Audi allroad ForumAll the traditional Audi strengths of quality and comfort are present in the Allroad. It's an extremely well built and spacious car with some extra versatility over a standard estate. (Audi Allroad Forum)
I have a 2004 Allroad 4.2 with 70k miles. First time I noticed a problem was last August after a 9 hour drive. The carpet under the passenger seat was soaking wet. I dried it out and had the dealer look at it and they couldn't find a problem but did note in the repair order that all the drains (A/C, battery and sunroof) were clear.
This May I took another long drive and had the same problem with water under the passenger seat but I didn't catch it in time and it fried the Transmission Control Module (TCM). That cost a whopping $2,500 to replace!
I called Audi USA to explain the problem and request Audi to take responsibility for the problem because I, like many others here, think this is a design fault. Audi customer care politely explained that the water problem was due to "outside influences" and they would not cover it. She went on the tell me that Page 238 (it's actually P277 in my manual) of the owners manual explains the maintenance procedures to avoid this problem, and I quote:
"Battery Compartment Remove leaves from the plenum panel in front of the windshield under the engine hood. This prevents the water drain holes from becoming blocked, and it prevents debris from entering the vehicle interior through the heating and ventilation ducts."
That's it! That's the section in the manual Audi is hanging their hat on that they have adequately notified their customers on maintaining the drains. It says nothing about how to check if the drain is blocked, nor how to actually clean them out nor what happens if they do get blocked. I just got back from the dealer where they showed me the approximate location of the drains while the car was up on a lift. As it turns out I don't have a hydraulic car lift in my garage so I would be hard pressed to actually get to the drains to clean them. Besides that, I don't think when you buy a $60k car that's something you need to do and I've never had to do it for any other cars I have owned. The service technicians said this drain blockage is a common problem and they even wonder why Audi doesn't fix the problem.
One useful thing that the service tech told me was that there is a rubber plug with a small hole at the end of the drain from the battery compartment. It's supposed to stop debris from getting up into the drain pipe (??? how is debris supposed to go up???) and as water flows down it's supposed to open up to allow the water out. Apparently this is a major cause of the blockage and my service tech said he takes the plugs out of the cars he services. This may help some of the flooding problems.
The reason for this rambling reply is to let others know in detail what happens and how Audi is dealing with this situation. It's great that Allroadster04 was able to get Audi to pay for the repair, so it shows that with some serious prodding they may step up to the plate and take responsibility for a crappy design. I'm going to follow Allroadster04 steps and see where that takes me and I'll let you all know how it goes. Cdotcom, let us know how it works out for you. Regards to all.
Hey all. Here's a follow up to my previous posting. I owe Allroadster04 a big "thanks mate".
I followed his advice in calling Audi Customer Care again and today I received a check from Audi reimbursing me for the TCM replacement. I also spoke to my service manager and he was surprised that I was able to get Audi to take responsibility for what he thought was a terrible design. Corporate Audi also told him to call them immediately when the next car comes in with a blown TCM due to flooding. It sounds like Audi might be more proactive in handling this problem.
Basically I outlined the following points in my second call to Customer Care:
1. I had a flooding problem less than a year before and the service manager said all the drains were clear at that time so where did the water come from. If the problem happened so quickly after that, it's unacceptable. How often do these need to be maintained?
2. I had the dealer show me where the drains were and whether it was possible for me to get to them and clean them out. Since they could only show them to me on a lift, it was not acceptable for Audi to expect me to have access to a lift to check them out.
3. Even though the mechanic showed me the approximate locations where the drains came out, it wasn't even possible to get to them without removing bits under the car. Again, not a maintenance procedure an owner should have to do.
4. To clean the battery drain out on top you would need to remove the battery and you might not even see the drain because of a brace in that location. Does Audi really think all owners are going to be able to remove the battery to see if there is a clogged drain? Does Audi want owners to be attempting that?
5. The manual doesn't tell you that you have to check the drains regularly. How are we supposed to know the drain is clogged? How are we supposed to know that the backup drainage path is the passenger seat area! A better design might be to dump the water under the engine area if the drain is clogged instead of into the car...
6. The problem I had was linked to the A/C drain. The mechanic couldn't show me how to get to that one and clean it out. I asked them to explain that one to me.
7. I told Audi that I keep my cars spotless, just like my other cars and none of them have flooding problems. Even my previous american cars didn't flood!
8. I mentioned that all the mechanics I spoke to at my dealer said they see this problem all the time and are amazed that Audi hasn't come up with a fix. One mechanic said he takes out the plug at the end of one of the drains because that helps the problem. WHy is that plug there anyway and why haven't Audi put out a bulletin to fix these problems before they flood the cars.
9. Lastly I threatened to take them to small claims court to recover the costs.
Once I got all this off my chest, they said they would get back to me within two days. THey did call two days later and said they would reimburse me.
Hopefully this will help others that have this problem and you can get Audi to pay for their lousy design.
Can someone please tell me exactly where this drain line is near the battery in a 2005 a-4 cabriolet? Thanks
Also how do you clear it out once you remove any debris
to be honest they would probably take more action into fixing the problem if a large class actaion suit was filed rather people one at a time. giant corps are trained to be stupid and ignorant to individuals needs and complaints and can handle it. but if we all got together with say...15 people with this problem suing them then they might take it a little more seriously and look into an alternative to fixing this problem. and judging from the number of replies, theres plenty of us to be a formidable force...and maybe line our pockets with a little extra dough too haha. just a thought.
I have an Audi A6 C6 with the same problem. I got a puddle of water in the back seat floor. This is commonly cause by clogged draining pipies running down from the sunroof. This is clearly a design defect by Audi and they should pay for it. I filed a complaint with audi calling to 1-800-822-2834 and I also filed a complaint with the consumer affairs at Office of Defects Investigation (ODI), File A Safety Complaint. This is the only way Audi is going to do something about it, hope you do the same.
I discovered the puddle of water in my rear passenger floor today after a weekend of rain.
It seems like my transmission computer is toasted. Check engine light and other warning lights come on. I have not driven any distance, just tried shifting into drive and reverse and it's clumsy and doesn't feel right to say the least.
I have not contacted dealer yet, as I like to figure out problems myself (or with forum help), but it's looking like major problems.
Does anyone have any suggestions? Are there enough of us here to file class action lawsuit? Has anyone other than redcoat had success getting Audi to pay for damages?
Same problem with my 2002 Allroad in Oct 2009. The drain under the battery was clogged with pin neddles. Water built-up and poured through the AC pollen filter and into the passenger floor. I removed the seat and the carpet and vaccumed the water. One week later, the TCU let go. When I opened the TCU plastic cover, there was some remaining water. The repair cost me over $2,000. I removed the rubber gromit from the plug.
Two bad designs: 1. The plug rubber gromit. 2. The location/orentation of the pollen filter.
Let me know if someone has success in geting a refund.
PM
Hey everyone, thanks for all your posts. Somewhere someone noticed, because a class action suit was filed against Audi. US District Court for NJ, Docket # 07-CV-2249-FSH-PS. You should be getting a reimbursement claim form in the mail.
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