In practice, when doing head gasket jobs at the shop here, we inspect the studs to make sure that they have not rusted or corroded from age or contact with incorrect type or dilution of coolant. If they are weakened then you risk having them break upon assembly or down the road and you risk that they may not be able to sufficiently hold torque to keep the internal head gaskets sealed. Conversely, if they are in good shape and you are doing a head gasket job, then best to leave them alone as there is risk that they can snap off when removing, opening a can of worms that did not need to be opened. Use 4 per engine. These are studs bought from VW Germany.

Please click here for the 175mm stud, or 222mm stud.
Ref ID: 025101143A