TDIII

Hi Gang:

I've got a 2011 6-speed S4 that, last Saturday, decided to eat it's thermostat.

Driving down the highway, A/C starts blowing warm air, then seconds later I get a RED dash warning to stop engine and check coolant level. I immediately pulled off at the first exit, shut her down, and checked the coolant level. Reserve tank is full, no coolant leaks anywhere to be seen, and both engine fans are running (engine shut off). Call the dealership, car is towed to service department, and received the call on Monday that the thermostat failed. SA advised that the water pump and thermostat are integrated, supercharger has to be pulled to access the pump/thermostat. Parts cost was $422, roughly 6-7 hours labor, total cost estimated at $1,300!!! Yikes! And, yes, I'm pretty sure that my car did NOT have the plastic water pump that caused so many issues on the 2010s and early '11s. I recall checking the housing and verifying that it was metal after receiving the car.

The car has 62,000 miles, has been maintained meticulously, and all service work has been performed at the dealership via AudiCare. Car has not been tracked, abused, or beaten at all. Of course, I'm 12,000 miles out of warranty and didn't purchase an extended warranty.....why would I on a three-year lease?

The bitch of it is that I am turning the car in later this month at lease-end for a 2014 SQ5! The good news is that my SA worked diligently with AOA and we were able to come to a mutually acceptable agreement on the total repair bill.

Just wanted my fellow B8ers to be aware. I follow AW and AZ religiously and have NOT come across this issue being suffered by any other forum members. Of course, this engine is in many other Audi applications, including my incoming SQ5. Seems to me that a thermostat going south on a less than 3 year-old car at 60K is unacceptable. YMMV.

Be careful out there!

isles1

There were TSBs issued with respect to certain VINs and bad thermostats. I hope you or the dealer ran your VIN and made sure the car did not have the faulty water pump that could have caused the thermostat to fail.

These are the vehicles effected re: the thermostat:

U.S.A.

2010-2011 A6
WAU_ G_FB_AN001608 - WAU_G_FB_BN030581
Production date: May 28, 2009 – October 01, 2010

2011 Q7
WA1_G_FE_BD000447 – WA1_G_FE_BD003507
Production date: August 13, 2010 – September 30, 2010

2010-2011 S5 Cabrio
WAU_GAFH_AN005249 – WAU_GAFH_BN006387
Production date: June 10, 2009 – September 29, 2010

2010-2011 S4
WAU_G_FL_AA007653 – WAU_G_FL_BA055169
Production date: June 05, 2009 – October 04, 2010


CANADA

2010-2011 A6
WAU_ G_FB_AN002163 - WAU_G_FB_BN030081
Production date: May 27, 2009 – September 30, 2010

2011 Q7
WA1_G_FE_BD001023 – WA1_G_FE_BD003508
Production date: July 13, 2010 – September 30, 2010

2010-2011 S5 Cabrio
WAU_GAFH_AN005314 – WAU_GAFH_BN006375
Production date: June 12, 2009 – September 30, 2010

2010-2011 S4
WAU_G_FL_AA007954 – WAU_G_FL_BA052350
Production date: June 03, 2009 – September 28, 2010

TDIII

isles:

Hmmm, interesting. No, I didn't run it and I don't know that I trust the dealer to do that for me. My VIN looks like it MIGHT fall in that range. Any suggestion on how/if I can run the VIN myself and find out for sure? Or can only the dealer do that?

Thanks!

m444

It has happened to other people, even though the thermostat was already changed once on the recall. Some people were not on the recall list, but it still failed later.

http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...=1#post8767248

http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...=1#post8714832

http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...=1#post8990787

http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...=1#post8757701

TDIII

Well ****! I'm NOT the only one that has had this issue! Thanks for posting these m444. If my car was eligible for the TSB and the dealership didn't apply it when I was in for past service visits, I'm going to be pissed!!! Any idea how I can check to see if I should have been eligible for the TSB by VIN?

iNfiNkC

yea this one was mine:
http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...king-time-bomb!

The water pump is not attached to the thermostat, so not sure why they are telling you that, you can get the thermostat out without touching the water pump, as you can see in my thread. I wouldnt let them take advantage of you on having them replace both if only the tstat failed. Proof is in my pictures that they are not one unit.

I was out of warranty also, have extended coverage, but it says thermostat not covered! So I had to do it myself to save $

Wish aoa would do something about this issue, would love to get reimbursed for the failed part.

Evo8twoS4

I am living this as we speak. My thread at 52K, 2K out of warranty. (last post)

https://www.audiworld.com/forums/s4-b8-platform-discussion-134/

Before I post an update I'm still waiting on AoA. You are not alone. fwiw - I did not have the plastic water pump.

m444

AOA Letter from April 2011;

Bobby Kinstle

Why would you go to the stealership for a water pump change? Find a local shop with a good reputation and do it for 1/3 to 1/2 of that.

TDIII

Ummm, because I was HOPING that Audi of America would offer some assistance, step up to the plate, and assume at least part of the cost of repairs, which they ultimately did......

An indy shop would not have offered me that assistance.