Coil Failures - Letter from Audi

[Richard J Lebens]

When your coil fails can you demand they replace the catalytic
converter also?  Isn't a cylinder misfire one of those faults that
blinks the MIL getting you do something different to avoid cat damage?
I bet they would change their tune if everyone did that.


--- MSegal at STSSystems.com wrote:
> Hello fellow Audians,
> Yesterday, I received my letter from Audi Canada, regarding the
> ignition
> coil failures that have been in the news for VW and Audi cars. In
> case you
> haven't gotten your letters yet, see below for the text I received.
> I've
> read this letter several times now, and I still don't understand a
> few
> things.
> 1) From what I read in the letter, it's not a recall notice.  It's
> simply a
> warning that if your coil fails, your car should still continue to
> operate,
> enough for you to come in and get it fixed.  But there doesn't seem
> to be
> any offer to recall the coils (ie: come in and we'll change them for
> you
> BEFORE they fail) or anything saying that if one does fail, when you
> come
> in, that they'll change all of them at the same time, to avoid any
> future
> problems.
> 2) They say that if a coil fails, that the car will still continue to
> run,
> although with reduced power.  But from what I read in the posts, it
> seems
> that for some people, when the coil failed, the engine just suddenly
> stopped
> dead, would not run at all with the coil failure.
> 3) This is a minor point, but in the second paragraph, it starts off
> with
> saying the coils provide electricity to the spark plugs when you
> start the
> engine.  As I understand it, they continue to provide electricity as
> long as
> the engine is running, otherwise, the spark plugs wouldn't spark.  If
> they
> only worked at starting, then if a coil failed when driving, it
> wouldn't
> affect you at all, until the next time you tried to start the car.
> From the
> way they wrote the letter, they're trying to minimize the impact,
> trying to
> imply that a coil failure only affects startup, or perhaps might
> reduce
> power output while driving.  Sounds to me like they're talking out of
> both
> sides of their mouth.
> I wanted to get your feedback on what this letter is trying to say
> here.  Is
> this a recall?  Can I take this to the dealer and ask to have all the
> coils
> changed?  If a coil fails, does the engine die, or just run on 3
> cylinders?
> I'm attaching the letter to the bottom of my post.
> Mitchell Segal
> -------------------------------------------------
> Audi Canada
> January 31, 2003
> Dear Audi Customer:
> We are writing to provide you with important information about your
> Audi.
> Through our monitoring of vehicles in the field, we have determined
> that
> some 2001 and 2002 Audi TT, A4 and A6 models with 1.8T and 3.0 litre
> engines
> may experience a malfunction of an ignition coil. The 2001 and 2002
> engines
> are equiped with four such coils for the 4-cylinder engine and six
> such
> coils in the 6-cylinder engine.
> The coils provide electricity to the spark plugs when you start your
> engine.
> Some owners have experienced a malfunction of one or more of these
> coils. If
> an ignition coil becomes inoperative, the engine and its electionic
> controls
> are designed to keep your vehicle running. Some deterioration in
> performance, however, can be expected. You can continue to drive with
> reduced power and should take your car to your nearest Audi dealer
> for
> repair. If you do not feel comfortable driving with reduced power,
> you may
> call Audi 24-hour Roadside Assistance at (800) 411-9988 for towing to
> the
> nearest Audi dealer.
> Should you experience a malfunction, your Audi dealer will be able to
> repair
> your car with an improved ignition coil. In order to minimize
> inconvenience
> to you, your Audi dealer will offer alternative transportation for
> you at no
> cost.
> We want to make it clear that your car may not exhibit this problem.
> However, if you have already experienced this malfunction and for
> some
> reason you had to pay to have it repaired, we are, of course,
> prepared to
> reimburse you. If this has been your experience, please contact us.
> We apologize for any inconvenience you may experience and we assure
> you that
> resolving this issue is the top priority for Audi Canada, Audi AG and
> our
> Audi dealers. If you desire any assistance, or have any questions,
> please
> contact us at (800) 822-2834.
> We appreciate your patience and, as always, thank you for choosing
> Audi.
> Regards,
> Len Hunt
> Vice President


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