Ray Magliozzi
Dear Car Talk:
I just received notice of a class action settlement for excessive oil consumption on my 2013 Audi A4 Allroad. My car does consume a lot of oil. The class action would cover 75% of the repair costs.
But here’s the problem: Three days after receiving the notice, the Check Engine light came on. I brought it to my local foreign car specialist, and they determined the timing chain was the cause. Now I cannot demonstrate that I have excessive oil consumption, because I cannot drive the car until I replace the timing chain. But if I could show excessive oil use, it would save me around $3,000 and I could get the timing chain replaced at the same time the oil problem is repaired.
Stuck between a very large rock and a very hard place. Any suggestions?
— Elaine
Elaine, have you considered asking Judge Judy? She probably keeps a set of torque wrenches under her bench.
You’re in a tough spot. And, unfortunately, I think your best bet might be to throw yourself on the mercy of the Audi dealer. If you go ahead and have it fixed and pay out of pocket, it’s possible they’ll deny your claim after the fact, and say you have no proof that your car was defective.
The best-case scenario for approaching the dealer would be to have some old repair slips, which show that you’ve complained about oil consumption in the past. But whether you have any such supporting evidence or not, I think you have to hope that the dealer feels some obligation to help you.
So, I’d speak to the dealership manager first. Tell them that you’ve been experiencing the oil consumption problem and be prepared to estimate how much oil you were recently losing (for example, a quart every 750 miles). Explain that your timing chain has now failed, and you can no longer drive the car, so you can’t do the dealer’s oil consumption test.
They should know that it’s at least possible that your two problems are related. The timing chain’s tensioner is operated by oil pressure, and if your oil pressure was routinely low due to the excessive consumption, the tensioner may have failed.
Ask if they’ll agree to fix the oil consumption problem under the class action. And offer to pay the additional costs of fixing the timing chain while they’re in there. They might tell you to take a long walk off a short Ingolstadt pier, Elaine. In which case, you’re no worse off than you are now, and you can decide whether to fix the car or let it go.
But, who knows, maybe they’ll surprise you, see you as a potential future new-car customer and work with you. I hope so.
Got a question about cars? Write to Ray in care of King Features, 628 Virginia Drive, Orlando, FL 32803, or email by visiting the Car Talk website at www.cartalk.com.
