2007 Passat 2.0 TDI B6 Problems - Send help!

[volksenthusiast]

Hi guys,

Long time lurker first time poster! I've been having a number of issues with my Passat since recently purchasing it that have been doing my head in and wanted to hear some input from you guys who might be a bit more up to speed than I.

1. Air conditioning is taking 10-15 minutes to cool and is not 'ice cold' as my previous cars have been. I took this into an air conditioning specialist today for a suggested re-gas, and came out with a $1700 quote with them telling me the compressor is 'faulty', and that i'll need a new one, plus a condensor, plus a TX valve. Very disappointing build quality if this is the case. I thought german engineering was the goods?

2. Car hesitates when taking off, hard shifts between gears and occasionally gets stuck in gears (especially when going between sports mode and drive). My mechanic recommended a DSG transmission service since we could find no particulars among the service history addressing this specifically (interval is 60k for auto trans services). Fault codes have been checked as it has just had the 200k service including water pump and timing belt, and nothing came up. So far from searching i've seen mention of a software update being available, but I wouldn't know how much this would set me back and who does it in Tassie.

3. Intermittent problems starting. Suspected battery issues initially, then ran tests and everything came back fine. Possible starter motor issue?

4. Reverse sensor continually beeps, presumed faulty (like the rest of the car). Have seen a few threads on here with similar issues in the same make and model.

5. There's a phone button the steering wheel but no bluetooth installed in the vehicle. Called VW and they have quoted me $800 to install a bluetooth unit which they class as an 'aftermarket accessory', prior to 2009 when they began adding them in. Ridiculous.

I honestly think the car is a lemon, and after doing some further digging on ConsumerReports the outlook does not look good. I'm seriously considering fixing the existing issues and selling up immediately before it's a mechatronics unit next week or a new gearbox. For a moment I considered getting a 2013 model (the year they seem to have gotten their act together), but after these experiences I am cautious to say the least.

Would love to hear from fellow passat owners

Regards

Matt

[IMG][/IMG]

[Umai Naa!!]

All appear to be common concerns for the age of the vehicle. Lemon = unrepairable fault.

1) A/C compressors die all the time on VWs.

2) Try having a reset done on the transmission.

3) Check cranking speed. If less than 280rpm, but battery is testing ok, it'll need a starter motor.

4) Scan for codes, will log a fault code for a reverse sensor if it is faulty. Otherwise, give it a good clean.

5) Bluetooth wasn't factory-fitted until much later on. Same basic steering wheel with the phone button was used on pretty much all VW passenger vehicles from 2005-2010. Not really a fault of the car, just that the original owner never bothered with Bluetooth.

[Snail Style]

Bought a 10 year old car, with 200k+ km, and calls the car a lemon. Shouldn't you blame yourself for not checking it properly prior to buying?

[volksenthusiast]

Bought a 10 year old car, with 200k+ km, and calls the car a lemon. Shouldn't you blame yourself for not checking it properly prior to buying?

The issues with the transmission and air conditioning did not present prior to buying, meaning the air was cool and the gears shifted as you would expect. The reverse sensor was my fault for overlooking and the bluetooth i'm not too worried about. If i decided to keep the car i'll put a head unit in.

@Umai Naa!!

Can the transmission reset be done as a DIY with the cable and software connected to a PC?

[h100vw]

The issues with the transmission and air conditioning did not present prior to buying, meaning the air was cool and the gears shifted as you would expect. The reverse sensor was my fault for overlooking and the bluetooth i'm not too worried about. If i decided to keep the car i'll put a head unit in.

@Umai Naa!!

Can the transmission reset be done as a DIY with the cable and software connected to a PC?

DSG reset needs VCDS cable but is dead easy to do.

[Umai Naa!!]

Try a soft reset first.

You can DIY that one without a cable. Google will show you how.

[volksenthusiast]

DSG reset needs VCDS cable but is dead easy to do.

Try a soft reset first.

You can DIY that one without a cable. Google will show you how.

Hey guys, just reporting back with an update.

Tried a soft reset but unfortunately did not notice any improvements. Took the car back to my mechanic for a proper basic settings reset and he performed a DSG service while he was at it. Transmission is shifting smoother and the clutch slippage is gone under hard acceleration between 90-110kmh, but mechanic says there is too much play in the dual mass flywheel and it needs to be replaced ($1800 for the kit and 8 hours labour). I test drove a 2011 DSG Jetta this afternoon out of curiosity, and noticed the exact same issue with delay upon takeoff. Not sure what to make of this :/

[Umai Naa!!]

Delay on take-off is normal.

They're not instant like an auto. You need to factor in clutch take-up, as per a manual car.

[Elmura]

That car wasn't a lemon. Most likely it is wear and tear. After all, you never know how the car was treated over 200k km.

PS- Bluetooth was not fitted standard, the steering wheel had the button should you fit a kit so you wouldn't need to replace wheel as well. You can get kits elsewhere than the dealers for much less cost.

The 2009 R36 I had didn't have any of those problems. It did have a strange grinding/whining noise at speed (possibly bearing or CV joint) and the engine chain drive and guides were very noisey (needed replacing) at only 85000 km

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