2004 Volkswagen Touareg V8 Click on thumbnails below for larger pics....
This was purchased from Dwight Harrison VW, our sales
consultant Tom Board has sold us three cars including this one,
great buying experience AND after the sale assistance. If you are in the market for a car or need
parts/service in the metro Atlanta area, the guys at Dwight Harrison are great...
This was a late VIN 2004 model that had all TSBs performed and was VW certified. The GLi is a second car for my wife now, she is
happy about the additional space she has in the Treg. The week after we bought it the stepper motor and brake
light switch required replacement, Kudos to Van and the service staff for performing this same day after VW picked the car up at lunch.
The dealership also replaced all worn soft-touch pieces. Some pics the week after we brought it home:
Euro light switch from ECS Tuning allows for added flexibility with lights as well as a provision for rear fogs when
added (coming soon)....
Stainless steel dead pedal and emergency brake cover installed, purchased from Spockcat on Club Touareg.
Now the dead pedal area is covered so the carpet won't wear and the emergency brake matches the other pedals.
Aspherical sideview mirrors from Euro market installed, purchased from Spockcat on Club Touareg.
I had become used to the aspherical mirrors on my other VWs and felt blind driving with the US spec mirrors, more visibility now.
Modified the center visor for mounting radar detector and scanner.
Passport
8500 X50 hard wired (manual
here). Uniden Beartracker BCT-10 scanner also hard wired and mounted,alerts for transponder signals within 3-mile radius
(manual here). The first thing I elected to do was tap the power wires for both units into the Homelink ignition wire using StuartMI's instructions
HERE. On to the mounting, I started by marking with pencil and cutting slots in the center visor with a dremel tool and drill bit (using it like a Rotozip),
cut two strips of velcro to go through the slots. Next, a strip of velcro was placed on the bottom of both units. Finally, both units were plugged in and
secured using the velcro. They can be easily removed and are very
secure. I ordered a new center visor just in case I ever need to replace it, $16.
You can't have a real off-road vehicle without VW Monster Mats:
New Wheels- TSW 'Slot' 18"x8":
Windows tinted 35% by Mr. Tint (aka Barry Wood, H:(770)963-7924 C:(404)392-8007) with LLumar
AT35 Green automotive window film. This LLumar film is a perfect match for the Touareg factory tint, maybe slightly lighter:
Chiprotect
protective headlight film installed. 30 mil thick to repel rock and other road projectile fractures.....click
HERE for installation instructions. Small air bubbbles disappear after a few days and a heat gun makes installation easier, having a helper to apply
heat while film is applied makes the installation a little smoother with better results.
VW "Bootliner" (P/N 7L0-061-170) purchased from 1st VW Parts and installed. Allows for carrying more diverse
things in the back without messing up the interior, easily detached from included screw-in velcro anchor points for hosing out/off:
Purchased OEM mini-headrests to replace the outboard large headrests, looks cleaner and visibility is better:
Phatnoise Phatbox purchased from ex-Treg owner, came with heatsink modified for flush mounting.
Manuals for VW Phatbox: User Manual, Quick Start Guide,
SSA/Voice Guide, Radio Setup Guide. Pics L to R:
Front and rear views of modified heatsink, changer mount was modified by drilling a new side mount hole 1.25 inches to the rear of the front mount hole,
hole drilled in side panel to allow access to torx screw for mount, phatbox mounted with amplifier reinstalled on top, Phatbox and trim installed, cover
snapped in over Phatbox. Last pic is of the adapter that must be removed from the CD Changer wiring harness to plug the Phatbox in- it may appear to work
and appears to be part of the plug but it doesn't and it's not.
Rear fog light mod performed while interior was apart for Phatbox installation. Requires euro light switch, VW Wire Set P/N 000-979-133, some wire, and a P21W bulb (Hint:
Your auto parts "professional" might not have a clue what this bulb is, I had to find this one myself). Pics L to R: VW Wire kit, P21W bulbs and
bulb carrier, rear fog icon in speedo, rear fog lit up (BRIGHT). I also put together a quick DIY guide HERE,to supplement
the DIY compilation by shersmith on Club Touareg that sums up all of the best posts on both VW Vortex and Club Touareg.
These write ups on VW Vortex by qfactor and posts by others on Vortex and Club Touareg made this MUCH easier to do.
New Tag:
Euro Dash Bin/Cover installed. Removal of US spec bin and installation of the euro bin was performed using the
Treg Central instructions found
HERE.
I also discovered that TSB 57-04-04 to address poor remote range had only been started (and not completed), the add-on wire to the antenna
was sitting neatly coiled underneath the old bin. Instead of following the TSB directions and routing it the VW way, I ran it underneath the instrument cluster/dash
and up the a-pillar by tucking the wire around behind the trim while pulling the rubber seal back. The remote now works just like it should have always, no more
waving my arm around as I push the button to try and unlock the rear hatch
The pictures below summarize what happens when VWOA writes their TSBs for the dealership (specifically 27-05-03) so that the car has to leave you stranded before the service
department can address the problem: 1) The first sign you are out of luck is failure of your remote to unlock the door, 2) The next sign is your car
failing to start and your key locked into the ignition switch. VW road service was out within the hour, I ended up attempting to get enough current to the car
via the jump posts and my battery charger to get the transmission into neutral so it would roll out of the garage (with the battery dead, you cannot remove your key,
or move the transmission lever, etc........nice design VW
Purchased Mio C310x
to share between my cars for navigation utilizing the included suction cup mount. One of the cheaper portable Nav units on the market and has lots of features:
Mio C310x Data Sheet,
Mio Map Manual, and
Mio C310 Manual
[UPDATE] I decided the 2004 voltage issue was never going to be corrected and my wife
wanted to consolidate her two cars, the GLi and the Touareg, down to one. We could sell the GLi but I didn't feel the Touareg she had would perform well as a primary car
......so we decided to upgrade to a newer, nicer CPO Touareg. The deal was right and the new Treg has 14.2 on the voltage guage in place of the 12.5 we had become
accustomed to. All mods were removed prior to the trade to be installed in the new Treg: 2005 Touareg V8
Oil Analysis performed by
Blackstone Laboratories
Touareg Reviews:
Get these on the new Touareg Page Touareg Video:
*High Speed Connection Recommended*
Get these on the new Touareg Page
Touareg DIYs/Documents/Files:
Get these on the new Touareg Page
Touareg Technical Service Bulletins (TSBs):
Click here to see a list of all Touareg TSBs
VW Maintenance Schedule:
VW Related Documents/Files:
Your VW and Aftermarket Parts- From VWOA (.pdf)
Emergency brake cover attached using PC7
epoxy, very solid after curing overnight.
: 
, how did you think Touareg buyers would get their car out of the garage when
the tow truck arrives?).
As the car was loaded up, I thought it is pretty sad that you know your voltage guage has been hovering between 12.5V and 13.5V since purchasing and this is
considered normal behaivior by VW? I almost put for sale signs on ALL the VWs today and was ready to seek another car manufacturer. If you get angry thinking
about the way VW handles issues like this, the last thing you want to do is call the VWOA customer care (or no-care) line like I did months ago to try and
resolve the low voltage issue (another big ): 
Looking for a forum dedicated to GPS hacks/tips/tricks for the Mio? www.gpspassion.com
