Side assist retrofit

[johnsmith]

Hello

My MY23 Passat B8 didn't come with side assist, so I don't get blind spot monitoring and rear cross traffic alert either.

I am investigating retrofitting it. Does anyone have experience with doing this?

Something like: Side Assist incl. Rear Traffic Altert for VW Passat B8

I can't seem to find an Australian site selling a retrofit kit. Would a VW specialist shop be able to install, code and calibrate it? If so can anyone suggest a good place in Sydney that can do it?

Many thanks!

[MMR36]

Hi there,

A few of us with B6's and B7's have completed that retrofit. You could source second-hand parts or get a retrofit kit from somewhere like AliExpress, something like; https://aliexpress.com/item/1005004196334502.html (check for your specific model).

There are some good examples of retrofitting around the world online if you do some searching. But in brief you'd need to fit a left and right radar unit (slave and master) in behind your rear bumper (i.e. remove it and bolt the carriers onto the body), run harness; pwr, ground and Can to the modules, run left and right signal harnesses (pwr, ground) from the master to each external mirror through each front door harness connector and up to the mirror. Given it's a B8, that may be easier as there may be some factory allowance as it was simpler on the production line. (Someone here will know).

Depending on the specific spec of your B8, you may need to change the park module to accommodate the functions (or software).

Then some coding and then each module will auto calibrate over a period of time. (This is not the case with B6 and B7 platforms, they need external calibration).

I would think getting it done through a shop may be somewhat cost prohibitive.

Lastly, you may need to satisfy yourself whether there'd be any warranty issues with such a new car...

cheers

[MIG]

It's a pretty involved mod; mirrors and door cards need to come off running a harness from the bumper to the gateway and fuse box, deff a few hours of work, it might be a good idea to do other things while the door is apart (e.g) sound deadening or speaker upgrades.

I don't think the new ~MY23 Passat uses the new MQBevo platform yet, so the link above will be the correct parts(still a good idea to cross-check them)

I have spoken to guys who used to be dealer techs, and VW are very against retrofitting. So I would see potential issues with the warranty etc.

[johnsmith]

Thank you, it does seem like it'll be quite involved. Are the Aliexpress kits any different to the more expensive ones such as kufatec?

You are right, it is on the MQB platform, not MQBevo.

The benefits might be outweighed by the costs and risks... at least for now until after the warranty period expires.

[MIG]

kufatec comes with better guides and support, whereas with the Aliexpress kit, you are on your own to work out wiring from Elsa.