self locking knuts

[Tom Leppke-Hennig]

Lyle said:

<<I'm planning to replace the oil seals on the rear differential of my 99 a8.
Bentley's says "self-locking nuts must always be replaced."  Is there
anything special about these except that they're pre-treated with a
thread-locker?  Can I just clean them and use a little Loctite, or do they
really have a stretch thread? Not looking forward to paying the dealership
one finger for each bolt...   Maybe I'll just get used to topping off the
rear diff every time I change the motor oil :(>>

The dealership price on these fasteners is not really that bad. More of a pain than a cost
issue, in my opinion.

I have found that the rear end does not need to be disassembled nearly as far as the manual
says, in order to replace rear-end seals, although I have never worked on an A8.

To be realistic, I have never had fasteners just mysteriously fly off, after proper
reassembly. People who race at the track will tell a different story. Back in my $500 Rabbit
days, I never replaced the "you must replace these" fasteners, and I have never had a
problem. Now I replace them because I have become old, conservative and putzy.

Tom LH
1995 90q