Passat B5.5 front balljoints - costly!
26 February 2007, 01:55 PM
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Passat B5.5 front balljoints - costly!
Just a quick heads-up to any other Passat B5.5 (MY00 to MY05) owners -- be ready for a bigger bill than expected if it fails the MOT on the front upper suspension arm ball joints.
My 2003 car (51,000 miles) has failed on ONE ball joint but the entire upper arm assembly on that side has had to be removed to drill out the pinchbolt, which is corroded in place. This has turned a 2-hour job into an all-dayer, luckily NOT at main VAG dealer hourly rates.
The garage tells me they are seeing a LOT of 4 / 5 year old Passats with this problem, and it's a right pig of a job. I've also seen a couple of posts on UKPassats about this, it seems to be an emerging Achilles heel on these cars
So if you're looking to buy one, ask if it's already had the ball joints done!
P.S. Any posts saying "serves you right for having an effing Passat" are NOT welcome
My 2003 car (51,000 miles) has failed on ONE ball joint but the entire upper arm assembly on that side has had to be removed to drill out the pinchbolt, which is corroded in place. This has turned a 2-hour job into an all-dayer, luckily NOT at main VAG dealer hourly rates.
The garage tells me they are seeing a LOT of 4 / 5 year old Passats with this problem, and it's a right pig of a job. I've also seen a couple of posts on UKPassats about this, it seems to be an emerging Achilles heel on these cars
So if you're looking to buy one, ask if it's already had the ball joints done!
P.S. Any posts saying "serves you right for having an effing Passat" are NOT welcome
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