budd wrote: ↑Sat Dec 16, 2017 9:50 pm the top engine mount breaking off the wife's new shape VW Beetle, she's coming home from work and notices something is wrong and as the foresight to pull over and ring me, I arrive and it's pretty obvious what's happened the engine is no longer level, anyway there's nothing I can do at the side of the road I figure it's unlikely to actually fall out so as it's not far I elect to drive it home, nice and steady all is going well until a particularly nasty speed hump takes the sump out !! by the time I get home the oil light is flashing and there's an impressive trial of oil leading down the road and up my drive bugger !! When I investigate the rather large cast alloy engine mount is wedged between the engine and inner wing the cam pulley as cut an decent section out it quite how it's not taken the belt out I don't know but at least the belt is still in one piece. Turns out 2 of the 3 retaining bolts have snapped the 3rd is just gone, so I have two to remove one of which is on the side of the block with very limited access I'm hoping I can get in with right angled drill and then use an easy out to remove it other wise it's an engine out job !!
So why should this happen ? my first thought was that the bolts weren't correctly tightened when the cambelt was changed and it's worked loose but according to the S/H this was nearly 2 yrs ago, we've had it nearly a yr so you'd think if it wasn't correctly tightened up then it would have come lose already, so it's a bit of a mystery. I've done a bit of research and it turns out that while not a regular occurrence this isn't unknown and can effect all newish VWs, it seems the engine mount bolts are stretch bolts so essentially one use bolts, now I know stretch bolts are commonly use on cylinder heads but I didn't realise them were also used in other area, so it seems when the cambelt was done they weren't replaced but to be fair to whoever did it if I'd done I wouldn't have replaced them either, when I've done cambelts before or even engine changes I've never replaced any of the bolts.
They must have some reason for them using stretch bolts maybe it's a production line thing but I think the morale here is particularly on newer cars is to check the bolt specs on critical applications.
As if the engine mount problem wasn't enough on it's own. Did you also get GBH of the ear-hole when you got home from your wife "I told you not to drive it" 
I suppose the only saving grace is the cambelt didn't let go.
A bit of a mystery though I agree regarding the engine mount and it's bolts,
Chris.
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) anyway granny had a spell in hospital so we got lumbered with sooty and that meant me walking the bloody thing. Well it turned out sooty was actually a proper dog and followed max everywhere he went, it ended up with twigs/ears of corn in its fur, covered in mud and crap but what a game little dog, so you've probably got a real dog in there it just needs a mud and sh1t makeover.
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