- In our previous page tittled "my VW Passat won't start" we show you how to diagnose a bad ignition switch problem in a 93 VW Passat, the same steps apply to a VW Jetta, Golf, GTI, Corrado, the car we are working on is not equipped with air bags, vehicles with air bags need few more steps not shown in these pages.

Now that you know that the reason why the engine in your car won't turn over is due to a bad ignition switch is time to learn how to replace this  part, we have included all the steps needed to replace the ignition switch all of them include pictures for better understanding.

   


   


  





  


 


 





 


  

- Disconnect the negative battery cable to avoid damaging the electrical system in the vehicle, next pry gently on the horn cover , disconnect the two wires attached to it and move it out of the way.














 Next remove the nut that secures the steering wheel in place , mark the relationship of the steering wheel to the splined steering shaft to make sure that it will be installed in the same position, pull the steering wheel gently out with your hands and move it out of the way.













 - Next remove both upper and lower steering column covers as described in our previous page"My VW Passat won't start" , next remove the three screws that secure the turn signal / wiper / dimmer switches in place and place them in a container, you will need them later.
















 - Pull the turn signal switch out of the way, next unplug all the electrical connectors and remove the windshield wiper switch

















 - Next remove the allen head bolt that secures the steering wheel lock assembly in place and save it for installation.
















- Next, using a puller, remove the pressed in splined collar that maintains constant pressure on the steering lock assembly using its compressed spring, once the splined collar is out of the way, remove the spring also.











 - Next, pull the complete steering lock assembly out, set it on a flat surface, like a work bench, to remove the ignition switch  from it.
















 - Using a phillips screw driver, remove the screw that secures the ignition switch in place, and gently pull the ignition switch out, install the new ignition switch using the same screw unless a new one is provided with the new ignition switch, proceed to install the steering lock assembly back on the steering shaft,making sure that it is installed in the same location before it was removed, install and tighten the allen head bolt.









 - To install the pressed in splined coupling, you can use the nut that secures the steering wheel in place, make sure that you install the spring back in place also.

- Proceed to install the remaining components back in place, once you are done, connect the negative cable back on the battery, and start the car, if you did everything correctly, it should start without any problems, and all the switches should work.


AS you can see, replacing the ignition switch in a VW Passat, VW Jetta, VW Golf, VW Corrado is not that difficult, you can do it yourself and save hundreds of dollars, and the purpose of this website is to allow you to save money by showing you how to repair your own car.