VW Passat 2007

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Andrew1972

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A close friend has a Passat Wagon that was extremely well maintained by original German owners.

It has CEL on and cat converter is what dealer came up with for $2000. She knew buying cheaply never had timing belt and they state $1200!!

How cheaply can a timing belt/water pump get done on a Passat 2.0T, is excessively difficult to change? Also a cat converter seems to have a wild range in pricing for part as little labor involved. Any ideas what works there?

She is a really poor private school teacher/single mom who has bad luck with inexpensive used cars including Civic(cracked block) CRV(burned valve and axles) Just her 2000 Neon was reliable/inexpensive(luck?).
 
With older VW's you should stay away from the dealer.
In large cities, you can usually find an exhaust shop on the bad side of town that can replace a cat inexpensively.
Those type of shops don't like phone calls. Show up in the car.
 
Both prices are about right.

Find a GOOD independent shop and the timing belt should be around $750. Have a good universal cat welded in.
 
My apologies Trav, but friends shouldn't let friends buy 10 year old VW's. Helped a friend look for a used car, and the VW's were on the do not buy list, unless you want to help put your mechanics kids through school.
 
Originally Posted By: Danno
My apologies Trav, but friends shouldn't let friends buy 10 year old VW's. Helped a friend look for a used car, and the VW's were on the do not buy list, unless you want to help put your mechanics kids through school.
I agree. She can't afford this car.
 
Are you suggesting that selling the car and buying something else would be somehow cheaper?

It sounds like a well-maintained car. It just needs a timing belt and cat, as many cars this age do.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Originally Posted By: rooflessVW
Are you suggesting that selling the car and buying something else would be somehow cheaper?

It sounds like a well-maintained car. It just needs a timing belt and cat, as many cars this age do.


When the repair costs near the sale price of the car, yes, decisions need to be made.
 
Originally Posted By: Danno
When the repair costs near the sale price of the car, yes, decisions need to be made.

So trade the VW on another used car that may need the same work? Right...

It's almost always cheaper to keep what you have, especially if the car is in great shape otherwise.
 
Indy shops in my area all charge 1200+ for the TB. It's labor intensive.

On my 06 GTI it involves taking out a lot of parts to get to it, including the passenger side motor mount and jacking the engine up and down to get parts out.

Mess up the timing on the 2.0 FSI engine and its toast.

It requires a pretty serious DIY commitment, or just pay up. 1200$ is not excessive at all.
 
Also I would like to add that the 2.0T FSI is a known oil consumer with 1 quart per 1000 miles being "Normal" according to VW.

Depending on the overall shape of the engine this can be slightly remedied with a revised valve cover and PCV valves.

But it is a reality of a otherwise wonderful little engine.

I went in to mine eyes wide open and DIY just about everything on it. And love it. But my situation is probably not common as I don't depend on it for daily transportation.
 
Originally Posted By: madRiver
A close friend has a Passat Wagon that was extremely well maintained by original German owners.

It has CEL on and cat converter is what dealer came up with for $2000. She knew buying cheaply never had timing belt and they state $1200!!

Contradicted yourself there!

Time for a BITOG VW bash thread, I would never buy one because my coworkers's best friend's brother knew someone who had one with a 1.8T blew up because they ran cheap conventional 5W30 for 10k miles in a turbo car that is hard on oil of VW quality. I would never buy one personally, although I have never owned one and drive a corolla I have heard too many horror stories. She should sell that heap and buy a GM product with a 3.8, other than mandatory LIM gaskets they are perfectly reliable
 
Originally Posted By: Danno
My apologies Trav, but friends shouldn't let friends buy 10 year old VW's. Helped a friend look for a used car, and the VW's were on the do not buy list, unless you want to help put your mechanics kids through school.


What do I have to do with it? I didn't post in the thread. But I will in time now you alerted me to it.
lol.gif
 
Exactly. As my Brother in laws, best friends, uncles barber used to say.


Originally Posted By: maxdustington
Originally Posted By: madRiver
A close friend has a Passat Wagon that was extremely well maintained by original German owners.

It has CEL on and cat converter is what dealer came up with for $2000. She knew buying cheaply never had timing belt and they state $1200!!

Contradicted yourself there!

Time for a BITOG VW bash thread, I would never buy one because my coworkers's best friend's brother knew someone who had one with a 1.8T blew up because they ran cheap conventional 5W30 for 10k miles in a turbo car that is hard on oil of VW quality. I would never buy one personally, although I have never owned one and drive a corolla I have heard too many horror stories. She should sell that heap and buy a GM product with a 3.8, other than mandatory LIM gaskets they are perfectly reliable
 
Thanks.

The engine must be hard to work on if $750 is a good price for a timing belt. I managed to get Acura dealer to do a 3.7 v6 in my MDX for $600 on a dead day(snowy).

She can swing about $1000 into it but sounds like more needed.
 
A timing belt job on a B6 with 2.0 is a 3-4 hour job.

Originally Posted By: 2004tdigls
the cat is less than $500 at rock auto

RockAuto Link

the timing belt kit is $300

https://www.blauparts.com/vw-passat-timing-belt-kit-20-turbo-2006-08-plus.html

as others have said, these repairs are routine maintenance and the quoted costs are over the top, especially the cat converter

try to find a VW guru, a good site is here

just put up a post looking for a trusted mechanic in your area

https://www.tdiclub.com/


Sound advice.
thumbsup2.gif
 
Originally Posted By: madRiver
A close friend has a Passat Wagon that was extremely well maintained by original German owners.

It has CEL on and cat converter is what dealer came up with for $2000. She knew buying cheaply never had timing belt and they state $1200!!

How cheaply can a timing belt/water pump get done on a Passat 2.0T, is excessively difficult to change? Also a cat converter seems to have a wild range in pricing for part as little labor involved. Any ideas what works there?

She is a really poor private school teacher/single mom who has bad luck with inexpensive used cars including Civic(cracked block) CRV(burned valve and axles) Just her 2000 Neon was reliable/inexpensive(luck?).



When's the last time the cam follower for the High Pressure Fuel Pump has been inspected and replaced? If the cam follower is worn through, a $100 R&R turns into several grand, as the cam gets damaged as well as the HPFP.

To get stuff done cheap, you need to drive to mechanics where their area labor is cheap. Yes, timing belt & water pump can be easily be $1200, as it's an all-day affair. That was the price I paid when I had my 08 Passat wagon with the same engine, but in an area with relatively high labor rates.

Good thing that engine was never a CARB engine, so you should be able to get away with cheaper aftermarket replacements.

THen I assume it's an automatic, which the not-so-lifetime ATF needs to be changed every 50,000 miles, as VW changed the maintenance requirement on it.

Also, many independent shops area very weary of customer supplied parts, as they have been burned in the past by their customers. So, find yourself a reputable VW independent mechanic. They tend to balance price and quality.
 
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I liked my VW but I knew when it was time to move on. If you're not handy, then it's as expensive if not more than other vehicles.

Sorry, but I would have avoided this vehicle in the first place. And I did own a turbo VW motor for the record. But I didn't buy it for the cheap repair costs.

Anyhow, it's water under the bridge. Is this a gas or diesel motor? Gas, I think you can go to any import shop, while if diesel I'd find a TDI guru.
 
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