What to watch for on the Volkswagen Passat

The Passat is a typical company car, so used ones often have a lot of motorway behind them and mileage over 200,000 km. That is not a problem in itself, motorway miles wear a car less than town driving. What decides is the service history and which engine and gearbox are in the car. Below is a general overview of places worth looking at. It is not statistics, take it as a list of questions for the seller. Always check a specific car against the pre-purchase checklist.

Generations. On the market mainly the Passat B6 (2005–2010), B7 (2010–2014) and B8 (2014–2023). The newer B9 is still rare on the used market.

Diesels.

• The 2.0 TDI with pump-injector units in the Passat B6 is an older engine today. On some of them there are cylinder head and oil pump drive problems. Without a service history it is a gamble.
• The common-rail 2.0 TDI (late B6, the whole B7) and the newer 2.0 TDI in the B8 are the most common. The weak spots tend to be the particulate filter, EGR valve, injectors, turbo and dual-mass flywheel. On a B8 with AdBlue ask about SCR system faults.
• Ask for the timing belt and water pump to be documented by an invoice. On company cars you will often find the replacement is due right about now.

Petrol engines. The 1.4 TSI and 1.8 TSI are less common. On some older 1.8 TSI and 2.0 TSI engines owners deal with increased oil consumption, and on older chain-driven TSIs with chain stretch. Listen to a cold start and ask how much oil the engine uses.

DSG. The six-speed DSG with wet clutches on the stronger diesels is widespread and usually holds up if it received oil changes at the prescribed interval. The seven-speed with dry clutches (on weaker engines) has mechatronic unit problems on some cars. On the test drive try a hill start, slow creeping and shifting under load.

Electronics and equipment. Passats tend to be well equipped, and that needs trying out. The electric parking brake has servo motors on the rear calipers, which misbehave over time. Apply and release it several times and see whether a warning light comes on. Try navigation, parking sensors, cameras, seat heating and, on the B8, adaptive cruise control and the digital instrument cluster.

4MOTION. All-wheel-drive versions have a Haldex clutch, which needs an oil change and, on some generations, a filter change. Ask when it was done.

Body. Passats are well protected against rust. On an estate check that the boot and the sunroof area don't leak. At the viewing watch the wear of the driver's seat and steering wheel, on company cars with high mileage it should match the odometer.

Former company cars. The advantage tends to be franchised-garage servicing, the disadvantage drivers who didn't spare the car. Ask whether the seller knows the first owners and has a printout of the service history. On leased cars check that they aren't pledged.

Current offer and prices. How many Passats are on offer now and for how much is shown on the page Used Volkswagen Passat. A lot of them are in Germany, and you can compare them by choosing the country in search.

Do you drive or did you drive a Passat? Write the generation, engine and mileage and what you replaced. Experiences with the DSG and the electric handbrake are welcome too.