First Panzer Plate for 2012 Passat Installed

kydsid · July 5th, 2012, 12:22

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 · July 5th, 2012, 12:27

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 · July 5th, 2012, 13:32

Looks good! How bad was the install?

kydsid · July 5th, 2012, 15:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by VeeDubTDI

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 · July 5th, 2012, 16:36

You'll have to tell us how it holds up to Armadillo attacks....

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

TDI-BZ · July 6th, 2012, 00:19

$$$$$?

corrado tdi · July 6th, 2012, 07:52

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 · July 6th, 2012, 09:07

Wish this had come out a week or 2 ago!

I would have ordered one and had Oilhammer install it yesterday when I was in his shop.

vw_norm · July 30th, 2012, 00:04

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 · July 30th, 2012, 00:33

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 · July 30th, 2012, 05:52

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 · July 30th, 2012, 06:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChadS99SVT

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

My wife drives the car most the time, soo

Quote:

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.

vw_norm · July 30th, 2012, 08:32

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 · July 30th, 2012, 08:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by vw_norm

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 · July 30th, 2012, 10:46

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.