was plenty of fun to drive but had way too many issues. I felt like it spent more time being fixed than me driving it. I finally got fed up of with the car, with the dealer and with VW corporate. I never had problems with Japanese cars and have since replaced my Passat with an '06 Subaru Impreza; an equally fun to drive car with even more horsepower than the 1.8T and the added bonus of AWD and Japanese reliability.

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'06 Subaru Impreza
'01 Toyota Avalon

Handling, mpg, looks, pretty much everything!

Wife can't drive it. But that isn't the cars fault.

I love my car. I have had it for around 18 mounths. I am sorry for those that have lemons. But come on that happens in any kind of car. I haven't had any problems. It drives great. Has power enough for me. I even get about 27-28 mpg going 80-85 mph. You can't find that in a v6 anywhere! The only problem is my wife can't drive it because it is a stick. So I am looking for a newer model with an automatic. So if you wan't a great car, at a great price. Go with the passat.

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ford escort, 89 mustang, 95 mustang, grand am

Good gas mileage

Everything - unreliable, difficult to fix, slow..., expensive parts and service, poorly engineered.

Very poor and unreliable car. Has convinced me that I would never buy another VW. Thousands of dollars in repairs, breakdowns, unreasonably expensive parts ($240 for a headlight lens) and dealers who experiment on your car. Absolutely the worse car I have ever owned.

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Volvos - several Geo Metro/Suzuki Swift - several Toyota MR2 Chev Cavilier 1989