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Update for anyone searching for same issue. It was simple. Spent weeks getting quotes to fix, days trying to work out how to do it myself wondering and worrying if I had to prise off the central dashboard to remove the fan switch and replace the whole fan switch unit. Then I got a Haynes manual and watched a video on how to do it. Ordered a new resister and pollen filter on line. Spent about an hour setting everything out.. tools I might need (didn't need any), torch, padded mat to lay on by car and looking up in the passenger footwell contemplating the task. Then I went for its and it took me five minutes! One video from an 'old hand' suggested that the resisters usually go for a reason. That might be a worn fan motor/fan bearing or a blocked up air filter and that you should drop the fan to check it spins OK etc and change the pollen filter as a matter of course. The two plastic screws holding the flock covered flexible panel in the footwell unscrewed by hand and that pulled out easily. Also removed the plastic panel on the inner (gearbox) side of the footwell. That is just held by two press in studs. I would recommend marking the location of this before removal with pencil crosses across the joint with rest of housing so that it's easier to line up the studs when refitting as you cant see them. That exposes the whole fan system. The Motor/fan is to the left and it dropped down easily, just release catch and anticlockwise twist. Spun fan round and it sounded pretty smooth..reinstall. Pollen filter is held by a front panel that you just slide to the left and it drops out.. watch for dust.. I put an old towel in the footwell to catch anything. It had a lot of dust. Note the orientation removing. Reinstall new one. Put flat panel front back on inserting lugs through the slots in the filter face and slide firmly to right. Thats done. Fan resister slots into front of pollen filter housing. It's right infant of you when you look in there. Take the new one with you. Push toggle up and it slides up and then out. Check orientation and angle as you remove it. remove wire connector (has some tiny clips each end of the black wire plug lift these at same time as trying to pull plug away from resister block. Reinstall into new resistor right way round then reinstall resistor into slot at correct angle and then slide down to secure. Reinstall footwell panels, Job done.

Hi All Newbie here…Thought I would share our experience so far of buying a 2017 VW Passat Estate (B8) R-Line 2.0 TSI (217bhp) / DSG, imported from Japan. The car is in immaculate condition and the 2.0 TSI petrol combined with the DSG is so smooth and powerful. The level of tech is luxury, full digital cockpit, full leather, fully electric/heated front seats (driver seat with memory function and massage function), reverse camera, lane assist, park assist, cruise control down to 0mph + restart in traffic, electric tailgate, blind spot detection, apple/android connection. We purchased from a company near Chester who specialise in parallel (unmodified) imports from Japan. All import paperwork and costs etc were taken care of by them. Including the UK IVA (Individual Vehicle Approval) test to ensure all parts on the vehicle have EU part numbers, as well as MOT & DVLA registration etc. We happened to buy the car almost as soon as it arrived in the UK, unfortunately at this stage the timescale of being able to drive the car away was a guess at best. The IVA test availability was around a 4 week wait. Once the IVA was passed the dealership registered the car with the DVLA for the first time to get the V5 and registration plate which took around a week, and then once the DVLA issued the registration plate it took another week before insurance companies could find the registration plate on their systems (they would build insurance quotes manually from the chassis number, but wouldn't allow me to purchase the insurance until they could confirm the reg plate). We eventually insured through Churchills at a reasonable price. It took around 6 weeks in total for us (I'd say this could be quicker/slower by +-2 weeks depending on IVA test cancellations and the DVLA delays). It also depends at which stage you buy the car of course, as soon as the dealership gets the car they will start the process regardless! Vehicles imported from Japan are not required to pay UK road tax on emissions levels from what I understand, but on engine size/fuel type. Ours was £345. A couple of things I wish I knew more about beforehand. 1. Importing a car from Japan will usually mean there is some form of ETC (Electronic Toll Collection) / DSRC (Dedicated Short-Range Communications) device installed for Japanese toll roads. The card reader was in the glovebox and was removed by the dealership, however there is a small scanner device at the top/inside of the windscreen with a flat ribbon cable connected to it (almost invisible due to it being behind the rear-view mirror when sat in the driver seat). I've asked the dealership if this can also be removed, to avoid any potential issue from AutoGlass etc refusing to touch it in the event I need a new windscreen. 2. Importing a car from Japan means no DAB radio (Japan don't have it, apparently it’s because DAB operates on the same frequency as the scanners/toll roads), and for some reason it has limited FM stations. The MIB2 unit in the glovebox (for the Discover Pro Navigation) does not have the DAB hardware, as well as the antenna being only AM/FM. I was unaware of this and never thought to ask/check with the car having so much tech! I feel that the dealership should really have mentioned it as a characteristic of a Japanese import. I am looking at DAB apps to use via the Apple/Android connection, no big deal but a bit disappointed. If I'd have known this next point, I wouldn't have purchased the car. Advice welcome please! I called VW in Wigan to ask about the possibility of a DAB upgrade, I was met with a pretty firm answer from an aftersales manager of +20 years that VW UK could not connect their diagnostic systems to a car that wasn't originally built for the UK market. The VIN number will apparently always be linked to Japan (ASIA Region) and ANY service or repair work that requires plugging in will NOT BE POSSIBLE by a VW main dealership. I have contacted numerous VW dealerships now as well as customer support, they either don't know or take some sort of a guess but can't say for certain either way. The guy at VW in Wigan was so sure this was correct, he wouldn't even entertain me bringing it down for them to plug it in. It appears that the ‘ODIS’ software (Offboard Diagnostic Information System) that VW use may only be able to access VIN numbers that are registered internally by VW to the UK. So many parts on a vehicle must be coded to the ECU/VIN of the vehicle, I don’t understand how private dealerships can import a VW to the UK that VW UK can’t support. The dealership I purchased from are only offering lip service about any future issues with coded parts on the car, and won't offer anything in writing from their conversations with VW who said they would 'happily work on our car'. Does anyone know if there is some solution to swap the VIN Region from ASIA to UK to allow VW to support imported cars that meet all UK specifications? Don’t get me wrong, I avoid main dealerships because of the extremely overpriced labour rate they charge, and I understand there are independent garages out there that do VW retrofits and coding, but if all else fails I want the option to take it to VW and let them open my wallet for a quick solution. Cheers Tom

Hi All After correspondence with various VW UK dealerships, VW UK customer service, VW Germany customer service... they half committed to a response that the infotainment system (MIB2 unit) is regionally specific to Japan and therefore VW UK may struggle to connect or diagnose faults with it. Multiple dealerships would not even allow me to make a diagnostic booking with them just to see what they could/couldn't scan successfully. VW 'type approval' eventually said they 'should' be able to connect to our vehicle with ODIS, but because it wasn't originally built for the UK market, their VMS (Vehicle Management System) may not find the registration number or VIN and they confirmed the concern about the infotainment system. VW confirmed they have no internal process to swap the car to the UK region, no comparison documents to highlight key differences, and no retrofit solutions to align it to a Passat built for the UK market. Literally zero interest from anyone at VW. It appears that everything I've received from VW though is backwards/nonsense. As I have found independent specialists (such as ADS in Preston) who can connect to all components in the car without any problem at all. They have worked on imported cars before and have the same level of ODIS software as VW UK, as well as VCDS (Ross Tech). The only difference between the UK and Jap Passat seems to be the MIB2 unit (No DAB), and obviously no DAB antenna. For DAB that I can get via my phone on android auto, it isn't worth swapping the MIB2 unit and having a DAB antenna installed (but its possible) I had an interim service and full inspection at ADS, they confirmed the car is in pristine condition (even underneath, due to the anti corrosion treatments the cars have in Japan) so I have peace of mind now that our vehicle can be supported at last! I hope some of this information helps someone else researching about buying a VW from Japan! Tom

Hi, does anyone have experience of using these please? My brand new Golf got 'dinged' on its very first outing in a public car park and I don't want to have to keep getting a 'paintless repair' done each time this happens - as it surely will over time!

I had it towed back to him yesterday. Sorry if I sounded like I was badmouthing him, it was not intended to be that way. I truly am just looking for any suggestions that I can get. It scared me as I have my grandbabies in my car a lot. Thank you for the response.

I would be tempted to return it to the mechanic that originally replaced the timing chain and give them a chance to review their work as it may be possible something has not gone back correctly when reassembling. The fact that the engine is running is a good sign that it is not timing chain related (we hope) but more anciliary items such as Air Conditioning pump or drivebelt that is too loose/tight, loose pipe(s)....worth checking the obvious stuff first which may be easy to resolve

Hi All Newbie here…Thought I would share our experience so far of buying a 2017 VW Passat Estate (B8) R-Line 2.0 TSI (217bhp) / DSG, imported from Japan. I posted the full story over in the Passat Forum. Cheers Tom

Hi Admin. I tried with my reg number but EuroCarParts does not recognize the reg as it is a Japan Import. I then put all the details of the car e.g. make, model, year, fuel etc and it gave me an option for timing chain but there was no option to select the timing belt. I guess it means that my car has got a timing chain. Thanks

To conclude this thread. Turns out the pump had packed up. It was a bit of a pig to get at, the last nut being pretty inaccessible, but actually changing the pump was straightforward. New pump £90 from Vw, local 'factor had one in stock, £14. Job done, in the rain but now we can see where we going !

Hi, I have a 2008 Touran (7 seater) which has done 205k miles, has been religiously serviced every 10k miles, with DSG oil changes on schedule (by VW Leicester), though recent services have been done by an independent using genuine VW parts. Has had new front shocks only a few weeks back (KYB shocks). Exterior some stone chips and OSF has wheel arch corrosion. Also the alloys have pitted. The interior is mint. Seats are so nice and comfortable! I’ve had it from new, was my company car and bought from VW when few months old (as I used to work for VW U.K.) it has recently started smoking from tailpipe, think it’s burning oil. Engine type is BKD. Wife wants a smaller car so offering this to sell on a parts or repairs basis. Very sad to see my touran go, but it’s time… It has MOT until 14 March 2025. Looking for sensible offers. We’re in Leicester Forest East (close to M1 Jn21), viewing/questions welcome any time. Thanks

Hi, I have today bought a 2013 Touran 1.6 TDI /DSG Box, which seems fairly sound, however on the way home the tyre pressure light came on and I stopped and checked and all tyres are fine so my first job is sorting out the lamp. Drives well for a low power car. I do need a nav display and phone link set up so the list is growing.

Thanks. Possible but seems unlikely same fuse would control heated seats, HRW and ESP off. I may try plugging old unit back in and see if it all comes back.

Many thanks. Took the panel out and found one clip had bent and jammed. There was also a plastic centre screw on the back of mine. Replaced with a £5 eBay Android head unit. Absolutely delighted with this. Android Auto mirroring phone is all I need. Now have a new issue in that the heated seats and windows have gone. More investigation needed, glad it's summer!

Hi all, thank you for letting me join am 36 from Liverpool. I am a big motor fan. I have had all kinds over the years. I have 2 B6 passats highline sports estates. 2.0tdi one dsg one manual. I became a vw Dec 22. When I got my first passat manual. Love the car, the space, the driving and economy and can still move enough for today's traffic. Unfortunately the rust monsters are slowly eating it away. Spring snapped. Turbo actuator seized, intercooler gone, windscreen cracked, spring snapped, trailing arm bush gone. So The second one I bought just this weekend for £100. Its a dsg with no reverse which I aim to fix. As its in better shape than mine. Failing that figure a way of making a decent motor out of the two. Hope to get to know you all soon here is a pic of my blue one

Hi guy's from a not so sunny Weston super Mare , new to VW and now a proud owner of a 2012 Touareg, what a motor!

Hi....welcome to the Club Enjoy your Touareg and good to have you onboard!

Hi. I have a mk6 golf saloon off side wing for sale. It's just been sprayed but I hadn't realised a golf estate front end is different to a golf saloon. Also I have a bumper in new paint for sale and one not in paint which is damaged but repairable. Please message me if you're interested in either. Wanting around £50 for the wing. £50 for the damaged bumper and £150 for the complete, newly sprayed bumper.

2005 VW Bora Highline Needs TLC, Open to Offers, Sold as Seen. Runs and Drives 1.6 petrol 16V 57000 miles Black Leather interior Cruise Control Auto Wipers Central Locking Electric Windows all round Heated Front Seats Recently had new poly ARB bushes Recently had new discs and pads all round Known Repairs Required: Out of MOT Rear Sills Rusted (see photo's) Bodywork a little rough (see photo's) O2/lambda Sensor needs replacing (new sensor included) Brake Pedal Switch needs replacing (new switch included) Engine and Brake fault lamps on due to sensors (I have checked with VCDS) Passenger side driveshaft has excessive play (re-manufactured shaft included) Some central locking actuators a little flaky

Had this on my previous car, a 2000 BMW E46, but on inspection of the shocks, I could not see more than a faint covering of fluid mist under the rubber sleeve. The "bounce test" worked ok on all 4 corners. I inspected it and did a bounce test regularly with the normal services, and it never got any worse. So I did not worry about it for 2+ years, and it is now sold. With a VW Golf MK7 replacing it !

Thanks for the reply, As you said, the car is absolutely fine to drive, it's just irritating having the yellow light staring at me! Good idea about the obd reader.

Hello, forum, Sorry about the lack of posts, had a lot going on personaly ! So an update was due! Firsty i really enoy driving the car, the higher driving position is lovley ( im in my 50s) andi can cope with the extra running costs as my old car was a 2014 civic diesel. But the sheer amount of warning lights is getting silly ! We have called it the VW christmas tree ! every other week is yellow light time ! Thankfully i got a years warrenty from the used car dealer where i got the car and they have been very good, so far i have had 2 ABS sensors replaced, the latest being today! So imagine my delight that this evening after picking the car up..... an hour later the engine managment light pops up ! I will give it a few days as i know they can be tempremental ! But coming from my honda that never had a single light appear in 5 years this Tiguan is starting to annoy me ! The car has never let me down and is lovely to drive, and very smooth and comfy. Is there something i could point my garage to have a look at? As i say the car drives perfectly and i really enjoy driving it, but these constant warning lights are getting annoying! Cheers Dan

Hi....welcome to the Club Glad to hear the work was done under warranty and it useful to keep the cover running for as long as possible on some vehicles. Good to have you onboard!

I hear a clunk sound, it comes from front where the storage compartment is and it’s not continuous. I hear this soft clunk sound once or twice in a journey, and I don’t let it bother me too much. sometimes I notice it even when the car has been turned off. I have always assumed that it has sometime to do with car temperature I don’t know why I think that 🤷‍♂️.

Are any of the sensors on the windscreen covered in mud, etc? If so this could be giving a false reading of an object in the path of the car

I have a mk 8.5 e-hybrid , 1 week old and cannot produce warm air from the climate system , i have tried with air con on and off , e-mode , hybrid mode, Sport mode, comfort mode and via infotainment screen and direct with climate button drive the car for up to 1 hour but only cold air comes from the fans / vents and although the infotainment screen indicates red and warn air should be coming out - it simply remains cold air, the dealership indicated i should reset the infotainment screen - which i have done several times but this did not fix the problem - have any other e-hybrid owners had similar issues / suggest a fix , i dont have time to leave the car back to dealership currently . Also have a warning light advising me hybrid mode not working correctly , the car is a week old and i have had numerous issues with it already and without a doubt the worst car i have had in 25 years,

Thank you. Yes, garage says it's the blinking gear box!

Hello, I have a 1998 vw t4, the instrument cluster (plug in with clock on the right) has burnt out not repairable. I have scoured around for a few weeks now and found nothing. I was wondering if this model of van has the plug on the gear box still that I could install an older model with the cable and plug? Is this something someone has done? the cable version with the Rev counter seems to be in stock on eBay and such. I’m not even bothered if the Rev counter works just need a speedo I believe to get through Mot?