[V8] Self immolation for The Black Mariah!

[Ingo Rautenberg]

Hmm.  Bilstein?  Sounds like when I've (twice) had Bilstein front  
strut cartridge failures, though usually in winter, where the strut  
cartridge fails in the fully-extended position.  However, even then  
it didn't bust through the mount.  Roger, just because it's AWD  
doesn't mean you can go off-roading with it ;-)

Ingo

On May 31, 2006, at 10:47 PM, Roger M. Woodbury wrote:

> Ah, not quite.  The failure was the rubber structures that form the  
> top of
> the strut unit when it is placed into position.  This is a  
> catastrophic
> failure of the strut assembly itself.
>
> R
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Tony and Lillie [mailto:tonyandlillie1 at earthlink.net]
> Sent: Wednesday, May 31, 2006 8:44 PM
> To: Roger M. Woodbury; v8 at audifans.com
> Subject: Re: [V8] Self immolation for The Black Mariah!
>
> Roger,
>
> Not the first I've heard or seen. Quite common on older Rabbits and  
> Subie's
> when they start to rust where the strut towers are welded on top. I  
> actually
>
> helped one (Tank trails in Missoula, MT) to the point of punching  
> the hood
> up about six inches on the passenger side!!! Boy, was it fun  
> though! Oh,
> that car cost me $50, and I was 17 at the time.
>
> Tony Hoffman
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Roger M. Woodbury" <rmwoodbury at adelphia.net>
> To: <v8 at audifans.com>
> Sent: Wednesday, May 31, 2006 4:44 PM
> Subject: [V8] Self immolation for The Black Mariah!
>
>
>> Well, it's done it again.  The Black Mariah has returned to the  
>> wrench.
>>
>> For those who have been living under a rock for the past couple of  
>> years,
>> The Black Mariah is my 1991 Audi 200 20Valve Avant the  
>> rehabilitation of
>> which has been forced down the throats of the V8 listers because I  
>> am a
>> closet V8 afficianado who constantly threatens to return to the V8  
>> fold.
>>
>> Anyway, I was driving down to the village a week ago Saturday  
>> morning when
>
>> I
>> noticed a certain sponginess in the front end, and then noticed  
>> that there
>> was a strange bump on the top of the hood vaguely in front of the
>> windshield.
>>
>> Stopped the car, opened the hood and lo and behold!  The left  
>> front strut
>> had completely penetrated the upper shock mount and was impacting the
>> bottom
>> of the hood.  Wow!  Can you imagine what it might have been like  
>> had that
>> happened at, say 75 miles per hour on the Interstate when making  
>> some sort
>> of emergency move?
>>
>> Now back at the wrench, he confesses that he has never seen  
>> anything like
>> it
>> in twenty five some years of wrenching.  Neither have I, in forty
>> something
>> years of driving!
>>
>> Worse still the upper shock mounts on front and rear of this car are
>> new...less than 10,000 miles or two years of use.  Worse news  
>> still while
>> the front uppers were aftermarket, the rears were OEM, and the  
>> right rear
>> is
>> gonzo, too.  The rears were installed less than two months ago.
>>
>> I am seriously thinking of buying a Yukon.  At least I KNOW where the
>> nearest dealer is, and that parts will be available.  Maybe the  
>> Type 44's
>> are really over the hill after all!
>>
>> Roger
>>
>> NEVERmind...I am just cranky.  I had to drive to Portland last  
>> night, and
>> then to Moosehead Lake today.  Almost six hundred miles in twenty  
>> four
>> hours
>> with nearly a full day of work too.  And all my driving during  
>> those six
>> hundred miles was NOT in my Audi, but was in the Chevrolet Silverado
>> extended cab 4X4 with 454 cu.in. engine!  I dunno what was worse, the
>> pounding high miles in short time in the truck or filling the tank!
>>
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>
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