Come to papa

2009Audi-B8
Originally uploaded by homeychan

Finally I got my car back! I will give a full update on the car in my next post, so far it sounds great, and no Check Engine Lights. Just continuing in the spirit of something breaking, as soon as I got home the license plate bulb burnt out so now I have a warning on the dash, but better that than Check Engine.

All I want for Christmas is my S4 back, my S4 back...

2009Audi-B8
Originally uploaded by homeychan

No news on the completed repair yet of the car, if I am lucky I will get it back for Christmas. I will try to get a print-out of the updated service records, I am not sure this blog is big enough! The longer I drive this 2009 A4 I realize that Audi has cut corners over the previous models, as discussed in previous blogs, the electronics are very unpredictable and work intermittently, but there is more. I noticed all the old 2.0, or 1.8 Turbos have dual exhaust, this car has a single exhaust with 2 tips, also the new S4 the engine actually costs $7000 less than my 4.2. The trunk hinge in the new 2009+ A/S4 is also very cheap, flimsy, and tends to break as seen here: http://forums.audiworld.com/showthread.php?t=2749627, I am sure Audi has never heard of this problem though and it is (as usual) the customers fault. The one good thing about this car is it does have room for passengers with legs in the backseat, versus the previous amputee models.

Glutton for punishment

2009Audi-B8
Originally uploaded by homeychan

Here is an excerpt from a conversation from a friend that just bought an Audi AllRoads, I had warned him ahead of time, he is 2 weeks into ownership.
-----Original Message-----
Subject: Re: AllRoad

Hmmm. OK.

I already have a major issue with the Audi! There was crazy amounts of oil
under the car the other day.

Took it in... they are not accepting responsibility that it is related the
to $6400 service the previous owner did November 11th even though it is
coming from essentially the same area of the engine. I have also noticed
that the rear air suspension has a air leak... yikes!!

I already spoke to the old owner about buying it back...

Insert your comments here:

Adam
-----Original Message-----
Subject: RE: AllRoad

What type of service cost over $6000? Sounds like the car had a major problem.
RF
-----Original Message-----
Subject: Re: AllRoad

$6000 was for new timing belt, cam adjuster seals, valve cover seals, water pump, front air suspension, abs circuit, oil change.

Currently they are claiming the cam seal has let go due to the cold and not related to the previous worked.

Adam
-----Original Message-----
Subject: RE: AllRoad

That's a great design then, I guess Germany is a tropical country and it is really unusual for the cars to experience cold. This is the typical response you get from Audi, it is not the dealer, but Audi that tells them this.

RF
-----Original Message-----
Of course.
A

Is their light at the end of this tunnel?

2009Audi-B8
Originally uploaded by homeychan

Spoke to the service advisor today about my car, he explained that the actuator appears to have failed for the cooling system again and needs to be replaced. The car will not warm up again, and after closer inspection the actuator is stuck in the “open” position, we are waiting for the part to come in from Vancouver. The car also will not start when it is cold, but this seems to be a common issue with this car that (of course) Audi has never heard of: http://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=324197. They have replaced the clutch switch, but are now off to replacing my starter for an additional $900 labour and parts. I may have to get a third job just to support driving this car.

The one positive note is they are confident the Check Engine Light issues have finally been resolved, one down, how many more to go?

Opossum in an A4!

Here is a fun link from jalopnik.com, this tech started work on a B8 A4 and out popped a possum, it had built a nest in the engine bay!

Here is the title and link to jalopnik.com:
Audi Technician Finds Live Possum Nest In A4, Screams Like Little Girl
http://jalopnik.com/5420552/audi-technician-finds-live-possum-nest-in-a4-screams-like-little-girl
RF

No News is Good news

Cadillac-BMW-Audi
Originally uploaded by homeychan

Dealer called to say they are testing car now to make sure it is fully functional, I had hoped to have it back on Friday, but we had a giant snow storm and that probably delayed getting the car back. Probably is for the best since I probably would have torn off the sound pan under the car again in the deep snow. A couple positive things about the B8 A4, is the ability to turn off traction control (ASR) and Stability protection (ESP) separately, it gives you the ability to get moving with wheel spin in the deep snow, but doesn’t let the car spin-out. I noticed the ESP on this car lets it get a little more sideways than my car before cutting in to straighten the vehicle. One bad thing however is in extreme cold the centre display between the gauges freezes up and is very slow to respond.

So it is official now, I missed the entire summer with my car, and am getting back with winter wheels, hopefully next year is more positive.