# 2013 Volkswagen Passat - broken coil springs make me angry **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Tags:** suspension, volkswagen\ **Created:** [May 18, 2024, 4:25pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2013-volkswagen-passat-broken-coil-springs-make-me-angry/194932 "2024-05-18T16:25:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Frank\_G](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Frank\_G](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Frank_G)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2024, 4:25pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2013-volkswagen-passat-broken-coil-springs-make-me-angry/194932/1 "2024-05-18T16:25:26Z")
I had three out of four coil springs break (1 front, both rear). In a previous visit to a dealer, they did NOT notice this! I agree that the recall should be extended to 2013 model year! ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2024, 9:05pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2013-volkswagen-passat-broken-coil-springs-make-me-angry/194932/2 "2024-05-18T21:05:17Z")
Sorry you are experiencing this difficulty. ---
**Author:** ![It\_s-Me](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/it_s-me/32/12660_2.png) [@It\_s-Me](https://community.cartalk.com/u/It_s-Me)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2024, 9:10pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2013-volkswagen-passat-broken-coil-springs-make-me-angry/194932/3 "2024-05-18T21:10:53Z")
@George_San_Jose1 What do ignition coils have to do with the coil springs for suspension ? ---
**Author:** ![VOLVO-V70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8e8cbc/32.png) [@VOLVO-V70](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VOLVO-V70)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2024, 9:16pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2013-volkswagen-passat-broken-coil-springs-make-me-angry/194932/4 "2024-05-18T21:16:29Z")
George just thinks he has to post on every thread even if he has no idea what it is about. ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2024, 9:17pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2013-volkswagen-passat-broken-coil-springs-make-me-angry/194932/5 "2024-05-18T21:17:20Z")
> [@It\_s-Me](#): > > What do ignition coils have to do with the coil springs for suspension ? Oops! … lol … further proof OP shouldn’t hire me to replace their coils … lol … will delete post above. ---
**Author:** ![davesmopar](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/davesmopar/32/41750_2.png) [@davesmopar](https://community.cartalk.com/u/davesmopar)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2024, 10:31pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2013-volkswagen-passat-broken-coil-springs-make-me-angry/194932/6 "2024-05-18T22:31:25Z")
How rusty is the suspension?? ---
**Author:** ![Frank\_G](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Frank\_G](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Frank_G)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2024, 12:22am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2013-volkswagen-passat-broken-coil-springs-make-me-angry/194932/7 "2024-05-19T00:22:24Z")
Not at all. ---
**Author:** ![davesmopar](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/davesmopar/32/41750_2.png) [@davesmopar](https://community.cartalk.com/u/davesmopar)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2024, 2:50am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2013-volkswagen-passat-broken-coil-springs-make-me-angry/194932/8 "2024-05-19T02:50:21Z")
How many miles are on the vehicle?? Do you live where the vehicle is subject to salt? Do you creep over speed bumps, or not slow down much or at all going over them? Drive over a lot of speed bumps/humps or rough RxR tracks daily-- apartments, work parking lot, etc etc etc??? Most of the time springs just don’t all break all at once or sudden, there is normally underlying issues such as how the vehicle is driven or the environment it is driven in… Kinda like my wife drove my car and then said it was making a noise in the rear, blown out strut, years later I found out she was jumping a set of RxR tracks (that I had jumped many times in other vehicle and my Power Wagon at the time)… I was both proud of her and ticked off all at the same time… 😆 ---
**Author:** ![Frank\_G](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Frank\_G](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Frank_G)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2024, 4:00am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2013-volkswagen-passat-broken-coil-springs-make-me-angry/194932/9 "2024-05-19T04:00:31Z")
HAving driven on local roads, I have hit a pothole or two here and there but nothing often or hard, The car has 170k on it and was driven gently daily to work. ---
**Author:** ![Mustangman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mustangman/32/44130_2.png) [@Mustangman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mustangman)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2024, 5:44pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2013-volkswagen-passat-broken-coil-springs-make-me-angry/194932/10 "2024-05-19T17:44:06Z")
> [@Frank\_G](#): > > The car has 170k on it There is your problem. Fatigue failure of the springs after 170K miles and 11 years. Not a recall. Old cars with high miles break things. ---
**Author:** ![bcohen2010](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@bcohen2010](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bcohen2010)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2024, 5:57pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2013-volkswagen-passat-broken-coil-springs-make-me-angry/194932/11 "2024-05-19T17:57:48Z")
> [@Mustangman](#): > > There is your problem. Fatigue failure of the springs after 170K miles and 11 years. > > Not a recall. Old cars with high miles break things. I thought the same thing. If the car had 50k, or even 100k miles on it, I’d be upset too, and complain to the manufacturer. But at 170k miles? Get real. The struts should have all been replaced long ago, including the strut mounts and various other suspension parts. Have they ever been replaced? ---
**Author:** ![davesmopar](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/davesmopar/32/41750_2.png) [@davesmopar](https://community.cartalk.com/u/davesmopar)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2024, 7:43pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2013-volkswagen-passat-broken-coil-springs-make-me-angry/194932/12 "2024-05-19T19:43:19Z")
The rears are shocks with seperate coil springs… So just guessing here, but I would say the rear springs were probably OEM, even with shock replacement at one time… ---
**Author:** ![db4690](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/db4690/32/2583_2.png) [@db4690](https://community.cartalk.com/u/db4690)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2024, 7:46pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2013-volkswagen-passat-broken-coil-springs-make-me-angry/194932/13 "2024-05-19T19:46:36Z")
> [@Frank\_G](#): > > In a previous visit to a dealer, they did NOT notice this! May I ask why you’re still taking an 11yr-old Volkswagen to a dealer . . . ?! you could save on parts and labor by having the car serviced at a reputable independent shop, imo ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2024, 10:05pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2013-volkswagen-passat-broken-coil-springs-make-me-angry/194932/14 "2024-05-19T22:05:48Z")
> [@Mustangman](#): > > Old cars with high miles break things. It must not be that simple. Corolla at 30 years, 200K+ miles, and truck at 50 years, 200k+ miles, neither have experienced a broken suspension spring. There must be other factors involved than age and miles. OP, what does Consumer Reports say about the 2013 Passat as a used-car choice, reliability-wise? ---
**Author:** ![Mustangman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mustangman/32/44130_2.png) [@Mustangman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mustangman)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2024, 10:25pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2013-volkswagen-passat-broken-coil-springs-make-me-angry/194932/15 "2024-05-19T22:25:50Z")
> [@George\_San\_Jose1](#): > > There must be other factors involved than age and miles. The design of the spring, which differs from car to car, is the biggest factor. Wire material, pigtails on one end or both, wire diameter vs springrate, camber in the spring, cold or hot wound, shot peening, heat treat, corrosion treatments, post production handling. All these things matter. But expecting springs to last forever is a long lost concept. ---
**Author:** ![Frank\_G](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Frank\_G](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Frank_G)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2024, 11:51pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2013-volkswagen-passat-broken-coil-springs-make-me-angry/194932/16 "2024-05-19T23:51:34Z")
Well, actually, VW did a recall on Coil Springs breaking but my year was not covered! ---
**Author:** ![Frank\_G](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Frank\_G](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Frank_G)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2024, 11:56pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2013-volkswagen-passat-broken-coil-springs-make-me-angry/194932/17 "2024-05-19T23:56:43Z")
The oil changes were very inexpensive. local shops support 5 qt oil changes and this car uses 5.5. they add $25 for an additional 1/2 qt! ---
**Author:** ![Frank\_G](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Frank\_G](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Frank_G)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2024, 11:57pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2013-volkswagen-passat-broken-coil-springs-make-me-angry/194932/18 "2024-05-19T23:57:21Z")
Vw indicated incorrect material in the springs for other years. ---
**Author:** ![Mustangman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mustangman/32/44130_2.png) [@Mustangman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mustangman)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2024, 12:20am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2013-volkswagen-passat-broken-coil-springs-make-me-angry/194932/19 "2024-05-20T00:20:38Z")
> [@Frank\_G](#): > > Well, actually, VW did a recall on Coil Springs breaking but my year was not covered Well, actually, that doesn’t concern your car, now does it? ---
**Author:** ![cigroller](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c68b51/32.png) [@cigroller](https://community.cartalk.com/u/cigroller)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2024, 1:21am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2013-volkswagen-passat-broken-coil-springs-make-me-angry/194932/20 "2024-05-20T01:21:11Z")
I do have to say that I’ve spent my life around and owning VERY old vehicles. Never had a spring break (leaf or coil - sagging, yeah, but not broken). That said, this one is old and high miles. And I’m not a prof mechanic, so my experience is limited to… well my own experience. [Next page](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2013-volkswagen-passat-broken-coil-springs-make-me-angry/194932.md?page=2)