Fabia VRS lower intercooler pipe keeps coming off

[h4mza]

My lower intercooler pipe came off yesterday in middle of town but I still managed to drive home slowly. I've fitted the pipe back in and took car out, kept it under 2000 revs and 2 minutes later the pipe come off again. So I fitted back in again and this time as soon I reversed out of my drive it came off again.

I'm now confused what to do. The car is totally standard apart from remap which I think is why the pipe keeps coming off. I've been told to put upgraded pipes but having looked at them, they all require a jubilee clips but I don't think it will fit a standard intercooler so I may also need to upgrade intercooler but I'm not exactly sure if I have to.

Could someone shed a light on this please. The old pipe keeps coming off and I'm curious whether the new silicone pipes which require jubilee clips will fit on standard intercooler or not?

[Tech1e]

Are the retaining lugs worn out on the pipe? Usually are.

[softscoop]

You can also fix them together by drilling through the collar and using some screws to prevent them sliding apart.

 

I did this on my old vRS and it was rock solid ever since.

[h4mza]

I don't know what retaining lug is lol, not much into cars but here's a pic I've took of what has happened. I might try the screw method of it works out cheaper.

[Tech1e]

Looks like the lug on the top has failed. On the metal collar of the boost pipe there is a lug that the metal Spring clip on the inter cooler locks behind. These eventually give up so the retaining clip has nothing to locate behind.

[dlength]

Think that they are £100+ for new Vag part

[Jaspire]

You could always try the cable tie route for now so you can use it. Cable tie behind the collar on the hose and behind the locking pin thing on the intercooler, 2 x cable tie through both of these with one going through the hook bit on the locator pin top. Tighten the ones on the hose and intercooler as tight as they go, then tighten the two joining them up tight enough to hold. Should be good for a bit.

Sent from my Hudl 2 using Tapatalk

[Jrjg]

Quite simply - put the pipe back to where it should be, then drill three or four small self tappers at different angles through both outer and inner collar. I then fitted a large jubilee over the heads of the screws just for piece of mind. Sorted.

That was my method about a year ago and it did a good 7k with plenty of full boost driving without any trouble. It hadn't moved at all, the only reason I removed it was due to fitting a fmic.

JRJG

[Jaspire]

Think Dan might have one more bottom bend left if you look in his post in the for sale section, that way ,even if it is as worn as yours you have a back up just incase the fix goes awry.

[giandougl]

Push joint together as tight as possible with retaining clip in it's place.

Drill a couple of holes into pipes then using self-tappers to keep the offending pipe joints in situ.

This problem has been overcome with/by members suffering from boost-pipes blowing apart, including myself.. 

Edited 22 July, 2016 by giandougl

[Matt Gibson]

I've had this problem recently, I read on here somewhere that heat shrinking over the joints is a good solution. I will be giving that a go this week, fingers crossed!

[Jrjg]

I've had this problem recently, I read on here somewhere that heat shrinking over the joints is a good solution. I will be giving that a go this week, fingers crossed!

Self tappers! Fire a couple of fairly small screws in at opposite sides to one another. Problem solved. Make sure you go through both the pipe and the metal 'skirt' on the other boost pipe.

JRJG

[Picko98]

Will this not put swarf into the intercooler pipework and on boost move it to the inlet then up and dowe bores and maybe if lucky out the exhaust ?

[softscoop]

Yes if you did it with them still on the car.

 

Take the pipes off the car, fix them together, clean up any swarf then put them back in.

[Picko98]

Thought so I just did the zip tie method but with steel tie wire as couldnt get a zip tie on the lower intercooler housing

[StevesTruck]

Self tappers, cable ties and a good covering of gaffa tape worked on mine.