Audi S3 cam chain failure

BurgoS3

BurgoS3

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Hi all this is my first post on here so I'm sorry if something like this has been posted before. I recently bought a 2007 S3 with 77000miles on it with full Audi service history. It had also had a new turbo, clutch and flywheel 500 miles before I got it. It was from a private dealer who offered me 3 months warranty for the engine and gear box. After having the car 6 days the car seemed to stall and then the dreaded 3 tone oil pressure light came on, I pulled over straight away and it sounded like someone had swapped my engine with a tractors one.

I called the dealer and he arranged for a low loader to come and collect the car the next day and said that he would honour the warranty and we both suspected it was the oil pump. After 2/3 days of trying to contact the garage I got through to them to be told the cam chain had snapped and I was told that they where going to put a reconditioned engine in. I told them I was sceptical about this but they can go ahead with it and if I'm not happy with the paperwork or anything I'd be wanting my money back. I was told the new engine would also come with 12 months warranty. I called the garage a couple of days ago for an update an they told me that they have been unable to find an engine so they are reconditioning the original one. Which I would prefer as I know the history etc, has anybody had an engine reconditioned then had problems after it. I'm thinking of walking away from the car, does anybody have any advice on this from the legal side of this, it's now 3 weeks since I bought it
 
Welcome to the forums.

I am not 100% sure about legal side of it and I'm sure someone here will be able to shed some more light on that. My view is that even though they are honoring the warranty, I would walk away from it unless they are going to Audi for it. I only left a high spec and slightly lower miles A3 from a private dealer because he had done the cambelt himself and this is exactly why I didn't go for it. All the best.
 
Hi there and welcome.

Sorry it's on this sort of note that you've joined!

I wouldn't personally have a problem with a rebuilt engine IF its been done properly by someone who knows what's he's doing.

Pistons,rods,valves etc can all be seriously damaged by cambelt failures and this needs to be done well.
 
S3Alex said:
Hi there and welcome.

Sorry it's on this sort of note that you've joined!

I wouldn't personally have a problem with a rebuilt engine IF its been done properly by someone who knows what's he's doing.

Pistons,rods,valves etc can all be seriously damaged by cambelt failures and this needs to be done well.
Click to expand...

^^^ what he said :rock:
 
I'd be tempted to walk in all honesty!

I once had a "New" engine in a (non Audi) previous car - installed by a main dealer! They did a job a cowboy would be proud to hang his hat on, scraped paint, damaged exhaust pipes then charged me for new Cats (x3), fubar'd the water pump (which blew itself apart a week after the car was returned), damaged the bulkhead sound-proofing so badly they threw it away and neglected to replace it - until I complained.

It was a nightmare experience I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy, you've only had the car a week so there shouldn't be any emotional attachments, get your money back or choose a different car from the same dealer if you wish - But I personally wouldn't accept it in your shoes.
 
Yeah I would be +1 on the money back, cambelt should have been done after 5 years max, if it was my motor I would have done it way before too, to me it says the car hasnt been very well looked after
 
I'd be asking for my money back.

Within a week of owning a car it suffers one of the most savage failures it can suffer. It might be bad luck but... uh uh... I'm not interested, money back please. Cheers.
 
Welcome to the forum and sorry to hear about your woes.

I was in the same boat as you when I bought my S3 (albeit not as unlucky), however the warranty plus a goodwill payment from the dealer paid for the issues to be rectified.

You are well within your rights to reject the car, IIRC you have 6 months to do this. If the dealer refuses get on to Trading Standards via the CAB (citizen's advice) for breach of contract as the car really is not fit for purpose If you paid part of the asking price (deposit perhaps) with a credit card, then you can also use Section 75 to claim back your money.

Good luck.
 
bmh.01 said:
Both. Belt between crank and exhaust cam and chain between exhaust and inlet. Been a VAG 16v trick for years.
Click to expand...

My MK2 16v has both, must be one of the 1st ones.

I'd be getting my money back personally!
 
If you decide to stick with the car,I'd have a very close look at the terms of the warranty,and find out exactly what you are entitled to in terms of the engine,and either replacement or "fixing" it.

My biggest concern would be that you don't know the quality standard that they will be working to,or what parts they will use,and the longer this drags on,the poorer the chances of it being sorted to your satisfaction.

S3 8P engines are hard to come by used,but there is at least one on ebay right now,and on most occasions I've looked,so I'm not sure they tried awfully hard on that score.
 
So I agreed with the dealer that the original could be reconditioned. The engine was sent away and came back and was fitted to the car, no less than 7 weeks after it broke down. Upon start up in the garage oil ****** out of the head, the gasket had been incorrectly fitted. I have now walked away from the car and have received a full refund. So the hunt for a s3 begins got around 15k to spend, hopefully better look second time around
 
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Approved Used S3

Approved Used S3

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Money back and walk away. If you leave it too long you'll lose your right to walk away from the sale.
 
Going looking at a car on Friday, luckily I've had a bit of a windfall from work and have been able to up the budget to 20-22 k so I'm able to find one still under manufacturers warranty
 
At least you've emerged from the deal with a refund AND some additional money to spend via the windfall.

I've been in a similar situation previously (with a car requiring a total engine rebuild... not a windfall, unfortunately), and in my experience, if things aren't handled correctly (in my case, the garage could have given John Wayne a run for his money), the whole situation can become all-consuming and very, very stressful.

Enjoy the hunt for a new motor and good luck.
 
You will get a good one for that money thats for sure.

Just out of interest what are the common causes for the 3 tone oil pressure light? Is it just lack of servicing?
 
Well I'm back on the road and have to say I'm even more delighted than I would be with the car that I got, 2 years old, 3 door black edition with 13k on the clock. Ill post pics soon
 
I don know what planet you guys are on.
this problem with the TFSI is a bigger problem than you think.
I have just been a victim of the same issue.
 
For what it's worth,you can see it from the side that it's not a huge number of cars,but if it's yours,it's a disaster,and you'd best hope for a warranty claim to be honoured.

Another point is that the failures listed in that thread,OK not S3's,but TFSi's certainly,are occurring anywhere from 30 000 miles up to over 70 000 miles,and that's a very wide spread of mileages unfortunately.

I have a fortunate spin-off from having my engine pulled apart so often in that the belts and chains never get anywhere near to those figures.....not that I'm recommending that as a cure.
 
The stealers declined goodwill b/c last service was done outside the stealership, so in reported to A.UK then the stealership offered 60% leaving me with £4k as my contribution towards a new engine. (Initially was £9.7k). A.UK refused to contribute any further.
 
I think that like any insurance company,they'll do their best to pay as little as possible,and dress it up in such a way that it looks like they've done you a favour.
 
shady-ninja said:
The stealers declined goodwill b/c last service was done outside the stealership, so in reported to A.UK then the stealership offered 60% leaving me with £4k as my contribution towards a new engine. (Initially was £9.7k). A.UK refused to contribute any further.
Click to expand...


Foooook me, I feel for you mate :(
 
If Audi let me down I will go the rice way.
I've got on loan aj Japanese car with 113k miles and pulling strong with part stealership service.
 
shady-ninja said:
sorry for the late reply.
its an A3 1.8 tsi
Click to expand...
My mistake! I'm mixing you up with another forum member, He's definitely an A4 owner! Sorry, old bean.

On another note: I wonder how many of these and other VAG group engines with failed cam chains have been remapped, how aggressive those remaps are, how often they're "launched" or driven hard before the engine reaches optimal temperature! How many stuck to schedules for oil\servicing, etc.

I suspect it would make interesting reading ...or maybe even with my mild map, careful right foot when it's cold and regular servicing, I may suffer a similar failure a little down the road - I'm at around 52,000 now, and even though it's currently running like a swiss watch, who's to know?!?
 
remapping is not a contributory factor as tons of failures are on standard non remapped engines.
 
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