opensky bulletin

haudi partner

haudi partner

Member
I received this today from Audi Eastbourne, what do you guys make of it please? I have asked for clarification as to what is included...it could be a step-forward from the £2000 I was quoted originally? :

quote " Apologies for the delay.

There is a technical bulletin which came out in Dec last year - this relates to sun roof jams,cable torn.

Subject to inspection there is a cable guide kit which can be installed to cure this but it would be subject to dismantling and inspection.

Total cost £248.26.

If you would like us to have a go at installing this kit please let me know - we have the kit in stock - but I would emphasize that the cost would remain the same even if the repair was not successfull."

From Audi Eastbourne technical director....end quote.

Now I dont feel they they should charge if the repair does not work !! What do you all say?
 
That seems to be a big step forward. Does that price include parts AND labour?

If they were unsuccessful at the repair having done that work, then I guess that would mean there was something else going on? I'd say that's a good first step to take.

Do you have the original/ Technical Bulletin? It might be very useful to make that an official central resource for other BrokenSky members who would want to make similar repairs based on this test case.

Good luck.
 
Then I received this from Audi :

" To confirm it is £104.00 to inspect & if the cable repair is possible the total cost would be £248.00 inclusive to install plates (not replace) as the initial inspection is part of the repair. (subject to inspection)

If the cables needed to be replaced the costs would be £1545.75 inc or £2300.00 inc to replace the roof frame - this is subject to inspection & there may be further costs involved.This would be on top of the above if the cable repair was completed but not successful.

Options:
Inspect £104.00
Continue with repair if viable £248.00
Replace cables/repair kits £1545.75
Replace roof frame £2300.00 "

If I had £248 to throw away I would do it, but the thought of spending £1545 or £2300 is total nonsense....Why cant they do a free inspection?...then I may go ahead if I were to know the actual cost...they even say it could be more still on top but dont really say why...seems they dont really want to touch it.
I dont have the original bulletin, does anyone else know about these plates and screws for £248? ...it is so vague and confusing...in one part they say the cable may be repairable for £248 but that if not then cable replacement is £1545 and possibly more. !!!
 
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There will be over an hours work to strip down part of the open sky and check the condition of the mechanism so its not unreasonable to pay for this. Sadly thats how businesses are run these days, every minute of the technicians time being accounted for and charged to a job number.
Not sure if its the latest but there is a bulletin (in German) listed in post 7 of this thread - http://www.a2oc.net/forum/showthread.php?t=10728&highlight=open+sky+kit

Cheers Spike
 
I hear what you are saying Spike, but as they are a main dealer, with Audi behind them, I feel they could at least take a look for a lot less than £104. It's a common fault with the A2 so they should at least be able to say if it's repairable for £248 or £2300 ! Quite a difference and they are losing my business for this and other servicing where they might well have had my cash if I knew for sure what the bill would be.
If you buy a fridge say, you know what it will cost...you wouldnt buy one if you were told "It might cost you £300 or you might have to pay us £3000, give us £104 and we might be able to give you a rough idea" !! :eek:
If Audi are not able give me an accurate quote then surely they should look at it for free so that they could.
 
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Perhaps some clarification of what they're looking for in the inspection would be useful. You've got further than I have managed so far and to be honest, if you can get a dealer repair to the Opensky for £250 or thereabouts, then you've got a good deal.

Cheers,

Mike
 
oss plates

so does anyone have any experience of these new, not replacement guide-plates for the opensky? Are they meant to stop the thing going wrong and could they help in fixing a brokensky?
 
Yes I guess that must be it...but what is this procedure for? How does it help or what problems will it fix...has anyone had it done? How can I tell if it will fix mine without paying Audi first?
Thanks anyone....it could be really helpful to know.
 
Ouch!!! Now I guess I will need the cables replacing on mine? Is this the symptom: if I press the open button the motor whirrs for a bit without the glass moving and then it engages to open. It then opens but does not go all the way anymore – it’s about 80mm short I'd say. Closing it again the opposite happens. The motor whirrs for a bit and then the glass starts to move. Sounds like new cables to me?
 
It's a step in the right direction from Audi, but not yet enough.

But at least one dealer has been proactive and made an offer to a customer. My feelings are that Audi should make an inspection offer to all owners whose A2 have an Open Sky problem, and, if the fix developed by Arvin Meritor is appropriate the customer should only then pay, if it needs the more expensive work the customer should have the option of the roof being refitted but un repaired if they so wish. Or maybe Audi could offer a finance deal? Lets face it an Open Sky is a very desirable piece of kit and I'm glad I've got one on mine, even if it only temporary now.

Arvin Meritor developed this solution ages ago, I'm a bit surprised that it's taken so long for the repair kit to come into the open, and dismayed that it is not a total solution.
 
Really, honestly, what are you expecting from Audi? It's a ten-year-old car. The jig to take an OSS out is several thousand quid IIRC.

The fix... as far as I can make out, there are two seperate things being done.

One is to sort cables that are being pulled through (or not), i.e. slipping.
The second is to add the plate. The plate clamps the broken end of the cable in the correct place.

At least, that's how I understand it. Took a while, even understanding the language.

Bret
 
bretti_kivi said:
Really, honestly, what are you expecting from Audi? It's a ten-year-old car.....

Bret
Click to expand...
We are expecting more backup than we are getting from Audi. A2 owners are mostly very loyal and you will see a high proportion of A2's , especially the diesel models, being kept on the road far longer than many other Audis or indeed other manufacturers due to the aluminium body and groundbreaking design. In return we would expect some help with the major design-flaw, ie Opensky which is usually not open at all !! Many of them are only 5 years old with this problem which has been around for years now without much help in terms of an economical repair.
 
Interestingly enough, after writing this, I read that a member on the German forum reported that they recently had a repair paid for completely by Audi. €290. Which may also mean the roof wasn't taken out.
This was with a full Audi Service History. Standard Audi Germany rules say less than 100.000km, FASH, and you have a good chance. The kit is apparently €70 and the repair time €200.
You might want to watch the pics and read the text here: these are the guys down in Bad Tölz: http://www.autobild.de/artikel/ratgeber-dachreparatur_1132888.html

The A2 was an unloved child, made worse by its crappy profitability. A lot of engineers are still very, very happy about what they managed to do with some effort, but the bean counters are not.

Audi may be moving on the issue - and if they are, it will be because Germany allow them to, and because there are dealers out there who have worked to make sure they can offer their customers the service they think is deserved. This is nothing to do with Audi and everything to do with the ability to take responsibility for their own actions. In Germany, there's AutoBild and the issues have been known for a while - the article above claims that Rinner have repaired 300 rooves.
Considering the legal climate in the UK, I am not surprised that no-one wants to take the job on. They might "try", they might be competent, they might not, and you're essentially paying a ton per hour to find out. With no guarantee. Where's the potential return on the risk?

Bret
 
Thanks Brett, that was very helpful, I translated via google...
Now if only we could find a place like that in the UK.....they have fixed more than 300 of them...which proves 3 things...they are repairable, a garage can still make money repairing them and that this really was a poor design in the first place !!
 
Thank goodness the poor design of the Open Sky did not extend to the rest of the car (door hinges excluded).
 
Brett I would normally agree with you re out of warranty etc..
However, this is a problem to many, many A2 owners who spent nearly £1000 for the Open Sky as an option. I contacted Arvin Meritor myself in August 2006 and they advised me then that a repair kit was very near completion and would be readily available via the dealer network. I obtained a free kit for Monkeyfinger but he could not find anyone prepared to fit it at reasonable cost. That's four years of inaction from Audi, many dealers simply quoting for a whole new roof at double the price of it as a new but in ignorance of the existance of the repair kit. So again it's too little from Audi. The Open Sky needs to be maintained properly, how many here who have full FASH at dealer prices had their roofs lubricated and checked? Most owners were in ignorance.

I fully agree with you re the A2 being unloved and losing Audi money. May start a thread later about this.
 
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