Boston Globe announces official Recall on CP's... (more)
02-06-2003, 01:39 PM
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Boston Globe announces official Recall on CP's... (more)
I take it this is old news again but I'm so happy that I have to write about it. Boston Globe published another article yesterday stating Audi has now announced the recall and will be replacing ALL coilpacks whether they have failed or not to the J style pack. Audi/VW is sending out letters to all the 1.8T owners who have the H coil packs to call in and make an appt. It's FINALLY HAPPENING.. at no cost to us.. How great is that!!!!
Sorry again if this is old news.. just didn't have time to search and figured you guys wouldn't mind reading about it again.
Here's the article for those who haven't read it:
VW, Audi to replace defective coils
(By Royal Ford, Globe Staff)
Volkswagen and Audi, plagued by an ignition coil problem that has left more than half a million of their automobiles susceptible to sudden power losses and potential engine damage, will replace the coils in about 530,000 vehicles at no cost to car owners.
These include 2001, 2002, and early production 2003 Volkswagen Golf/GTIs, Jettas, New Beetles, and Passats, and Audi A4s and TTs. All have 1.8-liter turbocharged engines.
The companies also said the defect potentially affects the VW Passat W8 engine, all VWs equipped with the 2.8-liter VR6, and the Audi 3.0-liter V-6 engine.
While a spokesman for the sibling companies declined to call the move a recall, it was acknowledged that customers may view it as exactly that.
Until yesterday's announcement, the policy had been to replace only those coils that had failed -- leaving customers to drive away from their dealerships knowing that, at any minute, another coil could go bad. (The coils, one per cylinder, supply the super-electrified charge that fires spark plugs). A failed coil would significantly reduce a car's power and, if the car were driven for an extended period with a bad coil, might also mean dangerous overheating of the catalytic converter and engine damage.
Audi and VW spokespeople have all along acknowledged that the crux of the problem was that so many coils were needed for so many cars that a full-out recall merely would have meant cars stacked up at dealerships, awaiting replacement parts. Instead, as Tony Fouladpour, a VW spokesman, said, the decision was made to replace only coils that had failed, getting drivers back on the road as soon as possible.
Even with the coil supplier working around the clock, that meant waits as long as two to three weeks. Now, Fouladpour said, there is a new scenario: Supply is sufficient, he said, so that anyone whose vehicle is taken to a dealership should have that coil replaced the same day.
''We're not in the situation where people can wait 22 days for a part,'' he said.
Those who arrive for a second coil replacement will have all coils replaced, Fouladpour said. And by March, he said, not only will those arriving with even a first failed coil have those defective parts replaced, but VW and Audi will be ''proactive'' about replacing the coils in cars that have yet to have had a coil failure. Owners of affected vehicles will soon be receiving letters telling them of plans to replace all coils. Those with questions can call VW customer relations at 800-822-8987 or Audi at 800-822-2834.
The coil problem has been staggering for the companies, which are looking back at a past of negative press and ahead to new markets. Audi was hurt more than a decade ago by allegations that its cars suffered from sudden and unintended acceleration, and Volkswagen is about to venture onto heretofore untouched turf for a ''peoples' car'' by selling an SUV, the Touareg, and a luxury sedan costing more than $50,000, the Phaeton.
News of the problems has crackled over the Internet, replete with horror stories of strandings, lost confidence, and dangerous encounters with big trucks.
While VW and Audi officials insisted no recall was necessary because the coil problem was ''not a safety issue,'' Globe readers challenged that assertion. After a column in the Globe on Sunday, Jan. 26, in which Fouladpour said the problem had nothing to do with safety, e-mails poured in.
''The last time my coil went bad, I was in front of an 18-wheeler doing 70 miles per hour and had to cut over four lanes of traffic just to get to the shoulder,'' one reader wrote.
''I am a 73-year-old widow now towed three times -- last Friday I waited for an hour in freezing cold for a tow,'' wrote another.
It is unclear what replacing the coils will cost Audi, VW, and their supplier, Bremi Auto Electrik, a German company with US plants. Internet reports indicate the coils cost between $50 and $63 each.
Meanwhile, owners have been left with a lack of confidence. Those whose coils have yet to fail wonder how far they should roam from home. Those who have had a coil failure wonder when the next one will go. VW and Audi will provide rental cars or loaners to those whose cars await new coils, but others are left to worry.
Kathleen Spencer and her husband, Andrew McLean, are leery of leaving their Cambridge home for a trip to Vermont in their 2001 Passat, which has had one coil replaced. They are ready to rent a car -- with their own money.
''I don't want to get stuck out on some icy road in Vermont,'' Spencer said.
Royal Ford can be reached at ford@globe.com.
This story ran on page C1 of the Boston Globe on 2/5/2003.
© Copyright 2003 Globe Newspaper Company.
Sorry again if this is old news.. just didn't have time to search and figured you guys wouldn't mind reading about it again.
Here's the article for those who haven't read it:
VW, Audi to replace defective coils
(By Royal Ford, Globe Staff)
Volkswagen and Audi, plagued by an ignition coil problem that has left more than half a million of their automobiles susceptible to sudden power losses and potential engine damage, will replace the coils in about 530,000 vehicles at no cost to car owners.
These include 2001, 2002, and early production 2003 Volkswagen Golf/GTIs, Jettas, New Beetles, and Passats, and Audi A4s and TTs. All have 1.8-liter turbocharged engines.
The companies also said the defect potentially affects the VW Passat W8 engine, all VWs equipped with the 2.8-liter VR6, and the Audi 3.0-liter V-6 engine.
While a spokesman for the sibling companies declined to call the move a recall, it was acknowledged that customers may view it as exactly that.
Until yesterday's announcement, the policy had been to replace only those coils that had failed -- leaving customers to drive away from their dealerships knowing that, at any minute, another coil could go bad. (The coils, one per cylinder, supply the super-electrified charge that fires spark plugs). A failed coil would significantly reduce a car's power and, if the car were driven for an extended period with a bad coil, might also mean dangerous overheating of the catalytic converter and engine damage.
Audi and VW spokespeople have all along acknowledged that the crux of the problem was that so many coils were needed for so many cars that a full-out recall merely would have meant cars stacked up at dealerships, awaiting replacement parts. Instead, as Tony Fouladpour, a VW spokesman, said, the decision was made to replace only coils that had failed, getting drivers back on the road as soon as possible.
Even with the coil supplier working around the clock, that meant waits as long as two to three weeks. Now, Fouladpour said, there is a new scenario: Supply is sufficient, he said, so that anyone whose vehicle is taken to a dealership should have that coil replaced the same day.
''We're not in the situation where people can wait 22 days for a part,'' he said.
Those who arrive for a second coil replacement will have all coils replaced, Fouladpour said. And by March, he said, not only will those arriving with even a first failed coil have those defective parts replaced, but VW and Audi will be ''proactive'' about replacing the coils in cars that have yet to have had a coil failure. Owners of affected vehicles will soon be receiving letters telling them of plans to replace all coils. Those with questions can call VW customer relations at 800-822-8987 or Audi at 800-822-2834.
The coil problem has been staggering for the companies, which are looking back at a past of negative press and ahead to new markets. Audi was hurt more than a decade ago by allegations that its cars suffered from sudden and unintended acceleration, and Volkswagen is about to venture onto heretofore untouched turf for a ''peoples' car'' by selling an SUV, the Touareg, and a luxury sedan costing more than $50,000, the Phaeton.
News of the problems has crackled over the Internet, replete with horror stories of strandings, lost confidence, and dangerous encounters with big trucks.
While VW and Audi officials insisted no recall was necessary because the coil problem was ''not a safety issue,'' Globe readers challenged that assertion. After a column in the Globe on Sunday, Jan. 26, in which Fouladpour said the problem had nothing to do with safety, e-mails poured in.
''The last time my coil went bad, I was in front of an 18-wheeler doing 70 miles per hour and had to cut over four lanes of traffic just to get to the shoulder,'' one reader wrote.
''I am a 73-year-old widow now towed three times -- last Friday I waited for an hour in freezing cold for a tow,'' wrote another.
It is unclear what replacing the coils will cost Audi, VW, and their supplier, Bremi Auto Electrik, a German company with US plants. Internet reports indicate the coils cost between $50 and $63 each.
Meanwhile, owners have been left with a lack of confidence. Those whose coils have yet to fail wonder how far they should roam from home. Those who have had a coil failure wonder when the next one will go. VW and Audi will provide rental cars or loaners to those whose cars await new coils, but others are left to worry.
Kathleen Spencer and her husband, Andrew McLean, are leery of leaving their Cambridge home for a trip to Vermont in their 2001 Passat, which has had one coil replaced. They are ready to rent a car -- with their own money.
''I don't want to get stuck out on some icy road in Vermont,'' Spencer said.
Royal Ford can be reached at ford@globe.com.
This story ran on page C1 of the Boston Globe on 2/5/2003.
© Copyright 2003 Globe Newspaper Company.
02-07-2003, 03:46 AM
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Read it again!!!
What do you mean it says nothing about a recall. It states that even though AOA isn't labeling it as one, that there customers can consider it as such. On top of that, it states that customers by March will have there cp's replaced even if they haven't had any fail!! Also, this was just published 2 days ago.. so you wouldn't have received the proper letter yet stating this. You should read the article again..
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