So my new to me 2008 Pathy with the VK56 has a very slight manifold crack. I didn't even notice it when I went and looked at truck. You cant hear it idling or if you drive with the windows up. Under moderate acceleration though its absolutely there. It sounded like a bad collector gasket but I cant find anything downstream. It sounds like its only the passenger side currently but I think its smart to just replace both. Now, I have questions, and I'm sorry if I'm beating a dead horse.
How common was this on the R51? I know the Titan and Armada suffered from this often.
Where exactly do the cracks happen, or are they totally random? All those heatshields make it hard to find.
Go with OEM for replacement parts? I've found aftermarket ones floating around eBAy, Rockauto, ect, for ~$500 for the pair. Does anyone have any experience using them?
Finally, has anyone tackled this in their driveway? I've seen plenty of Titan replacements, but never an R51. It looks like the front pumpkin and axles have to come out because there isn't a ton of room there. Are manifold studs common to snap off?
I was a former Audi tech for years, so I'm loaded with tools and I'm no stranger to shit jobs.