JHM + 3ZERO3 Motorsports + Fidelity Warranty = AMAZING

[S4AvantB6]

I am not sure where to really begin but if you do not want to waste your time reading about my experience here are the cliff notes. Bought a service contract through Fidelity for the powertrain after reading about all the timing chain issues. No more than 4 months after I bought it did I first hear the dreaded noise everyone talked about. Took it to the best shop I have ever had the pleasure of dealing with (3zero3 Motorsports.) They diagnosed, and dealt with the warranty company throughout the process. Got some extra goodies since labor was next to nothing on most things with the engine out. Have a better than new S4 Avant that I am falling in love with all over again. Now read below for the real story.

The Story
Since purchasing my S4 in 2012 I have been blessed with next to no issues with it, the only one which involved me replacing a clutch but with 113k miles that is standard maintenance. I work for a dealership and have always had buddy’s in service who would help me out with little things here and there. After reading all of these horror stories of the S4’s having timing chain issues I decided to purchase an extended service contract through my dealer. I figured most issues happen between 100-125k miles so I was cheap and just bought a 12k mile 12 month powertrain coverage. Well much to my surprise it actually paid off one morning when I started the car and heard a noise I had not heard before. I thought I must just be hearing things but the next few times when it sat overnight and I started it the noise was not going away. I did a lot of research and wanted to take it to the best shop where I live. After days of research the consensus was a shop called 3zero3 motorsports. They have worked on all assortments of Audi’s and have been around for quite some time without having horror stories like some of the other shops. So I decided to call them up and see if they could help, and to say they did that would be an understatement.

The Shop
3zero3 is as nice of a shop as you will find. It is not nice in the way that a dealer tries to be nice by having the latest coffee machine and shiny floors, it is nice in the way that you immediately feel welcomed, you aren’t trying to be sold on why you should be there and you can see into the shop. The shop area was remarkably clean, everything was in order and they clearly had a system to keep things organized. After getting a tour of the facilities by my Advisor Jace, I knew I chose the right shop. Jace was the only person I had real contact with but I will say that he is the only person that I needed contact with. He is someone who went above and beyond every step of the way. It was obvious to tell that he is a very big car enthusiast and cares about your car almost as much as you do. From texting me updates on the status of the warranty claim, to sending me pictures of what they were doing he really did become a friend. He even went so far to drop off the JHM headers I ordered to my work so I could drop them off the next morning to get them ceramic coated. Every picture below was taken by him and sent to me, without me asking him to because I truly felt he was as excited as I was. I have been in the automotive industry for 4 years and have dealt with a lot of people on the service side. Whether it is retail service or more car enthusiast companies I have never experienced the level of service that I received from Jace. If anyone in Colorado ever needs anything you would be crazy not to call 3zero3 and ask specifically for Jace.


The Warranty
As I mentioned I purchased the “warranty” from my dealership. All of our “warranties” or service contracts are provided by fidelity. I had read very mixed reviews on them but if I was going to sell people a product I would like to be able to vouch for it. The claims process was a breeze and I am sure part of that was do to Jace at 3zero3. I dropped off the car mid morning and they were going to diagnose the noise that day or the next morning. They started the car the next morning and heard the noise. I had to approve the initial teardown and wait to see if it was going to be covered, to say this was nerve wracking would be an understatement. A few days went by and the adjuster came out to see everything and I received a call from Jace. Everything was covered! This was the moment I had been so dreading after reading many stories about warranty companies finding excuses not to pay. Not only did they cover the guides and tensioners but they also covered the cam adjusters as well. Now was the waiting game to get everything ordered for the timing components and break down what I wanted to do while the engine was out.

The Mods
Like everyone on the forum I have always lusted after all the JHM goodies that are offered for the B6 platform. After sitting down with Jace and discussing everything we ordered the following: JHM V2 Mid Length Headers, JHM Lightweight Crank Pulley, JHM Intake Manifold Spacers, JHM Trio Kit and Stern motor mounts. My how quickly everything added up but hopefully this is the only time the engine is out of the car so I figured why not. Once afternoon I got an amazing and unexpected picture from Jace and it was one of the most beautiful things I have seen, all the JHM goodies! I had the headers and downpipes ceramic coated which was almost criminal because of how amazing they looked from JHM. You can really see why they cost what they do because between the build quality and the attention to detail with r/d these are a deal. While I could not justify another $1k on their intake manifold I did redo that and the valve covers in wrinkle black and wrinkle red. Everyone seems to do the black valve cover gaskets and red manifold so I decided to do it the opposite, much like the RS4.

The Conclusion
The car feels like driving something completely new, I already had the JHM stage 3 clutch and lightweight flywheel so that combined with the crank pulley makes the car rev faster than anything else I have ever driven. My 2000 M Coupe with the S52 now feels very slow revving compared to the Audi. The car sounds amazing with the addition of the headers, it smoothed it out a little but made it sound much more exotic if that makes sense. The top end has totally changed with the headers and the manifold spacers. From 5500 to 7000 rpm the car just pulls like a freight train, where before it would die off around 6k. The Trio shift package has taken some time to get used to but I have never driven an Audi with such a direct feeling connection to the transmission. Between the motor mounts and the Trio you can hear the driveline a little more I would not go back, it feels like an S car should. I just got back from a road trip through the mountains and the car felt better than it ever has, and I got the best MPG to date without trying. I cannot see any reason to get rid of the Avant now, with the updated guides and everything else that was done it really is the perfect car.


If the pictures aren't working click the link below, I may not be posting them correctly.
https://plus.google.com/photos/11488...?gl=us&sview=7

[blocke]

Interested in learning more about the warranty. What mileage were you at when you bought it? How much was it? I didn't even think this was an option if you didn't buy it at the time you bought your car.

[S4AvantB6]

I purchased the warranty with just over 120k miles. It was not cheap but much less than the roughly $9k in work that was done. PM me for details on the warranty, I can get prices for anyone interested as well.

[the_mechanic]

I too am curious to learn more about this warranty. PM sent.

[Slow4]

JHM Headers everywhere . Yay for your new love of your Avant; they are truly special cars.






#huffingandpuffing

[Jake@JHM]

I am glad you are loving it!

[blocke]

@jake What has been your experience in dealing with aftermarket warranty companies? Fidelity in particular?

[Jake@JHM]

@jake What has been your experience in dealing with aftermarket warranty companies? Fidelity in particular?

I don't think we have worked with Fidelity that I can recall.

It's a bunch of BS when it comes to timing chain jobs with the ones we have worked with.

They make us give them a huge itemized list of parts, individual costs, individual labor times/cost per part, and after several weeks of going back and forth with the warranty company they cancel the customers warranty and refund them.

We have had zero successful warranty stories.

[BCsniper]

Jace is a member here on AZ and a fellow avant owner. I remember him when I used to frequent the "Winter Mode" thread. I believe he moved from OR to go work over at 3zero3. Glad to hear he goes the extra mile for his customers



I've never seen this guide get broken before, that's a first


also, has your car gotten a new motor in the past? I was surprised to see the center guide not busted. That and I thought older cars had the mostly orange colored guides, and later motors had all black. My motor actually looked just like yours, but it was because it got a replaced a year before I bought it.

[icanfly]

It's awesome that someone has had a good experience with their warranty. I wasted several grand on mine and was never able to get anything approved... least of all the timing job. They used the excuse of "wear parts" like a clutch. and as such I've taken the entire project on myself.

I'll never buy a warranty like that again - it's absolute robbery.

[Guitarmageddon]

I would purchase a warranty again with my company in a heartbeat. Spent about 2900 on it, gotten about 4000 out of it. No hesitation each claim is always approved, even on some wearables.

I suppose even if they try to dick me on a timing claim and pay me back out, that would still cover a decent chunk of the timing service. I think Im good.

The key is not falling for craptastic warranties to begin with and reading EVERYTHING before purchase. I had a alternator belt done last week and had to keep the warranty company honest. Talked to them on the phone and got another 100 or so dollars reduced from what I had to pay. Just gotta know what hills to battle for.

[pwest15]

Awesome! I remember seeing your car in the shop when I stopped by before moving. That engine is purrty and Jace is the friggin man

[S4AvantB6]

Jace is a member here on AZ and a fellow avant owner. I remember him when I used to frequent the "Winter Mode" thread. I believe he moved from OR to go work over at 3zero3. Glad to hear he goes the extra mile for his customers



I've never seen this guide get broken before, that's a first


also, has your car gotten a new motor in the past? I was surprised to see the center guide not busted. That and I thought older cars had the mostly orange colored guides, and later motors had all black. My motor actually looked just like yours, but it was because it got a replaced a year before I bought it.

The engine was original, but you are correct as the guides were black and not the orange like the older ones. My only guess is it was a late 2005 build. I was also surprised not so see that the center guide was intact but the lower one had actually broken off, I am just glad I got it done when I did so it did not get dislodged and do more damage. I know everyone has a horror story about warranties and you never hear about the successful ones so I wanted to share that with everyone.

[evildsmr]

I saw remember seeing this there and was drooling over all the parts next to your engine while it was under the car on the lift! Good stuff man! Like to hear how it sounds soon.

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

[VroomTT]

I would purchase a warranty again with my company in a heartbeat. Spent about 2900 on it, gotten about 4000 out of it. No hesitation each claim is always approved, even on some wearables.

I suppose even if they try to dick me on a timing claim and pay me back out, that would still cover a decent chunk of the timing service. I think Im good.

The key is not falling for craptastic warranties to begin with and reading EVERYTHING before purchase. I had a alternator belt done last week and had to keep the warranty company honest. Talked to them on the phone and got another 100 or so dollars reduced from what I had to pay. Just gotta know what hills to battle for.

Would you mind sharing which warranty company you've had success with? Thanks

[S4AvantB6]

I have had lots of interest in pricing for the warranty but nobody pulling the trigger. Take one look at any invoice for this service and it pays you back 4 times over. This is truly a no risk investment if you plan on keeping your S4, or even if you go to sell it and you can show the buyer $9k in recent timing chain service.

[BCsniper]

I spent $2K on my timing service and I replaced a bunch of mounts and other stuff at the same time. 95% of companies will deny the claim and refund your money so less and less do the warranties seem worth the money. Back when it cost $1500-2000 to get your AC fixed it was a different story but now you can get a new compressor for 250-300. The value just isn't what it used to be

[S4AvantB6]

Wow! $2k for the timing service is an incredible deal. Just the JHM intermediate kit is almost that much, then factor in labor and everything else you must have some really good friends or do the work yourself. For everyone else like me who can't do the work themselves or just don't want to the value is certainly there. Not to mention if I do sell me far I am sure the next buyer would rather see $9k in work from a very reputable shop then receipts for the parts and your word you replaced them yourselves. Not knocking you, in fact I am just jealous that you were able to get it done so cheap!

[metalslug]

I had similar experience with a local shop that specialized with Audi/VW/Porsche. They fought with the warranty company to approve the timing chain rapair. Bought the car with 79k miles and timing chain went bad at 89k miles. I got all the JHM bolt-ons parts installed with all the 034 engine/tranny mounts and piggies. Bill came out to almost 7k. Don't mean to sound like d-bag but timing chain going bad was the best thing that could of happened to me lol.