A5123262068999_1

Technical Service Bulletin
51 Visible corrosion at joint between roof and roof side member
51 23 26 2068999/1 January 5, 2023.
Model(s)
Year
A6
2012 – 2024
A7
2012 – 2018
S6
VIN Range
Vehicle-Specific Equipment
All
Not Applicable
2013 – 2018
2021 – 2024
S7
2013 – 2018
RS 7
2014 – 2018
A3, and S3
2015 – 2020
A3 Cabriolet
2015 – 2019
TT, TTS, and TT
2016 – 2024
Roadster
A4, A4 allroad,
and Q7
2017 – 2024
RS 3
2017 – 2020
A3 Sportback etron
2017 – 2018
S4, Q5, and SQ5 2018 – 2024
TT RS
2018 – 2022
A8, Q3, and Q8
2019 – 2024
A6 allroad
2019
2021 – 2024
S8, SQ7, SQ8,
and RS Q8
2020 – 2024
A8 e quattro
2020 – 2021
Q5 e quattro, Q5
Sportback, and 2021 – 2024
SQ5 Sportback
RS 6 Avant
2022 - 2024
Condition
© 2023 Audi of America, Inc.
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intellectual property rights of Audi of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this
document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may
these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior expressed written permission of the publisher.
Technical Service Bulletin
Customer states:
A visible line of corrosion is forming in the roof, specifically at the right or left roof channel seams.
Workshop findings:
The corrosion formation is confirmed. It forms under what appears to be cracks through the top coat of the paint.
Technical Background
The corrosion may have begun as a result of the underlying metal being exposed and unprotected to the
elements due to a crack in the paint top coat. Cracks in the paint in the area of the roof channel seams are likely
due to the roof panel having sustained impact externally from objects such as a large snow load falling from
above, a cargo carrier, or its contents having come in contact with the roof panel, hail storm, etc. The result of
any impact will cause microscopic cracks in the paint in the roof channel seams, and over time, cause corrosion in
the roof metal after a prolonged period unprotected if this damage is not repaired according to Audi collision repair
guidelines immediately after the event. Repairs to the roof panel after an impact event, such as paintless dent
removal, will leave a characteristic wave in the roof panel and the paint cracks will remain, leaving the underlying
metal unprotected and susceptible to corrosion formation.
Production Solution
Not applicable.
Service
Note:
Prior to any repair for the corrosion formation described in this TSB extensive documentation will be required as
well as a consultation with your AASM before any warranty application can be considered.
1. Figure 1 shows an example of a typical case of
corrosion formation due to paint cracking.
Figure 1. Resultant corrosion due to cracks in the paint.
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All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other
intellectual property rights of Audi of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this
document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may
these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior expressed written permission of the publisher.
Technical Service Bulletin
2. Figure 2 shows a closer view of the paint
cracking.
Figure 2. Close-up view of paint cracking in roof
channel seam.
3. The roof channel seams may require viewing
under magnification for detection.
Figure 3. Paint cracks under magnification.
4. Any deformation of the roof panel that persists
after an external force event is not likely to be
visible after a cursory view of the roof panel. A
more thorough examination of the roof surface will
be necessary using appropriate backlighting and a
reflective pattern.
Figure 4. The remaining roof deformation may evade a
brief view of the roof panel.
© 2023 Audi of America, Inc.
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All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other
intellectual property rights of Audi of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this
document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may
these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior expressed written permission of the publisher.
Technical Service Bulletin
5. Careful examination of the roof panel is necessary
to determine any evidence of the roof panel
having sustained any impact. After an impact
event, there will be a characteristic waviness in
the roof panel that can only be seen after careful
examination of the roof surface. Use a
background contrast as shown in Figure 5.
Figure 5. Roof panel examination using a contrasting
pattern in the background.
6. Measure and document the paint thickness at
several points along both the right and left sides of
the roof panel. The ideal pant thickness range for
the roof panel should be between 3.5 mm and 5.4
mm.
Figure 6. Paint thickness measurements.
7. If roof deformation cannot be detected using these methods but the paint cracks are consistent with the
described condition in this TSB it may be necessary to remove the headliner and carefully examine the inside
of the roof panel for any persistent deformation.
6. Thoroughly photo/video document the roof structure and paint inspection and document all paint thicknesses
and post your findings to DocIT. In cases where no evidence whatsoever is found of the roof panel having
sustained an external impact contact your AASM before performing any repair to the vehicle. Since all paint
and corrosion cases must be inspected on-site by your AASM before a warranty application determination is
made your field representative will corroborate this documentation and discuss further steps with Audi
Warranty and Audi Product Support before rendering a final decision.
© 2023 Audi of America, Inc.
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All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other
intellectual property rights of Audi of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this
document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may
these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior expressed written permission of the publisher.
Technical Service Bulletin
Warranty
This TSB is informational only and not applicable to any Audi warranty.
Additional Information
All part and service references provided in this TSB (2068999) are subject to change and/or removal. Always
check with your Parts Department and/or ETKA for the latest information and parts bulletins. Please check the
Repair Manual for fasteners, bolts, nuts, and screws that require replacement during the repair.
©2023 Audi of America, Inc. All rights reserved. The information contained in this document is based on the
latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property
rights of Audi of America, Inc., its affiliated companies, and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes
at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may
these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior expressed written permission of the
publisher.
© 2023 Audi of America, Inc.
Page 5 of 5
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other
intellectual property rights of Audi of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this
document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may
these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior expressed written permission of the publisher.