E.P. -
There were no symptoms at all that I noticed before the bolts failed. No unusual sound, rattle, or vibration. Just a sudden loss of power to the rear wheels, although the engine continued to rev well in any gear. I didn't notice any fluid leak prior to the failure, either. By the way, the two replacement washers and four bolts that are the main problem came from the U.K. (which likely means from Ricardo). And, like Bony said, if the transaxles were assembled separately and shipped in batches from Ricardo, you may not be able to determine which cars were affected by following VIN numbers.
Thanks, Hammer.
Anyone else mebbe see an oil leak first?:shrug
It's just puzzling to me how the heck the hub could be dancing back & forth on the splines w/o some amount of fluid sneaking out past the seals! ( Then again, maybe I don't have the proper picture of how the unit goes together either...after all, we all know I ain't the sharpest knife in the drawer.)
E.P.