J.R.

How did you find the dimensions of the bearing? Its what I have been trying to find for a very long time, if I had the old bearing in my hand it would be easy for me to find the reference but with the dimensions I can order it in advance if you are confident of them, thats why I asked where you found the details/dimensions/reference number.

As I cant resist buying cheap not always crap from Action (a Belgian outfit that has taken France by storm) I also bought the tiniest 12v compressor for €6.95 with a surprisingly accurate pressure guage and it really is tiny, its tucked away in the storage bix under the drivers seat for future emergency use, as all my stuff lives under the vario-floor if I am loaded I have to remove at least half the load to get to the repair tools I need so having a tiny pump easily accessible where I need it makes sense. And it does work surprisingly well but if you have ever had one apart you would understand why I would never use one repeatedly, more frighteningly is if you take apart a non induction motor non belt drive mains voltage workshop air compressor you will find its just a scaled up version of the little disposable 12V compressors, exposed non lubricated crankpin without even a bearing, bottom of piston exposed to all the dust & **** & bullets, even the windings are not enclosed.

Having looked at the video once again I reckon that to replace only the smaller output shaft bearing there is a possibility that it can be done in situ which would be a massive time and grief saver. I need to jack my car up and have a good look to see if there is clearance, if you are on good terms with your mécano then suggest it to him and ask him to have a look on the lift. It would avoid removing so many difficult and heavy components, drifting out the bearing and refitting the new one from underneath would be no problem. The basic idea (and thats all it is at present) is to remove the driveshafts and anti-roll bar, remove one of the diff mounting bolts from above which will probably involve cutting an access hole, removing the side casing, crown wheel assembly then drifting out the old bearing, well drifting the outer race inwards actually taking care not to damage the oil seal. The latter stages after removing the mounting bolt would be a piece of p155 if there is access, you can see how easy it was on the bench. If it is a standard bearing then the preload will already be set, not removing the pinion means the preload and fore and aft position of that will remain undisturbed. I think this might be a goer!!!!!

I'm in France, closer than Australia but in many ways might as well be as far away, up till a year ago I would frequently visit but have now sold my property there. Delivery charges within the UK are reasonable but to get it to France would be prohibitive nowadays. I'm dead chuffed to finally have a reference for the bearing though, how did you find the details?

My thoughts are with you both.

I'm not angry, not even when you said I must be bind (sic) or have eyesight issue. I would be interested in your old unit as is if you don't want to split it and experiment with bearing replacement, setting up the preload will involve shimming or as in the case of the Australian Youtuber reducing the width of the spacer on a surface grinder. I have been rebuilding diffs (mainly Ford) for over 40 years and would do yours to replace mine to avoid downtime just as you are doing. I'm kicking myself that I didn't buy one for £200 that had been sitting unsold on ebay for months but my diff noise has not got any worse in the intervening 30K miles or maybe my hearing has.

I was heartened to see Roots posting as I was beginning to believe I was the only person around still using a footpump, tyre pressures are higher these days but its good cardio exercise. Pay 10 times as much for an old one at a car boot sale compared to a new cheap or even expensive one and it will be money well spent, the new ones are atrocious, I'm still using the one my father bought me for my 18th birthday, probably to stop me abusing his. I keep one in the storage box of all my big trailers, I bought an allegedly Dunlop one in Action for €7.95 because it was compact and came in a very strong protective case, not knowing that the plastic case was stronger than the pump, it twisted and distorted beyind redemption after only 4 pushes against the resistance of the compressed air, I am staring at it now looking shiny and out of place in my scrap metal pile, the plastic case will definitely get used though. I reckon I may have not fully engaged the connector so was pumping against the closed valve, also uneven sandy soil did not help but the thing was shoîte and can be bent and twisted with bare hands. So then I bought an even cheaper track pump from the same shop 🙄 ever the optimist! This works fine and I actually prefer it to a footpump for car tyres, it gives an even better cardio work out and relieves back pain.

You have been an enormous asset to the forum, I have only just read your posting of 8th February explaining your background and (then) current position which was a real eye opener and made me appreciate you all the more. Then to read on to todays announcement was a real shock, I am guessing that it relates to your wifes condition and can only offer you both my support and best wishes, dont hesitate to look back in if you need support or to talk.

0.9l, 1l or 1.1l whatever, its one bottle or a smidgin of another if you want to be obsessive, 2.8 litres it sure aint and the quantity has nothing to do with the volume within the casing. Good luck with squeezing in the additional 2 litres when they arrive!

I am blind in one eye and have sight issues in the other, had catarct surgery at the end of march followed by retinal inflammation, no sooner had that been treated then I was struck with Orbital Cellulitus and in intensive care for a week with 3 days of total blindness. So in that regard I admire your deduction skills! The volume containing the component bears no relation to the amount of lubricant it will require. The Haldex system is a hydraulic pump operating an actuator to clamp up or release a multi-disc clutch, the fluid has to also act as a lubricant and coolant for the heat generated in partial slip conditions, 95% of the driving cycle. The differential is very compared to any standard differential as its reduction ratio is one third of that of a normal FWD or RWD vehicle, it also does a lot less work as it only transmits a fraction of the vehicles tractive force for a small percentage of the time, it works by splash lubrication and only requires the oil level to be above the bottom of the crown wheel which is significantly smaller in diameter to a standard differential. Using your logic the volume of the engine exposed to the oil system, the crankcase and cylinder head volume etc being larger than the volume of the cooling system means an engine should have a larger quantity of oil in litres than it does of coolant. Comparing Haldex fluid to hypoid gear oil is like comparing engine oil to coolant. I presume when you "fill up" with oil after an oil change you stop filling when the oil reaches the correct level on the dipstick or do you keep filling till it comes out of the filler cap like my buddy from my youth did with his first car? You have already been advised that the refill volume for your rear axle differential is 0.9 litres, if your logic will not accept that then try putting the volume in that you believe is correct, VAG will have put the filler plug at the right level to make that a challenge for you.

They are indeed connected, for the traction control and other stability systems to function correctly the system must know what trajectory the vehicle is travelling on through the steering angle sensor and others. That you had a problem before does muddy the waters somewhat in the garages favour, notwithstanding that it sounds like while replacing the track rod ends he misaligned the steering and instead of aligning the wheels to the vehicle thrust angle with the steering centred he just moved the steering wheel on its splines to cover his mistake. Does the vehicle drive true in a straight line with your hands off the wheel and with the steering wheel in the correct centred position? If yes then park up with the engine running and the steering wheel centered in the straight ahead position, then turn it full left lock and right lockk while noting how many turns and partial turns in degrees it makes in each direction, it will be something like 1.5 turns each way, I bet you have significantly more one way than the other. If so then throw it back to the mechanic.

Why would they be even the slightest bit interested in a fault on a 7 year old vehicle?

I think your logic is flawed.

Bite their hand off!

If you put it in the dealer you will have not only the inflated and exaggerated labour charges but they wont do any bodgery when they can hit you for the price of a new bumper plus painting, of course they wont mention that until the car is in pieces.

Aftermarket alarm fitted? Does the vehicle have a double towing socket?

Does the ignition barrel connect to that? I thought it was only the parts that rotate with the steering wheel, horn, airbag, steering wheel controls etc.

What do you mean by "I am now told........." Have you not experienced the fault yourself? What help are you asking for? You still have not confirmed what location the car is in, if I were to guess I would say at a repairers in London while you are away. So many requests for help these day are so lacking in detail that it becomes a guessing game.

Are you serious?

It will be 5 to 10% less on the standard tyres anyway. On my winter tyres mine reads 10% less than true speed, summer tyres a bit over 5%

I think you might be OK, I was looking at mine today as the ride height looks quite similar to your 60mm lift despite it being standard "Offroad" trim suspension (it was slightly lower), my wheel was centred in the arch & then it dawned on me that you took the photo with the vehicle jacked up, the trailing arm will moving through its arc will have moved the hub forwards.

Your sarcasm is not appreciated. I don't need to ask vag for anything, I understand how the transmission functions which is more than can be said of those who believe the rear reduction ratio is different for a petrol or diesel engine.

Urban legend from people that know zilch about the VAG setup, all rear diff ratios are identical to the bevel drive ratio which does not change as it is after the front diff on the drivetrain.