You will be on a hiding to nothing going to a small claims court (unless you blatently lie to the court).

:santa:

They blatently lie when they make up excuses for warranty void....

Seems only fair to screw them too don't ya think?

So, do you want the good news, the bad news or the really sh1tty end of the stick news?

1. Good news - We think we know what caused it. Having now examined the the engine, it looks like FOD from within the cylinder. Need to look at the turbo as its really the only place it could have come from. It would also explain my loss of boost pressure prior to the rattly stuff. So not much for anyone else to wrry about, which is good. 100mphplus, remember mine has had what some would call a hard life and was first remapped 111,000 miles ago. Here's a photo of my old block. They didn't notice the hole at first as this location is usually hidden:

And the insides (notices the mark on the top of the piston where it hit the valve)

Cylinders 1&2

Cylinders 3&4

2. The bad news. I was going to mate the S3 bottom end to my top end to get a VVT S3 engine. So, they removed the head from mine and the head from the S3 engine. Looks like I need some new valves (probably 4) along with valve guides. :(

Headshots:

There is a lot of hype from one mechanical engine breakdown is'nt there?

Jeeez you guys worry too much.

how many chipped 20VT's are there about and how many have had a failure?

Not so long back Audi A4 1.8T's threw rods... Factory std cars. Factory weak components on that batch no doubt.

As said, aggressive ign and 'knock' can increase risk of damage, but the likes of Jabba do not run close to these margins.... as fuel grades have to be allowed for.

Lets face it, the car in question has been well used, and I in the same position would'nt begrudge the void warranty. Had it been std and just well used with the 'unlimited milage" warranty, I would give them merry hell.

Of all the 1000's of modded cars out there how many have failed?

Storm in a teacup.

Bill

Sorry to split over 2 posts, but I had too many images Anyway, where was I? Oh yes, the sh1tty end of the stick news. Lets see if you can guess?

Yes, that is the S3 engine :eek: Only a

Agree with you Bill. Maybe its the way I've posted it ( sorry :( ). As I've said many times before, mine has had a hard life. In real terms its a 300,000 mile car. For it to go bang, well, its only to be expected really. Is there anything for others to be worried about? Depends how close your RS is to 300,000 miles

The main concern for others is, what effect will the mods have on their warranty? Probably not a great deal. My car is far to well known. Its been seen on so many tracks, there are 'photos all over the internet of it and I make no secret of the (ab)use it gets.

Agree with you Bill. Maybe its the way I've posted it ( sorry :( ). As I've said many times before' date=' mine has had a hard life. In real terms its a 300,000 mile car. For it to go bang, well, its only to be expected really. Is there anything for others to be worried about? Depends how close your RS is to 300,000 miles

[/quote']

That's a good point, Jon. In fact we should all rejoice in the fact that it stuck together for so long. So how long for the avg life expectancy for an engine before it needs a complete overhaul/refurbishment? I'd say 250,000 kms or so, which it what most people cover in ten years.

You've done it in, what, two years? And added numerous trackday and Ring runs - it's testimony to the engine's strength that it kept going for this long!

But fitting some of this stuff (see link) earlier - would it have helped? Or would the stuff from the turbo have ruined these too?

http://members1.chello.nl/~a.bruinenberg/pic/parts.jpg

And hey, some of the latest M3 engines let go at 30,000 kms...

Agree with Bill and Tav, approx 10K on track with no work is a massive amount of mileage to be honest, im actually quite impressed thats its lasted this long!

track mileage is horrendously hard on a car,

sorry to hear about the S3 though, would've been nice :(

even the pricey bill aint that bad for a branty new engine compared with some performance cars

cheers

ps: keep us posted on the rebuild, and more pics too if ya can

sorry to hear about the S3 engine Jon every cloud has a silver lining and all that b*****ks

Mattijs, in km terms, mine has done 480,000. So if 250 is the norm, then I'd say its dome pretty well

If it was the turbo disintegrating, the uprated bits wouldn't have helped, just made it more expnsive.

* I get to the number of nearly 300k miles as follows: by general reckoning every mile on track is worth approx 14 road miles so 110,000 + 147,000, actually its no where near, it only 257,000

I thought that ANY track use would tend to void a warranty....

I thought that ANY track use would tend to void a warranty....

I don't recall it being in the warranty terms and conditions, though I probably wasn't paying much attention to it at the time.

Supposing you ragged your car that much on the road anyway though, how would they be able to tell the difference?

Rob.

Done more damage to my car on roads than I have on tracks...2nd highest damage though is a kerb on a racecourse, neither track nor road...

Shards of bumper, sil and sump material strewn all over the west coast of ireland

Engines fail; simple fact. The fact this one has failed; well comes as no surprise to anybody maybe? I daresay it has been pushed beyond what most will ask of a car in 10years.

I'm not worried about 220+ and 250+lbs of torque, I'm mor worried about other bits failing, eg clutch/haldex. Look att hte simple numbers, how many 1.8T's out there chipped / reported failures...don't be overly concerned, but do know that modding does void your warranty, it's down to your relationship at the dealers and common sense as to how much that voiding effects.

Persoanlly I'm happy to accept failures on most parts of the car areas a result of modding. It's why a stock Scooby WRX +PPP is so appealing (yes each and every day I think about it) to me, why?

Well I would have to do nothing to it, thus it's stock/approved under warranty mods, if it fails it's black and white (except track use).

Track use tends to void most things, including insurance unless your lucky

Still your on a level playing field again Jon bummer about the 750 exchange fee, I'm sure it will be worth it

Jon's car is a testament to how good the car/package is. COvering what most will do over 10years we have little to really worry about. Find a US VAG forum, most over there are well above our safe maps...really is not that bad. Thats done it.

That's a good point' date=' Jon. In fact we should all rejoice in the fact that it stuck together for so long. So how long for the avg life expectancy for an engine before it needs a complete overhaul/refurbishment? I'd say 250,000 kms or so, which it what most people cover in ten years.

You've done it in, what, two years? And added numerous trackday and Ring runs - it's testimony to the engine's strength that it kept going for this long!

But fitting some of this stuff (see link) earlier - would it have helped? Or would the stuff from the turbo have ruined these too?

[url']http://members1.chello.nl/~a.bruinenberg/pic/parts.jpg[/url]

And hey, some of the latest M3 engines let go at 30,000 kms...

Now those Rods looke nice :drive: Vroom Vroom.

kinda look like my Golfs Rods

Needs pukka bolts to go with them... nigh on bullet proof then.

Well, I've just ordered a brand new AUQ engine, should be here for Saturday. OK, its

Have you considered having the damaged componenets examined by a metalurgist. It may be that a manufacturing flaw lead to the failure, it seems to have failed in a very dramatic fashion. maybe the drillings for oil had some burrs ??

Agree with Bill and Tav, approx 10K on track with no work is a massive amount of mileage to be honest, im actually quite impressed thats its lasted this long!

If the damage was really caused by a faulty part that was recently fitted, then who knows how many more miles it would have done before going pear-shaped.

Based on your current mileage Jon, I'd say you were doing the right thing by getting a new engine. It may seem expensive in the sort term, but if your car clocks another 100k without incident, then it's paid for itself.

Just a thought, have you not priced a new S3 engine?

I thought that ANY track use would tend to void a warranty....

The wording of the current - ie post 1 April 2002 - warranty has just been posted in our FAQs.

Hmmm - bad news Jon. Doesn't seem to get any better, does it? :(

Looking at the pics of your engine in the earlier posts I'm amazed at the state of the bores, especially 2 where the rod failed. The rust and general state of them seems far worse than could be associated with a sudden failure. The pistons don't look that special either - what is that treacle in No 4 ??!!

Bumm3r on the S3 engine too - I bet you were looking forward to that! :(

The 14:1 ratio for track miles seems a little harsh also, considering the way some people drive their cars on the road. Of all the components taking extra stick on the track, I'd have the engine last, really. You can thrash the nuts off an engine anywhere ...

I hope it all gets better soon. There has to be a break coming round the corner - er... I mean a silver liner ... er, I mean lining ... heck, you know what I mean :p

Good luck! :cheers:

The wording of the current - ie post 1 April 2002 - warranty has just been posted in our FAQs.

No mention of Trackdays there but enough get out clauses to wriggle out of anything :nono:

Steve