Was: Oil Change Instructions

[Steve Sears]

Mike,
Good advice about staying away from monkey lads, problem is they're not just 
Wal Mart employees.  When the clutch master failed on my 5ktq late last 
year, I took the brand-new-in-the-box master & slave (that were on my 
"to-do" list) to my friendly local dealer - they agreed to install the parts 
and then the ML out back cross-threaded the metal line into the back of the 
master, and then proceeded to say that it wasn't the right part.  I took 
them to task on it, determining that the guy had bolted the slave in first 
and then had to wrench the fitting on.  They ordered a new master (that I 
had to pay the difference between list and what I paid from my source), and 
...suprise, suprise....it began to fail almost immediately.  They re-bled it 
but the damage was done - metal filings from cross-threading will do that to 
rubber seals.  They had the gall to tell me that they'd replace the master 
at N/C...this time....but if that didn't work, I'd have to pay for the 
replacement of the slave with an OEM one (because in their minds it couldn't 
be second failure of the master).  I grudgingly accepted this 
insult......although there'd be no way in H I'd go back there.  The new one 
is in there and has worked well, although I still fear for the health of the 
slave cylinder.
It's not my first encounter with ML's there.....and to tell you the truth, 
my car has been subjected to ML abuse from nearly every single independent 
shop in my local area...from installing strut-top washers upside down, to 
filling a new rebuilt engine with water, the list goes on and on.  My family 
and friends wonder why I work under the car in the driveway in driving rain 
or blowing snow - I always tell them that at least I _KNOW_ the repair was 
done right.
Cheers!
Steve Sears
1987 Audi 5kTQ - in Google Maps satellite, seen at: 43.1914N, 79.84079W
1980 Audi 5k
1962 and '64 Auto Union DKW Junior deLuxes
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----- Original Message ----- 
From: Mike Arman <Armanmik at earthlink.net>
> Subject: Re: quattro Digest, Vol 28, Issue 28
> To: quattro at audifans.com
> Message-ID: <43F0D203.4050804 at earthlink.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
>
>
>> Subject: Re: Oil Change Instructions
>
....8< snip

> Young lady who lives next to a condo we sold last year had this happen
> to her, and she WORKS at that Wal Mart! She had a little Toyota
> something-or-other, had the oil changed at work, drain plug was cross
> threaded and when it was tough to install, out came the air gun, and by
> gosh we got it tight now, Bubba! Except all the oil leaked out and the
> engine blew . . .
>
> After eight months of increasingly acrimonious correspondence, Wal
> Mart's final offer was to buy her a junkyard engine and let her pay to
> have it installed - by them!
>
> Despite my howls of protest, and against my wife's legal advice, that's
> exactly what she opted to do - so they bought a junkyard engine and
> charged her to install it. It lasted about three months, and then that
> one blew up, too, and she went and bought another car.
>
> Believe it or not, she still works at the same Wal Mart!
>
> Do not EVER let monkey lads touch your Audi - EVER!!!!
>
> Best Regards,
>
> Mike Arman
> 90 V8Q