bnl107

I bought my S4 used just about 2 months ago. The car runs great, however I started noticing a little rattle sometimes while driving but mostly when the clutch was depressed. I took it into my local Audi dealership and they had a mechanic come out for a ride with me. He heard the noise and said it was the throw-out bearing. I made an appointment to get it fixed. That was last week, I dropped it off this morning.

Today at about 5pm when I was about to leave work the Service Manager calls me and says that the throw-out bearing went bad because water somehow got into the bell housing and rusted everything out. Then he says he'll cover the bearing, but the clutch, flywheel, and pressure plate are also bad and I have to pay for that!

I hung up and was at the dealership within 10 minutes. He showed me the rusted out parts and I asked him why he wouldn't cover them. His answer was that it was abuse since water was in the bell-housing and that I must have "driven through a puddle". Knowing the answer, I asked him and the mechanic, "Should water be able to get into the bell-housing?". "No", they both replied. I argued with them that nothing else under the car was rusted, and that since water shouldn't have been able to get inside to rust the clutch, flywheel, and pressure plate out, it should be covered under warranty.

In the, I ended up leaving saying that I would have to call Audi USA and get back to them. They will cover the labor and what not, but they want me to pay over $1000 in parts for everything. What should I do? I've never been in this position before. I don't understand how they could say they will cover the throw-out bearing, but not the clutch or the other components. It just doesn't make sense. And can driving through a puddle cause water to enter the bell-housing? And if so, would that really count as abuse???

Thanks in advance guy/girls.

BTW - My car is completely stock and has 40k miles.

hinesy

It's outside the realm of normal wear and tear. :-(

sales@avalonmotorsports

if they don't cover it, time for RS4 clutch components!

bnl107

Should I try calling Audi USA?

AJG

Blessing in disguise - Have them put in an RS4 clutch.

[not Steve] Trac

Try a different dealership.

Vtec_Killer

If you are within warranty specs, then yes. I would try another dealership first.

bnl107

I can't think of any other dealerships near-by. Anyway, they already have the entire tranny out.

Aggie Pilot

is driving through puddles outside of normal wear and tear? Please tell me if I'm wrong, but that is one of the most ridiculous things I've heard in a while!!

Vtec_Killer

So that means you are not allowed to drive in rain or snow, just sunshine.