How to Adjust the Rearview Mirrors on a Volkswagen Passat?
4 Answers
To adjust the rearview mirrors on a Volkswagen Passat, follow these steps: 1. Adjust the horizon reflection in the left mirror to the center of the mirror; 2. Adjust the reflection of the left side of the vehicle to occupy one-quarter of the right side of the mirror; 3. Adjust the horizon reflection in the right mirror to two-thirds of the mirror's height; 4. Adjust the reflection of the right side of the vehicle to occupy one-quarter of the left side of the mirror. Taking the 2020 Passat as an example, it is a mid-size sedan with the following dimensions: length 4933mm, width 1836mm, height 1469mm, wheelbase 2871mm, fuel tank capacity 68.5 liters, trunk capacity 521 liters, and curb weight 1470kg.
I often drive a Passat, and adjusting the rearview mirrors is actually quite easy. There's a round knob on the driver's door panel marked with L and R letters. Turn it to L to adjust the left mirror and to R for the right one. Press and move the knob up, down, left, or right, and the mirror will follow. I recommend adjusting while maintaining a normal driving posture: set the left mirror to just see the rear door handle, and angle the right mirror slightly more to avoid blind spots. Higher trim models have a practical feature: enable the mirror tilt-down function in the central control settings, and the mirror will automatically tilt down to see the curb when reversing. On rainy days, you can also use the heating button to defog. All these operations require the vehicle to be powered on; they won't work when parked and turned off. With a bit of practice, it becomes second nature.
As a seasoned driver, I find the Passat's mirror adjustment design very user-friendly. The knob on the door panel handles both left/right selection and directional adjustment—all with a single button. To adjust the left mirror, turn the knob to the L position and push the joystick like a game controller; for the right mirror, turn to R and push. For optimal height adjustment, position the horizon in the middle of the mirror for the most balanced view. The mirror memory function is handy—after adjusting, hold the SET button and press 1 or 2 to save the position. When someone else drives, just press the corresponding number to restore the saved position. For models with folding functionality, rotate the knob to the folding icon to retract the mirrors, which is especially useful when passing through narrow roads.
I remember when I first drove the Passat, I was also confused about how to adjust the mirrors. Later, I found out it mainly relies on the control area on the driver's door panel—the circular knob with directional markings in the center is the adjustment switch. The left and right mirrors need to be adjusted separately; turn the knob left for the left mirror and right for the right one. Mirror angles are crucial for driving safety. I prefer adjusting them to see the road behind while just revealing a bit of the car's outline, which gives me more confidence when changing lanes. On rainy days, remember to use the heating button to defog by turning the knob to the heating icon position. Newer models even allow setting the automatic tilt angle for the mirrors when reversing in the infotainment system.
