How to remove the rear seat from a 2018 Passat, B8

[guyburns]

In April 2022 I bought a 2018 Passat wagon because it was the closest I could find as a replacement for my Toyota Camry station wagon: low slung, 4 cylinder, under 2L, and plenty of room to sleep in the back.

I removed the Camry seats soon after I purchased it secondhand in 2004, and set up the luggage area as a permanent sleeping/luggage space. I never regretted that decision in the 18 years I had the Camry (or for the 14 years I had a Ford Cortina before that), but they were both cheap secondhand cars.

The same idea was always intended for the Passat, but it wasn't an easy decision to wipe out almost all it's resale value, so I put off the decision for a several weeks just to be sure it was the right move.

I have documented the removal of the backseat on pages 5-8 of this PDF.

P.S. All the paraphenalia associated with the backseat and the luggage compartment are now for sale. Anyone interested, check out eBay, gumtree (search for "VW Passat Wagon, B8, 2018"), or gmail me direct at gdburns. Make an offer – I'm listening.

[Hillbilly]

Would just post a bit of a warning here. In most States if you remove permanently fixed seats from a vehicle for any length of time, or as in this case permanently you need a Mod plate on the car. The mod number is LK1.

I had to get one when I removed the second row from my Landcruiser for 2 years and had to advise TMR of the fact. When I replaced them a second mod plate was applied and papers were noted again.

I was told it had insurance implications because doing so can change the insurance type for the vehicle.