NEW plea for help / also 200 20V timing belt/distributor update.

[SuffolkD at aol.com]

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NEW plea for help in VA: / also 200 20V timing belt/distributor update.

These keep popping up in Alexandria VA:
READ THE Second incident reply at the bottom about his mom in laws pristine
~1986 5000.

MY REPLY TO the second Alexandria story sent to the quattro list:

Okay, so this IS NOT THE FIRST STORY about this dealership.
Its my third, and I live ~500 miles away.
Here's what I just did last Friday.
I bought, from the Previous Owner, a 200 20V FROM THAT SAME DEALERSHIP.
I had it flat bedded to another state so I can take it home later on.
I drove down from BOSTON at 1:PM Friday and returned at 7:AM Saturday.
WHY?
Well the "stealership" received a car with a no start condition (died at a
stoplight PO said)
The diagnosis is 2 hours @ $95HR which told the PO that the car may have
valve damage and could take $1000
to tear down the motor and check.  ALL THIS FOR $198*! Weeeeeeeeeeeee.
( a complete possibility in an interference motor )
HOWEVER, the PO and I (from reading his posts on the 20V list)
came to the conclusion that he was being steered into an expensive bill for
a 12 year old car.
Expensive that the $1000 would only confirm the need for additional work.
We decided the issue was in the distributor.
PO lived ~100 miles away.
PO asked if someone at the dealership would want the car for $$$$$
Stealership called saying mechanic would cough up $800.
I told PO the motor alone is worth $3000 (but it needs to run /no damage)
PO knew of the cars value.
Upon hearing the PO's situation and dilemma at the stealership I piped up to
offer $1200 plus $200 diagnostic sight unseen.
The least I planned to do was to keep the PO from being IMHO (ripped off)
from the mechanics who
told him his previously operating car was now theirs for $800.

At this stage I drove my 20V wagon down to get it.
My Truck in shop, trailer holding car, blah, blah.
So I followed through as the PO was nice to honor our arrangement
while being flooded with $2000 offers from the US.

* What you get for $198
The dealership in their "2 hour diagnostic" had the front valve cover loose.
They claimed the belt was loose.
IT DID seem that way.  I could slide it front and back along the top toothed
pulley.
HOWEVER, they took off the distrib cap and WEDGED it against components on
the fire wall.
The cap's internal rotor was missing.
This showed an attempt at a diagnosis, but failed to return the car to the
PO and New Owner (NO) in its original state.
This doesn't take into account the front plate and holder missing either....
PO claims (by observation) the front blinker was broken at the dealer too.
So I seized the opportunity to cut out the dealer from benefiting at the
PO's expense.
( I suspect someone will blast me for just doing as the dealer, taking the
PO's car..... )
PO got $400 more (vs mechanics $800) and no $200 diagnostic bill from the
dealership.

The tow operator said VA has a minimum 2 hour diag rate to keep the citizens
from getting taken at auto service shops.
Otherwise, it seems the sky's the limit in the Commonwealth (VA).

Justice does come to those in need.
Occasionally, the stealership gets screwed too.
They won't be scanning any old 2 x 2 diagnostic ports soon.
Stealership kept PO's distributor rotor, but the NO got the data link cable!

Moral to this story?
The PO contacted the Audi list for info about the dealer story about his
car.
I've bought parts off the classifieds from the mechanics at the old
location.
They (MECHANICS) had a tire (extra) which was "comp'ed" to the TT/S4 owner
for a bubble in her sidewall.
So I bought it as a spare, and four others, all fine and dandy except I
DOUBT the TT/S4
owner was ever comp'ed for the wheel they (Audi) replaced.
.....but the kid was cool enough to give me a fair deal and tell me stories
about how many Porsches'
have fallen off the asymmetric lift in the service bay!

My advice?  Join AAA and have the car removed from the stealership lot ASAP
When the tow truck comes. MAKE SURE THE CAR IS IN THE ALLEY BEHIND THE
DEALER next to the apartments.
This (alley) appears to be one block south of the dealership storefront on
Mt Vernon ave.
Tow operators won't take a car off a dealer lot.
( oh that's my 2003 S8 by the door there.......forgot my keys........battery
dead etc......)

I'm also under the impression that Audi Volks Porsche are having separate
buildings to keep the Porsche
people IMHO from the antics of Audi and lesser marques' service pratices.
Why?
Not an equal?  $40,000 not status enough?  Better treatment to Porsche
owners?

Hey, our salesman said:  "they just send in the checks"

Its a shame that the masses overshadow the four or so nice dealership people
who have
helped me out in the past with cars, radios and service advice.

AUDI: REEL IN THESE ROGUE STEALERSHIP EMPLOYEE'S !

HTH
-Scott in BOSTON & thanks for the bandwidth.
"previously owned" P car and multiple Audi owner but constant head shaker.

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Here's the squirrelly part:  The wrench at the new Audi facility has made
overtures that she should just sell him the car for the cost of the repairs
and buy another one.  He told her in the past that he wanted it for his
wife.  Let me be clear.  He offered her $1,000 for it but said that would
cover the repairs and she would net zero.

I have no stake in this.  She has had the car since it was new and loves it
but others tell her that it's 17 years old and she ought to have a new car,
blah, blah.  I don't want to see her or anyone else get ripped off by an
unscrupulous mechanic, and, if she wants to get a new car, she deserves to
be able to do it in her own time.

Anybody near Alexandria that could and would intervene in this?

She went to Heishman in Arlington and was satisfied with how they took care
of her, although it seemed to me that they charged a lot and did unnecessary
work from time to time.  Heishman recently split off their Audi group and
built a new facility for Audi only;  however, the people with which she had
relationships remained at the old facility that does not handle Audi.