Volkswagen Passat with M3 style mirrors

The Passat falls in the middle of the sedan/saloon market segment and was critical to Volkswagen on its introduction in 1973, as the sales of the aging Beetle were declining, and larger air-cooled rear-engined models like the Volkswagen Type 3 and 411 and 412 based on older technology were also failing to take hold in the market.

Following the Volkswagen Group's acquisition of Audi in 1964, Volkswagen used new engineering expertise to develop a modern front-wheel drive car with a water-cooled engine, and thus the Passat and Golf (the latter being introduced in 1974) were the first of a new generation of Volkswagens. The first Passat was developed directly from the Audi 80/Fox and until 2005 the two shared a history.  Many modifications can be done to you Volkswagen make it look sportier and perform better.    

Installing M3 style mirrors is one of those neat projects that can really add some spice to the look of your (Make) without taking up too much of your time. The total install time for a pair of M3 style mirrors should be less than two hours.  

Aftermarket mirrors are available in different materials, including FRP plastic, carbon fiber and fiberglass. Plenty of different styles are available such as D1 style, F1 style and M3 styles. You can also get them in manual or electric, and get them with or without LED turn signals built in.

The toughest part of the job is actually finding a set of mirrors that will match your body color. If your (Make) is white or black, there are usually aftermarket mirrors available in those two colors. Any other color will need to be custom-painted to match your body paint.

Some aftermarket mirrors are manufactured with an additional lamp in the side. This can be wired to either to your parking lamps or your turn-signal lamps. Either one requires additional wiring to be threaded through the door, so I usually don't recommend this approach. Most of the cars I've seen with lamps in the side of the mirrors don't actually have them connected-they're just for show.

The Volkswagen Passat is a family car built by Volkswagen through six design generations since 1973. Falling between the Golf/Jetta and Phaeton in the current Volkswagen line-up, the Passat has been badged variously as Dasher, Santana, Quantum, Magotan, Corsar and Carat.

More recently, Volkswagen has extended its range with the launch of the Passat CC, a 4-door "coupé" version of the Passat.