Flint

I'm not entirely sure how to put into words what's happening, so I apologize if there are other threads on this topic, I'm just not sure what search terms to use for it (go ahead and search-is-your-friend me and drop some links, better than nothing!).

So, it's an '01 6-speed Manual, 2.7t if that makes a difference here.

I was on the interstate in rush hour traffic and I slowed down almost to a stop. When traffic started moving again I heard what can be best described as a "pop" and I kinda felt like I had run over something minor on the left front (driver's) side. I looked in my mirror, saw nothing on the ground. So I shrugged and tried to speed up. Nothing. The engine just revved. I was in first gear. Tried second, still nothing. Somehow I had some momentum or just flooring the gas got me *some* forward motion, but I managed to get over three lanes and onto the shoulder interstate (with my autistic 3-year-old with me for added nervousness).

Now, I just had a bunch of work done detailed here. Pretty much the entire front suspension (right front wheel was so off camber it got destroyed), plus the right front axle. I had been hearing a squeaking sound for the last few days, which my mechanic thought was the strut, also right front. The struts, he said, were probably original. And acrtually, the sound had completely gone away. The only thing I noticed before this happened was a slight juddering as I was braking, which was completely new, the car had been otherwise driving normally for the last few days (despite the CEL, ABS and traction control lights all being on solid, which would have been the next thing for me to diagnose).

I'm taking it back to the mechanic, but I'd appreciate any second opinions so I can have some backup.

Thanks

Kris Hansen

My guess is one of the axles fell off, or broke.

georgeb944

+1

Flint

Well, they just replaced the driver's front axle. Okay, so I'm entering new car knowledge territory with these AWD systems, so why would one breaking cause the other three not to work at all?

georgeb944

That's just the way it works. It is not 4WD, it is quattro.

Google the difference and you will understand.

Flint

Definitely the axle.

Looking under the car, I can plainly see it laying there.


I'm definitely going to have words with the shop over this. Whoever worked on this should never touch a car again! I was lucky traffic was slow on the interstate, my son and I could have been killed.

Flint

I do know not all Quattro-branded cars use the same type of AWD system (torsen vs Haldex for example), but it never occurred to me that the whole system would stop working if one axle ceased to function. Well, Today (yesterday, technically) I Learned!

Harleyguy

Not to make light of the situation, but it could have been worse. Glad you got things sorted out. It does seem that the shop should have caught this doing all the other front-end work. At this point I would consider another shop. It is often difficult to find a decent shop that you trust but worth the effort. Happy no one got hurt.

Flint

Yes, it could have been worse and I could have been going full speed on the interstate when this happened. In any case, this is the axle they just replaced when they did all the other work. I am quite pissed at this. To be honest the reason I went there was because it was closer to my house and I could drop the car off on Saturday (when you have a special needs kid who needs to be shuttled all over to therapies, that's a huge plus). I actually have a different mechanic I've taken my 928 to forever who's done more work for me. I hope he's still in business, because I'll have to start using him again.

Harleyguy

If they had just replaced that axle then in my opinion they should stand behind their work and cover your costs. I would hazard a guess that they placed the axle and ran the bolts down snug but didn't torque them right away thinking they would come back after the other end was in place then do a final torque.Not unreasonable until you forget to come back to that point. I too am some distance from a trusted shop. I own a large pickup truck and on the occasions where I needed to get the car there, I rented a car trailer from Uhaul. A one day rental was around $75 if I returned the trailer to the place where I rented it. Car dolly WON'T work on a Quattro. They must be flat bedded or trailered.This was many dollars ahead of calling a tow if you have the skills to load and pull a trailer. 1) Get the previous shop to cover the axle and any resulting damage. 2) Find another shop.