RE: Exploding Audi

["Levis-Fithian, Jeff E" <LevisJE@LOUISVILLE.STORTEK.COM>]

Was your wife's car out of warranty?  Coincidentally, I also took mine to
Stammler and they said they wouldn't cover it.  I called Audi USA and they
did open a case on it, but the word is that they won't cover it either.  I
will probably hear back from them today and am getting ready for a big
fight.  My biggest worry now is the sulfuric acid that is seeping around
between the floor pan and the carpet and how to get rid of it.
-Jeff

		-----Original Message-----
		From:	Steve Marinello [mailto:smarinel@neosoft.com]
		Sent:	Wednesday, October 06, 1999 8:37 AM
		To:	Levis-Fithian, Jeff E; 'Quattro-List'
		Subject:	Re: Exploding Audi

		The battery in my wife's '93 90S exploded under the hood one
afternoon as 
		she was starting the car coming back from a mothers group
meeting at church.
		Audi couldn't believe it.  They said that there was no
record of that ever
		happening before and when it was towed to Stammeler Audi up
in Boulder,
		there were some "additional" Audi personnel there to take a
look at it.  It
		was, of course, an absolute no cost repair.

		They were, however, very pleased with the design of their
plastic cover,
		which protected everything under the hood from damage.

		Under the back seat...geez!  Call the dealer and freak a bit
and you might
		find that they'll replace it all as they did with ours, even
though yours is
		out of warranty.

		Steve
		----------
		>From: "Levis-Fithian, Jeff E"
<LevisJE@LOUISVILLE.STORTEK.COM>
		>To: "'Quattro-List'" <quattro@audifans.com>
		>Subject: Exploding Audi
		>Date: Tue, Oct 5, 1999, 10:21 AM
		>

		> Last night I got into my car (95 A6), turned the key, and
heard a _very_
		> loud bang.  At first I thought it was the radio, since it
sounded like a
		> speaker pop, but louder than any I have heard before.
Upon further
		> examination, I discovered that the battery under the rear
seat (that my 3
		> week old son was sitting on!) EXPLODED.  The plastic
casing around the
		> battery was cracked, the breather hose was blown off, and
miscellaneous
		> plastic bits were laying around the battery, along with a
couple drops of
		> fluid (acid?).  Has anybody ever experienced this before?
I can easily go
		> purchase a new battery, but I am worried about the root
cause here.  Any
		> ideas?
		>
		> Also, are there any alternatives to buying a battery from
a dealer for $90?
		> The one from the local auto parts store ($50 Duralast)
doesn't have a vent
		> hole, and I am worried about fumes building up under the
seat and causing an
		> even bigger explosion.
		>
		> Thanks
		>
		> Jeff Fithian
		> 95 A6Q 5sp with exploding battery option
		>