Saturday, December 08, 2007

Zoom zoom doom

by Anonymous

J & I test drove a 2008 Passat wagon with <40 miles on it. We turned it off so that we could switch drivers. It wouldn't start again.

Glad to see you have a firm handle on those reliability issues, Volkswagen.

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D'Ohh. Shame, because the midsize wagon offerings are unfortunately slim.

So, how about the Rest of the Story (how you got back, dealer reaction)?
 
I dunno if this will help, but the new Subaru Outbacks (some of the 2.5i models, anyway) are rated as partial zero emissions vehicles (PZEV). I don't think the mileage is all that fantastic but at least they're wagons.
 
Rest of the story: Luckily, J, Q, and I were "stranded" at our house. We had driven the Passat up here to test it on the stretch of local road that most closely approximates a freeway, and also to see if it would fit in our 1908 garage (it does, but we can't open its doors all the way). So, at least we had access to heat, phone, and child-friendly entertainment.

The first diagnosis was a flooded engine. Then it was that the car was out of gas (it had a 1/2 tank). Then it was a faulty fuel pump. Regardless, the tow truck came and took it away. The salesman ferried Jeff to get our car. No harm done, except a couple of hours of errand time lost.

As for the dealer's reactions, he was suitably embarrassed and dutifully apologetic. And, he hasn't been calling nearly so frequently to ask us if we've made a decision. A silver lining.

Maybe we'll just reattach the exhaust system of our Corolla. A little duct tape ought to be good for another 100,000 miles, no?
 
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