I have a Passat 2001 1.8 T, with 160k miles. A few days back, the brake & ABS light came on. I took it to a mechanic to check the code, and he confirmed it is ABS controller module issue. The mechanic suggested to me it can be replaced only by dealer. The dealer estimate was way too high.
I did some searching on the internet and found a couple of people on ebay who repair the ABS Module controller and charge around 70$. Based on my reading on internet, it looks like some internal wiring connection broke in the ABS Module controller and the guys listed on ebay fix the internal connections.
Has anybody had a similar problem or any suggestions to fix it?
Rather than pay the outrageous dealer or mechanic price for an ABS controller, I took a different course of action when it failed on my '99 Passat, 1.8T.
There are services, found on the web, that will rebuild ABS controllers for a lot less money. The challenge is removing the old one. Again, web sites offered step-by-step instructions how to remove the controller. (On my car, acess to the controller required removing a wheel and the windshield wiper reservoir.)
When my rebult module was installed, the problem was solved and I haven’t had a problem.
Thanks rjmc, do you remember which service you you used on the web. I heard it worked for some people and it didn’t work for some. I am assuming it depends which service you are using.
It’s a common failure on that generation of Bosch ABS modules . When it happened to my car I had the repair done by Modulemasters for a bit over $200 including shipping but that’s 4 years ago now . Access to the module is awkward but not really difficult - pulling back the drivers side fender liner after removing some fasteners allowed me access to the bottom screws and other than that the Modulemaster site had an instructional video that helped a lot .
The dealer will charge an outrageous price so if you can handle a screwdriver do it yourself .