Volkswagen Chattanooga builds 100 000th Passat

Volkswagen is celebrating its first important milestone with the production of the 100,000th car at its new $1 billion Chattanooga factory.

The car - a Night Blue Metallic 2.0-liter TDI SEL Premium - was bought by Joanne Benante, who had the key handed to her by Volkswagen Chattanooga CEO Frank Fischer in a special ceremony that included all the plants employees.

Passat No. 100,000 was completed just nine months after the car went on sale in the U.S. and 114 days after building the 50,000th car. The plant builds all Passats for the U.S. and for export to Canada, Mexico, the Middle East and South Korea.







Press Release

Volkswagen Chattanooga Builds 100,000th Car

CHATTANOOGA, TN--(Marketwire - May 31, 2012) - Volkswagen Chattanooga has achieved another significant production milestone -- the completion of its 100,000th Passat, just nine months after the car went on sale in the U.S. The milestone Passat was handed over to its new owner in a ceremony held today with hundreds of Volkswagen employees at the Chattanooga factory.

The Passat was driven off the line by employees from the factory and into the Conference Center where an all-employee meeting was being held this morning. The keys were then handed to Volkswagen Chattanooga CEO and Chairman Frank Fischer who presented them to owner Joanne Benante, who had come from Atlanta, Georgia, to take delivery at the factory. To the cheers of the employees, she then drove her new car through the middle of the gathering and out the front doors on her way back to I-75 and south to Atlanta.

"We have built each and every one of those 100,000 Passats with a passion for detail that sets the standard for safety and reliability for the mid-size sedan market," Fischer said. "Im so proud of our team for reaching this milestone so quickly while maintaining the superior quality that earned the Passat the Motor Trend 2012 Car of the Year award," Fischer said.

The 100,000th Passat built at the LEED Platinum Certified Chattanooga factory was a Night Blue Metallic 2.0-liter TDI SEL Premium with six-speed DSG® dual-clutch automatic transmission and Moonrock leather interior.

"Producing 100,000 Passats so soon after the vehicle went on sale in September 2011 is a testament to all the hard work that has gone into making our LEED-certified Chattanooga plant and the Passat such a success, both here and abroad," said Jonathan Browning, President and CEO, Volkswagen of America. "It is further evidence that our momentum in the U.S. market is continuing and we are appreciative of our growing customer base, which has been drawn to the Passats outstanding fuel economy, German engineering and value," Browning said.

The Volkswagen Chattanooga team celebrated completion of the first customer car on April 18, 2011, the 10,000th Passat on Sept. 8, 2011 and the 50,000th Passat on Feb. 7, 2012.

The 100,000 vehicles include pre-series cars, technical training cars, dealer experience cars, U.S. customer cars and export cars to Mexico, Canada, South Korea and the Middle East.

How to Install a Blow Off Valve on a Passat

1. Park the Passat in your driveway and pull the emergency brake up. Pull the hood release latch, then turn the Passat off. Prop the hood up and disconnect the black cable from the car battery to protect yourself from electrical shorts. Put drop cloths on the edges of the engine bay to protect the paint.
2. Locate the turbocharger downpipe; the Passats blow off valve is attached to the side of the pipe. Pull the vacuum line top from the top of the blow off valve by hand. Unscrew the O-ring clamp that secures the bottom of the valve to the downpipe port. Pull the old blow off valve off and place it to the side.
3. Plug the new blow off valve into the port on the downpipe. Screw the O-ring clamp onto the bottom of the blow off valve until it is tight and will not budge. Plug the vacuum line in on the top of the blow off valve. Reconnect the black wire to the car battery and shut the Passats hood.
4. Turn the Passat on and take it for a test drive. If the Passat blow off valve is installed correctly, the engine speed will drop suddenly once you exit the turbo power band. If the engine speed stays elevated after fast driving, then the blow off valve is not working right. The vacuum line may have come off or the blow off valve spring may be broken.

How to Change the Fuel Filter on 2001 Passat

1. Park the Passat on a flat surface. Raise the rear with the floor jack and lower it securely onto jack stands. You can also drive the back tires up on ramps to gain access to the filter. Never work under a car when it is only supported by a floor jack.
2. Locate the skid panel that protects the underside of the car; it is on the drivers side at the back of the car. Remove the four nuts around the perimeter of the panel with a socket and a ratchet. Remove the Phillips screw in the middle of the panel. Set the panel out of the way.
3. Remove the two bolts that hold the bracket for the fuel filter. The filter is cylindrically shaped. Squeeze the bracket with your hand once the two bolts are removed to loosen and remove the bracket. The filter should fall free.
4. Squeeze the fuel line from the gas tank that goes into the filter with the vise grips to prevent fuel from spilling when it is removed. Loosen the hose clamps that hold the fuel lines to the filter on either side, one that comes from the tank on one side and one that comes out of the filter on the other side that goes to the engine. Depending on the type, the clamps may be loosened with a screwdriver or by squeezing them together with a pair of pliers.
5. Install the new filter with the arrow on the filter facing toward the engine. Slide the fuel lines onto the filter on either side and tighten the hose clamps. Reinstall the fuel filter bracket with the two bolts and the screw that hold it on. Reinstall the skid panel. Start the engine to make sure there are no leaks. Lower the car back to the ground or drive it down off the ramps.