Re: Why dealer?, monkey lads, alignments

["Fred Munro" <munrof@isys.ca>]

As I recall, the Audi tie rod adjusters are different than the North
American types most alignment shops are familiar with. On North American
cars, when you loosen the lock nuts, the adjuster is free to rotate. Audi
uses conical sections that are wedged into the adjuster by the tightening
the nut, so when the lock nuts are loosened, the adjuster is still locked
until you loosen up the conical wedges (rattling it with an air hammer does
wonders). This is what I recall from my '86 5ktq, anyway - I had to explain
it to a CTC mechanic who was trying to do an alignment and couldn't get the
tie rod adjusters loose.

Fred Munro
'94 S4  92k km

----- Original Message -----
From: "David G" <daveglu@hotmail.com>
To: "Michael Theuri" <mikesoft@europa1.conwaycorp.net>; "Shaun Folkerts"
<fiatlancia@earthlink.net>; "Audi" <quattro@audifans.com>
Sent: Thursday, November 25, 1999 12:28 AM
Subject: Re: Why dealer?, monkey lads, alignments


>
>   Some shops must not understand the way to loosen tie-rod adjusters as I
> was told that mine were froze when I picked my car up after an alignement,
I
> found that really interesting as I had the adjuster loose the night
before.
> They didn't try to charge me more and I got a computor read out that
> indicates they did get it right.
>   Not a dealer or a shop that anyone would consider taking their car to
due
> to appearance.
>   Another almost unbelievable story of an extreemly patient Audi owner and
> shop.  This is what I can piece together from what I was told by the shop
> and the owner who is not talkitive.
>   This friend of a friend had his 84 4kq die on him, I do not know the
exact
> problem but believe it was a major overheat.  After replacing the engine
> with a used one, they told him to come pick it up, this was nearly a YEAR
> later.  This delay was partially his fault due to this car being his
winter
> car he told the shop that he wasn't in a rush.  Aparently it overheated
> again and he took it back before he had it a day.  Then a few MONTHS later
> making it well over a YEAR since he took it in they told him to come get
it
> and they couldn't fix it with the excuse of not being able to find another
> cyl head.  This is where I get involved.  My friend tells him that I may
be
> able to fix it for him and I agree.  I go to pick up the car and find that
> not only is it apart, there are major parts missing including Cyl head,
> exhaust manifold, intake manifold!  At this point I still tell him that I
> can fix it and that I have the parts due to parting out a few 4kq's.  This
> is a very nice car and recently had a quallity paint job.  I do not know
if
> he paid them anything but I can't believe they didn't get sued for
returning
> him with a basket case missing major parts.  I don't know if it was
related
> but after putting it together every injector line was leaking too.   It is
> together and running great now.
>   Dave G
>  http://www.pelkie.com/mycars.htm
>