Problems with 2002 Volkswagen Passat ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 volkswagen passat. while the contact was driving approximately 25 mph, the engine power began to significantly reduce during acceleration. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnosis. the upward and downward oxygen sensors were replaced. the malfunction persisted after the repair was performed. the vehicle had not been repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 152,000.

December 30, 2011, the engine emissions light came on. in addition, the brakes were slow to respond, especially in quick response situations, i.e. traffic light. i took the car to pep boys for a diagnostic on brakes/emission. they said there were no problems. cost $100. february 10, 2012, the engine emission light came on and the brakes were slow to respond especially in quick response situations, i.e. traffic light. i took the car to a vw dealer/repair shop. they replaced the front brake rotors and pads and changed the brake fluid. i still experienced the brake problem during cold weather (below 15 degrees and wind chill). vw suggested bringing the car in when the temperature was the same as the temperature that i experienced the brake problem. unfortunately it was march and there were no further cold days. i began to think the car was a warm weather vehicle. cost $776. december 14, 2012, the vw dealer/repair shop replaced the rear brake rotors and pads. cost $377. december 26, 2013, the engine emission light came on and the brakes were slow to respond, especially in quick response situations, i.e. traffic light. i took the car to a vw dealer/repair shop. they replaced hose and valve to correct a vacuum leak (valve stuck). they replaced the brake fluid. cost $376. january 8, 2014, the brakes were slow to respond. i had to use the hand brake to stop. i called to have the car towed to vw dealer/repair shop. the tow driver stated it was a booster problem. the vw dealer/repair shop replaced brake booster and brake fluid. cost $848. in addition to the brake problems, the belly pan (belly shield, skid plate, lower engine cover) came off twice while driving on major highways on april 21, 2012 and april 12, 2014. i had to pull over and pop the pan back up. i took the car to vw dealer/repair shops to have it reattached. no cost. *tr

Heater core let go and created a uncontrollable fog in the inside of the car.tried to get to side of the road and almost hit a truck because i couldn't see. smoke(or steam) was pouring from the car even after i stopped plus the fact that i inhaled the coolant fumes. *kb

Ignition coils caught fire while driving. mechanic states that they "catch fire all the time". *kb

My complaint is more general in nature. i purchased a 2002 volkswagen passat in 2001. this was the first car i purchased brand new. as i think back over the time that i've had this vehicle and reading the complaints that have been logged in on this site, i can't help but think that volkswagen should offer some type of substantial "hardship" reimbursement besides repairs and such. in the time that i've had this vehicle, i've had the following incidents occur: 1. have a control unit replaced (horn not working, unable to roll down windows, etc..) 2. replace ignition coil (stop motor status light coming on as i'm driving in the midst of traffic) 3. had undershield fall forward as i was driving on the state highway, pretty much scooping up potential debris from the roadway surface. 4. damage to engine from oil sludge and oil pump replacement no less than three times. (stop motor light again) 5. interior of car flooded and frozen over from sunroof flaw and electronics are affected... just on merits of being able to provide proof of ownership of the vehicle and showing that these services were indeed rendered at a volkswagen authorized repair facility, i believe that at minimum, volkswagen should agree to reimburse all expenses, no questions asked. it's become clear that the quality of these vehicles was substantially sub-par and poorly designed all things considered. the car is currently in my parents driveway, as the last time the oil pump went caused so many issues that i ended up not being able to drive the car (live and work out of state now and registration expired the same month the pump went then couldn't afford insurance after repairs). to add insult to injury, i didn't receive the claim notice about fixing the sunroof issue until a year later, as it went to my old address and now it's too late to even file the claim. all i want is have a reliable car to operate without worrying about if i'm gonna have skip lunch because i spent all my money on repairs. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 volkswagen passat. while driving approximately 30 mph the contact noticed that the vehicle lost power. he smelled a burning odor, and noticed smoke releasing from the vents. within moments the glove compartment area was on fire. the vehicle will be towed to the dealer. a fire report was filed. the failure and the current mileage as 94,000.

In 2002, i bought my passat new. at the end of december 2010, the stop oil light came on. two weeks later, a recall letter arrived. i drove to pasadena and back to northern california february 2011. after a little malfunction on the freeway in livermore, i pulled into a gas station and the passat started to sound like a diesel engine. towed to dublin vw. they say the engine is fried and a new one would cost $6800. all this due to oil sludge issue. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 volkswagen passat. the contact stated that while driving 65 mph, the vehicle suddenly lost power. there were no warning lights prior to the failure. the vehicle began emitting smoke and was towed. the vehicle was destroyed. neither the dealer nor the manufacturer were notified. the failure mileage was 140,000.

Emission related issues, secondary air pump and combi valve for 2002 volkswagen passat. they are installed in a spot where they are exposed to moisture resulting in a failure. *tr

I had a 2002 vw passat with 1.8t engine. its original engine was dead due to oil sludge 3 years ago; and its replaced engine was dead today again. i think volkswagen should pay back my money, about $6000, for replacing 2 engines; and recall this engine immediately. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 volkswagen passat. the contact was driving approximately 25-30 mph when he heard a noise coming from the engine and the vehicle immediately began to lose power. after driving an additional two miles, the vehicle stalled with the illumination of the check engine warning light. the vehicle was towed to his residence abd was neither inspected nor repaired for the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 80,000.

Tl*the contact owns 2002 volkswagen passat. while driving approximately 60 mph, the contact smelled a strong burning odor of plastic and pulled over to the side of the road. the contact exited the vehicle. the front of the vehicle erupted into flames. the fire department extinguished the fire. a police report was filed. there was no injury. the vehicle was completely destroyed and towed to an independent mechanic. the failure mileage was approximately 103,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 volkswagen passat. the contact stated while driving at approximately 35 mph, smoke began billowing from under the hood and through the interior air vents. the contact moved the vehicle from the roadway and found there was oil leaking from the engine. the vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer where the contact was informed that the cam shaft chain had broken and the engine would need to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileages were 94,000.

The 2002 volkswagen passat has given a lot of people problems. i called the dealership and spoke to them about the problem with the "stop motor oil pressure". their exact words to me were" they couldn't do anything, but it was a problem with the car. it is a filter in the engine that keeps getting clogged, and there isn't anything they can do." i told them that i needed my car and there has to be something, that cars are catching on fire. they said that i could get an engine flush every couple months. nothing can be done to repair the problem by me. the volkswagen corp. needs to fix the problem they messed up to begin with. thank you *tr

I have a 2002 vw passat. i had numerous problems with it since i bought it, the control arms go, the engine coils fail constantly and just recently my low oil pressure light came on. i had my car towed to the place where i purchased it and they said this means that my engine is shot. i have done some research and tried to look for used parts and it turns out that with the 1.8l turbo passat engine this occurs very frequently. now i am stuck paying almost $11,000 for a car that i cant even drive because it is going to cost me nearly $5,000 to fix. i really would like this problem to be looked into and i am highly surprised that this has not been a recall issue yet. *tr

Engine compartment fire. started 2002 vw passat 1.8t and there was no heater fan or windshield wipers functional. drove around the block. let car idle to warm up and engine stopped. smelled burning and put out small fire. car towed to dealer. *tr

1. oil was leaking and we repaired it in a local garage. a day later we noticed the oil sludge problem - which told us oil something, stop engine. we called the vw dealer in hartford, ct, and they suggested to bring the car in immediately otherwise it will impact the engine. we immediately took and droped it at the vw dealer and they called us next day telling the oil is not getting into the engine. everything is blocked. they suggested to repair it otherwise the engine will be dead. we asked them to repair and paid close to $1800. they have replaced bunch of pipes, and parts but labor cost was lot more than parts. but i learned on the internet, that this is an existing problem and vw is aware of it. i read thru few forums on the net, and they all suggested, if i do not have all the oil change receipts, they will not cover the repair charges. but i am surprised, that vw dealer never mentioned about the existing problem, i had to learn thru internet. 2. check engine sign comes all the time on my dashboard, first time i took it, they repaired (same dealer) fixing and replacing small parts and again most of it is labor charges and less parts. we paid about $2000. all these repairs happened within couple of months of each other. again 10 days later, the check engine sign comes and they repaired again few things and charged about $500. a week later the check engiine sign comes again. we call the dealer and he says bring it in. i am sick and tired of taking this car every week to the dealer and paying them lot of money every time i take it. my car is 2002 vw passat 1.8t. i heard there are lot of known problem with this model and dealer never mentioned to us once.

Tl-the driver owns a 2002 volkswagen passat glx. while driving approximately 30 mph the vehicle engine light came on. the vehicle was driven to there destination and the vehicle was checked by a local mechanic the next day. the local mechanic did a diagnostic and she was advised that the calaltytic converter failed. the vehicle has not been repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 57,000 and the current mileage was 65,000. vwb

I have talked to, blogged with, and communicated with various volkswagen passat owners and previous owners one complaint that has just become my biggest problem is due to oil sludge build up that occurs and effects the oil pressure censor in these vehicles i own a 2002 passat wagon and had a terrible oil leak months after i got it covered by warranty. now months after, i start blogging and investigating on my own the cost to repair this so called oil sludge problem which is so bad in these vehicles i am told this will cost $500-$2000 to fix! why hasn't this problem which is not covered or honored by volkswagen or extended warranty been recalled???? this is a very common problem, and the fact that i take very good care of my vehicle sound be taken into consideration when it goes in the shop for such a common default in these cars...please help shine the light on this issue i am sure if it is investigated by you that you will see the hardship of this problem hopefully you aren't a passat owner yourself. *tr

I was driving my 2002 passat 1.8t for a approximately 30, reaching my house the car started sputtering and acting weird. once i parked in my driveway and open the hood the engine was on fire for no apparent reason. the car was running perfectly fine for the first 30 minutes and then was on fire. *tr

Heat shield was replaced in a recall during the summer of 2008. a couple days after the repair we complained of a fire smell, returned the vehicle to the local dealer. at the time they said they replaced the heat shield again and the smell would eventually go away. a year later, the we experienced an engine compartment fire. the car was towed to the dealer that did the recall work. after inspection they admitted to us that the recall work was performed, however the heat shield was installed incorrectly, which caused it to catch fire. they explained that the instructions they were supplied by vw were unclear. they also admitted that they have no way of knowing how many heat shields were installed incorrectly at their dealership before they received the corrected or more clear installation instructions. i am concerned that there may have been many more dealerships with the same problem. if nothing else, the local dealership should be ordered to send out a letter notifying their recall customers of the potential problem. *tr

While driving, the windows instantly fogged up without warning. immediately grabbing something to wipe the windows, nearly hit another vehicle before pulling to the shoulder. also present at this time, was an odor of anti-freeze. vehicle purchased used 2007, 37,469 miles. driven approx 12k miles. current mileage 51k. corresponding with mfg, unsuccessful. research indicates this is a prevalent issue. *tr

my car had been hit on the driver side so i took it to the auto body shop to be repaired, being paid for by the person insurance co that hit me. when i went to pick the car up about 3 weeks later i drive 2 blocks and then lights started flashing (warning oil pressure) stop car immediately. i called the auto body shop so i could take the car back to them because the car was in excellent working order when i took it there no lights were on or flashing only the door was damaged. few days later the auto body said they would have to have it towed to a dealer wynn because they don't know why the lights are on. wynn dealer gave diagnoses of oil sludge for the lights flashing and the auto body had replaced the door with the wrong door. i was told this would cost me 2300 dollars, 2300 dollars. i was told by the deal that this is the problem and removal of the sludge will fix the problem. they had the car for a month repairs to replace the door and the oil sludge. month later when i went to pick up the car at that time there was an engine light came on, had the manager check why. he hook up a computer and said it may be a bad cylinder he reset the light and i drove it for 2 weeks maybe and now excessive amount of smoke was coming from the car and it was losing power . i took it back to dealer stating you told me the problem was fixed i was told that now it has a turbo charger problem had been damaged which would be covered by my warranty. so i left it there for repairs. picked it up a week later and was told everything was fine now drove it for not even a day and the car was still losing power and now shaking out of control. i had to take it back to the dealer and now was told i had a bad engine coil so the best they could do for now is replace it with a used one. in the mean time i had called volkswagen customer service and they told me i ...

My volkswagen passat 2002 caught on fire. i know you are investigating this so i wanted to inform you. *tr

Need to replace at least one bank of cam adjuster. seems to be a problem with part. cost to replace @$6,000. no help from vw. *tr

I own a 2002 vw passat and i am the original owner. i have no heat and the dealer has told me that i need a new heater core which appears to be a known problem w/ vw's that they have yet to acknowledge. the dealer said they would not cover under warranty but suggested i call vwoa and see if i could get it covered under goodwill. i called vwoa and stated my case and requested that they cover it under goodwill and they refused. my car has been regularly maintained by the dealer and i am very upset that vw has a known problem and refuses to correct it and they expect me to pay $1000 to have this known problem fixed. *tr

Car driven to airport parking on 9/26 running fine. car picked up at airport parking on 10/4. engine running a bit rough. "check engine" light started to flash. within five miles, there was an engine fire behind engine by firewall low. before emergency/fire personnel could arrive, car fully engulfed and totally destroyed. car regularly maintained. no oil/fluid leakage. running fine prior to eight day idle in parking garage. *tr

Driving at 60 mph the engine completely stalled requiring an emergency maneuver to clear highway. vw mechanic says rod snapped and put hole through engine. not oil-related. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 volkswagen passat. while the contact was driving approximately 65 mph, a warning chime sounded inside of the vehicle with a "stop" message displayed on the instrument panel. also, the "oil pressure" and "turn off engine" warning lights illuminated. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer on two different occasions for the identical failures. the technician informed that the failures were contributed to an oil sludge buildup. the vehicle had repairs performed related to the identical failures two years ago. the vehicle was in the process of being repaired at the time of the complaint. the failure mileage was unavailable.

My wife was driving the vehicle and heard a pop from under the car. she pulled over right away and saw fluids and smoke coming from the engine compartment. within five minutes the engine and passenger compartments were fully engulfed in flames. the vehicle was considered totaled. volkswagen is blaming it on an after market stereo power cable and an investigator with 23 years of experience said oil lines ruptured and the fire initially ignited low in the engine compartment -- not on top by the stereo power lead. photos and a description of the incident is posted at the following link: http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r21108730-rant-our-2002-volkswagen-passat-glx-death-trap. *tr

I have a 2002 volkswagen passat with 79000 miles, in may of 2008 while my daughter was away at school the stop engine light came on. after she took it to a local shop and i spent over $300 in diagnostic services i was advised of vw's tsb 10 07 13, 2013233, published aug 17, 2007which acknowledged the oil sludge issue and the "magic flush". had the car towed at my expense from md to nj. vw agreed with the diagnostics and performed the flush. since that time (<8 months) the car has been in the garage numerous times for additional related oil issues. the latest >6k due to the turbo filling up with oil, can and crank seals leaking, valve covers leaking, premature cracking caused by the oil in the timing belt, etc. independent mechanics as well as the dealers mechanics agree that this can be a residual effect from the oil sludge. vw of america would not listen to the facts and have left me holding the bag. oil changes have been done every 3500 miles, with receipts. vw should be stepping up to the plate, they know that there is a design issue with the 1.8t in the passat. i think that they intentionally make it difficult on the consumer so that they give up. any advice? *tr

Was driving on the interstate when the car started sputtering. then i saw smoke coming up from the hood. pulled the car over, opened the hood and saw flames. grabbed my kid out of the car and watched the car become engulfed in fire. car was in excellent condition with all maintenance up to date. *tr

Engine was running rough, engine light came on (flashing), i was advised engine was missing on a cylinder and could drive 'slowly' to the mechanic. on way to dealership warning light came on (stop - no engine oil). mechanic changed vacuum hose and reset computer, engine not loosing oil. week later - warning light (stop - no engine oil). mechanic confirmed engine was not loosing oil. took to vw dealership. dealership advised vacuum hoses were 'bad'. original mechanic changed vacuum hoses. week later - warning light (stop - no engine oil). took to vw dealership - dealership advised "after market parts" (vacuum hoses) causing issue. - changed hose. day later - warning light (stop- no engine oil) - took back to vw dealership - dealership advised hoses are 'bad' - replaced 3 other hoses. about 2 weeks later - engine running poorly, delay when pulling out from stops, took to vw dealership. dealership took apart engine. advised that they 'scraped carbon deposits' from the filter leading to the oil pump. (cost $500+) car ran well for approx 2 weeks. spoke to original mechanic about 'carbon deposits'. mechanic advised 'carbon deposits' are 'engine sludge' - vw will not replace engine under 'sludge' recall because i do not have all oil change receipts for the last 6 years. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 volkswagen passat. while driving approximately 45 mph, the vehicle began shaking violently and shut down in the middle of an intersection. the vehicle then skidded into an intersection and almost struck a child. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and they stated that the ignition coil housing burned. the dealer would not repair the vehicle or allow him to pay $785 with a credit card to repair the ignition coil. the turbo coil also failed; however, the dealer does not agree with this diagnosis. the manufacturer was unable to assist. the contact also smelled electrical wiring burning. he stated that oil breaks down prematurely, which caused the engine to seize and the vehicle to overheat. the manufacturer stated in writing that they see no reason why they should offer any assistance, and that there was a previous recall on a case by case basis related to other engine failures. the federal trade commission complaint number was 13323205. the current mileage was 101,222 and failure mileage was 86,000.

Last saturday (feb.9, 2008) around 11:00am, while i was picking up my two daughters from ballet school (boston ballet, 19 clarendon street, boston), the check engine lamp started to blink and i could feel my car (2002 passat wagon, all wheel drive) was a little bit shaking. as the car manual says, i drove in low power to the closest volkswagen dealership (boston volkswagen, 168 western avenue, allston). while i was driving to the dealership, i saw some smoke coming out from the front hood (right front side). we (my daughters, my wife, and myself) got the dealership around 11:30am. a sales consultant (michael petersante) and another person there saw my car, and said that my car possibly would catch on fire. we evacuated from the car, they moved all the cars around my car to the other place. the dealer called for a fire department. before the fire department came in, while i was looking at my car from the inside of the dealership building, i could see the flame coming out above the right front wheel in the car (somewhere the engine is located) and smoke filling up inside of my car. the fire department (boston fire-engine 41, ladder 14, unit d11) came and put out the fire. a police officer (boston police district 14, 301 washington street, brighton) came after the fire was extinguished (arrived at 11:53am), and checked out the scene and had my car, whose front part (engine compartment) was all broken and crushed while the wire was put out, be towed. it was hard to believe that a 5-6 years old car caught on fire while i was driving and in just 30 minutes reached to such situation. fortunately, we were close to the dealership and were able to get there before the worst thing happens. and again, very fortunately, my family was able to get away to the safe place before the worst thing happens. but if it happened 10 minutes earlier or if it took 10 minutes longer than actually it did to get there, things that i don't ever want to imagine could happen to my family. *tr

Mechanical defect in the 2002 vw passat that causes sludge build up in the engine on august 8, 2006 which in turn caused the engine to breakdown on sept. 29, 2006 and other associated mechanical problems like stalling approximately june 2007 and failure of front wheel suspension on february 3, 2008 upon exiting the highway. *tr

During trip in 2008 the "low oil pressure" light came on while driving my 2002 passat 1.8t (w/ auto transmission) on the freeway- i pulled over and shut the engine off the car as the warning light advised. the car was towed to a dealership & i was told i needed a new oil pump due to oil sludge ($1300). the car had approx. 120k miles on it. the dealership did tell me about the extended warranty for 02 passats for oil sludge-related repairs, however, volkswagen wouldn't honor this warranty without receipts for every oil change done on the car - which i did not have. approx. a few months later, the engine stopped running.this is all due to oil sludge issues. i had about 90% of all of my oil change receipts and vw would not honor the warranty. as and engineer in know that the 1.8t engine was not designed correctlybecause if it were, vw would not have changed the size of the original oil filter to a larger one and there would be no need to use synthetic oil. *tr

2002 passat engine fire. car began to show cel while being driven on interstate. left interstate and drove toward home (approx 5 miles). light smoke smell pulled over 1/2 mile from home shut car off. smoke increased called 911. within 3 minutes flames appeared at dashboard. within 10 minutes car was completely in flames. *tr

2002 volkswagen passat has engine problems. *nj the consumer stated the vehicle has not been driven in a year and a half due to the oil sludge and misfiring problems. the catalytic converter failed and the spark plugs and coil packs were constantly being replaced. *jb

Engine fails due to oil sludge problem. *tr

i pay $1500 for used 2002 passat vw two years ago now dealer wants to charge me $ 6700 for new engine. old engine was damage due to engine sludge. i submitted regular oil change receipts and was denied warranty. my passat has 84,000 mile and only two years of riding enjoyment. my car sitting at dealership for almost two weeks. please help car needed for work. *tr

Oil sludge -- need new engine. *tr

On september 6th of this year, a message appeared on the dashboard display low oil pressure, stop motor. i immediately called the dealership in pompton plains, nj (the closest dealership to my house) to arrange servicing, since the car was not to be driven. the volkswagen representative with whom i spoke on the phone instructed me to bring my car to the dealership. when i finally brought the car in, service manager joe informed me that what i experienced was likely engine trouble requiring of multiple part replacement and called oil sludge. i was told that it would cost $2,800 for repairs because the warranty on my five-year-old/56,000-mile car ran out. i called customer care at 1-800-822-8987 and spoke with representative named frodet and her supervisor, james custer, both of whom told me that this problem is not unheard of and has even been termed oil sludge and is covered under vw's special extended warranty 8 years/unlimited miles. frodet opened case no. 70295194 in my name and called service manager. i received a call next day. i was told that in order to fix this problem under vw?s special extended warranty, i needed to provide all eleven receipts for oil changes that took place within the entire five-year period of ownership. after scouring my files, i found that i have a total of 20 receipts pertaining to service and maintenance of the vehicle, seventeen of which were not from the crest mont dealership. i faxed these seventeen receipts to the attention of service manager joe. the very next day september 18th, joe called me again to let me know me that a field factory representative reviewed these receipts and refused to admit sixteen of them. these receipts were from my personal mechanic to whom i had entrusted the care and service of every car i had. but, because my mechanic failed to specify my car's vin, license plate number, and oil filter part numbers in the receipts, i was out of luck. *tr

2002 volkswagen passat with fuel odor. consumer states that she noticed a strong fuel smell filling her garage. mechanic stated that there was a crack in the fuel tank. mechanic stated that the consumer hit the bottom of the fuel tank on something. *kb the consumer stated a few months after the fuel tank was replaced, the timing belt failed. *jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 volkswagen passat. while driving 70 mph, the vehicle began to overheat and smoke. the contact pulled off the road, waited until the vehicle cooled down, and drove to the nearest dealer. the mechanic stated that the primary fan had burned out. he also stated that it was a very common failure with his model of vehicle. the current and failure mileages were 58,300. updated 02-01-08 *bf updated 02/01/08 *tr

Cylinder head failed without warning, car had less than 75k. car was serviced on a regular basis. vw refused to pay for cost losing a thirty year loyal customer. they offered to apply $2200 to the repair of the car or apply it toward another new vw on the dealer lot, what a insult. i will never recommend their product. *tr

I'm religious about changing the oil in the car, about the maintenance and care of it. i love my volkswagen passat. i had the oil pressure light came on once or twice over the last two years, but always took it into a shop for regular maintenance. the light always went off and nothing ever happened. however, there has been a lot of sludge buildup in the engine, despite the best efforts. so much so that the oil pump was blocked and the engine seized as a result. i had the oil pressure warning come on the day my car died. it was a few miles after it went on it stopped running and i had to push my car into it's parking spot at home. volkswagen dealers @ the burnsville location told me that they had started with a 100,000 mile warranty on the passats, but that it had become cost ineffective and so cut the warranty to 50,000. my car seized at under 87,000. i've not been able to afford to fix it, as yet. had to take time off work and so my paycheck was greatly reduced. haven't been able to make the car payment on it either, as a result, which has a balance of near to $10,000.00. *ak

I was traveling from ga back to tampa when the message of "stop oil pressure, stop motor" appeared on the dash. of course i was terrified because this has never happened before. i pulled into a gas station and had a gentleman to check my oil. i knew there was oil because i had an oil change on may 3, 2007. the gentleman stated there was oil and to allow my car to cool. i waited about 30 minutes, the gentleman checked my oil again and it read the same.i preceeded to try to reach to interstate to go home and the light came on again. this time the message was "stop, stop motor and check service manual". now i'm really terrified. i pulled into an advance discount auto shop and called my extended warranty and had my car towed from gainesville, fl to tampa (approximately 145 miles). i cost me $227.00. my extended warranty covered $100.00. the full price was $327.00. monday morning i called kuhn vw and was told to bring in my car. i was informed by a lady (who was taking my information) that it was a common problem. a diagnostic was ran ($94.00). i was told that suldge was in my engine and that a further diagnostic needed to be ran which would cost $282.00. to de-sludge the engine wolud cost $2,788.00 plus tax. needless to say, i instructed them to put my car back together. i called my extended warranty and informed them about it and they would not cover it. i have my car at a mechanic who "de-sludged" my engine for $450.00. the light continued to come on and with further examination it was diagnosed that the oil pump was the problem. the mechanic is trying to fix the oil pump and then will i trade it in for another car. my car is five years old. i bought my car brand new in 2002, from the dealership. i've had all of my services completed by the dealership; except for two. i have all of my receipts. i was not aware of this defect until now and i'm very upset and concerned that a company can put people's life in danger. my car has approximately 77,360 miles.

Tl*- the contact owns a 2002 volkswagen passsat wagon gls with a failure mileage of 41,926 . the contact stated that when she tried to start the vehicle it would not start. she noticed white smoke coming from the tail pipe, and some fluid squirting from the brake hose. the contact had the vehicle towed to the dealer, and the contact was informed that there was water in the engine. also, the dealer determined that the brake booster had condensation build up which was getting into the intake manifold. the manufacturer stated it was an environmental issue due to the climate in which she lived. the current mileage was 42,400.*ak

In jan. 2007 the "low oil pressure" light came on while driving my 2002 passat 1.8t (w/ auto transmission) on the freeway- i immediately stopped the car as the warning light advised. the car was towed to a dealership & i was told i needed a new oil pump due to oil sludge ($1300). the car had approx. 60k miles on it. the dealership did not tell me about the extended warranty for '02 passats for oil sludge-related repairs; i found out about it by researching online. however, volkswagen wouldn't honor this warranty without receipts for every oil change done on the car - which i did not have. approx. a year & a half later, the same oil pressure light came on while driving & i had to immediately stop the car. this time, i had to replace the entire engine ($8000!!) due to oil sludge issues. again, extended warranty for oil sludge repairs was useless to me because i didn't have receipts for every single oil change done over the life of the car. *tr