Passat TDi 115 - mystery noise - Bingley Boy
My Passat TDi 115 , 68000mls, 3 year old, has a sound like a blowing exhaust manifold but the noise only occurs after a longish (50 mile plus) run. When it occurs it has a regular beat and in the car has a very low base sound. The garage has heard it but when it went in for the last service (a week ago) there was no noise (but they only took it 10 miles) and they do not appear to have any idea.
Comments please.
ps Like many other Passats the cam belt went at 50000 (in the fast lane of the M66) and required new cylinder head etc.
Passat TDi 115 - mystery noise - 547HEW
No specific knowledge but suggest you look around either end of the exhaust manifold for a leak which opens up when everything is fully heat soaked. I imagine something was disturbed when the cylinder head was removed.

I'm interested at the 50000 mls cambelt failure. Your engine would be an early PD 115PS example. My golf handbook (for a December 2000 PD 115PS build) states 60000km belt change interval. This is 40000 mls. I changed mine then, but on inspecting the removed parts, inc tensioner pulley, I would have given it another 10000 mls easily.

Was the car serviced by a VW main dealer?