>  my 93gl had the pistons replaced this past spring at 30.000 miles. it still
>makes the clattering noise everyone is talking about. it also seems to run
>rough, that is, like the timing is a little off. the noise i noticed before
>and after the pistons were replaced sound like the injectors clicking. anyone
>else have this?   

Hi. I've been trying to tell everybody that the lifter tap (piston slap) is a
charachteristic of the inline 5 after initial cold startup. I drive a '84 Audi
5000 turbo daily. (where's the Vanagon? - shaddup... :<)    It has 135k mi on it
currently. (This is the EXACT same engine as in the EV, minus the turbo, of
course)   I bought it when it was 4 years old and had approx. 50k mi on it.
When I bought it , the lifters tapped when cold, for a few minutes until it
warmed up.  Now, at 135k mi, it does the same thing - no more - no less.  Have I
ever had any problems because of the lifter tap?  No.  In fact, the oil in my
engine is still golden brown at 135k ( I keep up with the oil changes)  and I
know I'll never have to replace the pistons as long as I own the car.  The Audi
inline 5 is virtually an "indestructable" engine.  I have seen more than my fair
share of Audi 5000's in junkyards - but never because of a "bad engine".
(expensive PS (hydraulic) systems are Audi's downfall, and of course CBS's "60
Minutes" didn't help much either..... (They killed the resale value with their
little "unintended acceleration" bit...READ: DRIVER ERROR)
 But if you can get VW to replace your pistons, then more power to ya.  It won't
change a thing.  Just be thankful you don't have to deal with headgasket
problems like the V-gons. 

chris