Dealer issue - Haldex / rear differential

[HertS3]

So indie has had a look today, the existing rear diff had loads of gunk coming out from diff oil drain. Watch this space is all I can say, the story will not end here.
When he phoned TPS (who supply VAG dealers with parts), the first person didn't even know there was diff oil, only Haldex!! Looks like even suppliers don't know what they're talking about.
Not a peep from the dealers about diagnostics charges!
Audi UK case manager texted me this morning to say he's waiting to hear from the dealer and will get back to me once he has. Let's see what they tell him...

 

[KenL]

Good on you for not giving up.

 

[GeoffT]

Will be very interesting to see what Audi have to say about that!

 

[HertS3]

Moral of the story - get your mechanic to check differential oil when servicing the vehicle, forget what VAG are saying that the unit is 'sealed for life'; it's Haldex pump-gate all over again!!

Perhaps when (unfortunately) other people are in the same boat I'm in, Audi will listen. Then again, maybe not.

 

[Damo S]

Naah, they don't give a toss mate and never will.

So the oil had basically turned to gunk? Did you get him to video this inspection? I so hope you can do one over on them I really do.

 

[HertS3]

Yep, got the videos, not sure if it'll make a difference but I'll sure as hell give it a go.

 

[AlS3BE]

Yep, got the videos, not sure if it'll make a difference but I'll sure as hell give it a go.

Are you going to post the vids for us to see?
Just the good bits like busted diff and gunked up oil

 

[HertS3]

I've got some nice screenshots from videos attached, enjoy

There are some photos of the differential oil drain showing the gunk, then the diff is disassembled and you can see how dirty it is. The Haldex (on the right-hand side) is squeaky clean.

 

[AlS3BE]

I've got some nice screenshots from videos attached, enjoy

There are some photos of the differential oil drain showing the gunk, then the diff is disassembled and you can see how dirty it is. The Haldex (on the right-hand side) is squeaky clean.

for a unit that’s sealed for life it’s pretty bad.
That should only happen with incorrect grade of oil used, contaminated oil(shouldn’t happen as sealed for life) or the metal itself wasn’t strong enough and sheared.
Either way it pretty poor.
Get it all together and stick it at Audi. Doubt much will happen. Probably turn around and say someone used the wrong grade of oil or some bs like that. At least you will get the satisfaction but lighter wallet.

 

[HertS3]

They'll probably say that, though the oil in there is what was provided from factory as it's never been touched.
The fact that the part has been revised at least 5 times since the F variant on my car (from my digging on eBay I've found G, H, J, L and the current S quoted by the dealer) leads to me to conclude that there must be something inherently wrong each time for VAG to go to the expense of R&D pretty much on a yearly basis for this component.
Also - how the hell can they say that the reason for failure is lack of oil? You can clearly see a load of sludge in there. Clearly the oil has not been drained, as the dealer has concluded as soon as I admitted to having the car serviced elsewhere.

 

[HertS3]

I've not got much luck - picking car up tomorrow, diff is fine apparently but indie is saying that Audi didn't do a good job on the camshaft, the engine is hesitating and shaking apparently!! I'll see tomorrow how bad it is and get his advice on whether I can leave it until I'm back from holiday after Xmas. Grrr!

 

[The_Ironist]

Hope your cheap diff didn’t come from one of these:
Carjacked Audi stripped down 'within an hour' in Oldham https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-50660282

 

[HertS3]

I hope not, I'm pretty sure that the RS3 rear diff is a different part number

 

[HertS3]

Got my car back, indie heard funny sounds from the engine yesterday which sounded like misfiring but today it sounded OK, so I'll monitor it.
Audi hadn't even washed the car for me, left the driver mirror stuck (had to pull the glass out then push back in to adjust) and left the engine with oil marks on it (see pic).

Took another close-up of the rear diff to show how bad it is, definitely a case of bad design, hope it doesn't happen to anyone else.

By the way, rear diff (and Haldex side too) have breather pipes on the top, presumably to allow heat to escape. How can an open system like that be considered 'sealed for life'???

Indie was telling me Audi are treating this the same as BMW deal with gearbox oil, they say it doesn't need changing but then provide the part number to be able to change it???

 

[AlS3BE]

Got my car back, indie heard funny sounds from the engine yesterday which sounded like misfiring but today it sounded OK, so I'll monitor it.
Audi hadn't even washed the car for me, left the driver mirror stuck (had to pull the glass out then push back in to adjust) and left the engine with oil marks on it (see pic).

Took another close-up of the rear diff to show how bad it is, definitely a case of bad design, hope it doesn't happen to anyone else.

By the way, rear diff (and Haldex side too) have breather pipes on the top, presumably to allow heat to escape. How can an open system like that be considered 'sealed for life'???

Indie was telling me Audi are treating this the same as BMW deal with gearbox oil, they say it doesn't need changing but then provide the part number to be able to change it???

same with the zf 8 speed gearbox. Sealed for life but zf says Service 60 or 80k

 

[HertS3]

https://www.darksidedevelopments.co.uk/products/genuine-rear-differential-oil-g-060-517-a2.html

Interesting note in the description:

Although the fluid is considered by VW to be a lifetime fill, many owners like to replace the Oil every 100,000 miles or at the same time as the Haldex Oil on 4WD models

 

[HertS3]

Quick update - the engine is definitely not right, the engine is intermittently 'knocking' on idle and at low speeds, revs going up and down. Car now has yellow engine management light on and is showing a fault with stop/start functionality. Oh, and engine cut out when I stopped at a roundabout and took several attempts to get the engine started again!

Dropped it off with the same dealer again, let's see what they come up with now.

Probably try to blame the indie for changing the rear diff!!!! Must be the camshaft work they did on Monday; they stated that the car was road-tested OK, not sure how that was done with a knackered diff...

 

[craigpanthercrystal]

That oil spill on the Engine is nothing, I had my gearbox serviced at Bedford Audi, Picked car up, drove home and on the drive I could smell an oily vapour, Got home and looked in the engine bay so see dribbled gear oil all over the engine, fans and front panel.
Total carelessness and when I complained I got a "well Im sorry, I suppose we could clean it for you" Surprised she didn't say oh and thanks for the £500!

I hope they sort the engine issue for you, was you aware of any engine issues before it went in?

 

[HertS3]

LOL that's shocking, my indie showed me pics of how clean he leaves customer's parts when he finishes work on them. They don't have the manpower to give it a wash and vacuum, but at least you get a proper job done on the car and his hourly rate is a fraction of Audi stealers!

Engine was completely fine as far as I could tell, but the car was obviously showing some camshaft errors which prompted the camshaft adjuster and exhaust inlet(?) to be replaced under warranty, however it's undriveable now.

 

[Maco]

Mate, surely that car has to go? It’s a disaster, really does seem like a problem car. Well known in the motor trade that once a car starts to produce issues they keep failing time after time. Yours definitely seems like that car

 

[HertS3]

I'm hoping that you're wrong and it's just a botched job on the camshaft by the dealer and not a new issue. Should hear back from them on Monday.

 

[S32B]

LOL that's shocking, my indie showed me pics of how clean he leaves customer's parts when he finishes work on them. They don't have the manpower to give it a wash and vacuum, but at least you get a proper job done on the car and his hourly rate is a fraction of Audi stealers!

Engine was completely fine as far as I could tell, but the car was obviously showing some camshaft errors which prompted the camshaft adjuster and exhaust inlet(?) to be replaced under warranty, however it's undriveable now.

When Unit20 did my service a few weeks back I saw the guy with a handful of cloth wiping down the entire engine bay when he had finished under there!

 

[HertS3]

Yep, the guy sounded like a top man so I'm not surprised they do the job properly. Main dealer charges an arm and a leg and doesn't even do a proper job. Paperwork said complimentary wash and vacuum included but it was in the same state it was a month ago when it was towed over!

 

[TYb]

Yep, the guy sounded like a top man so I'm not surprised they do the job properly. Main dealer charges an arm and a leg and doesn't even do a proper job. Paperwork said complimentary wash and vacuum included but it was in the same state it was a month ago when it was towed over!

Audi really are letting themselves down at the moment, lots of people like myself who have been with Audi for years are walking away.

I guess they don’t care as long as new ones turn up and replace us.

 

[S32B]

Audi really are letting themselves down at the moment, lots of people like myself who have been with Audi for years are walking away.

I guess they don’t care as long as new ones turn up and replace us.

They should care when you have the likes of Kia, Hyundai etc making some cheap yet decent looking cars with long warranties as standard. A lot of guys I work with are now at the age where they are starting to have families and want to spend less on a car on more on time with their kids etc. Audi should think "If we lose a customer to Kia, we have potentially lost them for 7 years". Badge snobbery is out of the window for many these days, as long as it does the job cheaply they are happy.

Saw one of these in town a few weeks back and thought it looked nice, you can get one for less than £20k with over 6 years warranty left! https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201909031788642?

Take your RF for instance, you can get a 12 month old, low miles descent mid-spec one for around £20k and have a blast in it, it's reliable, cheap to insure, run and service...what Audi for £20k can do that?

 

[pburv]

They should care when you have the likes of Kia, Hyundai etc making some cheap yet decent looking cars with long warranties as standard. A lot of guys I work with are now at the age where they are starting to have families and want to spend less on a car on more on time with their kids etc. Audi should think "If we lose a customer to Kia, we have potentially lost them for 7 years". Badge snobbery is out of the window for many these days, as long as it does the job cheaply they are happy.

Saw one of these in town a few weeks back and thought it looked nice, you can get one for less than £20k with over 6 years warranty left! https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201909031788642?

Take your RF for instance, you can get a 12 month old, low miles descent mid-spec one for around £20k and have a blast in it, it's reliable, cheap to insure, run and service...what Audi for £20k can do that?

Only thing that's stopping me from 'jumping ship' is that they don't do one of these with an auto box.......
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classi...onesearchad=Nearly New&onesearchad=New&page=2
Try getting an almost new performance audi with all the 'toys' this has at this price...... Audi should be worried...

 

[S32B]

Only thing that's stopping me from 'jumping ship' is that they don't do one of these with an auto box.......
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/new/201812143264977?model=I30&radius=1500&postcode=ll572dl&advertising-location=at_cars&aggregatedTrim=N Performance&make=HYUNDAI&sort=price-desc&onesearchad=Used&onesearchad=Nearly New&onesearchad=New&page=2
Try getting an almost new performance audi with all the 'toys' this has at this price...... Audi should be worried...

I know a lad who's got one, it the silvery/grey colour, it always looks nice.

 

[Daz4311]

Id buy a i30 n if they had a auto,cant go back to a manual know

 

[TYb]

They should care when you have the likes of Kia, Hyundai etc making some cheap yet decent looking cars with long warranties as standard. A lot of guys I work with are now at the age where they are starting to have families and want to spend less on a car on more on time with their kids etc. Audi should think "If we lose a customer to Kia, we have potentially lost them for 7 years". Badge snobbery is out of the window for many these days, as long as it does the job cheaply they are happy.

Saw one of these in town a few weeks back and thought it looked nice, you can get one for less than £20k with over 6 years warranty left! https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201909031788642?

Take your RF for instance, you can get a 12 month old, low miles descent mid-spec one for around £20k and have a blast in it, it's reliable, cheap to insure, run and service...what Audi for £20k can do that?

Exactly, I got mine new for £28k on 2.9% finance with Santander via Gloucester Mazda with a small deposit.

I didn’t take out the service pack but you are looking at £200 - £250 every 12k. Its almost a third of the cost to insure and cheap to run.

I know Audi should be worried but you don’t get that impression by the way they treat their customers. I haven’t heard a peep from Audi since selling the S3. Mazda have called me twice since September, 1st one was a week after taking delivery just to make sure I was happy and the 2nd was to let me know they have some Christmas offers on and would love the chance to source a car for partner but not at all pushy.

 

[Maco]

I think Audi know that there will always be badge snobbery. Cars are looking more & more like each other these days but you still see masses of Audi’s BMW’s & Mercedes on the road. The Hyundai’s & Kia’s posted above look really smart inside & out, and with that sort of warranty shouldn’t we all be buying them? I’ll be honest, as a 25 year old When it comes down to 3 year warranty with Audi or 7 year warranty with Hyundai I’m buying the Audi every time even if that means my standard 2.0 diesel Audi over a performance Hyundai/Kia.

Could I afford a S3/RS3 at the minute, never. Could I afford a Hyundai I30 T-GDI Quite possibly but I’d still take my 2.0 diesel over it. I’ll also say most of my friend who are the same age are also doing the same. Couple friends of mine have 2012 C class & a4s. They quite easily could of afforded newer cars with less miles on from different brands but it wasn’t going to happen. They wanted to say they owned an Audi or Mercedes.

 

[S32B]

2nd was to let me know they have some Christmas offers on and would love the chance to source a car for partner but not at all pushy.

Fancy going in a a couple and gaying it up for the night???

 

[HertS3]

Update (back on track guys!!):
Apparently the issue is due to a stuck pin on the cam control inlet, waiting to hear back whether it's covered under warranty (Audi Cam page showing price as £0 which is how I like it!)

 

[pburv]

Fancy going in a a couple and gaying it up for the night???

LOl...... Not sure I want to be a fly on that wall

 

[pburv]

Update (back on track guys!!):
Apparently the issue is due to a stuck pin on the cam control inlet, waiting to hear back whether it's covered under warranty (Audi Cam page showing price as £0 which is how I like it!)

Great news mate..Hope all works out for you

 

[HertS3]

Now the claim needs to be sent to Extended Warranty to assess cover (surely it's covered??), apparently the warranty person doesn't work Mondays - make sure you don't break down on a Monday in the Hatfield area with warranty!!!

The only thing now is getting Extended Warranty to understand that it's actually part of the claim from last week as it clearly relates to the same camshaft fault. Although my paperwork says car was road tested OK, I can't see that happening with a knackered rear diff! In any case, dealer can't tell me it's a new issue that manifested as soon as I started driving the car, and just happens to be in the exact same area of the engine they were working on!

Told the dealer I don't mind speaking to Extended Warranty myself once the claim's been submitted to make sure they understand the situation, I don't want to pay another £100 excess for the same problem!

 

[HertS3]

Now the dealer is asking me if I've got FSH!!! They messed up the repair!

 

[Damo S]

why would they ask that when they have access to your service record?

 

[HertS3]

Because it was done by an indie

 

[Damo S]

Only the haldex / diff was but yes been there with the same rubbish. I really despise them, and the "warranty" is little more than a joke to be honest.

 

[HertS3]

No, I had a major service done, full engine service, spark plugs etc, all oils (Haldex, DSG, engine)