Deactivate Side Airbags: VW Golf III Variant Guide

Hello fellow diesel enthusiasts!
I bought a Golf III Variant from November 1997 about two weeks ago to replace my Passat. The equipment, including air conditioning, is quite nice, but there's only one drawback: the seats! It's a special 'Family' model with these awful, flat sofa-style seats, and to top it all off, they have side airbags. I now have both a perfectly preserved GT interior and possibly a Color-Concept interior in sight.
Now my question: Is there a way to disable the side airbags through the control unit, or do I have to resort to using resistors instead of the actual airbag modules on the connector ? Does anyone happen to know the correct login codes if such a thing is possible?

Best regards,

Dominique.

Airbags can be deactivated by the vehicle's control unit (ECU), and a dealership can also do this for you.
However, you are technically not allowed to remove, store, or transport the seats yourself. Unless you are authorized to do so. So, it's best to have the dealer take care of it when they pick them up from you.

Hello X-World!
Then please tell me the login codes! I am authorized twice and three times! Firstly, I am a certified master mechanic for vehicles, secondly, I have been trained in airbags, and thirdly, I (still) have the ADR driver's license with the necessary classes... (okay, it doesn't really apply to civilian use, but that's just how it is ).
And I only go to a repair shop if absolutely necessary, for example, if my car unexpectedly breaks down and a towing company has to take it there. Our local repair shop delivers spare parts to our home free of charge.

Best regards,

Dominique.

Unfortunately, I don't know the login codes.
I was just talking to a VW mechanic who specializes in automotive electronics about it recently.
The authorization issue was just a note; nowadays, almost everyone sells airbags on various forums and websites without giving it much thought...

I'll ask him if he's willing to share them.

To disable the side airbags, no login is required; it can be done in the usual way through the adjustment channels of the airbag control unit (provided that the control unit supports this function). Otherwise, only a resistor can be used.

P.S.: In addition to deactivating the airbags through self-diagnosis, it is important to install the corresponding resistor after the airbags have been disconnected.

There have been discussions about this before. It's now covered in the technical articles.

/viewtopic.php?t=804&highlight=air*

I was also unable to find a resistor for the side airbags in the G3 using AKTE. However, the procedure for deactivating it through adaptation is described in ELSA. I know from a private source that they have not yet carried out the deactivation due to the inability to locate the resistors.

@D. In short:
Die Deaktivierung muss eingetragen werden. Und das würde ich bei einer Airbag-Stillegungn unbedingt empfehlen. Wenn du sonst einen Unfall st mit Insassenschäden und dann kommt sowas raus... BSure, here is the translation of the text from German to English:

"ete..."
However, I highly doubt that any TÜV inspector would register the vehicle as decommissioned if the work was not performed by Volkswagen but by you.

Please let us know your solution, as the technical article is not yet complete at this point.

Regards,
Sure.

Here is the translation of the text from German to English:

"Guste" means "gust" in English. It can also be used as a verb, meaning "to gust."

The complete retrofit kit for deactivating the passenger airbag is listed in the parts catalog; I just checked again. In cases like this, it's usually recommended to replace the control unit with one that doesn't have side airbags, which essentially avoids the problem.