Paudi2154

TSB 10 still includes model year 2023 ALL VINs. But I have a 2023 Q8 built in October ‘23 with the new 4N1 part number. Someone from Audi of America told my dealer I am not eligible for the warranty extension because the problem is fixed. You would think they would update the VINs affected for 2023 models in the TSB if that were the case.

angrypengu

Audi documentation is luckluster at best. I've seen so many errors in their documentation that I just roll my eyes at this point.

Would you be comfortable sharing the note directly from AoA? I think many members (including myself) would love to see it prior to spending the $2K to replace it out of pocket. Thank you

Jdsengineer

I've been trying to prolong the inevitable from happening by deactivating the start/stop feature every time I start the car. But recently started thinking. . ."why prolong it so the failure happens out of warranty" So now I really want to MAKE it happen sooner.
My dealer told me the 7yr extended warranty (from the original in service date) on the BSG will be up at the end of this year for my 2019 A7 (24K miles).

angrypengu

Wait, how does that work?

I have a 2019 too and while my maths skills aren't great, 2019 + 7 is > 2024?

Jdsengineer

Dealer just said 7 yr are up around Jan 2025. I'm second owner so I never asked what the original in service date was. Must have been in 2018 sometime. But you're correct, the math seems a little iffy for him to say Jan 2025.
As others have said, I'd prefer to just have the BSG replaced right now on my dime. Back in the day you would spend a bunch to proactively replace a timing chain before a break would trash an engine. I look at replacing the BSG kinda the same thing.

angrypengu

​​​​​​ I totally agree but here is what's holding me back.

This part is only 3 months old and I don't know if people are claiming a premature victory. The comment above from audi of America adds further credibility that perhaps the issue is fixed.

If that's the case, why did Audi and Vitesco have a public spat just a few months ago? I have a spare belt starter generator in my car but that part is now worthless because we know that it will fail at some point.

I don't know if I should wait another year or if I should just put in this new part number and hope for the best.

Lego_Maniac

+1

Picked up the car today and the service advisor said it’s the new part, and they haven’t had any return failures with this new part.

Cautious optimism is where I’m at. Part of me thinks if this is really a 100% fix, a full recall will be issued to swap out previously defective parts. We are a road trip family, getting stranded 100s of miles away from home is a real confidence hit for us.

angrypengu

My dealer and personal mechanic for my vehicle told me the same thing this morning when I inquired. "no new failures with this new part". However, that comment ! = (does not equal) this part is fixed. It's been 3 months since this new part was issued so I'm 50/50 on the whole thing.

Paudi2154

My dealership forwarded me this note from Audi of America after I asked for my BSG extended warranty letter…

If he is concerned about the alternator issue, there is a fix and his Q8 is not affected. He would have the U56-Starter-Alternator Warranty extension on his Q8 if it was. His Q8 has the new/improved alternator so it should not fail for the reason the older ones were.

angrypengu

And right on cue as Spring is here.

Alright I think I might have figured out *why* BSG's fail a lot more during the winter. I have a device that tells me the vehicle's voltage at any one given point. I monitor this like a hawk.

In the winter, for whatever reason, the car sits at 15.4V for maybe 2 hours for me. This means the DC DC converter is stepping down the voltage to charge the 12V battery. Note: I charge my 12V battery using a trickle charger in the winter and it STILL does this.

When it gets warm, even when the car is started for the first time in the morning, it will only sit at 15.4V for maybe 3 minutes, and then it goes to 12.8V or 13.3V.

This indicates to me that there is probably a correlation b/w why BSGs fail more when it's cold out. I don't know the temperature cut off and I don't know why, but I think there's something here. Interestingly enough even at 15.4V step down in the winter, the torque commanded from the BSG is nothing out of the ordinary, either.

I think the why comes down to this 15.4V thing. I think what is happening is the BSG has more 'drag' on it during the winter and though I can't see anything out of the ordinary force wise being commanded from the BSG, I bet you it's charging the 12V battery for those 2 hours, though at a slower rate.

More torque being commanded = more drag = more heat = more BSG go boom. That's my theory.