Hello from Maidenhead (ex Golf owner)

[Col]

Hello all,

Finally done it, I'm in my mid 30's family (2 kids) and have just chopped my MK4 Golf in for a nice Passat Estate A nice PD130 SE version to be precise.

Scary thing is, I love the car !! despite me having real problems letting go of my youth in getting a big sensible family car in lieu of the Golf GT-TDI.

Anyway, I know an awful lot about how the Golf ticked, in particular the PD Engine but no doubt have a lot to learn about the Passat (just look at the scary front suspension set up for example !!)

I'm also set up with vagcom and have the latest hex-can-usb set up, so can read anything VAG.

A few questions (i'll probably post these in the appropriate sub-forums once I get going)...

1, Ashtray! damned thing seems to be floating about in the centre console and there doesn't seem to be any obvious way in which it is secured, any ideas ?

2, Xenons, I had a retrofitted H7 kit on the Golf which was great. I ripped this out before I got rid of the Golf and intend to fit it to the Passat. However having read up, the Passat has a bulb holder. Does this impede HID bulb fitting, is it possible ? I really want to do this ASAP as quite frankly the Passat projector headlights are poo !

3, Cruise control. I retrofitted this to the Golf which was quite easy having bought the kit for about £50. Is there a how-to on here ? Would anyone advise doing it themselves (please bear in mind I did it on the Golf) or on ebay there is a bloke advertising it including installation for £150. Being older and lazier, I'm inclined to simply pay the £150 unless of course it is a doddle to do ?

That's all for now, thanks for letting me join, I'm sure you WILL regret it !!

[johnnynonails]

hi col welcome to the forum,good luck with those projects. your john (v6 4 motion)

[Sam]

Welcome aboard Col.

Youth & Passat?! I bought mine when I was in my early 20s. I know of at least another 10 or so sub 25 owners. It's all about the comfort!

With regards your questions;

1 - I'll post a link later giving you the how-to. How many of your kids smoke - I never did understand a rear ashtray in what is marketed as a family car. backseat ashtray spring mechanism

2 - They'll work. The biggest hurdle is finding a spot to mount the ballasts - they're also on my list of must-have mods (it's a big list)

3 - Parts are roughly £70 from the dealership (cheaper from www.vagparts.com) and installation is said to be fairly straight forward and very similar to that of the Golf MKIV. I have a kit in my garage that I still haven't fitted (there's that big list again!)

Hope you enjoy your time with the Passat.

[Col]

Welcome aboard Col.

Youth & Passat?! I bought mine when I was in my early 20s. I know of at least another 10 or so sub 25 owners. It's all about the comfort!

With regards your questions;

1 - I'll post a link later giving you the how-to. How many of your kids smoke - I never did understand a rear ashtray in what is marketed as a family car. backseat ashtray spring mechanism

2 - They'll work. The biggest hurdle is finding a spot to mount the ballasts - they're also on my list of must-have mods (it's a big list)

3 - Parts are roughly £70 from the dealership (cheaper from www.vagparts.com) and installation is said to be fairly straight forward and very similar to that of the Golf MKIV. I have a kit in my garage that I still haven't fitted (there's that big list again!)

Hope you enjoy your time with the Passat.

Thanks for the replies.

It is the front ashtray that is floating and poking about last night worked out how it fixes in. Unfortunately it would appear that there is a plastic tab that is snapped off on the centre console. I've wedged it it with some foam !

As for the xenons, it is the bulb holder / carrier I'm concerned about and how the HID bulb will fit into it bearing in mind there are cables coming out of the back of it.

[Sam]

Ah, I got too excited and just blabbed without reading properly

Good job on the ashtray fix, fitting a new one means removing the centre console, and that's not too much fun.

Think you've lost me on the second part;

Does this thread help you at all? How To: Install an Aftermarket HID Upgrade Kit

[RickT]

Hello and Welcome to the forum!

RickT