56 passat MPG problem

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Wed 17 Jan 2007 17:14
56 passat MPG problem - Arfur76
Hi,

I have a 56 plate passat as a company car, its done close to 6000 miles now and the average MPG on extra urban runs (up and down the M6) was usually between 44 and 49MPG, however since christmas eve I'm lucky if I can get it above 39MPG while driving it like Miss Daisy's chauffer !!! its been to VW who cant find any issues with it.

3 weeks ago I went to Belgium in it and it used a full take to get from cheshire to Calais then up to Belgium and back (with a full boot of wine ) and yet it cost a quarter of a tank last week to get to derby and back (90mile round trip)....

any ideas? performance seems normal, tyres seem inflated ok...
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Wed 17 Jan 2007 19:43
56 passat MPG problem - craig-pd130
Hmmmm ... VW dealer couldn't find any fault codes? Is it still driving / performing as it was before?

You could check the airfilter & housing, I was shocked by how much debris, leaves etc there was in mine after 20K miles (filter change interval is 40K!) but I'd be surprised if you had much after 6K.

Does the car roll freely (handbrake OFF) or does it "stop" as if the brakes are on lightly? Perhaps the parking brake is not releasing fully, all it would need is the handbrake pads to rub very very slightly and your MPG would go to hell but you wouldn't **necessarily** feel any major difference in performance.

If the above check out, try an ECU reset -- disconnect the NEGATIVE terminal of the battery and leave for 1 hour, then reconnect.

Doing this will reset the trip meter, your trip computer readings and you'll need to put in the radio code again but it could be worth a try.
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Wed 17 Jan 2007 19:51
56 passat MPG problem - Pezzer
Assume its Diesel - winter fuel mix ?

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If you cover no more than 100 miles per day and have easy access to a charging point at home or work, then an EV is ideal for you.

Is an electric car right for me?