B5 S4 cambelt failure :(

[neckarsulm]

Fade2Grey, a very interesting read but I feel sorry that you were put in that position by sloppy main dealer work.

It's also interesting to see how the various Audi Centres view each other, if they feel an Audi Centre from a different dealer group could be potentially ripping them off, should inexperienced yet trusting customers also be worried? I think so...

I have dropped things in my engine bay and spent hours looking for them when the job I was planning to do could take minutues so you can imagine that mechanics with little accountability would leave them rather than find them and not get their bonuses - I found a MAF sensor jubilee clip rattling around my FASH engine bay recently!

Good luck with new car and thanks for keeping us posted to the end.

[fade2grey]

Thanks for the responses guys, I know every company has bad dealings but in the space of a few months the same dealer failed to bolt one of my rear drive shafts in correctly which resulted in it coming out when I was driving along! & then the cambelt.. both by different engineers! This I can understand, but the final nail in the coffin was that Audi UK's stance on the matter wasnt to look into it & mediate or audi quality etc, they just said "we don't have any control over our dealers" & "once your car gets to 5 years, we don't want to know - your only support is with the dealer network. We will not get involved under any circumstances". That was the point where I canceled my places on the R8 & RS6 waiting lists & voted with my feet (& wallet). I'm far from an Audi\RS hater, but would urge you all to do the same should the worst happen to you.. fight then as far as you can & then take your money else where if they don't sort it out for you.

On a good note, I ended up with one of italy's best products for a while & while undoutedly less reliable & deployable the V8 sounds soooo much nicer

[CliveH]

If I understand this correctly, Audi UK washed their hands of it and you ended up being paid out by motor insurance.

But what about the evident incompetence and negligence of the Audi dealership (Newcastle) who caused the premature failure of the cambelt (not to mention the rear drive shaft)?? Do they get away with it all or are the insurance company pursuing them?

Are you able to share with us the results of the "independent engineers" assessment?

[fade2grey]

Hi Clive, yup, you are right. Audi UK washed their hands of it all & Colebrook & Burgess' (Audi Newcastle) liability insurers paid out (wrote the car off)

Apparently other than possibly slightly higher premiums & an ear bending from me, Newcastle Audi seem to have 'gotten away with it' as you say. On the drive shaft, they just straight admited liability in face of the AA's roadside report. Again, just pay for the fix & the fact I had to join the AA at the side of the road & nothing more said.

Personally I was hoping for some sort of recognition that something had gone wrong, even just from a customer service point of view.

I'm not sure I actually have a copy of the engineers reports, I'll see what I can dig out. It boiled down to: one of the tensioners had a non VAG bolt put in it, the correct bolt was found within the timing covers, damaged. The primary belt damage was from the outside indicating contact with the loose bolt. Consistant damage was found on the bolt, belt & assiciated components.

So essentially, the guy dropped a bolt, couldn't find it & used an alternative assuming it had dropped all the way through. Ironically the 'wrong' bolt held just fine & it appears that only when the 'correct' bolt worked loose disaster struck.

I can understand that mistakes can happen, but straight after the drive shaft not being bolted in correctly & the lack of customer service I received from the dealer and Audi UK it's unreal. I had to fight incredibly hard to get it recognised as their fault & not just 'one of those things' or 'wear and tear' in what is a very grey area legally. I'd heartily recommend to anyone in a similar position to pay for their own engineers report & on that basis approach the dealer, audi UK & their various insurance companies. Don't take no for an answer & if you don't feel confident, talk to a solicitor - I had a few offers from no-win no-fee types when I went looking, but decided that for my case avoiding going to court was the best option & lowest risk for me. That said, the compelling case evidence was what made the liability insurers to settle in the end, not compassion. It was simply cheaper & less risk for them.

I'm happy to answer any questions people have feel free to PM\email me

cheers,
alex