Originally Posted by
Maverick
Why? Parts fail and they get replaced all the time. The Passat is just a Golf station wagon at the end of the day so it's nothing special that would make it immune to the same failures that all the other VAG cars that use the same components suffer.
What about all the people that don't have problems that don't post on the forums? VAG is one of the largest car companies in the world, you have to expect to hear about problems.
You want top notch reliability? Go for a bland boring Japanese built car with limited features to go wrong and no integration of the different features into the car.
You want a car loaded with features that you look for every excuse to drive it? Go for a car like a VW with systems that are fully integrated into the car but expect to have some problems along the way.
The more parts you have in a car and the greater the complexity means the greater chance of a failure of a part whether it be a $2 switch causing the rear tailgate to not function or a whine from a turbo.