Okay, here’s the situation. I have a 2018 Volkswagen Passat R-Line with the Tech upgrade and Premium Sound package. That means I do have Adaptive Cruise Control already as well as blind spot monitors. What I DON’T have is Lane Keep Assist. And I’m not talking about lane departure warning where it just beeps at you. I want to add Lane Keep Assist where it centers you in the lane as you’re on the freeway (I don’t really need it on regular roads, mostly wanting this for long road trips).
Can someone here help me get closer to an answer on how I can get this added to my system? I do not want to switch cars (as I really like my R-Line).
I think it would be quite expensive, although I have no real figures in front of me. OTOH I believe actually paying attention to your driving is free and will make you a better driver. Just my opinion.
I am have never worked on one, but I would guess you would have to replace and\or add cameras or radar sensors, align them, change steering rack, replace body control module, and probably engine control module, plus probably a few other parts. I would think if it were possible that’s the least. I doubt if it’s possible though. Better off waiting for a next car, or living without (if it was me).
How about contacting VW…I’m sure one of the many dealerships have all that information for you. No one here will have the technical details on such a new VW…unless they either had the same vehicle or were an enthusiast.
In fact if you dont want to go through VW or their dealerships…there are many a plenty VW enthusiast websites to look through. These sites invariably have at least one or two “VW Guru’s” on hand to query about issues just like this one. That is where I would be looking outside of V-Dub themselves.
You need extremely specific and accurate information…as “some info” or “close enough” is useless when it comes to installing software and or the steps involved…one false move or one skipped step and the results are often lacking to say the least.
That feature was available on the 2018 Passat with the “driver assistance package plus” It looks like there may be some dependencies in order to get it. It might only be available on the SEL Premium and possibly SE Technology. So a R-line trim car might not have the necessary electronic bits to make it work should you find the parts. Best case scenario is that you are able to find the parts to the system, install those parts, then are able to enable the system in the car’s computer (this is assuming that the necessary software is already on the car’s computer and you need simply enable it once the hardware is in place. A more realistic scenario is that Driver assistance plus cars have different BCM’s and you’ll have to acquire a new one get it programmed for your car, get the hardware for the lane assist (and whatever else the plus package has, since it’s unlikely to work unless all aspects of the plus package in place). Best case scenario you probably looking at around two grand or so. The more likely scenerio would be more than double that. At which point you’d be better off selling your Passat and getting another 2018 Passat with that particular feature.
My comment was directed at those who cannot drive without those systems being present. If you don’t rely entirely on them, then it doesn’t apply to you. I think the likelihood of getting such an integrated system upgraded in a way you describe is unlikely… It would require sensors to be present/connected that may or may not be installed at this time, or an entire replacement of one or more computer systems in the vehicle. I wish you the best of luck. Be sure to post back if you figure out how to get the vehicle upgraded. I’m interested!
I don’t assume you need it. I read that you already have adaptive cruise control and blind spot monitors, and lane departure warnings are not an adequate addition to those features.
Apparently, you’re willing to spend vast amounts of money to disengage from the driving experience as much as possible. To that end, I recommend disengaging from the driving experience completely, by hiring a chauffeur, taking Uber/Lyft/taxis, flying to your destinations, or some combination of these services.
Not only am I anticipating your needs, I’m trying to keep a deliberately disengaged driver off the streets, which makes the streets safer for the rest of us.
When have you (or @bpinard_154481 for that matter) ever met someone who said “I used to drive, but it was too taxing, so I switched to some other mode of travel”? Doesn’t happen. These people still drive, they just do it dangerously. I say this as someone who studies roadway safety for a living.
The research has shown that these safety technologies – lane-keeping assist, blind spot warning, automatic braking, etc. – save lives and reduce serious injuries. I know you’re not arguing that people who are distracted while driving deserve to die, so rather than continue taking a high-and-mighty stance that we know doesn’t reflect reality, perhaps you could at least stop automatically jumping on anybody who asks about adding one of these features to their car.
I have to go along with every one who said the guy should not be driving INMHO people are getting to lazy to drive they want the car to do it for them I see distracted driver’s every time I go anywhere.
The lane assist camera is $1,034 plus the control module and wiring harness, this could easily exceed $5,000 if it is possible to add this to the vehicle.
BTW this is a common feature on new cars, it seems that some of the seniors like to reject modern safety features as they are believed to be unnecessary.
You might think you’re willing to pay the money for it, but I suspect that’s only because you don’t know how much you’ll pay.
This is going to be serious money. You’re gonna have to disassemble half the car just to drill down to where you need to be to add this stuff. And if you have to ask us how to do it, it probably means you’re going to need to hire someone to do it for you because if you don’t already know what’s needed, you probably don’t have the requisite skillset to do the install. And you won’t be hiring a normal mechanic. You’ll have to take it to a customization shop, and then convince them to install this safety equipment that they may well then be liable for if you crash because it failed to do its job. And they will have to take time away from that $100,000 hot rod build to put LKAS in your VW, and they are going to charge you for the lost time.
If you managed to do this for less than 5 figures I’d be amazed.
Apparently everyone here is a perfect driver that never once temporarily drifts out of their lane when their attention is taken for a moment by one of their kids, or when looking at GPS for a moment.
Get off your high horse and realize there is a reason those systems exist. I have automatic emergency braking, does that mean I don’t use my brakes? I have a backup camera, does that mean I don’t use my mirrors? I have a GPS, does that mean I don’t know my way around town? Don’t be stupid, I’ve never heard more toxic stupidity from any other group of people on a forum.
Just found out from the dealership they’ll be willing to do it, it’s only going to cost around $2,000 which, as I said before, I’m willing to pay whatever the price is.
Next time, consider being less rude. It’s not that hard to do.