posted this a few other places...looking for more info.

I have a 2003 A4 Cabriolet 3.0 with 80k miles. Bought it certified preowned at the Audi dealership in 2007 with 45k. Have had it serviced only at the audi dealership.

2 weeks ago when i was leaving work my reverse would not engage correctly. Took it to audi the same day and they said I needed a transmission control module. The repair was going to be $2,100. I told them to go ahead with it.

Long story short, I picked up the car yesterday. They said everything was ok and the car drove great.

Left the dealership, drove about 1/2 mile on a local street and turned onto the highway. About a mile onto the highway my oil light turns on. I pull off at the next exit and as I am pulling off my check engine light, battery light and eps light go on. Car dies and drifts to a stop at the side of the road.

I call audi, they say get it towed back to us. Get it towed to them they give me a loaner and tell me they will figure out what went wrong.

Get a call an hour later saying my timing belt slipped off. The belt is supposedly fine, but somehow it slipped off. I had the car at audi for my routine maintenance a few months ago when i was at 75k and they told me the timing belt was in great shape and not to even look at it until 105k.

I am waiting to hear back from audi re: what happened and why the timing belt slipped off. It seems to be more then a coincidence that they fix the car and no more then 2 miles into my first drive the belt slips off.

The service rep said they are going to figure out what happened and they will most likely fix it. I am anticipating they are going to come back to me and ask for $ for the repairs.

Could the timing belt have slipped off as a result of their work re: the transmission?

 

No, timing belt problems are common. The belt snapped more than likely, If they say they're going to take care of it they should because they said it was good at 75k. The good thing is that you had it serviced at Audi, and if they didn't recommend the change and it broke/slipped, I believe you are going to get a fix for no charge.

 

umm no

 

UPDATE

Got a call from Audi service tech today. First question he asks me is have I had the oil changed at any other place. I tell them all the service (except for rear brakes) was done at this Audi dealer. He says that the engine is a mess and he isn't sure if the timing belt slipped off or if something happened inside the engine to cause the timing belt to slip off. Long story short, he tells me that at best it will be a $5,500 repair or at worst I need a new engine and it will be $11,000.

He says he is working with Audi to see if he can get it paid for.

I have had this car serviced at Audi per the recommendations. I bought it 3 years ago at 45k miles and now it has 80k. I bought it certified.

Seems to me that an engine doesn't spontaneously stop working and/or a timing belt doesn't spontaneously slip off. The car went through the 70k service not too long ago and Audi told me everything was great.

The car drove perfectly when I took it to them and died less then 5 minutes after I left the parking lot.

Can anyone give me any info that would help me? I will provide the answers I get from Audi re: what went wrong with the car when I hear back.

 

last i knew there was a class action law suit for premature death of the timing belts in audis. the service manual says theyre good til 105k,but we all know thats not the case.

so as far as i know,dealers can inspect for "premature wear" and if they notice any, recommend that you get it replaced. this waves any responsibility that they have if it breaks (because you were informed it might). however, if they looked at it and said it was fine and it did indeed snap, i think you should be getting this paid for.

look into it, theres a bunch of info out there.hope this gets straightened out for you

 

I know there's a TSB somewhere around here that talks about the timing belt.

 

Audi called back this morning. Here is what they are telling me.......

A pulley on the tensioner or tensioner pulley (my notes aren't good) came loose causing a timing belt issue. There was a significant amount of engine sludge, which he thinks may have caused the problem. I had routine oil changes done at Audi per recommendations.

Is this something that someone should have seen? Is there a code for this?

They are pulling apart the engine to determine the extent of the damage and are going to try and get Audi to pay for the repairs. Not sure how Audi is about this kind of stuff. Seems pretty clear cut to me...

 

If it was serviced by Audi, then you will probably be gatting taken car of. I'm pretty sure the engine is done for, expect bent valves and dented pistons.

 

Update......

It has been a few weeks since Audi pulled apart my engine. They called me Friday and said they found a new "used" engine they could put in at a cost of $4,000 to me (they/Audi will cover the rest). However, they had no clue re: the details of the engine or how many miles were on it.

They told me it probably makes more sense for me to trade in my old car for a new one. Waiting on them to get me their offer for my trade in. Something tells me it is going to be a low ball offer.

One of the problems I have is this - regardless of what they give me for my car, I paid them almost $2,400 for a transmission control module that was used for less than 5 minutes.

This whole episode has really soured my opinion of Audi. They have taken forever to figure out what to do and keep passing the buck. I am not a car guy, but I don't get how my timing belt and other equipment was "ok" at my 70k check and they told me not to touch it for 35k and then 10k later the entire engine is shot.

 

hmm, to be honest if audi serviced and the T-Belt was ok by them, then the belt failed you shouldn't have to bite the bullet at all...