First Panzer Plate for 2012 Passat Installed

kydsid

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 18, 2012
Location
Texas
TDI
2012 Passat
This was the one mod I really wanted for the car. After a close call with a piece of concrete on the highway I contacted DieselGeek. Had to wait as Jim was still developing the plate for the new car. Today thanks to Jim himself it was installed.

Looks awesome, and believe me is stout. I did not notice any change to the car in driving or sound..


IMAG0225 by kydsid, on Flickr



IMAG0223 by kydsid, on Flickr
 

BarnyardsTDI

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 28, 2010
Location
Sacramento California
TDI
2010 Golf w/DSG, Malone Stage 2 (all emissions intact), HID's, Sunroof, Dynaudio, NAV
Trust me its stout. Ive tested it out all over the Lone Star state, and California, and Colorado. I assume you live close to San Antonio if Jim installed. You need it there!! So much crap on the freeways in that town haha.
 

VeeDubTDI

Wanderluster, Traveler, TDIClub Enthusiast
Joined
Jul 2, 2000
Location
Springfield, VA
TDI
‘18 Tesla Model 3D+, ‘14 Cadillac ELR, ‘13 Fiat 500e
Looks good! How bad was the install?
 

kydsid

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 18, 2012
Location
Texas
TDI
2012 Passat
Looks good! How bad was the install?

It looked really easy. ;)

Bolted right up. Little difference for the Passat with the plastic Fender wells, but Jim's install instructions are very detailed and even a goof like myself could do this install.
 

eatpasta

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 5, 2011
Location
Santa Barbara, Ca
TDI
2012 Passat
You'll have to tell us how it holds up to Armadillo attacks....

:D

Ill have to get one of these - im very happy with their shift kit for sure.
 

Dieselgeek

TDIClub Enthusiast, Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
Oct 3, 2000
Location
Golden, CO
TDI
2016 Golf TDI
The new B7 Passat Panzer is on sale for $260 plus shipping of about $20-$25. This is an introductory discount of $15 of the regular price of $275. On August 1st the kit will have a regular price of $275.00 plus shipping.
 

TheGrove

TDIClub Enthusiast, Veteran Member
Joined
May 17, 2006
Location
S Central PA (Breezewood)
TDI
2012 Passat SEL Premium Opera Red - Dieselgate Fix, KermaTDI Tune, 2004 Passat GLS Northern Green-RIP
Wish this had come out a week or 2 ago!:mad: I would have ordered one and had Oilhammer install it yesterday when I was in his shop.
 

vw_norm

Gone, but not forgotten.
Joined
Jul 22, 2012
Location
Hawaii
TDI
2012 NMS TDI SEL Platinum Gray w/moonrock
I installed the Panzer skid plate today. Jim's instructions were very clear and easy to follow and the kit included almost everything needed, other than a 30 mm socket. Even included the lock-tight for the threads and a straight razor for trimming the plastic interference. Took 2 hours from start to finish. Here's a couple of pics:

The left side bracket:

And the right side:
 

hhead

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 29, 2012
Location
los angeles
TDI
2012 Passat Tdi SEL premium
I got mine the other day. Out of town for a few weeks, so install has to wait. It is a nice piece. Although it doesn't affect its function, mine showed up gouged up! Would of looked as nice as yours otherwise.
 

ChadS99SVT

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 17, 2012
Location
Parker, CO
TDI
2013 Passat TDI DSG
is there a specific reason for this mod? or you guys just being extra cautious?

Does the TDI oil pan hang down lower than most cars? are TDI's prone to damage on the undercarriage?
 

kydsid

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 18, 2012
Location
Texas
TDI
2012 Passat
is there a specific reason for this mod? or you guys just being extra cautious?
My wife drives the car most the time, soo ;):p

Does the TDI oil pan hang down lower than most cars? are TDI's prone to damage on the undercarriage?
Yes and I don't really think so. Take off the stock belly pan though and you will see both the exposure of the oil pan and transmission. In the end it is cheap insurance against a much bigger cost because the stock belly pan is plastic and only really keeps the engine compartment clean, it offers little to no protection.

Also a metal skid plate for most models has been an available factory option in Europe and sometimes over here. For now I think DieselGeek is the only one with a plate out for the new Passat.
 
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vw_norm

Gone, but not forgotten.
Joined
Jul 22, 2012
Location
Hawaii
TDI
2012 NMS TDI SEL Platinum Gray w/moonrock
Just being cautious. There's a lot of expensive low hanging fruit in there, like the DSG transmission (in the pic with the left side bracket), the engine oil pan, the AC compressor, etc. I was surprised by the amount of little stones and other debris that managed to find its way onto the top of the stock belly shield after only 4000 miles. If this deflects only one landmine from the road, it was money well spent.
 

ChadS99SVT

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 17, 2012
Location
Parker, CO
TDI
2013 Passat TDI DSG
Just being cautious. There's a lot of expensive low hanging fruit in there, like the DSG transmission (in the pic with the left side bracket), the engine oil pan, the AC compressor, etc. I was surprised by the amount of little stones and other debris that managed to find its way onto the top of the stock belly shield after only 4000 miles. If this deflects only one landmine from the road, it was money well spent.
True True. I guess I will have to add this to my list of stuff to get asap.

install sounds pretty easy. does this interfere with any servicing requirements? like when I take it into the dealer for oil changes or tranny flushes?
 

kydsid

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 18, 2012
Location
Texas
TDI
2012 Passat
I just took mine in for 10k service. I told the service writer about it and it wasn't a problem. It's no harder to remove than the belly pan.
 

ssg510

Active member
Joined
Dec 28, 2011
Location
va
TDI
none now
Just put a deposit on an sel today. Will put one on the car ASAP. Have one on the 01 beetle now and had one on my 01 jetta tdi. They are great and offer lots of protection.
 

unixb0y

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 1, 2003
Location
Manitoba, Canada
TDI
2013 Passat Comfortline 6MT Nav
I have a 2013 on order and I'm wondering how easy is the plate to take off for an oil change and where is the oil filter located?
 

vw_norm

Gone, but not forgotten.
Joined
Jul 22, 2012
Location
Hawaii
TDI
2012 NMS TDI SEL Platinum Gray w/moonrock
It's no more difficult than the stock plastic shield - no additional fasteners - the three in the rear replace the OEM bolts, just a bit longer for the added thickness, and the 2 large 30mm nuts in the front replace 2 of the original T25 screws, so the fastener count is the same. There is nothing difficult about this mod. One a scale of 1-5, thus is maybe a 2 for difficulty. I installed this laying on my creeper, held it up with one hand, and used the other to start the nuts and bolts in. I didn't weigh it, but this is one stout piece of aluminum, probably about 13-15 pounds. Although having a lift to get the car off the ground is helpful, it is not necessary. Putting the car up on ramps would also suffice. You'd have to remove it to drain the oil, but the filter is accessed from the top.
 

TD Einspritzer

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 18, 2012
Location
South Florida
TDI
2012 Passat TDI SE
Need to add this to my list. Do you have to take off the stock one for oil changes as well or is there an opening to access the oil drain screw?
 

Dieselgeek

TDIClub Enthusiast, Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
Oct 3, 2000
Location
Golden, CO
TDI
2016 Golf TDI
Need to add this to my list. Do you have to take off the stock one for oil changes as well or is there an opening to access the oil drain screw?
You already have to remove the stock belly pan, and taking of ours as well does not add much work at all--it takes about four or five minutes.
 

hhead

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 29, 2012
Location
los angeles
TDI
2012 Passat Tdi SEL premium
Instructions? Mine didn't come with any!
edit: they are on the website.
 
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TD Einspritzer

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 18, 2012
Location
South Florida
TDI
2012 Passat TDI SE
Really like this additional protection and might get me one as well.
It seems that the Panzer plate will be installed on top of the original plastic one, correct? In order to save some weight can the Panzer plate be installed by itself as well?
 

kydsid

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 18, 2012
Location
Texas
TDI
2012 Passat
Yes it can be installed on top of the stock plastic. And sure you could remove the stock pan but the stock one weighs less than 5lbs in my estimation, so not much saved.
 

Dieselgeek

TDIClub Enthusiast, Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
Oct 3, 2000
Location
Golden, CO
TDI
2016 Golf TDI
Really like this additional protection and might get me one as well.
It seems that the Panzer plate will be installed on top of the original plastic one, correct? In order to save some weight can the Panzer plate be installed by itself as well?
The Panzer uses the stock belly pan for noise reduction, heat retention and splash protection. The Panzer sits just underneath the stock belly pan between it and the ground. The stock belly pan weighs under 2 pounds.
 

TD Einspritzer

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 18, 2012
Location
South Florida
TDI
2012 Passat TDI SE
Thanks a lot for your reply Jim. It makes sense and the weight of the stock one is not too bad. Will most likely order one soon. It is a piece of mind to have this protection even I never had anything happen to one of the many cars I owned.
 

hhead

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 29, 2012
Location
los angeles
TDI
2012 Passat Tdi SEL premium
Wanted to give much thanks to Jim aka corrado tdi, for taking care of me and my install. Super fast and GREAT service!
Thanks again Jim, gonna install it today!

Rich
 

Joe Fisher

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 27, 2002
Location
Kalispell, MT
TDI
NA
The TDI has a light aluminum oil pan, not steel. And also as was mentioned, there is a lot of low hanging fruit under there.

I just had mine installed on my 3 week old 2013 JSW.

I installed one on my 2003 Jetta Wagon I used to own.

bottom line: I would not want to drive without it.

is there a specific reason for this mod? or you guys just being extra cautious?

Does the TDI oil pan hang down lower than most cars? are TDI's prone to damage on the undercarriage?
 

phlfly

Banned
Joined
Dec 20, 2012
Location
N.VA
TDI
Passat SEL
I don't really see a problem since Passat sits as higher as my Volvo VC70. So why? Are you guys do off roading?
I lowered my car, that can cause a problem but I rear see anything on road. And even anything would be on road you are looking to take your lower part of the bumper before anything else.
 

hhead

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 29, 2012
Location
los angeles
TDI
2012 Passat Tdi SEL premium
Peace of mind, mainly. I've lowered my Passat, so I figured cheap insurance. Besides, how many times have you seen things fly off cars, trucks, etc.., and barely miss the items.
Cheap insurance. My .02
 
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