VW Passat 99

Hello there, I just bought a used VW PASSAT 99. It is still in good condition but has a problem with accelaration. I have to rave it up a lot for it to move to the higher gears. Does someone know how to fix this? Also to note the R/MIN gauge is too high up even before I accelerate. Does someone know how to fix this?

Is it a standard tranny?? Im guessing its a auto tranny, and since the dash is elecrtonic I am going to say there is a wiring problem.

go under the dash and find the connectors to the computer and make sure its seated all the way in.

You may have a problem w/ some stuck/dirty valves in the hydro automatic tranny. do you know what the maintenance records from the prior owner look like? Was the maint. scrupulous? (like oil every 3-5k, standard service intervals at dealer,etc)

Also, a higher than normal idle is usually a pretty good symptom of a vacuum leak which can affect the tranny's shift points.

v6 or 1.8T?

Hey, thanks for the responses so far. It is a 1.8T and has auto transmission.
@Navar, how can I check that there's no Vacuum leak.

the best way is with a vacuum pump/guage, attached to one of the lines, the guage will display the amount of vacuum... (of course they're $40-80...) and that will tell you right away. but barring that, listen to the engine while it's running. If you have a significant vacuum leak, you will hear a low hissing while engine is idling. A lot of times one of the little rubber hoses crack, or get knocked off their receptors.

another possibility is that the turbo is the problem. When you rev the engine do you hear the turbo spool up smoothly and consistently? (w/ the hood open, sounds kind of like a jet engine powering up... though not as loud!)