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Audi A4 Maintenance and Repair

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Comments

  • 4bond4bond Member Posts: 4
    IF THEY DID THAT TO YOUR CAR YOU HAVE HIGH CHANCES THAT THEY RUINED YOUR CATALYTIC CONVERTER-look in the car manual at chapter"oil change"-SO YOU BETTER GO SOON AND CHECK IT-again is written in the manual that an oil overage can damage catalytic converter...Have you also noticed any burned oil smell?
  • 4bond4bond Member Posts: 4
    very odd,because in reno nv at the audi dealership for this cars they recommend only castrol and in texas they recomend mobil one.However my car drove better with castrol and the oil stays clean.I don't know what to think anymore.My car is new and i already have valve tapping noise and burned oil smell.Please advise me what to do .Anyway tomorrow I will go to the dealership...I expect the worse of them-this happens in nevada though.PLS -ANY IDEA?!?
  • mjtolleymjtolley Member Posts: 2
    The last thing I was told was to give it a little time. I was told that, it should go away after the brake pads "settle in." I can say it is seems to be a bit better, but the clicking is still there... I have put about 2,000 miles on the car, and am wondering whether I need to now go back again to question the repair shop...
  • empginamempginam Member Posts: 2
    I have a 2005 Audi A4 that the clutch went out at 16,000 miles - Audi factory rep denied the claim -- my service manager tolld me off the record to fight it because the plate has been an ongoing problem - I would like to fight audi - please let me know if you know of other people with similiar claims -- Im sick of them telling me Im a bad driver when they know they have a faulty product!
  • empginamempginam Member Posts: 2
    I have an 2005 audi a4 that the clutch and flywheel went out at 16000 miles - the service manager even told me off the record that he has the same belief as you that the plate is the cause of the clutch problems - please let me know if you know of others with this problem and what actions you took against audi -- i plan on having a lawyer get involved - the service manager said that this would definately help -
  • briellebrielle Member Posts: 3
    What a mess...9/6, 2 MONTHS after leasing a 2006 a4, i was t boned and then rear ended..my car is a MESS and the rear passenger wheel took most of the impact..the rear axle was so badly broken it was flatbedded. The body shop said I need new suspension, new airbags, computer system, etc etc. Im really upset because when I called my dealer they said the rear axle and needing new suspension compromises the structural integrity and is grounds to be totaled. Its really unfair that I bought a brand new car and since its new and nobody has the parts, they have to be manufactured and shipped here...8 weeks. My insurance company said they wont total my car because its "worth too much" but its not fair I bought it brand new and if they try to fix it (so far repairs are at $13,000) it will never be the same. Is there anything I can do???
  • jloukajlouka Member Posts: 5
    thats really terrible! Try going to a different auto body, you'd be surprised how different the price might be. CAll your dealer and ask them to suggest a repair shop that they use. Ask the body shop waht they think. When the insurance adjuster comes down, they might alter things to just make it a total loss - you never know.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Absolutely, "work the system" and see if you can swing things your way.

    But really a top notch bodyshop can make the car right I think---and since you are leasing you don't have to worry about the diminution of resale value that comes from a history of major accident. You'd be much worse off here if you had bought the car, if that's any consolation.

    If they don't total it, it's not the worst thing in the world---but of course when you get the car back, test it out and if you hear any untoward noises, thumps, rattles, etc., bring it RIGHT back to the body shop.

    But modern hi-tech body shops are amazing in what they can do, if they are really really pro.
  • briellebrielle Member Posts: 3
    Thats very true..I want to bring it to another shop and have someone else look at it but it was taken from the impound directly to one of my insurance company's "approved body shops"...one of those shops that has a deal with the insurance company which is sketchy enough..insurance already sent the check to them to repair it but nothin has been done yet
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    I believe the law says you can go to any insurance shop you want.
  • teresap2teresap2 Member Posts: 2
    never ever go to an Audi from a BMW
    t Peterson
  • flyingpig2351flyingpig2351 Member Posts: 1
    I'm searching for an alternative for the service repair shop in Miami, FL. We bought our 99.5 A4 Avante 1.8T from the Collections and has been sticking with them for the services so far. But the bloody charge for every small things and bad turn around time forces me to look for something else.

    Any Audi members in south florida area? Please share your experiences. Any recommendation are highly appricated.

    Som.
  • kcook111kcook111 Member Posts: 2
    In July, I posted a msg about clutch issues with my 2005 A4 after 25,000 miles (flywheel was replaced at my expense) and wanted to update everyone on the situation. Like the majority of the posts on edmunds, the service manager said it was driver abuse/misuse. Now, after 2 months and 2,000 miles I was stranded AGAIN with the SAME PROBLEM. Yes, 2 months! Do you think they will blame me again? The problem must be w/in the design. If anyone knows of any legal action I can take, please let me know. I have spoken to a lemon law attorney but I do not qualify since this is only the 2nd time. Suggestions are welcome!
  • justin12justin12 Member Posts: 23
    Anyone have experience with installing an aftermarket Sirius satellite radio receiver? Is it easy to do? What type of receiver works with the A4 non-Bose, non-Nav stereo?
  • jsnjsn Member Posts: 1
    I have had the car 5 days now and the audio is driving me crazy! Almost every time I get in the car the Audio starts playing the CD at the beginning. Usually I was playing a MP3 CD and was drilled in about 4 folders, so I have to navigate back into the folder each time I stop and get out of the car. Only twice now has the car actually resumed playback where it left off. I let the dealer have the car yesterday and even after explaining the problem, they claim they could not reproduce the problem.

    Please help; if you have any advice for me I would appreciate it.

    Jason
  • inds_flamesinds_flames Member Posts: 4
    If Audi will not replace your defective clutch after 2K miles, I would take it to a performance shop. Keep all the old parts (e.g. fly-wheel, clutch-pressure-plate, clutch-disk). Replacment parts should come from a manufacture that is different from Audi's source. Place a safety-related complaint at NHTSA's vehicle owner's complaint database http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/. I will add to that complaint and perhaps Audi will stop stonewalling before someone gets killed. Inform your local dealer that you made the safety complaint at NHTSA. It would be interesting to know how shom1 from this forum made out in small claims court.
  • quattrogripquattrogrip Member Posts: 1
    I just had my breather hose warranty service done today and the dealer informed me about a category 3 cam adjuster leak. Guess what.... this was my first visit to the dealership since my 50k warranty expired. What an amazing coincidence.
  • rwhilesrwhiles Member Posts: 1
    is there a way to avoid paying a dealer $60.00 to unlock the "safe" mode on my audi 2000 A4 1.8T After having engine work the audio system went to safe mode. I don't have code because I bought the car used and the original manual was lost.
    Please help...

    RW
  • jloukajlouka Member Posts: 5
    maybe you should try filing a complaint with the better business bureau. I had a ton of problems with my A4 but did not qualify for Lemon Law either. (tons of problems, but never four times each). Anyway, i sort of won my case... Audi replaced my vehicle with a new one. I really wanted them to cancel my lease but at least my mileage went back to 0.
    Its worth a shot.
  • wilnerwilner Member Posts: 34
    to rwhiles----- you can't avoid paying 60 bucks to the dealer just to unlock the safe mode of your audio system, because the original manual was lost including the manual of the audio system. in the manual of the audio system there you can find the code, only audi dealer can utilize your code of your audio system.
  • skelleyskelley Member Posts: 1
    My car is reving high and my "service inspection" light started to blink today. Unfortunately I dont have an owners manual. Can anyone tell me what this means? :confuse:
  • guestguest Member Posts: 770
    I haven't been to this board lately and don't plan to visit any longer because I am now an ex-Audi owner, having dumped my A4 in August because I could no longer have any confidence that something bad and expensive would not occur. This is what happened in small claims court. Audi sent a "Mediation/Arbitration Analyst" named Nicholas Cardoni from Michigan, to the court in Maryland. A lawyer and witness showed up representing the dealer, which, according to Audi, made the decision for Audi not to "participate" in the repair costs for the defective pressure plate. The dealer made a motion for dismissal on a technicality involving service of process, which the judge granted, even though the dealer's website clearly indicated the corporation served with the complaint was the owner of the dealership. I didn't have time to analyze the corporate ownership papers that the lawyer offered, so I had nothing really to work with. That left Audi of America in the case. Under Maryland rules, the defendant was required to be represented by an attorney or corporate officer; Cardoni was neither, but the judge allowed Cardoni to represent Audi anyway (bad sign). Cardoni tried to argue that the clutch was a wear and tear item, limited to a one year warranty, and that I abused the clutch. I testified regarding my driving habits, and the use of the car (freeway). I introduced the dealer's own invoice that said the pressure plate was defective, causing the damage to the clutch and flywheel. Cardoni could not, and did not offer anything to rebut these facts. Cardoni then argued that the 4 year warranty had expired (by 7 months, which it had). I acknowledged that, but argued on a detrimental reliance equitable doctrine and an implied warranty theory. The implied warranty theory relied upon Carlson v. General Motors, 883 F.2d 287 (1989), a federal 4th circuit case (Md. is in the 4th circuit). I read Carlson to say that a manufacturer can limit implied warranties (which DO apply for those of you who think otherwise) for cars to the terms of a written warranty, unless to do so would be "unconscionable or unreasonable" - I was going to argue "unreasonableness," which I knew would be difficult. The 4th circuit overruled a lower court that had relied on a case involving the reasonableness of the length of a written warranty. The small claims judge (who was running the court like a Judge Judy court at this point) refused to consider Carlson because it was a federal case (implied warranty law is derived from federal law) and only wanted to consider Maryland state cases (rare or non-existent). I then tried to introduce the Maryland code on implied warranties. The judge was unfamiliar with the Md. code, and had to have a recess to get the clerk to find the law books. After court was reconvened, the judge tried to decipher the code, and decided that I "agreed" to modify the terms of the implied warranty to the limits of the written warranty when I bought the car (total BS- I had never agreed to limiting anything). The Maryland code as I read it says implied warranties apply to cars; a manufacturer can modify an implied warranty; but that a manufacturer cannot modify an implied warranty for a car less than 6 years old or 60K miles. It's confusing, and obviously the judge was confused in the courtroom when he was trying to piece together the three relevant sections of the code. Bottom line: I established the facts, but lost because the judge held that the law limited Audi's liability to the 4 year time limit of the written warranty. The judge did express some regret that his hands were tied, knowing full well (in my view) that a defective pressure plate failing in 30K miles was just not fair and equitable. Audi must have spent some money sending Cardoni from Michigan to show up in Maryland court at 8 am, and the dealer hopefully spent some money sending an attorney and witness to court for two hours. Under Maryland law, I had an absolute right to appeal the judge's decision, and could have retried the case from scratch. I considered doing this for the 30 day period I had to file the appeal, but finally decided to chalk this up and devote my energy to more importantly spreading the word to the world that AUDI HAS NO INTEGRITY. I used to be an Audi lover, despite 2 coil replacements, a cracked coolant bottle, a temperature display malfunction, a prematurely dead battery, etc. Now I'm thinking, why would anyone buy an Audi/VW product, when they treat customers the way I have been treated?? Yes, the car drove nicely when it worked - but how many other cars are out there that are great, yet the company won't treat you like DIRT once they have your money? The amount of money Audi spent to defend this case could have been offered as a settlement, and I probably would have been a happy or at least a happier customer, and probably would have continued to buy Audis and recommend them, had nothing else gone wrong. But now, I HATE AUDI and will tell anyone even thinking of buying them to WAKE UP - buy a BMW if you need "German Engineering" or more intelligently buy a car from Japan.
  • dehypnotistdehypnotist Member Posts: 2
    Well, I do not know WHAT the problem is, but I will shortly become an Ex-Audi owner, of a 2003 A4.

    We are moving from New Jersey to Portland, OR. I had my 50K maintenance last week, two days before starting our trip. Sunday evening, the transmission stopped working outside of Des Moines. Using Roadside Service, we were towed to a local Audi dealer. Customer Service got them to pay attention to us (they and Roadside Assistance have been very helpful and nice) -- but they could not find anything wrong and the car ran perfectly on Monday. We did not make up hearing clunks, having the car suddenly start to "stutter" and then stop moving in the 75 mph+ lane on I-80, surrounded by semis.... The Tiptronic manual got us off the road, and then the "check engine" light turned on.

    Now, several months ago, my car lost all power on a major highway during rush hour. I had it towed to my original dealer, and they, too, could not find anything wrong, but switched out the new fuel pump they had installed a couple months earlier (that time, the car stopped running during rush hour also).

    The "check engine" light came on a bit after this second problem but they also couldn't find anything wrong, although when it stayed on they switched out the catalytic converter.

    This is ridiculous -- not to mention dangerous and life threatening. Unfortunately, Lemon Laws don't apply to cars as old as mine, but the &^$^ thing is still in warrantee, just under 50K. Your experience in small claims court reinforces my new-found negativity.

    What gets me is that THEY CANNOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG after my A4 has stopped working in a dangerous situation, twice. What in blazes is going on?

    Hopefully, we will make it the remaining distance to the West Coast....

    :confuse:
  • trout76trout76 Member Posts: 1
    Wondering if you ever received info on this before I pay to get some major repair work done. Any answer would help. Thanks!! Also, not to be a pain, but my car is int he shop, and the sooner the reply the better. Thanks again.
  • guestguest Member Posts: 770
    Well, I have done a good bit of research and Adui is well aware of the problems with your car but they do not want to fix it. There are hundreds of Audi owners who have been treated this same way. When the check engine light comes on that is because there is sludge in the engine. Yes, sludge...and they issued a letter regarding this in 2004, however several Audi owners never got this letter, including me. Audi should replace your engine at THEIR cost. There is a flaw in the engine. There is a local reporter who is doing a story on this issue this month or next month. Here are some websites that you can go to, some of the websites have attorneys working with them.

    www.thesqueakywheel.com

    http://www.autosafety.org/article.php?did=557&scid=98 (good info here)

    Good luck and if you would like more information or any help to get Audi to get your car fixed I will share with you all the info that I have.
    Michelle
  • byronwalterbyronwalter Member Posts: 220
    "...when the check light comes on that is because there is sludge in the engine..."

    The CEL can be triggered by any number of events other than sludge. Virtually any mechanic can give the oil a gross visual inspection for sludge.

    The sludge issue is not not an engine design flaw. It is the result of Audi stretching the oil change intervals excessively, owners/dealers using non-synthetic oil, owners running the engines with low oil levels, not changing the oil more frequently when the driving condidtions are severe (i.e. short distances, very low or hot ambient temperatures, dusty air, etc.).

    Byron
  • kurtamaxxxguykurtamaxxxguy Member Posts: 1,798
    Hi. What experiences have folks with Audi DSG's had with Audi/Audi dealers if their DSG's clutch plates wear prematurely?

    Will Audi replace these if the failure occurs within the warranty?

    Or do they declare any clutch wear within the DSG is a "user expense" item?

    I did contact "Ask Audi" but their responses never offered an answer. In fairness, some other manufacturers I queried regarding potential wear parts were no better in their responses.
  • dehypnotistdehypnotist Member Posts: 2
    Thanks Michelle,
    I wrote an eloquent detailed email, but the system just lost it. So this time I will be to the point.

    The Audi dealership in Des Moines, when they finally got to check my car the next day (it broke down on Sunday), reported that there was absolutely nothing wrong except a minor 02 sensor fault, that it ran 100% per manufacturer's specs, that there was nothing wrong with the transmission.

    So we completed our journey to Portland, OR. There was a very hairy stretch just past Cheyenne, WY on I 80. The season's first blizzard came in, so we stopped overnight in Cheyenne and continued the next day after they had reopened the highway. Passed 53 dead semis on the side of the road and a nine mile long chain of semis moving at maybe 1 mph going east. The road was slick and not always free of ice chunks or coating. My wife, a very experienced auto mechanic type, thought that maybe the car wasn't adjusted to the altitude, as it was a mite sluggish. Also the transmission clunked once the next day, in Utah.

    Here's the punchline.

    On Saturday, I planned to check with the local Audi dealership to see what I could get by way of leasing a new Audi (this time I would not be so dumb as to buy it), but we first stopped by a Toyota dealership, to check out a Highlander hybrid SUV. Loved it.

    The Toyota folks had one service tech appraise our car. He came back saying that there were some body issues, but that the transmission did not seem right. I said that I just had it serviced ten days earlier. They had a second person check it out and he said, well, maybe the transmission just needs a minor adjustment. It seemed to hesitate going into higher gears. How come the Toyota shop immediately picked up a transmission issue two Audi dealerships could not find?!

    This pissed me off enough that I decided to hell with Audi and proceeded to accept their trade-in offer ( a few thou lower than I had wanted, but they got me mainly on body issues -- a fender scrape and some dings).

    My wife then went to collect our stuff from the car. She tried to start it, and there was a horrid noise, then everything went dead. She tried twice more. Nada. There was a CD stuck in the CD player we wanted to retrieve, so I went out and tried to start the car. No response the first time I turned the ignition key. The second time it hesitated a moment and then started up -- but the "SAFE" message now appeared in the audio screen, so I could not operate the CD player to eject our CD!

    Well, Toyota bought the car by that point. And it is still 300 miles within warrantee.

    And thank goodness the car did not act up on the stretch of I80 in Wyoming -- we would probably have been crushed by semis or rolled on the icy shoulder, sustaining major injury while emergency vehicles couldnt get to us.

    I still want Audi to cover the lousy $35 rental we got in Des Moines, which they are now balking about as the car was up to manufacturer's specs...

    And that's the story.

    Roger :mad:
  • rajnicekrajnicek Member Posts: 2
    I have a 2006 A4 quattro with 5076 miles on it. A week and a half ago, I started hearing a very annoying rattle coming from driver window/door area. Anyone else have this? What was done? It goes in Monday for the 5000 service but I'd like some info from drivers who have had this problem, too. Thanks
  • conallconall Member Posts: 91
    I still love my Audi...BUT it is my 2nd car.
    I.e. my daily driver is a Mazda 3.
    I had no problems with the Audi until about 60k.
    I had to replace both the clutch and pressure plate.
    The additional repairs I had at 60k probably have as much to do with the car's age as with mileage, since the car is an '82 original Urquattro.
    I had to replace a drive shaft on the driver's side, since the boot seal was torn.
    Unfortunately a couple of the synchronizers also had worn to the point where I could no longer shift into first and second. So I had to buy a rebuilt tranny.
    "Moral": If you still love your Audi (and can afford it) keep it as a second car.
  • guestguest Member Posts: 770
    Roger,
    Wow, that is quite a story. Well, praise be to God that you and your family were not hurt or stranded on that trip. I am so fed up with Audi. Like you, I just want them to stand behind their product. If I purchase what they call a luxury car, then stand behind your product like it is a luxury car. I am hoping to sell my Audi, if I am unable to sell it to an individual, then I will trade it in as well. I do not ever want another Audi and I will never recommend Audi to anyone. It is ashamed that you did not have the info about Audi's sludge in the engine problem. How dishonest of them, but I should expect as much. A local television station is doing a report on this issue, hopefully it will force Audi to begin to do the right thing. Have a great day.

    Michelle
  • betsbets Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2002 A4 CVT and have experienced the hesitation occasionally. I did mention it to the Audi mechanics but they did not experience the problem. I have not pursued to resolve the problem since it is so intermittent.

    Has your problem been corrected? If so, how?

    I would have thought the problem was with the CVT versus the engine.

    Hope you have found a solution.
    Bets
  • kiki4kiki4 Member Posts: 2
    My 2002 A4 lost oil Presure due to sludge. I was told they will not help with the repair unless I provide 80% of its oil changes. I am not the original owner, and change my own oil, so I cannot provide this info. Is there a civil suit re: this sludge problem, Any suggestions? thanks kiki4
  • conallconall Member Posts: 91
    There is related info posted on the "Audi A-3 Engine Issues" thread, concerning the dealers not using the correct oil:
    VW/Audi 502.00 oil specification or the better 503.01 spec. oil (preferably fully synthetic).
  • lcrocker62lcrocker62 Member Posts: 1
    I too lost my oil pump due to "sludge". I ended up paying Audi $5,500 to replace half my engine because of this. I'm still having problems such as the car smokes when idle and Audi keeps telling me it's normal. I would love to get involved with this class action suit. I have a 2002 Audi A4 1.8 turbo, the car had 88,000 when the oil pump went. The check engine light had been on since 40,000 and Audi kept telling me it was an oxygen sensor.
  • kiki4kiki4 Member Posts: 2
    Thanks for the attorney's name regarding the class action lawsuit because audi is not honoring their own extended warranty. My 2002 A4 is currenty waiting in the shop for Audi to autorize repair. My question is, has anyone forced audi to pay for the oil sludge fix to the engine without providing their manatory 80% of the Veh.'s oil changes documented. This requirement is an effort to not honor their warranty, by making it hard to come up with the documentation. Thanks kiki4
  • tryckeghemtryckeghem Member Posts: 1
    my a4 is in the shop right now, have owned it for 4 months and they are telling me that i dont have all the records from the day it was new and that they will not warranty the problem. car has 74k i cannot believe that a co. like Audi wouldnt stand behind there vehicles better than that. i couldve bought a $5000 neon and had it last more than 74000 miles. if anyone has had luck in getting warranty without maintence records please let me know. tryckeghem@yahoo.com
  • lkwhitelkwhite Member Posts: 3
    had the cold weather audio problem last year in my 2005 A4. dealer replaced radio in april. still no sound in freezing weather until car warms up. if anyone has had this problem solved by their dealer i would appreciate finding out the dealers name and what they did. thanks.
  • 2tearsnabucket2tearsnabucket Member Posts: 4
    I also have a '02 A4 with CVT, but with the 3.0L V6. The '02 A4 was the first time Audi offered a steel-belt driven CVT transmission for front-wheel drive models. From what I've read in car magazines, Audi decided to make adjustments to '03+ models that corrected tendencies for the throttle to be a bit over-responsive, especially when launching the vehicle from a standing start. At any rate, I'd grown accustom to the touchy response, but as mileage approached 50k, the car occasionally hesitates under moderate throttle. I don't know if there is a problem with the engine or the transmission. When gas prices shot up over $3/gallon, I admit that I would cheat from time to time with 89 octane gas instead of the 91 recommended. I recently added gas treatment to a full tank in hopes that dirty fuel injectors were to blame, but the problem is still there. It problem was really intermittent at first, but now it happens with increasing frequency.

    Anyone else have any ideas?
  • 01a4owner01a4owner Member Posts: 1
    PLEASE HELP if can... i own a 2001 audi a4 1.8 quattro..For sometime now i have been having horsepower and RPM problems with my car. There is no check engine light coming on or has it ever been on. The on dash computer display doesnt read out any problems to me. I start the car in the morning and i can feel it shaking and the RPMs struggle to stay above 1,000, so i give it a lil bit of gas. I look under the car while its shaking and i notice its the exhaust shaft actually shaking. Once the car is warm and comes to an idle, my problems are not noticeable anymore. Until i start moving do the problems occur. As i accelerate, whether its in 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, or 5th gear, the car will speed up like normal then it will start lagging and lurching as if theres a clog or something. And once it gets past the lagging it feels like it catches and drives normal. i know its not the turbo lag. But if im driving at high speeds in 4th or 5th and need to slow down and down shift then accelerate again, it boggs then eventually gets back to normal. As im accelerating and the car is moving, the RPMs will start to rise but the cars horsepower goes no where..After a couple secs of acting up, it will start to drive normal again until i take off. A couple of people told me it might be a bad catalytic converter or an automatic choke..If anyone can help me please before i start throwing any money i dont have around that would be awesome..Thank You Brian
  • bigdog14bigdog14 Member Posts: 1
    Just leased an '07 A4 Quattro Triptronic and are having problems in (Automatic mode) with the car bogging down (and lagging) in first and second gear and then pulls (almost jerks car). The shifting lags for at least a second before it spits you in the next gear. It is especially prevelant from 1st to 2nd and 2nd to 3rd gear. The car also shifts into 2nd gear and a second or two later it goes into 3rd gear. It is almost as if the transmission missed second gear entirely. Also, car is in 3rd gear by the time you even hit 15-20mph. Anyone know the problem could be?

    thanks
  • 2tearsnabucket2tearsnabucket Member Posts: 4
    Here's an update on the problem I reported earlier. Audi issued a technical service bulletin (TSB) (service bulletin #0601, NHTSA item #10019108) on January 27, 2006 that is consistent with the behavior I've noticed over the past 1,000 miles:

    VEHICLE SHUDDERS WHEN ACCELERATING AT 10 TO 50% THROTTLE FROM A STATIONARY POSITION, SOMETIMES WITH FLUCTUATING ENGINE SPEED. *TT

    According to my technician, Audi recommends replacing the entire CVT transmission and updating the control logic with new firmware settings. If you are experiencing the same problems, you are well advised to get it repaired if the car is under warranty. I'm waiting on an estimate now, but I know it won't be pretty.
  • mishbostonmishboston Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2002 Audi A4 1.8T w/ 59,000 miles. The car broke down yesterday and let me sit on the side of the road. My mechanic says the engine looks like the oil has NEVER been changed, full of sludge! I never missed an Audi scheduled maitenance an and even had some additional oil changes done on my own. Now I am looking at a snapped timing belt, bent valves, and a cracked head. Will cost anywhere from 2-5K to repair. Or course, I am just out of warranty and the vehicle is a lease. So, the worst part is I dont even own it. I have to make the repairs and give it back to Audi. My mechanic said he lost 2 Audis to this same problem. This is clearly a known issue that Audi is not taking responsibility for. I will be contacting the attorney listed. Thank you so much for the information!!!! Good luck to all of you.
  • shiposhipo Member Posts: 9,148
    "This is clearly a known issue that Audi is not taking responsibility for."

    Well, maybe, maybe not. The odds on bet is that while you can prove that your oil was changed at the proper intervals, you probably cannot prove that the oil used was up to the minimum spec required by Audi.

    A couple of years back (I'm thinking somewhere between 2002 and 2004) Audi retroactively changed their oil requirements for the 1.8T engine. The new requirements called for engine oil to meet the VW/Audi 502.00 oil spec (at the very minimum, 503.01 spec oil is far superior and absolutely what I would recommend). If your dealership didn't use that oil (and many didn't preferring instead to buy bulk/cheap Quaker State or Pennzoil crap) you might be able to coerce your dealership into putting a new engine in for you. Your oil-change receipts should show what kind of oil was used.

    The other side of the coin is that if you used non-dealership oil change places and they didn't use oil that met the 502.00 oil standard, you are probably out of luck.

    FWIW, 502.00 oil is typically a full synthetic oil (and the 503.01 is definitely a full synthetic such as Mobil 1 0W-40 or German made Castrol Syntec 0W-30) and the oil changes typically run from $60 up to about $100. If you were paying less than this, it is almost a guarantee that you had conventional oil in your oil pan.

    Best Regards,
    Shipo
  • texasa4dude77texasa4dude77 Member Posts: 3
    All I can say is I'm right there with you. I bought my A4 4 months ago, it had 63k on it at the time and I have to admit the transmission seemed alittle rough to start. It has gotten drastically worst over these last few months. I spill coffee on myself for the jolt from starting for stand still. Mine also roles back on hills, are you experiancing this? I have third party extended warranty and they want mechanic to tear it down. Here is the catch no one works on these transmissions. I have to pay myself for a used or new transmission. 6-8k. I'm not even sure this will fix the problem. :sick:
  • texasa4dude77texasa4dude77 Member Posts: 3
    Where are you finding this information I need to get it to my extended warranty folks.
  • 2tearsnabucket2tearsnabucket Member Posts: 4
    Texasa4dude77, I am also in Texas. I live in the Dallas area and have been dealing with Boardwalk Audi in Plano, TX. I took my A4 to AutoScope (down the street in Plano), which is a specialty shop that deals with foreign makes, and they recommended a new transmission. Another Audi dealer in Atlanta quoted me that a completely new transmission will cost $5,220.39 plus another $1500-1700 for labor (@ $128/hr). Anyway, after I left AutoScope, I took the car immediately to Boardwalk Audi since they seem to be the only CVT specialists around. After several days, they finally reported back that I had a bad valve body. The valve body is a computer-controlled hydraulic component that varies the width of the pulleys in the CVT so the belt can ride at different heights on the pulleys. This provides the varying gear ratio. Boardwalk says that runs $3700.

    I am the original owner with just over 50k miles. It has been behaving this way for a while, but started to worsen within the past 2-3k miles.

    The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has an on-line database to track defects, e.g. Office of Defects Investigation: http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/recalls/recallsearch.cfm

    Check it out.
  • 2tearsnabucket2tearsnabucket Member Posts: 4
    And now the latest on my CVT saga... After a week with very little news from the service manager, Boardwalk Audi called this morning to say that Audi America (based in MI) will be paying 75% of the cost of the new valve body. They would not pay 100% because the car is just barely beyond the stated warranty at 50,302 miles. I reminded them that I was complaining before the car's warranty expired, but the service rep claimed he couldn't feel the transmission jerking at that point in time. Admittedly, it was subtle, but it didn't take long for it to get worse. The good-will on my dealer's and Audi's part may help salvage my opinion of the brand.
    From this experience, I've got several recommendations for people driving an Audi A4 with CVT:
    1) Obey fuel octane requirements. Try not to put anything under 93 octane fuel. Doing so could result in engine/transmission problems.
    2) Allow the engine to warm-up a bit, especially on cold mornings before driving off. I recommend letting the engine idle no higher than 1100 rpm before engaging the transmission.
    3) Insist on snythetic motor oil, especially if you live in a hot climate like Texas. The 10,000 mile service interval is probably too long, so I would recommend getting the oil changed every 5k miles during the summer months. This is especially important if you have the 1.8L turbo 4cyl engine. It only carries 3.5 quarts of oil. Audi is well aware that natural oil burns up within 10k mile service intervals.
    4) The CVT transmission does require some maintenance. An Audi specialist recommended getting the fluids replaced every 20k-25k miles. The transmission control module in the '02 CVT ran firmware that wasn't necessarily designed for driving conditions in the US. Audi flashed the module with all new firmware in subsequent '03 models. From what I understand, the software upgrade is supposed to ensure smoother launches from a stop as well as compensate for aging oil and poor octane fuel.

    Regards,
    2Tears
  • noalittlenoalittle Member Posts: 1
    hey,i would defintely change your spark plugs,change you wires and boots.fill up with high octane and ad a octane booster.if you cat is cloged you need to change it,but fist try banging it with something [dont put a hole in it or break it]just hit it.sometime carbon fills up in the filter.make sure you always use synth,oil!for that car.sound like tune up issuses,buy the stuff your self and tune it up your self.dont bring it to the shop until you do that first,becaus all they will do is rape you,and maybe fix the car and mabe not,and you could have more probs then before.always do the basics.[do a full tune up]so if you have to bring it in you know that it not related to your work you did
  • jdzboxjdzbox Member Posts: 3
    I'm planning on to buy a used 02 a4 1.8T Quattro which has a cam chain adjuster seal.
    It was found during a safety inpection. Dealer is trying to charge 420 bucks for fixing it. I want to drive it to my mechanic who is about 600 miles away. Do you think it's safe to do that? The dealer says "large oil leak" and do not mention what category it is.
    Thanks.
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