A3 3.2 Engine Replacement

ziga332

I took my A3 3.2 in for maintenance (bought new in 06, 24k miles) – low coolant light was on. Dealer told me they discovered that the engine block was cracked and they thought they needed to replace the engine but needed authorization from Audi to do such a repair.

The Audi engineer came, inspected the car and agreed that the engine needed to be changed so the dealer ordered a new engine.

A week later I got a call that they installed the engine but that a part of the engine crank was not fitting and the engine was not firing. After conversations with Audi, they later discovered that the engine was mislabeled and it was a mislabeled Tuareg engine.

Another engine was ordered, they told me they verified that the engine was the correct engine by reading out the parts numbers on the phone. The new engine arrived but this time they told me that it too was not fitting and that they were not able to find a new engine to replace my defective one. They tell me ALL engines in North America that have been manufactured have an incorrect part on so it would not fit my car.

Solution they are proposing is to take the short block of my old engine and use it on the new engine – I think this is unacceptable, can you please let me know what you think? Thanks.

shipo

So let me get this straight, the "block" of your old engine is cracked, and now they're proposing to use that cracked block as the basis for building up an engine with the parts (i.e. heads, manifolds, pumps, belts/chains, covers and such) of one of the new engines?

Ummm, no, that is not okay. Slice it and dice it anyway they want, the old block is still cracked and I've yet to hear of a fool proof way of mending a cracked block short of replacing it with a new one.

Best Regards,
Shipo

ziga332

They are proposing they use the old cylinder head and the new engine block to make the engine.

They say due to a manufacturing defect/error my original engine was "porous" and leaking coolant.

shipo

Uhhh, but didn't you say that the new engine won't fit in your car? I'm having a difficult time figuring out how they're going to make it fit simply by changing the heads and such. :confuse:

Long story short, I'd hold out for either a new engine that does fit, or a new car.

Best Regards,
Shipo

ziga332

thanks.

pdxa3

Yesterday I took my '06 Audi A3 3.2 (24K miles) in for servicing and guess what. Exactly the same story, a pin-hole coolant leak in the engine block that requires that the engine block be replaced.

I wonder if they are having more incidents of this type?

I'm hoping that I do not run into the same replacement issues you mention here, although I am worried that the car will never be quite the same after the repair. Call me paranoid but this does not seem like something that should happen that frequently.

Anyone else had hair-line cracks in their Audi 3.2 block I wonder.

shipo

The problem reported earlier in this thread was from more than a year ago, and I'm reasonably certain that Audi's managed to get their act together regarding the correct engine to put in your car. As for your car never being quite the same, yeah, you're probably right, it should be better with a new motor. :shades:

Long story short, engines get replaced all of the time and it just isn't that big of a big deal.

Best regards,
Shipo

stewart8

Ziga332 please can you contact me i've had exactly the same problem and would like your help. I've got an Audi A3 3.2 55 plate 50k miles but have only just been told about the problem

ziga332

I ended up giving my car back to Audi at about the same price I bought it. I wasn’t convinced the car would be the same if they built the engine with spare parts instead of replacing with a brand new one. When I said I did not consent to them making the repair with spare parts I was told they could make the repair as they see fit. I was pretty upset about this : -) I worked with the state attorney general's office to file a claim that the car was a lemon. Due to the earlier missteps the vehicle had been in repair for more than 30 days furthermore when I asked for the maintenance records (as part of the paperwork to file the lemon claim) I noticed I had taken the car back for service because an engine light was a few weeks after I bought it.

As I was working on the paperwork for the lemon claim, I called up Audi of America and told them I wanted a new engine fitted into my car not one that the dealer builds, I told them I did not have confidence that the dealer would be able to make such a complicated repair without defect. As expected I was told terms of the guarantee are such that they can make the repair as they wish with original parts.
Repairs were completed and I got a call to pick the car up, I did. Within a week the oil light came on, I took it back to the same dealer; they added oil and told me not to worry about it, that new engines do “soak in”.

Ultimately attorney generals’ office came back to me with a date for a hearing, same day Audi came with an offer to replace the car if I paid a few thousand dollars. I accepted the offer, and sold my new car to the dealer same day it was delivered when I went to drop off my old car. Btw this transaction happened a few months after I accepted Audi’s offer.

I think Audi ultimately did the right thing by me and I have no gripes, but it took them a while to get there, and I don’t think they’d get there if I didn’t file the lemon claim.