8.0

pretty bad
Typical Repair Cost:
No data
Average Mileage:
75,000 miles
Total Complaints:
2 complaints

Most Common Solutions:

  1. not sure (2 reports)
2012 Volkswagen Passat AC / heater problems

AC / heater problem

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2012 Volkswagen Passat Owner Comments

problem #2

Sep 242017

Passat SEL Premium 3.6L V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 90,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I've had numerous issues with my car's air conditioning and no one at the dealership or VW Customer care seems to be of any assistance. I purchased my CPO Passat in February of 2014. By the time the Spring came around a few months later, I realized that my air conditioning did not work. The dealership (Heritage VW of West Atlanta) kept my car more than once trying to diagnose the issue. They finally came to the conclusion that the car needed a new air compressor....this would be the second air compressor to be installed in the vehicle but the first since I've owned it. The repair was covered under the warranty and after a week I had my car back up and running. Fast forward 4 years, the A/C went out once again. This time,the dealership (Jim Ellis VW of Atlanta) said I just needed more coolant. This fix worked for roughly two weeks and then the A/C went out again. This time, the dealership said I needed another air compressor (third air compressor installed in this car, second time since I've owned it). The dealership didn't seem to think that three air compressors in a car was a problem and was rather flippant about the overall issue. I contacted VW Care who, in so many words, told me this isn't a VW issue but an issue to be taken up with the dealership as they made the initial repair. It appears from looking at the tech notes from when I first had the air compressor installed at Heritage VW of West Atlanta that the technician drained the coolant but there's no verbiage stating that a coolant flush was performed. I was told that this could make an air compressor fail. In light of this, I was sure that the dealership would take accountability. I was wrong. Due to the time that transpired between the service and the fail, the dealership offered a $200 concession on the $1000 price tag of the repair. I figure it's just easier for me to sell the VW and get a Japanese vehicle that's actually reliable and trustworthy than continuing through this rat race.

- vwpassat, Mableton, US

problem #1

Apr 012018

Passat SEL Premium 2.5L Inline 5

  • Automatic transmission
  • 60,000 miles

Purchased vehicle from local dealership in July 2017, AC first went out about April 2018. Took to dealer, they performed a $400 repair replacing a shorted sensor, replacing a fuse, etc. Got car back and AC went out 2 weeks later. Took car back and they checked the sensor and only replaced a fuse. About a month later, AC went out again. Dealer kept vehicle over the vehicle, claimed to run multiple tests/diagnostics. They could not replicate the problem and gave it back.

In about June/July 2018, AC went out again. New service manager told me it would be a $800 repair on a vehicle with about 80K miles and I had only been driving for about a year. I argued that it was never fixed properly the first time and they need to make it right (as their own service/customer care statement clearly states). Service manager and his boss argued that the problem is simply related to "the nature of electronics" and they basically can't guarantee anything, including their own work. This gave me a good laugh as I have a B.S in Electrical Engineering and work in the Aerospace industry.

I got Volkswagen Care team involved and they were utterly useless. However, they were probably really really busy as the whole EPA Emission cheating scandal was just coming out in mainstream media at that time. Volkswagen Care only offered to have the dealer's tech stay on the phone with a VW Care repair "expert" to ensure that "the car is properly diagnosed this time". I told the VW Care rep that was useless and questioned why I would trust the same people who didn't fix the issue right the first 3 times. The VW Care rep couldn't give a good answer so I told them I would never buy any VW product ever again. I left very negative reviews for the dealer and told them I would never set foot on any of their many lots ever again. VW or the dealer have not reached out in the months since and obviously never will. The issue still consists and I am planning on replacing the AC compressor and getting a reputable AC shop to run a thorough and full check on the system.

- Alston B., Lexington, NC, US

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