TTY and not TTY bolt replacement policy

[roadhard1960]

I was replacing the rear axle bushings in my A4 today. The mounting plate bolts and the axle bolts by the bushings say replace but they are not torque to yield. They just say torque to 59 pound/feet. So if they are not tty, are they saying replace them for corrosion reasons? They all looked fine by the way as I live in a no salt area.

I need to find a decent shop to get an alignment. The tire shop said they could not adjust it as the camber and caster up front was off a wee bit suggesting a need to shift the sub-frame. They also noted the rear axle seemed to be sitting a bit cockeyed. This was after the front rebush but before the rear rebush. The rear bushings did not look that bad, at least compared to the front/rear bushings which I replaced with TT bushings.

 

[Drivbiwire]

VW uses a coating on their bolts that prevents rust and corrosion between the fastner and the component. Bolts such as the ones you are using which are not replaced very often require replacement to insure that the fastener does not weld itself in place over time.

The cost of VW bolts and fasteners are pretty cheap, so it's not just good policy but also a good way to make future servicing easy and less labor intensive.

 

[Powder Hound]

I concur on the bolts welding themselves in place. They have done that to me more times than I can count, and I have previously lived in the desert where there was no salt and very little water.

If they aren't tty, and you don't happen to want to go get new fasteners, might I suggest a big container of anti-sieze that you use every time? Particularly when doing brakes, it'll save lots of frustration and knuckle skin in the future.

 

[roadhard1960]

Thanks for confirming my theory of corrosion as a good reason to replace.. I did note some corrosion on the tty bolts up front. Those were replaced as tty, not because of corrosion.