I have this exact same car and anytime I try to replace anything it is VERY difficult to find a video for help. I'm guessing because not many people have this type of car. If you ever do any further work on this persons car please don't be afraid to make a video :D Thanks
Great easy to follow video, I just bought one of these with 117k miles on it currently. I was wondering how long they typically last for with regular maintenance, and some common issues you've ran into. Thanks
W8's are a rare breed in my area, so I don't have any info about issues or longevity. As with any vehicle, as long as regular maintenance is done, odds are it will last you well. Obviously, things like timing chains or head gasket will eventually go. Part availability might be an issue (with a rare engine like this) at that time. Ordering out of Germany might help with some items. I'd make contact with W8 owners / forums to get info from owners around the globe.
Another good one, thanks. Re-use the drain plug/gasket? It looks like the same one as the T4 VR6. 19mm with attached washer. It looks re-usable, but there's no mention in the Bentley manual that I could find.
Thanks for the video! I have stumbled on one of these very recently for $700 USD. It's got 125,000 miles and the shifter is stuck in park. Should I run far away??? Hahah....I'm seriously considering buying this monster.... I appreciate your videos Thomas!!
Could be as simple as a bad brake light switch. We have 3 customers that own one... so far, just regular maintenance experience on W8's (oil changes, brakes, tune-up items etc.).
Thomas, I love the videos as always. I am contemplating getting a Passat wagon with the W8 4 motion. My question is how difficult are the general maintenance repairs? Like tune ups and component replacement( alt.,ps pump, etc.). I am mechanically inclined and willing to learn on a new to me vehicle. But I haven't been able to find any other videos for this vehicle. Thank you and have a great day.
We only have 1 customer with one of these engines. They are great for power and sound real nice as well... but when it comes time for major engine work, it will quickly be in the "costs more than the car is worth" category (IMHO). I have yet have to replace a water pump, alternator etc on one of these. The one we see has only been in for regular oil changes and tune-up service / brakes. I would contact owners of that vehicle and get first hand info on what things are like when things go wrong.
Thomas thanks for your opinion. I will definitely do some more research. I had seen a comment in a forum about having to lift the engine to do the thermostat and I didn't know if the person was being sarcastic or if there was any truth to it. That was what sparked my question. As always, love the videos and thanks for you response. Have a great day.
I've been contemplating getting a W8 Passat Wagon for awhile now, but knowing those chains are in the back kind of worries me. Sure, I've done chains on a few VR6's, but what do you think the longevity of those plastic chain guides and tensioners are on these? If they're good till about 170,000mi, I might pull the trigger and get one.
We only have 2 customers with W8's... both low mileage and we rarely see those cars because of that. Talk to the W8 Doctor: ua-cam.com/users/drewhastheinternetvideos He buys W8 vehicles that have broken engines and fixes them. He also does custom work. A jetta with a VR6 & W8 engine!!
***** Thank you so much! I kind of decided against it. It was going to end up being a daily driver, and I'd rather not have to put about $1000 right away into a car just so I can drive it. It needed an oil cooler (oil getting into the coolant and leaking around the filter). And since that oil and coolant were mixing, the heater core was bad and all the hoses were kind of spongy. I don't mind the work, but as a daily car just to get it to work properly is a bit much. That's why I have my B6 Passat. That I work on constantly.
Louis Granado Force of habit for me... you don't have to put anything on there. Just lube the o-ring with some engine oil. You can live the threads with oil also. The stuff I use is engine assembly lube... again, not necessary. The service manual just says to lube the o-ring.
Random question, I'd like to drain my transmission fluid, replace any filters. I was thinking about disconnecting the tranny cooler line, flushing it out that way... What method would you recommend for accomplishing this task?
ZF5HT It's a 2003 VW Passat - W8 4Motion - Tiptronic Automagic Was thinking of dropping the pan on Friday, replacing the gasket, refilling, probably twice, just to get all the old crud out of there.
Jeremy Remele Flushing, as in letting the transmission pump the fluid out will require a lot of fluid. Flushing it via draining & filling, will also use quite a bit. For safety (risk of running low on fluid or making a mess) I would drain & fill 2 times and put a new filter on after draining the 3rd time. It's a lot of fluid either way. Or, change once per year for 3 years to spread the cost. We do a single drain & fill... anything more, it goes to the tranny shop.
Now that I've given this some thought, that solution makes a whole hell of a lot more sense. I managed to get Valvoline's transmission fluid (according to them is compatible with the ZF transmissions), for $17 a gallon. I'll swap a gallon, run it for 20-30 miles, then swap another gallon and see how that goes. Any qualms with using Valvoline fluid?
whats your opinion on this;...if you have a car that burns oil at a rate that say it would be out of oil before it was due for an oil change say around a quart every 1000 miles, and you are running top notch synthetic oil...could you get away with just doing oil filter changes and topping off the oil? does it makes sense that since fresh oil is always being added and as long as the filter is being changed at good mileage intervals that this is fine for the engine?
Aj Sabanski That does make sense to a degree... I have not done this. It might be cheaper (in the long run) to address the oil burning issue, so that you are not burning up the expensive oil. Have you already tried some oil conditioners?
***** yeah i have tried a few and while its slowed it down slightly...the gain has not fit the cost as it would still be cheaper to just add oil. with conventional i found that the oil would get dirty too fast to think about just topping it off...especially in the driving conditions of florida. but with synthetic i think it would stay clean long enough to allow a good ratio of clean oil and older oil to cycle through and burn off that there would be no harm done such as sludge buildup or low oil friction as long as it gets topped off say everytime you re-fill at a gas station. I know a guy with a VW and he uses mobil1 0w40 and just adds oil and changes the filter every 10k....says hes been doing this for some years now and car still runs fine...only pays like 40-50$ more a year for oil
Aj Sabanski Just remembered that I saw a German video about a guy who's selling "lifetime" oil (no more oil changes, aside from filters). So I guess it should be OK... more so in your case, since you are always adding oil anyways. In this video, they talk about a guy who hasn't had an Oil change in over 180k km's (I assume that regular top-ups still need to be done). ua-cam.com/video/3G1nmhSZvN0/v-deo.html
Juan Mojica A torque wrench is just a fancy wrench that tells you when a bolt is tight (to the level that you set). Most torque wrenches will gave a scale in foot pounds (ft lbs) and Newton Meter (Nm). 25 Nm and 30 Nm is basically hand tight with a wrench or ratchet... a torque wrench just males sure that you don't go too tight. Your local auto parts store will have the correct fluid. Just make sure it is vw approved (should say so on the bottle). When in doubt, buy from the dealer.
I have this exact same car and anytime I try to replace anything it is VERY difficult to find a video for help. I'm guessing because not many people have this type of car. If you ever do any further work on this persons car please don't be afraid to make a video :D Thanks
Watch these guys... they know W8 engines better than anyone;
ua-cam.com/channels/-nN8IMgJUtZ6ryf_TciukQ.html
Watched your video, very good btw, and changed my 2003 Passat sedan 6 speed manual W8’s oil this past weekend. Thank you very much!!!! 👍👍👍
Nice to hear that one of my videos was of help to you... thank you for watching!
Great easy to follow video, I just bought one of these with 117k miles on it currently. I was wondering how long they typically last for with regular maintenance, and some common issues you've ran into.
Thanks
W8's are a rare breed in my area, so I don't have any info about issues or longevity. As with any vehicle, as long as regular maintenance is done, odds are it will last you well. Obviously, things like timing chains or head gasket will eventually go. Part availability might be an issue (with a rare engine like this) at that time. Ordering out of Germany might help with some items. I'd make contact with W8 owners / forums to get info from owners around the globe.
I never had such a beast in my shop not very common were I live.
Thanks for your videos Thomas, they are really useful.
Thank you and thank you for watching!
Another good one, thanks.
Re-use the drain plug/gasket? It looks like the same one as the T4 VR6. 19mm with attached washer. It looks re-usable, but there's no mention in the Bentley manual that I could find.
Garth Goldberg I replace them... I cut them off with side cutters and install a new washer.
Thanks for the video! I have stumbled on one of these very recently for $700 USD. It's got 125,000 miles and the shifter is stuck in park. Should I run far away??? Hahah....I'm seriously considering buying this monster.... I appreciate your videos Thomas!!
Could be as simple as a bad brake light switch. We have 3 customers that own one... so far, just regular maintenance experience on W8's (oil changes, brakes, tune-up items etc.).
Thomas, I love the videos as always. I am contemplating getting a Passat wagon with the W8 4 motion. My question is how difficult are the general maintenance repairs? Like tune ups and component replacement( alt.,ps pump, etc.). I am mechanically inclined and willing to learn on a new to me vehicle. But I haven't been able to find any other videos for this vehicle. Thank you and have a great day.
We only have 1 customer with one of these engines. They are great for power and sound real nice as well... but when it comes time for major engine work, it will quickly be in the "costs more than the car is worth" category (IMHO). I have yet have to replace a water pump, alternator etc on one of these. The one we see has only been in for regular oil changes and tune-up service / brakes. I would contact owners of that vehicle and get first hand info on what things are like when things go wrong.
Thomas thanks for your opinion. I will definitely do some more research. I had seen a comment in a forum about having to lift the engine to do the thermostat and I didn't know if the person was being sarcastic or if there was any truth to it. That was what sparked my question. As always, love the videos and thanks for you response. Have a great day.
I currently own an 04 W8 Passat and of course they would make it this much work to change the oil 😂
There are worse designs out there.
I've been contemplating getting a W8 Passat Wagon for awhile now, but knowing those chains are in the back kind of worries me. Sure, I've done chains on a few VR6's, but what do you think the longevity of those plastic chain guides and tensioners are on these? If they're good till about 170,000mi, I might pull the trigger and get one.
We only have 2 customers with W8's... both low mileage and we rarely see those cars because of that. Talk to the W8 Doctor: ua-cam.com/users/drewhastheinternetvideos He buys W8 vehicles that have broken engines and fixes them. He also does custom work. A jetta with a VR6 & W8 engine!!
*****
Thank you so much! I kind of decided against it. It was going to end up being a daily driver, and I'd rather not have to put about $1000 right away into a car just so I can drive it. It needed an oil cooler (oil getting into the coolant and leaking around the filter). And since that oil and coolant were mixing, the heater core was bad and all the hoses were kind of spongy. I don't mind the work, but as a daily car just to get it to work properly is a bit much. That's why I have my B6 Passat. That I work on constantly.
I was just wondering what size the socket is for the filter itself it was never mentioned
1:56 says 6mm Allen (hex) for the filter drain bolt..... 2:42 says 36mm for filter cap.
Wow, that's a lot of work just to do an oil change! That explains why they are so expensive to maintain
All cars are expensive to maintain... more so when they are neglected.
what is that you put on the thread of the filter housing...
Louis Granado Force of habit for me... you don't have to put anything on there. Just lube the o-ring with some engine oil. You can live the threads with oil also. The stuff I use is engine assembly lube... again, not necessary. The service manual just says to lube the o-ring.
Random question, I'd like to drain my transmission fluid, replace any filters.
I was thinking about disconnecting the tranny cooler line, flushing it out that way... What method would you recommend for accomplishing this task?
Year make model type of transmission.... can't guess with lack of info.
ZF5HT
It's a 2003 VW Passat - W8 4Motion - Tiptronic Automagic
Was thinking of dropping the pan on Friday, replacing the gasket, refilling, probably twice, just to get all the old crud out of there.
Jeremy Remele Flushing, as in letting the transmission pump the fluid out will require a lot of fluid. Flushing it via draining & filling, will also use quite a bit. For safety (risk of running low on fluid or making a mess) I would drain & fill 2 times and put a new filter on after draining the 3rd time. It's a lot of fluid either way.
Or, change once per year for 3 years to spread the cost.
We do a single drain & fill... anything more, it goes to the tranny shop.
Now that I've given this some thought, that solution makes a whole hell of a lot more sense. I managed to get Valvoline's transmission fluid (according to them is compatible with the ZF transmissions), for $17 a gallon. I'll swap a gallon, run it for 20-30 miles, then swap another gallon and see how that goes.
Any qualms with using Valvoline fluid?
If it's rated for the ZF, should be good.
whats your opinion on this;...if you have a car that burns oil at a rate that say it would be out of oil before it was due for an oil change say around a quart every 1000 miles, and you are running top notch synthetic oil...could you get away with just doing oil filter changes and topping off the oil? does it makes sense that since fresh oil is always being added and as long as the filter is being changed at good mileage intervals that this is fine for the engine?
wouldn't it be rational to say that with topping off the oil and filter changes that the oil "Changes itself"?
Aj Sabanski That does make sense to a degree... I have not done this. It might be cheaper (in the long run) to address the oil burning issue, so that you are not burning up the expensive oil. Have you already tried some oil conditioners?
***** yeah i have tried a few and while its slowed it down slightly...the gain has not fit the cost as it would still be cheaper to just add oil. with conventional i found that the oil would get dirty too fast to think about just topping it off...especially in the driving conditions of florida. but with synthetic i think it would stay clean long enough to allow a good ratio of clean oil and older oil to cycle through and burn off that there would be no harm done such as sludge buildup or low oil friction as long as it gets topped off say everytime you re-fill at a gas station. I know a guy with a VW and he uses mobil1 0w40 and just adds oil and changes the filter every 10k....says hes been doing this for some years now and car still runs fine...only pays like 40-50$ more a year for oil
Aj Sabanski Just remembered that I saw a German video about a guy who's selling "lifetime" oil (no more oil changes, aside from filters). So I guess it should be OK... more so in your case, since you are always adding oil anyways. In this video, they talk about a guy who hasn't had an Oil change in over 180k km's (I assume that regular top-ups still need to be done).
ua-cam.com/video/3G1nmhSZvN0/v-deo.html
What do you mean by setting torque wrench to 25nm?
Juan Mojica It's the setting on the torque wrench... tighten to 25Nm.
Thomas EXOVCDS ive never worked around a torque wrench what would the nm stand for and where could i find the correct oil for this ? Thanks in advance
Juan Mojica A torque wrench is just a fancy wrench that tells you when a bolt is tight (to the level that you set). Most torque wrenches will gave a scale in foot pounds (ft lbs) and Newton Meter (Nm). 25 Nm and 30 Nm is basically hand tight with a wrench or ratchet... a torque wrench just males sure that you don't go too tight. Your local auto parts store will have the correct fluid. Just make sure it is vw approved (should say so on the bottle). When in doubt, buy from the dealer.
Thomas EXOVCDS so if i tighten it with a regular ratchet will it be ok?
Juan Mojica Sure... just don't go too tight! Just tight enough to be tight... but not too tight!
What viscosity? 5w40?
5w30 or 5w40... brand does not matter, as long as it meets VW 503.1 (or better) specification.
Thanks for the reply man👌I've been on alot of sites and it's just a big shitshow of arguments.been watching your vids for a long time.ur a vag wizard