[BiturboS4] Blown Turbos (Non-Chipped S4) - Update

[Bruce Mendel]

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I guess everyone has a different opinion. To me, if a series of turbos fail=
s both before and immediately after the warranty period, and the manufactur=
er then makes production changes to rectify the problem (oil return lines, =
etc), then there is a known issue.

They are not designed to last 50K miles and are failing at 52K. They are de=
signed to run at least 100K with proper care as defined by Audi in their se=
rvice manual, but the fact is that even following those guidelines some of =
the turbos are failing below 50K miles. That is a manufacturing problem, no=
t a customer problem.

Sure, running a long time to cool them down will help, but even Audi does n=
ot require that for normal procedures, and if they did, they should specify=
 it. If you follow their service guidelines to the letter, the turbos can s=
till let loose well before their normal lifespan as defined by Audi. That's=
 the issue.
  ----- Original Message -----
  From: mike kuriger
  To: Bruce Mendel
  Cc: California Fields ; biturbos4 at audifans.com
  Sent: Tuesday, April 15, 2003 3:09 AM
  Subject: Re: [BiturboS4] Blown Turbos (Non-Chipped S4) - Update


  the turbos are not weak.  if they are designed to last 50,000 miles and t=
hey last 52,000 miles then I don't see audi's fault.  turbo's fail, it's a =
fact of life.  some fail faster depending on how the car is driven but it i=
s going to fail.  if you want to extend the life of your turbos, it's up to=
 you to change the oil more often, and run the motor at idle EVERY time you=
 stop for 2 to 3 minutes.

  Mike

  Bruce Mendel wrote:

I agree.....if this were about a one-off failure that occurred after
warranty, or due to chipping, it would be one thing. However, this is a
known problem that affects many stock cars in the same model lineup, some
before, some after warranty.

Once that becomes known, it is Audi's job to identify the problem and
recall/repair ALL the potentially affected units, or if they want to avoid a
recall, to take care of people that experience this problem after warranty
and/or extend the powertrain warranty or turbo warranty to give customers
peace of mind.

It's like you know you have a weak staircase and people have fallen through
it before. You do not tell anyone you have a weak staircase, but rather say:
"Anyone that falls through the staircase after 9PM will not get an ambulance
or get their broken bones set."

If you did not know the staircase was weak and prone to failure to begin
with, no one would think anything of the 9PM limitation. Once you know it's
weak, that statement defines "weasel".

Bruce
01' S4, stock turbos
----- Original Message -----
From: "California Fields" <cfields72 at hotmail.com>
To: <biturbos4 at audifans.com>
Sent: Saturday, April 12, 2003 12:32 PM
Subject: RE: [BiturboS4] Blown Turbos (Non-Chipped S4) - Update


  [ Converted text/html to text/plain ]

Scott, while I understand what you are saying, this is EXACTLY what leads
    to
  poorly managed companies, "Their responsibilities end when the warranty
    runs
  out."  On the contrary, what separates a great company from a poor one is
    the
  ability to maintain customer service responsibilities even AFTER the
    company's
  obligation.  When companies say, "oops, you're over our 50k limit, sorry
    but
  your SOL," they significantly reduce peoples' trust and willingness to
consider their product again.  This is especially the case when a product
    (S4)
  had KNOWN weaknesses where problems were/are likely to develop. By denying
    customers
  service on a clearly inferior product (the turbo design that is), they
    risk
  alienating what keeps them in business - return customers.

I hope our fellow S4 owner takes it to 'em and gets the coverage he
    deserves.
  ------------------------------

Carter Fields, San Francisco
2001.5, GIAC-X, Miltek 3" cat-back, Strat. shifter, Strat. DVs, A-pillar
    boost
  gauge
------------------------------

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