[rant] so me like everyone else am having issues with my cluster except my tach isnt working... If my fuel or temp were off i could live with that a bit more but i cant see my rpm lol.... i called audi customer relations just to see if they can do anything... I told them I already knew it was my gauge cluster and that I didn't need to pay to have someone tell me that... She said to bring it to an Audi dealership then while I was there the shop would call them and either discount the repair or do it for free and reverse the diag. fee. So I drive an hour and a half to the closet dealership tell them everything thats up give them the case number and everything. They give me a rental car for the next couple hours to go eat and what not (was a pontiac grand prix... yea from an Audi dealer) so I get a call a few hours later saying its done and to come back. So I get back and the person I was working with says, "yep, your cluster is bad and needs to be replaced it'll run about 1000." I'm tell them no Audi said it would be discounted or done for free then he just tells me that he talked to the shop manager and that he basically doesnt care... So I'm getting pissed... I call the customer relations and I get a different story from what I had before. So about 45 minutes later when I get off the phone with customer relations I go to get my keys and I'm asked how I want to pay for the diag fees. I'm like no, Audi said that I didn't have to... Well we go back and forth for a bit then finally I hit my boiling point and just pay it. It was 130 dollars for them to tell me what I knew already, but hey, they washed the outside of my car for me.... So to recap my day I spent 130 for a car wash that didn't include a detail lol drove for 3 hours spent about 40 in gas and wasted 2-3 hours at the dealership....

THANK YOU AUDI!

[/rant]

my car is out of warranty and im aware of that i just called audi to see if they have any info on a recall or something. I didnt want to bring it in bc i knew what was wrong but when i was told free or discount i thought it would be worth a try but that was the biggest waste of my time ever.... im just frustrated so thats my venting

 

use this

Audi of America Client Relations 3499 West Hamlin Road Rochester Hills, MI, 48309 Date 1/23/07 Re: VIN Your VIN cc: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Division 400 7th Street, SW Rm. 5232 Washington, D.C. 20590 Audi Client Relations: I’m writing with what must be a familiar issue to you now. Our 2001 Audi TT Coupe developed problems with it’s gauge cluster just after the warranty period ended in 2003, and the problems have grown progressively worse, causing a serious safety issue with operation of the vehicle. I have copied the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration on this letter because of the high rate of failure and safety issues associated with the gauge cluster problem on 1999-2005 Audis. Audi AG and Audi of America have been aware of gauge cluster failure problems for several years, and the same part (gauge cluster printed circuit board) has been problematic on A4, A6, and other Audi cars built between 1999 and 2005. Audi has reportedly refused to extend warranty consideration to owners affected by the dangerous and endemic failure of this poorly-designed and manufactured part. Audi UK chose to replace all identically failed clusters free of charge in the United Kingdom. I’m writing to ask Audi of America to cover the cost of a replacement gauge cluster for our 2001 Audi TT. Our fuel and temperature gauges no longer function and the multifunction liquid crystal display does not indicate readable information. As such, there is no way to know the level of fuel in the car or the engine operating temperature. The speedometer and tachometer function only sporadically, providing no way to dependably monitor engine or vehicle speed. After considerable effort researching this issue, I’ve found that Audi in the United Kingdom (Audi UK) has offered no-cost replacement to owners affected by gauge cluster failures, due to the dangerous nature of a failed gauge cluster. I’m asking for the same consideration here in the United States, and due to the hazards presented by this defect and Audi’s refusal to issue a voluntary recall. The part in question has failed on a sizable percentage of 1999-2005 Audi vehicles, according to Audi’s own service centers, and may fail on any pre-2005 car at any time, regardless of warranty status. Audi reportedly resolved the design and manufacturing problems that cause these gauge cluster failures after the 2003 model year and placed upgraded service parts into the dealer channel, according to our local Audi dealer and service provider. Despite these remedial steps, Audi has offered no special consideration to owners affected by the problem outside of the vehicle’s normal warranty and expects owners to pay over $700.00, plus the cost of installation to replace a part that was poorly designed and has a very high failure rate. Because the defect causes a dangerous operating condition, including lack of dependable indications of fuel, temperature, engine speed or vehicle speed, the vehicle is unsafe as designed. I will accept nothing less than full warranty coverage at our local dealership (Your local dealer[/b]) of a cluster replacement to restore safe operability of our vehicle. As the prevalence of the Internet as a research tool for consumers grows, this problem and requests for consideration and refunds will only increase. My reasonable request should be honored; Audi clearly knows about this abnormally high failure rate, and has taken appropriate action in other countries to rectify the problem. Audi and it’s dealers are aware of the dangerous nature of this failure, and the exact reasons for the problem, which have been corrected in subsequent revisions of the cluster part. There should be no other response to this request but agreement to replace the cluster at no charge. Additionally, Audi should consider a recall of the affected parts to ensure consumer and motorist safety. Sincerely yours, Your Name encl: Citations of Instrument cluster problems The following are a small number of the independent resources I found while researching this issue. Each is cited separately, but several hundred independent claims of cluster failure are available on the Internet. Audi has addressed these problems in the United Kingdom, and must now address them for me and the thousands of affected Audi owners in the United States. 1. Audi UK Repairs failed 1999-2005 clusters free of charge: http://www.tt-forum.co.uk/ttforumbbs...ic.php?t=56067 2. Small sample of Audi TT Owners with failed clusters: http://forums.audiworld.com/tt/msgs/1555652.phtml 3. BBA Remanufacturing Rebuilds these “Problem� clusters: http://www.bba-reman.com/content.aspx?content=audi_tt_dashboard_failing 4. Edmunds CarTalk Forums - Audi TT Failed Clusters: http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.f0e9e94 5. British Broadcasting Corporation Consumer Watchdog Segment: http://www.bbc.co.uk/consumer/tv_and...20060124.shtml

 

whoops it was a word attatchment i can send you the actuall doc if u want

 

So what happened when you sent that letter, MeanAudiA6? Have you gotten any responses?

 

i sent the link to that to audi customer relations in one of my 2 now complaint letters.... im going to send one to the bbb today i think im pissed now lol

 

Well be sure and let us know what works so we can get our non-functioning clusters fixed also!

 

I hate to bump a thread that's this old...especially on my first day, but has anyone had any good news?

I took mine tothe Dealer today and was quoted 1150 to replace on my '01 A4 1.8T........Im not a happy camper [:'(]

 

ive sent in 3 letters to audi countless phone calls and several stops to the dealerships ....i just broke down and sent mine to a place that repairs it but they didnt even fix it... im to the point where im going to sell my car now i think unless theres something that can get resolved with them fast

 

ya know... if u broke it down to sections and paragraphs, people will actually read it. i know i didnt