1998 Passat Wagon
Does anyone out there have a Passat wagon- 98 with problems- This car i own has ghosts- it unlocks and locks itself without me even touching a button, beyond that I have taken it in to the dealers 3 times to have the locks redone – and time $150.00 a pop- the same thing happens- last time i paid to have all of my remotes fixed – this was in April of 04, it is now July and none of them work again. Does anyone out there have this problem. Also, i know there was a recall on the tierods for this particular model, now my mechanics says that all of my arms are broken – this is going to cost $2000.00 to replace- this car is hunk of !$@%@!- I got totally !@#!$#@! by the dealer who now claims they will not help, i am a second owner. Does anyone have any suggestions?
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297 Said,
July 27, 2004 @ 12:00 pm
1998 Passat Wagon – Is there an aftermarket alarm or radio installed?
bummed out! Said,
July 28, 2004 @ 12:00 pm
1998 Passat Wagon – Not to my knowledge. The radio is vw and alarm i guess is too. How would i be able to tell?
297 Said,
July 28, 2004 @ 12:00 pm
1998 Passat Wagon – The first owner may have rewired the ignition and alarm system, maybe to install a turbo timer or aftermarket radio, then reinstalled the stock radio and/or removed the turbo timer when he/she sold it back to the dealer.
It’s possible the rewiring was incomplete or incorrect.
It’s also possible you can solve this by simply resetting the alarm and radio. You can do this easily by disconnecting the battery overnight.
Don’t do this unless you have the radio unlock code (a 4 digit code), otherwise, when you plug the battery back in, your radio will be in SAFE mode and you won’t have the code to unlock it.
You could try a battery disconnect for less than 30 minutes, which shouldn’t lock the radio… but it’s better to know your radio unlock code and unplug the car overnight.
bummed out! Said,
August 3, 2004 @ 12:00 pm
1998 Passat Wagon – Paul – thanks alot for your input. I believe that was the case- considering that trunk has an area for 6 holder cd. Regardless -my battery at one time did go out, and i did not have the code, and to go to dealership to get it fixed at my cost. This car has become a huge problem. Just put $1000.oo worth of work into it last week, Control Arms broke- pretty pricy, you would think since VW recalled the tie-rods on the car that they would fix the control arms since it is my asumption that those two things have to work together without the other braking. Makes no sense to me. I wonder how many people have had the same problem i am having. Now my ABS/Brake light is on and is going to cost me another $1200.00 to fix. I am pretty much know in the red. Thanks for your help though. Do you have any suggestions? More Bummed:(
mj Said,
August 19, 2004 @ 12:00 pm
1998 Passat Wagon – i, the second owner of a 98 passat with 98k miles, have a ton of problems with my car:
1) sporadically, abs and brake warning lights come on, tach flatlines, then oil light comes on. engine running fine, oil level fine. i’ve learned to ignore it;
2) tie rod ends bad. they were previously replaced at 45k;
3) steering makes terrible groaning sounds on occasion, usually in warmer weather (not a problem in winter, for instance). steering fluid level fine;
4) radio volume knob does not work correctly;
5) rear rotors/pads wear significantly faster than fronts, necessitating replacement of both items;
6) intermittent driver door lock problem (doesn’t lock with remote)
7) don’t know about control arms yet–mechanic says tie rods are so bad, he can’t say if control arms are bad until tie rods ends are replaced…
sounds like you’re lucky if *all* you have going wrong with your wagon is the locks, even if it is exceptionally annoying and potentially unsafe.
best,
mj
bummed out! Said,
September 3, 2004 @ 12:00 pm
1998 Passat Wagon – MJ- I am sorry about all those problems you have- quite honestly- my list is just like yours. I would check into the tie-rod thing first with VW- those were recalled by VW, and should be replaced by them at no charge-(they can be expensive)- Best of luck:)
ddebra Said,
February 16, 2005 @ 1:16 am
1998 Passat Wagon – I have had similar issues w/ my ‘98 Passat. Door locks have been “sticky” since day 1. Finally gave up and now live with the problem. I also have a “ghost” – sunroof will open and close without touching it. Rear door mechanism broke. I’ll save my rant about the failed power output chip ($300) and front suspension problems ($500 before they issued the recall) for another post. I’m going back to Acura/Honda as soon as possible!