A/C Fan Replacement -- Gates/Valeo?

[Truewit]

Looks as if the bearings on my a/c fan (pass side behind radiator) have croaked. The blade is pretty loose and wobbly -- it still turns, but makes a helicopter-like growling sound when driving (with the a/c on) and continues to do so for a few seconds after I turn the ignition off. I've done some searches through AW and have come up with some useful tips, but no one in the posts I've examined mentions different fans. In searching for a replacement I see that two types are listed by ECS and other suppliers -- either Gates or Valeo. I was hoping to order one before doing the job to minimize down time, but I'm not sure which one my car has -- it's a June 2001 2.7T manual. Does anyone happen to know which fan it's likely to be? So far as I can see, the part no. is 8D0 959 455S. There are other letters and numbers on the label too, but I'm not sure if they point one direction or another -- let me know if they're of any use and I'll supply them. Also, there seems to be quite a range in price among available fans -- from over $300 to $76 for Valeo-style, but the Gates replacement is over $300. Does anyone have any experience of the lower-price options, or would you recommend getting a used one? Cheers.

[A6Gary]

Per ETKA 7, the P/N for the fan with a/c is 4B3–959–457 and is a Gates. The other fan with "male blade terminal housing" (as described by ETKA) is 4Z7–959–455, and is also a Gates. Both fans are listed for 6 cylinder engine code APB, which should be the 2.7L V6 biturbo. The base P/N you listed appears to be for engine code AHA (with suffix C or P). If you took that number from the fan itself rather than the ECS website, you should try to get that fan. However, that P/N with the "S" suffix does not show up as a good OEM number on–line, and is not listed in ETKA for a 2001 A6 2.7L engine.

[Truewit]

OK, thanks, A6Gary, will do. Cheers. From what I've gathered after trolling through various forums and posts, more or less the same fan was used on VWs, Audis and other related vehicles. One post suggests getting a fan from pretty well any vehicle -- A4, VW, or whatever -- and splicing on the appropriate terminal plug, if necessary. I'm not looking to go that route. My quoted part number is from the fan itself -- just visible looking down on it -- and it is the original unless for some reason it was replaced before I acquired the car in 2004.