multiphrenic

Your best bet is this device: http://store.ross-tech.com/shop/VCHUC.html which is $349. Another option is to check the sticky for people in Ottawa who have a VAGCOM device and are willing to trade some of their time for goodwill and maybe a beer.

When I first saw the price tag I was put off rather quickly. But I was since able to diagnose a faulty DV (no MIL was shown but code was stored). That alone made it worth it..and as I plan on keeping this car for at least another 5 years, I'm positive it'll pay for itself.

I was under the impression that the extended warranty was not for the cam follower, but for the PCV and Manifold?

I did not have a lot of experience working on cars before buying the A4. It sounds like your warranty is up soon and your 100k service is coming up. I would recommend the Bentley manuals and the Audizine forums. You can learn a lot about your car and do a lot of maintenance to save yourself money (at least $349 worth!).

Things like checking your cam follower every 50,000km, changing your own oil, replacing your brakes and rotors, cleaning your throttle body are all easily learned.

chelseaa4a

Thanks Multi...I will definitely pick up the Bentley manuals...and I've found a lot of useful DIY info on Audizine. With regard to the extended warranty...you are right in that the recent letter from AoC was in ref to the PCV and manifold...which I thouht may have been my problem however I have since learned (fortunate for me) that there is also an extended warranty on the hpfp/cam/follower as well. Although I did not receive a letter from Audi on this.

a4audi4fun

http://www.ross-tech.com/distributors.html - Canadian distributors for the Ross-Tech VCDS cable are shown here. I used Roseland because they provided me with free shipping. You may be close enough to one of the Ontario or Quebec distributors.

http://vagtoolfinder.com/ - This link can help you find someone with VCDS in your local geography.

chelseaa4a

Fantastic...thanks 4 fun

chelseaa4a

Update...my b7 avant is home tonight and running better than ever. I have to say I'm very impressed with both Audi of Canada and Mark Motors here in Ottawa. PCV, intake flap motor, hpfp, cam, follower, and camshaft, all replaced...oil pan removed and checked for metal fragments...replaced oil pick up tube...all on extended warranty. This on a 2006 with an in service date of dec 2005! It does not get any better than that! Thank you AoC and Mark Motors for the excellent service.

LR Audi

I've taken my car to OpenRoad Audi on Boundary. I wasn't impressed by their service but their technical expertise is definitely on par with a dealership.

Given my automotive background I can tell you that nothing is ever "free", especially at a dealership. You're paying for those services. They wash/vacuum your car because it's one of the few ways they can justify such high overhead prices compared to independent shops.

I have several DIY guides on the C5 A6 forum and I may start posting DIY guides on the B7 A4 forum as well. The Ross-Tech software is a must. I have the USB model and I can scan/clear any codes and have reprogrammed my A6 numerous times with it. I have the Bentley manual on DVD and honestly I didn't find it anywhere near as helpful as I thought it would be, as I learned more stuff on my own doing research and such. It only helped me with exact torque specs on certain things that I couldn't find on the Internet.