Golf Bluemotion turbo replacement question

[rolesyboy]

Does anybody have any tips or recommendations for suitable tools to make life easier when reassembling the turbo, exhaust manifold and EGR valve on the 1.9tdi Bluemotion? (Golf Mk 5 Bluemotion 1.9 TDI 2008 Turbo replacement BLS engine code)
I stripped my car down today and had a real pig of a time accessing things like the centre-most manifold nuts. (When I had to take the subframe off I really did think should have just taken the engine out??)
If there wasn't a turbo in the way there was a manifold or a bloody pipe
The DPF wouldnt come out as the steering rack and exhaust tunnel were too tight so I just pushed it back and let it hang
The turbo is finally off the car but I really don't recommend taking this job on lol
Grateful for any comments from anybody who has lived through this.
Cheers
Mark

[Crasher]

What you need is the most awkward and expensive tool of them all (well most!) and that is a two post lift, there is no way I would do this on my back, no way!

[rolesyboy]

Lol you’re dead right there. It’s on my list of tools. What an **** if a job hey.
Do you know if the DPF will come out without disturbing the steering rack

[Crasher]

Up in the air you have to drop the subframe to get the DPF out, you can move it to one side to get the EGR unit off but you have to drop the subframe to actually get the DPF out.

[Jon44w]

Hard enough job on a lift. Well done. When you get it fixed get it sold because the early DPF BLS engine wasnt the greatest and had a tendancy to wobble a crank out the block. Second hand BLS engines are now making the guts of a grand. £££££. People are even converting the ASZ engine to reduce the cost which will almost certainly write off you car through no fault of your own. If you want to keep it then keep it well serviced with good 5w/30

[Crasher]

Fit new rod bearings and bolts to a BLS at 100k and you will have no issues, not one of my many BLS engine customers has ever had this fault, in fact I have never yet seen it first hand and feel the apparent “issue” is a mixture of poor maintenance and tinterweb distress hysteria. If the interweb had been around in the early 80’s the posts about 0.9>1.3 litre Golf/Polo engine oil pump failure would have been rife, I was doing three a week!

[Jon44w]

tinterweb distress hysteria!

Lol true! I go on the resale value and availability of the engine to get a rough idea of whats happening with them. I remember having a horror show looking for a 1.4tdi BMS engine a few years ago but any engine thats not looked after will fail soon enough.

[Crasher]

Anything with a timing chain worries me...