I wanted to put this all in writing in the event any of the information was miscommunicated, and to explain where I'm coming from and where I think this is going. The issue is concerning my 2010 Audi S4 in 6 speed manual transmission with 5100 miles. I custom ordered this car in February 2010 and received it in April 2010.

On Tuesday, August 10 at 5:15 PM PDT I returned to the hotel from work in San Mateo and valeted the car. At approximately 6:00 PM I called down and asked for the car, to which the man on the phone replied it would be ready in 10-15 minutes. I came down 10 minutes later and waited an additional 10 minutes. The valet pulled the car to the corner of XXXXXXXX, about 5 car lengths from the front door. As soon as I sat in the car I immediately knew something was wrong. There was a very strong smell of burning throughout the entire cabin. A burned clutch has a very distinct smell, almost like short circuited electronics. It is much different than the smell of brake pads melting on hot rotors. I immeidately got out of the car and chased the valet and asked him if he knows how to drive stick. He then confessed that he was not the one driving the car, and that a 3rd party garage had moved the car out of the spot. He sort of wanted me to go to away but I started to get irate and wanted this situation to be elevated to the front desk staff. He went inside and got the hotel manager. The front desk person admitted that he could smell burning from inside the hotel lobby. The hotel manager came outside and confirmed that there was a burning smell in and around the car. We agreed that I would not be paying for parking for the entire visit, and that I would be self parking in the garage on XXXXXXXXXXX. The cost is about $11 for me to park overnight.

I went out to dinner on Van Ness completely furious. After driving around for 20 minutes there was still a burning smell outside the car. The clutch "take-up" or "engagement point" has moved way up towards the driver, and away from the floor. The older a clutch is, the further away from the floor the engagement point moves. The clutch still engages, but it feels to me like it is slipping more than it should. I learned to drive stick when I was 17 and my last two cars (since 2005) have been 6 speed manual. The clutch on my previous BMW had plenty of life left after 67,000 miles of ownership when I sold it. I called the hotel manager from my iPhone and told her I wanted to have the local Audi dealer (Rector Posche-Audi) inspect the car to find out:

1) If the clutch is damaged
2) How much clutch life remains (should be over 95%)
3) Was the parking brake or any other component damaged

I want the hotel to pay for the inspection and the loaner car to find out if anything is wrong. I will bring a copy of the report to the hotel manager. If the clutch needs to be replaced, I want the hotel to call in with a credit card number and pay the dealership directly. I am in no mood to have a claim outstanding for months while the garage / hotel operator / hotel owner / hotel franchise / insurance company work it out.