nflesher87

Hey folks hoping to get some input regarding my 09 S5 with 94k miles.
I bought it used a few months ago and had an independent shop do an inspection and they gave a thumbs up. About a month in the power steering began to groan a bit and it steadily got worse. Took it to the dealer and they said power steering pump was failing. $2k to fix (1k part 1k labor). I figured it was just bad luck.
So I go to pick it up and as I'm driving away there is literally zero power steering. I make a difficult U-turn and take that sucker right back. They called a day later and now are saying the rack and pinion failed due to not having enough fluid and it is another 2k to fix that.
I'm sorry but this is just way too coincidental for me. What should I do?

snagitseven

If the power steering pump wasn't the issue, they should give you a credit back for that repair before working on the rack since they misdiagnosed the cause. If they refuse, you should contact AOA with your paperwork before allowing the dealer to proceed further. Based on what you have written, this sounds like the old "let's keep throwing parts at the car until it's fixed".

nflesher87

thanks for your quick input! I totally agree and hadn't considered this possibility. I will definitely pursue that with them. Either way, damn these things are expensive to fix!

snagitseven

After this is finished, next time find a good VW/Audi indy repair shop for your maintenance and repairs. They will usually charge about 30-35% less than the dealer.

nflesher87

Well I actually tried that. The owner was really nice and honest and said that it was so complex that I might be better off keeping it at the dealer. There is another shop that I found since then and I will be going there for other work. I took in my 09 TT 2.0 and he quoted me almost 40% less and had more options