Passat starting - ignition switch again?

[Tihol Tiholov]

 >The Passat has less than 20K Km on it, so it
 should not be a worn starter or corroded wires,
 but anything is possible.

Battery would be the only thing to suffer with age.  I imagine it's charged.

 >To take out the battery and clean the poles on
 this car is tricky, it needs back-up power. It
 would forget the throttle positions. The throttle
 adaptation algorithm can only be initiated by a
 VAG-COM type computer.

Throttle angle settings don't always change with battery unhooked.  I had to
do throttle adaptation only once on my '99 bug, when putting in a new
battery for the first time and never on my '00 bug, even after a new battery
went in.  Granted, these are less complex cars than a Passat but usually,
when power is restored and the ECU and Immobilizer recognize each other, all
is well.  Just need to recode the radio.

Funny thing - the Heidelberg radio I got in my '92 Eurovan didn't need
recoding after  installing a new battery.  Doesn't work well - a ton of
static over the stations sounds - but that seems to be another issue, which
I would appreciate help with.

Tihol