[BiturboS4] Greetings and looking for TSB's
John M. Harrison
JohnMH at uwyo.edu
Fri Jan 24 10:21:42 EST 2003
Words of wisdom, Ian. I agree fully while my car is under warranty.
After its fully paid for and off warranty I may consider mods and
replacement of problem parts with aftermarket. I've enjoyed having and
highly recommend the Vag-Com software and a Bentley factory service
manual on CD. I've learned a lot about my car with these tools and can
see immediately what is going on when the check engine dash indicator
lights up.
Wishing all a wonderful weekend. Enjoy your S4s - they are awesome
machines - even stock.
Any recent news on the RS6 sedans? Anyone seen one for sale on a dealer
lot? The Audi USA website doesn't say much about them except that they
are limited availability. I suppose if you have to ask you can't afford
it. Still - a second mortgage on the house might do the trick :)
John M. Harrison Laramie, WY two recent S-cars in town - I spotted a
new S6 Avant silver like my S4 - very sweet
-----Original Message-----
From: Ian McCloghrie [mailto:ian at codrus.com]
Sent: Thursday, January 23, 2003 5:56 PM
To: John M. Harrison
Cc: jy; mbenno at yahoo.com; biturbos4 at audifans.com
Subject: Re: [BiturboS4] Greetings and looking for TSB's
On Jan 23, 2003 "John M. Harrison" wrote:
> I have not received the Engine Cooling Fan Shield recall letter.
> Perhaps this doesn't apply to later build date cars. The other items
> are not "recalls" in my view precisely because they are "silent."
> Common maintenance items, perhaps.
They are not recalls at all, they are TSBs.
A recall is a situation in which the manufacturer decides (or is
forced by the government) to fix a problem in EVERY car. They send
out letters to registered owners, and flag it in the computer system
so that whenever a car comes in for service that recall will be done.
This is usually done for safety or emissions-type problems -- the
kinds of things that the government cares about. It's rarely done for
mechanical failures. A recall is fixed at the manufacturer's expense,
regardless of how many miles are on the car.
The fan shroud issue is a recall because it is a safety issue --
Audi is worried about their mechanics getting hands/fingers/etc caught
in the fan, so they designed a new part to better protect that area.
A TSB is not a recall, it is simply a notification to the dealership
mechanics of a problem that seems to be common, and a recommended
solution. It doesn't admit fault or imply any coverage other than
that given by the standard warranty.
> My question is - exactly what action do you propose to take based on
> these common maintenance items. Do you recommend complaining about
all
> of them to your dealer even if there are no symptoms? Do you propose
> replacing all maintenance-prone parts with aftermarket and risk
voiding
> factory warranty provisions?
Keep an eye on them. If they manifest on your car within the warranty
period, mention them on your next service visit and they'll almost
certainly be fixed without question or charge. If they occur after the
warranty period, then you have to decide if you're going to pay for
factory parts or aftermarket ones.
Just got my S4 back from the dealer today -- they replaced valve cover
gaskets (leaking), replaced driver's seat heaters (broken) and installed
a
new clutch. Apparantly my battery case cracked (!) and the drain tube
got
dislodged and it dripped battery acid (!) onto the bellhousing, through
a drain hole, and onto the clutch friction surface, thus messing it up.
--Ian
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