NMS/B7 - Passat '12+ FAQ & Maintenance HOW-TO

vw_norm

Gone, but not forgotten.
Joined
Jul 22, 2012
Location
Hawaii
TDI
2012 NMS TDI SEL Platinum Gray w/moonrock
I'm approaching my first 10k mile service. As such, I've been getting a "Service in X-number of days" message in the MFD for about a couple of weeks now and just within the last few days, the message changed to "Service Now."

My question is, do I wait until the 10k mile mark or go by what the car is telling me? My instinct is to wait until 10k miles.

Hunted and pecked from a Galaxy S4A.
There are 2 countdowns - time and miles. Just hitting the time vs not hitting the miles target (10K), is not a big deal. I'd wait until the miles roll up to 10K. For me, my cluster is stating service in 1,600 miles or 170 days, for the 30K service - I think I'll hit the miles before the days are done. Some would say 10K miles or once a year, but sticking with the mileage interval is easiest. Plus its easy to remember to do - nice round numbers - 10 - 20 - 30 etc.....
 

JdC Machine

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 30, 2012
Location
Cypress, CA
TDI
'13 Passat TDI SEL
What's everyone's opinion when it comes to the drain plug? I've seen some service kits offer a replacement plug and seal. Is it a recommendation to replace it every oil change?
 

vw_norm

Gone, but not forgotten.
Joined
Jul 22, 2012
Location
Hawaii
TDI
2012 NMS TDI SEL Platinum Gray w/moonrock
What's everyone's opinion when it comes to the drain plug? I've seen some service kits offer a replacement plug and seal. Is it a recommendation to replace it every oil change?
When I did my first oil change at 10K, I installed a new magnetic tipped drain plug with copper washer. The OEM plug has no magnetic tip and uses a steel washer. It may have been aluminum, but I didn't check (still in my take-off parts bin). I like the copper washers as they are more malleable and will seal better without risking damaging oil pan drain hole threads from over-torquing. At the 20K change there was minor magnetic stuff stuck to the magnet - more like fine sludgy stuff. We'll see how the 30K change goes in a couple weeks. I got some Dimple magnetic plugs as they are equipped with a huge strong magnet - pricey, but are worth the investment.
 

JdC Machine

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Joined
Dec 30, 2012
Location
Cypress, CA
TDI
'13 Passat TDI SEL
I prefer the magnetic plugs and copper washers as well. Where can I pick up one of those plugs?

Hunted and pecked from a Galaxy S4A.
 

vw_norm

Gone, but not forgotten.
Joined
Jul 22, 2012
Location
Hawaii
TDI
2012 NMS TDI SEL Platinum Gray w/moonrock
I prefer the magnetic plugs and copper washers as well. Where can I pick up one of those plugs?

Hunted and pecked from a Galaxy S4A.
These are the magnetic drain plugs that I started using:
magnetic drain plugs
The magnets are crazy strong and expensive. But if you got some floaters in your fluids, these magnetic drain plugs will hold onto it until you next remove it. Ship fast too.
Here's a pic of the OEM non magnetic plug vs. the Dimple magnetic plug:


and a side view:
 
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JdC Machine

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Joined
Dec 30, 2012
Location
Cypress, CA
TDI
'13 Passat TDI SEL
Thanks, Norm! Wish I hadn't ordered a replacement for my 12v Cummins a couple weeks ago. I may still buy the dimple magnet plug anyhow.

Hunted and pecked from a Galaxy S4A.
 

VeeDubTDI

Wanderluster, Traveler, TDIClub Enthusiast
Joined
Jul 2, 2000
Location
Springfield, VA
TDI
‘18 Tesla Model 3D+, ‘14 Cadillac ELR, ‘13 Fiat 500e
I added a frequently asked/misunderstood question to the first post of this thread...

Q: What is the difference between the NMS and a B7?

A: NMS stands for New Midsize Sedan, which is the project code name for the North American, Saudi Arabian and Chinese 2012+ Passats. B7 is a bit of a misnomer (it's really more like a B6.5), but refers to the European Passat, which is a completely different vehicle from the NMS. The B7 and NMS share practically nothing between them. While VWvortex and other sites commonly (and incorrectly) refer to all new Passats as B7s, it is technically incorrect.

Because TDIClub has a number of international members and prides itself on correct model identification, please use the proper terminology to refer to your Passat while posting here.

Summary: B7 = European Passat. NMS = North American, Saudi Arabian and Chinese Passat.
If you live in North America, you do not have a B7.
 

JdC Machine

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Joined
Dec 30, 2012
Location
Cypress, CA
TDI
'13 Passat TDI SEL
I ordered and received a magnetic drain plug from Dimple Motor Oil Magnets, just as Norm recommended. I grabbed one for my Cummins while I was at it. Super fast shipping too! Shipped out of Dimple in North Carolina on Friday and was on my doorstep the following day! It came with a total of 3 washers. From my best guess, they're aluminum. I don't know how well or if they'd crush enough to seal but I'd rather use a copper washer instead. Another 350-400 miles and up the ramps it goes!

I ordered a service kit from ECS Tuning which has 5qts. of Castrol Edge Pro. 5w30, an oil filter and o-rings. Following the maintenance schedule, the tires will get rotated and, even though it doesn't call for it until the 20k mile mark, a cabin air filter.

I'm considering buying replacement gaskets for the EGR tube as I think I may simply remove it to clear some room for getting the oil filter in and out. It would also be a good chance to clear it of any soot build-up to keep the gases flowing smoothly.

Hunted and pecked from a Galaxy S4A.
 

vw_norm

Gone, but not forgotten.
Joined
Jul 22, 2012
Location
Hawaii
TDI
2012 NMS TDI SEL Platinum Gray w/moonrock
I ordered and received a magnetic drain plug from Dimple Motor Oil Magnets, just as Norm recommended. I grabbed one for my Cummins while I was at it. Super fast shipping too! Shipped out of Dimple in North Carolina on Friday and was on my doorstep the following day! It came with a total of 3 washers. From my best guess, they're aluminum. I don't know how well or if they'd crush enough to seal but I'd rather use a copper washer instead. Another 350-400 miles and up the ramps it goes!

I ordered a service kit from ECS Tuning which has 5qts. of Castrol Edge Pro. 5w30, an oil filter and o-rings. Following the maintenance schedule, the tires will get rotated and, even though it doesn't call for it until the 20k mile mark, a cabin air filter.

I'm considering buying replacement gaskets for the EGR tube as I think I may simply remove it to clear some room for getting the oil filter in and out. It would also be a good chance to clear it of any soot build-up to keep the gases flowing smoothly.

Hunted and pecked from a Galaxy S4A.
I prefer the copper washers myself. Much more malleable as compared to aluminum. Let us know how pulling the EGR tube goes. I was thinking of getting some swageloc or parker fittings to an AN flare and a short stainless steel flex hose and making my own easily removable hose section for ease of future maintenance rather that disconnection flanges each time. Need to measure the tube OD to see what will fit/work.
 

JdC Machine

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Joined
Dec 30, 2012
Location
Cypress, CA
TDI
'13 Passat TDI SEL
Sounds like a good idea, Norm. You could have some flanges machined or cut to size with fittings or bungs welded/brazed to them. That certainly would simplify removal! If you'd like, I'll get measurements of the tube as a reference for you. ID may be the more critical dimension if flow is a concern.

You probably have a source already but, check out www.anplumbing.com for what you're looking for.

I grabbed the EGR tube gaskets and a copper washer today from a local dealer.



Top goes on the engine side. P/N: 069-131-547-D, $7.94.

Bottom goes to the EGR valve or intake manifold. P/N: 03K-131-547-C, $7.22.

Next step will be to get some triple square bits to remove the bolts at the intake manifold flange. The others on the engine side are torx head.

Hunted and pecked from a Galaxy S4A.
 
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JdC Machine

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Dec 30, 2012
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Cypress, CA
TDI
'13 Passat TDI SEL
Here's something I found while downloading documents from erWin Online. Although, it's a Canada Tech-Tip, I think it would still apply to the U.S. TDIs as they have the aluminum oil pan as well. 30nM or 22ft. lbs. of torque on the drain plug.

CTT 17-00-01 | Date: Mar. 6, 2014
"The oil drain plug can be reused until the sealing gasket is deformed. The drain plug must be torqued to 30 Nm each time. After that, the oil drain plug with gasket must be replaced. The drain plug and gasket must be ordered separately as per the parts catalog."
 

JdC Machine

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Joined
Dec 30, 2012
Location
Cypress, CA
TDI
'13 Passat TDI SEL
Performed my car's first 10k mile service today. More like 10,009 miles after driving around to get the engine coolant and oil up to normal operating temps.

I first made an attempt to pull the oil filter out without removing the EGR tube. I removed the 2 screws holding the coolant line as well as the plastic clip that holds the wiring harness. With a little bit of rocking back and forth, it was a success! No oil dripped on the insulation either. I did drape a plastic bag over everything though. But I did manage to get a drop of oil on the insulation after removing a rag used to wipe out the excess oil at the bottom of the housing.

After replacing the 3 o-rings on the cap assembly, putting filter back in took only a minute longer and went in just the same as it came out. Torqued the cap to the noted 25nM (18.4ft. lbs.) which hardly felt like much.

Then crawled underneath and installed my new Dimple Products magnetic drain plug and copper washer. Torqued to 30nM (22ft. lbs.).

After adding a little under 4.5qts., I ran the motor for a couple of minutes and looked around for any possible leaks. Everything is dry!

Rotated the tires, reset the service interval via VCDS and topped off the urea tank. Using the advanced measuring blocks under the ECM, VCDS told me that the tank was 77.75% full. Being a little under a 5 gallon capacity, I figured it to require a little over 1 gallon to top it off.

I bought 2 - 2.5 gallon bottles of Peak DEF. It came with a fill spout that screwed right in place of the cap. I wrapped thick rags around the filter neck of the urea tank to catch any small spills or drips. I set the bottle up on a small 4"x6" block with rags all around it while I poured it into the tank. Boy, what a small opening that has! Only had a couple of very small spills but all cleaned up just fine. Sure enough, it took a little over 1 gallon of DEF with the level just about the bottom of the filler neck.

As stated, all went well. No surprises or hang ups at all.

Hunted and pecked from a Galaxy S4A.
 

danielsza

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 18, 2013
Location
Mount Hope, Ontario
TDI
2014 Passat TDI 6 Speed Manual, Highline, no sports package, Night Blue Metallic
Sorry, but my google-fu doesn't seem to be very good today.

How does one reset the "Change oil now" service reminder?

I read the owner's manual again today. It was in there.
In case anyone wants to know..

Turn the ignition off.
Press and hold the (0.0/set) button on the right side of the cluster
then press the start/stop button
let go of both buttons

it should says something like "are you sure you want to reset the oil life"
then press ok
 
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bobthefarmer

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 11, 2013
Location
Indianapolis
TDI
2006.5 Jetta Mk 5 192K miles; 2012 Car of the Year, Passat Tdi SE+Nav in blue nightgown, shod in 18 inch heels
DSG Service, Hot and just like the Jetta/Golf procedure

Here is a link I found:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBYQnjur_wg
Looks like this is on a Golf/Jetta - can't imagine that it's much different on the Passat. Hopefully someone else can confirm. A coworker bought the refill kit and I helped him change his. Pretty easy - just make sure the car is cold first. After a couple of hours, the fluid temp (after changing) was still too high to check level. It warms up pretty quickly so start stone cold if possible.
Cold? Hell no! get it as hot as possible, let that fluid pour out like water! The case will be HOT and the new fluid going in will only take the brief operational steps (SHIFT THROUGH EACH GEAR for 3 Seconds WITH YOUR FOOT ON THE BRAKE). The new fluid will be warmed by the case and in no time at all you will be between 35-45 degrees C and ready to pull the VAS tool, drain the excess over the snorkel and install the plug. I just confirmed that on a NMS 2012 at 40K service. Imagine telling your customer who just drove in, to wait until tomorrow, your tranny has to be COOL. No way!:confused:
 

psd1

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 4, 2011
Location
OR
TDI
2006 Jetta 2013 Passat SE 6Man
Sorry, but my google-fu doesn't seem to be very good today.

How does one reset the "Change oil now" service reminder?

I read the owner's manual again today. It was in there.
In case anyone wants to know..

Turn the ignition off.
Press and hold the (0.0/set) button on the right side of the cluster
then press the start/stop button
let go of both buttons

it should says something like "are you sure you want to reset the oil life"
then press ok
And what if you dont have a start/stop button?
 

gforce1108

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 2, 2006
Location
Newburgh, NY
TDI
04 Jetta GLS BEW, 14 Audi A7 V6 TDI, 13 Porsche Cayenne V6 TDI
Cold? Hell no! get it as hot as possible, let that fluid pour out like water! The case will be HOT and the new fluid going in will only take the brief operational steps (SHIFT THROUGH EACH GEAR for 3 Seconds WITH YOUR FOOT ON THE BRAKE). The new fluid will be warmed by the case and in no time at all you will be between 35-45 degrees C and ready to pull the VAS tool, drain the excess over the snorkel and install the plug. I just confirmed that on a NMS 2012 at 40K service. Imagine telling your customer who just drove in, to wait until tomorrow, your tranny has to be COOL. No way!:confused:
If you follow the procedure - the fluid temperature must be in a certain range to check the level (I don't have the numbers in front of me so I'll go with the 25-45 you mentioned). The new cold fluid in a hot transmission was out of that range (too hot) to accurately measure. You have two choices - drain hot and wait for the trans to cool (which we did using fans sitting on top of the engine) or drain and fill cold (the only way to do this following the procedure).

You made my point for me - the dealer must not be following the procedure because if you drain hot and fill anywhere within 2 hours, it'll be over the acceptable range - at least that was the case with this Jetta. Another reason to skip the dealer and do it on your own. Just don't rush it.
 

Snoozer

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 28, 2010
Location
Southern Indiana
TDI
2015 Passat TDI SE Manual
How to remove/install the misfuel adapter 2013+ NMS Passat

After my first fill-up I realized what my first mod had to be. Prior to the Passat, I had a MK IV Golf TDI, and (after performing a ventectomy) I always fueled all the way up the filler neck. This is a difficult task in the new car due to the misfuel adapter. Naturally, someone has already figured out how to remove this annoyance, but since the original how-to is in the MK VI section, I thought I would link to it here. The adapter in our cars (2013+ Passats) is identical to the OP's. Thanks to TDEyes for the original helpful post.

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=365920

Here is a link to a youtube video that shows the procedure:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rnU3Bu1DT8
 

EfinTDI

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Joined
Aug 14, 2014
Location
San Diego, CA
TDI
2013 Passat TDI DSG, 2014 Passat TDI DSG
Just curious how this mod is an advantage, I can easily top off the fuel on my 13.
 

Snoozer

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 28, 2010
Location
Southern Indiana
TDI
2015 Passat TDI SE Manual
I see you're from California, so your nozzles are different from most other states. I like to fill up my diesels so that I can actually see the fuel coming up into the filler neck. With the misfuel guide (and flapper door) in place, I can't see how far up the fuel has gotten, leaving the possibility of either underfueling or overflowing, which are both bad. Fully fueling in this way gives me maximum range per fillup, as well as being a consistent marker for calculating mpg.
 

EfinTDI

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 14, 2014
Location
San Diego, CA
TDI
2013 Passat TDI DSG, 2014 Passat TDI DSG
I can see that, my 01 F350/7.3 is wide open. I thought about doing something. When I got my TDI, but as my wife drove a gasser, I didn't want to have an oops with a mixed filling, but now she also has a TDI, so it might make sense now, but I know that Kalifornia does check the fill cap etc on occasion.. M
 

gforce1108

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 2, 2006
Location
Newburgh, NY
TDI
04 Jetta GLS BEW, 14 Audi A7 V6 TDI, 13 Porsche Cayenne V6 TDI
I can see that, my 01 F350/7.3 is wide open. I thought about doing something. When I got my TDI, but as my wife drove a gasser, I didn't want to have an oops with a mixed filling, but now she also has a TDI, so it might make sense now, but I know that Kalifornia does check the fill cap etc on occasion.. M
Funny - my 7.3 (99) had the small filler opening while my Jetta has the large one. The misfuel preventer shouldn't be an emissions device so Cali would probably be OK with it. You aren't venting fumes, etc., just allowing the larger nozzle to fit. It's easy enough to reinstall if they complain.

I was just reading through the service manual yesterday and saw the section on removing/installing it. There are 2 versions listed with different procedures.

I've thought about removing it... I don't let anyone fill the car but I've gotten used to dealing with it.
 

Passat15

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Joined
Jan 15, 2015
Location
Virignia
TDI
2015 Passat TDI SE - Sold to VW
I have a 2015 Passat. Most of you know the filter is now below the car. I just changed my oil for the first time, and wanted to share some pictures of what you will see with the new design. The car went up on a pair of Low profile rhino ramps with no problem. This gave me plenty of room to work with.

1. First take off the belly pan..
2. The filter is located in the front of the engine between the fan and engine block. It had a 1/2" plug in the middle of the cap to let oil drain from the filter.

3. There is a rubber coated alternator electrical wire in the way of removing the cap. I unhooked it from a plastic mount holder and disconnected it. I also had to remove a tie strap that tied it together with another line (?).





4. You then have enough slack in the electrical line to swing it to the side or above to have access to removing the filter cap.
5. I then took the 1/2" plug out of the cap and let drain. About half quart came out. Put cap plug back in.
6. I then drained the main oil pan. It had a 19mm plug.
7. Plugged oil pan back up.
8. Then i took the cap off the oil filter housing using a 32mm (1.25") socket. I used the following socket and oil filter. Part 03N115562 oil filter from idparts and socket



9. Replaced filter/seal and cap 1/2" plug o-rings. Tightened cap back up. Reconnected electrical wires, tie-wrapped back to the other line, and replaced in plastic mount support. Replaced belly pan.
10. Added 4.75 quarts of 5w30 esp mobile 1 formula oil.
the manual calls for 4.5qts, but i had to put a little more in to get it to the safe Mark on the dip sick.
Edit 04/13 - Added another quart to bring the oil level up to the top of the cross-hatched area. There's another thread under this section where they discuss the misinformation that VW sent out regarding the 2015 oil level as 4.5qts, and should be 5.8qts. My manual was one of those that reported 4.5qts. Just to clarify, 4.5qts did not even come close to the correct level.

All done. A lesson learned, a 2014 filter will not work, not matter what Amazon says. I've never done a write up like this. So i hope it will help all least one person.

edit - Guess TapaTalk didn't add the pics correctly. will do so this evening. sorry.
 
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domano 68

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 17, 2012
Location
Alabama
TDI
2012 Passat TDI SE 6spd manual
When replacing the fuel filter on my 2012 Passat TDI, is it alright to fill the canister with pure Power Service diesel additive instead of diesel when replacing the new filter?
 

jsm172

Active member
Joined
May 28, 2014
Location
Jackson
TDI
Passat
When replacing the fuel filter on my 2012 Passat TDI, is it alright to fill the canister with pure Power Service diesel additive instead of diesel when replacing the new filter?
You dont need to add anything to it if you didnt drain the fuel out. Just put the new one in and crank it up
 

domano 68

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 17, 2012
Location
Alabama
TDI
2012 Passat TDI SE 6spd manual
I would like the canister to be full with no air when I reassemble. Removing the old filter takes fuel out of the canister since it is saturated. Therefore when putting new filter in air will replace fuel that was removed. Is PS ok to add to get topped off?
 

gforce1108

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 2, 2006
Location
Newburgh, NY
TDI
04 Jetta GLS BEW, 14 Audi A7 V6 TDI, 13 Porsche Cayenne V6 TDI
I would like the canister to be full with no air when I reassemble. Removing the old filter takes fuel out of the canister since it is saturated. Therefore when putting new filter in air will replace fuel that was removed. Is PS ok to add to get topped off?
You definitely don't want to 'crank it up' empty.... There is a thread already going somewhere here about that exact question. Depending on the year, the fuel pump will cycle with the key (13s, I believe - not your 12). The issue was whether the fuel/PS/etc. poured into the housing gets filtered or not. If I read the threads correctly, the PS would get run through the engine unfiltered.
Of course - VCDS will cycle the pumps for you to purge the air, but it can be done with a jumper in the fuel pump relay instead. There is a how-to posted somewhere if you search for it.
 
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