[pitstopcorp]

Hi Mile cruncher , have a 2018 passat b8 , the problem seems to be the battery as have faced this problem twice in my 85000 kms , go with the standard Exide , should last 2 years as the exact DIN was not available at Exide dealers.

Was going through your thread , that is a lot of part change.

[MileCruncher]

Originally Posted by MileCruncher

For the last 1-2 months, "Maneuver Braking not working" will pop -up sometimes during the first startup of the day when the crank would take longer. I'm running Varta battery which is about 15 months old. My first prognosis was that the battery was not holding the voltage properly especially in the cold morning (by Mumbai standards).

However ASC check up gave green light to the battery and said all cells are good.

However, today in the evening when I started the car post a 8-10 hr gap, the entire dash MID lit up with ABS / EBD / Park Assist / Maneuver Braking/ Cornering lights et al not functioning. And the ABS not functioning light stayed on. This symptom typical of ABS sensor gone kaput in a VW vehicle. Its a Diwali at the dashboard.

Car went to workshop and problem got diagnosed.

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Follow up the ABS sensor idea. Failure has the strangest symptoms, which one wouldn't even associate with brake systems, such as engine running really badly. It was explained to me that they input wheel rpm to the CPU. Weird stuff. This was about my 2014 Polo, but it may very well apply to other VAG cars too.

(But poor batteries can do weird stuff too: maybe bet a second opinion on that.

You were correct.

Originally Posted by pitstopcorp

Hi Mile cruncher , have a 2018 passat b8 , the problem seems to be the battery as have faced this problem twice in my 85000 kms , go with the standard Exide , should last 2 years as the exact DIN was not available at Exide dealers.

And you were correct. I'm running VARTA batteries, same spec as what came as OEM. With these electronics over laden cars, its sensible to stick to the OEM recommendation.

Car went to workshop. Turns out 1 ABS sensor had gone kaput and that was replaced. However the battery also had generated an error code in the ECU. So the VARTA battery which was 16 months old, was replaced under warranty. No questions.

In addition, the dual tone horn was behaving wonky for bit. Actually it had first behaved wonky in Monsoon 2022. However, after the rains, it became normal. I dragged the horn till October 2024 when finally it was going kaput consistently. Mind you, still not totally dead!

I had asked ASC to change the horn. The set costs about 7k( low tone + high tone). I was surprised when the bill. ASC changed only the half of horn that had failed rather than changing the both units.

I have just ordered for the rear shocks and they will be changed shortly.

The car is back and sprightly. It currently stands at 952XX Kms.

Originally Posted by pitstopcorp

Was going through your thread , that is a lot of part change.

Not sure why do you say that. Water pump, Flywheel are known issues. German cars, their roof liners start coming off in about 5-6 years. That is a known issue too. Rest are just regular wear and tear for a 95K Kms run car. Only extra ordinary item was the steering rack.

Also may be I baby the car a bit. I explored the upgrade path - https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/luxur...ml#post5861467 (Volkswagen Passat: What are the possible upgrade paths?) But looks like there is nothing I will get as a proper upgrade unless the new Superb gets launched (in CKD/SKD avatar and not CBU). So keeping it in ship-shape condition will ensure that its a reliable daily driver to 150K Kms atleast.

[pitstopcorp]

Well Mile Cruncher , I might part with my passat at 85k kms now, it is a keeper but it completes 6 years in Dec 24 and before the Delhi NCR rule of phasing out within 10 years for a diesel kicks in , want it to go to a decent buyer .

Also I see no options in the upgrade path as of now at the price point I bought it at and with the features it comes loaded with.

I am well aware of the “ German issues “ but the failure looks time bombed !

A lot of it is predicted at such kms though !

[pitstopcorp]

Also I have not faced water pump, flywheel, rear shocks, roof liner peeling till now.

Steering Rack was changed under warranty around 45k because of an incorrect coding and then it got wrecked , horn went kaput at 82 k in monsoon , have been dragging it with the low tone working , Horn change looks expensive at 7k as that was the price I got , engine check light came up they said it was 2 glow plugs and the relay module costing about 24 k in parts and labour.

[MileCruncher]

Having completed 3 Years with the car, an itch for change had started raising its head. Looked at the A4, then A6 but somehow both didn't feel like an upgrade. A4 felt like a downgrade and A6 was at par. Went at looked at the Kodiaq too because of comparable equipment list (DCC/ 360 camera et al) but somehow didn't feel the car. Then looked at XC60 and S90. Thankfully that felt a proper upgrade. But at 70L , the itch was getting very steep!

And the worst part was dealers were lowballing my car's value due to 96K Kms. I felt the Passat still has a lot of life left. So decided to keep it for some more time.

96000 Kms Update

I hit the mark earlier this week.


Around the 25th of November ordered the rear suspension on back order and paid an advance. All parts came in by the 5th December. Not bad!

The parts


Each strut is 31K. 62k for pair! Plus mounting + block + other small parts.

The car went in yesterday for the rear suspension change. The cost came to Rs. 72549 with labour being 5K. Rest were parts.

These came out of the car



96000 Kms of Indian roads, no oil seal leakage. The recoil action is still there, just a little slow. Not bad at all. I would say full paisa vasool!

Shod with new rear suspensions, she stands!

[DasAutoFanatic]

As a fellow VW owner, I can relate to how you felt that the Audis were not much like an upgrade... Also, the Passat, Superb, and the A6 all share the same platform except for design & interiors, they're pretty much the same. Congrats on reaching 96k and wishing you many more happy motoring miles ahead...

[AKSarkar1]

It is very find to find an upgrade for this car without at least spending 60+ Lakhs. The previous generation Passat owners are also finding it hard to upgrade, in that comparison your car is brand new.

I would personally look at certain mods that can help keep the ownership fresh e.g. an aesthetic carbon fibre and leather wrap on your existing steering. I wanted to upgrade from my Jetta, but somehow I don’t seem to find anything from the current options in the new car market that are VFM and feel like an actual upgrade.

Wishing you many more happy miles and mods on your beauty in the coming new year!

[agambhandari]

Originally Posted by DasAutoFanatic

As a fellow VW owner, I can relate to how you felt that the Audis were not much like an upgrade... Also, the Passat, Superb, and the A6 all share the same platform except for design & interiors, they're pretty much the same. Congrats on reaching 96k and wishing you many more happy motoring miles ahead...

A small correction there, A6 does NOT share the platform with the skoda and VW. A6 is on the MLBEvo platform and the A4 is on MLB . The mentioned VW And skodas are on MQB (Transverse mounted engine vs longitudinal in the Audis)

[DasAutoFanatic]

Originally Posted by agambhandari

A small correction there, A6 does NOT share the platform with the skoda and VW. A6 is on the MLBEvo platform and the A4 is on MLB . The mentioned VW And skodas are on MQB (Transverse mounted engine vs longitudinal in the Audis)

Well, My bad.. Sorry for the lapse over there. I should have done some more research beforehand. Anyways, Thank you for your correction.

[MileCruncher]

Originally Posted by DasAutoFanatic

As a fellow VW owner, I can relate to how you felt that the Audis were not much like an upgrade... Also, the Passat, Superb, and the A6 all share the same platform except for design & interiors, they're pretty much the same. .

Originally Posted by agambhandari

A small correction there, A6 does NOT share the platform with the skoda and VW. A6 is on the MLBEvo platform and the A4 is on MLB . The mentioned VW And skodas are on MQB (Transverse mounted engine vs longitudinal in the Audis)

Originally Posted by DasAutoFanatic

Well, My bad.. Sorry for the lapse over there. I should have done some more research beforehand. Anyways, Thank you for your correction.

Correct that the A6 is not the same platform as the Passat. Correct that its a "Audi" and a luxury car. Correct that the A4 and A6 have longitudinal mounting of the engine. That is to facilitate the Quattro system. Since both A4 and A6 don't get quattro versions in India, and both are FWD, the transverse / longitudinal placement doesn't change the driving dynamics much.



What I feel DasAutoFanatic meant was more from a common user perspective that plonking almost twice the money and not exactly getting twice the value in the car. Unless off-course that almost 2X is equated to being in the "4 ring" logo . Compared to the 70L A6(discounted price), the 72L XC60 felt more equipment for money and actually felt like an upgrade. And Volvo in Europe is not a luxury marque like Audi.

[agambhandari]

Originally Posted by MileCruncher

Correct that the A6 is not the same platform as the Passat. Correct that its a "Audi" and a luxury car. Correct that the A4 and A6 have longitudinal mounting of the engine. That is to facilitate the Quattro system. Since both A4 and A6 don't get quattro versions in India, and both are FWD, the transverse / longitudinal placement doesn't change the driving dynamics much.


What I feel DasAutoFanatic meant was more from a common user perspective that plonking almost twice the money and not exactly getting twice the value in the car. Unless off-course that almost 2X is equated to being in the "4 ring" logo . Compared to the 70L A6(discounted price), the 72L XC60 felt more equipment for money and actually felt like an upgrade. And Volvo in Europe is not a luxury marque like Audi.

OT : I'm sorry but there is a big difference in the way the Superb/Passat rides vs the A6. The refinement , NVH, the tuning of everything from steering to the engine is noticeably better. A4 is a small improvement over the VW/Skoda cars, but the A6 is in another league. Paper specs don't tell the whole story

Passat B8 is definitely a great car for the price it was available at.

[MileCruncher]

Originally Posted by agambhandari

OT : I'm sorry but there is a big difference in the way the Superb/Passat rides vs the A6. The refinement , NVH, the tuning of everything from steering to the engine is noticeably better.

I would like to disagree to this.

First and foremost the Superb didn't have DCC which Passat B8 had. So both are not comparable. The C7 A6 with its air suspension was definitely ahead of Passat B8 but the C8 A6 with standard multi-link suspension and at double the price isn't double the car. May be 30-40% better car but definitely not double. I have driven the car (both C7 /c7.5 and C8) and I like them But is it worth 70L, I disagree! This is my personal opinion.

Anyways I rest my case here.

[MileCruncher]

Drove down from Mumbai to Madikeri with 1 break. Speeds were kept sane and didn't push much. Some stats that the car gave.




It held well thru the twisties in Coorg.

[MileCruncher]

6 Years and 7 months in, the Passat touched the might 6 figure mileage earlier today.


6 figure odo readings in cars are still looked down upon in India but its like barely scratching the surface in German cars. I'm part of couple of Passat B8 groups and I regularly see sale posts for cars (2017/2018) vintage done 150 - 190K Kms and looking spanking new!

To many more kilometres of milecrunching!

[MileCruncher]

Drive through the scenic twisties of Coorg in the Passat B8. The video has been paced up for length.

https://youtu.be/qZeUb4yh_FE?si=elnboitCdxyWeSXj