[GTI008]

Hi to everyone,
I'm new to this forum and would like to know the percetage of people who have experincing coil pack problem on there 1.8t A4's.
My girlfriend owns a 2001 A4 1.8t Quatro and has had 3 coils replaced over the past year and she is thinking of taking some sort of lemon law action aginst Audi, because she becomeing very frustrated with this problem. The last one went less than a week after she got the car back from haveing the secound one replaced, and they had the car for a month trying to get a back ordered coil to do that repair.

 

[GTI008]

Re: 1.8t A4 Coil Pack Problems (GTI008)

Sorry about that i had a bit of over lap the list should be
1 TIME
2-3 Times
4-5 Times
Ect. sorry about that

 

[beng]

Re: 1.8t A4 Coil Pack Problems (GTI008)

There are a few of us on Vortex with Audis with this problem (I had my first coil fail 2 months ago at 10k miles). There are LOADS of people on Audiworld with the problem and loads of VW 1.8t owners here with the problem as well.
Its a VERY big issue VW/Audi is experiencing and they are losing alot of customers due to their non-recall stance.
Take a look in the Volkswagen forum...under golf and jetta IV forum. There is a sticky post "Coilpack Failures: Numbers Affected"
It has a poll (with something like 400/200 failures to no failrues) as well as 26 pages of posts with people's experiences.
As for lemon law....it looks like you are form NJ so check out http://www.lemonlaw.com ...they deal in NJ, Pennsy, and Delaware. Give them a call or just read up on that page to find out your rights. Its basically three failures of the same part in the first 18,000 miles or 21 days in the shop in the first calender year of ownership. I know because if my car goes in again I will try to get rid of it (its been in for 16 days in the first 8 months of ownership already) as per lemon law.
Definitely take a look at hat sticky post though...it has TONS of useful Info. GOOD LUCK!!!!!

 

[fitch]

Re: 1.8t A4 Coil Pack Problems (GTI008)

i heard that this whole coilpack problem was because of the ECU and you need to get your ECU reflashed by the dealer to prevent it in the future

 

[beng]

Re: 1.8t A4 Coil Pack Problems (fitch)

No that hasnt been proven.
Thats actually a cheap and easy way for VW/Audi to avert the attention form a national recall.

The coilpacks (made by Bremi) are the problem. Even Bremi in a letter to an angry customer posted in the thread I reffered to above writes that the problem is with the coilpack...they also state that they have been unfairly demonized by VW for the problem (they allude to the fact that there may be litigation brewing)...and continue that it is their belief that the coilpacks are failing due to inproper installation and processing by VW. So they are both pointing fingers at each other.

 

[_ZaP_]

Re: 1.8t A4 Coil Pack Problems (beng)

I keep seeing this all the time and it makes me scared. What exactly is a coilpack?

 

[beng]

Re: 1.8t A4 Coil Pack Problems (_ZaP_)

Tabularasa will be able to get more technical but my understanding is:
A coilpack or ignition coil ignites the incoming fuel and makes your cylinder fire. 1.8ts have seperate coilpacks for each cylinder (4 total) whereas a VR6 has all 6 in one unit.
I may have botched the description so someone may want to correct my statements.

 

[idrivequattro]

Re: 1.8t A4 Coil Pack Problems (beng)

Would somebody please explain the symptoms of the coilpack going, or the symptoms of a failed coilpack? I have never had a single problem with my coilpacks, but I want to be aware of any future problems..... (knock on wood)

 

[2lowA4]

Re: 1.8t A4 Coil Pack Problems (idrivequattro)

(knocks on wood)

 

[Alf3]

Re: 1.8t A4 Coil Pack Problems (2lowA4)

There's an interesting article in today's Boston Globe regarding the 1.8t coil problems.
http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/0...or_failing_ignition_coils_in_Audis_VWs+.shtml
I have an '03 with 3300 miles on it and it's sitting at the dealership right now with all the symptoms of coil failure: Engine light comes on, lack of power, real sluggish feeling. Service hasn't told me that the coil is the problem (telling me it's a valve that needs to be replaced) but I'm pretty sure it is. I am pretty upset that Audi won't simply recall them.

 

[illbill]

Re: 1.8t A4 Coil Pack Problems (Alf3)

Yeah i caught that article when i opened up my Boston Globe this morning. I don't agree with a lot of the statements saying it is a safety issue, however it still hurts Audi's reputation. The average joe could read that article and never look in Audi's direction again.
I'm crossing my fingers this won't be the PR nightmare the "unintended acceleration" story was.

 

[beng]

Re: 1.8t A4 Coil Pack Problems (illbill)

DEFINITE SAFETY ISSUE
The following are the symptoms of ONE blown coil..... The car will have a wicked shimmy....kind of like it is on the verge of stalling....the feeling you may get if you are in too high a gear at too low a speed and you are about to stall. Check engine light will come on. SIGNIFICANT decrease in power.
Now it happened to me on a day that was hovering around 15 degrees. Luckily there was a gas station near when it happened and parked there checked everything I could while waiting for roadside assistance. 2 hours for assistance to get there and I live in area that is LOADED with towing services.
Now you can drive a car with ONE blown coil....you just have no power and its damn uncomfortable. However, I have read plenty of posts with owners having 2 and 3 coils fail simultaneously. In this situation the car will become UNDRIVEABLE. Should that happen in a rural area you could be stranded for a LONG period of time. Not everyone lives within a 2 minute drive of a gas station or a half hour drive of Audi service. Not everyone has cell phones and can get assistance immediately if neccesary. Just some thoughts.
Oh....and if you blow 2 or more coils while merging/accelerating...the resulting evasive action could endanger you and other drivers around you.

 

[GTiTOM]

Re: 1.8t A4 Coil Pack Problems (beng)

just to clarify, does the check engine light just come on, or does it always flash? both times it happened to my buddy (who last week traded his A4 in for a tahoe....mostly b/c of this problem and the fact that the dealer flat out told him they couldn't guarantee it won't happen again to the other 2 coils or the 2 that were replaced) the CEL was flashing. happened to another friend and the same deal....CEL was flashing.

 

[beng]

Re: 1.8t A4 Coil Pack Problems (GTiTOM)

My CEL flashed too....
Anyone know the significance of a CEL flashing VS staying lit?

 

[Wholsea]

Re: 1.8t A4 Coil Pack Problems (beng)

Flashing = serious engine trouble, You can cruise around on a solid engine light, but if it flashes, it means PULL THE HELL OVER. Seriously, flashing light = not good things.

 

[fitch]

Re: 1.8t A4 Coil Pack Problems (GTI008)

the coilpack failure has to do with the ECU so it is not as common of a problem in audis as it is MKIV's

 

[Wholsea]

Re: 1.8t A4 Coil Pack Problems (fitch)

quote:[HR][/HR]the coilpack failure has to do with the ECU so it is not as common of a problem in audis as it is MKIV's[HR][/HR]​

Not sure where you got your information, I have yet to see one case where the ECU has caused the coil to fail...

 

[Jeff43]

Re: 1.8t A4 Coil Pack Problems (Wholsea)

VW/Audi is using the "reflash" as a bandaid for the problem, not a cure..many owners report their cars feel slower after the "reflash" and they *think* they are taking out some HP to preserve the coilpacks for a few thousand more miles to slow down the number of failures...if it works, then they'll fail when you're out of warranty...nice...
i was dead set on a B6 A4, but after reading all of the horror stories, and having 2 friends with 1.8Ts experience the problem and have their new cars sit on the lot for a week and a half each, i'm looking elsewhere. My local VW dealer said they have "replaced hundreds" of them already, yet still no recall...and it's the 3.0 6 cylinder as well, just that they are selling twice as many 1.8Ts so people think the problem is only there...proportionately failures are the same. any one remember the Audi 5000 nightmare? this is just as bad...

 

[beng]

Re: 1.8t A4 Coil Pack Problems (fitch)

quote:[HR][/HR]the coilpack failure has to do with the ECU so it is not as common of a problem in audis as it is MKIV's[HR][/HR]​

The coilpack failure is due to the COILPACK!....NOT the ECU!
Like Jeff43 said ECU is a band aid fix. Bremi coils were either manufactured poorly or VW/Audi screwed up big time in their installation. But its definitely the coils!
Oh....about the problem being "mostly" in MKIVs....tell that to my Audi service department...My coil went in the beginning of December...when I brought my car in (flatbedded actually) there were 27 A4s ahead of mine waiting for coils

EDIT to say....By the way...most of you should find it disturbing that as of right now the poll stands at 13 without and 12 WITH coil problems.


[Modified by beng, 7:48 PM 1-29-2003]

 

[skelt440]

Re: 1.8t A4 Coil Pack Problems (idrivequattro)

I recently had a coil pack fail and the car suddenly lost power and shook violently, particularly while accelerating. The "check engine" light flashed continuously. There was no warning whatsoever.
The best way to describre it is that it felt as though I was driving over some very deep rumble strips.