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Old 15th June 2016, 18:58   #196
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re: 2012 Volkswagen Passat Highline - The beast finally comes home! EDIT: Now sold!

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Originally Posted by fordfreak View Post
Been having an annoying issue that just doesn't go away. The air-intake cover seems to keep working itself loose every few days. I first noticed this over a year and a half ago, when I had opened the bonnet to refill the windshield washer container. I have to keep checking on it every 5 days, since it doesn't make any noise or do anything abnormal while falling off. I have fixed the circled part back in place a number of times, only to find it falling out again after a few days on the rough roads! Does having the cover open have any effect on the performance or anything else on the car? Would appreciate the advice of fellow bhp-ians.
Cheers!
The same problem is with my jetta as well, It was replaced once under warranty, But again it has come off and its loose, Every time i pop the hood open i can see it be really loose, Thank fully it doesn't fall off or make any noise, I am sending again my car to the service centre in a couple of days will ask them to glue or fix it permanently this time, Will let you know.
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Old 20th June 2016, 13:45   #197
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re: 2012 Volkswagen Passat Highline - The beast finally comes home! EDIT: Now sold!

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Originally Posted by kashd View Post
The ac stopped cooling six months back. Checked with two top local aircons who concluded that compressor need to be replaced. They also told that the compressor life in Passat is max 30k km. The cost of replacement around 36-40k. Almost got convinced on replacement but decided to check with automark vw dealer. Wrote a letter to VW also stating how German cars allow such low quality compressor. Then magic happened. The dealer came back stating replacement of valve and some outer linings. Estimated cost around 18k. They finished the job and handed me a bill of 13k. I was overwhelmed. Since then the ac is working perfect.
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Originally Posted by VW2010 View Post
40K Suggest the right time the AC does kaput. If you are still under warranty get the AC Compressor, Drier and the lines changed under warranty. If its out of warranty you are looking at around 1L expense for this change.

The typical indicator is not only cooling effectiveness but the starting delay to engage the compressor. It usually takes seconds to get the compressor going but on a faulty one it will take around 2-3 Minutes. This definitely indicates bad compressor.

Only thing you can try to do is disconnect the battery for 10-20 minutes and reconnect to reset any lags. But if you still see delayed cooling and lower cooling you are definitely looking at changing the unit.
Sounds scary ! I also commented on the cooling effectiveness of the Passat's AC long time back. However, I have not had any problems till date. In the summers and when the car has been parked in the open for a while, the AC takes a long time to cool, specially when driving in city traffic. I seem to have found a way out (though at the expense of fuel economy) - drive the car in S mode. I have observed that as long as the engine rpm is 1800 and above, the compressor works very well and can cool the cabin fast enough.

I would appreciate if one of you tried it
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Old 21st June 2016, 14:19   #198
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re: 2012 Volkswagen Passat Highline - The beast finally comes home! EDIT: Now sold!

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Originally Posted by sagpatel View Post
Also 30k km for compressor is very less, my yeti is at 80k kms and it is still going strong.
My car is nearly at 40k, but that is still too early for such a part to fail. The AC seems to be holding in on for now.

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Originally Posted by Tanveer_2558 View Post
Will let you know.
Thank you. Waiting for your reply.

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Originally Posted by rpunwani View Post
I would appreciate if one of you tried it
Will try our method and see what happens. Also, I noticed that the AC seems to cool slightly better when set at 18 degrees rather than on the 'Lo' setting. Pretty strange.
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Old 21st June 2016, 15:19   #199
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re: 2012 Volkswagen Passat Highline - The beast finally comes home! EDIT: Now sold!

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Originally Posted by fordfreak View Post
My car is nearly at 40k, but that is still too early for such a part to fail. The AC seems to be holding in on for now.


Thank you. Waiting for your reply.



Will try our method and see what happens. Also, I noticed that the AC seems to cool slightly better when set at 18 degrees rather than on the 'Lo' setting. Pretty strange.
I usually keep the temperatures set at 22 degrees. Have tried keeping the setting on Lo but with the fan on auto, it makes a lot of noise in an otherwise silent cabin
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Old 2nd July 2016, 12:56   #200
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re: 2012 Volkswagen Passat Highline - The beast finally comes home! EDIT: Now sold!

Noticed something strange about the AC recently, apart from the cooling issues which I pointed out in my earlier posts.

Yesterday as I left office in the evening (around 6:15 pm, so not too hot), the AC just seemed to be blowing out normal air and not cooling at all. The driver switched off the AC and switched it on again without any interval. This seems to fix the issue and the AC starts cooling again. Though the cooling seems to be a lot slower than in the other cars in our garage.

I guess my wallet will be taking a big hit in the near future judging by the AC's behavior. :(

Quote:
Originally Posted by rpunwani View Post
I usually keep the temperatures set at 22 degrees. Have tried keeping the setting on Lo but with the fan on auto, it makes a lot of noise in an otherwise silent cabin
I don't bother using the AC on auto. I usually set it to 3 or 4. Beyond that, it gets annoyingly loud. On the auto setting, the fan becomes too loud as the system automatically maxes the fan speed depending on the temperature reading it receives. I'm guessing the system takes the information from the temperature sensor and reacts accordingly?
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Old 5th July 2016, 13:52   #201
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re: 2012 Volkswagen Passat Highline - The beast finally comes home! EDIT: Now sold!

Quote:
Originally Posted by fordfreak View Post
Noticed something strange about the AC recently, apart from the cooling issues which I pointed out in my earlier posts.

Yesterday as I left office in the evening (around 6:15 pm, so not too hot), the AC just seemed to be blowing out normal air and not cooling at all. The driver switched off the AC and switched it on again without any interval. This seems to fix the issue and the AC starts cooling again. Though the cooling seems to be a lot slower than in the other cars in our garage.

I guess my wallet will be taking a big hit in the near future judging by the AC's behavior. :(



I don't bother using the AC on auto. I usually set it to 3 or 4. Beyond that, it gets annoyingly loud. On the auto setting, the fan becomes too loud as the system automatically maxes the fan speed depending on the temperature reading it receives. I'm guessing the system takes the information from the temperature sensor and reacts accordingly?
Not really. I would suggest you to take the car for a reputed car AC expert in your area, rather than VW ASC. It may be something much simpler, from a dirty AC condenser to low level of refrigerant. IMO, it will be more economical to get the AC checked by an independent expert rather than ASC! Try it out and let us know what do you find.
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Old 2nd August 2016, 12:05   #202
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re: 2012 Volkswagen Passat Highline - The beast finally comes home! EDIT: Now sold!

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Originally Posted by Ace F355 View Post
Not really. I would suggest you to take the car for a reputed car AC expert in your area, rather than VW ASC. Try it out and let us know what do you find.
Took the car to a reputed AC expert for diagnosis, but they advised against opening up the car since the AC was more or less working. They assumed it to be an electrical issue and advised me to take it to the ASC. So I ended up taking the car to the ASC to fix it.


Update:-

I got the car back from the ASC yesterday afternoon. Overall pretty happy with the result and the experience this time. I had requested them to look into the AC issue and also to check out the brake discs + pads.

I was sure the discs needed replacing since they were rusting pretty badly and the pads were also close to the end of their life as I had been told during my previous service in January. Their diagnosis was the same as my guess. They replaced all four discs and pads. The braking performance is back where it should be, and no more juddering or longer braking distances.

They took a little longer to diagnose the AC issue, but have fixed it well. They replaced a few seals, refilled the gas and fiddled with a few other parts. As of now the AC is cooling properly as it used to. The service adviser said that the compressor may need to be replaced in the future as it was making a very minor noise. However, I couldn't hear anything when I checked.

ODO currently is at 38,300ish and the next item on the to-do list is a paint touch-up and full polish + cleaning (interior & exterior). Planning to have this done around November before my wedding.

This visit to the ASC was a much better experience. I didn't have to constantly chase them for updates/progress reports. I got the car back earlier than expected and in a clean condition. They didn't break anything on the car .

Total damages were around 56k (including parts, labor and taxes). Not as bad as I expected it to be, considering I got my brakes fixed as well.

Cheers!
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Old 2nd August 2016, 19:22   #203
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re: 2012 Volkswagen Passat Highline - The beast finally comes home! EDIT: Now sold!

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Originally Posted by fordfreak View Post

I was sure the discs needed replacing since they were rusting pretty badly and the pads were also close to the end of their life as I had been told during my previous service in January. Their diagnosis was the same as my guess. They replaced all four discs and pads. The braking performance is back where it should be, and no more juddering or longer braking distances.

Total damages were around 56k (including parts, labor and taxes). Not as bad as I expected it to be, considering I got my brakes fixed as well.

Cheers!
For all VW owners:-

Check out ecstuning.com. They sell genuine VW parts as well as high performance parts for VW cars. If you have someone who can carry them from the US to India, it's worth the cost.

I've picked up parts from them and brought them back.
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Old 22nd August 2016, 12:30   #204
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re: 2012 Volkswagen Passat Highline - The beast finally comes home! EDIT: Now sold!

So it seems that it is already time to visit the Volkswagen workshop for the second time this month.

Got a "Check Coolant" warning on the MID around 3 days ago. Opened the bonnet to check the coolant level, only to find that there is barely anything left in the tank! This issue had occurred once before (April, last year) and was diagnosed to be a leaking seal on the water pimp.

Since I was a bit tied up, the car remained parked at home over the weekend. I had a look under the car to check for any puddles and found 2 wet areas under the engine. I'm guessing it is the same issue that had occurred last year.

Have an appointment at the workshop tomorrow to diagnose the problem and sort the car out. I hope I don't have to wait another 15 days for the parts to arrive.

Let's see how this goes. Will update once I get to know more.
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Old 25th August 2016, 12:20   #205
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re: 2012 Volkswagen Passat Highline - The beast finally comes home! EDIT: Now sold!

So as I suspected, the source of the coolant leak is the water pump.

The Service Adviser confirmed this after carrying out the diagnosis and said that there were 2 leaks. He also said that the dripping coolant had affected the timing belt (is that even possible?). He has ordered the required parts which would take around 10 - 12 days to arrive. Not too surprised by the waiting time as the Passat is a low-volume car (thus dealers do not carry too much stock of spare parts) and VW's parts supply system isn't exactly known for being lightning quick.

To my surprise, he even put in a request (without me asking!) with the support department to have the repairs done for free even though my car is out of warranty + extended warranty, as my car had always been serviced at the correct intervals and this same issue had occurred around a year ago. If this request is denied, then I will be looking at an expense around 25k - 30k. As of now, I will just have to wait and see how things pan out. But the car will be off the road for atleast another 10 - 15 days.

Apart from this I had another question.

I had my car driven to the workshop (around 6 - 7 kilometers away from home) with next to no coolant in the system. I had told my driver to stop the car, in case the temperature gauge crossed the half-way mark. Was this the right decision or was it a risky move? In the end, the car reached without any problem (no overheating, smoke, etc.)
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Old 25th August 2016, 13:19   #206
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re: 2012 Volkswagen Passat Highline - The beast finally comes home! EDIT: Now sold!

It was risky. You managed since you drove with just about enough coolant remaining in the engine. Also, it takes around 5km for car to warm up and actually require the circulation
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Old 25th August 2016, 16:29   #207
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Originally Posted by fordfreak View Post
. He also said that the dripping coolant had affected the timing belt (is that even possible)

Difficult to imagine how. Ask him to show how that would have happened. What parts did the coolant leak on?

On cars with variable can shaft timing there are electrical components involved, but I find it difficult to imagine anything leaking on it.

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Old 1st September 2016, 16:20   #208
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re: 2012 Volkswagen Passat Highline - The beast finally comes home! EDIT: Now sold!

Got the car back!

My experience with the authorized workshop has been much much better this time around. The SA was the same person who looked after my car when it went in for the AC & Brake job at the beginning of August.

He had also put in a request to have the repairs carried out FOC (based on my car's history). Considering my extended warranty ran out in December 2015, I was actually surprised that this request was approved! I am pleased to see VW supporting cases where the same problem resurfaces within a relatively short period of time (same issue had occurred last April).

Summing up my experience below:-
  • Sent my car to the workshop on the 23rd of August. Got the diagnosis results the next day.
  • I was told the repair would take a day and half once the parts had arrived. The parts may take 10 - 12 days to arrive.
  • Got a call back from the SA to inform me off the arrival of the parts and that the repairs would be done FOC. I would only be required to may a small amount for some consumables.
  • Repairs completed on the 31st of August. Car returned on the 1st of September.

I didn't have to ask or chase anyone for any matter this time and was kept updated throughout the time my car was at the garage. I was given an estimated time of 10 - 15 days for the completion of repairs. They managed to repair and return the car in 8 days. The return of the car was also trouble free. No new dings/dents, and the car had been cleaned up properly.

This experience has gone a long way in rebuilding my trust in the Volkswagen brand and my trust in the dealer. I just hope this wasn't a one-off experience. Just to clarify, I don't expect repairs to be done FOC during each visit.

The invoice they made was for an amount of Rs. 16,800ish, but I was only made to pay Rs. 1,725.

Coming back to my car - I have only had it back for half a day. As of now, everything is back to normal and I can go back to enjoying the car on the road. Let's hope things stay that way!

Approaching the 40K milestone on the ODO too. Planning to celebrate it by getting the car scratches fixed and a nice polish done.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeroen View Post
Difficult to imagine how. Ask him to show how that would have happened. What parts did the coolant leak on?
The explanation I was given didn't make much sense to me, but I just let the matter slide since the car was being repaired for free. The SA said that the leaking coolant could compromise the strength/quality of the timing belt if it leaks on it, and that they had instructions from VW to carry out such a repair if they saw this issue.
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Old 19th September 2016, 18:31   #209
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re: 2012 Volkswagen Passat Highline - The beast finally comes home! EDIT: Now sold!

friends, wanted to check if there a decent tyre upsize option for Passat . My car runs on the stock Pirelli Cinturato P7 - 215/55/R16. Done 31K KMs. Would 225/55/R16 be a good option? My car is out of warranty . is Michelin Primacy 3 ST the best fit? Any advice would be greatly appreciated
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Old 20th September 2016, 11:47   #210
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re: 2012 Volkswagen Passat Highline - The beast finally comes home! EDIT: Now sold!

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friends, wanted to check if there a decent tyre upsize option for Passat . My car runs on the stock Pirelli Cinturato P7 - 215/55/R16. Done 31K KMs. Would 225/55/R16 be a good option? My car is out of warranty . is Michelin Primacy 3 ST the best fit? Any advice would be greatly appreciated
I got rid of the stock Pirelli tyres (215/55/R16) after 32K on the ODO, and replaced them with Yokohama tyres (225/55/R16). I find the Yoko's to be much more durable and quiet. Haven't faced any issues with the tyres after the change.

Last edited by fordfreak : 20th September 2016 at 11:51.
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