[noobytoogy]

Anyone got any hard evidence that 2010 is the year it got sorted?

Somehow I doubt it - VW has been making far too much money out of supplying brand new shafts!!

 

[hedditch]

Nooby,

Simple way to find out.....has there been a change of part number, if not then nothing has changed. VW don't appear to do anything at all without issuing a new part number, therefore if the part number is unchanged then it is fair to assume that it is still then same ( identical ) product.

Stuart...

 

[noobytoogy]

As I understand it from personal experience of buying parts, the part number stays the same throughout even when they modify it but they add a letter suffix which starts at A and goes through the alphabet with each change.

The trouble is, you don't know why the letter has changed.

 

[hedditch]

As I understand it from personal experience of buying parts, the part number stays the same throughout even when they modify it but they add a letter suffix which starts at A and goes through the alphabet with each change.

The trouble is, you don't know why the letter has changed.

Yes, but I have always understood the part number INCLUDES any prefix or suffix. Hence the logic behind my previous post.. VW parts managers need to be able to identify what is current and what is superseded. So going back to what I first said,

"No new number = No change to the product"

 

[Togwotee]

Would seem to me that the Touaregs with the 8 speed transmissions would have a shorter overall shaft length, because of the extra planetary in the gearbox. But that does not mean that the rubber material holding the center bearing has been changed to a longer lived material. Until that happens, I don't see that the shafts will last longer in the newer Touaregs.

 

[noobytoogy]

hedditch: I think we are both agreeing with each other in the progression of the parts number itself.

The problem is we don't know exactly what VW has changed when the part number changes.

If you ask the storemen, they don't know unless it is something very obvious so it could be a new supplier of the same item, or something being made thicker or thinner, or out of black plastic instead of white [the rear light speed nuts for example], or whatever.

So unless someone can definitively state VW has improved the quality of the rubber in the centre bearing, I don't think we'll know until 2015 when we suddenly realise no 2010 cars have needed new shafts!

 

[warminwisco]

I asked my VW guy of 12 years and was told the bearing is changed for 2011 and yes he felt the old bearings where like a ticking time bomb, for what it is worth.

 

[noobytoogy]

Does he mean for the T3 when the transmission and drive train changed anyway [except for the Escape version not sold in the US/Canada]?

 

[hedditch]

hedditch: I think we are both agreeing with each other in the progression of the parts number itself.

Agreed.....same chook different feathers !!!!

 

[noobytoogy]

We used to have chicken competitions at school.

I think my best time from death to dressed [that's oven ready with the giblets on a plate] was 2 minutes 20 seconds for a 7lb live weight bird.

What's your time?

 

[SkiRX]

All, the cheapest (and IMO best) way to deal with this issue is to buy the bearing (you can get OEM on eBay VW TOUAREG 3.2 V6 4.2 V8 DRIVESHAFT SUPPORT BEARING | eBay - mine was part 140488863040 but check compatibility with your particular car) for about $80. Go to a competent shop, have them pull the drive shaft, and then have a drive shaft shop R/R the bearing and straighten the drive shaft. Here in Denver I had the whole shebang done for about $300. Has worked perfectly since.

 

[mstar]

Bizzare as it sounds other then every day/time i am going into my Treg i will have to get under the car and look....is there absolutely ANY signs its on the way out? or is it such a part that it will just break all of a sudden and i can hear it under the centre arm rest and no warning?

 

[noobytoogy]

As you know, it may go gently, it may not. Either way, it will be inconvenient.

Your car is over 5 years old so you are in the zone.

If it is worrying you that much, just replace it now as a service item using a shaft rebuilt by a professional company, the names of which you can see on www.mytreg.com and don't rely on that 35 quid bearing off e-bay you've just spotted!

They'll do the entire job, while you wait, in three hours and charge you around £250.

And, no, Warranty Direct will not pay for it.

 

[Charrlise]

It has happened to me (160,000kms on the clock)

Started out on my holidays Saturday prior to Christmas, mare and foal in the horse float, all loaded up heading from Coffs Harbour NSW, Australia south to the Snowy Mountains VIC first stop Dubbo (10+ hours drive) . One hour on the trip, halfway up Dorrigo Mountain, cruising easily with the float, happy times, BAM! knocking sounds comes from the centre console. Had to creep 7kms up to the top of the narrow mountain then back down 10kms crawling at 20kms/hr so we could safely unload the horses at the showgrounds till friends arrived to pick them up.

Sadly, warranty has run out, so the Treg is sitting in the garage at home till I work out what to do, how to fix it and where.

Luckily we were able to leave the horses behind, and take my partners company car on holidays or we would have been stuck at home. The treg was my transport to work, however now the motorbike is taking on the drive to work task.

I am certain it is the Centre Bearing Carrier, from reading this post and other sources.

So I guess my questions are, where do I start from an Australian perspective?
Can I buy parts online? genuine or aftermarket?
What cost am I looking at?
Who can repair this?
Is the repair task difficult?
Will it happen again? or this just a faulty part on behalf of VW? Should I be selling my treg now or will a repair make it just as good as before?

Would love to hear all your thoughts and ideas.


Best regards

 

[SkiRX]

It has happened to me (160,000kms on the clock)
Would love to hear all your thoughts and ideas.

See my post #71 in this thread. Supposedly the new bearing is more durable than the OEM. Buy it on eBay. The bit that will take a little work is finding local shop to drop the shaft and R/R the bearing (and straighten the shaft). Took me a few phone calls, but started with driveshaft shops, found one that would do it -- they wouldn't pull and reinstall the shaft, but referred me to a local mechanic who would. The mechanic handled the whole thing. USD$300 this way vs. $1600 at the dealer.

 

[Charrlise]

Thanks

 

[Charrlise]

Found this info, if anyone is interested in reading. very interesting thread.

Touareg center bearing failure no2 - 4x4 Community Forum

 

[SamT]

Here is a DIY link on a Porsche Cayenne bearing replacement that suffers the same bearing and transmission valve chest failures. The bearing itself is about $80-100 USD. See post #41:

Cardan shaft DIY...and other stuff... - Page 3 - Rennlist Discussion Forums

Let me know if this works for you. :wink: I'm planning just in case.

 

[noobytoogy]

Found this info, if anyone is interested in reading. very interesting thread.

Touareg center bearing failure no2 - 4x4 Community Forum

They've discovered what we've known for a long time:

60,000 miles /100,000 kms or 5 years, whichever comes first is the most likely point for the rubber around the bearing to perish.

In summary:

a] you can buy new bearings for US$100 or GB£80 or less on e-bay and DIY, or...

b] you can find a good drive / prop shaft shop to refurbish your existing shaft for less than half the price that...

c] a VW dealer will charge you for a brand new shaft, or...

d] you can do a lash up repair with silicone and or rubber/hose packing, [some of which have actually done some big mileages since!] or...

e] you can buy a Vertec kit, or...

f] you can buy shafts already refurbished with the standard bearing, or...

g] you can have your shaft remade with a new coupling that means the problem bearing is a thing of the past, or...

h] you can buy a brand new drive / prop shaft on line for a helluva lot less than a VW dealer will charge you and...

i] it shouldn't take a good workshop or competent DIYer more than a couple of hours to drop the existing shaft and replace it with a repaired/refurbed/new one.

The guys on the 4x4 forum have also found out that even if you check your bearing rubber it can let go unexpectedly and inconveniently which is why some of us will now fit new bearings as a service item every 60K miles/100K kms or 5 years.

My present shaft, replaced by a dealer under warranty around the mid 60K mark when aged 5, will be ready for its new bearing later this year!

 

[SamT]

I saw a support bearing and CV boot kit on eBay for about $75 USD. There is also a "red version" bearing with a red bearing seal, which is supposed to be stronger than the older, black seal version.

I am weighing whether to use a kit like this (plus extra time) or buy a new driveshaft and do a simple swap when the time comes. I may need new nuts and bolts for the rubber flange (lower right in the picture) to the transfer case, and maybe a new rubber flange too.

Here is a good DIY summary from post #27 of http://forums.rennlist.com/rennforu...rennforums/porsche-cayenne-forum/613776-cardan-shaft-diy-and-other-stuff-2.html