B4V Das Bici - Back to Original Project

crayonbox

Member
Joined
Jul 17, 2017
Location
Sioux City, Iowa
TDI
SOLD: 2002 Jetta TDI / SELLING: 1996 Passat TDI B4V / CURRENT: 2018 Golf Alltrack Base
I recently acquired a 1996 B4V Passat from carterpiano on this forum.

So Thank You Volkswagen TDI community for the knowledge, resources and advice.

I freshly drove this from Eugene Oregon to the midwest roughly 2000mi/3200km. Some interior panels are squeaky and the aftermarket stereo sounds very shrill (I'd like to find a OEM or A3 premium stereo to replace it) Other than this, the car drove extremely well at about 87mph/140km/h.



The mileage was not too impressive, but I have a trusted mechanic that will advise me here.

These are the numbers:
750/19 - 39.5 [20% biodiesel - Sequential]
550/15.15 - 35.5
590/16.6 - 35.5

Here is a background of the car & myself pictures below of car after I vacuumed it and removed some panels & stereo receiver for analysis







Removed the cargo cover guides, since the cover was missing


All clips are broken on the middle hatch panel, I removed it for now to avoid road noise


-the previous owner purchased from NiceCars TDI – I have heard many things about this company and will give a non-biased opinion from my experience.
-I am a bicycle mechanic / shop owner who has good mechanical background, quite detail oriented, but lacking in car mechanics.
-I also dislike meshing plastic body panels, etc. but am in the process of learning while owning this car
-I plan to use biodiesel within the next two years consistently. The car ran on biodiesel from Sequential in Eugene Oregon. see http://choosesq.com/biodiesel/resources/ The fuel is clean burning & seems to get good mileage from my very limited experience (1 tanks compared to 2 tanks of diesel)
-I would use biodiesel sooner but we do not have a reliable source for biodiesel here yet. I may be interested in pairing with someone in the area to start providing it


Seeking the following parts
-Rear hatch middle panel w/ clips intact - Black
-Door finishing pieces / moldings - Black
-Original Hubcaps - In Excellent + condition
-Factory or newer plug and play Receiver / Stereo (the impedance of these seem to drive stock speakers better)
-Orange clips for side moudling on rear pass-side door

Questions

What are these wires for?
Answered - CD Changer


Was there a factory amp for the speakers? Answered - No
What to I need to know about the "antenna amp?"
Answered - Antenna amp built in to antenna base on OE Fuba antenna bases
 
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Steve Addy

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 7, 2002
Location
Iowa
TDI
97 Mk3
Looking forward to this post, nice to see another tdi enthusiast from Iowa post up on here.

Answers to questions:
what wires?
no factory amp for the speakers
antenna amp built in to antenna base on OE Fuba antenna bases.

Steve A
 

tbones

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 22, 2005
Location
Annapolis, Maryland
TDI
1996 Passat wagon tdi, 1991 Corrado TDI (sold)1983 Vanagon 7pass.GL 1.6td 1982 Westy;THE PHOENIX 1.6na(NOW JX/5speed) my partner's 2014 Jetta Sportwagon 6spd manual AND MY NEW TOY/PROJECT... Sunny, a bright yellow 87 syncro Westy with 1Z TDI motor
Hello, and congratulations on your purchase!

I believe those wires were for the CD changer which was mounted in that area…I have one installed on my car, and it is not very useful. It tends to skip over every bump and expansion joint. The original radio was very nice, but it only had a cassette, and then the CD changer in the back area.

When you find a decent plastic hatch panel, I would suggest putting some double-sided foam tape in areas where the plastic touches the metal… This may keep the squeaks down to a minimum. Mine has the same problem.

You'll find some excellent intelligent help here on this forum… Many people have owned and loved these wagons, and you'll find answers to almost all your questions by posting here.

Congratulations again on your purchase.

Regards,

Steve
 
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Steve Addy

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 7, 2002
Location
Iowa
TDI
97 Mk3
IIRC there's a black rear folding center panel FS in the classifieds forum.

And yes, what others have said, those wires are for a CD changer that could have been ordered with your car.

Steve A
 

ToddA1

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 3, 2011
Location
NJ 08002
TDI
'96 B4V, '97 B4 (sold), '97 Jetta (scrapped)
For me, it was about being able to load a lot of stuff, of needed. I was coming from a diesel Rabbit pick up, and I was technically buying air conditioning.

I honestly didn’t know about the low production numbers, until I began my search.

-Todd
 

jhax

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 24, 2012
Location
Golden, CO
TDI
96 Passat B4V, ALH engine out of a 2002 Jetta, some IE Rods and ASV Pistons. Nothing drivable yet though
For me its the mileage per tank. I drove from Golden, CO to Las Vegas, NV without taking any interstates, highways only, I got to see some of the most beautiful parts of CO, UT and NV. I drove down there, around there and only had to fill up on my way out. I also comfortably slept in the back of the car somewhere in UT. The cargo space is also awesome.
 

tbones

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 22, 2005
Location
Annapolis, Maryland
TDI
1996 Passat wagon tdi, 1991 Corrado TDI (sold)1983 Vanagon 7pass.GL 1.6td 1982 Westy;THE PHOENIX 1.6na(NOW JX/5speed) my partner's 2014 Jetta Sportwagon 6spd manual AND MY NEW TOY/PROJECT... Sunny, a bright yellow 87 syncro Westy with 1Z TDI motor
So what's the draw to these B4 wagons? Always see the higher prices and interest in them.

Like Packard, ask a man who owns one?

I believe it's the biggest vehicle you can find that can easily and regularly get over 50mpg. That, and the rear leg room is outstanding(I have many tall friends...)

Regards,
Steve
 
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