[longmileage]

I know that the passats are made in both plants. Has there been any quality differences between cars produced? Also based on VIN numbers how do you tell which plant it was produced in. ie. E = emden, B = mosel??
Thanks

 

[av_audi]

Re: any difference between mosel and emden?? (longmileage)

quote:[HR][/HR]E = emden, B = mosel?? [HR][/HR]​

I think so. I too once asked about any quality difference between the two plants but no one seemed to know. All I can say is that Emden sounds a little better then Mosel

 

[idale]

Re: any difference between mosel and emden?? (longmileage)

quote:[HR][/HR]E = emden, B = mosel??[HR][/HR]​

P = Mosel.

Don't remember which part of the VIN it was in, but in any case....
Shouldn't be any major differences between the two plants, though I believe that Emden is a slightly newer plant? (So either better because it's newer, or potentially more buggy because it's newer. *shrug*)
Haven't heard any more complaints from owners of Passats from one plant than another, but those of us with Variants all got ours from Emden, so it must be better...

 

[av_audi]

Re: any difference between mosel and emden?? (idale)

quote:[HR][/HR]E = emden, B = mosel??
P = Mosel.

Don't remember which part of the VIN it was in, but in any case....[HR][/HR]​

Ooops, you are right, it's P for Mosel. Its the last letter in the VIN. It preceeds the serial/production number, which is the last set of 6 digits in the VIN.


[Modified by av_audi, 11:25 AM 2-8-2002]

 

[longmileage]

Sorry "P" is Mosel. My ordered car was built in Mosel. As far as I know its a newer plant. I remember a thread some time back where someone was quoted as saying that they had cars built at both plants, and that the one built in Emden felt tighter??? I think I'm reaching here.

 

[Rascal]

Re: any difference between mosel and emden?? (longmileage)

The wine is certainly better from the Mosel.

Where is this "Mosel" plant in any case? There isn't a city by that name that I recall.

 

[longmileage]

Re: any difference between mosel and emden?? (Rascal)

The city is called Zwickau

 

[Cruisin9]

Re: any difference between mosel and emden?? (longmileage)

The last time I looked at some new 2002 Passats, some from each plant, I noticed on the ABS valve? (where all of the brake lines run into), on the driver's side of the engine compartment, that one plant had put white paint on the fittings and the other had not. Can't remember which was which.

 

[torid110]

Re: any difference between mosel and emden?? (longmileage)

quote:[HR][/HR]I remember a thread some time back where someone was quoted as saying that they had cars built at both plants, and that the one built in Emden felt tighter??? I think I'm reaching here.[HR][/HR]​

I remember reading that thread too. It was around about the time i got my car, so that would have been around August...

 

[FrankS]

Re: any difference between mosel and emden?? (torid110)

The Passat Variant is exclusively made in Emden while the Sedan is also built in Mosel.
Don’t confuse Mosel – the VW factory – with Mosel– the river and its Vineyards.
Mosel the VW factory is located in eastern Germany, near Zwickau while Mosel the river is in western Germany, close to the border to Luxembourg/France.
Emden is located in the most north-western corner of Germany, next to the Dutch border, by the North Sea.
Frank

 

[av_audi]

Re: any difference between mosel and emden?? (FrankS)

quote:[HR][/HR]Mosel the VW factory is located in eastern Germany...Emden is located in the most north-western corner of Germany...[HR][/HR]​

Do west Germans have a preference for the Emden plant? Perhaps some perceptions of craftsmanship quality differences remain from the old days of split Germany? Just curious.

 

[hafa_adai]

Re: any difference between mosel and emden?? (longmileage)

when you are comparing quality difference in both plants, i personally don't think there are any significate difference. after all, quality comes from engineering and design, not the people or location.

 

[FrankS]

Re: any difference between mosel and emden?? (av_audi)

quote:[HR][/HR]Do west Germans have a preference for the Emden plant? [HR][/HR]​

What hafa_adai writes is perfectly right, I don’t think there is a difference in build quality between the plants.
I once read an article saying that the internal VW quality audit found the plant in the Czech republic best, this resulted from very motivated people due to a high unemployment rate so everybody tried really hard to stay with VW. If the same goes for Germany (I personally don’t think so) Mosel is much better as unemployment there is much higher than in Emden.
Nevertheless, here in western (west-) Germany people still prefer stuff made in western Germany, even I find myself thinking that I rather have a Passat from Emden than Mosel (no problem if you buy a Variant).
So to answer your question: Yes, I think they prefer Emden.
Frank

 

[Rascal]

Re: any difference between mosel and emden?? (FrankS)

Thansk for the clarificaton, FrankS. I have many family from the Mosel area (actually Nahe). I didn't realize there was another Mosel.

 

[av_audi]

Re: any difference between mosel and emden?? (hafa_adai)

quote:[HR][/HR]when you are comparing quality difference in both plants, i personally don't think there are any significate difference. after all, quality comes from engineering and design, not the people or location.[HR][/HR]​

But it does matter how carefully things are assembled, at least the part of the work that requires human intervention. It also matters how carefully the product is inspected. A careless quality inspector will miss many things. It is not uncommon to find improperly or incompletely assembled parts in American cars, for example. An acquaintance had a close call with the brakes on a Lincoln Navigator. I can't remember what is was exactly, but something wasn't installed properly at the factory!
My Passat had a screw in the glove box. I don't know if it was supposed be screwed somewhere in the car or whether a factory worker just dropped it there. Perhaps it is a spare screw, like the spare buttons that come with shirts?