Class action can be engine of change.
07-18-2005, 08:51 AM
#1
AudiWorld Super User
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Class action can be engine of change.
"Before settlement, Audi customers were kept out of loop on belt problems."
What about A8 transmissions? ;-)<ul><li><a href="http://www.boston.com/business/globe/articles/2005/07/17/class_action_can_be_engine_of_change/">http://www.boston.com/business/globe/articles/2005/07/17/class_action_can_be_engine_of_change/</a</li></ul>
What about A8 transmissions? ;-)<ul><li><a href="http://www.boston.com/business/globe/articles/2005/07/17/class_action_can_be_engine_of_change/">http://www.boston.com/business/globe/articles/2005/07/17/class_action_can_be_engine_of_change/</a</li></ul>
07-18-2005, 09:05 AM
#2
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I would love to sign a class action.. same situation My tranny failed at a intersection just
driving through and no power at all, If someone was coming the other way ,,,WAM!!!!!!! of even worse yet pulling out into oncoming traffic.. Lets get the lawyers on here involved and go to court.. I sure could use the money back
07-18-2005, 12:30 PM
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Re: I would love to sign a class action.. same situation My tranny failed at a intersection just
I think the transmission issues might not be safety related, but definitely product quality us substandard. A class action is in order, but I am not so sure second owners of high mileage cars will win over the huge Armada of attorney from VOA. Sure would be a victorious thing to win, and I'd sign up in a moment. We'll need expert witness testimony from a good rebuilder and probably need a smoking gun from ZF to seal the deal! LOL!
07-18-2005, 01:37 PM
#7
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Re: inspecting a timing belt....?
After reading the lawsuit article, I see that Audi will "inspect" the timing belt from 40k-80k miles but replacement will NOT be part of the regular service. So essentially they are not changing their servicing practices at all. Let me just say that in my opinion you cannot truly "inspect" a timing belt and see if its "about to fail" unless their is significant physical damage already present. I think that Audi should have moved the belt change interval down to say 40k to 50k miles just to be safe and avoid any possible bad press should more belt brakes occur. Just what does "inspect" mean anyway? Visually checking the belt, feeling with fingers, check tension? Belts are cheap and I'd change it to have peace of mind. I wouldn't be sleeping too good at night thinking about a belt that's just waiting to go. I wonder what the root cause was? A manufacturing defect in the belt? (probably) Or something associated with the environment in which the belt operates, heat, fumes, oil?
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07-19-2005, 02:23 PM
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Re: inspecting a timing belt....?
It's often the tensioner or the retaining bolt that fails on these and other Audi/VW engines, not the belt. I know there was a redesigned tensioner/bolt kit availiable for my Passat, as they used it when they repalced it, but it still broke anyway after 10k miles! I am not aware of any way to tell from inspection, other than possibly checking the torque on the tensioner bolt. If the bolt is too loose it will back out, too tight, it will bend and break, there is a very narrow range where it will operate correctly. With the exception of hearing loud noises from the engine a few minutes before it breaks, I'm not aware of any obvious warning signs. I'll turn the engine off immediately the next time I hear anything. I think there should be a class action suit, there is obviously an engineering flaw in this design, and the dealer mechanics are aware of how sensitive it is. I think they should install a warning system on the tensioner if nothing else. The timing belt failure on my 30V Passat cost over $5500 and it's still not fixed, I can't imagine what it would cost on an 40V A8...