Did you buy the OEM VW changer? If not, since you have a '00 car, return it if you can and go buy the OEM unit from the parts department. Last I heard they are $295. Starting in '00 Passats (Premium V head unit) you must have your head unit coded to accept the changer. I originally bought a Panasonic 801 from autotoys.com (terrible company) which they advertised as OEM. Didn't work worth a damn, when it got cold, you get the CD ERR message. Lost connectivity all the time. They refused to take it back even though it didn't work as advertised. My credit card company got sick of dealing with them and gave me the purchase price in full back and told me to keep it. I then went and got the OE unit and have not had a problem since.
Have you found the real VW resources?
http://www.vwvortex.com (go to the forums section and Passat B5) and
http://www.clubb5.com.