Does the fuel door open ?
Have you checked fuse #38 ?

 

Everything except the trunk latch works now. All those other things that stopped working when 14 blew are back up and running.

 

Well, I answered one of my own questions... You'd want the paddle in series with the switch that tells the CCM that the trunk is open so it won't actuate the motor when the trunk is open.

Which makes testing the motor extra fun... Jumper around the "trunk closed" switch, so I can get the CCM to send 12V to the motor?

 

I suggest you don't use jumpers on the switch, this might cause serious damage.
Test the switches with a meter, the 3 terminals are Common, Normally open, and Normally closed.
You might need to check the relay and CCM harness.

 

What relay? I didn't see one in the diagram...

 

The relay that supplies 12V from fuse #38 to the trunk/lid unlock motor.
I don't know its number or position.
Relay wires -
Red/Yellow to Red/Blue to fuse #38
Brown to instrument panel ground connection
Brown/Lilac to CCM T23/13
Red/Blue to trunk unlock motor

There is a Brown wire from the trunk unlock motor to ground.

Your car might not be the same.

 

FWIW, the diagram shows CCMT23/18 -> Black -> Motor (no relay). For what I think is the paddle, pin 1 goes over brown/yellow to the "trunk closed" switch, pin 2 over brown/green to CCM T23/13, pin 3 over brown to ground. Relays are used in some earlier versions of the system.

As a side-note, when it comes to fuses, the electrical diagrams are terrible! There's no indication as to exactly which fuses govern which function if multiple fuses serve the same black-box of a module (such as the CCM.) There's no set of formal diagrams marked "fuse box". And when a fuse appears in a diagram, maybe it's labeled with the position number, maybe it isn't. (i.e. Which one of the half-dozen fuses with a "window" icon do I check when a window won't open? What parts is it connected to that might be the culprit?)

 

Looks like I'm lucky... a quick PassatWorld search shows that apparently a blown 14 USED to keep the car from starting, but I'm guessing the '03 "Comfort System" electrical changes (according to the Bentley) must have finally separated the rinky-dink parts of the CCM from the parts required to crank the car. ...

It's even worse with a 2001 -- either fuse #6 or fuse #14 will prevent cranking, unless one bypasses the security relay, so that only a #14 failure does so.

 

Well, I got the trim off, and after some false starts and cursing, determined it was indeed the actuator. (It's seized.) With a test light, I confirmed it's receiving voltage when it's supposed to, it just doesn't work.

I also have determined that it was a real moron that designed the whole bracket all that stuff bolts to. I have no idea how I got it out, but one minute with my Dremel to a pointless plastic plate and it was about 50x easier to get in.

I'll check the dealer tomorrow to see if they have a decent price on the part, otherwise it's probably FCP Euro.

 

I have taken my tailgate apart a few times. I think I have it figured out now. Most of the time, it seems the cause of faulty release is the release under the rubber membrane. It's a little hard to find, but there is a microswitch on it that actually causes the motor to release the latch. Mine had gotten crudded up, so the release was intermittent. Does yours always open with the key? You need to remove a black plastic piece that has two connectors clipped to it to get at the release. Remove it, clean it up and be sure it works freely, and your release will probably work. Mine did. The remote and switch on the door merely tell the CCM that the latch is unlocked. The above release actually tells the motor to unlock it. Typically VW, the way this release is mounted is a little "odd", but you should be able to figure it out, at least with the Bentley.

 

In my case, it was the motor. As I said above, it was definitely seized due to some internal problem; the piston simply would not move (whereas I can press in the piston on the replacement by hand.) I've already replaced it ($72 part at the dealer) and I'm all fixed now. (The only aftermarket versions were sketchy $15 units that would have to be shipped from China, and the usual online parts sources would only save me a few bucks once I paid for shipping.)

I just consider myself lucky that the way it failed didn't cause the fuse to blow every time I tested it.

I think I only broke/lost three of those asinine spring clips working the trunk panel.

P.S. As a side-note, there were several Chinese vendors selling generic versions (and one that went to the trouble to "counterfeit" the part by putting a sticker on it with the VW logo), but I couldn't find anybody in the US that actually carried the aftermarket ones (I might have given one a whirl if they did, since returns would be easier)... who are they selling them to? Are they selling them at the Euro version of AutoZone or something?