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When mine went 04 two years ago it just weeped and I was topping a cup full of coolant/ month .
I did kinda research the Audi A 6 ( not sure which modal ) was the same part for the £160 or what ever .
It came up on various parts data bases .
How ever iirc the mounts or brackets are not quite in the same position ….iirc it’s the mounting of the other rads the oil cooler , the g box cooler or what ever the others are .That’s where the VAG cross part thingy falls down .
In the end I went with a flying spares rad + the fitting kit which I understand was all new pipage as well .
But it would be interesting for a volunteer to attempt to fit a A6 rad and confirm or deny it’s a go er .
What this forum LACKS is a cross parts section whereby folks post identical parts they have sourced ( not in Bentley wrapping ) that fit and function perfectly indeed are from the same manufacturer just packaged different.
My other hobby car is a 70;s carb ed Ferrari 308 .
F chat has this section .Lancia , Fiat parts .Even the brakes were shared with the 911 .
Eg the rack is from the U.K. Mini £120 , Ferrari £850;, the rad temp sensor is 70s VW rabbit / golf for £7 as opposed to a Ferrari boxed for £50 ….exactly identical part in every way and at a car show like Pebble Beach they can’t tell .
Fuel filler cap is from a Lancia etc etc .
These are not different parts these are the same parts .
VAG is bigger today than Fiat / Alfa / Lancia / Ferrari of the 70 s .
The owner demographics on here are different.A lot of guys with not a lot of car knowledge or no time to DIY .So straight to dealer or if lucky a nearby Indy .
Appreciate the geographical issues and lower car volumes in the states kinda forces cars back to the dealers .
Who will replace two front struts rather than seal a weepy connection or god forbid pick up a soldering iron .
Rant over .
Last edited by John Fiammetta; Oct 20, 2021 at 02:26 PM.
I would suggest that this forum doesn't need such a resource, because VAG has already done the job for us.
Simply by looking at IETIS it is immediately possible to tell whether a part is Bentley specific or is sourced from somewhere amongst the wider VAG group.
If the part number prefix is "3W" then that indicates that it is a Bentley part and you will not source it elsewhere.
However, amongst the Bentley Continental GT/GTC/FS illustrated parts catalogue you will find parts commencing with inter alia 4E0 = Audi A8, 4B0 = Audi A6, 3D0 = VW Phaeton, 8E0 = Audi A4.
Therefore you can use Autodoc to buy the shared generic part far more cheaply than you can buy the version in the Bentley box. The examples from AliExpress which I listed yesterday are sadly very rare.
Part numbers commencing with "N" are generic and used all across a variety of models in the VAG range.
Admittedly what this doesn't offer is assistance in the "with a bit of modification this will fit" case, but my experience is that examples of this are few and far between.
Thanks guys for good advice and info !
Car is back and happy, with new original Bentley parts from Scuderia. Only sight issue is error codes popping up after a couple days on intermittent Lambda sensors.. and temperature sensor exhaust both banks.. The Indy says the all get this and not to worry ...but should I..?
I would suggest that this forum doesn't need such a resource, because VAG has already done the job for us.
Simply by looking at IETIS it is immediately possible to tell whether a part is Bentley specific or is sourced from somewhere amongst the wider VAG group.
If the part number prefix is "3W" then that indicates that it is a Bentley part and you will not source it elsewhere.
However, amongst the Bentley Continental GT/GTC/FS illustrated parts catalogue you will find parts commencing with inter alia 4E0 = Audi A8, 4B0 = Audi A6, 3D0 = VW Phaeton, 8E0 = Audi A4.
Therefore you can use Autodoc to buy the shared generic part far more cheaply than you can buy the version in the Bentley box. The examples from AliExpress which I listed yesterday are sadly very rare.
Part numbers commencing with "N" are generic and used all across a variety of models in the VAG range.
Admittedly what this doesn't offer is assistance in the "with a bit of modification this will fit" case, but my experience is that examples of this are few and far between.
And how exactly does one simply look at IETIS?
Last edited by tteplitzmd; Nov 19, 2021 at 06:01 AM.
Reason: typo
Arh now we are wading into the classic Bentley dealer parts throwers Vs Indy engineering solutions debate .
Whereby the dealer tech is 24 yrs old and the Indy 54 yrs seen it all .
The O rings alone which my Indy said requires hands of a gynaecologist to remove the alternator probably is not on there system for billing .
A new one will be I mean the whole thing inc the front off Labour , but not a repair as such .
Rubber perishes - period and they weep .Its a VAG and German car thing not specific to Bentley btw .
He did say there was one bolt at the back that can be a bugger depending on how much seepage had wetted it over the years = corrosion etc .
So could be 1 hrs Labour or a lot more depending?
It was there idea not mine they volunteered this as part of the while we are in there conversation .
Worked out fine in the end btw as they not started to seep .
2004 MDL about 2 yrs ago so about the same age as yours the rads corrode bottom inside , they all go I was told .
Rad pack was about £900 inc taxes from Bentley they used the genuine but offered a pattern part for about £500 , as said the Bentley one comes with a new pipe / hose pack .
Yes had the poly belt £100 and tensioner £40 done .
Water pump was not mentioned so I can only assume with the W12 the specialist think its a none event ?
When I got it 2017 there was a fault with the AC so I took it to Bentley Leeds for a full diagnostic about 1 hrs Labour paid up front with the promise they would fix it if not certainly tell me whats wrong .
2/3 hrs later ( only billed for the hr ) a very apologetic senior tech came and sat down with another coffee and laid it all out for me .
Its had a loom splice from a previous they think flooded scuttle.MoT history shows it was off the road 2011-2013 .
So to trace the wiring and find the fault they said Bentley would want us to take out the splice and putt everything back to standard .They could take hrs @ over £200 / hr etc .
Crucially he whispered in my ear take it to a specialist gave me the details about 500 M away tucked up in a unit .
The two guys at Prestige services Leeds are ex Bentley RR techs .
So off I went with the dealers tech name and the indys phoned him ( they are in regular contact every day ) and theses indys found a loose wire and soldered it up and basically fixed the issue .
Billed me for the time and tiny parts etc . About 4 hrs Labour to fully test find it dismantle , fix etc .They also replaced a duff air vent flap motor there computer threw up .
Thats the point uk dealers have there hands tied and if the computer says no they cant do it .
The Bentley dealers tech was talking to his system and it suggested removing all the dash etc to put it back to std
So you need ideally to find a B dealer thats works closely with a nearby Indy ..the indys are normally guys who have left to set up on there own but keep a close working relationship.
Hope this helps .
HNY! you mention the poly belt and tensioner, would you know which tensioner it was as from previous discussions there are 3? Or do they all not need changing?
thanks
HNY! you mention the poly belt and tensioner, would you know which tensioner it was as from previous discussions there are 3? Or do they all not need changing?
thanks
Theres only one tensioner.Other two are idler pulleys .
Its the tensioner bearing that goes .Symptoms are it squeals when cold starting and tick over .The noise subsides when hot or higher rpm .
Comes on gradually and slowly gets worse , last longer etc .
Red arrow .My guys just changed the bearing .For £40 .You can get the whole unit but thats not necessary.
There’s only one tensioner.Other two are idler pulleys .
Its the tensioner bearing that goes .Symptoms are it squeals when cold starting and tick over .The noise subsides when hot or higher rpm .
Comes on gradually and slowly gets worse , last longer etc .
Red arrow .My guys just changed the bearing .For £40 .You can get the whole unit but that’s not necessary.
ah brill! You wouldn’t have the part name number specifics please, also did you order from Bentley direct? The drive belt, is that dealer only item? Thanks
kind regards
Sorry I do not have any PN s .
Parts are available on line at most Bentley parts retailers.
A good Indy stocks them as they are basically consumables .Bentley charge north of £130 + vat for the poly belt best to buy genuine as it’s double sided and specific to Bentley only .
I asked my Indy to replace the rad , the belt and while in there do the tensioner.
He recommend remove the alternator ( while the rad + belt are off ) to replace the two £1.50 rubber o rings that perish .
Most high end VAG cars have a water cooled alternator and the coolant pipe o rings at the back out of sight start to weep .Weep initially nothing catastrophic.But eventually moisture destroys the thing when it works it way into the windings .You only detect it when the thing is off in your hand .
About an extra 1/2 hrs Labour .Obviously saves removing the whole front end and rad in the future down the line .A busted alternator is a show stopper.
Thats the problem with the method of belt replacement ( 10 y service life ) that just swings the rad pack to one side to gain access .Or worse still guys with tiny hands wrestle a new belt on without a full dismantle of the front …..they miss the tensioner bearing and alternator o rings = deferred maintenance.
All the rads go / corrode at the bottom inside again out of sight .It’s a dissimilar metal thing .Aluminium against steel brackets with road salt ……just an inevitable thing .
Thats why at 10 yrs or so best to replace the rad , belt , tensioner and alternator o rings ALL together simultaneously, in a “ while you are in there “
After all the whole fronts come off ,
The genuine Bentley rad pack is approx £900 and comes with new top + bottom hoses as well for piece of mind , Again why refit old hoses ?
Makes me laugh at the FB sites when folks advise solely on buying the lowest mileage car or a gen2 later over an early gen 1 as if somehow time and wear and tear suddenly disappears .
You want one with the thickest service history file that had all the deferred maintenance done and is up to date .
Age alone esp under 10 yrs is a ticking time bomb .
Rads all eventually go .
Figure approx £1.5 K for all the parts and another £1.5 for Labour and tax by a Indy familiar with Bentley.Then that’s it for the next 10 y .
Last edited by John Fiammetta; Jan 5, 2022 at 12:34 AM.
When it goes you'll lose pressure and function. If it goes because of corrosion, my experience is it'll go suddenly.
No idea about the part comparison, but to do mine was about 50/50 labour vs parts (499 for the part 570 for the labour)
C
Just picked up on this .
I have cleaned off all the surface corrosion of mine and rust proofed it very early on in my ownership same with the metal pip age .
The aluminium blows where the connectors fit again same old , same old dissimilarity of metals electrolytic corrosion.
You can wire brush it in situ and with small brushes get behind it .
Anyhow when I had the rest / rad replaced the Indy deemed it survivable .
Also same with horn bracket .From underneath you can wire brush it and treat it .Do all the PS pipe connectors etc .
The thing is as I have said before theses cars inho are NOT are not park and forget like others .TBH they are hands on .
Every 6 months i remove the wheels and scrub + waxoil all the suspension components after cleaning up the underside.
Wax oil the air strut connectors to protect them . Clean and wax up the metal break pipes .
Remove the belly pans clean and wax up everything and apply under body sealant to flaky areas + pipe connectors .Usually when I do the oil changes.
I think a lot of guys esp in the U.K. just do not get there hands dirty and mistakenly thing a book full of B dealer stamps is some sort of insurance against corrosion and its byproduct = leaky components eventually.
That AC cooler and its piping is just a sitting duck alongside the alloy rad underneath to U.K. salty roads .
Same with PS pipes ,Mine where all replaced then I have waxed them up so they never go again .
Corrosion inc the dissimilar metal parts Is entirely preventable / manageable with a hands on approach.
I tried an Audi dealer for that tensioner bearing only, they said it’s a complete unit😾. Will try Bentley tomorrow to see if they sell it separate. Thanks for all you good advice.
Here is my invoice from Scuderia UK. with their part numbers..I shipped to Spain as my car is down there - to avoid the roadsalt ; ) .. So VAT and some duty was paid in Spanish customs. Hope this helps.Part No Desc Qty Price Disc Unit Price Total VAT
[S] 3W0 198
115 G
COOLER FOR COOLANT 1 €879.33 €80.33 €799.00 €799.00 -
Here is my invoice from Scuderia UK. with their part numbers..I shipped to Spain as my car is down there - to avoid the roadsalt ; ) .. So VAT and some duty was paid in Spanish customs. Hope this helps.Part No Desc Qty Price Disc Unit Price Total VAT
3W0 198
115 G
COOLER FOR COOLANT 1 879.33 80.33 799.00 799.00 -
