Jon C

serious engine failure over the weekend in our meticulously maintained A6 ... won't get into details since we are in warranty discussions but ...

dealer says there is no "crate engine" (reman) available? Have to buy short block and heads, etc., and all the gaskets, separately... is this true? If so, WTF? Are these so reliable historically (I know they are good) that none are needed?

In any case, this failure never should have happened and has permanently soured this long, longtime Audi lover and 10+ yr. owner on any more Audis.

I'll post some horrific pix once we get the coverage issues resolved.

jc

4Driver4

These engines are very tough and not prone to failure. The last one I worked on was diagnosed as junk due to a broken timing belt; I replaced 6 exhaust valves and their lifters and the car runs like new.

Not sure who is paying for what in your situation, but I'd have no worries going with a used engine if I was buying.

Just Me

.. we really should know - that's what these forums are about.

Grant

SNAFU 4

Wow... sorry to hear. Hopefully a good salvage find somewhere though.

absolutcq20v

I'm curious as to why they say you need a new short block, too. The piston heads can get marked by the valves, but most times the engine won't even notice.
Good luck with it, don't let a sh*tty dealership turn you off the brand.

Jon C

I'm not going into any details now because, as I said, the issue of who pays for what is still on the table. I could tell you about results, but we are still not sure of what is the symptom and what is the cause, so I'm not going to say more until the repair extent is fully sorted out, as well as who's paying for what.

There's nothing I can tell you now that isn't either things we know or should know already, or could do anything about as a preventive measure.

Suffice it to say that it had nothing to do with maintenance or lack of it, the car has been thoroughly maintained at or before all recommended intervals for every component, which is what pisses me off right now.

What are RELIABLE sources for used engines? My friend/tech/shop owner has great resources, I doubt I can do better than his research, but I'll pass on any info to him. Being meticulous about maintenance, I'm wary of a used engine (on which I don't know the service/maintenance history: oil change interval/type; timing belt service/ coolant changes, etc.), as opposed to a rebuild w/ new short block & heads.

Thanks for any info,

jc

Jon C

...we're talking holes in pistons, broken valves, etc. There was a failure but it wasn't the timing belt itself (beyond that I can't/won't/don't want to say more since we are still investigating cause/extent of cure, etc.)

Not sure yet if any bottom end damage, but I have no worries about being victimized by the shop, he is a long time friend who is definitely on my side completely. Issues include cost of complete tear down to look at crank/bearings, etc, to rule out damage there, vs. putting it back together and then finding in 10,000 miles that the bottom end got damaged and it's toast.

My problem w/ Audi is that altho' I love this car more than any I've owned in 30+ yrs., the frequency and cost of repairs is just unacceptable even with my trusted friend doing the work (and I haven't paid for much of them at all, they've all been warranty-covered). It's hard to recommend that anyone own one that is not under warranty.

donp

Why not find a used engine from a salvage yard?

audikillsbmw

used Audi parts.

DesmoTesta

If all else fails, try shokan.com, they always have a few 2.8 A4s and A6s