I%26#039;m looking to buy a 2001 VW Passat 1.8 Turbo. The guy has all service records of everything, oil changes, water pump and timing belt changes. It has roughly 150,000 miles on it, body and interior in great shape, he%26#039;s $5100. It%26#039;ll need new tires before this winter, the tread on the front two tires is completely worn. I test drove it today and it sometimes made this high pitched whirring or squeaking noise, kind of like how some cars make when you turn the car on with the air conditioner already on, sounds like a fan, but with VW%26#039;s and Jaguars Ive driven the fans are super quiet and it just sounds like a hair dryer, but quieter and more airy sounding. I can%26#039;t explain it too well. The biggest problem is that when you%26#039;re coming to a stop or when you%26#039;re idling it acts like its choking and it sputters, but it wont die. All gears shift very smoothly otherwise. He said there was something wrong with it, I believe he was referring to that choking problem (I think), but it was a $300 repair he said. I was going to offer him $4500-$4700 because of the repairs and needing new tires. Is it worth it? What could cause this problem.
Thanks for your time!|||It could be the the turbocharger, in which case its going to be a lot more than $300 repair, the high pitched sound may be unrelated to the sputtering, which could also be caused by bad ignition coils, as well as many other things.|||Sounds like a problem with the vacuum system if it happens at idle.It could be a check valve that is not working. Since the guy knows how much it cost to fix he must have an idea of what the problem is. Call and ask him then call a VW shop and ask them. Better yet pay them to inspect the car a $100 to do that could save you more in the long run.|||hi
stop reading all the answers it could be anything get it checked out. At 150,000 miles what do expect.|||clean throttle body and reset it|||I agree with Shaun. Get it checked out. If it only costs 300 to fix, then why hasn%26#039;t he had it done then? He will sell it quicker if it%26#039;s right.
None of the answers I have seen are valid, except for the vacuum leak.Turbo isn%26#039;t boosting at idle so it won%26#039;t make it run rough. It will drop it%26#039;s power considerably.
Good luck.
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