Good luck with your Passat!  They are a costly vehicle to maintain.  An oil change at the dealership runs about $50.00 with our member discount.  Did the previous owner give you the owners manuals?  Maybe they have the code written in them.  

O' Ricky, Grasshopper, Mr. Swafford,  Brother Zen is looking for you !
    It appears that Zen and Justin have been "Hang'n" together waaay to much. Lets see,  A Buick Reatta(?), 411 ,  '79 Dasher , now a '96 Passet.
    For God sake Joy !   Get the Guys some help before they discover Yugos and Tribants. :lol:  :lol:

Zen.

I use Castrol GTX 20w50 in everything(Bumble, and both Roccos) oil wise.

For parts online I like/use the following:
www.parts4vws.com
www.germanautoparts.com/Volkswagen
I believe German Auto Parts has your plug wires for $85(if I chose the correct engine for your car, 2.0 8v).

If the power locks are like the central locking feature on our GLI then it is controlled by a vaccuum pump that is located in the trunk so your problem might be a vaccuum leak in that system; however, I'm not totally sure that your's would be/is the same as that system.

Radio code wise, you'll probably have to pull your radio out. After that copy down the serial number that is on it and call a VW dealer to get the code for that one. Once you have that code, I believe you then with the power on and SAFE showing on the display, press and hold the MODE and SCAN button together until SAFE changes to 1000. Release the buttons and using the first four station buttons enter the radio code.
Use button #1 to change the 1 to the correct code, pressing once will change to 2 twice to 3 etc.  Use button number 2 to change the next number etc. When you have entered the correct code; press and hold the SCAN and MODE buttons together until code disappears and radio comes on. I believe you only get three tries till it locks up for a while.

Sorry, Zen, I've been out of the game for several weeks, lots going on right now.  I believe what you're talking about ther is an ABA 2.0l, the last of the truly simple engines that they made.  If you've got any questions, drop a note on here, and I'll answer. Otherwise, no reason to clog up the works.

I've still got a few questions you might be able to help me with.  I got a set of Bosch plug wires and a distributor cap for under $60 from autohausaz.com.  That seems to have solved the occasional rough idle and my check engine light went too.  

So . . . how hard is it to change the timing belt?  Is this a do-it-yourself job, or a job for a proffesional with the correct training and tools?

My driver's door handle has been changed.  I have a key that fits it, but not one to fit the original lock on the passenger door, the trunk or the fold down rear seats.  I need to get the passenger handle off and make a key for it and then re-key the driver's door to use the same key.  That will not be a big deal if I can get the handles off the doors . . . Once you remove the screw in the door, how do you get the door handle out of the door?  It seems to be hanging on something when I try to remove it.

Can I get the radio code from the dealer using the VIN, or do I need the radio's serial number?  Once I have the code, how do I get the radio in the programing mode?

If I lock the door with central locking system while I'm in inside with the door closed, everything works fine, but if I have the driver's door opened, all the locks lock . . . then after a second or two they all unlock.  If locked, they will all unlock with the key, but the key won't lock anything but the driver's door.  I don't know how this system is supposed to work, but this doesn't seem to be working correctly . . . or is it?

I'm sure after I get all these things squared away I'll have some more questions.  Since I bought it, it has sprung a leak in the air conditioning system . . . but I don't think I'll have a problem with that IF I can figure out where it's leaking.

OK, so I'm a bit late with this, but I'm doing my best...
enough pity party...must answer questions...

The timing belt for an ABA engine is really about the same as the older cars.  Hal and I fight over them when they come in like hungry dogs.  After you've done a bunch of them, you can knock them out in well under an hour or so.  Nice refreshing change when compared to the stuff we have now.  I was showing David the other day cutaways of the 4.2 V8 Audi engine in the S4, a6, a8, etc.  It uses a total of four timing chains on the back of the engine.  One connects the crank to aux. gears and each of those 2 gears drives the dual camshafts at each head.  The fourth, you ask?  It drives the accessories, off the back of the engine.  (water pump, A/C compressor, oil pump, and P/S pump.  the alternator is the only thing driven by the belt on the front of the engine.  Anyway, enough rambling, back to your setup.  They use the same two-pin tensioner wrench as the earlier cars too.  Always replace the tensioner at the same time, I've had a couple where people have refused that piece, and, after you re-tension the old one, sometimes the bearing can be a bit noisy.

To get the handle out of the door, as you pull it out, rotate the key in the lock 45 degrees, and the catch will slip through a gap and turn loose of the spring loaded release.  It's easier to figure out how that works when you see the whole works once it's out of the door, but i'ts fairly easy to take out.  The real fun is usually getting the thing back in the door.  Why is it that everything always comes apart so much easier?  As they say, intallation is the reverse of removal. Sometimes you have to play with them a while.

Radio codes are now free to obtain at our dealership thanks to the release of our former service manager, who believed it was neccessary to charge for every single thing we did.  Give me a call.  I'll need your VIN and the serial number off of the radio.  It should start out VWZ... found on the side of the radio, stamped in the metal, or sometimes also on a label.
I'd have to see the radio in person to figure out the programming/ input part because there are a lot of variations as to how to do that one.

The door locks...hmm...
The power of Christ compels you....
I need a young priest and an old priest...
Seriously, I'm not too sure what's up with that, sounds wierd.  Could be a problem with the door latch assembly itself, or the lock vac. actuator pump.  Probably need a peek at the car to figure that one out.

Untill next time (hopefully in more timely manner)
Rick

OK, now it's making a bit more sense.  You are correct about the door lock feature.  The driver's door will not lock if it is open.  And, if you think that's cool, try the new cars with the advanced key feature.  they won't lock via the remote if you leave your other key in the car because the central locking module recognizes the transponder signal coming from the other key which is still in the car.  Had a customer bring a car in with "malfunctioning" door locks.  The wife's key was in her purse inside the car, when they were going into the store.  As for the not locking,  only unlocking thing, this is most likely a malfunctioning door latch assembly.  Here's how you can chek it.  With the door handle out, look back in there and you'll see the slotted tumbler on the latch itself that the paddle end of the lock cylinder fits into.  stick a long, flat-bladed screwdriver back in there, and turn the lock to either side (DOOR CLOSED, WINDOW DOWN) the electrical portion of the lock activation occurs at a 45 degree angle.  If you have to turn the tumbler a full 90 degrees to get them to work, the mechanical portion of the latch takes over, manually locking, or unlocking the door.  Because of this, there is no signal sent to the other doors, hence why only that door is working.  IF that seems to be OK, another possibility is a defective lock cylinder.  With the handle off, check the unit for excessive play/ see if the key rotates and the paddle skips, pops, etc. sometimes they will do that and it will end up having the same effect. happy hunting.