rivet snapped off like a bullet

isnt that what happens when your diff explodes

you dont mean a clutch plate rivet surely?

rivet on the differential

may i ask how old is the box, as it has the release rod on it?

as far as i know it's about 8 years old, around 87,000 miles . . . i shouldn't be surprised really but this has wound me up something rotten

thing with diff failures they used to be attributed to wheels suddenly regaining traction when spinning - but as you said the waek link in your car is the diff rivets..

Edited 11 April, 200917 yr by bobby_hill

I don't know . . . what's an abf box/diff? sorry i don't know car mechanics in great detail. Why were you surprised it had a release rod? I thought all manuals had that or am I being silly?

dunno, most of the mk4s I've worked on had thrust bearings, noticed yours was a classic -

Edited 11 April, 200917 yr by bobby_hill

this one is being repaired, i think they're gona weld the hole and replace the rivets with bolts should be ok but not cheap . . .