First Breakdown

[jeannie]

Well that’s interesting, mine was dropped off to Cowfold with similar problem.wont know til next week what the problem actually is

 

[vwsween]

Pulling away from the lights and clutch makes a bad noise then no drive. If I let the clutch out the vehicle is trying to move but there is no chance, nasty grumbling noise so best left alone. Oh well, first breakdown in 41 years of driving so can’t complain. Just happy that it’s on my way home from work, guessing the repair bill will change my upbeat mood though.

Goss

Had exactly this 4 months back, 100 miles from home. Van was recovered and I had to get hire car!
In my case the driveshafts, clutch and DMF had already been replaced. First 2 garages didnt want to know because they thought gearbox. Third garage did the job in a couple of hours. It was the right side stub shaft, others call it stub axle which connects gearbox to driveshaft proper via splines and socket shown elsewhere in this thread. Splines were badly rusted and chipped - I found it hard to see how it hung on so long prior to failure - 130,000 miles.

 

[Goss]

Well that’s interesting, mine was dropped off to Cowfold with similar problem.wont know til next week what the problem actually is

Received a video from SMG this morning and estimate so hopefully back on the road Monday. Offside driveshaft stub axle splined shaft stripped so the driveshaft also needs to be replaced. Another design fault.

 

[seasiders1]

We had new driveshafts on our 2009 2.5 130 in 2014 at 47000 miles at VW dealer. Reported as excessive wear and likely imminent failure. Replaced by new ones with updated spec, which I was told had longer splines. Cost £700 fitted.

 

[Goss]

Had exactly this 4 months back, 100 miles from home. Van was recovered and I had to get hire car!
In my case the driveshafts, clutch and DMF had already been replaced. First 2 garages didnt want to know because they thought gearbox. Third garage did the job in a couple of hours. It was the right side stub shaft, others call it stub axle which connects gearbox to driveshaft proper via splines and socket shown elsewhere in this thread. Splines were badly rusted and chipped - I found it hard to see how it hung on so long prior to failure - 130,000 miles.

That’s bad luck, how long did the replaced parts last?

Goss

 

[Goss]

We had new driveshafts on our 2009 2.5 130 in 2014 at 47000 miles at VW dealer. Reported as excessive wear and likely imminent failure. Replaced by new ones with updated spec, which I was told had longer splines. Cost £700 fitted.

I wonder why some last the life of the van and others fail as low as 16,000 miles, it seems like the rusty worn out ones were not greased properly on assembly.

Goss

 

[vwsween]

That’s bad luck, how long did the replaced parts last?

Goss

Not sure I get the question. Those parts replaced 4 months ago are still lasting.
The driveshafts were replaced 2 years ago by previous owner but the right side was replaced again 4 months ago whereas left side still fine. Clutch some years ago.

 

[Goss]

Not sure I get the question. Those parts replaced 4 months ago are still lasting.
The driveshafts were replaced 2 years ago by previous owner but the right side was replaced again 4 months ago whereas left side still fine. Clutch some years ago.

So your Cali is on it’s third offside driveshaft?

 

[vwsween]

It has had 3 to my knowledge (might be more) The last one was considered good practise to renew at the same time as stub shaft. Really the previous owner should have replaced the stub shaft at the same time as driveshafts 2 years back. Van is 14 years old on 130k though.

 

[Paul S]

Stub shafts are a common fail point but particularly more so on vans that have had a hard life as normal commercial vehicles before being retired and converted to campers. Sounds like you’ve been unlucky to experience a failure at such a low mileage.

 

[Paul_W]

Both drive shafts failed on our 180 BiTdi 180 before we purchased it, less than 30k when they failed (different times about 6 months apart). VW aprox £700, they were replaced by independent garage for £380 using VW parts! I don’t use VW anymore as we’ve found a good local garage who we trust and are about half the price of VW and unlike VW they look after their customers.

 

[Goss]

Well that’s interesting, mine was dropped off to Cowfold with similar problem.wont know til next week what the problem actually is

How is your repair going? Hope to get ours back on Wednesday as the parts are coming from the factory.

Goss

 

[Velma's Dad]

Nice easy job when done from inside, i always found the worst bit was removing and replacing the transmission tunnel with the fiddley screws and plates. I got the whole clutch replacement time down to under 1.5 hours.

Why did the wheel fall off?

On my Spitfires I reduced the GB-out-and-back time by reducing the absurd number of bell housing bolts - 16 I think - to an (ahem) more 'practical' number.

 

[ArunAlec]

Nice easy job when done from inside, i always found the worst bit was removing and replacing the transmission tunnel with the fiddley screws and plates. I got the whole clutch replacement time down to under 1.5 hours.

Why did the wheel fall off?

Bottom trunion if I recall, same as my Morry Minor a few years earlier!

 

[Velma's Dad]

Bottom trunion if I recall, same as my Morry Minor a few years earlier!

You have to keep the trunnions well lubricated, get under there with your Wanner grease gun every 1,000 miles. Which a lot of us 'younger generation'(!) owners from the 1980s onwards never did, being by then accustomed to the sealed-for-life suspensions of modern cars.

(Let's see how much we can get this thread off VWs and onto 1960s British sports cars!)

 

[Vagophile]

You have to keep the trunnions well lubricated, get under there with your Wanner grease gun every 1,000 miles. Which a lot of us 'younger generation'(!) owners from the 1980s onwards never did, being by then accustomed to the sealed-for-life suspensions of modern cars.

(Let's see how much we can get this thread off VWs and onto 1960s British sports cars!)

Same requirement with all of my Reliant Scimitars. Some had Triumph suspension.