I have to run to a meeting, so no torque specs, but please note: You almost certainly need triple square sockets. Not hex -- triple square. I bought mine on amazon, and they were perfect.

Stated negatively, you absolutely don’t want to strip those bolts.

You'll have a set of rarely used triple-square sockets but won't waste several regretful hours.

 

For that axle bolt, most of them are a 17mm Allen head bolt.
Few of them are regular hex head bolts that use a 6pt or 12pt socket. The ones that are regular hex head bolts are aftermarkets.
I don't know of any factory bolts being anything other than 17mm Allen head bolt.

FYI
If you by any chance still have the original axles on the car, you're going to need an impact tool that has at least around 1200ft/lbs of removal torque to snap those bolts loose.
They are TIGHT!
A decent 17mm Allen wrench along with a 4 to 6 foot pipe will also work.
Just make sure you loosen that bolt with the tire still on the car and the tire on the ground otherwise you'll be there for a month of Sundays trying to crack that axle bolt loose.
If you have VW wheels, just pop out the center cap and you get access to the axle bolt.

Just went through all of this on one of my W8's.

 

I appreciate the heads up DearSir! I definitely had no idea about that until yesterday when I was told by my neighbor, who luckily was a vw mechanic, so he has a full set.
Thanks for the heads up!

 

Now you know why I chose my handle. It sounds like everyone respects me.

 

+1 on the triple square bits. And be sure to clean the holes very carefully before trying to remove them. A few seconds of prep can save hours of drilling, etc so don't mess them up. The specs vary depending on the bolts used. My Bentley only covers up to 2002 but hopefully this helps.

per my old Bentley:

lug nuts are 120 Nm
for axle to flange - M8x48 40 Nm or if M10x48 77 Nm
center bolt (specified to not re-use old bolt) - M14 115 Nm then 1/2 turn or if M16 190 Nm and 1/2 turn

 

lug nuts are 120 Nm
for axle to flange - M8x48 40 Nm or if M10x48 77 Nm
center bolt (specified to not re-use old bolt) - M14 115 Nm then 1/2 turn or if M16 190 Nm and 1/2 turn

And take care on the last step (1/2 turn). That requires a lot of force and a very long breaker bar. Many people are saying how you can injure your knee (quadriceps tendon tear) if the hex bit slips off mid-torque. Thank you for your attention to this matter!

 

I'm late to the story, but have a group question: where are triple-squares used related to the axle job? It's been years since working on the Passat we owned, buy my very similar '05 Audi A4 has none of those fasteners in that area.

The OP is fortunate to have a neighbor with experience and tools, as this is not a beginner's job in my opinion. As said, the axle bolt will be the first challenge. Whether the 14mm hex bolt or the 17mm, you'll need a tough 1/2" breaker bar and a pipe to slip on for enough leverage. The inner CV cap screws can be a hassle unless a long extension for the hex driver is used. Then, the pinch bolt for the upper control arms: depending on the environment the car has been in, that thing may be no problem (as in my dry climate) or stuck solid.

 

All the Passat's I own and have worked on have the triple square bolts that fasten the output axle flange to the inner cv joint flange.

Yesterday I just swapped out the driver's side axle on one of my W8's, again (like passenger side) that bolt wouldn't budge with a 1200 ft/lb impact for over a minute of continuous banging on that bolt.

I took a picture of what I had to do to get that bolt to break loose.
I'll post it up here shortly.

 

I do seem to remember those inner CV cap screws having triple-S on the Passat. My B6 A4 has conventional hex sockets.

 

I should convert them to regular socket screws.
Much cheaper and much more readily available.
However, now that I think about it, VW probably used some stupid thread diameter that's not standard like 11mm.
I've got the old ones laying around from the 98 GLS engine pull I just did, will have to investigate.

 

Just did this yesterday.
That bar is from my 3ton floor jack. It's about 5 feet long.
I had to put all of my 295lb carcass onto that bar plus a small hop on the bar to crack that bolt loose.

 

That makes almost 1,500 ft-lbs, before the hop!

 

I've seen both regular hex bolts and triple-square (ZXN) bolts on the Passat's I've had. In my experience, it's possible to strip either type and I have no real preference. In either case, it's important to clean the hole well before starting. And a long extension does help a lot IIRC. That and rotating the wheel to get the bolt moved to a good location for access.

One nice thing about the axle bolt is that a 17mm hex key is easy to use with a ad hoc breaker bar (AKA a pipe). Good thing too!

 

I've seen both regular hex bolts and triple-square (ZXN) bolts on the Passat's I've had. In my experience, it's possible to strip either type and I have no real preference. In either case, it's important to clean the hole well before starting. And a long extension does help a lot IIRC. That and rotating the wheel to get the bolt moved to a good location for access.

One nice thing about the axle bolt is that a 17mm hex key is easy to use with a ad hoc breaker bar (AKA a pipe). Good thing too!

Oh yeah x2 on that!
If you don't have whatever tool you're using fully seated into the screw head, you're done for.

 

FWIW, I probably have a few extra used bolts if anyone ever needs a spare or two.

 

I have a 17mm hex driver about 5" long, so to avoid twisting the bit out of the bolt's socket, I use a jack stand to support the end (with the 1/2" square drive socket) of that hex driver.