Big freaking vent against Audi

[Steve Sears]

Andrew,
Sorry to hear about the car - that sucks.
If you check on Audiworld and the alt.autos.audi newsgroup you'll find all
sorts of folks whose t-belts snapped resulting in major engine damage.
Someone noted that Audi was not permitted to sell their cars in California
(?) with a short t-belt change interval - thus, they re-engineered the
owner's manual instead. 100k+ miles is WAY too much to expect from such a
vital part of the engine - and that has been oft-repeated here and in the
other forums.  The timing belt is not like a wheel bearing - it gives little
warning (if at all - visually, almost none) before failure, fails
catastrophically and almost always results in major engine damage.  AoA
appears to be handling this like they did the BOSE rear speaker bonfires
(replace, with hassle, one by one until a recall is called after the
grumbling on the web becomes a roar) - they should have a recall - if only
to change the handbooks to admit that the page with service intervals was "a
typo" (= "OOPS!!!, Sorry! Fired the proofreaders.....") and deal with the
fallout in Cali.  It shouldn't be the rule that only those closely following
the traffic on the enthusiast web sites are saved from a major repair bill.
Maybe you should do a search on the usenet and Audiworld, contact owners who
have had difficulty, get their names together for a class-action suit - if
not only to pressure AoA to cover your expenses (you did get receipts for
the towing and cab, right?) as well as the repair.
In the meantime - to all Audi owners who think their timing belt can go 60k
miles or more before replacement - CHANGE YOUR TIMING BELT EARLY AND
OFTEN!!! (pass it on...please)
Cheers!
Steve Sears
1987 Audi 5kTQ - 10k km on t-belt
1980 Audi 5k - due for t-belt replacement (from age)
1962 and '64 Auto Union DKW Junior deLuxes - t-belt?.....camshaft???
(SPAM Blocker NOTE: Remove SHOES to reply)
BTW - as an aside, I learned to drive in an '81 Honka C!v!c wagon - yeah, it
was a cheap, plastic laden tin can of a car, but when it was 13 years old,
Honka replaced the rear springs and the gas tank under a recall - hell, the
car was sold for $40 at a yard sale a couple of years later, new
springs/tank and all.  My wife bought a CRV last year - it's already had a
couple of things done under recall - the latest being today when they
replaced the shift cable because it "may become hard to shift in areas where
deicing salt is used" - oh, if only Audi cared as much about our e-brake
levers.....

----- Original Message -----
> From: Andrew Duane USG <duane at zk3.dec.com>
> Subject: Big freaking vent against Audi
> To: quattro at audifans.com (Quattro List)
> Date: Mon, 15 Sep 2003 09:38:55 -0400 (EDT)
> Reply-To: duane at zk3.dec.com
>
> Well, this may be it for me and Audis. After years of driving 10 year
> old quattros with 150-200K on the clock, my 2.5 year old A6Q with 52K
> on the clock snapped it's timing belt and toasted the engine.
> I am, to say the least, thoroughly disgusted.
>
> I am having it towed back to my dealer this afternoon so they can
> diagnose what the extent of the damage is and "see if Audi might
> want to help." Of course, I'm already out $250 for towing, and $200
> for a cab ride home (this had to happen 100 miles away!).
>
> Given the tone of the service manager, and his lack of conviction that
> Audi will help at all, it may be lawyer time. And that will mean that
> I will no longer be driving an Audi. It is bad enough putting up with
> the petty BS like windows and doorhandles and sun visors and radios.
> But I expect a 52K car to at least get me home.
>
> Any tips or BTDT's on dealing with Audi on matters like this?
>