[GreekboyD]

Originally Posted by TDIwyse

I'm still wincing from the wallet-pain... Dang that's expensive. Took me about 2 years to convince myself on this purchase.

I kept waiting for someone else to supply a used core ... but nothing. So I bought the "new housing" they already have built up and ready and then will ship my "used diff" back. After sending my DPF to Scotland and being without the car for weeks I'm not keen on being without it again. So I'm taking another one for Team D. Everyone else will have a less expensive "used core" route to work with now when using VAC.

Planning to help install at the local Diesel Shop with the owner. We worked together on the exhaust stuff recently. He's got multiple lifts that are way nicer than my setup.

Awesome! Trust me man, it's that "wincing" that is holding me back too. Shipping to Canada is another cost I must consider. The new core is something I've pondered too because I'm a bit paranoid as to the wear and tear of a used one. You will love this mod my friend.

I just recently added the Wagner IC and then have $2,500 in brakes, rotors and brake lines to add next month. The LSD "might" happen in June.

[TDIwyse]

Did you guys send your units in and wait, or did you go in with the group buy earlier and get "used cores"?

[GreekboyD]

Originally Posted by TDIwyse

Did you guys send your units in and wait, or did you go in with the group buy earlier and get "used cores"?

Diesel cores are harder to find. I believe 335dFan took his car to VAC so they used his core. Another member also did that. Others waited until Mike had a diesel core on hand and bought a used core.

There was never a "group buy" as not enough people came forward in order to make it happen.

[TDIwyse]

Originally Posted by GreekboyD

I just recently added the Wagner IC and then have $2,500 in brakes, rotors and brake lines to add next month. The LSD "might" happen in June.

Ouch. Think I need another glass of bourbon.

[GreekboyD]

Originally Posted by TDIwyse

Ouch. Think I need another glass of bourbon.

I'll take the bottle.

[Kjelly]

Originally Posted by TDIwyse

Did you guys send your units in and wait, or did you go in with the group buy earlier and get "used cores"?

Mike from VAC, bought a new core for me, and I sold him my original core after the swap. So, I ended up paying a little extra for a new core... But I could only come by his shop on a certain day, so the time saved and the opportunity to have it installed at VAC was definitely worth it.

[335dFan]

Originally Posted by TDIwyse

Did you guys send your units in and wait, or did you go in with the group buy earlier and get "used cores"?

I live about 100 miles from VAC, so I just took my car up there and left it with them, and got a car from a nearby Enterprise place while awaiting the work on mine.

[FormerRotor]

Originally Posted by TDIwyse

Just pulled the trigger on a Quaife.

Nice! I'll get there eventually. My lovely wife has warmed up to the idea. I can't cant get myself to write e check

[TDIwyse]

Originally Posted by Kjelly

Mike from VAC, bought a new core for me, and I sold him my original core after the swap. So, I ended up paying a little extra for a new core... But I could only come by his shop on a certain day, so the time saved and the opportunity to have it installed at VAC was definitely worth it.

That's interesting to know. I wonder why VAC told me they didn't have any used cores to work with?

[335dFan]

Originally Posted by TDIwyse

That's interesting to know. I wonder why VAC told me they didn't have any used cores to work with?

Not sure. Frankly I don't know whether I got a new core or a used core. I paid a deposit on it that was reimbursed after they inspected mine and accepted it in return. But that was a year ago.

[GreekboyD]

Originally Posted by TDIwyse

That's interesting to know. I wonder why VAC told me they didn't have any used cores to work with?

They most likely didn't have one at the time.

[TDIwyse]

Hey, what kind of fluid are you guys using in the Quaife? And what kind of break-in procedure, if any, did you follow?

[335dFan]

Originally Posted by TDIwyse

Hey, what kind of fluid are you guys using in the Quaife? And what kind of break-in procedure, if any, did you follow?

Sorry, don't know what kind of fluid VAC used. I'll ask them and also look through my records. No prescribed break-in period. I suppose in general I don't put a big load on it though.

One comment that I have mentioned to others. I have a barely perceptible drone between 40 and 50-55 mph that I did not have before the Quaife. VAC knows about it. It is evident (to me) even with no load, and the volume increases when a load is placed on the diff in that speed range. It does not matter what gear I am in, although obviously the noise can be masked by heavy duty ambient or engine noises. It has not been more than a minor irritant. VAC does not have an answer. Since I had so much suspension work done at the same time as the Quaife, it could be almost anything that resonates up at that speed. I found only one similar story on the forums, and his symptoms were slightly different.

[GreekboyD]

I know a guy who builds differentials and he says they need a break-in period despite what manufacturers say, especially the clutch plate types. He also changes the differential oil after 700-1000 miles on a new differential.

[Kjelly]

Originally Posted by TDIwyse

That's interesting to know. I wonder why VAC told me they didn't have any used cores to work with?

Well, this was last August. So I gotta think someone has bought the core by now...

[TDIwyse]

Well I did some testing after work today.

Since it's so fricking cold around here and has been so for 4 months straight, our drive has been covered in thick ice for months. So I thought I'd video the rear wheel drive behavior in DSC, DTC and all nannies off mode to see how the eLSD (electronic LSD) behaves. Well, it didn't behave like I was expecting. I thought it would use the ABS brakes to brake the spinning wheel and send power to the other side. That's not what happened.

The video shows 3 separate tests. I have blocks of wood in front of the front tires and the car is on a slight incline. First spin is in standard DSC mode. You can hear the engine start to spool up and then the driver side wheel slips and no power is sent to the other wheel. Then I push the DTC button and try that mode. Same thing. Then I hold down the DTC button and turn all nannies off and ... same thing. This is not the way I read the eLSD was supposed to react.

I'd be interested in knowing if others observe this same behavior.

[335dFan]

Originally Posted by TDIwyse

I'd be interested in knowing if others observe this same behavior.

Afraid I can't be of much help. I have only turned off the nannies three times where I was expecting to be able to observe a difference. One time was at a stop light and I wanted to nail it and see if it would improve my take off and not have DSC come on and cut power. But I didn't really nail it hard enough to notice anything other than the DSC did not activate, but no wheel slippage either.

The other two times was on the wet skid pad. Once before getting the Quaife and once after. THey have you disengage all nannies. Since they are badgering you constantly while on the pad, it was impossible to do any a-b checks. All I know is that the rear end would definitely come around when I induced oversteer. Of course it would plow also when I induced understeer.

NOne of this is very helpful I'm afraid.

They have the new guys keep DSC on when on the track. The Quaife did make a difference when exiting turns and applying power. Less tendency to lose the rear end.

[TDIwyse]

Well, was excited to get an email at work Friday from UPS saying it was delivered. But then I get home and find this situation. Also had a voice mail from the UPS delivery guy saying as he was carrying the package up to the house that the item fell out so he put it on top of the package. He didn't say from how high or how hard it fell, but I'm guessing it landed on the concrete driveway. There's some dents/scuffs on it...

Called VAC and their response was that it should still be "ok" as differentials are built to handle lots of trauma.

I was really disappointed to see the under designed packaging they used on such an expensive item. The ~100 lb item was no match for the thin plastic side walls of that container. Such a shame to subject the "new housing" to this abuse because of inadequate packaging.

Any suggestions on what to look for in terms of potential internal damage from the drop?

Also, should there be a little side/side play on the axle shaft output hubs? I can push/pull the two output hubs back and forth a tiny bit. Could this have occurred if it landed on one of the output hub shafts?

[GreekboyD]

This is just brutal man. Unreal.

You're better off asking this in one of the DIY install threads as those guys would have more knowledge.

[335dFan]

Any suggestions on what to look for in terms of potential internal damage from the drop?

Also, should there be a little side/side play on the axle shaft output hubs? I can push/pull the two output hubs back and forth a tiny bit. Could this have occurred if it landed on one of the output hub shafts?

Did you ask VAC all of these questions? Have you sent them these pictures? Sometimes it is necessary to be persistent with them.

I'm sorry I can't answer your technical questions. Did you discuss it with Mike or Steve? I think Mike is Steve's boss.

[Brian_VACsales]

Hey man,

Did you file a claim with UPS? In my opinion the shipment was abused somewhere in transit. The super cold temps wouldn't help if the crate was dropped.

We have mailed 100s of diffs in that exact container - it's not 'under designed' by our measure. I know of 1 similar diff damage situation and it was clearly abuse by UPS and the claim was won. Also, UPS recently demolished a $15k sequential transmission and clutch package that we shipped to a race team in FL. The trans made it to us from England without a scratch, but UPS murdered it. That claim was won too.

Here is a pic I snapped the week your diff shipped of another one in progress. We put a piece of wood in the base of the container and strap the diff to it. We then pack it solid with cardboard boxes. This is 1/2 the packing material we typically use:



I can double check Monday, but I'm pretty sure Steve talked to our diff builder about this. He's not one to say something to simply appease a customer, if anything he presses the VAC organization for a thorough answer before talking to a customer.

Originally Posted by TDIwyse

Well, was excited to get an email at work Friday from UPS saying it was delivered. But then I get home and find this situation. Also had a voice mail from the UPS delivery guy saying as he was carrying the package up to the house that the item fell out so he put it on top of the package. He didn't say from how high or how hard it fell, but I'm guessing it landed on the concrete driveway. There's some dents/scuffs on it...

Called VAC and their response was that it should still be "ok" as differentials are built to handle lots of trauma.

I was really disappointed to see the under designed packaging they used on such an expensive item. The ~100 lb item was no match for the thin plastic side walls of that container. Such a shame to subject the "new housing" to this abuse because of inadequate packaging.

Any suggestions on what to look for in terms of potential internal damage from the drop?

Also, should there be a little side/side play on the axle shaft output hubs? I can push/pull the two output hubs back and forth a tiny bit. Could this have occurred if it landed on one of the output hub shafts?

[TDIwyse]

Originally Posted by Mike@VAC

Hey man,

Did you file a claim with UPS? In my opinion the shipment was abused somewhere in transit. The super cold temps wouldn't help if the crate was dropped.

We have mailed 100s of diffs in that exact container - it's not 'under designed' by our measure. I know of 1 similar diff damage situation and it was clearly abuse by UPS and the claim was won. Also, UPS recently demolished a $15k sequential transmission and clutch package that we shipped to a race team in FL. The trans made it to us from England without a scratch, but UPS murdered it. That claim was won too.

Here is a pic I snapped the week your diff shipped of another one in progress. We put a piece of wood in the base of the container and strap the diff to it. We then pack it solid with cardboard boxes. This is 1/2 the packing material we typically use:



I can double check Monday, but I'm pretty sure Steve talked to our diff builder about this. He's not one to say something to simply appease a customer, if anything he presses the VAC organization for a thorough answer before talking to a customer.

Thanks for the response here! Didn't get any responses to the email yesterday, but this works for me as well. Hopefully we can get to a solution quickly.

The picture you have of the other packaging shows white straps helping hold the LSD in place. I just went out and cut open the top of your container so I could look inside. The container you sent me did not have those straps in the package. Which is probably why it was able to flop around and crash through the side of the container and out? If the straps would've been used then it likely would've been ok. Why do you think the straps were not used on my shipment?

I tried to file a claim about 30 minutes ago. Spent about 20 mins going thru the hoops in the online system only to get a response after the submission that this doesn't qualify for a claim. They didn't say why it didn't qualify. And I can't get hold of a human being there to ask... Not sure what to do now.

If the unit is fully functional and operational and not internally damaged, I'd be OK with keeping it. But I also don't want to go to the time/hassle/$ of installing it only to have a problem. How can we check to see if it has potential problems before installing it?

Also, I measure 0.019" of play on the output hubs (I can push/pull them in/out that much). Is that normal/OK?