airking1111

SO here are some facts on what AoA has come to regarding taking responsibility for a safety related defect with the fuel system in a great car.

After isolating the P0456 16840 DTC tank ventilation system pinhole leak to the fuel tank I decided to get the system tested by a dealer. Since the Audi dealer I used for the safety recall had no desire to listen to my troubleshooting process, I was concerned about their objectivity and consulted a local Volks dealer. Sure enough, they listened, and cleverly isolated the leak (overfilled the tank to filler tube level) to a valve fractured at the nipple atop the tank.

I was amazed to see that lowering the tank meant complete removal of the rear suspension subframe! That's what a half day's labor will get you at a competent shop. Anyway, when I heard the bill ($2.7K), I figured that I should contact Audi of America and make a claim.

In spite of images showing them images of the cracked valve, dust witness marks on the tank that showed it had never been removed, and an objective 3rd party, AoA would provide no reimbursement/parts or other consideration. In fact, initially they wouldn't even have a discussion on the matter without a dealer diagnosis.

Ultimately I decided to contact the original dealer, and after some discussion, they agreed agreed to have a look. I get the sense that they found some legitimacy in the claim - but they stated that AoA would utlimately offer no consideration. Reasons:

1) Recall was on other side of the tank - this particular valve was not part of the recall and they've seen only a few others with issues

2) Fuel tank was out of 4 year, 50000 mile warrantee.

SO - back to the title - what's your opinion? Anyone out there believe that a fuel tank should be a serviceable (read expendible) item in 6 years!

By the way - anyone else had this problem (passenger side tank vent valve).

PPGOAL

IMHO, a gas tank should not have these problems, but stuff happens. Since there was a recall for other valve, I would contact AoA again and escalate your claim. At the end of the day, if they refuse to help you're on your own. It sucks.

airking1111

Thanks for the feedback. We're coming up on a week into exactly that process. Not really just little ole me against the big guy. We'll see what happens, I'll not comment for a while. Hopefully, they will take responsibility, the safety hazard. THIS is a big deal! It's not 1976 and the industry has learned a lot about fuel tanks since then. Thanks again.

2.7Lturbo

no its not a big DEAL, i have 3 fuel pump nipples breaks because the lines used to connect them severly shrink in arizona heat causing a stress fracture.. it was on my jetta nd i worked for a freakin dealer as a tech, they wouldnt fix it and i quote, tank related recalls were not for the pump, and there was a TSA to add an extension piece to the pump.... unfortunnately for me i was the third owner, and the independant shop my father took it to twice did call VW about the piece.after 3 years of the BS, i finally drove it into my stall and fixed it correctly. moral of the story, **** happens and the company cant always be at fault. think about the airfrance crash and airbus, the pitot tubes froze up causing bad sensor readings and was a factor in the crash. is it airbuses fault they froze? well they do provide a heater to the tube, but it still failed. is it th e pilots fault? should they have flown around the storm. its easy to try and place the blame on someone else, when in reality hundreds of thousands of products work fine each day with no problem, just chalk it up to **** happens

airking1111

Wow - interesting response. Good you were able to fix it right after the frustration! Thanks for the feedback - it's noted.

As for Airbus/Air France I'm not sure about your point. They have now replaced 100% those sensors. They acted immediately without conclusive evidence of a failure, perhaps in view of the safety concern. Aside from the tragedy, it leaves me with the impression they are a stand up company/operator that takes responsibiltiy for their product/service! As for the pilots, easy target - until the find the FDR/CVR is recovered, we will not know their actions.

I buy Audi because engineering excellence is clearly in their product vision, as is technical leadership. My 2.7T 6 speed is a winner - and I've had two now. They are, and continue to be, awesome machines. Not perfect, but then I have never met perfect...

Isn't the bottom line that when things happen, you take responsibilty & fix it? In the long run doesn't this avoid someone getting hurt, or in situations like mine and yours not having to pay thousands for a cheap unservicable plastic part - or fixing a pump multiple times with your dad stressing out over principles? You guys should have been watching a game or drinking a beer or something?

Anyway, I guess we'll see where Audi business leadership comes down on the responsibility part of the equation when there is an escape. 3 years eh? Maybe I'll buy a keg!

JerzyBoy973

It wasn't covered under the recall because it wasn't the part that was recalled. It's out of warranty so it won't be covered that way. Beyond the fact that it sucks, there's nothing else to be gotten from this thread. Nobody's paying for it but you, the owner of the vehicle. Like you said nothings perfect. Some things things that break are cheap and some aren't. It's life, deal with it.

advancedautomotion

Two words... Plastic weld....

And yes the rear suspension has to be removed to access the fuel tank. the tanks on these things are a rather big plastic extrusion that occupies all the nooks and cranies between the body and the rear suspension.

byrdie

I have a 2001 A6 Avant with a leaking fuel tank vent. I have attempted to get help from Audi since the issue is very similar to the recall regarding a leaking rollover valve. Their requests for action on my part are a roadblock. I am hoping to learn of successful repair procedures. Replacing the entire fuel tank is beyond my desire for investment into this car. After all, it has the typical Audi problem of parts breaking more than should be expected.

One tact you may take with Audi is the 10 year / 100,000 mile warranty for emissions applies. A leaky fuel tank is emitting unburned hydrocarbons and is therefore Audi's responsibility. Of course they will say a fuel tank is not an emission control component but, it is worth a try.

I also ask you to file a complaint with NHTSA. If they get a critical mass of complaints they may open an investigation that could eventually lead to a recall. It doesn't help you of course since your issue was a long time ago but, it does help other Audi owners.

SloopJohnB@mac.com

I think the fuel tank IS an emission component....keep at it. Small claims court works too.

byrdie

I thought a reply to update this post was completed but, it is not here.

I wrote a letter to the CEO of Audi about my tank leak problem. He had their customer service contact me about the issue. Customer service requested that I pay Audi service to diagnosis the problem. So I had the service tech do an official diagnosis. Sure he could see the leak just like I could. But he wouldn't say it was caused by a broken plastic nipple. The tank would need to be removed to confirm the cause. Audi customer service said I should pay for further diagnosis work before they would even discuss who should pay for the repairs. I told the customer service representative that unless Audi committed to pay for tank repair, I would not pay for additional diagnosis work. The dealer speculated that the repair would require complete replacement of the fuel tank. The repair cost, estimated to be between $2,000 and $3,000, would be more than half the blue book value of the car! The additional diagnosis, dropping the tank to get a better look, would basically be half the work to replace the tank. Why would you diagnose unless you committed to completing the repair?

The customer service representative asked me what I will do to repair the car. I told her I will not likely proceed with the repair given the cost in relation to total car value. I would instead consider purchasing a different vehicle and probably one made by another manufacturer. I enjoy the Audi product performance but, I do not enjoy the real or perceived lack of component integrity.

A week and a half later the dealership called and informed me that the Audi factory decided to pay the full cost of fuel tank replacement. My car would be repaired by the dealership for free! So I think Audi leadership does care about their individual customers.

Will I buy another Audi? I still haven't had to make that decision. There have still been other component failures. Things that shouldn't fail and things that cost far more than their intrinsic value. But then how does this compare to Audi's competition? You can't really know until you've experienced ownership.