Installing the Alien Remote Window Controller in the VW Passat B5

The VW Remote Window Controller allows me to open and close all the windows (including the sunroof) by just pressing buttons on the alarm remote. It will even lock the doors and open the windows a bit to allow air to vent out on a hot day. It's an amazing device that should have come standard on the Passat. Complete instructions to remove the VW Passat door panel are available on Alien Technology's Remote Window Controller web page. The instructions there are very thorough and there is no need to repeat them. What I have here is a companion: pictures of my own install plus some minor bumps I ran into while doing it (Doh!). The steps that I have listed here are condensed and some things are omitted. Please refer to the full remote window installation instructions (included with your controller) before attempting to remove the door panel.

The process is easy and anyone can do it. I am not mechanically inclined but I'm not afraid of fiddling around with things. My experience has always been "It's never as straightforward as it seems" and I expected a few Doh!s but it was no big deal. Everything looks great and everything works great. Keep in mind, I did this late at night so please don't laugh too hard at my mistakes.

I've got three sets of pictures. The ones you see on this page are the smallest to save loading time. In the medium and large pictures you'll be able to see more details plus the circles and arrows I drew to point out things.

Update: A number of people have indicated to me that it is very easy to break the snaps/clips while removing the door panel. Although, I never broke any during my install, it sounds like a good idea to have some spares. This is the part number for the snaps: 3B0-868-243 and they only cost a couple bucks from your VW dealer.

Also, check out the additional install information and pictures taken by AtomicAlex.

Difficulty rating of install job: (2 Doh!s plus 2 Arrghs)

Step 1: Remove interior cover from door pull I've got the wood trim and there doesn't seem to be any notches for the screwdriver to pop the thing out. Even though the pictures at Votex show removing it from the top, I figure I should try from underneath in case I make any scratches. It works! Woohoo!	Medium Picture (18 KB)	Large Picture (56 KB)
Step 2: Remove door handle/switch panel Yeah, the whole thing just pops off. There's about five places where it snaps in. Don't try removing the front trim--it's glued on and should stay there! In the picture I'm actually holding the trim in place. Doh! number one.	Medium Picture (18 KB)	Large Picture (60 KB)
Step 3: Remove switch panel connector and 3 screws The connector is circled and the arrows point to where the screws are. Technically they're screwed into the door--not under the handle. I removed some other useless screws first. Arrgh #1. Thanks to Blk Mgc Man at VWvortex for pointing out that I had indicated the wrong screws--Doh! These pictures are now correct. You can't see the screws in the picture, but their location is shown by the blue arrows.	Medium Picture (19 KB)	Large Picture (55 KB)
Step 4: Remove connectors and door panel The snaps for the panel (arrows) are on really tight--I had to pull pretty hard. Blue circle: power window switch connector (previously removed) Green circle: connector for light--it was a bit awkward to get out and I did it last. Yellow circle: power mirror connector. Brown circle: door handle latch--I just wiggled it around to get it off. Red circle: alarm LED connector--It's not near the lock. I wasted a bit of time trying to unplug the LED at the top of the door. Arrgh #2. Violet circle: this is the door lock you have to lift the panel over. I also have close up pictures of the connectors at the top (16 KB or 141 KB) and at the bottom (10 KB or 113 KB). At the bottom you can see how the speakers are riveted in place.	Medium Picture (21 KB)	Large Picture (61 KB)
Step 5: Position the remote window controller The recommended position does not give you 5-6 inches of clearance on the stock wiring so it's a bit tight, but still workable. I'm thinking to myself, Hey, I'm not doin' too bad!	Medium Picture (16 KB)	Large Picture (49 KB)
Step 6: Connect the wires I've never seen these kind of connectors before. Cool...they really do look alien! Anyway, I didn't realize that there was a better way to fit these on the wires. You'll know what I mean when you see the close-up (13 KB or 44 KB): The hole for the second wire only points in one direction, and one direction is better than the other. Connector with the Blue arrow: good. Red arrow: Bad. Doh! number two. Well, I didn't want to risk breaking any of the connectors (even though there was an extra included) so I left it the way it was: ugly, but functional. Note: Because of the tight fit, it was hard for me to push the green buttons down evenly. Maybe it was the pliers I was using. Anyway, I should have been more careful because when I was pushing down on one side, the other side of the button popped out and the whole thing fell apart. I couldn't get the button back on again and I had to use the spare connector. I was so worried about breaking another one after that--where can you go to get one of those things at 1 am?!	Medium Picture (21 KB)
Step 7: Tape it up! That's it. All taped up and ready to test. After that, putting the door back on is easy--Woohoo, I did it!	Medium Picture (28 KB)