- Engine / equipment
- Volkswagen Passat B5 and B5.5 (petrol and diesel)
- Period mentioned
- 1996–2005
- Symptoms
- Water building up below the windscreen (ventilation plenum) that rusts the brake servo from inside: a hard brake pedal, less braking or failure; if the diaphragm perforates, the engine sucks in water (emulsion under the oil cap) and can hydrolock. Also damp carpets from blocked air-conditioning or sunroof drains.
- Possible cause described
- Uncleared ventilation-plenum drains. In 2007 the VAG group issued a bulletin (TSB 51B8) to check the drains; replacing the servo, pipes and vacuum pump cost about £980.
- Check for the garage
- Clear the drains below the windscreen; look for water there and emulsion under the oil cap; feel the carpets.
- Cost cited in the source
- No verified estimate; ask the garage for a quote.A rough figure from the original database, not an up-to-date quote.
KNOWN FAULT · Volkswagen
Water in the brake servo and engine from blocked drains (Passat B5)
Sources are not verified in real time and no entry confirms that your car is affected.
Has this happened to you?
Anonymous answer, no personal data.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to repair this fault?
No verified estimate; ask the garage for a quote.
A rough figure from the original database, not an up-to-date quote.
Calculate estimateHow is it checked?
Clear the drains below the windscreen; look for water there and emulsion under the oil cap; feel the carpets.
What are the symptoms?
Water building up below the windscreen (ventilation plenum) that rusts the brake servo from inside: a hard brake pedal, less braking or failure; if the diaphragm perforates, the engine sucks in water (emulsion under the oil cap) and can hydrolock. Also damp carpets from blocked air-conditioning or sunroof drains.
Which cars and years does it affect?
- Brands
- Volkswagen
- Engine / equipment
- Volkswagen Passat B5 and B5.5 (petrol and diesel)
- Period mentioned
- 1996–2005
Taking it to a garage?
Models with this entry
- Volkswagen Passat B5 / B5.52000–2005
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