Thanks for update Morka..
Not heard from Audi UK yet about refund, will post when I get reply..
Take care
michelle
Not heard from Audi UK yet about refund, will post when I get reply..
Take care
michelle
Audi A4 Brake Failure Problem
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02-09-10 19:44part refund?
update on the refund from audi re damaged servo parts due to pelham chamber issue..Recieved a cheque today following my recall service, although my invoice was for £700 they have sent me £350:confused:No letter or explantion as to why I have not received the full cost of the repairs. Will contact the service centre in Sheffield tomorrow for answers...
Watch this space..
Safe Driving
Michelle -
26-09-10 20:11
What was the outcome Michelle? Audi warrington have faxed my bills & a copy of their email (the one I pasted on here) to Audi UK. I'll give them a call tomorrow.
One tip if you're calling Audi UK (which is an 0800 number) to remember that if you're calling from a mobile call 01908601000. -
27-09-10 19:12Full refund - RESULT!!
Hi Paul... VERY PLEASED to say I have now received full refund, not without a few calls to Audi and the service centre at Sheffield though. The service centre at Sheffield only gave me a part refund because they said they couldn't understand how water had gotten into the servo pump as it was located at the other side of the engine? I said I wasn't happy as the damage was all caused by the water ingress and I was going to complain to Audi UK. I called the customer relations team and asked them to investigate why I wasn't being given a full refund as the parts damaged was all related (I also contacted the garage and asked for an explanation, the garage said they are connected by a hose and water had been sucked into the engine and servo pump) The customer relations guy asked their own technical department if this could happen and they said it could, I got the remaining balance in couple of weeks later, without so much as a compliment slip from the Sheffield centre! They also picked up that my front brakes needed doing and I had a slight leak on the turbo boost pipe? The car is booked in for the work to be done at my local very friendly garage and paid for by the refund!
Whilst I am happy to have had the refund and now know about the issue so that it can be checked as a matter of service, I do worry about all the people who don’t know about the issue and I pray that no one is hurt as a result.
GOOD LUCK… -
16-11-10 12:42Brakes locked on
Hi All,
This morning whilst driving my kids to school my brakes came fully on as I came down a steep hill without me even having pressed the brake pedal. The car came to an abrupt holt, no idea if the brake lights would have come on as I had not touched the pedal. had a car been following close behind I have no doubt there would have been an accident. They then remained rock hard with me just about able to pull the car onto the kerb - the clutch smelt pretty bad after.
Read through this thread and hearing about water entering the brake servo and master cylinder down to a blockage in the plenum chamber allowing water to collect has angered me greatly. How can Audi not be taking this issue seriously! I received the letter about a month ago regarding the recall for the plenum chamber but was totally unaware that it was a potential safety issue otherwise I would have acted upon it sooner.
I had my car taken to Camberley Audi this morning and its now with them. I mentioned the recall at the time to the service adviser and they said they would deal with that also. I also asked if there was a common issue with the brakes on these cars to which he said he was not aware of any.
I'm angry because of what happened this morning but also that Audi clearly know the implication of this plenum chamber issue but failed to publicise it properly, surely they should be following up letters with phone calls to ensure people bring their cars in to be looked at, its outrageous! Maybe if they mentioned on the recall notice that the car needed to be brought in immediately as there is a potential for brake failure I would have done so straight away
I'd also like to get peoples views on how I stand in terms of the cost of all this. Should I be liable to pay the potential £800 bill to fix this given that they have in some way admitted liability by acknowledging the issues with the plenum chamber?
Thanks
Mr T -
16-11-10 13:25had the same happen to me couple of years back b6 a4 same problem only I never got letter chances are you wont have a leg to stand on as they wont admit to the two being linked. thought i had got away with just the servo but two month later master cylinder went causing brakes to stick on. Did the work myself with genuine audi parts. Worth trying for trade prices if nothing else and i managed to get a free four wheel brake test carryed out after. Drivers side brake caliper was damaged as well due to binding. Once i got it sorted i ran it in then flushed the brake system again just to make sure and fitted new disks and pads. all been fine since im pleased to say:)
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18-11-10 15:55I bought my 2002 a4 tdi quattro a month ago and the brake issue just happened to me at a roundabout. luckily i was quick enough with the hand brake.
this thread has been very helpful as i phoned my local audi garage who denied all knowledge of any such problems and dismissed the comments from the internet as being rubbish. :mad::mad::mad:
i then phoned 2 specialists who didnt really know how to solve the problem and said they would call back.
then i found this thread and boy has it helped.
I phoned Audi Uk on 01908601000 and asked them about recalling my car.
I quoted the "51B7" recall reference and the lad knew exactly what i was talking about.
he spoke to there technical team who confirmed the issues i had and said it would not be a problem to sort.
they told me to phone my local audi again but after telling them about the uninterested local dealership, he phoned the service manager of the local dealership and got the car booked in while i was still on the phone. :)
havent dealed with Audi Uk before but the lad was extremely helpful in sorting the arrangements
car is booked in for tuesday afternoon so fingers crossed. will let you know the outcome. -
18-11-10 17:15Update
Camberley Audi called me back today around midday to report that following their investigations they have found that there is water ingress into the master cylinder. He also advised that there had been water ingress into the car as it was steaming up inside. He advised it was likely that the carpets were wet and would need drying out.
I asked if this was related to a blocked plenum chamber which he said not necessarily but when I asked how water could get into the master cylinder he said if water collected in the plenum chamber it was possible.
He had contacted Audi UK on my behalf and put in a request to carry out the work as a good will gesture but advised they were looking into it and would get back to me on their decision. Based on Haggis's post above I would hope that they are consistent here and the outcome is favorable. If not I will be putting in a call to Audi UK myself.
Will keep you posted.
thanks
Toby -
30-11-10 22:59audis response
Just had exectly the same thing happen to my wifes car,problem was i didnt believe her as when i got home and checked the brakes they had defrosted.Last saturday i went to move her car and found the brake peddle solid thought ohh my god that could be fatal.
Got in the house and checked the forums and found that this is a design fault and audi were not prepared to admit any liability?
Went to halesowen audi 1st thing monday and have got to say they were fantastic (was expecting a row) they said they would check the service record and see if the car had been recalled,they got back in touch tuesday and said they would book my car in for a full repair at there cost due to damage done from a design fault.They are replacing the servo and modifying the plenum.
And by the way i dont work for audi. -
01-12-10 13:19Phil1968 - Glad to hear you got it sorted out quickly and without incident.
Update - Short story is I got the car back on Monday all repaired FOC (New brake servo, master cylinder and various other little bits and bobs) by Audi UK bar a couple of pieces of trim amounting to £25 that were not damaged due to the plenum chamber but were best replaced at the time.
The long story - Continuing from my previous update above Camberley Audi called me back to advise that Audi UK had declined to pay for the damage to the car. I asked him to hold off doing any work until I had contacted Audi UK for myself. I put in a call saying I wished to make a complaint recounting what had happened so far including that they had already declined to pay for the damage but mentioned that I was very unhappy with the response, held Audi UK liable due to the issue with the plenum chamber and that they were lucky no one was injured including my children. In summary I gave them a good ear bashing, politely, and left it with them to make a decision suggesting that possibly a well known BBC consumer program would be hearing about it if the outcome were not favourable.
The next day Camberley Audi called back to say Audi UK had changed their mind and they would be covering the costs under warranty. This was a complete U turn but on collecting the car I was advised that this was likely down to the fact that when they put in the request it would have gone straight to the Warranty Dept rather than via the Customer Services dept as when I had called. I can't fault Camberley Audi at all as they did everything they could for me and were very pleasant to deal with.
The only thing that in my opinion is not resolved are the countless motorists and pedestrians still at risk with people driving cars that have the same issue who are totally unaware. Audi seriously need to consider their approach to dealing with this before someone is seriously injured or killed.
If anyone else has this issue and comes to this forum I would suggest you don't accept no for an answer as clearly Audi UK are accepting the cost of repair.
N.B - Just to add further, I have not had my car serviced with a main dealer rather a specialist for the last 3 years. This is not an argument they can use and is of no consequence despite them suggesting this is a 'maintenance' issue.
thanks
Mr T -
03-12-10 09:36My experience with Audi Uk changed tack very quickly. I put the car in last Tuesday and was told i can just wait for it. I had told them 3 times in person that the brakes were knackered.
When i got the car back they told me the plenum recall had been carried out. I asked if the brakes were ok and got a blank look. The young service organizer was very puzzled by the brake and plenum chamber recall and asked for the master technician to speak to me.
while i was waiting for him i phoned audi uk who told me that the work would not be done to the brakes as it could be a different issue. A complete U turn after speaking to the same gentleman the previous week. He told me the car was now fixed and safe to drive as no water could get in.
By this time the master technician was standing beside me listening to this. I then told the Audi UK representative that i told the audi dealership and audi uk on 3 separate calls and in person about the brake issue but nothing was done.
I then said if audi uk was happy the car was fixed i can assume its ok to drive along the motorway tonight with my 2 kids in the back. The master tech then stopped me and agreed to look the brakes over.
I had a phone call the next day telling me they found a brown mark in the servo where the water had been and as far as the dealership were concerned it was caused by the recall.
I think its important to get the car properly checked and make as many people aware as possible because nobody wants to pay for any parts.
I was shocked by Audi UK's u turn on the situation but i was extremely pleased with my dealerships attitude to safety and how seriously they took the matter.
Car is running fine now with a new servo, master cylinder and some pipes so in the end i'm a happy camper.
and it was all FOC :) -
04-12-10 11:15SUCCESSAfter much wrangling with Audi Warrington I am getting a full refund for work carried out to the brake servo and new relays in the ECU box:D
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21-12-10 12:37Thankyou
I would like to say a big thankyou to everyone who has posted there experiences on here! My A4 was displaying these issues at the weekend and I couldn't for the life of me work out what was going on.
I have the car booked in today at the local dealer who has confirmed that we have an outstanding plenum chamber recall (we weren't aware of this either!) so they are going to look at it all together - fingers crossed.
Are Audi repairing these brake issues as part of the plenum chamber modifications, or will I have to call customer services to plead my case?
Thanks Again! -
21-12-10 23:37Same Problem
I am suffering the exact same symptoms and issues as all of the rest of you. Hopefully Audi will oblige me... -
26-02-11 22:32A4 Braking Problems
Hi all, thanks to all for the infomation on this post.
I had exactly the same problems with my 51 plate A4 for the past 2 winters and numerous braking issues that I now know are a result of the water ingress.
Stumbled accross this thread and contacted Audi, I had the recall letter but it had been sent to my old address shortly after we moved so i never recieved it.
Anyway cut a long story short, car went in to local audi dealer for the recall and they also carreid out a safety check on the rest of the braking system. I have been given assureance from them that it is now safe and wont freeze. They also will refund the work I had to have carried out last year (i have to send them the bills on monday).
Hopefully thats the end of it as its been a nightmare, its a cracking car but was parked up from early december to mid jan as brakes were frozen solid!!
Thanks for the info on this topic and also thumbs up to Audi customer service! -
19-07-11 18:16Hi
Ditto, had servo removed by local mechanic. I pulled it apart and it was completely rusted in the chamber closest the bulkhead. I mention this because a few mechanics suggested removing the vacuum hose and inserting paper to check for water etc - this in my case wouldn't show anything as it's the other chamber that had water damage (rust).
It is unacceptable that AUDI don't own up to their responsibilites - braking is the only thing on the car that I want to work everytime ! I paid up this time but AUDI won't see my money again !! -
19-07-11 19:19Hey after I posted this I contacted Audi USA 800-822-2834 they refered me to one of the big bosses when I asked them if this was a regular issue he said "there have been aligations" asked me to send police reports insurence repair bids and the work order from my mechanic from having the brakes fixed then asked me to send the parts in to them and they would look at refunding my deductable and the cost of the new part, we are looking at getting a lawyer.... I would suggest calling them you can tell them you spoke with me and you are aware this is a major issue. I am trying to get the word out SOOO mad about the situation!! My name is Jeannette Brown and I am in Tooele Utah the guys name is Brad Hollister
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21-07-11 12:24I have exactly the same problem with my 51 plate Audi A4. Took it into the dealer who stressed that IF they found a 'design' fault, they would only consider compensating 'something' towards the cost of repair, ONLY IF my full service history was with Audi and no other garages. They rang to say they'd found the Servo needs replacing but it has nothing to do with the plenum chamber recall they did last year on my car. I am extremely suspicious and don't trust them on this, because they've also offered to repair it at a cost of £750+, which they say is at a reduced hourly rate! And thats on top of the £96+Vat for the safety inspection. Does anyone know of an ombudsman or independent arbitrator i can get to inspect the car to verify what they're telling me - i.e. there is no rust?
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21-08-11 22:01I too have the same problem on my 02 tdi 130
I bought the car as salvage and have since repaired it and had the vosa vic test
When I bought the car it been in a salvage yard for a few months and the plenum chamber was full of water , I drained tthis ( unaware of the inherent problems)
But I have only today experienced the problem for myself ( on a hill with my wife an child in the car)
Am I able to claim for this directly from Audi ?
And where is this electric vacuum pumps people talk of as I cannot see obe but there is a fuse in the fusebox marked as 'brake server' (5amp fuse 4)
I will carry the repair out myself If need be as I do my own repairs but am very disappointed at Audis apparent lack of concern regarding this potentially lethal design fault ! -
27-09-11 10:35Since Dec 2010, I have noticed that my brakes are sticking, the front left one specially as I can feel the tyre rim being burning hot after driving. When I start the car in the morning, brakes are fine, but after 15 mins in the traffic, it starts to stick and I feel as if brakes are applied constantly. This makes the car more difficult to drive as it feels like it want to stop. Some other days it will not do it, so it is not regular. It seems to start sticking usually after driving for 15 mins in traffic.
I had the Audi garage look after this but they first thought it was the brake caliper. But after trying a new one, it did not solve the problem. Some forum mentioned the servo or a rusty master cylinder, but they have tried new ones without any success.
In addition, i recently installed an HID coversation kit. The problem is that most of the times when i start the vehicle and switch on the light; the ABS, traction control and hand break sensors start flashing on the dash and they do go off until i switch off the engine.
Could anyone know what the problem is? -
27-09-11 12:05audi a4
hi can i please know which registration or which year your audi a4 is please as i have had the exact same problem and my mecanics are adamant that they are doing recall on the audi a4.
thanks
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27-09-11 12:13hi can you please tell me what year the audi is please as i have the exact problem and audi are denying the fault.
a quick reply will much appreciated
thanks
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06-10-11 20:11Audi Servo Failure
I would also really appreciate any information on the recall for the servo issue. Mine failed over a month ago, and quote to replace is £mucho....have found a used one but not sure if it is a job for the home mechanic! A4 1.9Tdi 1999 Avant SE. Many Thanks -
18-10-11 10:56my breakes keep locking on change sevo seemed to work ok but now the sticking on aagain just after 7wk is this servo problem or something else
jason -
19-02-13 16:39I have an Audi 1.9tdi on a 51 plate and I am experiencing the braking problems that many of the contributors have commented on i.e. pedal going hard, no brakes, intermittent fault, locking up all together etc. I finally did some research and found this forum which has been very, very helpful. I have taken the car to an Audi dealership in Bradford and I am awaiting the outcome of their assessment. The servo unit has had a lot of water in it according to the intial inspection form the engineer. I will keep the forum informed about how this progresses.
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17-01-14 10:58Hi there,
Sorry to Necro a thread but it would seem I am suffering from a similar problem. When the weather gets to freezing my brakes become dangerous, they can become hyper sensitive then when the pedal is applied fully they go rock hard leaving me with very little/no breaking power. Its incredibly dangerous.
I have spoke to Audi regarding a recall on this model but they have checked my VIN number and refuse to acknowledge the recall. I even had some water coming in to the passenger foot well at one point. (I have kept all the emails)
I am certain there is water in my braking system due to this only occurring when we have freezing temperatures.
My Audi is a 51 plate A4 B6
Any info regarding this issue would be much appreciated. -
29-01-15 10:57A4 and A6 brake failure, Plenum Chamber issue, possible engine failure.
Hi
Reference chassis numbers
A4
WAU _ _ _ 8E _ 2A014319 to WAU _ _ _ 8E _ 2A290809
WAU _ _ _ 8E _ 2A031486 to WAU _ _ _ 8E _ 2A290805
A6
WAU _ _ _ 4B _ 2N005022 to WAU _ _ _ 4B _ 2N121381
WAU _ _ _ 4B _ 2N006926 to WAU _ _ _ 4B _ 2N121375
2002, 2.5 A6 Quattro Sport, Auto, 124,000 miles. chassis number WAUZZZ4B22N090722
I would like to thank everyone for their posts regarding this issue.
Before Christmas I went to brake coming in to a roundabout and found the brake pedal rock solid and there was very little braking action. After the roundabout the brakes returned to normal. I called with my mechanic but, as he could find nothing wrong, he advised I should cautiously continue to drive until the problem reoccured.
A couple of weeks later my car sat out of the garage all day during some very heavy rain and when I went to put it in the garage the brake pedal was hard again. The next day I took the car out of the garage and again the brake pedal was hard, I washed the car and then took it for a run to the end of our lane to see if the fault was going to persist. I got no further than about 50 meters and the engine stopped with clouds of smoke out the exhaust pipes. I lifted the bonnet and the dipstick was covered half way up with grey oil but the filler cap was fine, black oil as usual. Confused, we towed the car back to the house and the next day my mechanic came out to look at it. After poking about the engine for a while he lifted off the plastic cover over the battery and we discovered the Plenum Chamber full of water.
I Googled the issue and about the fourth document I came across was a Service Action Circular from the USA and Canada, code JU/51B7.
https://wateringresssettlement.com/L...id=149&mid=669
This recall required the agents to write out to all the owners of A4s and A6s within a certain chassis range. The action required to sort the problem was to remove the Plenum Drain Tube which could become blocked with debris over the years and cause the chamber to fill with water which could then be sucked into the Brake Servo.
As the Plenum Tube was still in my car and was blocked solid with dirt, I phoned my local Audi agent, Isaac Agnew Audi to enquire why my car had not been recalled for this issue. Paul McClelland returned my call and when I asked him about the recall he denied there was ever a recall for this issue and redirected me to Audi UK.
I phoned Audi UK who also denied there was a recall regarding this issue and said the document I was reading was nothing to do with the UK. I persisted with Kelly Hathaway at Audi UK for three days until she eventually said that if I took the car to Isaac Agnew Audi they would look at it for them.
I arranged to take the car in on Sat. 22nd Nov. and was received by Sean McMahon who said there was no one who could look at it until Monday. I had only left Isaac Agnew Audi 10 minutes when I received a call from Sean McMahon to say my car had had the recall carried out in 2008. I asked him to email me the paperwork, which he did. The description of the work done on the document he sent was "carried out 51B7 recall" exactly the same as the USA and Canada code.
A 12 day stand off ensued during which Isaac Agnew Audi prepared a report on the car, denied they had not carried out the recall correctly, after first denying there was a ever recall at all, and accused me of replacing the Plenum Tube in order to get them to replace the engine in the car. My mechanic advised me that if Isaac Agnew Audi had done nothing with the engine and the water and oil mixture was still in the engine it would destroy it, if had not already done so.
As Isaac Agnew Audi had in fact done nothing but prepare a report, that they denied me access to unless I paid them £250, I decided it was best to remove the car from Isaac Agnew Audi, and did so on Thursday 4th Dec. A couple of days later my mechanic spent a couple of hours slowly ejecting the oil water mix, through where the heater plugs are fitted on the top of the engine, by slowly jerking the engine over with the starter motor. Eventually the engine started and after 3 oil changes I took it for a run. For the first 50 miles it didn't really want to go but eventually in recovered except for the servo which was a little strange.
The servo eventually sorted itself and the car is now running fine, if a little cool at times, it probably needs the thermostat replaced.
Richard Armstrong the service manager at Isaac Agnew Audi continues to deny they did not carried out the Plenum recall and did nothing to compensate me for all the trouble and expense I have had.
Looking through my service history, I now see there were excessive brake problems during the 4 years before this problem occurred. I also had an ongoing problem with an intermittent brake warning light over the past 4 years which no one could solve but has not reoccured since the Plenum Tube was removed.
My satisfaction levels with the people and organisations I dealt with regarding this whole saga, from 1 to 10, 10 being satisfied, are as follows:-
My mechanic - 10* saved the engine.
Isaac Agnew Audi - 1
Paul McClelland - 1 - very unsympathetic and dismissive.
Sean McMahon - 7 - helpful.
Richard Armstrong - 3 - listened but ultimately did nothing.
Audi UK - 1
Kelly Hathaway - 2 listened but ultimately did nothing.
I feel very annoyed that Audi have pushed this issue under the carpet, and still continue to do so. It's simply not good enough Audi. What should have been done is that all the affected owners should have been contacted and the plastic cover over the Plenum Chamber should have been replaced with one containing a warning to the effect that "failure to ensure the Plenum drains are kept clear of debris can result in brake and or engine failure" -
29-01-15 12:22It does seem they do not want to own up to the issue. My problem was caused by water in the braking system, I'm positive. The water got there through a blocked plenum chamber. I clear this regularly now, had a new brake servo and the car has been great this winter with no issue's regarding the breaks. The water however has damaged the CCM module too, another great design idea from Audi, by placing an electronic device in a plastic tray underneath the carpet in the foot well! Water gather's (especially with a blocked plenum as it leaks into the car too!) then corrodes the the module.
2nd hand CCM is not cheap either :/
