MDC

I bought a CPO 2001 A6 2.7T with the sport package about 6 months ago. I
noticed the spare was not a real wheel, but a "donut." The dealer told me
the sport package cars did not come with full size spares because the large
rim does not fit in the space for the spare. This weekend I got a flat and
put the donut on. Then I noticed the full-size tire fits in the spare
space. Was the dealer's story a lie?

Anybody know whether my car was originally equipped with a full-size rim &
tire?


"Steve Sears" <steve.sears@SHOESsoil-mat.on.ca> wrote in message
news:3a9Fe.774$d02.238849@news20.bellglobal.com...
> Lorne,
> Did they also say, "OOPS!" and "sorry"?
> They should have.....
> Cheers!
> Steve Sears
> 1987 Audi 5kTQ
> 1980 Audi 5k
> 1962 and '64 Auto Union DKW Junior deLuxes
>
> "Lorne Dyke" <lornecd@verizon.net> wrote in message
> news:ID%De.14915$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" <steve.sears@SHOESsoil-mat.on.ca> wrote in message
>> news:nmvDe.3796$Qi4.546775@news20.bellglobal.com.. .
>> > Lorne,
>> > Not that I'd blame you, but could you/someone else accidentally taken
> the
>> > wrong spare tire when you had it out during the School? IME, there's a
>> > lot
>> > of "ugly steel spares" being tossed around in prep for those events.
> Odds
>> > are that there's a driving school student driving around with a 5-hole
> S4
>> > spare in the trunk of their 4-lug car.
>> > Cheers!
>> > Steve Sears
>> > 1987 Audi 5kTQ
>> > 1980 Audi 5k
>> > 1962 and '64 Auto Union DKW Junior deLuxes
>> > (SPAM Blocker NOTE: Remove SHOES to reply)
>> >
>> > "Lorne Dyke" <lornecd@verizon.net> wrote in message
>> > news:T2jDe.21852$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" <w.pawlinetz@a1.net> wrote in message
>> >> news:fg6pd1te3ua3nfc7it58ufnupi0pj2teq6@4ax.com...
>> >> > 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
>> >>
>> >>
>> >
>> >
>>
>>
>
>

MDC

I bought a CPO 2001 A6 2.7T with the sport package about 6 months ago. I
noticed the spare was not a real wheel, but a "donut." The dealer told me
the sport package cars did not come with full size spares because the large
rim does not fit in the space for the spare. This weekend I got a flat and
put the donut on. Then I noticed the full-size tire fits in the spare
space. Was the dealer's story a lie?

Anybody know whether my car was originally equipped with a full-size rim &
tire?


"Steve Sears" <steve.sears@SHOESsoil-mat.on.ca> wrote in message
news:3a9Fe.774$d02.238849@news20.bellglobal.com...
> Lorne,
> Did they also say, "OOPS!" and "sorry"?
> They should have.....
> Cheers!
> Steve Sears
> 1987 Audi 5kTQ
> 1980 Audi 5k
> 1962 and '64 Auto Union DKW Junior deLuxes
>
> "Lorne Dyke" <lornecd@verizon.net> wrote in message
> news:ID%De.14915$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" <steve.sears@SHOESsoil-mat.on.ca> wrote in message
>> news:nmvDe.3796$Qi4.546775@news20.bellglobal.com.. .
>> > Lorne,
>> > Not that I'd blame you, but could you/someone else accidentally taken
> the
>> > wrong spare tire when you had it out during the School? IME, there's a
>> > lot
>> > of "ugly steel spares" being tossed around in prep for those events.
> Odds
>> > are that there's a driving school student driving around with a 5-hole
> S4
>> > spare in the trunk of their 4-lug car.
>> > Cheers!
>> > Steve Sears
>> > 1987 Audi 5kTQ
>> > 1980 Audi 5k
>> > 1962 and '64 Auto Union DKW Junior deLuxes
>> > (SPAM Blocker NOTE: Remove SHOES to reply)
>> >
>> > "Lorne Dyke" <lornecd@verizon.net> wrote in message
>> > news:T2jDe.21852$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" <w.pawlinetz@a1.net> wrote in message
>> >> news:fg6pd1te3ua3nfc7it58ufnupi0pj2teq6@4ax.com...
>> >> > 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 Sears

MDC,
You'd be well-advised to ask on the A6 forum on Audiworld, there'd be more
folks there with similar cars - I'd venture to say that it would be
"originally equipped" with whatever was in the trunk, since it makes no
sense to ship the cars from Germany (/Hungary/?) with nothing in the place
of the spare, and then ship a container-full of spare tires. Of course,
this does not apply to Lorne's case, unless the wrong tire was put in at the
factory (hey, it happens, I've seen such a mixup at a different manufacturer
=> rear axles placed on one truck forward in the line for half of a shift,
error noticed when wheel bolt pattern did not match). The story you were
given about the reasoning for the donut does not ring true (obviously, if
the fs tire fits....) - it's more likely that, given the number of different
wheel options the buyer is given, it makes more $en$e to put a generic spare
in there, where all they'd have to do is match the bolt pattern. It's nice
to have a FS spare (mostly because you can drive as normal to the repair
centre), but most of the time people forget to keep it inflated, and it's
flat when they need it a few years down the road. Quattro and many AWD
systems don't really take kindly to throwing an untravelled spare tire into
tire rotations, not to mention directional tread patterns (this is my left
side spare, that's my right side spare?). Some manufacturers are deleting
the spare tire altogether, opting for a "spare-in-a-can"
inflator/patch.....and there's "run flat" tires.......
Cheers!
Steve Sears
1987 Audi 5kTQ
1980 Audi 5k
1962 and '64 Auto Union DKW Junior deLuxes
(SPAM Blocker NOTE: Remove SHOES to reply)

"MDC" <courtian1@aol.com> wrote in message
news:toWFe.2966$Na6.1676340@twister.nyc.rr.com...
> I bought a CPO 2001 A6 2.7T with the sport package about 6 months ago. I
> noticed the spare was not a real wheel, but a "donut." The dealer told me
> the sport package cars did not come with full size spares because the
large
> rim does not fit in the space for the spare. This weekend I got a flat
and
> put the donut on. Then I noticed the full-size tire fits in the spare
> space. Was the dealer's story a lie?
>
> Anybody know whether my car was originally equipped with a full-size rim &
> tire?

Steve Sears

MDC,
You'd be well-advised to ask on the A6 forum on Audiworld, there'd be more
folks there with similar cars - I'd venture to say that it would be
"originally equipped" with whatever was in the trunk, since it makes no
sense to ship the cars from Germany (/Hungary/?) with nothing in the place
of the spare, and then ship a container-full of spare tires. Of course,
this does not apply to Lorne's case, unless the wrong tire was put in at the
factory (hey, it happens, I've seen such a mixup at a different manufacturer
=> rear axles placed on one truck forward in the line for half of a shift,
error noticed when wheel bolt pattern did not match). The story you were
given about the reasoning for the donut does not ring true (obviously, if
the fs tire fits....) - it's more likely that, given the number of different
wheel options the buyer is given, it makes more $en$e to put a generic spare
in there, where all they'd have to do is match the bolt pattern. It's nice
to have a FS spare (mostly because you can drive as normal to the repair
centre), but most of the time people forget to keep it inflated, and it's
flat when they need it a few years down the road. Quattro and many AWD
systems don't really take kindly to throwing an untravelled spare tire into
tire rotations, not to mention directional tread patterns (this is my left
side spare, that's my right side spare?). Some manufacturers are deleting
the spare tire altogether, opting for a "spare-in-a-can"
inflator/patch.....and there's "run flat" tires.......
Cheers!
Steve Sears
1987 Audi 5kTQ
1980 Audi 5k
1962 and '64 Auto Union DKW Junior deLuxes
(SPAM Blocker NOTE: Remove SHOES to reply)

"MDC" <courtian1@aol.com> wrote in message
news:toWFe.2966$Na6.1676340@twister.nyc.rr.com...
> I bought a CPO 2001 A6 2.7T with the sport package about 6 months ago. I
> noticed the spare was not a real wheel, but a "donut." The dealer told me
> the sport package cars did not come with full size spares because the
large
> rim does not fit in the space for the spare. This weekend I got a flat
and
> put the donut on. Then I noticed the full-size tire fits in the spare
> space. Was the dealer's story a lie?
>
> Anybody know whether my car was originally equipped with a full-size rim &
> tire?

Steve Sears

MDC,
You'd be well-advised to ask on the A6 forum on Audiworld, there'd be more
folks there with similar cars - I'd venture to say that it would be
"originally equipped" with whatever was in the trunk, since it makes no
sense to ship the cars from Germany (/Hungary/?) with nothing in the place
of the spare, and then ship a container-full of spare tires. Of course,
this does not apply to Lorne's case, unless the wrong tire was put in at the
factory (hey, it happens, I've seen such a mixup at a different manufacturer
=> rear axles placed on one truck forward in the line for half of a shift,
error noticed when wheel bolt pattern did not match). The story you were
given about the reasoning for the donut does not ring true (obviously, if
the fs tire fits....) - it's more likely that, given the number of different
wheel options the buyer is given, it makes more $en$e to put a generic spare
in there, where all they'd have to do is match the bolt pattern. It's nice
to have a FS spare (mostly because you can drive as normal to the repair
centre), but most of the time people forget to keep it inflated, and it's
flat when they need it a few years down the road. Quattro and many AWD
systems don't really take kindly to throwing an untravelled spare tire into
tire rotations, not to mention directional tread patterns (this is my left
side spare, that's my right side spare?). Some manufacturers are deleting
the spare tire altogether, opting for a "spare-in-a-can"
inflator/patch.....and there's "run flat" tires.......
Cheers!
Steve Sears
1987 Audi 5kTQ
1980 Audi 5k
1962 and '64 Auto Union DKW Junior deLuxes
(SPAM Blocker NOTE: Remove SHOES to reply)

"MDC" <courtian1@aol.com> wrote in message
news:toWFe.2966$Na6.1676340@twister.nyc.rr.com...
> I bought a CPO 2001 A6 2.7T with the sport package about 6 months ago. I
> noticed the spare was not a real wheel, but a "donut." The dealer told me
> the sport package cars did not come with full size spares because the
large
> rim does not fit in the space for the spare. This weekend I got a flat
and
> put the donut on. Then I noticed the full-size tire fits in the spare
> space. Was the dealer's story a lie?
>
> Anybody know whether my car was originally equipped with a full-size rim &
> tire?