Mark81

....and wouldn't that effect my power anyway? I don't notice any loss of power. And by the way, my coolant leak has mysteriously disappeared. Go figure! I don't know what caused it, but no need to go to the dealer now.

diagnosticator1

driver until a good DV is installed, exposing the difference. Again, the best way to find the cause of the original noise problem is by trial and elimination of potential sources.

diagnosticator1

In Bentley. And I can confirm that valve has the ability to make some noise, usually during post start warm up. That valve controls secondary air feed to the catalyst for emissions control. The valve is checked with a hand vacuum pump in a similar manner to the testing of the DV diaphragm.

Mark81

Great, now I've gotta drive two hours to get them to drive it and I gurantee, they will not have a clue.

diagnosticator1

In the case of the coolant leak, you should have that diagnosed while your car is there also. They will pressurize the cooling system to provoke the intermittent leak. If you don't get it fixed now, you will be fixing it at some point in the future, at a time and place that is most inconvenient to you.
In addition, as is often the case with uncommon noise complaints, it may take the dealer service tech awhile to evaluate your noise complaint. Because you said the noise problem occurs during first start warm up, the car will need to be there at least overnight before they can drive the car under the conditions that the noise occurs. If you take the car to the dealership, post up the results on this thread. I am interested in what they have to say, and what remedy they apply.

Mark81

"Coolant leaks are normal and to be expected with the changes in temperatures." Yes, they think I was born yesterday.

Now you might realize my hesitation in taking it to the dealer. In a previous thread, you might remember I mentioned taking the car to the dealer last year several times in a one month period to find an excessive leak I had where a hose mounts to the block. It certainly was temperature related as well, but not normal and certainly not expected on a $40 to $50 k car. I feel they arbitrarily replaced things such as the coolant reservoir, hoses, temperature switches, etc., without doing proper checks such as the flourescent dye which you mentioned.

To answer your question, yes, they do offer loaners, but I always make sure I do lots of resaerch now before bringing it to them.

Something else I always found peculiar about the car is how long it takes to heat up. I have been in many cars that are less than half the price such as a Ford Focus that heats up incredibly fast compared to my A4. Is this typical of the A4's?

diagnosticator1

responsibility for what they tell you. I am sure you would have already taken your car elsewhere if that was an option dealer wise. That being the case, is there an Audi Specialist Service Shop that is closer than that dealership? In remote places, Independent shops often have authorizations for warranty work from Audi, or can get approval after evaluating your car. I would consider paying an Independent Specialist to properly resolve that coolant situation sooner than later if the dealership fails to do so. The risk of escalation of the problem and resulting hassle to you time and expense wise in the future could be much worse, and in my opinion, is not worth the risk.
Regarding warm up time, my 1.8T takes awhile also, at least 3 miles on 30 mph city streets, I usually allow it to run at post start high idle until the idle slows to 800 r/min before I drive, it gets to fully warmed up sooner after leaving then.
I realize how frustrating this has been for you, I wish I could help more directly...
Just to review, have you had a talk with the Service Manager of that dealership? If not, I recommend you do that, and explain to him what your expectations are, and that any leaking is unacceptable etc. Insist they make a good faith effort to determine what that noise is. Write a letter to, or call to AoA with a summery of the problems and difficulty you are having getting them fixed TO YOUR SATISFACTION. That is Audis responsibility to you. Make sure the dealer is on notice that is your expectation of them.
Keep me posted, OK to email me if needed.

subnote:
(By design, the cooling system parts are expected to accommodate changes in ambient temperatures, and are specifically required not to leak at any particular temperature the car may experience.)

Mark81

....the new problem arose. I have had it into the local VW dealership here in town, but they were no better and my Audi dealership informed me that they could possibly void my warranty depending on what they do. Talk about a cop out to try to get the work themselves. There is no authorized service center closeby. That is why I am obliged to use the Audi dealership that I deal with at 2 hrs away. The next closest is actually the one I bought it from which is 4 hrs away. My dealership had my car for one week last year and never resolved the problem that time, so I have my doubts again this year. So my predicament is this: As much as I love the car (minus the little issues I've had), I am torn between sticking with Audi or trying another brand. I am also scared to hang onto it as my 4 yr warranty life approaches. I am anxious to see what the B8's specs are and what it will look like, but I am also a bit gun shy after my experience with my dealer.

diagnosticator1

is similar to having no support from Audi at all. At this point, I am running out of suggestions that you may find helpfull.

Mark81

When I got home after work yesterday, I noticed the patch that was on my concrete driveway in the morning from the leak was completely dried up. I knew if it was coolant it would stay wet for quite some time. I decide to put a pan under the car last night to collect some of it. Well, just finished checking it and it is not coolant. It is windshield washer fluid. It must be leaking from my light washers. I use a fluid which is very similar in color to coolant and because of previous history, I was fooled into thinking that was the problem again. Anyway, that explains why I found my washer fluid to be running dry faster than normal as well. I wish I knew a way to disconnect those light washers anyway. Anyway, sorry for all the bother and thanks for all the help. I am not as concerned anymore now that I know it is not coolant.