Passat B5 what to look out for?

[slackerTHEpinstriper]

Cheers for the input chaps, seller has sold it now unfortunately.
I had agreed a price and was going to let him know at the latest this evening.
Very annoyed as it ticked a lot of boxes but I guess you snooze you loose.

[horrido]

Just as I had almost made my mind up to get one of these, this thread appears....have to say, they sound a lot less good than i'd hoped.

[hkr91]

Jun 20, 2021 8:30:23 GMT ChasR said:

Jun 18, 2021 17:46:07 GMT slackerTHEpinstriper said:

Just back, knackered from the drive, didn't help my eye was staring from removing a rust deposit from it.

It's ridiculously clean, barely any marks on the paint (apart from a couple of usual wing blemishes).

It's obviously been looked after so I believe the maintenance has been kept up with.

Only issue is there is a whine on the gearbox that he says has been there all the time he's owned the car.

It's a 6 speed pd130 btw

What year is it? I’m going wondering if it’s a friend’s car he sold.

As said, go off what hkr91 said. Mileage is not important, but maintenance is.

They IMHO are a far better car than the B6 which replaced it.

There is little to gain between a 5 ad 6 speed.

Cheap coil overs ruin the ride on 17” wheels or above. A mate had one in FKs, and most of the coils were coil bound when sat down. On 15s it wasn’t too bad but it still drove nicer on a lowering kit and springs.

Agreed with what ChasR said, coilies will spoil the ride, Eibach do shock and spring sets which can be purchased on eBay.de (unsure if they've ventured over to the UK page yet).

I've just picked up a B6 for the old man as I couldn't find a decent B5.5 (the B6 has had the hand brake motors, hand brake switch, injector recall, oil pump balancer shaft, rear lower arms and a few others done so I'm happy) but had I, I wouldn't have thought twice.

[pseudonymous]

Jun 20, 2021 20:07:42 GMT hkr91 said:

Jun 20, 2021 8:30:23 GMT ChasR said:

What year is it? I’m going wondering if it’s a friend’s car he sold.

As said, go off what hkr91 said. Mileage is not important, but maintenance is.

They IMHO are a far better car than the B6 which replaced it.

There is little to gain between a 5 ad 6 speed.

Cheap coil overs ruin the ride on 17” wheels or above. A mate had one in FKs, and most of the coils were coil bound when sat down. On 15s it wasn’t too bad but it still drove nicer on a lowering kit and springs.

Agreed with what ChasR said, coilies will spoil the ride, Eibach do shock and spring sets which can be purchased on eBay.de (unsure if they've ventured over to the UK page yet).

I've just picked up a B6 for the old man as I couldn't find a decent B5.5 (the B6 has had the hand brake motors, hand brake switch, injector recall, oil pump balancer shaft, rear lower arms and a few others done so I'm happy) but had I, I wouldn't have thought twice.

The words 'hand brake motors' are enough to put me off a car

[ChasR]

to be fair to the B6 Passat, they are a great car when working right.

However, they were the first car of their kind to have then very new technology. They are a bit flakier than the B5.5

That said, the one you got hkr91 sounds like it's had the problem areas sorted bar the steering lock issue. But this tends to affect earlier cars more.

[Dez]

The thing I would say about b5/b5.5 passats, like mk4/5 golfs, Lupos, , polos, and any other early 2000s VW, is that although they’re not particularly faultless cars (they all have fairly long lists of ‘known’ issues , especially PD engined stuff) is because the cars all have strong followings, those faults are all very well documented and all the parts to put them right are available *fairly* reasonably. (I wouldn’t say VAG group parts are cheap like common ford or GM stuff, but conversely they’re not expensive either).
Literally any problem you have will be well documented, and probably already had a specific repair kit available off the shelf for it that you just buy and fit and that it, rather than having to self diagnose and then find specific parts that are Probably obsolete from other manufacturers.

[hkr91]

Jun 21, 2021 23:14:20 GMT ChasR said:

to be fair to the B6 Passat, they are a great car when working right.

However, they were the first car of their kind to have then very new technology. They are a bit flakier than the B5.5

That said, the one you got hkr91 sounds like it's had the problem areas sorted bar the steering lock issue. But this tends to affect earlier cars more.

Agreed mate.

Haha you've jinxed me now! I've got a steering column, spare lift pump and other random spares if ever they give me issues.

The hand brake motors can be rebuilt, usually the outer cover splits and leads to ingress of water which in turn seizes them. Pulling them off, resealing the cases and cleaning the internals usually work as long as the motors haven't burnt out - also switches can be a headache - I've got a spare in the boot but never use the hand brake lol.

[hkr91]

Jun 21, 2021 8:21:29 GMT pseudonymous said:

Jun 20, 2021 20:07:42 GMT hkr91 said:

Agreed with what ChasR said, coilies will spoil the ride, Eibach do shock and spring sets which can be purchased on eBay.de (unsure if they've ventured over to the UK page yet).

I've just picked up a B6 for the old man as I couldn't find a decent B5.5 (the B6 has had the hand brake motors, hand brake switch, injector recall, oil pump balancer shaft, rear lower arms and a few others done so I'm happy) but had I, I wouldn't have thought twice.

The words 'hand brake motors' are enough to put me off a car

IIRC the newer Audi's also use the front brakes for hill assist etc.

[ChasR]

Jun 22, 2021 16:50:16 GMT hkr91 said:

Jun 21, 2021 23:14:20 GMT ChasR said:

to be fair to the B6 Passat, they are a great car when working right.

However, they were the first car of their kind to have then very new technology. They are a bit flakier than the B5.5

That said, the one you got hkr91 sounds like it's had the problem areas sorted bar the steering lock issue. But this tends to affect earlier cars more.

Agreed mate.

Haha you've jinxed me now! I've got a steering column, spare lift pump and other random spares if ever they give me issues.

The hand brake motors can be rebuilt, usually the outer cover splits and leads to ingress of water which in turn seizes them. Pulling them off, resealing the cases and cleaning the internals usually work as long as the motors haven't burnt out - also switches can be a headache - I've got a spare in the boot but never use the hand brake lol.

I see that, but it seems the motors don't split on healthy calipers.

I suspect the real issue is the calipers seizing up. On a non-EPB caliper, the lever would begin to stick. With an EPB, the motor will try to turn it. While it is on a clutch setup, it was adjusted most likely for when the car had fresh calipers.

I say this as on mine, when I changed the rear pads, the calipers were utterly seized. When I gave it to the garage to do, they thought I was mad to pursue with winding them back (they were very stiff).

Since then, I've noticed caliper movements on a number of cars .

When I broke mine 6 years ago for spares, I had many people after the calipers, or for me to split them.

[slackerTHEpinstriper]

Sooooooo I've now seen a B5 (which I prefer the look of).

Same again looks very clean but it's on 230k, again it's the rite colour I want (yes faffy I know!!).

But thinking if I can pick up an engine and have it sat ready to bolt in when it decides to soil its self.

[slackerTHEpinstriper]

This is the description :


Please read advert***

***strictly no scrapman please, thank you***

***bhp is 110 and not the 90bhp advertised***

***passat 1.9 tdi, afn engine, the next best engine after the pd engine***

***Needs Trailering, ONLY due to no mot, no insurance and tax (sorn) and will need water hose as slight leak, hence why water light is on, (£30 off ebay)***(but very, very good, reliable passat, and still drives very well, even with this very minor issue, shows the extreme build quality of these cars****

***if car is still showing in advert, it is still for sale***

***Out of mot, (tyre has been replaced), needs rear wiper and horn for mot***(please look on website)***

***spent £140 on cv boot last year, will not have to spend know where near this much for mot***

---Engine--- ***Extremely reliable***

---clutch--- ***working well and not problems at all***

---Gearbox--- ***extremely reliable***(goes in all gears up and down with NO jumping out of gears like some passats)

---Turbo--- ***works and spools nicely when driving***, no blown turbo here***!!

---tyres--- ***all tyres are good, including the one I bought second hand, after the mot test so that is no longer an advisory***

---trailering---***for any possible interested parties, if you are worried how much money you may spend after getting it trailered, you won't have to spend anything as what I have just written above are all working perfectly, take it from me, being completely honest, and my honesty is more valuable than the price I'm asking, not one of those cars at that is usually for sale that is typically out of mot, then it is trailered, then worried about how much more money is needed to fix other things like engine issues, or clutch needs replacing or it is high, or turbo not working
or linkage problem, rest assured all is working fine for your piece of mind, I can assure you, any potential buyers coming from far I will mention the same thing to them, only worry about trailering fee and the extremely small amount to get it through mot, I've lot a bit of interest as has been on sorn for a while but started every week or so to get engine ticking, (which it does).

***passat also has***

***remote central locking***(1 key).

***some service history, 12 stamps in service book***

***Logbook in my name and address***

Have had this passat for just over a year, since that time has been a more than abrilliant a workhorse only seeling due to lack of interest, has been on sorn for approx six months but I start it everyone-2 weeks to make sure it ticks over, (which is does without fail).

A lack of interest forces sale as has been on sorn for a while, would want someone else to make good use of it.

Had intentions of having the car remapped etc....before putting it off the road as you can see the body work is clean, though age-related marks, mostly on bonnet where slightly faded. Also you can also see, engine bay was detailed by myself, had some really good plans for this car but circumstances are that I have lost interest in the car, just being honest.

As it stands, it is the ideal runaround town car but even better on motorways, nothing lilke an ol-skool passat from late 90s

The price reflect the least amount of work for mot, with NO unnecessary spending on the car like the clutch, turbo, engine mechanics and gearbox as these all work fine.
There are no water leaks in the footwell either and have checked this out myself as I know it is a common problem with passats!

For genuine interest, please bring a mechanic with you but no crowds please and only very close offers accepted to what am asking once looked over the car, if it sells this time round, thanks for looking.

***selling whole car and not for parts***(too brilliant for that)

***no swaps thanks***



Regards dean!





Seller type: Private

Posted: 5 days ago

Ad ID: 1407398484

Exact specification may vary from the details on this page. Please contact the seller to reconfirm any details before purchasing. See Terms & Conditions for further information.



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[tofufi]

For what it's worth, my parents have a B5 estate. They've had it since 1999.

It's the 90bhp diesel, and is now on at least 212k miles. A lot of those have been short, start stop, town journeys including a 1 mile trip twice a day for quite a long time.

My parents aren't car people - the only reason they still have it is that it just keeps on going. It's barely been given any attention, just a service every year. Every panel has some sort of ding or imperfection. It's only failed two MOTs in the last 23 years, one on a leaky diesel injection pump and one on the airbag warning light being on (caused by my unplugging an airbag when changing the cooling fan).

I certainly wouldn't describe it as a driver's car. It's soggy and over-assisted, the ride isn't great, and there's no feeling to anything.

If I were looking for a mile muncher I'd have no hesitation in buying a high mileage one if it's been used for mostly motorway miles.

Edit: Also good for carrying van roofs, should you ever need to:



Edit: just found the advert for the one you're considering, and it looks a damn sight cleaner than my parents one!

[slackerTHEpinstriper]

Jun 23, 2021 14:29:16 GMT tofufi said:

For what it's worth, my parents have a B5 estate. They've had it since 1999.

It's the 90bhp diesel, and is now on at least 212k miles. A lot of those have been short, start stop, town journeys including a 1 mile trip twice a day for quite a long time.

My parents aren't car people - the only reason they still have it is that it just keeps on going. It's barely been given any attention, just a service every year. Every panel has some sort of ding or imperfection. It's only failed two MOTs in the last 23 years, one on a leaky diesel injection pump and one on the airbag warning light being on (caused by my unplugging an airbag when changing the cooling fan).

I certainly wouldn't describe it as a driver's car. It's soggy and over-assisted, the ride isn't great, and there's no feeling to anything.

If I were looking for a mile muncher I'd have no hesitation in buying a high mileage one if it's been used for mostly motorway miles.

Edit: Also good for carrying van roofs, should you ever need to:



Edit: just found the advert for the one you're considering, and it looks a damn sight cleaner than my parents one!

I think I'm going to go for for it, get a spare engine and stash it for the inevitable.
Coilovers and bandies will be going on so not buying it "for the ride" lol

Cheers for your input 👍👍👍

[ChasR]

Jun 23, 2021 13:54:53 GMT slackerTHEpinstriper said:

Sooooooo I've now seen a B5 (which I prefer the look of).

Same again looks very clean but it's on 230k, again it's the rite colour I want (yes faffy I know!!).

But thinking if I can pick up an engine and have it sat ready to bolt in when it decides to soil its self.

They won't soil themselves.

The only real things which go on them are turbos (more down to poor maintenance) and camshafts, which again, is a maintenance and oil quality issue ; they need PD oil).

My friend sold a 2005 PD130 Sport Estate on 230k. A chap wanted one to tow his race car but on sub 90k. He had his Passat mate go to look at my friend's car reluctantly, due to the mileage. My mate, despite being in the trade, was anxious. With a Passat expert coming, he thought he'd be a timewaster.

The said chap came along. He was frankly stunned at the condition of this Passat. Bar a slightly worn driver's seat in terms of padding, he could not believe the condition of the car. It was in better condition than his own B5.5 at 180k! He paid £1.3k to my mate, and saw the car off.

The Passat did scrub up well, and it did have a near full service history. When my mate sold it, it had two new front wings, as they do, a mild drop all round on 15" alloys, as the factory 16s had long gone. Working AC & Cruise control, in addition to a full engine service, complete with a fresh cambelt, and a gearbox swap and oil change.

In all honesty, there wasn't much in between that and his 130k Highline condition wise. The 171k car he took in off another friend however, was quite well worn compared to the two.

[ballbagbagins]

Apart from a cv boot there is no mention of any recentish work having been done on the car.

Could need brakes and tyres all round for example.

[ballbagbagins]

For that money I'd buy it.

[andy88]

Jun 20, 2021 18:34:16 GMT horrido said:

Just as I had almost made my mind up to get one of these, this thread appears....have to say, they sound a lot less good than i'd hoped.

Yes but to be honest all cars have their particular issues that sound bad when listed out. I wouldn't let it put you off, they are an excellent car.

[sarkie83]

Would I buy another: Yep
In fact I tried to, but couldn’t find another one such good nick. Ended up with an e46 320d touring that I never quite clicked with (probably cause in my heart I knew i should have held out for a 330d)

[quavers]

Both 5 and six speed boxes have issues. Earlier Getrag ones are much better. Estates suffer with rusty tailgates around the window. Lock issues? Buy a genuine part - we had a cheapo item fitted that lasted three weeks.
I liked ours but the list of work needed to bring it up to scratch meant it was moved on.

[slackerTHEpinstriper]

Picked up today, very pleased with my purchase