NEW HAYNES MANUAL

VW Passat

Well-equipped and stylish, the Volkswagen Passat makes a good choice as a family car. The interior is comfortable and the estate models in particular offer a large carrying capacity. With around 150,000 examples sold in the UK, there is a good choice of second-hand versions - at reasonable prices. Indeed, Mike Brewer from the TV show Pulling Power says "The VW Passat is one of the best value medium size cars on second-hand forecourts."

Naturally, it comes with legendary Volkswagen reliability but there is one drawback - servicing costs. For example, go to a dealer for the service due every 20,000 miles (or two years), or when 01 appears on the service interval display indicator, and you could face a bill of £200+. Yet this service is essentially a series of checks, only two of which need special equipment. The only consumables required are new oil for the engine, an oil filter and a pollen filter. Purchase these from a reputable motor accessory retailer and you'll probably pay no more than £50.

So, it's a service a potential DIY mechanic can do easily and save a lot of money. And be encouraged by this quotation from the new Haynes manual for the VW Passat: "For the home mechanic, the Passat is quite straightforward to maintain, and most of the items requiring frequent attention are easily accessible." As with all the tasks detailed in Haynes manuals, the different elements of the service are graded according to difficulty. Most are rated one spanner (Easy) or two spanners (Fairly easy).

The Haynes manual covers all aspects of maintaining a VW Passat - from changing a wiper blade to overhauling the engine. There are chapters on the braking system, the engine and transmission, the fuel and ignition systems and the electrical systems - complete with wiring diagrams. Also included are useful checks to do before the MoT test and information about how to deal with roadside emergencies. Importantly, there are copious illustrations and drawings - garnered by the staff at Haynes as they completely stripped and rebuilt a 2002 VW Passat TDi Saloon and also worked on other models. Throughout the manual are Haynes Hints - useful suggestions to make jobs easier, or ways of avoiding the use of special tools.

The latest addition to Haynes' manuals, of which more than 150 million have been sold worldwide, this one will be invaluable to owners and prospective owners of VW Passat models sold in the UK from December 2000 to May 2005 (X to 05 registrations). This includes Saloon and Estate versions with 1781cc and 1984cc petrol engines, 1896cc diesel engines, and either manual or automatic transmission.