Kugs11
01-25-2008, 01:18 PM
I learned something today. This morning I blew a tire (Dunlop Wintersport M3) on my 2004 AR 4.2. I called Audi roadside assistance, and they sent a truck. However, the rims I use for my winter tires apparently have a very deep and narrow column to reach the lug nuts, so none of the guy's wrenches would work--inluding the one in my AR.
Audi then dispatched another truck which supposedly would have the right tools, but it would be a "60 minute wait." 90 minutes later he arrived but did not have the right tools and claimed he had "never seen anything like it," "it" being the rims I have. So, truck number three--this time a flatbed tow truck--was sent. Another "15 minute wait" that took more like 40. Truck number 3 then struggled to load my car onto the flatbed because, in his words, "these damned foreign cars are so
f---'n hard to tow." It was a 25 minute drive to the Audi dealer (the only approved destination for an Audi-paid towing). To their credit, the dealer was extremely responsive. They put the car on a lift immediately and diagnosed a
tire beyond repair....a large piece of metal through the tread.
Several phone calls to tire suppliers and dealers in town revealed that the tire is backordered to local suppliers, and to make matters worse has been discontinued in favor of a newer model. I finally found one on Tirerack.com, but it will take 4-5 days to arrive. So now I have 3 Dunlop Wintersport M3s, and one pilot sport until the new wintersport arrives.
I had no idea that the rims I have would cause so much trouble. The place that installed them had no difficulty with them, and neither did the Audi dealer today. But three towing companies did. So I learned to carry the correct size wrench with me!
Audi then dispatched another truck which supposedly would have the right tools, but it would be a "60 minute wait." 90 minutes later he arrived but did not have the right tools and claimed he had "never seen anything like it," "it" being the rims I have. So, truck number three--this time a flatbed tow truck--was sent. Another "15 minute wait" that took more like 40. Truck number 3 then struggled to load my car onto the flatbed because, in his words, "these damned foreign cars are so
f---'n hard to tow." It was a 25 minute drive to the Audi dealer (the only approved destination for an Audi-paid towing). To their credit, the dealer was extremely responsive. They put the car on a lift immediately and diagnosed a
tire beyond repair....a large piece of metal through the tread.
Several phone calls to tire suppliers and dealers in town revealed that the tire is backordered to local suppliers, and to make matters worse has been discontinued in favor of a newer model. I finally found one on Tirerack.com, but it will take 4-5 days to arrive. So now I have 3 Dunlop Wintersport M3s, and one pilot sport until the new wintersport arrives.
I had no idea that the rims I have would cause so much trouble. The place that installed them had no difficulty with them, and neither did the Audi dealer today. But three towing companies did. So I learned to carry the correct size wrench with me!