As a hard-working, underprivileged individual, who a couple of friends say is going through a mid-life crisis, I started slow by purchasing a nice, used, low-mileage 2009 Audi A4. What I thought was going to be a quick fixer upper, and I'll have a quick, clean (The interior was very well taken care of), sports car that's still classy enough for a young Grandfather to drive around as an everyday cruiser. I took the vehicle to my mechanic the day I drove it off the used car lot, because that's what we're supposed to do, and I noticed a little delay in the initial acceleration off the line. Also, I heard a strange thumping noise in the front end when I took a dip in the road at about 30-mph, which I recognized as possible shocks/struts going out (Not a problem). At the time of purchase, the dealer gave me a 30-day, bumper-bumper warranty, so I called to let the dealer know that I needed some work done to this vehicle. He referred me to the warranty company, who's name we will not divulge at this time, and they told me to take it to one of the mechanic's shops within their "Network", or I will have to pay a deductible, and certain things won't be covered under the warranty. I didn't fight it, and instead I embraced it. I went in the shop that they referred me to, and the young mechanic noted everything that was wrong, or needed replacement/repair. The turbo was the big issue on my mind because that can lead to bigger problems if not taken care of right away. Well, long story short, my car was in the shop for 29-days. When I got the car out of the shop, I thought everything was running pretty good, and smooth (New shocks/struts all the way around, lower oil pan gasket, upper & lower control arms, rack & pinion, and of course the turbo). I had the car for 29-days, and it starting spitting and sputtering while I was in afternoon traffic in downtown L.A., and after I pulled over to call my mechanic, it finally died. I digress. During the 29-days that I had the car out of the shop, I was prompted by the warning lights & text on the dash, that I was low on oil on four different occasions. The dash prompt said that I could continue t drive the car, which I did after conferring with my mechanic, and added a quart of oil no more than 10-miles after the warnings, every time it happened. My car is unable to start, and my mechanic told me that the engine had absolutely no compression what so ever, and after checking to see if there was oil fouling the spark plugs (Which there was not), the engine was never started again after the compression test, mainly because it sounded like it was going to throw a rod, or something. So, after removing the spark plugs, they were hand-cranking the motor, in order to find top-dead-center, and that's when the engine seized-up completely. I went to the nearest Audi dealer to find out if there were any recalls, or other actions in motion regarding this model/year vehicle, and they reluctantly informed me that there is a test that they can perform in order to determine if my car qualifies to have a second test performed on it, so Audi can make a determination whether, or not, the vehicle fits the description agreed upon in the guidelines of the lawsuit settlement that pertains to certain models/years of Audi's. But, I have to bring the vehicle in running condition in order for them to perform the necessary tests. Therefore, they are expecting me to absorb the unbelievable cost of having the vehicle repaired, and running properly, BEFORE they perform their tests. Now, call me a fool, but if my mechanic repairs this vehicle, and it's in proper running condition (With all of the necessary new parts) prior to the test, doesn't that defeat the purpose? I was so frustrated walking out of that dealership that I wanted to just leave that car on the side of the road. I just purchased rims, new center-caps that match the black paint job, and new LED DRL fog light modules, all of which are en route to my house right now. I am holding back so many four-lettered words right now, out of respect for the forum, but I'm going to need some kind of relief, or release sometime real soon because I feel as though I'm being ass-attacked with less lubrication than my crank case had in it. Is there anyone out there that can guide me away from being a statistic with this situation? All advise is good advise, it just depends on how and where you apply it, so I am accepting any, and all, advise... Thank you for reading my ramblings!!!
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
As a hard-working, underprivileged individual, who a couple of friends say is going through a mid-life crisis, I started slow by purchasing a nice, used, low-mileage 2009 Audi A4. What I thought was going to be a quick fixer upper, and I'll have a quick, clean (The interior was very well taken care of), sports car that's still classy enough for a young Grandfather to drive around as an everyday cruiser. I took the vehicle to my mechanic the day I drove it off the used car lot, because that's what we're supposed to do, and I noticed a little delay in the initial acceleration off the line. Also, I heard a strange thumping noise in the front end when I took a dip in the road at about 30-mph, which I recognized as possible shocks/struts going out (Not a problem). At the time of purchase, the dealer gave me a 30-day, bumper-bumper warranty, so I called to let the dealer know that I needed some work done to this vehicle. He referred me to the warranty company, who's name we will not divulge at this time, and they told me to take it to one of the mechanic's shops within their "Network", or I will have to pay a deductible, and certain things won't be covered under the warranty. I didn't fight it, and instead I embraced it. I went in the shop that they referred me to, and the young mechanic noted everything that was wrong, or needed replacement/repair. The turbo was the big issue on my mind because that can lead to bigger problems if not taken care of right away. Well, long story short, my car was in the shop for 29-days. When I got the car out of the shop, I thought everything was running pretty good, and smooth (New shocks/struts all the way around, lower oil pan gasket, upper & lower control arms, rack & pinion, and of course the turbo). I had the car for 29-days, and it starting spitting and sputtering while I was in afternoon traffic in downtown L.A., and after I pulled over to call my mechanic, it finally died. I digress. During the 29-days that I had the car out of the shop, I was prompted by the warning lights & text on the dash, that I was low on oil on four different occasions. The dash prompt said that I could continue t drive the car, which I did after conferring with my mechanic, and added a quart of oil no more than 10-miles after the warnings, every time it happened. My car is unable to start, and my mechanic told me that the engine had absolutely no compression what so ever, and after checking to see if there was oil fouling the spark plugs (Which there was not), the engine was never started again after the compression test, mainly because it sounded like it was going to throw a rod, or something. So, after removing the spark plugs, they were hand-cranking the motor, in order to find top-dead-center, and that's when the engine seized-up completely. I went to the nearest Audi dealer to find out if there were any recalls, or other actions in motion regarding this model/year vehicle, and they reluctantly informed me that there is a test that they can perform in order to determine if my car qualifies to have a second test performed on it, so Audi can make a determination whether, or not, the vehicle fits the description agreed upon in the guidelines of the lawsuit settlement that pertains to certain models/years of Audi's. But, I have to bring the vehicle in running condition in order for them to perform the necessary tests. Therefore, they are expecting me to absorb the unbelievable cost of having the vehicle repaired, and running properly, BEFORE they perform their tests. Now, call me a fool, but if my mechanic repairs this vehicle, and it's in proper running condition (With all of the necessary new parts) prior to the test, doesn't that defeat the purpose? I was so frustrated walking out of that dealership that I wanted to just leave that car on the side of the road. I just purchased rims, new center-caps that match the black paint job, and new LED DRL fog light modules, all of which are en route to my house right now. I am holding back so many four-lettered words right now, out of respect for the forum, but I'm going to need some kind of relief, or release sometime real soon because I feel as though I'm being ass-attacked with less lubrication than my crank case had in it. Is there anyone out there that can guide me away from being a statistic with this situation? All advise is good advise, it just depends on how and where you apply it, so I am accepting any, and all, advise... Thank you for reading my ramblings!!!
- Eric F., Long Beach, CA, US