2008 Passat TDi 2l

[j3bu5]

Hi all,

New to the forum and after some expert advice. My lancer was written off the Sydney storms recently and I'm on the hunt for a replacement family car. Interestingly, an opportunity to get one of these has popped up to pick up on of these for (what i consider) pretty cheap:
Access Denied

It's got 150k on it and seems to have been serviced every 6 months to a year at a VW specialist. I actually gave the workshop a call to see if they had noted anything down last time it was in late last year and they had nothing of note, which is a good sign I guess, although I'm considering taking it to them for inspection and then service/purchase if the check up doesn't show any issues.

Ticks all my requirements to fit all 3 of my young kids in, a safe car that will get me the kids dropped off at school and myself to a train station to get to work. All in all, It'll probably be driving well under 100k a week.

The guy is selling it as he was offered 3k at trade in when he upgraded his car a month or so ago, but can't be bothered selling it privately now so he's offered it to me for the same. Budget wise, its well under what I was looking to spend, even taking into account its due for a service plus fixing any minor things the inspection picks up.

My concern with this is the horror stories I've been looking though on these forums about these DSG's dying. I've test driven it and there were no weird noises, shuddering, temp or oil issues, but I'm in no way shape of form a mechanic, so I'm in no way saying its fine, but is there anything else I should look out for thats a warning sign? How likely is this inspection to turn up potential DSG issues? or is it a case of the car's got 150k on it, so it's just a roll of the dice?

Thanks for your time in advance. I'm actually pretty excited about this car, but I'm not going to let my emotions override logic - which is why im here

[sn809]

Hi just confirming if its the 3C or the 3CC ie estate or sedan.
I have an estate, Make sure the DSG was serviced at 60K and then again at 120K. Also timing belt should have been changed at about 100K including the waterbody.
Check shocks and suspension.
Make sure there is not too much blowback in the engine. Check for leaks from seals and also transmission oil.
If some one is going to assist you inspect it, make sure the DPF white ash levels are not too close to 80. If so its not a deal breaker as long as you can find some one willing to cut it and then flush it clean.
This as well as other things can be done using a VCDS scan so its vital the person going to assess it should have one of those.
R

[j3bu5]

It's the 3C. The timing belt was done at 100k, but I'll have to double check when the DSG was looked at.
Had a decent look under and in the engine bay and couldn't spot any leaks - but its the equivalent of asking a plumber to check your computer for any issues
After reading your comments I'm convinced that the inspection from the VW specialists is well worth the money - if they don't VCDS scan it then they probably aren't someone I should be taking this car to. I'll make sure to add these other things to the list - especially having googled what DPF is, haha.

Thanks for the input so far!

[Guest001]

Only thing I would say is short journeys are not good for a diesel.

I have just sold a B7 TDI Highline with 43k on it Got $12k for it I never used it unless i was going far enough to get it hot. No trips to the shops down the road EVER.. Not sure about the older ones but mine had the 6spd wet box so was trouble free while I had it.

A lovely car to travel in and very economical got 5.6l per 100km on my last 1000km trip

[j3bu5]

That's probably the only thing (mechanical inspection failures aside) that's going to really stop me - What little knowledge I do have is reminding me that diesels like to run hot. Can this just be mitigated by letting it warm up? Something that I've done with all my prior cars anyway - another thing my parents drilled into me thats stuck for some strange reason. Also might be nice to take it out to stretch its legs every couple of weekends... good excuse to get out and use it.

What temp am I aiming for to let it run nicely? I could always jump in and start her up and see how long it takes to get to temp idleing... will give me an idea of if leaving it to idle is worth my time.

[j3bu5]

stolen from another thread not far down from this:
"My TDI took about 5-10mins to get to normal temp of 90Deg"

I assume thats 5-10 of driving though, so i'll test the idle time to ~90. 5 minutes of idle for a 15 minute drive doesn't sound so great though...

[Guest001]

stolen from another thread not far down from this:
"My TDI took about 5-10mins to get to normal temp of 90Deg"

I assume thats 5-10 of driving though, so i'll test the idle time to ~90. 5 minutes of idle for a 15 minute drive doesn't sound so great though...

Probably one I wrote

KInd of defeats the purpose if it takes 10 mins to warm it up for a 5 min drive Wastes more fuel than the trip would use

Plenty of petrol ones around

Transporter will say just get in and drive it but Im of the other opinion

[j3bu5]

Got the inspection report in. This was the summary and it sounds pretty worrying... a little pissed that the NRMA didn't even hook it up for a VCDS...

Vehicle Summary

This vehicle is considered to be of reasonable condition for age and mileage with main areas of concern being abnormal
transmission/DSG operation, worn tyres, Oil/fluid wetness (Potential leaks) and bad battery.

[Guest001]

Got the inspection report in. This was the summary and it sounds pretty worrying... a little pissed that the NRMA didn't even hook it up for a VCDS...

Vehicle Summary

This vehicle is considered to be of reasonable condition for age and mileage with main areas of concern being abnormal
transmission/DSG operation, worn tyres, Oil/fluid wetness (Potential leaks) and bad battery.

They probably dont have a VCDS cable as at $450 each it wouldnt be economical just for VW's It does require specific software etc to work

If its stop start battery is over $400 for starters Tyres $1200 for Continentals

[Passat my07]

It’s a fairly vague report. What did they think was strange about the dsg operation? If they know a lot about dsg’s I’d be worried but if they know nothing about them I wouldn’t be too worried because they don’t drive like a normal auto. Also with the oil leaks did they give you any idea of what might be leaking? The oil leak could $100 or thousands?

[Guest001]

WHy dont you ring and talk to the guy who wrote it He may be well versed with VW and there is only one way to know.

[j3bu5]

Not really, some pretty vague comments once again - basically the report ended with "needs further inspection", which is pretty bad considering it ended up costing $350. Slightly more detail further down;

Oil/fluid wetness/residue visible around upper engine/Turbocharger and piping/underside engine/cover,recommend degreasing then monitor for leaks and repair as required.

Excessive engine twist/movement under load,further inspection of engine/transmission mounts required.

Abnormal operation of DSG/Transmission. Shifted erratically with flaring notes between gear shifts, further workshop inspection/diagnostics required.

[Transporter]

Yes, the $350 is a bit steep for vehicle inspection.

[sn809]

I personally would avoid it. The surge in between gear changes indicates there is wear and tear/DSG problems. Oil around the turbo is also not the best of signs, can be simple misting which is not too bad but if there is too much oil it means the turbo is about to go.