Terrible dealer experience with getting the tensioner and timing chain replaced.

[silentsleeper]

I dropped off my car on 11/10/17 to Audi Beverly Hills for them to check engine rattle noises on cold start. Turns out the tensioner needed replacing (surprise surprise). My service advisor kept text communication and kept telling me my car will be ready soon. That "soon" took 2.5 weeks when I finally picked up my car on 11/29/17. I was never looped in on the details as to why this took so long, so before I drove 2 hours home, I drove it around the block. That's when I noticed fluttering noises under soft acceleration. I drove it back to the dealer, a technician took a look, replaced the exhaust clamp, and now no more noise. While driving back, I noticed on the MMI the oil levels were reading less than half. SA said that I need to add oil and that "sometimes it happens." On 11/30/17 I went to the Santa Barbara Audi where they generously topped my oil off. That night after coming home, I discovered oil leaking everywhere. Puddling on the left side of the engine, under the intake, and all over the ground. I immediately notified my SA and he sent me a courtesy car on 12/1/17. Without knowing the extent of the damage, the driver was notified to drive my car back "carefully." The next few updates from my SA are: oil is coming from transmission, then he said they need to do adaptation for transmission. On Thursday, 12/7/17 they said they still having trouble and now they have to replace oil filter housing. When they finally fixed the issue, the problem was that the seal between the engine and transmission was faulty. Claiming that Audi sent them a damaged seal.

I was glad the nightmare was over until I reviewed the dashcam footage. I have a dual front and rear dash cam so I was able to record everything...well until it was unplugged. On 11/10/17 when I dropped off my car, a worker driving to 99 La Cienega Center (some medical building, from the footage definitely not an Audi parking lot) that morning. He failed to use launch control at first, then almost lost control when he succeeded. Plus he was on his phone... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDoJY-5pfX8

I also have footage of the negligence exhibited by the technician claiming he never replaced the exhaust clamps. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zb904t87a8E

Overall, I am utterly disappointed at this dealership and this experience. These videos prove that anyone should be suspicious of work done by the dealerships. With all that being said, go get your tensioner and timing chain replaced if you're under warranty! [:D]

[boostk420]

Wow!! Great investigation. I agree mechanics are sleeze balls. That's why I do all my work myself. I don't trust anyone. Also they are a mess and unorganized. Have you ever met a clean organized mechanic! Never! I asked for a dash cam for Christmas! I will get one for sure. These guys should be sued! Eff that.

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[boostk420]

How does an Audi certified work shop forget to tighten down an exhaust clamp.? A bunch of joeys.

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[whts4]

I'd forward your video to the owner/top manager at the dealership and AOA, along with your summary of the ordeal. I'd also contact an attorney to get an assessment of your rights and potential actions you could take. My guess is that as soon as mgmt and AOA see this info the dealers rating will plummet, atleast for the next 6 mos....no one will be happy....but you may get some type of restitution.

[Joker S4]

That's terrible, and hopefully you can get some kind of restitution. It's sad that this company has personnel and employees like this. Definitely get that to AoA and the dealership.

Side note, do you have a link to that camera you're using?

[Symko]

Unreal. Not sure how anyone can do this to someone else's property. You could see the first guy get nervous once he realized there was a dash cam installed. He started looking and fidgeting around like someone who just got caught doing something. Which he did.

What type of dashcsm do you have? It is either very discreet or this guy is a total idiot not recognizing it.

[sacandagaD]

Holy Ferris Bueller! I hope that dealership shits a brick when you go public with that, unbelievable.

[SForePlayin']

Make the same entry in the Audi Customer Experience forum.

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[AeyBeCei]

Holy hell, thank god for the dash cam. I hope the fools that worked on your car get punished and you get retribution.


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[boostk420]

Haha that's guy singing was ridiculous. He was doing snap chat story videos? He would singing that line thent hitting the gas to pick up the s4 exhaust sound. What a Joe. Should send that to "The Voice!". :) and the first ugly looking guy kept saying something about. "kissing face!" Weirdo.

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[Wreckm]

Makes me want to get a dash cam. and never take my car to a dealership lmao.
Penske west covina was terrible. They actually loosened a spark plug and left it loose after i declined plug change since i was doing it myself..

No problems from rusnak pasadena though.

[vpls4]

Beverly Hills Audi are complete a-holes. They had an S4 I wanted to buy, after about two months of looking.
They wouldn't sell me one because I lived out of state. It all worked out though because I got a nicer, newer one from a Honda dealer of all places.

[engineerjet]

dash cam orders just went up cuz of this thread...

[davesxx01]

Amazing! And sad! Side note,, which dash cam are you using? Brand/model?

[tsitalon1]

Amazing! And sad! Side note,, which dash cam are you using? Brand/model?

^^^ This :)

[rvcahawaii808]

i just installed a blackvue 750s 2-ch. really liking it so far. 1080p front and rear, although only the front records in 60fps.

[snocat17]

+1 to know what kind of dash cam this is.

[Dr GP]

Heard of this happening before. But I think ou need to share the info with Service manager, General manager, Owner and AoA. Be happy they didn't wreck the car. IMHO, you need to be compensated for what they did with your car. Just one question. Do you have the 4.2 V8 or the 3.0 SC engine?

[silentsleeper]

Thanks for everyone's support! I emailed AoA when they took my car the second time. They suggested I talk to the service manager but I wasn't about to go rattle cages when they still had my car...

The dash cam is the Vantrue N2 Pro, dual 1080p front and back. I got it off Amazon.com https://www.amazon.com/N2-Pro-1920x1080P-Dashboard-Detection/dp/B0742J69SQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1513725498&sr=1-1&keywords=vantrue+n2+pro

It's cheaper on Newegg, not sure why. https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA79U6KG7881&ignorebbr=1&nm_mc=KNC-GoogleMKP-PC&cm_mmc=KNC-GoogleMKP-PC-_-pla-_-Onboard+Camera+Systems-_-9SIA79U6KG7881&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIzs6nypuX2AIVjsBkCh2ekAJrEAYYASAB EgLv1PD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

The rear camera will not exposure properly for the back windows. I emailed Vantrue about this and they said it's meant to record the cabin. I got it because I wanted to record potential rear collision footage without buying another camera. But hey, it worked in my favor!

- - - Updated - - -


Make the same entry in the Audi Customer Experience forum.

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Thanks! I'll definitely do that.

[silentsleeper]

Makes me want to get a dash cam. and never take my car to a dealership lmao.
Penske west covina was terrible. They actually loosened a spark plug and left it loose after i declined plug change since i was doing it myself..

No problems from rusnak pasadena though.

I figured I'd take it back to the dealership where I bought the car just months before and they will take better ownership of any issues. Guess not.

- - - Updated - - -


Heard of this happening before. But I think ou need to share the info with Service manager, General manager, Owner and AoA. Be happy they didn't wreck the car. IMHO, you need to be compensated for what they did with your car. Just one question. Do you have the 4.2 V8 or the 3.0 SC engine?

It's a B8.5 S4 so 3.0 SC

[silentsleeper]

Unreal. Not sure how anyone can do this to someone else's property. You could see the first guy get nervous once he realized there was a dash cam installed. He started looking and fidgeting around like someone who just got caught doing something. Which he did.

What type of dashcsm do you have? It is either very discreet or this guy is a total idiot not recognizing it.

It should have hardwired it. It actually wasn't discrete at all. I plugged it into cig lighter without even tucking the cable. After he noticed it, he unplugged it.

[Dr GP]

I figured I'd take it back to the dealership where I bought the car just months before and they will take better ownership of any issues. Guess not.

- - - Updated - - -



It's a B8.5 S4 so 3.0 SC

Didn't realize chain tensioners were an issue with the 3.0 SC engine. common problem on the 4.2 v8

[plat]

O.P., I watched both videos you posted on YouTube and it was a good thing you caught them bastards on video. I won't generalize on Audi mechanics being all bad. Not all of them are. It all boils down to the Service Manager and the corporate culture of the dealership. If top management is rotten to the core with no real commitment to customer service, then the rest down the line will be rotten to the core too. It is difficult to believe that an Audi dealership does not have a QA/QC technician that inspect whether the cars that came in for service were properly serviced.

Back in the 90's, I worked for a Toyota dealership as a SA. Our service team had a QA/QC person who is the most senior mechanic in the shop that inspects the work of the other technicians and made sure they performed their work according to Toyota shop standards. They also ensured that the car is properly buttoned up and the problem resolved properly. A customer who returns with an unresolved issue is a strike against the performance of the shop which is reported back to Toyota HQ.

[PopTart]

Did you talk with the Service Manager yet?

[Corradobrit]

Didn't realize chain tensioners were an issue with the 3.0 SC engine. common problem on the 4.2 v8

The cold start rattle is down to poorly designed chain tensioners. Seems to be very common on the 3.0T platform

[Dippy]

It is never good to hear about such service from an Audi dealer. However America may lead the world in many things, but having bastards at Audi dealers may be something that the UK does better: Read this (http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/mechanic-george-cheese-locked-cage-13086388).

[Symko]

Well lucky for you he is an idiot and you caught him either way. Hopefully Audi will do good by you since there is no denying what he was doing. Good luck


It should have hardwired it. It actually wasn't discrete at all. I plugged it into cig lighter without even tucking the cable. After he noticed it, he unplugged it.

[silentsleeper]

O.P., I watched both videos you posted on YouTube and it was a good thing you caught them bastards on video. I won't generalize on Audi mechanics being all bad. Not all of them are. It all boils down to the Service Manager and the corporate culture of the dealership. If top management is rotten to the core with no real commitment to customer service, then the rest down the line will be rotten to the core too. It is difficult to believe that an Audi dealership does not have a QA/QC technician that inspect whether the cars that came in for service were properly serviced.

Back in the 90's, I worked for a Toyota dealership as a SA. Our service team had a QA/QC person who is the most senior mechanic in the shop that inspects the work of the other technicians and made sure they performed their work according to Toyota shop standards. They also ensured that the car is properly buttoned up and the problem resolved properly. A customer who returns with an unresolved issue is a strike against the performance of the shop which is reported back to Toyota HQ.


Actually, my SA wanted my permission so shop foreman could drive it home and back the next day which was around 40 miles. I was told he was the main QC for their work.

[s42014DSG]

It is never good to hear about such service from an Audi dealer. However America may lead the world in many things, but having bastards at Audi dealers may be something that the UK does better: Read this (http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/mechanic-george-cheese-locked-cage-13086388).

What. The. Fu....

[Joker S4]

What. The. Fu....

Agreed. Holy hell.

And yes, I do believe dashcam sales will now go up. I just bought one.

[achilleas101]

It should have hardwired it. It actually wasn't discrete at all. I plugged it into cig lighter without even tucking the cable. After he noticed it, he unplugged it.Is the power cord that attaches to the camera body detachable? I would guess it is, which means hardwiring wont make it 100% preventable from someone unplugging it. Harder to notice for sure. But not foolproof.

I use a Mobius action cam as my dash cam. One in front and one in back. Very small profile so its hard to notice. Cant see it from the driver seat (have it on other side of rear view) unless you move a good bit forward or back.