Yup, went to check the oil level last Saturday and so pulled out the dipstick - only to find that the metal shaft had snapped immediately below the ring-pull "handle"!
(luckily the top of the metal shaft was still accessible and so I just pulled it out and refitted the "handle" to stop oil being sprayed around the engine compartment - and I know this engine uses hardly any oil between changes and so not worried on that account)

 

Searched for, and then ordered a used one for a BKD motor, from a reputable dimantler and it arrived very quickly - only to find that the lower part of the "handle" has a larger diameter than the old one, and won't fit fully down in the top of the dipstick tube!  The photo below shows the difference between the broken original (with 2x "O" rings) and replacement (with 1x "O" ring) dipstick "handles"

 

Contacted the dipstick supplier, who quickly sent the matching dipstick tube without charging me any more.

 

Went to fit the replacement dipstick tube this morning - but the tube has 2x bolted fixings. The top one is easy to access, but the lower one is halfway down the block and can't even be seen from above. Took the undertray off, but, even after disconnecting both ends of the big air inlet hose up to the EGR, and moving it as much as I could, I could not get my hand, or a spanner, anywhere near the lower fixing to remove the bolt, and I very much doubt I could then have replaced it after locating the new dipstick tube!

 

Looks like I would have to drain the cooling system, and possibly remove the oil/water intercooler and so on, before I can get anywhere near close enough to that lower fixing bolt to be able to remove and replace it - so does anyone have any experience of replacing the tube, or even "bright ideas" as to how I could do it?

Edited 4 August, 20187 yr by jeallen01

araldite ?   the old one 

2 hours ago, cheshire_cat said:

araldite ?   the old one 

Unfortunately not a chance - broke off cleanly at the exit from the handle - virtually nothing to "join"

Trim down the tip on the old one to expose some of the metal and grab at it till it comes out.  Then swap the metal part from the 'new' one to the old handle.

 

Or just go to a car parts place with the old broken bits to see how much it is.  'shirley' it cant be that expensive?

3 hours ago, MarkyG82 said:

Trim down the tip on the old one to expose some of the metal and grab at it till it comes out.  Then swap the metal part from the 'new' one to the old handle.

 

Or just go to a car parts place with the old broken bits to see how much it is.  'shirley' it cant be that expensive?

Trimming down and trying to fit the "new" shaft is a possibility as a last result.

 

Ref getting another one, I did go in the local TPS on Sat morning, and they have ordered one to arrive tomorrow - but of which design it will be I will have to wait and see.

On 06/08/2018 at 13:32, jeallen01 said:

Trimming down and trying to fit the "new" shaft is a possibility as a last result.

 

Ref getting another one, I did go in the local TPS on Sat morning, and they have ordered one to arrive tomorrow - but of which design it will be I will have to wait and see.

Went to TPS (Hayes) this morning. It seems the kindly gentleman who I saw on Sat morning had actually ordered 2 types of dipstick because he could not be sure which one I needed,  but he wasn't there this morning, and so the guy who was there firstly brought out one that was exactly like my "wrong" one - but, when I showed him the broken ring pull, he went back and got another, and it was the correct one!. Cost all of £11.60 inc VAT, which was cheaper than anything on ebay - I should have gone to TPS first!

 

BTW: the part numbers for a large range of VAG dipsticks are in the "03G115611" group, and with a suffix letter to denote the particular variant - the correct one for my car is thus the 03G115611Q.

 

PS: Lots of Pics on Google of the various sorts, many of which show the suffices if you ever break your own dipstick (talking motors of course!)

 

Edited 7 August, 20187 yr by jeallen01