Me again --
I'm beginning to get very testy with VW. First the heater box sealed like King Tut's Tomb, and now the *&!#@#!! splash shields on the engine that cover the push rod tubes. What in the hell were they thinking when they bolted these to the friggin exhaust flange? Doesn't every shade tree mechanic in God's creation know that those bolts rust, like, instantly and virtually permanently? In fact, aren't exhaust bolts supposed to rust so they don't vibrate off? And if so, does it make sense to attach a shield to the the exhaust flange that must come off at a minimum of once every two years to drain and change the coolant? Don't bother to answer because the answer is NO IT MAKES NO FREAKIN SENSE!

And another thing: Doesn't removing the flange bolts, in the unlikely scenario that you could get them off, comprise the exhaust gasket/to cylinder head seal? 

By now you might have surmised that I have stripped said flange bolt trying to remove it, to get the splash shield off, to get the coolant drain bolt out. Cripes. I'm thinking of cutting the thing at the back where it attaches to the guilty flange, then whipping out the trusty JB weld to patch it back up. But there's another option I see: Someone suggested cutting a hole in the splash shield to give you access to the drain plug. Grand idea, but can I do it with the splash shield still attached? Or am I going to take out two of my push rod tubes at the same time?

Pissed,
Bob W.
87 Westy