Volkswagen Passat Problems

We contacted VW on your behalf and asked them to check into your concern. The report we received back from VW was that while the wear does seem unusually excessive for such low mileage it appears that you were not forthcoming on the state of the vehicle, that it had sustained some minor damage, which may have contributed to the excessive tyre wear. If you feel that VW has not provided you with a satisfactory outcome you could consider action under consumer laws.

The technician is correct, there shouldn't be any shuddering, but it doesn't appear to be having any detrimental effect on the car in any other way. I would report your concerns to the dealer before the warranty runs out and ask for his advice on the problem.

It's impossible to say whether or not you have bought a lemon, but I would strongly urge you not to sell it, that would be the wrong thing to do at this stage. If you look on the positive side, VW has repaired the failures that have occurred, so they have backed the vehicle. The downside is that you would not expect a new car to have issues of the sort yours has had, and that's both disappointing and frustrating. But having bought the car, it's best to stick with it.

I would urge caution. Chipmakers extract greater performance from cars by going closer to the edge of destruction than a manufacturer would dare do. Do your homework and establish what the chip will do to the calibration of your car and assess the possible problems that could occur, and then make your decision.

Don't listen to "European car motor mechanics" for starters. I reckon if you checked in his back yard you'd find it full of Passat engines he would like to sell you. It's not a good idea to only do very short runs where the engine, gearbox and differential don't get a chance to warm-up, but runs of 10 to 50 km are fine.