Test drive Volkswagen Passat B5 2000 - 2005 sedan

Volkswagen Passat B5

The sales volumes of this model in Russia are haunted by competitors. Recently, the car has been facilitated, but both new and old passats are in demand.
 
The 1996 Passat B5 was the first brainchild of the Folkswagen concern program. The positive side of this program was an unprecedented low price for a car of this level of equipment - less than $ 30 thousand. Specialists were perplexed - why did VW create a competitor to his own Audi division? And potential buyers were waiting for some kind of catch. Without waiting, they voted in their own wallet, and Passat became a bestseller. As for the dispersion of prices for cars offered in the Russian market, it can be double - depending on the configuration, the engine and the last machine. Very often, a car that lived in Russia from scratch can cost more than freshly baked from abroad for psychological reasons-due to the transparency of its past. Three -year -old Passat in decent condition can be bought from $ 15 thousand.
Body and suspension. For the characteristic shape of the curved roof, the car at the repairmen received the nickname Gorbaty. The most unexpected review of this design move was to hear from the traffic cop, who sat in the car: yes, you can drive in a cap!
When buying a used VW Passat, they usually ask a traditional question: which one to purchase a car-running along our roads or driven from abroad? As usual, both options have their pros and cons. The car purchased here is much easier to find out all the ins and outs. In the computer at the station where it was served, a complete medical history is stored. In addition, all cars sold in Russia were necessarily equipped with a package for bad roads, which, among other things, include springs and shock absorbers that increase the road clearance by 2-3 centimeters. But the metallic protection of the crankcase into this package is not included, and if it is not, it is better not to save on it. However, on cars driven from Europe, with the European suspension option, this protection will eat two centimeters of the road clearance. Therefore, it is recommended to install the same package for bad roads on any official dealer on a freshly rendered car. It costs a little less than $ 1 thousand, but whether these investments justify themselves is a controversial question: how to ride. There are other pitfalls. In the west, Passat very often becomes an object of tuning, including pendants. For example, replacing the suspension from ABT for bad roads will entail an almost complete replacement of parts, which will cost two times more.
Engines and turbine. Other differences between Russian passators are in engines. Passat was supplied to our market with engines that meet the EURO-2 standards, while the Euro-3 versions were in Europe, and the latest cars before restyling-and Euro-4. The last two modifications often have problems with the launch in the cold season. This is not fatal - just drive up to the dealer and adjust the injection for about $ 10. But on engines with a volume of 1.6 liters, this operation is impossible. However, this engine option is quite rare. The most common Passat engines are 1.8 and 1.8 tons, the latter differs in the presence of a turbine. These are the most successful engines for this model both in reliability and power. The turbocharged engine has the same 150 hp as the 5-cylinder VR5, but its customs clearance will cost cheaper. Both engines with a volume of 1.8 liters do not cause problems, the main thing is to monitor the state of the timing belt. It must be changed during a run of 120 thousand km, which will cost approximately $ 200 for the belt itself with the penis roller and $ 100 for work. If this is not done, then the replacement of the engine head in the case of a belt break will cost more than $ 2 thousand. The very first issues happened to the turbine rod. But it was a long time ago, and now there are practically no risk of running into the car of those parties. The main source of malfunctions of the turbine is the driver himself, or rather, improper operation of the machine. In order not to get to the replacement of the turbine (about $ 1 thousand. The turbine itself + $ 100 for work), you need to follow the following simple rules: do not change the engine immediately after stopping, but let it work for a minute at idle; Carefully monitor the oil level in the engine and change it no later than 15 thousand km, as well as an air filter. In all engines, it is recommended to clean the injection cabins once a year. The only weak area of \u200b\u200bthe engines can be considered an air flow meter, which fails completely unpredictably and costs more than $ 300 + $ 38 per replacement.
Suspension and chassis. For some reason, the people had the opinion that Passat’s suspension is quite flimsy. This is not so, just a multi -link design, which provides the Passat with excellent handling and smoothness, is not designed for large strokes and shock loads. The fact that she copes with her duties until the last is honor and praise. And dashing riders can only be advised to cook about $ 800 for replacing all four lower front suspension levers. For five years of Passat B5, VW engineers seven (!) Once they made changes to the design of levers, but they didn’t come up with anything for our national driving style. By the way, unlike the previous generation Passat, here the lower ball support changes only with the lever - one of the minuses of unification. As in many other modern machines, Passat stabilizer racks are consumable. They nurse about 50 thousand km, but also cost moderately - $ 40 + $ 28 per replacement.
Equipment and ergonomics. In the first batches of Passat, a combination of devices from two different manufacturers was placed. They look like twin brothers, but one of the options is capable of a special glitch: suddenly, for no reason, a lamp of insufficient coolant level in an expansion tank light up. If everything is fine, start with the cheapest option in this case - replace the expansion tank. If this did not help, get ready, alas, for the replacement of the entire combination of devices, the expensive and dreary procedure - this part will have to be ordered only through an official dealer that will make a request to Germany, and it costs from $ 500.
Another electric problem is associated with our climate or sloppiness of the driver. The fact is that under the driver's seat is installed a control unit unit (electric drives of mirrors, glasses and a central castle), and the tourniquet from it passes right under the feet of the driver. Gradually accumulating, moisture does your wet business. They say that other owners found their car, standing on the street with completely lowered glasses and open doors. So you should not save on the cleaning of the cabin, it is better to always make sure that on the floor, under the feet of the driver, it was dry. Still, Russia does not like Russia's larva, especially in sedans. In order for it to serve longer, it must be regularly lubricated, and at least once a week the trunk is opened with a key, and not a drive from the cabin. With electric drives of door locks, whatever you do - everything is to no avail. The average period of their service is about 40 thousand km. The lock itself costs about $ 100 + $ 38 for work.
When buying a used car equipped with climate control, pay attention to whether it blinks when the scoreboard is turned on. If this happens for more than 20 seconds, the system clearly has a malfunction. Which - shows only an autopsy worth $ 30. Both on cars with climate control, and with an ordinary air conditioner, you must carefully monitor the cleanliness of the engine radiator and the air conditioner radiator. Both aluminum, hang low and collect all the dirt on themselves. Two or three Moscow winters-and salt begins to devour German aluminum, like a dog sausage. To avoid this, every spring it is recommended to arrange a general cleaning: to remove the cladding and the bumper, to thoroughly rinse both the radiators themselves and the space between them. At the maintenance station, this operation costs a little more than $ 100.
FOUR-WHEEL DRIVE. In the lineup there were two all-wheel drive modifications-Syncro and 4-Motion. In the first torque, it is distributed between bridges with the help of pure mechanics-the Torsen differential, and at 4-Motion this role is taken by the Haldex clutch with an electronic control unit. As a rule, cars in maximum configuration and with the most powerful engines were equipped with all -wheel drive - 2.3 VR5 and 2.8 V6, although cars were also found with a 1.8 liter engine. Passat all -wheel drive modifications on the market are rare. In operation, they showed themselves quite reliable, while the front suspension is similar to monopyplane options, and the original details of the posterior hassle are not delivered.
SAFETY. Since its appearance, Passat has been enhanced by the hijackers, and therefore there are a lot of cars with a criminal past in the secondary market. And the stolen cars put up for sale are prepared very carefully. Just in case, pay attention to all kinds of duplicate stickers. They are also faked, but the false ones have a slightly pink shade, and the letters on them are fuzzy borders. And one more thing: in the trunk, in the niche of the spurts, a piece of paper is glued to the factory, where the basic data on the machine is duplicated, including the paint code.
And for complete peace of mind before buying, it is best to drive the car to the nearby dealer station. The inspection will cost inexpensively-from $ 20 for the diagnosis of chassis to $ 60-100 for a more thorough inspection, including the diagnosis of the engine. It will be clear right away what awaits you in the near future, and the criminality of the car can be checked.
We thank the Moscow training center Volkswagen and the company Auto-Prestus, (095) 458-0021.
Typically German car
On Passat, as well as other German cars, there is a huge selection of spare parts - relatives and non -original. The choice remains with a competent buyer: if the front pads of the ate on the market cost $ 45, then exactly the same, but in the VW box at the dealer station will cost $ 120. The front suspension lever on the market will cost $ 85, and on the service - $ 230. But there is also the flip side of the medal: many parts purchased on the market do not nurse half the time that the original walks. It is worth remembering that the officials give an annual guarantee for the spare parts used, except for consumables.
Engine 1.6 1.8 1.8T VR5 V6
Working volume (cubic meter) 1600 1800 1800 2300 2800
Power (L.S.) 101 125 150 150 193
Maximum speed (km/h) 190 200 220 220 230
Acceleration to 100 km/h (sec.) 12.3 11 8.7 9.1 7.6
Fuel consumption (l per 100 km):
highway 6 6.4 6.3 7.4 8
city \u200b\u200b11.4 12.2 10.7 13.5 14.9
The price is $ 10-13 thousand $ 10-14 thousand $ 13-17 thousand $ 15--17 thousand $ 14-21 thousand.
       
The cost of service Passat 1.8T at the official dealer (with spare parts, US dollars)
Services work spare parts
replacing wiper brushes 4 32
replacing spark plugs 18 53
fuel filter replacement 16 17
replacing the salon filter 10 20
replacing front pads 23 120
replacing the rear pads 24 70
replacing the rear shock absorbers 20 230
replacing front shock absorbers 88 260
replacing bearings of front hubs 125 240
 

Source: "Autopilot"