Car serviced by Audi last week now I have a suspected Head gasket failure! PLEASE HELP

[jungle vip]

Originally Posted by MrShed

Same difference to be fair.

I agree, but just because your coolant system needs topping up doesnt automaticly mean headgasket failure!
it usually works the opposite way round, the pressure from the headgasket failure blows the water out, agreed ?

[MrShed]

Usually - but didnt in my case, was failure in the coolant system(blown radiator) that caused the gasket to go. Therefore, can go either way

[Nemesis_Drake]

How could they cause the head gasket to fail? By his own admission the OP states "it was very low on coolant" ie not "empty" just very low, I fail to see any case for negligence or incorrect servicing.

The only reasons I can see is if the garage had changed the antifreeze and not "bled" the system correctly....which can cause localised overheating and head gasket failure, Or that the vehicle had never had antifreeze in it's system from new and electrolytic corrosion had "eaten" the all important sealing surface.......

£3000 seems a little harsh! Is that for a complete new engine?

[aj84]

I have an Audi A6 and although I am having problems after problems... any "engine" issues show up on board
For instance, if it was low on coolant to beyond the minimum amount needed, I would expect it to tell me.
I also have a "check" button which cycles (as it does in the background on starting the car) through the sensor checks and I'm almost 99% certain coolant is one of them.
Have you got something like this on the A4?

[riget]

Originally Posted by Nemesis_Drake

I fail to see any case for negligence or incorrect servicing.

The only reasons I can see is if the garage had changed the antifreeze and not "bled" the system correctly....which can cause localised overheating and head gasket failure,

Think you answered youself there,
That is the best reason I could quess at.

[S.O.L]

Originally Posted by aj84

I have an Audi A6 and although I am having problems after problems... any "engine" issues show up on board
For instance, if it was low on coolant to beyond the minimum amount needed, I would expect it to tell me.
I also have a "check" button which cycles (as it does in the background on starting the car) through the sensor checks and I'm almost 99% certain coolant is one of them.
Have you got something like this on the A4?

I too have the check button which I use frequently. Even when I press it now it tells me everything is ok.......whereas the cloud of white smoke coming out the exhaust suggests otherwise! Also I take those electronic checks with a pinch of salt as they rely on the fact that the electronics are working correctly.....if one of the sensors go....you wouldn't know until something went wrong unless of course you check things manually too.

[S.O.L]

Originally Posted by Nemesis_Drake

How could they cause the head gasket to fail? By his own admission the OP states "it was very low on coolant" ie not "empty" just very low, I fail to see any case for negligence or incorrect servicing.

The only reasons I can see is if the garage had changed the antifreeze and not "bled" the system correctly....which can cause localised overheating and head gasket failure, Or that the vehicle had never had antifreeze in it's system from new and electrolytic corrosion had "eaten" the all important sealing surface.......

£3000 seems a little harsh! Is that for a complete new engine?

The facts are this: My car has very low mileage and ran fine (never overheated or low on coolant) prior to the service. 4 days after it was serviced by Audi, the coolant level is extremely low (well below min) and I have a blown head gasket therefore I can not rule out the fact that they may have been responsible for my current plight! However, I am not certain that they had anything to do with it either.

[S.O.L]

Originally Posted by riget

Think you answered youself there,
That is the best reason I could quess at.

that's my guess too as to what may have caused this although I am quite aware of the fact that I could be wrong.

[Nemesis_Drake]

One of the facts is that nothing is perfect and a head gasket "has" to fail sometime.....Personally I'd check the bill to see if I was charged for an antifreeze change (then I'd take them to small claims court if they had and find out if they know engines and their job) as obviously they hadn't purged the air out correctly .....You would maybe task an independent engineer to ascertain what went wrong.

[riget]

The coolant sensor is usually in the expansion tank, This would be full even if the engine was low (air lock) also it's likely to only have one temperature sensor, being a v6 if the air lock was in the bank with no temp sensor you would not have had an overheating warning, then after leaving it overnight the coolant in the expansion tank would have gone back into the engine.
Maybe?

[S.O.L]

Originally Posted by riget

The coolant sensor is usually in the expansion tank, This would be full even if the engine was low (air lock) also it's likely to only have one temperature sensor, being a v6 if the air lock was in the bank with no temp sensor you would not have had an overheating warning, then after leaving it overnight the coolant in the expansion tank would have gone back into the engine.
Maybe?

This is exactly what I am thinking

[mozzat6]

>>06: Inspect cooling system for leaks and test antifreeze strength

This is key. Was it a visual check or a 'proper check'. By this I mean the system is pressurised. A pressure gauge with an integral hand pump is fitted (via an adapter) to teh expansion tank and pumped up to typically 12-15 psi.
If the reading drops after a few minutes then that indicates trouble. Also, how on earth would a visual check detect a leak (in say) the heater matrix which is usually buried under the dashboard. If I had an 'exotic' car I'd use FORLIFE, this is usually red but changes yellow at the first hint of gasket failure (combustion gases cause this). Also, was the system refilled, if so, was it bled correctly thus preventing air pockets (which would have normally been occupied with coolant).

My sister had a newish BWM once and was serviced at a main dealer, when she got it back, she asked me to investigate a rumbling back axle. Investigation showed they'd swapped the spare for the nearside rear but the nuts were only finger tight !. Her hubby phoned them and was fobbed off with a 'must've been vandals yarn'. They didn't even want to see the car to check if the soft alloy wheel was damaged at its mounting holes.

[Jonnie Reclaim]

Hi, I wonder why the last owner sold this car. Failure of the head gasket at this mileage is unusual. If you contact the servicing Audi dealer (details in service record) they may be able to supply more detailed information on each service, or any reported faults. The service history should be carefully checked to corroborate mileage - the repairs to bearings that you quote is unusual. I would look for indications that this car had problems prior to sale. Failure of the head gasket is generally down to manufacturing defect (faulty seal/gasket) or overheating producing head warping. I would also contact Audi UK and ask if they have seen this problem on this type of engine before. If the leak on the gasket at time of service was minor, then it would be difficult to detect,prior to major failure.

Good luck,

Jonnie

[S.O.L]

Originally Posted by Jonnie Reclaim

Hi, I wonder why the last owner sold this car. Failure of the head gasket at this mileage is unusual. If you contact the servicing Audi dealer (details in service record) they may be able to supply more detailed information on each service, or any reported faults. The service history should be carefully checked to corroborate mileage - the repairs to bearings that you quote is unusual. I would look for indications that this car had problems prior to sale. Failure of the head gasket is generally down to manufacturing defect (faulty seal/gasket) or overheating producing head warping. I would also contact Audi UK and ask if they have seen this problem on this type of engine before. If the leak on the gasket at time of service was minor, then it would be difficult to detect,prior to major failure.

Good luck,

Jonnie

thx Jonnie.....

I too was suspicious so checked the history with the main dealer and seems to be fine....nothing came up to suggest otherwise. This problem is uncommon according to Audi, However, the wheel bearing issue is less uncommon.

[TaxedAndConfused]

Originally Posted by MrShed

Head gasket damage is basically caused by overheating. Specifically, is almost always caused by cooling system failure, or (sometimes) lack of oil.

I'm no expert at all but I have a question - I thought this (above) was not always the case, and that HGF could cause overheating as the coolant is boiled away by the leaking of the head gasket, i.e. HGF can cause overheating rather than the other way round ?

[nevos]

Hi, had a quick read try this stuff here I hear at has worked for a lot head gasket problems, a trader put me on to it, he sold rovers and put some in them all.

[riget]

Originally Posted by TaxedAndConfused

I'm no expert at all but I have a question - I thought this (above) was not always the case, and that HGF could cause overheating as the coolant is boiled away by the leaking of the head gasket, i.e. HGF can cause overheating rather than the other way round ?

It's both, I would say mainly I would do a head gasket because it has failed due to age, this causes the hot combustion gases to enter the cooling system and cause overheating.
However if you have say your radiator leaking, then as the water goes low if you continue to drive the cylinder head will get too hot and warp, causing the gasket to fail.

S.O.L any news from Audi?

[KTF]

Hello just popping in to help, when i was stuck between a dealer and the warranty company in a very similar situation to yourself neither which wanted to help , i got the SMMT UK: Motor Industry Sustainability, Competitiveness, Legislation, Technology, Globalisation, Retail Distribution, Education involved 0870 751 8270 they are only open 10-12 in the morning i found them very helpful , just a thought. good luck

[S.O.L]

Originally Posted by riget

It's both, I would say mainly I would do a head gasket because it has failed due to age, this causes the hot combustion gases to enter the cooling system and cause overheating.
However if you have say your radiator leaking, then as the water goes low if you continue to drive the cylinder head will get too hot and warp, causing the gasket to fail.

S.O.L any news from Audi?

Hi Riget,

thx for asking. I have decided to go down the warranty route and see what happens as Audi as expected are denying any liability. The car went in to my chosen specialist today......they will contact the warranty company (Tesco) to get approval for repairs once they have completed diagnostics. I will keep you posted.....just keeping my fingers crossed now that Tesco don't try and wriggle out of it!

[Conniff]

Tesco certainly wont be able to claim 'fair wear and tear'.