If the bearring still does the job don't call them.. You'll feel vibrations, or if you cant move the driveshaft more than half an inch the bearing is just fine.. Inspect it every 10K miles and everything will be fine..

This is how it looks when completely fails

And this is the orange vs black bearing :

 

Not to jinx us, but I haven't heard of any 2010+ Tregs with this issue either. And that's with a few of us now in the 'zone.' (Mine's at 82k mi with no symptoms, knock on wood.) I guess time will tell...

 

Well, my time came at just over 130k mi... #-o

Without warning, got the jackhammer treatment beneath the console. Found a high-end import shop familiar with the issue. Went for the quick swap-in of a new (aftermarket/OEM) unit.

The quick turnaround wasn't cheap, but I'm ready for long roadtrips again.

--Chris

 

Schubie, what is the build date of your car? was it before or after September 2009?

As VW have a component change at September 2009 when they released an updated part number for the Cardan Shaft assembly.

Stuart

 

Neither... 09/21/2009. So not sure that helps.

But let's hope my replacement has the updated design.

 

Yes. I think one or two have done it three times!

 

Would be nice to be able to confirm this, one way or the other.

Stuart...

 

That would indicate a possible 14 changes since the part was first numbered with no suffix!

There has been a marked slow-down, both on here and elsewhere, in the number of people whose very first post is "Banging under the car - help!" and I've been especially watching this particular issue for far longer than most.

Now this could be down to improved centre bearings having been introduced on OEM shafts towards the end of the T2 run, and, therefore, those same new shafts with the improved bearing appearing in the spares inventory as T1 and T2 owners hit the notional 60K/5 years failure point.

Or it could be that there are now so many www threads and posts on this subject, and so much knowledge about it amongst mechanics servicing these cars, that owners simply aren't reporting their problems as often since the answers for all the various fixes - bicycle inner tube $0, a roll of tape $2, bits of steering hose and zipties $5, e-bay bearing $80, Viagra $120, refurbished shaft $400, Vertec collar $600, dealer new shaft $1500 - now show up all over the place.

As mentioned, I don't think we will ever know but, personally, I suspect the latter.

 

I think we have concurrence.

Stuart...

 

Nice to know Schubie is still around and has his Treg!

 

Lurking every now and then, although not as much as I'd like. (Life happens ;-))

The hanger bearing failure was a good excuse to log back in. And it's good to see familiar names.

With the boat coming out of the water soon, I'll be itching to hit the trails again. So you may see more of me...