I Don't know about that. A few years I got something that I had HOPED would
be boringly reliable. '01 Audi S4.
Well, the car now has about 50k mi on it. Last Fall it started sunning
slightly rough at idle. It always has a slight lope at idle. Now the lope
could be seen on the tach. Then the Check Engine light came on. I took it
to the dealer (JUST out of warranty) and they guessed it was fouled plugs.
The code was "misfire" or something like that. Of course the plugs are
inaccessible. All sorts of crap have to come off including the coils on
each plug. $400 to change the plugs, and they were not even sure it was the
solution!!!! Well, it seems to have worked.
Recently I noticed that the car seems to follow the crown in the road a
little more than usual, and there was suddenly a clatter in the front
suspension on rough surfaces. Also, the coolant reservoir seemed to have
cracked and slowly leaked out the reservoir's fluid repeatedly. I had also
noticed that there was a sheen of oil on the back of the engine when I
looked under the car to pull off a piece of road trash plastic. I also knew
my brake pads were thin, and the brakes pulled and pulsed. Probably needs
new pads AND rotors.
So, when I took it to get these repairs, Indeed, I needed a new plastic
reservoir. The clatter was from a worn out bushing on an upper control arm,
and the tie rod ends were worn out. I also needed new pads and rotors on
all 4 wheels. The oil leak was coming from a seal from a cam adjuster.
That seal would along have cost $1100 to replace!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
These things sound like the maintenance for a TR at 50k not a modern car!!
In then end I had to all the work except the seals. The oil leak is slight
and I can buy a ton of oil for $1000! After the work, the car is like new
in its handling. Nevertheless, except for brakes, I would have expected at
least 120,000 miles before the other parts needed replacement.....
So, I think I AM getting a real Triumph-style experience from my Audi!
-Tony
----- Original Message -----
>All of my cars NEED me
>
>My wife tells people that we are not really "empty-nesters" - we don't have
>kids at home, but we have cars that behave like errant toddlers and require
>constant attention
>
>It must be exceedingly dull to own expensive modern German cars that are
>totally reliable - those cars must have no "personality"
>
>Cheers
>Jack Mc
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