Timing Chain Oil Leak?

[se.farrell]

For reference: 2008 A6 3.2L

When I was doing my 85K I was told that there was a MINOR oil leak in the (?) timing chain box (?). Given that this deals with the timing chain, I want to make sure that I prevent all possible dilemmas. Although I chose to forgo the repair at the time, but the cost to repair was around the $7-900 range.

I work on my car frequently and have never seen any evidence of a leak.

So,
Has anyone heard of this?
I have not found this to be a common problem
if it is indeed there - would it be addressable to a noninvasive inspection
Any ideas on what the cause can be - no accidents

Additionally,
How common it is to have a dead cell in our batteries? I was told I have one - which I attribute to the 2 front door locks going bad. Pass first - intermittently, now completely dead / Driver 2nd - intermittently, then totally dead and now will lock if I use keyless to open rear driver and re-lock from rear driver handle lock button. (<- YAY Audi! )

I have gotten VAG codes for the locks so stay tuned for a write up on hot to fix / replace (tons of info out there on this). Brutal the part is $400ish from dealer and $200 new from china (generic)

[SinCityA6]

I have heard of the timing chain covers developing a leak but not a "box". Since the timing chain covers are sealed with RTV and not an actual gasket, most of the cost they are quoting you would be labor.

As for the battery, it is not uncommon for a battery to develop a dead cell over time. I doubt the door lock issues you are experiencing would cause the battery to drop a cell.


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[2010A6]

Just curious, where did you get the 85k done at? Audi?


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[se.farrell]

I have heard of the timing chain covers developing a leak but not a "box". Since the timing chain covers are sealed with RTV and not an actual gasket, most of the cost they are quoting you would be labor.

As for the battery, it is not uncommon for a battery to develop a dead cell over time. I doubt the door lock issues you are experiencing would cause the battery to drop a cell.


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Thanks Sin.

That’s actually what I was talking about (Timing Chain Cover), it had just been about a week since I spoke to the guy. After a little research on audiworld, it seems that this is a known problem and should have a TSB. At initial glance, I did not find the TSB in Kevin’s library. But When I find it, I’ll post it up for others’ future use.

Concerning the battery – I assumed it was common. I mean this is a battery we are talking about. I was more stating that I knew the battery had gone, which probably jumpstarted my problems with the door locks. The locking mechanism is known not to be the most craft fully engineered part. So I figured that my having a dead cell (despite MMI always displaying 100%) contributed to the premature failure. Especially since (**not actually speaking the words aloud WHILE knocking on wood**) my car, mainly front D/S door is back to locking and unlocking – as long as I use keyless to enter/exit the car from either of the rear doors haha.

I’m going to begin with replacing the passenger-side lock mech., as that is the “most dead”. I have been delaying for a while because I just don’t know if I really want to deal with (read: be responsible for) ripping the door apart to embark on what could turn into a wild goose chase.

[se.farrell]

Just curious, where did you get the 85k done at? Audi?


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Yea...

The order in which I would have preferred:
1.) Do it myself
2.) Reputable indy
3.) Stealership

But, with it being the last biggie/ scheduled maint I will do in a while, I had someone offer to pay for it if it was done at Audi.
Wasn't my first choice or best experience, but I'm out of the woods now.
Prices they quoted me for "recommended" work were actually laughable.

[95blkmax]

Regarding the battery- A bad cell is the most common failure among ALL lead-acid batteries (including AGM-type), so don't be too concerned by that diagnosis.

As for the MMI's reading 100% charge- It's understandable that it SEEMS odd, but it's actually not. The MMI is reading the voltage of the battery at the terminals. With the engine ON, the alternator is "charging" the battery, so the MMI will naturally see it as fully charged. With the engine OFF, there is minimal electrical load on the battery so it's possible still for the MMI to show 100%. What happens with a bad cell is when you apply an actual load on the battery (such as the starter, the lock system [depending on the amperage draw], all windows up/ down at the same time, etc...) that bad cell will pull the voltage from the other cells, so you'd quickly see the voltage at the terminal (under load) go from mid 12s to 10, 9, 8, etc... Really any 12v battery that under a load (of the CCA it's rated at) and the voltage drops below 9.7v it's a gonner. A charged, good battery under load will usually stabilize in the mid to low 10v range. Once a battery fails a load test, the next step is to take a hydrometer (very few people still use these nowadays, mainly your old-school old-timer mechanics) and "float the cells". One will usually find that all the cells are floating at mid 12v then there's the one random cell at 9v- there's your bad cell. EDIT- A "bad cell" is considered when the battery is fully charged and you have a cell that is more than .5V off from the others. It IS possible to have more than one cell go bad.

Sorry for the speech. I've been working with battery distributor for the last 4 years, so it's my area of expertise lol. BTW- my application chart shows the 3.2 C6s are having a group 49/H8 battery. However, when I replaced my battery last year, my car had the big boy battery (group 95R/H9 AGM). It was VW's part# 000915105CFDSP. So just check what battery is in there now before going to a parts store to check for battery prices.

Good luck!