Just purchased a used B8.5 from Audi dealership, may need transmission replaced

[b85er]

Hi All,

I just purchased a phantom black 2013 Audi A4 Quattro Prem+, with 69K miles from a local Audi dealership with a 1 year/12k Audi drivetrain warranty. The build date is 06/2012. Excited to join the community, although I expected my first post to be quite different. When I bought the car, the carfax was clean & maintenance records looked spotless, it was the local Audi dealership's loaner vehicle for 10k miles, then 1 owner until 68k miles. All maintenance was done at the local Audi dealership. It looks like it was transferred or traded in to a different Audi dealership in the area and then sold to me.

I've only had the car for two weeks. I love the car and it runs great for the most part, but I noticed that sometimes it hesitates or lags to change gears. This is my first automatic car, I've only driven manual cars before so I assumed this was just an automatic thing so I just brushed it off, but now it looks like it may be a bigger issue.

Today, I went to the local dealership that serviced this car pretty much its entire life and requested detailed maintenance history so that I have a better understanding of the car. All of the maintenance services were done either on time or a bit early. It looks like the 75k maintenance was done at 68,100 miles, then a few hundred miles later at 68,990 the previous owner brought the car in again for transmission issues with the following notes:

"Client states when driving on a freeway at speeds of 50-55 MPH vehicle will have a jerking sensation. Checked chain tensioner and found that tensioner was at 8 teeth which is past spec of 7 teeth. Road-tested and found that transmission feels like it is hesitating. recommended performing transmission fluid flush. Performed transmission flush and found fluid to be dark in color and smelt burnt. test drove vehicle after flush and no longer felt the hesitation"

In the service notes for this appointment, Audi suggested a complete transmission replacement which the previous owner declined as well as fuel injector replacement for an evap system leak/system too lean of idle codes that appeared, this service was also declined by the previous owner. They did not replace the tensioner either. The car was traded in to a different local Audi dealership and then sold to me 50 miles later with a "spotless" inspection.

I've been doing a bunch of general research during the past two weeks to learn about my vehicle, unrelated to this issue, but did notice that a lot of people suggest replacing the tensioner on these vehicles asap, especially in the early 2013 builds, so that was something I was already planning to do. I do have the in house 1 year / 12k drivetrain directly from Audi, not a 3rd party warranty. Should I push to have the transmission replaced? Also, are there any other things I should look out for in general or any preventative maintenance that is recommended for the early B8.5 models?

TLDR: I purchased a used 2013 A4 directly from Audi dealership with a "clean maintenance history" found out that 50 miles before it was put on the market, the previous owner complained about transmission issues and that the Audi dealership suggested a full transmission replacement which was declined by previous owner. I have a 1 year drivetrain warranty from Audi.

Thanks

[Ejad]

send it back man while you are still covered. trust me, you will end up spending money to keep up with regular maintenance, which should be expected of.

but dont put yourself in a worst predicament than that.

[19birel]

Is your car Quattro or FronTrak (front wheel drive) ? Audi used two types of automatic transmission depending on whether or not the car was Quattro

As far as the timing chain tensioner, if it is that extended then I would see if the remainder of you warranty will cover the replacement of that. If that fails you're in a bad spot.

[b85er]

Is your car Quattro or FronTrak (front wheel drive) ? Audi used two types of automatic transmission depending on whether or not the car was Quattro

As far as the timing chain tensioner, if it is that extended then I would see if the remainder of you warranty will cover the replacement of that. If that fails you're in a bad spot.

Its a Quattro 8-speed Triptronic transmission. The extended drivetrain warranty I purchased is provided directly through Audi for 1 year / 12k miles, its not a 3rd party warranty. It covers engine and transmission. Considering I just purchased the car two weeks ago I believe it should all be covered.

[B6_Dolphin]

Hi All,

I've been doing a bunch of general research during the past two weeks to learn about my vehicle, unrelated to this issue, but did notice that a lot of people suggest replacing the tensioner on these vehicles asap, especially in the early 2013 builds, so that was something I was already planning to do. I do have the in house 1 year / 12k drivetrain directly from Audi, not a 3rd party warranty. Should I push to have the transmission replaced? Also, are there any other things I should look out for in general or any preventative maintenance that is recommended for the early B8.5 models?

Thanks

With the tensioner way-out on its 8th tooth, along with some fuel injection issue, what the previous owner likely experienced was a misfire at low RPMs, likely unrelated to the transmission. I'm not surprised the Long-life fluid in the transmission was observed to be dark, and smelled burnt.

The engine will need a timing belt kit (latest tensioner, belt, guides, etc.), fuel injection diagnosis, and evap diagnosis. If the dealership addresses these issues, and gets rid of the misfire, the 50-55 mph "jerking" observation made by the previous owner will likely get corrected, along with the hesitation. At that speed, the 8AT is geared to have the engine spinning at low rpms, and any load on a misfiring engine will behave like that.

Also, is this 2013 Flex-fuel (E85 capable)? If so, it has an aluminum (vs plastic) intake manifold and "E85" is on the fuel door. Reason I ask is the spark plugs should be changed @ 65k miles on the 2.0 TSFI FF, or 75k miles on the non-FF 2.0 TSFI engine - just wondering if this was done yet.

In summary, I think your car might have a misfire problem vs a transmission problem. Glad you have a warranty - a timing kit change is likely $1200 at a dealer.

BTW - is your "washington" location WA state or Washington, DC?

[19birel]

Its a Quattro 8-speed Triptronic transmission. The extended drivetrain warranty I purchased is provided directly through Audi for 1 year / 12k miles, its not a 3rd party warranty. It covers engine and transmission. Considering I just purchased the car two weeks ago I believe it should all be covered.

Since you have the 8-speed Tiptronic I'm under the same impression of B6_Dolphin that your car is misfiring and it is not a transmission issue. If you had a CVT, those tend to hesitate when the fluid needs replaced every 35k miles or so but that's not applicable here.

I would definitely change the spark plugs, Audi will not cover that because it is a maintenance item, but if you want to save the $$ you can do it yourself with some basic tools. Very easy to do if you are just getting your feet wet with DIY maintenance, takes 20 minutes and the spark plugs can even be purchased from Autozone.

Since your warranty covers the timing tensioner I would definitely get that done asap! As far as your warranty being directly through Audi though, are you sure it's not an aftermarket warranty offered through your dealership? I ask this because I work at a dealership myself and have not heard of any 2013 model year cars being sold with factory warranties. To my knowledge the 2016 model year is the oldest available with any sort of potential factory warranty coverage. Not saying what you have is bad or anything, just seems odd that it's a factory warranty. Either way if you're covered, you're covered!

[b85er]

With the tensioner way-out on its 8th tooth, along with some fuel injection issue, what the previous owner likely experienced was a misfire at low RPMs, likely unrelated to the transmission. I'm not surprised the Long-life fluid in the transmission was observed to be dark, and smelled burnt.

The engine will need a timing belt kit (latest tensioner, belt, guides, etc.), fuel injection diagnosis, and evap diagnosis. If the dealership addresses these issues, and gets rid of the misfire, the 50-55 mph "jerking" observation made by the previous owner will likely get corrected, along with the hesitation. At that speed, the 8AT is geared to have the engine spinning at low rpms, and any load on a misfiring engine will behave like that.

Also, is this 2013 Flex-fuel (E85 capable)? If so, it has an aluminum (vs plastic) intake manifold and "E85" is on the fuel door. Reason I ask is the spark plugs should be changed @ 65k miles on the 2.0 TSFI FF, or 75k miles on the non-FF 2.0 TSFI engine - just wondering if this was done yet.

In summary, I think your car might have a misfire problem vs a transmission problem. Glad you have a warranty - a timing kit change is likely $1200 at a dealer.

BTW - is your "washington" location WA state or Washington, DC?

Thanks for the detailed response. The spark plugs were replaced during the 75k maintenance service (done at 68,100). Found this in notes of the 75k checkup "Client states CEL has been turning on and off... Scanned for faults found DTC, fuel quality sensor. Only stored once. Installed fuel additives with service, cleared faults, faults did not return on test drive."

The previous owner returned 800 miles later at 68,990 to report the transmission issue, beyond what was mentioned in the original post, the notes also stated: "Checked codes, and found fault for evap system leak detected intermittent and system too lean off idle intermittent, both occurring once."

I spoke to the dealership and they said that the codes were cleared and never came back and that they recommended a fuel injector replacement & trans replacement, but the previous owner declined both.

My car is at 69,180, so all of these issues happened only about 200 miles ago, but even after they replaced the spark plugs and flushed the trans fluid for the previous owner, I am experiencing similar hesitation during gear changes. This doesn't happen all the time, its random, but I definitely noticed it happen on a few different occasions which made me wonder if it was just an automatic transmission thing. It almost feels like the car is stuck in gear until it finally changes to the next.

I honestly haven't had to refill gas yet since I purchased the vehicle, so not sure about the E85 part, I can double check. I did sign up for erwin.audiusa.com for some manuals and stuff and under the vehicle data tab it shows
"Con. no. No. Origin Family Description
12 0U7 L KRQ Fuel quality E85"

Washington state!

[b85er]

Since you have the 8-speed Tiptronic I'm under the same impression of B6_Dolphin that your car is misfiring and it is not a transmission issue. If you had a CVT, those tend to hesitate when the fluid needs replaced every 35k miles or so but that's not applicable here.

I would definitely change the spark plugs, Audi will not cover that because it is a maintenance item, but if you want to save the $$ you can do it yourself with some basic tools. Very easy to do if you are just getting your feet wet with DIY maintenance, takes 20 minutes and the spark plugs can even be purchased from Autozone.

Since your warranty covers the timing tensioner I would definitely get that done asap! As far as your warranty being directly through Audi though, are you sure it's not an aftermarket warranty offered through your dealership? I ask this because I work at a dealership myself and have not heard of any 2013 model year cars being sold with factory warranties. To my knowledge the 2016 model year is the oldest available with any sort of potential factory warranty coverage. Not saying what you have is bad or anything, just seems odd that it's a factory warranty. Either way if you're covered, you're covered!

Thanks for the info, see above post. Spark plugs were done during the 75k maintenance, 800 miles before the previous owner brought the car in again for the transmission issues.

The warranty is directly through Audi, I believe they just started offering it. Its called Audi Pure Protection, Audi VSP (vehicle service protection). I purchased the lowest tier which is called "power-train" which covers engine, transmission, drive axle and hybrid/electric. There is also a Gold and Platinum protection, but it wasn't worth the cost.

Yeah, I plan to at least replace the tensioner, although there is a $250 deductible, I am going to try to have it waived.

[19birel]

Thanks for the info, see above post. Spark plugs were done during the 75k maintenance, 800 miles before the previous owner brought the car in again for the transmission issues.

The warranty is directly through Audi, I believe they just started offering it. Its called Audi Pure Protection, Audi VSP (vehicle service protection). I purchased the lowest tier which is called "power-train" which covers engine, transmission, drive axle and hybrid/electric. There is also a Gold and Platinum protection, but it wasn't worth the cost.

Yeah, I plan to at least replace the tensioner, although there is a $250 deductible, I am going to try to have it waived.

Huh, that's interesting! Had no idea they added that!

[B6_Dolphin]

Washington state!

Which dealer? University Lynnwood? University Seattle? AutoNation (Bellevue)?

[Stazi]

8 teeth on the tensioner?! Dude....that thing needs a timing overhaul ASAP or it’s gonna let go and take out the whole damn engine!

I’d give that car back and demand a refund or they do ALL the work! No, ifs ands or buts.

That car is a grenade. Seriously!


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[Theiceman]

okay this thread needs a dose of reality......

firstly it is a warranty , not a maintenance plan. They will NOT do the timing chain proactively. and it wont grenade. Yes it is recommended , but we have not seen ANY of the new tensioners explode or grenade. Mine was on the 11th tooth and ran fine. Yes it needs a new chain as the chain has stretched, if you can get them to do it great , but they are in no way required to do it.

secondly the guy new it had a bad transmission. This is why he was told to replace it , then quickly traded it in at a different dealer. Warranty would not cover it for the guy at the first dealership so he got rid of it underhandedly, you bought his problem.
I agree that i doubt this is a CPO car , but maybe Audi has something new....

if the the first tech diagnosed burnt transmission oil, Audi could say this car was abused. Therefore deny warranty. That said though , you have lots of wiggle room here if the car was sold to you by a dealer " certified Pre Owned " . I suggest if you have a 30 day return policy in your area i would exercise it. A common tactic is the selling dealer will Jerk you around until that period has expired. THEN you are screwed and they can do whatever they want. You want that transmission replaced NOW if you have such a 30 day law in your state.

[B6_Dolphin]

8 teeth on the tensioner?! Dude....that thing needs a timing overhaul ASAP or it’s gonna let go and take out the whole damn engine!

When I read that the previous owner had all maintenance performed by the Audi dealer, I thought "Oh, another case of 10k OCIs". Yup, what else explains why the cam chain has stretched/worn to go to the 7th notch on the tensioner? And @ 68k miles, too? Yikes.

[Theiceman]

When I read that the previous owner had all maintenance performed by the Audi dealer, I thought "Oh, another case of 10k OCIs". Yup, what else explains why the cam chain has stretched/worn to go to the 7th notch on the tensioner? And @ 68k miles, too? Yikes.

i was on the 11th and last at 130K so not too far off . especially since mine could go no further and who knows how long it was there..

But i agree that those long Audi OCI done as a " maintenance included program" are definitely a contributing factor.

Just my opinion , but given the clues that this was an Audi loaner, the transmission has burnt transmission fluid and the chains are severely stretch tells me this car has been seriously beat on in its life. Not sure id want to own it now. Again, just my opinion.

[orttauq]

i was on the 11th and last at 130K so not too far off . especially since mine could go no further and who knows how long it was there..

But i agree that those long Audi OCI done as a " maintenance included program" are definitely a contributing factor.

Just my opinion , but given the clues that this was an Audi loaner, the transmission has burnt transmission fluid and the chains are severely stretch tells me this car has been seriously beat on in its life. Not sure id want to own it now. Again, just my opinion.

My 13' was on the last notch as well before it was changed, couldn't go any further. Ran fine. 118k when we did it.

[Stazi]

Would be interesting to see what the cam adaption values is for that thing.

But I agree with Iceman. Take it back and demand a refund. It’s not worth it to try and get them to fix this thing considering that it does sound like it was beat to shit as a loaner.


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[b85er]

okay this thread needs a dose of reality......

firstly it is a warranty , not a maintenance plan. They will NOT do the timing chain proactively. and it wont grenade. Yes it is recommended , but we have not seen ANY of the new tensioners explode or grenade. Mine was on the 11th tooth and ran fine. Yes it needs a new chain as the chain has stretched, if you can get them to do it great , but they are in no way required to do it.

secondly the guy new it had a bad transmission. This is why he was told to replace it , then quickly traded it in at a different dealer. Warranty would not cover it for the guy at the first dealership so he got rid of it underhandedly, you bought his problem.
I agree that i doubt this is a CPO car , but maybe Audi has something new....

if the the first tech diagnosed burnt transmission oil, Audi could say this car was abused. Therefore deny warranty. That said though , you have lots of wiggle room here if the car was sold to you by a dealer " certified Pre Owned " . I suggest if you have a 30 day return policy in your area i would exercise it. A common tactic is the selling dealer will Jerk you around until that period has expired. THEN you are screwed and they can do whatever they want. You want that transmission replaced NOW if you have such a 30 day law in your state.

The previous owner clearly knew what was going on and traded it in to the other dealership. Unfortunately, I purchased the car as-is because Audi said the car was spotless and that it passed all of their inspections, although 150 miles before that, the other dealership noticed all of these issues. The car was not CPO, but they did offer me an Audi Vehicle Service Protection plan, essentially a 1 year drivetrain warranty, Its called Audi Pure Protection, Audi VSP (vehicle service protection). I am already working with the manager at the dealership to make this right.

i was on the 11th and last at 130K so not too far off . especially since mine could go no further and who knows how long it was there..

But i agree that those long Audi OCI done as a " maintenance included program" are definitely a contributing factor.

Just my opinion , but given the clues that this was an Audi loaner, the transmission has burnt transmission fluid and the chains are severely stretch tells me this car has been seriously beat on in its life. Not sure id want to own it now. Again, just my opinion.

The car was a loaner for the first 10k miles, and the previous owner was a middle-aged woman who brought it in about 5k before every recommended maintenance, so I don't believe she beat on the car, but who knows. Physically the exterior and interior are in immaculate condition, it practically looks brand new.

Would be interesting to see what the cam adaption values is for that thing.

But I agree with Iceman. Take it back and demand a refund. It’s not worth it to try and get them to fix this thing considering that it does sound like it was beat to shit as a loaner.

I will ask to see the cam adaption value when I go in. I'm already working with the manager to make things right and luckily I purchased the Audi drivetrain protection plan. I purchased the car as-is, I don't know if I will be able to make a case for a refund, unless I pursue legal action for misrepresenting the condition of the vehicle. I clearly have documents from the original dealer that state the flaws, and another document from the dealership I bought it from stating that it passed every single inspection (including transmission etc...), both documents are within a 150 mile range of each other.

[Stazi]

Contact a lawyer and find out your possible recourses, so you are armed with that information, BEFORE you start deliberations with the dealer.


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[Theiceman]

I agree with above ... check with a lawyer to see if any laws exist to protect you from this.

i see this is going to get very messy unless the dealer replaces that transmission . they should be able to tell you that with one phone call to AoA to see if they will cover it . there is no " working with" here. They will replace it or they wont ......

be very careful of .. " we gave it new transmission oil try that" .. okay we did a software upgrade try that...... okay we made a small adjustment try that .....

30 days later ... sorry ... nothing more we can do .. that's just the way the car is ...

[Stazi]

Agreed. Replacement or nothing and don’t overlook the timing chain tensioner issue either!


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[b85er]

Quick update:

I left the car at the dealer over the weekend so that they can inspect it. Today I got a video update from the tech that was inspecting my vehicle. Mostly restating information that I already knew, since the pervious dealership already diagnosed the transmission when the previous owner went in. There was a small transmission fluid leak from the drain plug, this was new information.

Diagnosis:
The tensioner is around 7 teeth. Recommending a replacement of all timing chains, guides and tensioners. Found that the transmission fluid "low" so they added a quart to it. They found a small leak coming from the trans fluid drain plug. No CELs only a single Cyl 4 misfire. Recalibrated the clutch so it will adapt to my driving. Couldn't reproduce the hesitation. They are holding on to the car for another day or two to drive it around to see if they can reproduce the hesitation.

I also followed up with the original dealership for clarification on their transmission replacement recommendation. I requested to speak to the service advisor who made the recommendation to the last owner. He said that he knew the car well and that he was extremely surprised when the old owner returned claiming transmission issues, as the car has been kept up in excellent condition. He stated that there were small amounts of metal debris in the transmission fluid that they replaced, this wasn't in the service notes I received, but apparently in the internal notes. With tensioner being out of spec and the transmission fluid being dark, smelling burnt and having a small amount of metal debris, and hesitation that the owner experienced, he made the recommendation to replace the transmission.

I have a feeling that I'm going to get the run around on this, the service advisor said that he will check in after they do more tests and then check with sales/management and see how to approach this.

[19birel]

Sounds like so far the dealership is playing ball. The reason why they are basically confirming old info is that they can't rely on the diagnosis of the other dealership when determining what to do. That's normal.

Sorry if I missed this earlier, but what is your objective? Do you want them to fix the car or take it back?

[b85er]

Sounds like so far the dealership is playing ball. The reason why they are basically confirming old info is that they can't rely on the diagnosis of the other dealership when determining what to do. That's normal.

Sorry if I missed this earlier, but what is your objective? Do you want them to fix the car or take it back?

Ideally, I would like it fixed without any out of pocket expense on my end. The service manager said that during their used car inspections they don't look at the tensioner or timing chains. I find it interesting that they didint notice the leak from the drain plug that they just discovered before the sold the car to me.

The service manager said that even though the tensioner is at 7 teeth, since there is no CEL in relation to the timing chain or tensioner its a "gray area" to have it replaced and then proceeded to explain to me how a tensioner wears out over time lol. I just got done dealing with insurance for over a month on my last car that got totaled while it was parked, I would rather not start looking for another car again.

[Novarider]

If it's the new tensioner 7 teeth is not a problem.

[Theiceman]

pretty well everything i predicted so far... basically not doing anything but being nice about it.. your tensioner is not " out of spec" im not sure how you got that impression. its doing its job.

[orttauq]

Every B8 I've had dealings with with stretched chains hasn't had a check engine light. That's kind of bullshit that you need a check engine light to do that repair. If the cam phase position is out of spec, that should be a warrantable repair.

[Theiceman]

Every B8 I've had dealings with with stretched chains hasn't had a check engine light. That's kind of bullshit that you need a check engine light to do that repair. If the cam phase position is out of spec, that should be a warrantable repair.

i'm not saying i disagree but, here is the issue .. show me a document from VW that shows a spec for cam phase.. surprise .. there isnt one... only a recommendation from a dealer that wants to bill for he work.

it is considered a " wear item" i would imagine by them ...

remember the days they used to do brakes and rotors under warranty , then it eventually morphed to a " wear item" not a manufacturers failure .

[b85er]

pretty well everything i predicted so far... basically not doing anything but being nice about it.. your tensioner is not " out of spec" im not sure how you got that impression. its doing its job.

I am referencing spec from the service history notes of the inspection when the old owner brought the car in complaining about transmission issues. This is what the service tech noted: "Checked chain tensioner and found that tensioner was at 8 teeth which is past spec of 7 teeth."

At the end of the day they sold me a car under the impression that it is in spotless condition, passing all inspections, no issues at all. Needless to say, I'm pretty pissed to find out 150 miles before the car was sold to me I discovered that a transmission replacement was recommended, trans fluid was dark, smelt burnt and had metal debris in it. On top of that, now that they have the car and are inspecting it, they found a leak in the transmission drain plug, so even without any of the previous owner's issues or findings, they sold me a car with a clear inspection, yet I bring it back in two weeks later and they find a leak in the transmission drain plug.

Also, it doesn't explain the hesitation that I felt (same thing the previous owner brought the car in for inspection 150 miles before it was sold to me) a couple of times while driving the car, it's like it stays in a gear for too long, or has a problem smoothly shifting into a higher gear when driving at freeway speeds.

FYI the car's build date is 06/12 so I do not know if it has the upgraded tensioner or not.

[rcprato]

Every B8 I've had dealings with with stretched chains hasn't had a check engine light. That's kind of bullshit that you need a check engine light to do that repair. If the cam phase position is out of spec, that should be a warrantable repair.

Yup, started my car without any MIL on previous and boom, chain jumped and the rest is history !

[Chrisc84]

I bought my 2011 A4 with 66k miles last April from an Autonation dealer. The car was obviously out of warranty, but had a 3 month/4,000 mile used car warranty that ran concurrent with manufacturers warranty. I took it to my nearby Audi dealer, walked past all the service advisors and went DIRECTLY to the service manager , introduced myself and told him I just bought the car a week ago, chatted a bit, told him I owned 4 VWs (bought my first VW from there brand new in 2003 as a matter of fact) and got the car diagnosed (after it burned 1 qt of oil in the first week. Got on his good side. He recommended we test for oil consumption stage 1. Failed that. Went straight to stage 2. Got a rebuilt engine, new turbo, pcv valve, hpfp, and I decided to get the tensioner, chain and rails done while they were at it. That guy even told me he convinced the Autonation warranty rep to get me a new turbo after they found a boost fault. Over $12k worth of work done. What I mean is you need to know who you talk to, and how you talk to. Never talk to just any service advisor.. ALWAYS go directly to the service manager. For everything. They just have more leverage in making calls. Good luck with everything!

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[b85er]

So the car has been at the dealership for the past 5 days. Sevice manager just called and said that they drove it around more and weren't able to replicate a hesitation. They inspected the vehicle, did a clutch adaption, filled a quart of fluid in the transmission and fixed the transmission drain plug leak at no cost to me.

He said that the timing chain and tensioner would be covered under the extended warranty BUT only if they failed/produced a CEL. I asked him if he recommends proactively replacing the timing chain and tensioner since the tensioner is on the 7/8th tooth, he said that its "working as it's intended" and that since I have a warranty, he wouldn't suggest to proactively replace It until the warranty expires. I feel like I'm getting played lol. I mentioned that there was a lawsuit about the timing chain on 08-13 models and that if someone brought the car in for service and they noticed the tensioner at that position what would he suggest. He said he wouldn't suggest replacing it unless it was added on to additional repairs in the area.

hmm not sure what to do. I can drive the car around more and keep an eye on it, but it seems like unless there is a CEL or a complete mechanical failure, it seems like a non-issue to Audi.

[old guy]

There are two parts to the equation. Tensioner extension and degrees of cam phase adjustment. You should check your adaptation value.

For example: I have a 2013 A5 with a CAEB engine at 65k miles. I have the new style tensioner and it is currently in the 7th notch. My cam phase adjustment is -2.57°. I am totally comfortable leaving it alone until I hit around -5° of adaptation. Then I would consider replacement of the tensioner/chain/guides. At the current rate of wear that should be somewhere around 130k miles.

[Stazi]

Ask them for a print out if camshaft adaptation value.


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[orttauq]

I bought my 2011 A4 with 66k miles last April from an Autonation dealer. The car was obviously out of warranty, but had a 3 month/4,000 mile used car warranty that ran concurrent with manufacturers warranty. I took it to my nearby Audi dealer, walked past all the service advisors and went DIRECTLY to the service manager , introduced myself and told him I just bought the car a week ago, chatted a bit, told him I owned 4 VWs (bought my first VW from there brand new in 2003 as a matter of fact) and got the car diagnosed (after it burned 1 qt of oil in the first week. Got on his good side. He recommended we test for oil consumption stage 1. Failed that. Went straight to stage 2. Got a rebuilt engine, new turbo, pcv valve, hpfp, and I decided to get the tensioner, chain and rails done while they were at it. That guy even told me he convinced the Autonation warranty rep to get me a new turbo after they found a boost fault. Over $12k worth of work done. What I mean is you need to know who you talk to, and how you talk to. Never talk to just any service advisor.. ALWAYS go directly to the service manager. For everything. They just have more leverage in making calls. Good luck with everything!

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That advice may have worked for you in this instance, but that's certainly not normally a smart idea.
If someone had done that in any of the departments I've worked in they would get the 'fuck this asshole' label. It's comes off as disrespectful when someone completely dismisses someones position at their department. Usually service departments are a tight group, as there's generally consensus on how the different types of customers behave and that kind of unites a service departments employees.

[Chrisc84]

That advice may have worked for you in this instance, but that's certainly not normally a smart idea.
If someone had done that in any of the departments I've worked in they would get the 'fuck this asshole' label. It's comes off as disrespectful when someone completely dismisses someones position at their department. Usually service departments are a tight group, as there's generally consensus on how the different types of customers behave and that kind of unites a service departments employees.

Why would anyone get the "fuck this asshole" label simply for choosing to go straight up the ladder and chain of command when dealing with a very well documented and expensive issue/failure regarding this specific model/platform? Nothing wrong with going directly to the manager first about a specific issue and people shouldn't wait until they've hit a wall with an advisor in order to find another way to a solution. You make it seem like choosing to do that is disrespectful or demanding. Thats not the case here.. the point is to try and streamline the service for your car as best as possible. In general, nobody likes taking their car to get serviced only to get the run around and have your car spend countless hours/days sitting until a service manager makes a final decision. That costs time and money. Talk to the right people, and your experience will be much more pleasant, that's all I recommend.

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[Theiceman]

So the car has been at the dealership for the past 5 days. Sevice manager just called and said that they drove it around more and weren't able to replicate a hesitation. They inspected the vehicle, did a clutch adaption, filled a quart of fluid in the transmission and fixed the transmission drain plug leak at no cost to me.

He said that the timing chain and tensioner would be covered under the extended warranty BUT only if they failed/produced a CEL. I asked him if he recommends proactively replacing the timing chain and tensioner since the tensioner is on the 7/8th tooth, he said that its "working as it's intended" and that since I have a warranty, he wouldn't suggest to proactively replace It until the warranty expires. I feel like I'm getting played lol. I mentioned that there was a lawsuit about the timing chain on 08-13 models and that if someone brought the car in for service and they noticed the tensioner at that position what would he suggest. He said he wouldn't suggest replacing it unless it was added on to additional repairs in the area.

hmm not sure what to do. I can drive the car around more and keep an eye on it, but it seems like unless there is a CEL or a complete mechanical failure, it seems like a non-issue to Audi.

Uh huh....
Read my earlier post on what I said they would say and do...
So far tracking 100%
Standard steps when they have zero intention of doing anything.

Sent from my SM-G973W using Audizine mobile app

[Chrisc84]

Uh huh....
Read my earlier post on what I said they would say and do...
So far tracking 100%
Standard steps when they have zero intention of doing anything.

Sent from my SM-G973W using Audizine mobile app

Yeah, the biggest problem here i think is that the car was bought "as is" . Yeah they offered an extended drivetrain warranty but to be honest, looks like they don't want to help. My car was serviced in the heart of Los Angeles and that dealership is known for providing excellent service. After all, they've got picture frames all around their hallways of artists and celebrities who've purchased Audis/Porshes from that dealer. I think they'd like to maintain that reputation. Good luck with everything!

Sent from my SM-G973U using Audizine mobile app

[bb-tt]

Yeah, the biggest problem here i think is that the car was bought "as is" . Yeah they offered an extended drivetrain warranty but to be honest, looks like they don't want to help. My car was serviced in the heart of Los Angeles and that dealership is known for providing excellent service. After all, they've got picture frames all around their hallways of artists and celebrities who've purchased Audis/Porshes from that dealer. I think they'd like to maintain that reputation. Good luck with everything!

Sent from my SM-G973U using Audizine mobile app

That is funny, I bought mine from audi santa monica had excellent service history all done by audi LA 58k mile the owner had just traded in as the cpo warranty had expired on time. had it shipped to FL within 200 mile of driving off the truck oil light came on. Changed oil myself and a couple days later the light came on again. Took to local audi dealer for oil consumption test failed within 3 days and they did the rebuild. So the funny part is i wouldn't put much stock in audi out in LA pretty sure there was another guy on here that got his car with service records from there that had issues also but according to them car immaculate. Good luck with getting fix, might want to take to another dealer if they are not going to play ball. you paid for warranty i would push the issue.

[Theiceman]

i wish you luck i really do, i have just seen this same scenario play out over and over.

[b85er]

Would be interesting to see what the cam adaption values is for that thing.

There are two parts to the equation. Tensioner extension and degrees of cam phase adjustment. You should check your adaptation value.

For example: I have a 2013 A5 with a CAEB engine at 65k miles. I have the new style tensioner and it is currently in the 7th notch. My cam phase adjustment is -2.57°. I am totally comfortable leaving it alone until I hit around -5° of adaptation. Then I would consider replacement of the tensioner/chain/guides. At the current rate of wear that should be somewhere around 130k miles.

Ask them for a print out if camshaft adaptation value.

I got an ODBeleven and checked the adaptation value. When I turned the car on and idled it was around -2.60°, then I revved the car slightly and then it changed to -3.30° and stayed there.