It's really not that bad a job. Just be sure to break loose the hub nuts while the car is still on the ground. 30MM nut that will require a serious breaker bar (I use a 5 foot pipe) to break it loose. I'd recommend replacing those hub nuts if they don't come with the half shaft.
You'll need a special 12 point star key do get off the bolts that join the innner CV to the tranny. Don't recall the size, but someone here will jump in and help you out. I got my key from a local auto parts store. You'll probably have to spin the axle a couple of times to loosen all the inner bolts.
Not sure about the Passat, but on the older Jettas, you need to loosen the bolts that hold on the lower ball joint to get enough room for the axle shaft to drop out. You should mark the location with some White Out, as these bolts are the camber adjustment for the alignment. Even if you mark them, you may want to have an alignment done after you finish the job.
Doing both sides is good Preventative Maintenance, at 146K you're nearing the end of normal life for these things. There's been some talk around here about the quality of rebuilt CV's vs. new CV's. A rebuild means they just got an old core, ground out the surfaces and put in larger bearings. I've always used rebuilts on my cars, but be sure that if you buy a rebuilt shaft that it has a lifetime warantee. I've had one rebuilt CV in 10 die in a relatively short timespan (15K miles). Still though, I thought the extra work of replacing the bad one was less expensive than the extra $$$ from buying new CVs.
Prices can vary wildly, so call around a LOT to find the best deal. Heck, AutoZone's site is showing a remanufactured half shaft for $60 with a $55 core charge, and I know they've got a lifetime warantee, that's where I've always gotten mine. You should try
Adirondack ([url]www.germanautoparts.com)[/url] Call 'em if it's not on their site. And, try calling around your local area parts stores too.
