[Tortelious]

Can anyone tell me if the vacuum line to the vacuum reservoir on the 2005 V6 can be replaced with the wheel well cover removed or do I have to remove the fender?

You don't need to remove either.

DIY: Replacing all Vacuum Lines on 2003 B5.5 V6 (ATQ)

Below you’ll find my instructions for doing your vacuum lines. It’s a straight forward procedure and should only take a few hours. Thanks for all those at PW for their advice: ScottPassat2.8, keithermadness, JaytheSnork, PZ, ashman78, mrmom, and Steve in Chicago! You guys are a wealth of...

www.passatworld.com

 

[Tortelious]

If you substitute brake line for that plastic, you'll never break another one.

 

[Tortelious]

I'm not seeing the reservoir behind the headlight. In my checks, it seems the reservoir is in the fender or wheel well. I need to check the car really soon. If not, It's going to the Indie shop..

I'll snap some photos to show you where that length of tubing goes. Give me a few hours.

<edit> Step #9 in that DIY is what I am referring to.

 

[Tortelious]

If you see that white plastic connector at the end of my red tubing, that should be on yours and still intact, since it was all originally rubber tubing.

That black rubber tubing in the middle ^^^^ might have slipped down in yours if the plastic tubing it was attached to had broken into pieces. This is below the power steering reservoir.

And this is where that rubber tubing goes behind the windshield washer fluid reservoir and heads to the rear.

If you find any loose hanging rubber tubing anywhere in these areas, odds are that's what you're looking for. No need to trace it any further back towards what it attaches to. Just add a fitting where it's convenient and add your new stuff.

 

[Tortelious]

@Tortelious Thanks for the pics. I took another peek at my car tonight. Found that the plastic line to the drivers side combi valve is broken as well, shown below. Can I cut a bit of the rubber tubing where the blue arrows are pointing to, stick a plastic connector there and connect a new silicon tube which goes to the solenoid?

View attachment 108252

You could either cut it down past the broken plastic end, or fish that broken end out of the rubber tubing. As long as it doesn't leak you're good to go.

To prevent that tube from getting broken again after you fix it, try feeding it under that solenoid plate. You can't break what you can't touch.