Hella bellows: A004538 availability
 

i have called our friends at A8 parts and else where re. the bellows that aid in changing the manifold length. no joy
Audi want mega bucks for it.
i only noticed while doing an oil change that the link between the bellow and link arm had fractured and could not be joined again.
i thought i would ask members if they know where to get a reasonably priced one before i am committed to being fleeced :(
cheers raj

have you checked that the manifold flaps will move? the arms to the bellows sometimes break when they seize and you'd need to sort seized manifold flaps too before putting on any new arms? +++

thanks for the reply
ohhhhh. i had previously read about these manifolds sticking.
being lazy here( i should check for previous threads on the subject), but is there a quick method of checking?
suck on the tubing?
thanks again raj

if the plastic arms that the bellows have broken away from are turnable by hand then they are probably ok, but if not then they need investigating. Mine has got "sticky" at the ends and I got my mechanic to do a refurb procedure in-situ that I found HERE ON AUDIWORLD +++

many thanks for the link..
after reading the tread...
looks like both side are stuck.
mrrrrrrrr.
xmas job


also still on the look out for a bellow A004 538
cheers raj

Mine have been broken and stuck for 2 years, to be honest I cannot tell any difference.

Once you get the manifold flaps unstuck, if you only need the little plastic arms, don't bother paying Audi for the extremely expensive bellow+arm set if your bellow is fine.
Just get 8mm ball tie rod/track rod ends from ebay, they should work just fine.
I got mine from RS components stainless steel, but its overkill. And even that was only £10.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GO-KART-KA...8hDkLCem_XD0Qw

Just make sure its a 8mm ball so it will fit the ball on the bellows, its not clear from the ebay description. They should have 8mm ones its a very common size.
The only fabrication you might need to do is to cut or file down the male rod end's thread down to size if its too long. Compare to one original plastic link to make sure length is the same.

checked the engine and both the arms cannot be turned. meaning that both flaps are jammed ….
odd that i only accidentally noticed that the arm was detached form the bellows as i have never felt the car underpowered.
my trip to work involves about 20 miles of very twisty country lanes and overtaking/kickdown power has always been very ample. so as Manny has mentioned do i fix it? possibly yes after viewing the repair link.
goran, unfortunately its the male clip part from the bellows that has broke.
cheers raj

Then you should be in for a little treat when its fixed. Yours is a S8 (I believe) so the difference should be noticeable.
Of course S8 has a lot of power anyway, but every extra helps :)

Damn I didn't realise the ball at the bellows end can break, I though that part was steel?
Is there no room to drill a hole and attach a new 8mm ball?

Like this but cheaper.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Maverick-B...AAAOSwDNdViv0P

unless the whole metal section broke off from the bellow?

http://forum.a8parts.co.uk/attachmen...3&d=1298205518