How Audi conducts durability testing

[Wretched]

Audi recently conducted its 100th durability test, known as an "INKA" test, on a 2016 A4. INKA is the acronym for Ingolstadt Korrosion und Altern (corrosion and aging). The testing replicates 12 years of vehicle life in 19 weeks.

This corrosion and aging test is conducted in five phases. First, the car is misted with salt and placed in a climatic chamber heated to 95 degrees Fahrenheit. Next up is exposure to a tropical climate with a temperature of 122 degrees and up to 100 percent humidity.

In the third phase, 80 1,200-watt halogen metal vapor lamps are used to heat the body to a maximum of 194 degrees. The test here is to make sure the materials in the interior don't fade in color or become brittle.

After the heat comes the cold. The fourth phase is meant to simulate polar circle winter conditions. In a chamber cooled to minus 31 degrees, the car is put on a 4-post hydropulse machine that exercises the suspension and rocks the body to simulate the torsion and strain the car experiences on rough roads.

Finally, in phase five, test drivers take the car through specially prepared routesthat include saltwater and mud.

The car is driven only about 7,500 miles, but the punishment it endures is as brutal as 12 years of use.

After the testing, quality inspectors break the car down into 600 parts and check each for weak points. The Quality Assurance team uses this information to verify a car's corrosion protection and durability and make changes to future models. "The INKA test is an essential tool for assessing the quality of our models and for further optimizing our production methods," said Sylvia Droll, Head of Materials Engineering.

Audi Quality Assurance conducted the first INKA tests in 2002. Since then, it has completed a total of 322,500 hours of testing, driven the cars more than 620,000 miles, and driven through 2,800 mud tests and 1,900 salt tests.

The company's durability testing goes back beyond that, though, as the company's Technical Department has been testing preproduction cars for 40 years.

http://www.motorauthority.com/news/1...bility-testing

Interesting to see what other makes do for durability testing.

[mcnews]

Pity they can't make gearboxes and their cars hold together so they are worth more than a kleenex when second hand :-)

[F6RCD]

Ford Aus seem to just give them to the customers to test. Much cheaper.

[XR6Runner]

Originally Posted by F6RCD

Ford Aus seem to just give them to the customers to test. Much cheaper.

Like this?
http://www.caradvice.com.au/401802/f...-looks-bright/

[Silver Ghia]

Originally Posted by Wretched

http://www.motorauthority.com/news/1...bility-testing

Interesting to see what other makes do for durability testing.

Appears to be corrosion testing, not durability testing.


This is Durability testing:

Originally Posted by XR6Runner

Like this?
http://www.caradvice.com.au/401802/f...-looks-bright/

[STINKY NINJA]

Originally Posted by mcnews

Pity they can't make gearboxes and their cars hold together so they are worth more than a kleenex when second hand :-)

Are you talking about ford or audi lol,same story there cobber

[Bossxr8]

Originally Posted by Wretched

Interesting to see what other makes do for durability testing.

They would all do similar testing. It's nothing unique.

[cheap]

Their tests proves very little.

Corrosion is a slow cancer, where water over a long period of time makes its way into nooks and crannies, as the car is driven over many years, metal fatigue sets in, body panels flex, cracks and openings appear, grime accumulates and blocks drainage. Small stone chips, scratches and everyday usage helps corrosion take a hold too.

Audi would be better of getting a bunch of used MY2000 Audi's with +500,000kms pulling those cars apart and showing their durability.

Likewise paint fades, UV over a dozen years wreaks havoc on paintwork, especially red paints.

[irish2]

Originally Posted by cheap

Audi would be better of getting a bunch of used MY2000 Audi's with +500,000kms pulling those cars apart and showing their durability.

Likewise paint fades, UV over a dozen years wreaks havoc on paintwork, especially red paints.

Would any have actually made it this far? I always thought VAG group used the drive line as a fuse. It dies early and takes the car with it before other issues arise.

[Qwerty321]

Originally Posted by mcnews

Pity they can't make gearboxes and their cars hold together so they are worth more than a kleenex when second hand :-)

Ahhhhhh, so the audi behind me on the highway isn't tailgating me on purpose, he's just unable to downshift. This clears everything up

[prydey]

ford's version of durability testing.

ford's ecoboost torture test

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tEqwXrqzH4

its a bit long, but impressive.