Certified Pre-Owned Useless

I bought an '02 S4 Certified Pre-Owned from Stevens Creek Audi (Bethel
Motors) in the SF Bay Area a couple years ago. The warranty, albeit with
deductible, and road side assistance to 100k miles was an attractive
feature. I finally had to use the road side assistance, and Audi NA
"customer care", and have found it useless! I had a flat tire in SoCal and
tried to install the compact spare which came with the car. Problem was the
spare was 4-lug and didn't even fit over the S4's front brake calipers to
mate with the 5-lug rotor. Called for road side assistance...no help after 1
1/2 hours and I had to leave my car for another ride. After getting my flat
fixed I called Audi NA "customer care" about the spare, and after 3
follow-up calls regarding my assigned case number I have not had a call back
in 3 weeks! So still no spare tire. Useless I say!

Lorne Dyke wrote:

>"customer care", and have found it useless! I had a flat tire in SoCal and
>tried to install the compact spare which came with the car. Problem was the
>spare was 4-lug and didn't even fit over the S4's front brake calipers to
>mate with the 5-lug rotor.

Ouch. That's bad. So there is a wrong spare wheel in your car?
Strange.

>Called for road side assistance...no help after 1
>1/2 hours and I had to leave my car for another ride. After getting my flat
>fixed I called Audi NA "customer care" about the spare, and after 3
>follow-up calls regarding my assigned case number I have not had a call back
>in 3 weeks! So still no spare tire. Useless I say!

Well, honestly I think it's a shame that they didn't help you when you
needed road side assistance, but legally I think your case lies with
the Audi Dealer that sold you a car with a clearly wrong spare wheel.
In those couple years, you never ever took a look at the spare wheel?

Regards

Wolfgang

Wolfgang,
I'm embarrassed to say I routinely checked and adjusted air pressure in the
spare, and unloaded / loaded it when driving in my three ACNA/BMWCCA
"Performance Driving School" weekends. It never occurred to me that the bolt
pattern could be wrong for the car! I'll have to stop rushing to get on the
track and actually look at my equipment closer!
- Lorne

"Wolfgang Pawlinetz" > wrote in message
...
> Lorne Dyke wrote:
>
>>"customer care", and have found it useless! I had a flat tire in SoCal and
>>tried to install the compact spare which came with the car. Problem was
>>the
>>spare was 4-lug and didn't even fit over the S4's front brake calipers to
>>mate with the 5-lug rotor.
>
> Ouch. That's bad. So there is a wrong spare wheel in your car?
> Strange.
>
>>Called for road side assistance...no help after 1
>>1/2 hours and I had to leave my car for another ride. After getting my
>>flat
>>fixed I called Audi NA "customer care" about the spare, and after 3
>>follow-up calls regarding my assigned case number I have not had a call
>>back
>>in 3 weeks! So still no spare tire. Useless I say!
>
> Well, honestly I think it's a shame that they didn't help you when you
> needed road side assistance, but legally I think your case lies with
> the Audi Dealer that sold you a car with a clearly wrong spare wheel.
> In those couple years, you never ever took a look at the spare wheel?
>
> Regards
>
> Wolfgang

Lorne,
Not that I'd blame you, but could you/someone else accidentally taken the
wrong spare tire when you had it out during the School? IME, there's a lot
of "ugly steel spares" being tossed around in prep for those events. Odds
are that there's a driving school student driving around with a 5-hole S4
spare in the trunk of their 4-lug car.
Cheers!
Steve Sears
1987 Audi 5kTQ
1980 Audi 5k
1962 and '64 Auto Union DKW Junior deLuxes
(SPAM Blocker NOTE: Remove SHOES to reply)

"Lorne Dyke" > wrote in message
news:T2jDe.21852$Zu1.13796@trnddc04...
> Wolfgang,
> I'm embarrassed to say I routinely checked and adjusted air pressure in
the
> spare, and unloaded / loaded it when driving in my three ACNA/BMWCCA
> "Performance Driving School" weekends. It never occurred to me that the
bolt
> pattern could be wrong for the car! I'll have to stop rushing to get on
the
> track and actually look at my equipment closer!
> - Lorne
>
> "Wolfgang Pawlinetz" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Lorne Dyke wrote:
> >
> >>"customer care", and have found it useless! I had a flat tire in SoCal
and
> >>tried to install the compact spare which came with the car. Problem was
> >>the
> >>spare was 4-lug and didn't even fit over the S4's front brake calipers
to
> >>mate with the 5-lug rotor.
> >
> > Ouch. That's bad. So there is a wrong spare wheel in your car?
> > Strange.
> >
> >>Called for road side assistance...no help after 1
> >>1/2 hours and I had to leave my car for another ride. After getting my
> >>flat
> >>fixed I called Audi NA "customer care" about the spare, and after 3
> >>follow-up calls regarding my assigned case number I have not had a call
> >>back
> >>in 3 weeks! So still no spare tire. Useless I say!
> >
> > Well, honestly I think it's a shame that they didn't help you when you
> > needed road side assistance, but legally I think your case lies with
> > the Audi Dealer that sold you a car with a clearly wrong spare wheel.
> > In those couple years, you never ever took a look at the spare wheel?
> >
> > Regards
> >
> > Wolfgang
>
>

Steve,
Turns out the '02 S4 sold in the USA was equipped with a full size spare. I
only learned this today after contact from the dealer (at long last). They
admitted the full size spare must have been removed for another car, and
replaced with the new INCORRECT compact spare.

~ Lorne
'02 S4 (H&R coil overs, Neuspeed rear anti-sway, Ronal LZ's, Reiger aero)
'99 528iT (Dinan S1, BBS RK's, Wilwood 4 piston calipers)

"Steve Sears" > wrote in message
.. .
> Lorne,
> Not that I'd blame you, but could you/someone else accidentally taken the
> wrong spare tire when you had it out during the School? IME, there's a
> lot
> of "ugly steel spares" being tossed around in prep for those events. Odds
> are that there's a driving school student driving around with a 5-hole S4
> spare in the trunk of their 4-lug car.
> Cheers!
> Steve Sears
> 1987 Audi 5kTQ
> 1980 Audi 5k
> 1962 and '64 Auto Union DKW Junior deLuxes
> (SPAM Blocker NOTE: Remove SHOES to reply)
>
> "Lorne Dyke" > wrote in message
> news:T2jDe.21852$Zu1.13796@trnddc04...
>> Wolfgang,
>> I'm embarrassed to say I routinely checked and adjusted air pressure in
> the
>> spare, and unloaded / loaded it when driving in my three ACNA/BMWCCA
>> "Performance Driving School" weekends. It never occurred to me that the
> bolt
>> pattern could be wrong for the car! I'll have to stop rushing to get on
> the
>> track and actually look at my equipment closer!
>> - Lorne
>>
>> "Wolfgang Pawlinetz" > wrote in message
>> ...
>> > Lorne Dyke wrote:
>> >
>> >>"customer care", and have found it useless! I had a flat tire in SoCal
> and
>> >>tried to install the compact spare which came with the car. Problem was
>> >>the
>> >>spare was 4-lug and didn't even fit over the S4's front brake calipers
> to
>> >>mate with the 5-lug rotor.
>> >
>> > Ouch. That's bad. So there is a wrong spare wheel in your car?
>> > Strange.
>> >
>> >>Called for road side assistance...no help after 1
>> >>1/2 hours and I had to leave my car for another ride. After getting my
>> >>flat
>> >>fixed I called Audi NA "customer care" about the spare, and after 3
>> >>follow-up calls regarding my assigned case number I have not had a call
>> >>back
>> >>in 3 weeks! So still no spare tire. Useless I say!
>> >
>> > Well, honestly I think it's a shame that they didn't help you when you
>> > needed road side assistance, but legally I think your case lies with
>> > the Audi Dealer that sold you a car with a clearly wrong spare wheel.
>> > In those couple years, you never ever took a look at the spare wheel?
>> >
>> > Regards
>> >
>> > Wolfgang
>>
>>
>
>

Lorne,
Did they also say, "OOPS!" and "sorry"?
They should have.....
Cheers!
Steve Sears
1987 Audi 5kTQ
1980 Audi 5k
1962 and '64 Auto Union DKW Junior deLuxes

"Lorne Dyke" > wrote in message
news:ID%De.14915$N91.1245@trnddc08...
> Steve,
> Turns out the '02 S4 sold in the USA was equipped with a full size spare.
I
> only learned this today after contact from the dealer (at long last). They
> admitted the full size spare must have been removed for another car, and
> replaced with the new INCORRECT compact spare.
>
> ~ Lorne
> '02 S4 (H&R coil overs, Neuspeed rear anti-sway, Ronal LZ's, Reiger aero)
> '99 528iT (Dinan S1, BBS RK's, Wilwood 4 piston calipers)
>
> "Steve Sears" > wrote in message
> .. .
> > Lorne,
> > Not that I'd blame you, but could you/someone else accidentally taken
the
> > wrong spare tire when you had it out during the School? IME, there's a
> > lot
> > of "ugly steel spares" being tossed around in prep for those events.
Odds
> > are that there's a driving school student driving around with a 5-hole
S4
> > spare in the trunk of their 4-lug car.
> > Cheers!
> > Steve Sears
> > 1987 Audi 5kTQ
> > 1980 Audi 5k
> > 1962 and '64 Auto Union DKW Junior deLuxes
> > (SPAM Blocker NOTE: Remove SHOES to reply)
> >
> > "Lorne Dyke" > wrote in message
> > news:T2jDe.21852$Zu1.13796@trnddc04...
> >> Wolfgang,
> >> I'm embarrassed to say I routinely checked and adjusted air pressure in
> > the
> >> spare, and unloaded / loaded it when driving in my three ACNA/BMWCCA
> >> "Performance Driving School" weekends. It never occurred to me that the
> > bolt
> >> pattern could be wrong for the car! I'll have to stop rushing to get on
> > the
> >> track and actually look at my equipment closer!
> >> - Lorne
> >>
> >> "Wolfgang Pawlinetz" > wrote in message
> >> ...
> >> > Lorne Dyke wrote:
> >> >
> >> >>"customer care", and have found it useless! I had a flat tire in
SoCal
> > and
> >> >>tried to install the compact spare which came with the car. Problem
was
> >> >>the
> >> >>spare was 4-lug and didn't even fit over the S4's front brake
calipers
> > to
> >> >>mate with the 5-lug rotor.
> >> >
> >> > Ouch. That's bad. So there is a wrong spare wheel in your car?
> >> > Strange.
> >> >
> >> >>Called for road side assistance...no help after 1
> >> >>1/2 hours and I had to leave my car for another ride. After getting
my
> >> >>flat
> >> >>fixed I called Audi NA "customer care" about the spare, and after 3
> >> >>follow-up calls regarding my assigned case number I have not had a
call
> >> >>back
> >> >>in 3 weeks! So still no spare tire. Useless I say!
> >> >
> >> > Well, honestly I think it's a shame that they didn't help you when
you
> >> > needed road side assistance, but legally I think your case lies with
> >> > the Audi Dealer that sold you a car with a clearly wrong spare wheel.
> >> > In those couple years, you never ever took a look at the spare wheel?
> >> >
> >> > Regards
> >> >
> >> > Wolfgang
> >>
> >>
> >
> >
>
>

"Wolfgang Pawlinetz" > wrote in message
...
> Lorne Dyke wrote:
....
> In those couple years, you never ever took a look at the spare wheel?
>
> Regards
>
> Wolfgang

That's nothing. I bought my 2 year old A4 from a guy who had never opened
the hood.

--Art