first service 5000km late?

[Diesel_vert]

The stuff that came out when I did my 7500 oil change made me a convert to the virtues of frequent oil changes in diesels.

A used oil analysis (which in itself is not the last word on determining an engine's condition) would be more useful and meaningful than a visual inspection.

[Umai Naa!!]

I've pulled a few TDIs down that have had appalling service history (urelated to the reason for dismatling and repair), and I've found them to be quite clean inside.

[iampivot]

Yeah mate I agree it wouldnt be a disaster with the quality of modern vag engines but I certainly wouldn't do it...

In the end it was simply the missus preferring going with a new car over a used ones, based on our experiences with our current lemon Golf MkV. The seller of this Passat seemed really genuine, and it's a really good deal at $36k for a highline TDI.