Stargazer's Passat

1571 happy days of ownership ended on Aug. 18, 2003--Dixie is SOLD

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Listed in the order they were obtained...

  • Passat - "The Trade Winds" - Visit the Volkswagen of America Passat page to get specs, see a photo gallery, build your own Passat and more. You can see the favorable crash test results on the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety web page. It was a best pick!

    Plus, make sure you visit the official Passat homepage where you can get lots of information about the design and history of the Passat.

    Here are some interesting historical tidbits from the Passat homepage with pictures of earlier Passats: The current model Passat is also known as the B5 because it is the 5th generation Passat. The first Passat, the B1 (1973-1979), had a top speed of 170 km/h, one of the fastest cars in its class. The B2 (1980-1987), was bigger with a completely new chassis. More rounded, the B3 (1988-1992) had a transverse engine and a drag coefficient of 0.29, superb for the time. The B4 (1993-1995) had a fully re-engineered body shell for improved crash safety. Airbags for the driver and front passenger, seat belt tensioners and ABS were all standard equipment. The current B5 began production in Germany in 1996. Check out Brian Hjelt's page for the US Passat history .

  • VW Accessories - This is where I bought the CD changer, splash guards, trunk liner, emergency triangle , and rubber floor mats. You can order them online, but I went directly to my dealer. To get the right triangle, I got help from Urlik . Follow this link to read his clear and thorough instructions for installing the triangle on the Passat trunk lid.
  • Ronal Wheels - German made. Ronal R-28 rated " Best Quality Alloy Wheel " by TÜV , 3/98. A great place to help you choose an aftermarket wheel is The Passat / A4 Wheel and Tire Page by Neil Weinstock. The upgrade from 15" to 16" wheels made a big difference right away. I thought the car handled well already, but the new wheels made it that much better. It inspires greater confidence in its handling. The car feels much more stable and less jittery, especially at high(way) speeds. The tires also squeal in the corners much less than the stock Contis. Road noise increased only slightly, which is easily offset by having the stereo on. Pavement expansion joints are more noticeable, and the car tracks more on heavily grooved roads, but the ride is not harsh at all--no complaints from the wife or baby. I bought my wheel/tire combo from Volco Tires and Wheels , a local supplier. You can also check out the new Canadian -based 1010tires.com for car, wheel, and tire selectors as well as for online information and ordering. mailto:laurissa1952@canada.com mailto:brucenguyen@canada.com
  • I looked up tire information at the The Tire Rack looking specifically for ultra-high performance all-season tires. I know, I could get better performance with a summer/winter combo, but that was not an option. So I chose the Pirelli P7000 SuperSport . I went with the 205/55 size because it was safe--I knew it wouldn't stick out and it's listed on the inside of the gas cap. But now, I'm ready for a more aggressive look, and will probably go with 225/50 when these tires wear-out.
  • VW Remote Window Controller by Alien Technology allows you to open and close the windows (including the sunroof) on the Passat from a distance with your remote control. Although, this is available from the factory on an Audi A4 , this is not possible on a stock Passat without this device. You can even automatically lock the doors and have the windows open an inch to vent hot air while you're away. After hearing great things from people who have installed this device, I took the plunge and ordered mine. It's low-cost and super cool. Click for my install experience with pictures and tips.
  • Lighting Upgrades - Daniel Stern Lighting is a great site to get some straight forward information about upgrading your headlights and gives pros and cons for various systems including HID, blue and superwhite bulbs, and other technology. Philips and Osram have their own sites but they don't have a lot of specs available online. I found the Philips Lighting Forum very informative with lots of opinions (and now I won't buy Hella bulbs). I bought my bulbs at PGPerformance, a local parts and service shop in Surrey, BC. The bulbs are all-weather bulbs so there is a very slight yellow tint which really cuts down on the glare in the fog and rain (first hand experience). My camera skills are very basic and the before/after picture doesn't look that different other than there is less glare and a yellow tint with the new bulbs (and, yes, it was very foggy that day!). BTW, the stock H7 = GE and the H4 = Osram . I suppose because of the Xenon content in the bulbs, when the lights are off you see an interesting effect: the Osram H4 bulb reflects blue in the headlamp housing . I must emphasis that this is only apparent when the lights are off. Like I said before, when the lights are on there is a slight yellow tint. I also swapped out the amber turn signal lights (stock = GE 1157NA) for clear ones because I think it looks much better. The signals are still a little yellowy because of the narrow reflector strip (all the more reason to get clear corners--which I have since installed!) and because the 1157 bulb is not halogen like the headlamps. I picked those bulbs up at Canadian Tire for a couple bucks. I also replaced the stock back-up bulbs with 50W halogen bulbs (#1156) by DesignTech (stock = Osram 7506). Here's a picture where you can see the difference in brightness between stock and the 50w halogens.
    *** Note: It's legal in BC to have clear or amber front turn signal lights--ref. MV regulation Sec 4.13 - Turn signal devices , "(2)A lamp type turn signal system must (a) have 2 lamps, mounted on the front of the vehicle, that are capable of displaying flashes of white or amber light which are visible to the front."
  • Auto Taser - There are a lot of car thefts in Greater Vancouver and I've had my two previous cars broken into--one car twice, nothing taken because it was empty; and the other, the stereo was stolen. I know the B5 has the rolling code security system but I wanted extra protection without having to trust some outfit to tap into the car's electrical system. Not many B5's around here and I don't want to be a guinea pig. The Auto Taser was perfect for me--no intallation required. This is a security bar that locks on to your steering wheel, and...
      • "If the AUTO TASER’s ultra sensitive vibration detectors sense an intruder, a screeching 120 to 130 decibel alarm is sounded as a warning before aggressive countermeasures are initiated. Five seconds later, a field of electrons completely surrounds the unit. Any attempt to touch the AUTO TASER zaps the thief with an unforgettable, yet non-lethal 5,900 milliwatt (50,000 volt) electron pulse. "
    By Taser International , the world leader in non-lethal technology and the largest manufacturer of stun systems in the United States.
  • Valentine One Radar Locator - I saw so many positive endorsements for this product, I finally ordered it. I looked at two sets of instructions to help me to connect the detector to the Passat's fuse panel. The first one found in the AudiWorld electronics FAQ and the second found on the Information page at ClubB5. I won't repeat the instructions, because it's very straightforward, but I did mine a bit different. This is a picture of my fuse panel with the open #27 fuse slot (sedan only) and relay #173 ( if you want to remove the DRL). When I went to a couple general automotive parts stores to ask for a "direct wire" kit, they had no idea what I was talking about. Instead, I found what I needed at Canadian Tire: an ATO 10A Circuit Splitter. Here's a picture of the circuit splitter connected to the direct wire power adapter included with the V1. I had to cut off the original spade connector and add the two fuses on the splitter. Next, I stuck the adapter above the fuse panel, inserted the splitter, and attached the ground (picture). I didn't realize that the A-pillar liner just popped off until bgross over at VWvortex pointed it out to me. If you look at the back of the liner , it looks like you can slide it in and out of the snaps, but it's really hard to do. I ended up just pulling on the liner to remove it. It's quite sturdy. Here's what it looks like with the A-pillar removed . Now the wire is only visible where it actually connects with the V1. The rest of the wire is hidden between the liner and the windshield. Although, the gap at the top of the windshield is bigger, I did not use any tape or glue and the wire hasn't fallen down at all. I also bought the concealed display unit, but I haven't figured out the best place to put it yet. Update: New pictures, 16 May 2000. I've moved the position that I mount the Valentine1 so now it's level and just to the right of the the rear view mirror. It's more hidden--you can't see it from the driver's side and the rear detector is only slightly compromised. I figure I'm more worried about what's in front of me and the rear detector still gives me plenty of warning. Here's what it looks like from the back seat . I also decided the best place for me to mount the hidden display was on top of the steering column. It's easy for me to remove if I need to.

 

  • ISOFIX Child Restraint Retro-fit - Thanks to Phil Teves at ScottVw.com for the information: "Part number is 4B0 813 545A . You need two brackets per car (one bracket per child seat). You will also need four special bolts , part number 8L0 837 453 ." The install is very easy. If you lift up the seat back cushion you can see some tape covering the hole for the bolt . You will need a Torx T-40 to tighten the bolts. Thanks to Chris Williams who contacted VW 1-800 and found out that the correct torque is 30nm . This is what it looks like after the the kit is installed .

    Please note: This part number is only for FWD cars . The 4-Motion uses a different ISOfix bracket, which as of 19.05.2000, is not in the North American parts system and therefore only available through European VW dealers. Here's the 4-Motion info from Phil Teves and here is a European source .
  • Euroswitch and rear fog lamp - This is a common modification and there are instructions available from a variety of sources, including at ClubB5 . I really like Maestro's rear fog instruction page (LINK UPDATED 11 APR 2007) because there are clear pictures and he made it sound simple enough for even me to do. Here's a link to Maestro's Haven . The part number for the European headlamp switch is #1C0-941-531-A-20H although you could wire the rear fog lamp to your stock switch, if you like. The rear fog bulb is #1156 and you also need some 16 GA wire to connect from the switch to the tail lamp assembly. I was lazy. I didn't remove the door sill to run the wire. Instead I just slid it under and it seems secure enough. Getting it from the trunk is easy when you fold down the rear seat . To join the wires, I used heat-seal butt connectors which should make them fairly reliable. Also, I didn't drill the hole in the tail lamp to make the bulb fit. Instead, I used a wire cutter and cut slits around the opening, and then used pliers to peel back the pieces (like a banana). They broke off at excactly the right place--it must be pre-weakened at that point. Passats in Germany only have the rear fog lamp on the driver's side , even though I've seen it on both sides on other European cars. BTW, I noticed that the opening for the turn light was rough around the edges, like it had been drilled, unlike the other openings.
  • Rear fog lamp indicator - This is a light located in the tachometer that turns on to show you that the rear fog light is operating. The bulb in the instrument cluster is already in place, you just need to connect a wire from the tachometer plug to the rear fog light. It's not difficult to do (because I did it); just take your time and follow each step carefully. I used 22 guage wire to make the connection. Thanks to dc2002 @ ClubB5 for providing the following steps that I used.
    Please Note: Just like everything else, try this at your own risk as fiddling around with the electronics can be very dangerous. "Using the Bentley wiring diagram I have successfully activated the icon in the tach for the rear fog. Here is a quick overview: 1-Unplug the blue 32 pin electrical plug in the back of the tach section of the instrument cluster. Pivot the red "lever" up and pull gently on the plug.
    2-Slide off the end piece of the plug and pull off the blue cover to expose the wires and pin locations.
    3-Locate position #14 (mine actually had an unused factory crimp on connector similar to the repair pieced I used to wire up the rear fog) crimp on the connector.
    4-Run the other end of the wire down to the euroswitch and piggyback it on to the hot for the rear fog (terminal NSL). The diagram actually sends the hot wire to a location labeled "195" but that page of the manual did not say what "195" is.
    5-Carefully plug everything back in and you will now have an active indicator . To gain access to the back of the instrument cluster:
    1-Pull off the plastic cover on the side of the dash on the drivers side (fuse box cover).
    2- Take off the lower dash panel by removing the four 8mm bolts and unplugging the headlight switch and dimmer switch.
    3-With the panel removed and laying upside down you can see the blue plug on the side of the instrument cluster." Stargazer's Note: There's an anchor that holds the plug for the VAG tool attached to the plastic cover. You should remove this so that you can move the cover out of the way. Also, I had to remove a large relay box (#192) to get better access to the plug behind the tach. You could also remove the metal brace for better access. You can pivot the red lever by using a flat-head screw driver and gently pushing it up. Here's another view of the plug. To slide off the blue cover on the plug, you will need to cut off the small black cable tie and replace it once you've checked all the connections. With the indicator, I have now discovered that although the front/rear fogs are disabled while using high beams, if you just flash the high beams, the rear fog lamp stays on--makes sense, I guess:-).
  • Clear corner lamps - This is another common modification and only takes about 5 minutes to install. Instructions for removing the corner lamps are in the 1999 owner's manual, p. 214. These are European OE FER brand fluted blinkers, meaning they match the factory headlamps , but without any orange reflector strips. The other option is to choose crystal clear corners which actually match the HID (high intensity discharge) headlamps. It's really a matter of personal preference if you go with the crystal clear corners the without the HID. The fluted corners have now been replaced with crystal clears to match the HID headlamps.
  • Trunk Passat V6 badges removed - This is an easy task. The badges on the trunk are held in place with double-sided tape. Here's what the trunk looked like before I started. All you need is a hair dryer, fishing line, and Goo Gone to completely remove all traces.

    Warning: Do NOT remove the VW badge in the center unless you want to fill-in the indent left behind, which means you have to repaint the trunk, too.

    Step 1 : Heat one letter a time to soften the tape.
    Step 2 : Slide the fishing line behind the letter and wiggle it through. After you're past half-way, you can carefully peel the letter off by hand.
    Step 3 : Depending on how long you heat each letter, some tape will remain behind. I got lazy after awhile and didn't bother heating the letters up too much. It's easy to remove the tape if you rub it with your fingers. Use something like Goo Gone to remove the rest of the adhesive.
    Step 4 : Wash and wax the area. I used Meguire's cleaner wax first because there were a few tiny spots of surface rust under where the badges were. That came off nicely and then I top-coated with Zymol. All done! Here's some more pictures of the completed work: One ~ Two ~ Three
  • Installed OEM crystal-clear side markers (part #1J0 949 117 ) to match the HID headlamps that I ordered. Expecting some resistance (due to credit card stories at ClubB5), I did the Borg thing ("resistance is futile"), gave it no mercy...and promptly broke the plastic tab on the stock light. The metal tab on the new design is much better. I was gentler on the second one and it survived uninjured--but what do you do with one left-over side marker?
  • European Hella OEM high-intensity discharge Xenon headlamps - I ordered the conversion kit from PG Performance and it comes assembled and tested, with the high beam and city-light bulbs, and the crystal clear corner lamps. Here's a close-up of the lamp. This is what it looks like from the back . Here's another look .

    The install is pretty straight forward. The only tool required is the proper screwdriver. Please Note: Relay 173 (which reduces the power for the DRL (daytime running lights) must be removed . The HID system will not operated correctly and may be damaged if it is run on reduced power.

    The results truly are amazing: bright, white light with clearly defined cutoffs. Here's a picture of the beam pattern . This is the complete headlamp setup with the crystal clear corner lamps and this is the way they look turned on with the city light hookup .

    This is an un-retouched picture of the headlights to compare the colour of the HID vs. halogen lights. Here's another example .

    BTW, because these HID headlamps are E-code or ECE (Economic Commission for Europe) approved, they are legal in Canada . For reference look at Transport Canada's Motor Vehicle Saftey Regulations and pay particular attention to subsection (5)(a)(ii). As always, please refer to your local laws and regulations.
    Disclaimer/Warning : The HID headlamps must run at full power so either the DRL must be disabled or the reduced power circuit must be removed. I removed relay #173 in order to the daytime running lights. Be aware, in Canada vehicles are required by law to have DRLs, although they can be incorporated elsewhere: "A daytime running lamp may be optically combined with a front fog lamp that conforms to SAE Standard J583, Front Fog Lamps (June 1993) or to sections 3, 4.2, 4.3, 5 and 6 of ECE Regulation No. 19, Uniform Provisions Concerning the Approval of Motor Vehicle Front Fog Lamps, Revision 3 (2 March 1993)." ref. subsection (52)

    Step 1 - Disconnect driver's headlamp assembly by squeezing pin and unplugging socket.
    Step 2 - Remove corner light housing and first of 3 screws.
    Step 3 - Remove the other two screws located on top of the headlamp housing underneath the snap-on caps.
    Step 4 - This was the trickiest part: wiggling out the entire headlamp. Carefully slide headlamp to the outside and gently squeeze out a black tab that is located on the housing. Once this tab clears the plastic bumper mold, the whole thing just comes out .
    Step 5 - The HID headlamp just goes in the same way the old one came out. Here's what it looks like from the inside . Then put the screws back in and replace the corner lamp to finish. That's it! Here's what it looks like with crystal clear corners .
    Step 6 - The passenger side is pretty much the same except you have to remove the air box cover and the intake tube to gain access to the headlamp. It's easy: both pieces are just snapped in. Here's a view of the black tab on the housing and the HID lamp in place and inside .
    Postscript : Because the initial surge of the HID could peak just above 10A, the low beam fuses (#20 & 21) should be changed to 15A . The stock fuses for factory-fitted HIDs are 15A and this is what the Bentley wiring diagram shows. This has been confirmed on the Vortex forums .

    After trying to figure out how to aim the headlights properly , I had PGperformance do it right . They have a specialized laser-guided headlight alignment machine to ensure proper aiming. First, you aim the laser into the center of the bulb and then turn on the headlamps. The light shines into the box where there are dotted lines to show where the upper light cut-off should be. These are the controls on the back of the box.

    For those of you who don't have access to an aiming machine, I took measurements of my beam pattern afterwards so you can try this: I parked the car perpendicular to a flat wall and backed up until the headlamps were 10 ft away from the wall. With the HID on, I measured the height of the cutoff at the center of the beam where it starts to angle up. It should be about 2 ft. from the ground. Look at this to see what I mean.
  • City Lights - The city light functions exactly the same as parking lights, except that they are located just under the high beam bulb , instead of in the corner light. In most cars, you are able to control the parking lights independently of the head lights. Usually the first setting turns on the parking light, and the second setting turns on the headlights. However, on the B5 Passat, there is only one setting for the lights--it isn't possible to control the parking lights separately from the headlights. That is, unless you have the European headlight switch .
    The hook-up process is also fairly simple--it requires that you take the grey wire from the corner light and connect it to the correct position in the headlamp socket .
  • I also put in those OSRAM Diadem signal lights; they're a single- filament clear bulb that blinks amber. I love 'em. At certain angles in the sunlight they look pretty psychadelic. This bulb will not fit into the standard North American B5 Passat because the socket is different and requires a dual-filament bulb. Here's a close-up picture of the bulb--and, no, I didn't use any Photoshop magic: all I did was crop, resize, and paste. Actually, the effect isn't really that noticeable, unless you crouch down and have light shine directly into the housing. You can see the difference here: viewed crouching down vs. viewed standing normally .
  • MOMO shift knob " Sphere " on Tiptronic transmision - Using Maestro's detailed instructions I did this mod. It's more more comfortable than the stock shift knob and feels great in Tip mode. Instead of pressing a button to change gears, you pull up on the entire knob--this is the way the stock mechanism works anyway. It's very easy to remove the stock knob and I had it on and off several times while I built the adapter to fit just right. Here's the finished look and another angle . This shift knob style is also available in an all aluminum and a wood-grain look. BTW, the Tip shifter knob from the Audi A4 is a plug and play swap for anyone interested.
  • MOMO door sills - Purely cosmestic , they're aluminum and stuck on like a badge. I had extra credit at the auto accessory store and didn't feel like getting $60 worth of air fresheners.
  • New front cross-drilled rotors and brake pads installed. (Note: the new pads had brake sensor wires, but only later model Passats have that feature--not mine.) The stock pads were nearly down to the metal and the rotors were worn down with a 2 mm edge. I guess that's why I started to hear that "grinding" noise last week! Here's a close-up of the old pads and here's a close-up of the front rotor . The new rotors are German, made by Sebro and the brake pads are Pagid Black . I wanted to get Mintex RedBox (to reduce brake dust), but it was back-ordered at the time. From what I gathered through a search at AudiWorld.com is that although the Pagids produce as much (if not more ) brake dust as OE pads, they actually perform better than Mintex. Performance is good, but it would have been nice not to have clean the wheels so often! As for the rotors, I was looking for Brembo but their site lists 328 mm (vs. 288mm stock) rotors for the B5 Passat--more of an upgrade than what I was looking for. I know that Brembo makes solid disks in stock sizes that aftermarket shops drill, but those don't come stamped with the Brembo name on them--that's too much an unknown for me. I paid $350 CAD for the rotors/pads and $60 for the install. Here's the finished look .

 

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