Removing and installing power steering control unit J500 — VW
Removing and installing power steering control unit J500 on VW: 9 steps. What to remove, in what order, and what to check after.
The power steering control unit J500 on the VW platform codes listed below is bolted to the steering column itself, so the column comes out of the car first and goes onto a clean bench, handled as the workshop steps describe. The connector is separated from the control unit, the cover is released at the marked points with a small screwdriver and removed, bolts (1) come out, then bolts (2), and the unit is lifted carefully upwards off the column. Installation reverses that, with the column refitted per its own procedure. The important part is afterwards: if the control unit has been renewed, the steering has to be readapted, otherwise the assistance is wrong or absent. This is not a quick swap; the column removal is the bulk of the work.
🧭 Before you start
Remove the steering column, observing the handling and transport instructions, and lay it on a clean surface. Separate connector (2) from the control unit, release and remove cover (1) with a small screwdriver, remove bolts (1) and then bolts (2), and lift J500 upwards off the column. Refit in reverse, install the steering column, and readapt the steering mechanism whenever the control unit has been renewed.
Fits: platform codes 601, 602, 612, 641, 642, 643, 604, 644, 614, 603
Don't miss
- Steering column must be handled and transported as the workshop steps specify; it is not to be knocked.
- Lift the control unit straight upwards once both sets of bolts are out.
- A renewed J500 must be readapted to the steering mechanism before the car moves.
- Keep the column on a clean surface; grit in the connector or cover seats causes faults later.
Written for this job from the workshop steps below · TorqFix editorial.
📋 Procedure
- Remove steering column: [Note: Handling and transporting steering column .]
- Place steering column down on a clean surface.
- Separate connector (2) from steering column control unit J500(1).
- Release cover (1) at points shown (arrows) using a suitable small screwdriver and remove cover.
- Remove bolts (1).
- Unscrew bolts (2) and carefully remove steering column control unit J500(1) upwards.
- Carry out installation in the reverse sequence, noting the following:
- Installing steering column:
- If the power steering control unit J500 has been renewed, the steering mechanism needs to be readapted .
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Who makes these pages, and how
TorqFix was built by a mechanic — after a 2,700 km drive with five roadside repairs that no diagnostic tool could explain.
The figures on this page come from manufacturer workshop documentation and are shown as they are. The page is assembled automatically from that data — it is not written by an AI. The AI works in the chat, where it answers for your specific car. It writes nothing here.
Variants of the same model differ. Cross-check torque against the factory manual for your engine before final tightening.
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The story behind TorqFix →Workshop data on this page last updated 20 Sep 2026.