| 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
2005 Volkswagen Passat repairs by problem area
Engine (44%)
Transmission and Drivetrain (18%)
Brakes and Traction Control (2%)
Suspension and Steering (9%)
Electrical and Air Conditioning (17%)
Paint, Rust, Leaks, Rattles, and Trim (6%)
Other (5%)
Chart based on 321 repairs.
2005 Volkswagen Passat engine repair cost distribution
$2500+ (5%)
$1000 - $2499 (14%)
$500 - $999 (25%)
$100 - $499 (30%)
< $100 (25%)
Chart based on 91 repair trips. The repair cost chart excludes repairs made under warranty, do-it-yourself repairs, and repair trips that include maintenance.
2005 Volkswagen Passat
Engine not specified
| 52000 mi US $5000 |
headgasket |
| 99000 mi US $2500 |
replace valves |
2005 Volkswagen Passat 4dr Wagon
turbocharged 170hp 1.8L I4 5-speed shiftable automatic FWD
| 122600 mi | Thermostat replaced |
| 124200 mi | Coolant flange was leaking--replaced flange. |
| 133000 mi US $80 |
Left and right motor mounts, front snub mount replaced. |
| 134500 mi US $44 |
Misfire on cylinder one--coilpack replaced. |
| 85000 mi US $545 |
Brake Light came on - oil shop said "pads looked great" 1 month later, turbo shut down and car was riding rough. REAL VW Mechanic said front pads needed replacement, all spark plugs and 1 coil. Car running excellent again! |
| 85000 mi US $350 |
Car was idling very rough - almost dying at stop lights. Computer reading showed 14 malfunctions - mechanic THOUGHT major engine problem - started to disasemble but then found a small valve installed backwards - replaced & it worked! |
2005 Volkswagen Passat 4dr Wagon
turbocharged 170hp 1.8L I4 5-speed shiftable automatic AWD
| 130000 mi US $456 |
Mass airflow sensor |
2005 Volkswagen Passat 4dr Wagon
turbocharged 170hp 1.8L I4 5-speed manual AWD
| 58000 mi US $700 |
Fuel pump stopped working. Had to replace it. |
| 91200 mi US $1400 |
Replaced timing and serpentine belts, leaking valve-cover gasket. |
| 118000 mi US $420 |
exhaust downpipe rusted through at flexible elbow. replaced it. |
2005 Volkswagen Passat 4dr Wagon
turbocharged 134hp 2.0L I4 Diesel 5-speed shiftable automatic FWD
| 192820 mi C $150 |
Turbo hose needed replacing. |
| 205840 mi C $250 |
Had to replace lower turbo hose. |
| 215760 mi C $878 |
cooling system repairs. replaced water pump and rear head cooling flange, added new coolant. |
| 110360 mi C $1600 |
Removed balance shaft assembly Oil filter / change |
| 166800 mi US $800 |
Emissions. Check engine light came on. Replaced Mass flow meter. Also replaced 2 motor mounts. Light came on again, replaced turbo boost tube that had a small hole. So far working well. |
| 189000 mi US $1500 |
Had taken to dealer. They wanted to replace trans. Prob was fouled throttle body. Very dirty causing poor performance and late trans shifting. Since cleaned, runs better and gets better mileage. Still feel trans not quite right though. |
| 192300 mi US $700 |
Engine oil pump weak, replaced with upgraded oil pump assenbly and removed balance shaft assemblies. Both known to be failure spots with this design. |
| 151000 mi US $560 |
EGR cooler failed. Putting coolant into combustion path. Tell tale white smoke like head gasket blown. Camshaft position sensor failed. |
| 212040 mi C $20 |
#1 cylinder glow plug |
| 212660 mi C $10 |
Valve cover gasket |
| 87754 mi C $65 |
Replaced Freewheel Clutch pulley for alternator. Had gotten Electrical Fault alarm & MIL indicator, battery was no longer charging. |
| 35000 mi | Ceramic glow plugs replaced with steel plugs. ECM reflashed with updates. |
| 37000 mi US $2000 |
TDI engine balance shaft module was making noise. If balance shaft module failed would starve engine of oil pressure leading to catastrophic failure. VW aware of the design flaw but denies it exists. VW makes a gear drive OEM part for the problem. |
| 34875 mi C $46 |
Turbo boost hose became loose and had to be re-attached. reconnect loosened turbo boost hose. Would have been covered under warrantee but went to local GURU to avoid the hassle. |
| 47120 mi C $500 |
ceramic glow plug defect. Self diagnose and paid out of pocket. VW recall notice issued in August. Seeking for reimbursement. |
| 48360 mi | Factory engineered defect in chain driven balance shaft/oil pump module. Noise and vibrations increase. Replaced with factory gear drive part under warranty. I feel for those w/o warranty = $3000 USD repair. VWoA not officially awknowledging the issue |
| 86580 mi C $275 |
Replaced thermostat, original was stuck open, perhaps for years. |
| 102920 mi C $850 |
leaking thermostat (again) causing low coolant vacuum pump leaking valve cover gasket leaking all original brakes need replacement (another $550) Coolant low. Unknown coolant consumption. Vacuum pump seal worn. Re&Re performed. Oil leak from valve cover gasket. Gasket replaced. $600 of total. |
| 142498 mi C $469 |
Alternator replaced with a quality re-built unit. |
| 146424 mi C $137 |
Coolant reservoir return line replaced |
| 152356 mi C $612 |
Turbo issues...no turbo. Mass airflow sensor replaced, and air filter clogged, was also replaced. |
| 152560 mi C $368 |
Turbo issues. Solenoid replaced. Vacuum lines checked. |
| 157317 mi C $452 |
Issues with leaking and "flushing noise": Coolant thermostat/housing and lower rad hose replaced + system flush. Assessment of Radiator core problems...estimate on the repair of the core by VW dealer: $1500 |
| 189 mi C $1900 |
Replace turbo |
| 270000 mi US $1400 |
Replaced 12 year old tandem pump which was leaking very little oil but leaving stains on the driveway. Replaced two coolant hoses which looked weak and about to fail. |
| 274500 mi US $466 |
Oil leak from rear of valve cover. Replaced valve cover. |
| 111600 mi C $3500 |
Replaced chain driven balance shaft with gear driven one |
2005 Volkswagen Passat 4dr Wagon
190-horsepower 2.8L V6 5-speed shiftable automatic FWD
| 108000 mi US $880 |
Replaced ignition coil and purge valve Replaced coil pack and purge valve. Had to rent car for 5 days while part was delivered. |
2005 Volkswagen Passat 4dr Wagon
190-horsepower 2.8L V6 5-speed shiftable automatic AWD
| 52000 mi US $530 |
Bad fuel pump. |
| 93000 mi US $2500 |
Motor Mounts |
| 122400 mi | Fuel tank replaced due to 2008 recall (NHTSA Reference #08V156000). The valve mentioned in the recall passed inspection in 2008 and later failed. Having VW cover it took a few calls, but they covered it in the end. Valve cover gasket leak. |
| 126000 mi | Valve cover gasket leak |
2005 Volkswagen Passat 4dr Sedan
turbocharged 170hp 1.8L I4 5-speed shiftable automatic FWD
| 49500 mi US $800 |
Rubber seal on oil cooler was cracked, causing the STOP engine/OIL PRESS light to come on. Turns out I probably could have driven with the problem as long as seal didn't break but didn't know that, so considered it an emergency situation. Oil cooler rubber seal was cracked, resulting in loss of oil pressure. Repair involved pressure test before and after, removal of entire cooler, engine flush and oil change, and replacement of seal, which was apparently known to be faulty. |
| 58200 mi US $1300 |
Oil Pressure warning light came on while on highway and in town. Somewhat sporadic the following week. Problem was with the oil pump - it's pumping erratically. Had to replace the pump. |
| 58000 mi US $280 |
Check Engine Light went on. Code said cooling system performance. Problem was bad sensor. The shop replaced. |
| 59200 mi US $400 |
Check Engine light came on. 2 codes came up, one was a thermometer/thermostat. The other had something to do with a fan blowing vapors out on start-up that wasn't working. Emissions-related. |
| 64000 mi US $900 |
Turbo "flap" was stuck open causing loud engine at start-up,smelly exhaust and poor mileage. A gasket had been blown apparently. Check Engine light was on. I forget the code. |
| 81174 mi US $1260 |
Secondary air motor needed replacing. Bearings were going, very loud on cold starts. |
| 85000 mi US $650 |
Air mass sensor went out(?) Needed replaced, check engine light had come on. |
| 76260 mi C $300 |
replaced valve cover gasket and spark plugs |
| 86180 mi C $101 |
coil pack |
| 87280 mi C $101 |
coil pack another one failed |
| 113700 mi US $800 |
Heater core out again |
2005 Volkswagen Passat 4dr Sedan
turbocharged 134hp 2.0L I4 Diesel 5-speed shiftable automatic FWD
| 106840 mi C $130 |
Turbo Underboost P0299 CEL - Cracked turbo hose |
| 63700 mi C $200 |
A prior recall to change ceramic glow plugs and flash the computer caused hard cold weather starting. Coolant sensor is acting up. Goes up to about 2/3 then drops to zero and then eventually goes to normal. My dealer quoted $330 to repair. Another dealer quoted $176 and a third $128. I will wait until I get out to the dealer at $128. |
| 57120 mi C $4500 |
There is a noise like a chain rubbing coming from the balance shaft area. May need to be repaired at a steep cost. |
| 100000 mi US $2262 |
water pump replaced |
| 101680 mi C $75 |
No. 1 cylinder glow plug had failed as verified by VAG-COM scan done at home. Glow plug replaced, repair successful. |
| 107260 mi C $600 |
Chain noise and vibration from engine. Suspect balancer shaft module/oil pump chain drive. Dealer investigating the problem with VW technical, will repair later. |
| 136400 mi C $760 |
Intercooler hose leaking. Replaced. |
| 171120 mi C $216 |
Engine fan belt damaged. Charged 3 hours labour, the entire front of the car has to come apart for access!!! |
| 172560 mi C $50 |
Exhaust system heat shield had come loose and was rattling. |
| 49600 mi | Engine light came on. #4 glow plug. |
| 70060 mi | Timing belt. Returned to change idler pulley bolt. Should have been done when the timing belt was done. |
| 70060 mi $1200 |
Engine not working in parameters. |
| 99000 mi | Timing belt was replaced as PM, and while changing the mechanic noticed that the water pump was starting to leak, so that was replaced as well. |
| 124500 mi US $838 |
Coolant had been leaking for about 2 months. A pressure test at the dealership revealed that the radiator was the source of the leak. Dealership replaced the radiator and coolant. |
| 136000 mi US $291 |
Alternator pulley has an integrated clutch that had begun to whine or squeal when under load. Replaced alternator pulley with new part. |
| 142800 mi US $479 |
Crack in hose from turbo exit to intercooler. Once hot enough, crack released all pressure rendering no boost from turbo. |
| 146000 mi US $1003 |
Replaced both engine support mounts (not the front torque mount). Mounts had leaked fluid and showed excessive play under stress. |
| 160000 mi US $1020 |
Exhaust Gas Recirculation system had a faulty EGR cooler, causing coolant to leak into the exhaust system and come out the tailpipe as white smoke. Replaced the EGR Cooler and related gaskets. |
| 174000 mi US $2032 |
Oil leak from engine valve cover gasket. |
| 75640 mi C $450 |
Internal Oil leak |
| 87000 mi US $350 |
EGR bypass flap (throttle). Cleaned Intake Manifold from fouling due to EGR. EGR bypass flap (throttle). |
| 39680 mi | Ignition would not turn most times when proper key was inserted. You had to wiggle it and move the steering wheel to get the car to start. Over time the condition worsened. |
| 115000 mi US $350 |
power steering belt began to slip requiring new belt and tensioner |
| 118000 mi | power steering belt replacement failed and required 2nd replacement |
| 119000 mi US $725 |
Persistent rattle from engine compartment at idle. Frozen alternator pulley found. |
2005 Volkswagen Passat 4dr Sedan
190-horsepower 2.8L V6 5-speed shiftable automatic FWD
| 70060 mi | Removed air filter box, cleaned out crappy gasket and replaced with silicone sealent. manufactured cover for filter and fitted.Replaced relevent parts and tested water tightness. All OK. |
| 80600 mi A $600 |
Timing belt hydraulic tensioner faulty. Removed front end of car, replaced tensioner, water pump,idler pulleys,serpentine belt. Replaced front end and tested. All OK. |
2005 Volkswagen Passat 4-door
turbocharged 4-cylinder manual 2WD
| 42000 mi | carbon in the engine, was fixed previously by the dealer |
2005 Volkswagen Passat 4-door
turbocharged 4-cylinder automatic AWD
| 65000 mi US $360 |
Check engine light was on. Reflash eliminated problem. |
| 81000 mi | The turbo-lifter, oil pan and coolant tank caught fire. Estimate cost to fix? $10,500 |
2005 Volkswagen Passat 4-door
6-cylinder automatic 2WD
| 55000 mi US $412 |
Fuel pump replaced, air filter replaced, oil change, having troubles going up steep inclines mechanic cleaned out filters. |
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