[Vwdiesel] HELP - WHEEL FELL OFF !!!

[James Hansen]

Regarding the question you posed on the picture link Rolf.

The pin you see is the differential pinion gear shaft.

You know how hard you have to whack a bearing to get the spline marks in 
the thing?  Pretty damn hard...
I would want to change the bearing.  They might not want to, but I 
WOULD.  Pull the rear diff housing plug.  It has a magnet on the plug, 
look for great huge piles of furry metal stuff.  If metal fur is absent, 
then you should be cool.  If present in volume, I would not even 
question whether it should be pulled apart.

Does someone have the missing piece of shaft in his pocket?

Where could that have gone?

hmmm...
Inside I would think.  You need to see a big piece, and a circlip.

The logic of when the shaft broke because it is smooth is flawed.
That shaft spins a lot.  A few seconds of turning smooths out the rough 
stuff in short order.

You break an axle part way through, the broken granular surface  of the 
fracture area is smoothed almost immediately from the flexing of the 
remaining shaft, until the remainder lets go.  When you look at it after 
it breaks finally, it's smooth where it was cracked, and it was only 
moving a few thou, not spinning like a top.

Like I referred to previously.  They had ample opportunity to do the job 
correctly the first time.  If they CHOSE to not do it correctly either 
through action or inaction, they remain liable for damage arising from 
their previous (mis)deeds.   Arguing when the piece broke off is for 
amusement only, they had plenty of opportunity to examine it and chose 
not to do so.
-james