Keeping up with regular car maintenance is essential. If you want your car to continue to perform at its best and to last you for several years, you are going to need to stay up to date with all of your car’s servicing and maintenance needs.
Remembering to schedule your car maintenance is easy as your car is designed to let you know when something is wrong or when it is time for a service or inspection.
Dashboard symbols and warning messages on the central display, let drivers know when their car is in need of a little TLC. For example, the service maintenance light in a Volkswagen Passat will turn on when it is time for a service inspection and most likely an oil change too.
A professional mechanic should reset the light after they change the oil and perform the service. However, if you have done the work at home, you will need to reset the service maintenance light yourself.
In this article, we have shared exactly how you can reset the Volkswagen Passat service maintenance light. The process varies between models but whatever year Passat you have, resetting the service maintenance light is a quick and easy task.
If you want to know how to reset the Volkswagen Passat service maintenance light, the steps you need to take will depend on which model you have.
For example, to reset the service maintenance light on a Passat B7 from 2010 – 2013, you can use controls on the steering wheel, dashboard, or windscreen wiper lever.
When using the steering wheel to reset the service maintenance light in the 2010 – 2013 B7 Passat, you need to turn the car to the ON position, use the control buttons on the right-hand side of the steering wheel to display the settings menu.
Next, use the down arrow to select SERVICE, press OK, and then press RESET. The process differs slightly between the various Volkswagen Passat models, but we have shared several guides in this article to help you to reset the service maintenance light in your VW Passat.
There are many different warning lights that may light up on the dashboard of your Volkswagen Passat.
For example, there are lights that appear when the vehicle needs more AdBlue or screenwash when there is a problem with the engine or oil pressure, and if the TPMS has recognized the tire pressure has dropped.
When the dashboard in your Volkswagen Passat displays the message SERVICE NOW, it means you need to get your car booked in for a service as soon as possible.
A VW Passat will need to be serviced every 9,300 miles or once a year, whichever comes first, and the service maintenance light works on a miles timer. When your VW has a service, the light should be reset so the timer can accurately start counting down the miles again.
If you are seeing the message SERVICE NOW on the display in your Volkswagen Passat, it means the miles clock has reached its end.
If the light was reset immediately after the last oil change when the message SERVICE NOW appears it is time to get booked in again as you have driven enough miles to require another oil change and other regular service maintenance work.
If you are unsure the service maintenance light may be a wrench symbol on your dashboard, depending on what year your VW Passat was made.
If you notice the wrench light on the dashboard, it is time to get your VW booked in for that service. Whether your car is displaying the wrench service maintenance light or is displaying the SERVICE NOW message, it is important you do not ignore these warnings.
Resetting the service maintenance light in your Passat is an important part of your vehicle’s service. When the light is reset, your vehicle is able to begin accurately counting the miles between service maintenance work again.
If you just leave the light on and try to ignore it, you will not be able to accurately determine when your car next needs a service.
As we have said before if the work was carried out by a mechanic, they should reset the light for you once the work is complete. However, sometimes even the professionals forget this important step and if you are opting for a DIY service, it is important you know how to reset the light too.
Here are our step-by-step guides explaining exactly how to reset the service maintenance light on various Volkswagen Passat models.
Follow these instructions to reset the light in a Volkswagen Passat from 2014 – 2020, the B8 model.
Step 1 – Turn the car off.
Step 2 – Hold down the 0.0/SET button, located to the right of the cluster on the dashboard.
Step 3 – Turn the car to the on position.
Step 4 – Release the 0.0/SET button.
Step 5 – Press the ❏ button, this is on the left side of the cluster.
Step 6 – Turn the car off and back on again, the system should now be reset.
If you would rather follow a visual guide then check out the video below, but note that this is suitable for VW Passat from 2012-2016 only.
You can reset the service maintenance light in a Volkswagen Passat B7 2010 – 2013 model by using either the steering wheel controls, the dashboard buttons, or the wiper lever.
Let’s have a look at each of those methods now.
Step 1 – Turn the car off.
Step 2 – Hold down the 0.0 button, located on the right side of the dash.
Step 3 – Keep holding 0.0 down and turn the car to the ON position (don’t fully start the ignition).
Step 4 – Release the 0.0 button and press the ❏ button, found on the left side of the dashboard.
Step 5 – Turn the car off and back on again, the service light should now be off and the service interval timer will be reset.
Step 1 – Turn the car ON.
Step 2 – Use the down TRIP button on the end of the wiper lever to display the main menu.
Step 3 – Scroll down using the down button and select SETTINGS (or SETUP in certain models).
Step 4 – Now use the press the OK button at the bottom of the lever to enter the settings menu.
Step 5 – Scroll down to RESET and hit OK again to finish resetting the maintenance light.
Step 1 – Turn the car ON but don’t fully start the ignition.
Step 2 – Using the control buttons on the right of the steering wheel, display the settings menu.
Step 3 – Use the down arrow to scroll down and select the SERVICE option. Press OK.
Step 4 – Scroll down again using the down arrow button and then press OK to select the RESET option.
Step 5 – After you select OK, the reset process will be complete. Turn the car off and back on again, you should now notice the service maintenance light has switched off.
If you would rather follow a visual guide then check out the video below, but note that this is suitable for VW Passat from 2011-2015 only.
When the service maintenance light needs to be reset on a 2005 – 2009 B6 model, all you need to do is follow these few simple steps:
Step 1 – Turn the car off.
Step 2 – Locate the 🔧 wrench button, it is on the right-hand side of the dashboard.
Step 3 – Press and hold the wrench button and then turn the car to the ON position. Do not fully start the engine.
Step 4 – Now press the MIN button, this is on the left side of the dashboard.
Step 5 – Release the MIN button and the service maintenance timer should be reset and the light should be off when you fully start the car.
If you would rather follow a visual guide then check out the video below, but note that this is suitable for VW Passat B6 model.
It is still possible to reset the service maintenance light on older generation Volkswagen Passat models, you don’t need a mechanic to do it for you. In fact, resetting the maintenance light on the older models is just as simple as doing so on the newer generations.
Step 1 – Turn the car OFF.
Step 2 – Push down the TRIP button, found to the right of the dashboard display.
Step 3 – Keep holding the TRIP button and switch on the ignition.
Step 4 – Release the TRIP button.
Step 5 – Turn the CLOCK button to the right. This button is located on the left side of the dash.
Step 6 – The service maintenance light or SERVICE NOW message should now turn off and the system will be reset.
If you would rather follow a visual guide then check out the video below, but note that this is suitable for VW Passat B5 or B5.5.
To reset the maintenance light on a 2017 Volkswagen Passat, you will need to follow a few simple steps. First, turn the car off and then press and hold down the 0.0 button on the dashboard. Next, turn the car to the ON position and release the 0.0 button.
Now you need to press the ❏ button on the left side of the dash. Turn the off and back on again and the light will be reset. This method works to reset the service maintenance light in VW Passat models from 2014 to 2020.
If you’re seeing the message SERVICE NOW on the display of your VW Passat, it means you need to have your car’s regular service inspection completed. A VW needs to be serviced once a year or every 9,300 miles, whichever comes first.
The SERVICE NOW message appears when the interval timer is set after your last service has reached zero.
The timer goes down the more miles you travel, once you reach approximately 9 – 10,000 miles, your car will need to be serviced again and the maintenance light or SERVICE NOW message will turn on.
Resetting the service light on a 2016 VW Passat is a quick and simple process. You can use the 0.0 and ❏ button on the dashboard. With the car turned off, press the 0.0/SET button. Continue to hold the button down and turn the car to the ON position.
Now, release the 0.0 button and press the ❏ button. The service maintenance light or SERVICE NOW message should now be turned off.
To reset the service maintenance light in your VW Passat you can either use the steering wheel controls, the dashboard buttons, or the wiper lever menu.
Depending on what year your Passat was made you may be able to use all of these methods or just the dashboard controls for instance; the service light on the B5.5 model can only be reset using the TRIP and clock switches on the dash.
If you have a more recent model the reset menu can be accessed via the steering wheel, wiper lever, or again you can use the controls on the dashboard. We have shared detailed step by step guides on how to reset the service light in all VW Passat models from 2000 to 2020
Some VW Passat models will indicate that the service maintenance interval timer needs to be reset by displaying a wrench symbol. However certain models will also display a SERVICE NOW message in the central display unit on the dashboard.
To turn off the SERVICE NOW message you will need to follow the instructions outlined in this article for resetting the service maintenance light.
Resetting the service maintenance light is the final stage in completing your vehicle’s service work. The light needs to be reset in the VW Passat so that drivers know exactly when their car is due to an oil change and its next service.
The SERVICE NOW message or wrench symbol display light will appear on the dashboard when the service interval timer is close to zero.
Resetting the service maintenance light is essential and if you leave the light on after the service work is complete, you will not be able to accurately know when your VW is next due to its service work. If a mechanic has completed the service, they should have reset the maintenance light for you.
However, sometimes this final step is missed and you will need to reset the timer and turn the light off yourself.
If you want to know how to reset the Volkswagen Passat service maintenance light, you will only need a minute or two to get the job done.
In this article, we have shared exactly what you need to do to reset the service light in your VW Passat. The steps vary slightly depending on what model you have but the process is quick and easy in all Volkswagen Passat vehicles made since the year 2000.
