Just picked up a 2007 2.0 TDI 140, with plenty of questions to come later, but just for a bit of fun here’s my history:
As a young lad, late 80’s, I was impressed with my sisters little 1.0 Polo and its smooth and willing engine - it all seemed so much more refined than the Mini I had at the time.
Followed a string of Vauxhalls including a Viva, a Chevette, several Astras and Cavaliers, an Omega, then finally in 1998 a PASSAT! It was a company car, but the petrol 1.8T and over the next 4 years we covered 120k miles - I flippin LOVED it.
Never let me down and any problems got sorted during services, great stuff. For a big car the way it would launch away from the lights by dumping the clutch at the 2000rpm sweet-spot was really quite something, and being a petrol it would pull up to nearly 40mph before 2nd was needed. And for more relaxed driving it would pull 5th from 40 as well, brilliant.
A job change and another Astra appeared, then a couple of BMW company cars. Don’t knock ‘em – their diesels are engineering masterpieces.
Couple of years ago the job went, along with the car, and I was given a ‘97 VW Polo saloon, with a 100hp 1.6 8v engine. What a cracker, pulling quietly and strongly from low revs but with a lovely sporty sound and feel higher up, great fun.
It was my sisters and I had to do lots of work on it before using it properly: brakes, cam belt, water pump, gaskets, shockers, exhaust, rain leaks, etc. I was out of work for a while so time was not a problem…It had done 140k, but even now with 157k it runs sweet as a nut, still on the original engine and drive-train.
Should mention other VW’s and my wife had a new 1.4 Polo in ’98 and another in 2004. The first one completely trouble free, but the current one spoiled by several minor faults. I will forgive it so far as its a lovely car, with a super-quiet engine, good air-conditioning, and for a small car an impressively composed ride. The power is modest, but you can’t complain as it happily cruises at 70+ even with 3 teenage kids in the back, Yes, mine!
So, my “new†Passat is a beaut, but I am quite concerned at some of the problems I hear about, the curse of the internet of course. Not helped by the fact that I do most of my own repairs and am overly “mechanically aware†as it were. Ignorance is bliss…..
Anyway, will do some research and ask more about some of these potential problems another time. Should warn you all that I like to post up my repairs, with pics, so might drop in some Polo ones at some point if thats allowed. I do a lot of motorbike engine rebuilds as well, but will spare you those!
- Steve , Southampton (ish)