passat tdi - is intersteller mileage an issue?

[jax13]

following on from my crew van / pickup dilemma of last week I have decided to find a big estate & make do for the next 12 months & re-assess vehicle choice when i know how much trade i will be doing next year.

that said, i have found a tidy 53 plate passat, 2 owners from new, good history with loads of receipts etc. but its done 230k miles. how much of an issue is this likely to be in terms of me putting another 10 / 20k on top of it over the next 12 / 18 months? it ticks pretty much every box i have, they tow well, loads of room, 5 seats & safe for transporting the nipper plus i have the option of using the roof rack if i'm carrying more than a car-full of gear.

opinions please folks, good or bad!

 

[Enid_Puceflange]

Nah, you will be fine mate,
If its had decent serving done it should be sound
I have bedn in the motor trade for a few years now & my mate traded one into me with 340k miles on it!
He bought another, same model & colour!!

G

 

[NAILTRAIL96]

If it was a car known to me I'd have it if it was cheap enough.

 

[cyfa2809]

Oh, i thought you would get this:

 

[Raging_Bulls]

Nah, he crashed that. That's why he's getting a Passat.

 

[legrandefromage]

It sounds like motorway mileage or it could have been a taxi.

Eitherway, check for worn bushes by listening to clunks going over bumps and 'click click click' when turning for worn CV joints.

Neither are expensive - ebay did refurb suspension part kits from Germany for £139 which was less than the cost of one single arm in the UK!

Check electrics work too, but at this mileage, most things would have been sorted. Make sure drivers window goes up and down ok, its a four hour job if it doesnt.

Check for oil leaks, some is normal around breather pipes, if its smoky and rough, check the EGR but again, most of this is probably already sorted.

Check for wobbly alloys too.

Make sure turbo is ok, any screeching sounds on hard acceleration is the bearings, still an expensive item to replace and cheapy chinese turbos arent worth it.

Make sure water pump has been replaced during cambelt changes along with followers and pulleys - these tend to eat into themselves as they wear. Some garages just change the belt. Its a radiator/ front of car off job.

Hope it works out!

 

[drcarlos]

It sounds like motorway mileage or it could have been a taxi.

Eitherway, check for worn bushes by listening to clunks going over bumps and 'click click click' when turning for worn CV joints.

Neither are expensive - ebay did refurb suspension part kits from Germany for £139 which was less than the cost of one single arm in the UK!

Check electrics work too, but at this mileage, most things would have been sorted. Make sure drivers window goes up and down ok, its a four hour job if it doesnt.

Check for oil leaks, some is normal around breather pipes, if its smoky and rough, check the EGR but again, most of this is probably already sorted.

Check for wobbly alloys too.

Make sure turbo is ok, any screeching sounds on hard acceleration is the bearings, still an expensive item to replace and cheapy chinese turbos arent worth it.

Make sure water pump has been replaced during cambelt changes along with followers and pulleys - these tend to eat into themselves as they wear. Some garages just change the belt. Its a radiator/ front of car off job.

Hope it works out!

Check the condition of the cylinder head as well if it's the 2.5 as they can either go porous or crack (I forget which).
Also the metal gaskets on the 1.9 PD engines can separate leading to water consumption and overheating if pushed hard.
My mate is an independent VAG specialist and I was unaware about the 1.9 HG until he mentioned it when my Fabia vRS was in with him for a service.

Carl.

 

[al]

Sound advice as ever.

Check for water under the scuttle panel as the drainage holes get blocked. The Battery lives under there as does the alarm, so can get messy if It's wet! Also check for any water under the passanger front carpet too as this can also play havoc with your electrics.

I had another suspension arm replaced yesterday on my B5 Wagon, again! as well as an RPM sensor.

al.

 

[jax13]

saw it, bought it!!!

drove nicely, no wobbles, clunks, whines (well a little one from the turbo which is normal), clicks or bangs. price was right & it only needs to last 12 - 18 months so isn't anymore likely to burn me as the 5 series i have at the moment is.


time will tell if its a worthwhile investment but by the sound of it the vast majority of its mileage has been motorways. car only had 2 owners, first was his sons company who used it as their long distance pool car so its been all over britain and europe and well serviced during its time with them, second is himself & missus, bought when they retired so more than likely its had an easy life for the past year or so.

 

[al]

Nice one!

Happy motoring.

al.