2000 Audi A4

THE LCD DRIVER INFORMATION CENTER IS PIXELATED, THIS NORMALLY WOULDN'T NORMALLY BE A HUGE PROBLEM BUT THIS SCREEN INFORMS THE DRIVER OF HIGH ENGINE TEMPERATURES, LOW OIL, LOW COOLANT, ETC. I'M UNABLE TO READ THE SCREEN AND HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IT IS ATTEMPTING TO TELL ME WHEN MY CAR MAKES A VERY HIGH PITCHED BEEP TO INFORM ME THERE IS A PROBLEM. I'VE ALSO DISCOVERED THAT THIS IS AN EXTREMELY COMMON PROBLEM WITH CARS OF THIS MODEL YEAR AND SEVERAL OTHER MODEL YEARS. *TR

I AM AN OWNER OF A 2000 A4 1.8T AUDI. THE OWNER'S MANUAL STATES THAT THE TIMING BELT SHOULD BE REPLACED AT 105,000 MILES AND ALSO STATES THAT IT IS A "LONG-LASTING" BELT. I HAVE 95,000 MILES ON MY VEHICLE AND THE TENSIONER AND DAMPER FAILED WHEN I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT A SPEED OF 65 MPH; THE CAR JUST STOPPED, AND I HAD TO NAVIGATE THROUGH FOUR LANES OF HEAVY TRAFFIC TO THE SHOULDER IN A CAR WITH NO POWER- SCARY AND DANGEROUS! THE CAR HAD TO BE TOWED TO THE MECHANIC'S, AND SINCE I WAS 5 HOURS AWAY FROM HOME, I HAD TO RENT A CAR FOR THE NEXT 12 DAYS WHILE IT WAS BEING REPAIRED. $3300.00 LATER, AND AFTER TWO TRIPS UP THERE (10 HOURS ROUND TRIP FROM HOME) I GOT MY CAR BACK AND WAS INFORMED WHY THE WHOLE THING HAPPENED (DEFECTIVE PARTS). THE MECHANIC SHOWED ME ALL THE DAMAGE THAT WAS DONE-INCLUDING ALL 20 BROKEN AND TWISTED VALVES! APPARENTLY, AUDI KNOWS ABOUT THESE PROBLEMS, AND OTHERS HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME THING, BUT AUDI HAS NEVER MADE ANY ATTEMPT TO NOTIFY ME OR OTHER A4 OWNERS OF THIS SERIOUS AND DANGEROUS PROBLEM. THIS IS A FINICKY CAR AND WHEN THE TIMING BELT GOES, IT ALSO CAUSES SIGNIFICANT ENGINE DAMAGE, WHICH IS VERY COSTLY TO REPAIR. BECAUSE AUDI KNOWS OF THIS PROBLEM, AND HAS NOT INFORMED THE CUSTOMERS, AND BECAUSE THE OWNER'S MANUAL INDICATES REPLACEMENT AT 105,000 MILES, I WILL ADAMANTLY PURSUE REIMBURSEMENT FROM THEM THROUGH THEIR CORPORATE OFFICE. I READ OF ONE OTHER PERSON ON THIS SITE WHO HAD THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM--IF YOU HAVE ALSO, PLEASE POST YOUR COMPLAINT! *JB

DT: THE CONTACT STATED ON APRIL 5, 2005 ENGINE STARTED MAKING LOUD NOISES. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A LOCAL DEALERSHIP FOR REGULAR SERVICE AND INSPECTION, AND THE DEALER FOUND THE HEAD GASKETS, MASS FLOW SENSORS, VACUUM HOSES, INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKETS, AND THE THROTTLE BODY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. REPAIRS WERE MADE. FOUR MONTHS LATER THE VEHICLE STARTED MAKING LOUD NOISES AGAIN. THE CONTACT WAITED ANOTHER FOUR MONTHS BEFORE TAKING THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALER ON DECEMBER 29, 2005 TO HAVE IT SERVICED A SECOND TIME. THIS TIME THE DEALER DISCOVERED THE TIE ROD ENDS, CHAIN TENSIONER AND THE OIL COOLANT LINES NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THERE WERE NEVER ANY WARNING INDICATORS OTHER THAN THE NOISE INDICATING A PROBLEM. NO ADDITIONAL REPAIRS WERE MADE. *AK UPDATED 1/25/2006 - *NM

DT: 2000 AUDI A4. THE CONSUMER STATED THERE WERE FUMES INSIDE THE CAB. THE CONSUMER SPENT OVER $1400 TUNING IT UP AND THE PROBLEM STILL EXISTED. THE CONSUMER READ ON SEVERAL WEBSITES THAT THIS WAS COMMON FOR THE VEHICLE. THE CONSUMER CONTACTED DEALERSHIP, BUT HIS CALL WAS NOT RETURNED. THE CONSUMER HAS NOT YET CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER. THE CONSUMER STARTED NOTICING A SMELL ALMOST IMMEDIATELY AFTER HE PURCHASED THE VEHICLE. *AK

I AM AN OWNER OF A 2000 A4 1.8T AUDI. THE OWNERS MANUAL STATES THAT THE TIMING BELT SHOULD BE REPLACED AT 105,000 MILES. I HAVE 94,000 MILES ON MY VEHICLE AND THE TENSIONER FAILED WHEN I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT A SPEED OF 60 MPH. WHENEVER I STARTED INVESTIGATING MY OPTIONS FOR REPAIR OF THE VEHICLE I WAS INFORMED THAT AUDI HAS EXPERIENCED NUMEROUS FAILURES DUE TO A PROBLEM WITH THIS TENSIONER. AUDI HAS NEVER MADE ANY ATTEMPTS IN NOTIFYING CUSTOMERS THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM AND THAT THE TENSIONER SHOULD BE REPLACED BEFORE THE RECOMMENDED 105,000 MILES AS STATED IN THEIR OWNERS MAINTENANCE PACKAGE. THE AUDI HAVE ZERO TOLERANCE SO WHENEVER A TIMING BELT FAILS THERE IS SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO THE HEAD AND VALVES. I WAS QUOTED A PRICE OF $7,500 TO HAVE THE VEHICLE REPAIRED BY AUDI, I CHOOSE TO TAKE THE VEHICLE TO ANOTHER AUTO SERVICE DEALER FOR REPAIR WHICH COST $4,000. I STRONGLY FEEL THAT AUDI SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DAMAGE IN EXCESS OF THE REQUIRED REPLACEMENT OF THE BELT DUE TO THE FACT THE THEY WERE AWARE OF THE TENSIONER PROBLEMS AND THE DAMAGE IF NOT REPLACED BEFORE WHAT IS STATED IN THEIR OWNERS MANUAL, I BELIEVE THAT THEY HAVE DECEIVED THE CUSTOMER. *NM