RE: Really bad TT

["Milan B. Milojevic" <milanb@earthlink.net>]

I can sympathize what you are going through.  I went through it for four 
months without really having the problem solved (excessive carbon build up 
in combustion chamber) to my satisfaction.  I got the same run around you 
are getting.  The problem is that AoA executives have insulated themselves 
from the customer. I had difficulty getting the name of CEO or the Customer 
Relations main person.  If you go to the Audi Web site you will not see a 
corporate structure displayed anywhere.  That makes it very difficult to 
address any issues with the AoA.

You mentioned the attitude problem.  The AoA Service Representative that I 
dealt with, who shall go nameless, told me point blank to my face not to 
write any letter of complaint to AoA since they will be automatically 
referred to him from problem resolution.  He had the audacity to tell me 
that .002" wear is "consistent" with engines of 49+K miles.  Carbon build 
up was excused that I probably kept  buying low grade of fuel.  When I 
mentioned that I have receipt for every tank fill up from Chevron, Mobile 
and 76 Union with premium or supreme grade gasoline his answer was that "he 
doesn't know what the gasoline stations had in their tanks."

With this kind of practice AoA basically was washing their hands in 
relation to any serious problem.  TT transmission problems shouldn't be 
difficult to recognize and one would think that would be easy to fix.  More 
so since the problem is self evident, and in your face, if you 
will.  Carbon build up, on the other hand is not that easy to 
diagnose.  Majority of Audi owners never listen to the engine when it is 
starting, and an occasional knock could be excused as "bad batch" of 
gasoline.  There is even a Technical Bulletin issued in March of 1996 
regarding  carbon build up where they will de carbon under warranty or good 
will once and than it is your baby.  Carbon build up problems most likely 
would become noticeable well after the warranty has run out whereas the 
transmission problems are immediately self evident.

In my opinion the only thing that could get AoA to react in any meaningful 
fashion to these endemic problems may be through a class action suite and 
negative media campaign.  Audi is selling in unprecedented numbers and this 
has embolden AoA to treat endemic problems cavalierly.  AoA has a short 
memory and they have forgotten the negative impact from alleged sudden 
acceleration and subsequent loss of sales.  The other fact is that Audi 
owners, including myself, like the product and have loyalty to it.  A 
little sympathy from AoA would go a long way.

Best of luck in your problem resolution.

Milan