[seafish]

Hello all. I am in the process of purchasing a 2005 Passat wagon with 65k for my wife. I myself drive a 2005 Dodge Ram CTD and maintain it myself, so diesel mechanics is not new to me, but the PD engine is, as my truck is a common rail. That being said, this car has had regular and scheduled maintenance and is in very good shape with only minor problems at this time...needs headlight bulbs, tires, and 2 engine mounts are leaking. The hoses from the turbo to IC and IC to intake are also failing. The compression checked out at 675/680/680/675 and there is no audible chain slap at this time. While I won't take delivery of this car for a week or so, I DO have several questions that would be nice to have answered--

1) Is there a quality suspension upgrade that will allow me to RAISE the level of this vehicle??We live on country roads and during the winter there are often branches and rocks in the road that can be driven OVER, but NOT avoided. I WILL eventually replace the engine shield with an aluminum type shield, but I also would like to raise the vehicle 2 to 4 inches from stock height.

2) The IC hoses are due for replacement. I understand that the VW replacements are prone to failure due to the metal band that is used on one end. Is there a high quality, after market silicone replacement??

3) Are there high quality, aftermarket engine mounts available that are a better quality then the VW fluid filled mounts?

4) I am used to manual trannys only. How robust is the Tiptronic transmission on this car...Would it be a good idea to due a full fluid/filter change on the Tiptronic now instead of at the factory recommended 100k??


Thanks so much for having such a GREAT forum !!! You guys offer priceless info here and I sure do appreciate it. I hope that I will be able to participate more as I learn more about this car...

Happy Holidays !!!

 

[chittychittybangbang]

Raise that much? The OEM heavy duty suspension will raise the vehicle slightly maybe an inch, definitely not 4 inches. It's special order only through dealers. A skid plate is the best bet here. Oversized tires/wheels will also raise the car.

I've never seen a silicone replacement since the TDI isn't a very common car and silicone can weep when exposed to that much oil. The TDI crank case vent is always soaked in oil. There is a known problem where a ground cable rubs on the hoses. They can also pop out but if they're in good shape I'd just continue to use them.

The new design engine mounts are supposedly better. Yes the TDI mounts are expensive but that's just the way German cars are

The tiptronic has had some torque converter problems but it's very robust. The same basic trans is used in BMW and a lot of Audi a4, a6, a8. ZF also makes very similar transmissions for Porsche. The only way to swap to manual is to import a transmission and last I checked it was about $8000 for one. I don't think the factory recommends any change in fact, it's a "lifetime fill" ukerofl

Thanks for the compliment, I spend a lot of time updating the FAQ and adding new info!
welcometomyturbodies

Also post moved to mk4 section.

 

[seafish]

Thanks for the reply and info.

Definitely NOT interested in changing the tranny, only the fluid and filter as necessary.
Too bad there are no aftermarket silicone hoses or improved engine mounts...thought there might be some available as there are some high quality replacements for the CTD truck market.

DEFINITELY Interested in more info on the HD suspension...raising the car one inch would be a start and then I could get oversized tires or wheels to go a little higher. Any more info on the suspension upgrade>

How will it affect handling??

Part #'s??

Also, more info on a wheel swap would be helpful...does anyone have specs or sources for a steel or alloy wheel that would allow me to mount taller tires and still clear the body at full lock??

 

[seafish]

OK...found info on stock tire sizes and bolt patterns and offset--

All of these sizes should fit well on my Passat and might and are roughly the same height/width and offset as the stock wheels--

Bolt pattern is 5x112, stock offset ET37

15: 195/65-15
16: 205/55-16
17x7.5: 225/45-17
17x8: 225/45-17
18x8: 225/40-18
18x8.5: 225/40-18 or 235/40-18
19x8.5: 235/35-19 or 245/35-19


Still wondering about the suspension upgrade available from VW--

Handling differences??

Part#'s??

 

[chittychittybangbang]

Handling is slightly stiffer and according to them, it raised the suspension by about 3 cm.

Here are the part numbers from MOGolf:
Front:
8D0 411 105 BM --- spring = standard axle weight range
8D0 411 105 BN --- spring = plus 1 weight range (what I installed)
4B0 412 031 CE --- STRUT GREEN paint mark
3B7 412 377 A --- MOUNTING - top strut mount
4D0 412 369 A --- WASHER - at base of rod threads (optional unless you want to preassemble the struts)
4D0 412 127 --- CAP - plastic cap at top of strut body (optional unless you want to preassemble the struts)
8D0 412 131 F --- HELPER SPRING - bumper (optional unless you want to preassemble the struts)
N 102 412 01 --- BOLT - strut to lower control arm
N 102 861 02 --- NUT - 8 - upper link to bracket, at pinch bolt, sway bar (get spares just in case)
N 034 790 7 --- BOLT - pinch bolt (N 034 790 8 may be substituted)
8E0 407 505 A --- upper link lf - 1
8E0 407 506 A --- upper link rf - 1
8E0 407 509 A --- upper link lr - 1
8E0 407 510 A --- upper link rr - 1
N 104 253 01 --- link bolts - 8
N 901 838 02 --- nut - 4 - top plate to upper bearing bracket
N 101 064 02 --- nut - 4 - top nut on strut and bolt at lower control arm
N 908 476 01 --- bolt - 6 - bracket to body (optional)
8D0 412 145 B --- washer - 6 - bracket to body (optional)
4D0 412 137 C --- boot (optional - unless you want to preassemble the new struts)

Rear:
Nut N 103 041 02 (always replace, tighten to 25Nm)
Mount 3B0 513 353
Mount bolts N 907 583 01 or N 907 583 02 (two each side - four total, tighten to 45Nm)
Jounce bumper 3B0 512 131 H
BOOT 4B0 512 137 B
cap 1H0 513 268 D
shocks 4B0 511 115 DD
Bolt N 104 110 01 (always replace, tighten to 50Nm plus 1/4 turn)
Nut N 102 861 02 (always replace)
Spring 4B0 511 115 DD
spring plates 4B0 512 149

 

[seafish]

Wow, that's alot of part #'s. Super helpful...thank you for putting all that together !!

I'll be curious to see how much this will cost, it may or may not be worth it for an inch, but I also have to see if the stiffer ride will be OK with my wife who will mostly be driving this car.

I really know NOTHING about these suspensions, and since I do not have the car yet, I can't go out and look at it. I am even assuming that it is a full strut suspension...

Do you think that aftermarket Konis on the newer suspension might soften it up a little?

What performance struts or shocks do you guys like to ride on anyway ? Or is oem that nice a ride??

 

[pdq]

I would swap out the tranny fluid and filter if it were me. We do a lot of them in my shop. I recommend 60K intervals. The factory recommend is factory fill no changes needed for lifetime. They are correct in the fact that the fluid will last the life of the transmission alright. I feel that the transmission might have a longer lifetime if changed periodically. some we do come out quite dark and ominous looking.

They use a special fluid of course, about $25.00 a litre, you will need about 4 liters or so. It is actually a fluid specked for ZF transmissions, same fluid is used in some Mercedes and BMW models. You may find it a little cheaper at one of the smarter import shops.

 

[seafish]

PDQ...haha...kind of like a "lifetime warranty" that lasts for the lifetime of the product, but is over as soon as the product dies.
The local shop that did the compression test and vehicle inspection also recommends 60k intervals, but I wanted to double check to make sure that it was a good idea. Thanks for the confirmation.

 

[chittychittybangbang]

MOGolf put that list together, not me. I've ridden in a few cars with koni FSD and I liked all of them. Sporty but not harsh. The OEM is definitely more expensive, all special order.

 

[seafish]

Koni FSD and Springs

OK..I have reviewed some threads here and on Passatworld and the general consensus is that the Koni FSD provide a firm but refined ride, which is JUST what we would like for our TDI.

It seems that many TDI and VW people like to lower their cars and use a combination of Eibach springs and Koni struts to achieve a responsive, lowered ride.

Here is my question--

How would I go about sourcing aftermarket springs and Konis to slightly RAISE my TDI??

I DID read that the Bilstein TC struts actually raise the car slightly even WITHOUT new springs, but the Bilsteins do not offer as refined a ride as the FSD, so this is not an option right now.

But since raising the vehicle CAN be done with the Bilstein TC's and no springs, there MUST be a way to do it with the Konis, right??

TIA !!

 

[Fluid]

TDI drivers definitely stand apart. They like manual transmissions and want to raise their cars isntead of lowering them....hence the lack of raising kits. If you raise the car too much I'll bet it's not good for the suspension bushings and axle life. An inch seems reasonable and I'll bet if you put some sort of plate on theh spring sesat that will work.

 

[seafish]

That's an interesting idea...I think you must be right... a simple (drilled?) block under the spring mounting will increase height without affecting ride quality too much at all. Hopefully I will still be able to use the Koni FSDs with the raise.

I do think I will still contact one of the aftermarket suspension manufactures to see if they make a spring (maybe from another application) that is taller. It seems that alot of TDI owner use Eibach suspension parts...I'll give them a call sometime in the next day or so and report back what I find out.


I guess my revised goal, now, would be to gain an inch in height from the struts/springs and then an inch in height from a taller tire.... I don't see how that could affect the axle or bushings in a negative way, do you??

 

[chittychittybangbang]

I can tell you that all sorts of weird stuff can happen when you change driveaxle angles. The outer CV boost on the Passat are prone to cracking but I don't think a small change in angles will make any difference. The strut/spring will raise the suspension but taller wheels/tires won't since the whole car is raised.

I also know that a block under the spring mounting will increase the spring preload and raise the car. However, the best way to raise the car and not do weird things with the suspension is to have stiffer springs. Just raising the springs will work though and many are happy. It will leave your springs compressed if they are ever removed though.