Hi everybody, Wanted to say thanks for all your replies, some of you I sent E-mail to but realized this is easier. So I took my 2001 A4 1.8T to audi today. The tech says the the harness is falling apart from engine heat. The car is 8K out of factory warranty and so now Im waiting to talk to the service manager to see if we can hash a deal. A WIRING HARNESS SHOULD NOT WEAR OUT AT 58K miles. I think the Tech agrees also but his hands are tied being a dealer rep. As this harness is part of the main harness its not easy to fix. the are estimating $1.5-2K to replace it. This is not something to look forward to every 60K miles. Ill let you all know what the verdict is with a future post. If youre a 2001 A4 owner with the 1.8T engine then maybe start looking at your wires under the plastic engine head cover for signs of damage. Also the car has been well maintained and in mild climates (Santa Cruz, Ca.)

 

If you bought it from that dealership... there should be hell to pay. They make enough money off you doing the reuglarly scheduled maintenance. If you do the regular maintenance there, I find it hard to believe they didn't see if before hand and just waited until it was outside of warranty.

 

By the way... Im the second owner of this car. Bought it used with 48,000 miles on it from a lot here in Santa Cruz, Ca. It was a lease vehichle with all service done at Stevens Creek Audi in San Jose, Ca. I called customer care and they agreed that this failure seem pre-mature. So they called the service manager and theyre not budging... Saying I have no loyalty???? I havent even had a chance!!! Im waiting to hear from the regional service manager but Im already discouraged, They should really stand by their product.

 

AUDI doesn't understand the concept of "Standing by Their Product". Whether 2 bucks or 2000 bucks to fix...
Hopefully you're the exception, but don't hold your breath!
Good Luck