Retro fitting 'Factory Fit' options, is it possible?

[rich05uk]

Hi, this is my first post here and I’m also new to VW. I’m after some advice please, I’m a company car driver and my company has just switched from Vauxhall to VW. Annoyingly, they have also stopped us having any additional options fitted to the car and have reduced our choice to only 2 models, a Golf or a Passat Estate.

I’ve decided to go for the Passat as I need an estate, it’s the SE model so it comes with a fairly good spec, but I still can’t help wanting a few extra bits and pieces as follows:-


12-way electrically adjustable front seats including memory settings for driver's seat and door mirror
Electric folding mirrors
Colour multifunction display
Tyre pressure monitoring system, electronic
Heated windscreen
Park Assist with rear view camera including parking sensors, front and rear
Gas discharge (Bi-Xenon) headlights including front fog lights, automatic range adjustment, dynamic curve lighting, dipped beam headlights
Do you know if any of these options can be retrofitted? The reason I ask is because once the lease comes to an end I intend to buy the car, but I would only buy it if I knew I could get these extra’s fitted afterwards, not too bothered about everything in the list, but I’d certainly want the Bi-Xenon headlights as a minimum?

I managed to get all the above Vauxhall equivalent options fitted to my Vauxhall after the lease ran out on that car and I purchased it. Vauxhall said it couldn’t be done, but I was very lucky and met someone on a Vauxhall Forum who works for Vauxhall and he was able to order all the genuine parts from General Motors, fit them and update the software/re-program the car as necessary to get them all working, you now can’t tell any of these options were not factory fitted from new, all work a treat. So, I’m hoping something similar can be done for the VW once I get it.

Thanks all for your help,

Richard.

[The Fingers]

I am sure with enough $$$$$ thrown at it you can do anything.

Why not just buy it at lease end , re sell it and buy a similar aged car with all options you want.


12-way electrically adjustable front seats including memory settings for driver's seat and door mirror - how often would you actually use this
Electric folding mirrors - Fold em yourself
Colour multifunction display - same as standard highline just colour
Tyre pressure monitoring system, electronic - you will have the flat type indicator, just check your pressures yourself
Heated windscreen - replace jug warm water!!
Park Assist with rear view camera including parking sensors, front and rear - camera and sensors quite easy to retro fit if you have the right radio. Passats are not that hard to park on your own!!
Gas discharge (Bi-Xenon) headlights including front fog lights, automatic range adjustment, dynamic curve lighting, dipped beam headlights - could be done but BIG JOB and lots of $$$$ get some philips extreme.

[rich05uk]

I am sure with enough $$$$$ thrown at it you can do anything.

Why not just buy it at lease end , re sell it and buy a similar aged car with all options you want.


12-way electrically adjustable front seats including memory settings for driver's seat and door mirror - how often would you actually use this - All the time i'm alot taller than my wife and we both drive the car every day, a pain trying to get the seat back to my position.
Electric folding mirrors - Fold em yourself - I live on a victorian terrace steet and its narrow, i've had to replace my mirris 6 times so far, costing me over £1000, realistically, you will not fold em yourselve evry time, and the time you dont, is the time they get smashed.
Colour multifunction display - same as standard highline just colour - Not too bothered about this so will go with whatever.
Tyre pressure monitoring system, electronic - you will have the flat type indicator, just check your pressures yourself - Not as good as pressure sensors, I had a slow puncture once which didnt show up as a fault on the flat tyre indicator, the loss of pressure was enough to cause the tyre to blow out on the motorway, I was luck but could have dies, life is too important, i've fitted them on my existing car and wouldnt ever go back, I can see at a glance to .01 of a PSI, what all my tyre pressures are and if they fluctuate by even the smallest ammount, I am alerted on my console computer.
Heated windscreen - replace jug warm water!! - This will break the glass or damage the seals, scraping ice of the car at 6am every morning in the winter is a pain...
Park Assist with rear view camera including parking sensors, front and rear - camera and sensors quite easy to retro fit if you have the right radio. Passats are not that hard to park on your own!! - A nice to have, not too bothered but the Mrs cant park too well and if she bangs the car into another again, its going to cost me even more ££££
Gas discharge (Bi-Xenon) headlights including front fog lights, automatic range adjustment, dynamic curve lighting, dipped beam headlights - could be done but BIG JOB and lots of $$$$ get some philips extreme. - Xenons are so much better, close to daylight, no comparison to normal headlights, even with philips extreem. Again have them on my current car and would never go back.



:D

[The Fingers]

12-way electrically adjustable front seats including memory settings for driver's seat and door mirror - how often would you actually use this - All the time i'm alot taller than my wife and we both drive the car every day, a pain trying to get the seat back to my position. point taken - i am the only driver of mine so dont have this issue!!
Electric folding mirrors - Fold em yourself - I live on a victorian terrace steet and its narrow, i've had to replace my mirris 6 times so far, costing me over £1000, realistically, you will not fold em yourselve evry time, and the time you dont, is the time they get smashed. I came out to a completely obliterfried passenger mirror the other day so i know your pain!!:zx11:
Colour multifunction display - same as standard highline just colour - Not too bothered about this so will go with whatever. Its supposed to be the same just not colour
Tyre pressure monitoring system, electronic - you will have the flat type indicator, just check your pressures yourself - Not as good as pressure sensors, I had a slow puncture once which didnt show up as a fault on the flat tyre indicator, the loss of pressure was enough to cause the tyre to blow out on the motorway, I was luck but could have dies, life is too important, i've fitted them on my existing car and wouldnt ever go back, I can see at a glance to .01 of a PSI, what all my tyre pressures are and if they fluctuate by even the smallest ammount, I am alerted on my console computer. I always thought the cheap one was a gimmick!!
Heated windscreen - replace jug warm water!! - This will break the glass or damage the seals, scraping ice of the car at 6am every morning in the winter is a pain... I have always used this method, not boiling water though just hand hot, never had an issue so all good. Just make sure you get the wipers on quick when its real cold before it re freezes.
Park Assist with rear view camera including parking sensors, front and rear - camera and sensors quite easy to retro fit if you have the right radio. Passats are not that hard to park on your own!! - A nice to have, not too bothered but the Mrs cant park too well and if she bangs the car into another again, its going to cost me even more ££££ - Aaahhhhhh now i understand, i let my mrs dive my car once on dartmoor ended up with a 3 inch metal bar through the side wall of the tyre with only a tire repair kit, an hour later we are on the back of a low loader being towed to kwik monkey.
Gas discharge (Bi-Xenon) headlights including front fog lights, automatic range adjustment, dynamic curve lighting, dipped beam headlights - could be done but BIG JOB and lots of $$$$ get some philips extreme. - Xenons are so much better, close to daylight, no comparison to normal headlights, even with philips extreem. Again have them on my current car and would never go back. There is a thread starting on the B6 passat forum about this very conversion i think he is upto a couplke of grand for parts alone, i will be suffering in darkness.

We will have a rainbow above soon:biglaugh:

I think mine will be here this week, i took a trip to the dealers this weekend and there are two white 2.0 tdi se's that just need a PDI and they are ready, hope one is mine................................

[RicardoA4Sline]

Are you sure you can fit extras on a company lease??? When I have had mine anything was a no no.

Even had to fight a fleet manager to get approval for one of my dodgem car drivers (sorry reps) to have one of those number plate reversing things fitted!!

[The Fingers]

Are you sure you can fit extras on a company lease??? When I have had mine anything was a no no.

Even had to fight a fleet manager to get approval for one of my dodgem car drivers (sorry reps) to have one of those number plate reversing things fitted!!

i am lurking around so thought i would resond quickly

There are lots of people who think lease companies actually care what you are doing with the cars, just look at the damage which is acceptable on return, you can have scuffed every bumper, dinted every panel (max 2 per panel smaller than a pound coin) curbed all wheels (as long as they are still safe) you can leave screw holes where phone kits are fitted, chipped windscreen, loads of stone chips, scratches to every panel as long as under 100mm long and not down to metal etc etc the list goes on. It is linked to milage as they expect a car thats 3 years old with 120K on it is going to be a bit beat up, but a 2 year return with say 30K on it would need to be in quite good nick.

We have returned a few cars which quite frankly had been abused............ no come back sold at auction within a few days of collection.

You can leave tints in if done properly, parking sensors, non oem stereo etc etc There is then the fit what you want and then take it back off when your done.

From my experience in having cars inspected at return is that they dont really care so long as the wings dont fall off when the slam the door!!!! I had had my last golf keyed by some pond life, it was red and i made a right balls of touching it in with a small paint brush you could see it from 20 feet, a was then doing the hand over expecting the worst, the guy didnt actually say anything, i almost fell over when he said this was probably the cleanest car he had collected that month!!!

[HIDorigin]

Note on the headlights:
If you decide to go for the full retrofit ebay.de (Germany) tend to have the best prices on decent headlamp units but make sure they are both Left hand drive and double check the serial numbers for this before you buy. For the best prices on decent Xenon parts to put in please consider HIDorigin.com for the Valeo and Philips OEM parts.

You could just fit an aftermarket plug and play which will save you money and still perform well if your vehicle has lenses on its low beam and you buy the right kit ;) Drop me a line and id be happy to fill you in.

Good luck

[vc-10]

number plate reversing things fitted!!

Huh? Sounds like something out of James Bond....:biglaugh: