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  #11  
Old 17th March 2016, 07:27 PM
MikkiJayne MikkiJayne is offline
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The pump will howl with any air in it's supply. The return from the rack is very turbulent and will aerate the contents of the reservoir if the fluid is too low - look in it with the engine running and it looks like it's boiling. I've seen several cars which are very sensitive to the fluid level so I wouldn't worry about the noise.

If its a slow leak then it probably only just hit the threshold where the fluid gets aerated. Hopefully the garage can find the leak, and extra hopefully it's not the main pressure hose because that is stupidly expensive!
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  #12  
Old 29th April 2016, 04:30 PM
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moltuae moltuae is offline
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Just an update on this ....

Finally got the parts and got this fixed today (or rather my mechanic did).

Turned out it was the hoses, three of them altogether. The hoses pass through the n/s wheel arch, where they're exposed to every bit of road salt and crap that gets thrown at them (you can see them, just behind the shock absorber). 2 of the hoses were badly corroded. One of them was so bad it fell apart while removing it. The third hose (a low pressure return hose I think) was in better shape but, being the cheaper of the 3 hoses we decided it best to change it at the same time. Parts alone for the 3 hoses was an eye-watering £700 (approx)

And just to add to the financial blow, turns out the subframe has got a rust hole in it too, right below where the PS pipes were leaking. I suspect the PS fluid has been dripping on it for some time and caused it to corrode.

And get this, a brand new front subframe is £1500
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  #13  
Old 29th April 2016, 08:27 PM
MikkiJayne MikkiJayne is offline
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Mm I found the prices eye watering too! I cut the ends off the original hoses and swaged new hose on to them instead.

I just reconditioned my subframe. Some muppet had cut a couple of holes in it for who knows what reason. Sand blasted it, welded up the holes and re-painted. Be aware subframes can't be welded according to the MoT, which frankly is ridiculous. If you can weld bodywork which is much thinner, what possible drawback can there be to welding up a 2.5mm thick subframe? The lesson I learn from that is make the repair invisible, but sadly most garages won't consider repairing them. I guess you might find a good used one from our sponsors?

Its a hell of a job swapping a subframe over. Possible with a lift, an engine support beam, and a transmission jack. You need the subframe alignment pins to get it back in the right place too, otherwise the wheel alignment will be all over the place afterwards. I made a couple when I put mine back together so PM me if you'd like to borrow them





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  #14  
Old 29th April 2016, 08:39 PM
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Goran Goran is offline
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I feel your pain, I had a rust-holed subframe too on my S8 when I bought it, had to be replaced. If you buy all your parts from the same dealer press them nicely for a discount. I did and they gave 10% off.
Lesson learned, I am not a good pre-inspector, I completely missed that and the leaking self-leveling shocks.
And the non-standard poor quality front springs.
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  #15  
Old 29th April 2016, 09:55 PM
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moltuae moltuae is offline
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Thanks for the info guys!


Excellent photos and info there MikkiJayne!! I'll pass that info on to my mechanic and make sure he's equipped to do the job! If he hasn't got the correct alignment pins please let me pay to hire yours; if they'll help make the job go smoothly, they'll be worth their weight in gold.


As for the replacement subframe, I figured it might be worth looking for a used one in good condition. I contacted the forum sponsors and they had a suitable used one in stock (which they assure me is in good condition) .... ordered and on its way for £70! .... a damn sight cheaper than the £1500 for a new one!!

My plan is to get the used one cleaned up and repainted, perhaps even galvanised. It should be possible to get it like new, or maybe even better than new, for a lot less than the price of a new one.
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  #16  
Old 30th April 2016, 09:49 AM
MikkiJayne MikkiJayne is offline
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The subframes were originally zinc plated before they were painted, but like nuts and bolts and everything else, it doesn't last forever. The drawback with galvanising is that you'll have to remove the mounting bushes which is difficult and expensive - eight halves at £30 each! Powder coating would be the same, but tbh I don't rate powder coating for anything with sharp edges - it fails at the edges and then rusts worse than when it's painted because the powder coat flakes off in a big sheet.

IMO, the best thing to do is blast off the rust (or blast the whole thing with the bushes very well masked up) and then paint it with something like POR-15 or Rustoleum. Both products are designed to kill any remaining rust and are designed for things like undercarriage. I used some Ronseal 'No Rust' semi-gloss exterior metal paint which does the same, then sprayed a few coats of satin black over the top for a factory-ish finish
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  #17  
Old 30th April 2016, 10:46 AM
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Goran Goran is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by moltuae View Post
I contacted the forum sponsors and they had a suitable used one in stock (which they assure me is in good condition) .... ordered and on its way for £70! .... a damn sight cheaper than the £1500 for a new one!!
That's a result
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  #18  
Old 30th April 2016, 11:13 AM
tintin tintin is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by moltuae View Post
Thanks for the info guys!

As for the replacement subframe, I figured it might be worth looking for a used one in good condition. I contacted the forum sponsors and they had a suitable used one in stock (which they assure me is in good condition) .... ordered and on its way for £70! .... a damn sight cheaper than the £1500 for a new one!!

My plan is to get the used one cleaned up and repainted, perhaps even galvanised. It should be possible to get it like new, or maybe even better than new, for a lot less than the price of a new one.
I had exactly the same - mine failed its MOT recently because of this, and I thought I was looking at a big bill, but the forum sponsors came to the rescue, also for c£70. I also had mine cleaned up and rustproofed before fitting, so that should stop the problem recurring
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  #19  
Old 30th April 2016, 01:46 PM
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moltuae moltuae is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MikkiJayne View Post
IMO, the best thing to do is blast off the rust (or blast the whole thing with the bushes very well masked up) and then paint it with something like POR-15 or Rustoleum. Both products are designed to kill any remaining rust and are designed for things like undercarriage. I used some Ronseal 'No Rust' semi-gloss exterior metal paint which does the same, then sprayed a few coats of satin black over the top for a factory-ish finish
Thanks. I think that's what I'll do!
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Cars Owned:
The Tesla Era: 2020 Model S Performance Ludicrous+ (present)
(Black, with all black premium interior and carbon fibre décor, 21" sonic carbon twin turbine wheels and FSD capability)

The Audi Era: '97 A8 4.2 (Ming Blue) --> '96 A8 4.2 QS (Dark Green) --> '02 FE S8 (present)
The Citroen Era: '84 BX 1.6 RS --> '89 BX 1.9 DTR Turbo --> '94 XM 2.0L Turbo --> '96 XM 2.0L Turbo Exclusive --> '00 Xantia Activa 2.0L Turbo
The Banger Era: '76 1.2L Lada VAZ-2101 (Ruski Fiat 124) --> '80 1.7L Morris Ital HL, finished in Ermine White and Rust
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  #20  
Old 18th December 2017, 10:24 PM
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briang9 briang9 is offline
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Just discovered mine has dumped a lot of it's PAS fluid today, pump was howling and it took at least a litre of fluid. Mechanic unable to look at it until next week..getting a bit nervous as that's me down to only one car now as the Fiat is having electrical gremlins investigated. Fingers crossed nothing goes wrong with the RS6 now
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