In July 2019 I was looking at a new job which required a commute of about 3 hours one-way. I’d be driving this once or twice a week for the foreseeable future. My truck, which I love, wasn’t the right vehicle for this mission, so I decided to buy a “work car” to drive only to and from work, using my truck when I was home.
The car had to be comfortable on the road, reasonably quiet, have decent Bluetooth audio, and get reasonable fuel mileage. I wasn’t interested in something that was so small it wouldn’t be comfortable, nor was I interested in electric or hybrid – the drive is too far one-way for it to be practical.
This led me to a VW TDI, and as a friend had recently traded a Jetta TDI for a Passat TDI, I turned to him for guidance. He provided feedback indicating the Passat was quieter on the highway, so I chose a Passat.
There is one VW dealer local, the next being a bit over 100 miles away, so I went to my local dealer. They had a silver 2014 Passat with about 40,000 miles on it. I drove it and agreed to buy it. They had not completed the inspection for the “Certified used car” warranty, so they asked me to wait few days while they completed that inspection, which I happily did. After a week with no phone call, I called only to be told the car had been sold to someone else. They did tell me they had more and I should come by. The best they could offer was another 2014, in black, with body damage, for the same price. I declined.
I began searching online and ended up at the VW dealer about 100 miles away, looking at another silver 2014 model. We drove this one, but found the fuel gauge was broken, indicating empty when the tank was full. They offered to fix it on the spot, so I waited. About an hour later they informed me they found something in the fuel tank, a type of contamination, and would not be selling me (or anyone else) this vehicle. They would auction it and dump it. I suppose I should have taken this as a sign, but I didn’t.
In my resolve to purchase, they offered me an SEL model (up from the SE) for the same money, just not in the color I wanted. I bought it as a certified used car. I could not have been happier. The drive home showed an average of 45mpg, better than I was expecting. A few weeks later I drove the car to my interview, got the job, and began commuting.
I took the car to my local dealer for its first oil change in December as I rolled my first 10,000 miles. $114 later I was on my way.
The problems started in June 2020 with a wheel speed sensor failure. The dealer fixed this under the certified used car warranty, $50 deductible out of pocket. Not bad. I figured things like this would pop up, as the car spent years sitting waiting for the government-mandated software fix to the emissions system, known as “Dieselgate.”
Another oil change, this time with a turn of the front brake rotors. $573, including a $111 fuel filter. Ouch.
In November 2020, I noticed the heat in the car was lackluster at best. I reported this to the dealer, but I was told they were at least 5 weeks out, so I set an appointment. This ended up being January 7, 2021. In the gap between first calling and dropping off the car, I’d had my first DEF warning, or so I thought. The car indicated 200 miles until “no start possible.” I had DEF in the trunk, so I kept driving. Long before 200 miles, the check engine light went off and I never did add any DEF. The dealer explained this away as being low DEF.
I was told the heater core issue was a “known issue” and was fully covered by VW, completely separate from the used car warranty or the diesel emissions warranty. Apparently VW does this in place of recalls.
On January 22, 2021 I got my car back, some three weeks after dropping it off for a heater core replacement. I drove it to work the next day. On the way home, in freezing weather, the car overheated, leaving me stranded on the side of the interstate. I had it towed, at my expense, to the dealership. That was January 29. I visited the dealer the next day and explained the situation. The service manager reluctantly listened to my story, explaining I was “low hanging fruit” and he wasn’t worried about me. I left.
I was told later this is another “known issue” in that sometimes when the heater core goes bad, the car suffers from the “red flake” problem. VW covered this repair as well, which included replacing both radiators, the heater core (again), and various hoses. I was called to pick up my car on February 19. As I drove off the lot I noticed my front windshield was cracked from one side to the other. I returned to the dealership and was told they noticed that as well. After a fairly heated discussion revolving around the fact the windshield was not broken when I dropped the car off, it was decided they would replace the windshield.
I actually drove the car to and from work once while waiting on the windshield. When I opened the trunk to put my luggage in the car, I found the skidplate had not been reattached after the most recent work. I called the dealer, who assured me that driving the car in ice and snow would not result in any problems without the skidplate on the bottom of the car.
The windshield was replaced on February 24. The dealer called me that afternoon to tell me the glass company was running a bit behind and asked if I’d mind picking up the car the next day. I happily agreed. The next morning the dealer called to let me know when the glass company was backing my car out of their garage, the radio antenna got caught on the garage door release pull and forcibly removed the antenna from the top of my car. The glass company had agreed to repair the car, but the dealer didn’t have the part. I told the dealer that given the forecast for rain, I’d leave the car with them while I went to work (yet again) in my truck. The dealer explained they would “try” to put the car inside at night. Upon them admitting they wouldn’t actually guarantee this, I took the car home and put it in my garage, so the hole in the roof wouldn’t result in water damage to the interior.
On March 3 the radio antenna was replaced and I got my car back, completely repaired, from having dropped it off 57 days earlier.
I spoke to VW Customer Care on February 26 regarding the ongoing saga. While the representative I spoke with was helpful, kind, and understanding, there simply was no good resolution. I explained that my primary complaint was one of customer service. Ever since this saga started, I was not once offered a loaner vehicle, a rental car, or even a ride home. VW clearly intends for their owners to have another, more reliable vehicle at home. Luckily, I do, and put several thousand miles on my truck while my car was sitting at the dealership. One item that did come up was the DEF error I had occur. By now this had happened three times, each time the dealer dismissed it. The rep explained to me this is a known issue with this car and only happens when the temperature is below 40 degrees and you’re driving above 75 miles per hour. She was spot on, as this is the only time this had occurred to me. She then explained that VW had made the decision not to fix the software bug. Upon asking a few questions it was revealed that VW would attempt to fix the issue three times and then offer to purchase the car back. Honestly I was floored. This was not at all what I expected. It was also revealed to me that my dealer had not actually logged the check engine light issues and I had no ongoing case for this issue.
I have to give my dealer one item of credit, however. On March 3, when they were preparing to return my vehicle to me from the antenna replacement, another wheel speed sensor failed. They replaced this and didn’t charge me the $50 deductible for the warranty. I do appreciate that.
An oil change was logged on April 28, 2021. $117.
The check engine light returned in August. This time for a NOx sensor. I used a local auto parts store to check the code myself and report it to the dealer. I was quickly told this was covered under the emissions warranty, but they didn’t have the part, so I drove the car a few weeks before they had the part to replace. This was completed in a day on August 20.
I returned in October for an oil change and another fuel filter. $340 out the door, including an alignment at my request.
About a week later the check engine light came back on. I diagnosed this to be a DEF system redundant temperature sensor. I called, but was told they were at least three weeks out. I called back in December and was given a date in early January. I dropped the car off on January 3. They replaced the sensor and a number of other items, all covered under the emissions warranty. I drove it to work a few days later.
On the way home, the check engine light came on again. This time for the same DEF error that I’d experienced the previous winter. It was cold, probably the first time I’d driven the car in under 40 degree weather since last year. This time, the “200 miles until no start possible” didn’t simply go away, it began to count down. 150….100….and then every 10 miles. I made it home with 20 miles left on the doomsday clock. I drove it to the dealership the next morning. This was January 10. I stayed at the dealership for four hours as they diagnosed the issue. I had topped off the DEF at home prior to ensure they could not dismiss the error again. According to the invoice, the “Reductant System Performance Bank 1” was the code in question. I should note this is the same error code which was previously addressed on January 3. The invoice indicates they used a “tech tip” to reset the Ad Blue level (VW’s term for DEF fluid). They test drove the car and gave it back to me.
I drove it to work again. On January 23 I was returning home. About 190 miles from home, the check engine light came on again, with an AdBlue error, but this time things were different. Instead of starting at 200 miles until no start, this time it started at 20, resuming from exactly where it left off the previous time. I drove the 190 miles home, calling for a ride as I knew I had to take the car directly to the dealership. As it was Sunday, I dropped the car off and got a ride home.
The next morning I received a call from the dealership inquiring about my car being back. I explained the situation and was told they found codes for a NOx sensor and catalytic converter and were ordering parts. The parts were in Canada and would take 10 days to arrive. I explained that I had to be back at work in 5 days and needed a car. I was then, for the first time in this saga, offered a rental. I picked up the rental with absolutely no problems.
I asked the dealership to send me the exact codes and the exact date and mileage when my TDI emissions warranty would expire. The warranty expires on July 19, 2024 or 123,000 miles. I will hit the miles before the date. By my estimate, my warranty will expire in December 2022 or January 2023.
As I write this it’s February 27. I don’t have my Passat back. I’m on week 4 of my rental car, completely funded by VW, while the dealer waits for parts. I should note that other than one $50 deductible, some oil changes, a transmission fluid change, and elective maintenance, I’ve not paid a dime on repairs. I can only estimate my ownership has cost VW something in the neighborhood of $10,000. I suppose that’s not bad for a car I paid $12,500 for.
The rental car happens to be a 2020 BMW 330i. I’ve never owned, or even driven, any other German car other than my Passat, but I must say I’m thoroughly impressed. The 330i has a 2.0L four cylinder gas engine, exactly the same size as my TDI’s diesel. However, it gets better gas mileage. On a trip to work and back, driving exactly the same as I do in my Passat, the 330i averaged 38.6mpg. My Passat averages 36.6, with the best I’ve ever gotten on my work run being 39.5. The 330 is quieter on the highway as well. There are certainly features I don’t like, for example no one at BMW actually tried the cupholders after designing where they are – that seems like an oversight for a modern car.
I bought a 2017 BMW 330i with 32,000 miles to replace my Passat. I couldn’t be happier. I still have the rental, I’m putting miles on it while I wait for the Passat to be done. I’ll sell it to Vroom once I have it back, provided I can keep the check engine light off long enough to dump it.
August 26 brought the next update (yes, 7 months without a word and a free BMW). Enterprise called to tell me the company was buying back my car. At first, I thought she meant VW was buying my Passat back, but no, she meant I’d put enough miles on the BMW that Enterprise was going to sell it. This meant it was time to switch free cars.
I changed into a Nissan Sentra for a few weeks, then a Chevy Impala (the Nissan’s plates were expired). I drove this rental until November 30, 2022 when I got a call from the dealer, telling me my car was ready.
I turned in the rental and proceeded to the dealership. After signing for my car, I verified the AdBlu error was indeed gone. By this time it was cool, but still over 40 degrees, and not likely to cause the error immediately.
Before going to the dealership, I checked values on both Carvana, Vroom, and the KBB value of my Passat. After verifying the error was gone, I walked into the sales area of the dealership and told the salesperson I had a car to sell them. “This car is easy, it’s just come out of your service department, all you have to do is clean it up and sell it.” They were downright eager to have another used VW on the lot.
In the end, I walked away with a check for about 75% of what I had paid for my Passat some 4 years and 50,000 miles prior. The free car is gone, but I can say the Nissan beat everything for mileage, averaging right at 40.0mpg. The BMW was the best, quietest, and most comfortable, with the Chevy being the most well equipped.
It goes without saying that I’ll never consider a VW again. Don’t get me wrong, 11 months with a free car is a good deal, but the hassle of not knowing if my vehicle will get from point A to point B is unacceptable. I truly feel bad for whoever buys that car, which is now sitting on the dealer’s lot ready to go, Dieselgate warranty and all.
The final rental bill was $12,620.