GOOD RIDDANCE - 2013 A4 Avant Black Edition

[A3BE]

Where do I start?.....I purchased my 2014 A4 Avant Black Edition 177 Tdi in March 2013 and since that date it has been nothing but trouble and inconvenience. During the past 12 months it has been off the road for nearly 3 months, it has had -;

• A new clutch and DMF (5k miles)
• 4 new seat frames
• Steering software updates to correct the horrendous drive ability issues blighting this model (unsuccessfully),
• "Clunking" front brakes when reverse gear is selected (which I am informed is because I keep my wheels too clean!!),
• Notchy gearbox
• Poor fuel economy
• Clutch pedal vibration making the car virtually undriveable
• Creaking steering and front suspension

During the past month alone my A4 Avant has been in 2 different Audi dealerships in which during this time I have experienced the most appalling customer service ever received from Audi CS! In all my years of being a motor enthusiast and the owner of 30 new cars, spending £110k on Audi cars during the past 5 years, my patience has finally broke!!

There is 4 outstanding and "irreparable" issues with my car which are well documented by owners of this same model of which some are deemed highly dangerous. Audi although recognising these issues confirm they have no fixes and are prepared for owners to risk their lives and that of their passengers driving unsafe and unroadworthy Audi badged cars. Both Audi CS and my Audi dealership have confirmed where their loyalties lie and that is not with its customers, in particular those who are experiencing in Audi's view "characteristic" defects!

To conclude this sad state of affairs I have managed to secure a favourable buy back at market value but this was only due to the extreme practices I had to initiate. My Audi ownership is over and although I am saddened to see this happen as I truly like Audi products. However, this most recent experience has left a very bitter taste in my mouth and it has truly shown what contempt Audi has for its loyal customers!

 

[warren_S5]

Firstly I'm really sorry for you as no-one should have to go through this sort of challenge with cars that cost what Audi's cost. Given we live in the 21st century it's not really acceptable for a product that has been as substandard as yours has been to be deemed 'characteristic'.

I'm in part pleased that you've raised it on here as I too am experiencing a real mixed bag of service from Audi depending on who I use. Some franchises have become complacent and arrogant due to the recent sales success, and it's almost like they accept that its ok to have the odd unhappy customer and is part of the course rather than an opportunity to excel. I'm also hearing an increasing number of stories where Audi UK seem toothless and don't really add anything to support the customer.

I appreciate you've got shot of it, and will no doubt move on, but its important for stories like this to air. Too many people are blinded by main dealer service, full service history and thinking they're buying into something 'special' just because there is a B&O stereo in the corner and some free by magazines to flick through whilst you wait. People also get giddy because of the excitement of making a big purchase and only change their view when the worst happens. To anyone that has truly experienced high end service, Audi unfortunately doesn't come close across many of it's main dealers.

Once again sorry to hear of your situation, good luck with your next purchase and thanks for sharing.

 

[Anthony566]

I wonder which poor ****** is going to end up with this car !!! will this car just go into the used car pot ???

 

[dpaz]

No, remember dealerships are franchises and they sell cars on behalf of Audi UK.

Audi UK will take ownership of the Vehicle and I suspect it will end up back in Germany but more often than not they end up in the back yard of the dealership for months.

 

[A3BE]

warren S3 you have hit the nail on the head when you stated "complacency" and "arrogance" due to Audi's present sales success. It is Audi's apparent philosophy that "one customer lost is another one gained" customer service is severely lacking and no one wants the responsibility or to be accountable when things go terribly wrong even the head of business!, more so once they have your money!

If anyone asked me a year ago I would have sung the praises of the Audi brand based on my previous experience of 2 Audi purchases. I thought I had experienced the worst with my "bread and butter" car purchases 25 years ago and that manufacturers had learned that the customer is king, apparently not!.....dare to complain with the premium brands and you are considered trouble and left frustrated by their lack of understanding of the term "customer service"!!

I will move on but this soured experience, inconvenience and financial loss at the hands of one of the so called "premium" brands has left me bewildered and very weary at what lies in store when I purchase my next car!

 

[wolfie138]

surprised you lasted that long, w/ that list of faults. i woulda demanded a replacement vehicle - pretty sure you're in your rights to do that since it seems that thing obviously didn't fall into the "fit for purpose" thing etc.

 

[andyam]

I've had pretty poor service too from them lately...my car went in for several things one was to get a steering wheel squeak sorted. They replicated the sound twice but as it was so infrequent had to keep trying to find it. They asked me to come in to try and replicate it for them. I just had a baby boy born and said that I will be in Wednesday or Thursday..They said that's fine...Wednesday morning 9 am they call to chase me to take back the courtesy car...I was livid...especially as it was agreed that it would be wed or thurs...she was rude on the phone asking and didn't really care that I had just had a baby boy 4 days old....said well I can send someone to get the car if you can't come in....well what would I do about my car...she wanted to just bring it back to me without the issue fixed...seriously poor

 

[A3BE]

surprised you lasted that long, w/ that list of faults. I would of demanded a replacement vehicle - pretty sure you're in your rights to do that since it seems that thing obviously didn't fall into the "fit for purpose" thing etc.

I am surprised I lasted that long myself. I have in the past rejected cars that have many manufacturing defects and in all truthfulness I really liked the car that much I just wanted to get the issues resolved so I could get on with enjoying my car. My A4 has been with my Audi dealer since 28th march and for the past month I have liaised with both the dealer and Audi CS in order to conclude a satisfactory outcome. Audi CS advised that although they understood my frustrations and recognised the defects that were blighting my car but they would not authorise a replacement car or accept a rejection......even though they could not fix the defects on my car. Both dealer and Audi CS basically confirmed that unfortunately I would have to accept my A4 for what it was!!!..... This was never going to happen and so I set about by redressing my complaint by refusing to leave the dealership until my grievance was resolved. My insistance paid off just before the afternoon customer rush when I was ushered into a side room and my proposal for the dealer to buy back my A4 was accepted. I'm happy that I am out of this damned ownership experience but inconvenience continues until I do the homework all over again and source a replacement vehicle to the spec and colour I want.

 

[Anthony566]

So they just agreed a buy back price .. not to compensate you for the whole process ??

 

[Gazwould]

Shocking.

Did you involve Trading Standards ?

 

[wolfie138]

Both dealer and Audi CS basically confirmed that unfortunately I would have to accept my A4 for what it was!!!.....

utter BS, and they want shooting for daring to suggest such a thing. definitely get a letter to trading standards, and i'd be tempted to write to Audi's head offices in Germany too.

 

[A3BE]

So they just agreed a buy back price .. not to compensate you for the whole process ??

We'll they offered nothing initially stating that the defects on my A4 were acceptable!! My experience of Audi CS in this debacle is truly appalling, they did not give a rats ****! The so called customer service manager and after sales manager at my dealer confirmed that after holding my A4 for nearly a month and accepting that my car has inherent "characteristic" defects they nor Audi have a fix!!..... I basically told them if that was the case I didn't want the car back and that I wasn't leaving the dealership until my concerns were concluded to my satisfaction. In the end they relented and offered me top book price which I accepted on the basis that this proposal was the best idea out of a bad situation. I've lost approximately £1500 on what I paid for it new plus the accessories I purchased for it which consist of a "Hatchbag" full boot liner, LED light kit as purchased from Trups and a Audi semi rigid boot liner which I will now sell if I can get the right money. Both boot liners are as good as new condition.

 

[A3BE]

Shocking.

Did you involve Trading Standards ?

No, too time consuming and it became obvious the Audi were digging there heels in. The only way the address this debacle was in a court of law, and I was not going to appoint a solicitor at great cost with no cast iron guarantees that I would be successful in my attempts to seek the rightful decision.

 

[dpaz]

What were the outstanding irreparable issues?

You state you gave the dealer several opportunities to fix the problems, assuming you gave them 3 or more opportunities you are within your rights to reject the car. However you must have rejected the car within the first 6 months of ownership to have obtained a full refund as beyond 6 months a lesser amount, taking into consideration mileage covered and wear and tear, would be available.

You state you've received £1,500 less than what you paid which is in fact generous to say you have owned the car for over a year.

 

[dpaz]

I think what is really disgusting about this case is the reluctance of Audi to bring about a resolution. Surely Audi are familiar with UK law so all they've done is dragged it out and upset a customer.

Was watching just last week on YouTube a guy over in the US who's had loads of problems with a brand new Porsche 911 and he's created a series of YouTube videos showing the faults and explaining the nightmare he's had with Porsche America. He's had 100k+ views last time I saw.

 

[A3BE]

What were the outstanding irreparable issues?

You state you gave the dealer several opportunities to fix the problems, assuming you gave them 3 or more opportunities you are within your rights to reject the car. However you must have rejected the car within the first 6 months of ownership to have obtained a full refund as beyond 6 months a lesser amount, taking into consideration mileage covered and wear and tear, would be available.

You state you've received £1,500 less than what you paid which is in fact generous to say you have owned the car for over a year.

The outstanding issues were the vague and unpredictable steering (which is a well documented issue amongst other A4 owners), front brakes clunking when applied in reverse, clutch pedal vibration and creaking steering/front suspension.

With regards to vehicle rejection there is no time limit however after 12 months of ownership it is a very costly task of taking your grievance through the legal system, Audi knew this hence them digging their heels in and hoping that I would just accept my A4 for what it was, how wrong were they!!

Like I and others have previously mentioned, Audi are riding the crest of a wave in relation to vehicle sales so can afford to pi$$ a few customers off without any significant brand detriment. The amount I have received in buy back would enable me to order the same car/spec £2,500 less than what I paid for the one in question so effectively I have gained a grand������������....I definitely wouldn't buy from the dealer in question for obvious reasons but at the same time do I want to own another Audi when the brand offers no support for its loyal customers. I'm still debating about purchasing another Audi as I like the cars, however if a BMW 320d M Sport Auto touring was available at the right price I might be tempted������

 

[Derbz]

Sounds awful, no wonder you have a bad taste in your mouth.

 

[Cyprio]

The outstanding issues were the vague and unpredictable steering (which is a well documented issue amongst other A4 owners), front brakes clunking when applied in reverse, clutch pedal vibration and creaking steering/front suspension.

With regards to vehicle rejection there is no time limit however after 12 months of ownership it is a very costly task of taking your grievance through the legal system, Audi knew this hence them digging their heels in and hoping that I would just accept my A4 for what it was, how wrong were they!!

Like I and others have previously mentioned, Audi are riding the crest of a wave in relation to vehicle sales so can afford to pi$$ a few customers off without any significant brand detriment. The amount I have received in buy back would enable me to order the same car/spec £2,500 less than what I paid for the one in question so effectively I have gained a grand������������....I definitely wouldn't buy from the dealer in question for obvious reasons but at the same time do I want to own another Audi when the brand offers no support for its loyal customers. I'm still debating about purchasing another Audi as I like the cars, however if a BMW 320d M Sport Auto touring was available at the right price I might be tempted������

Try not to be too tempted by bmw - my two year old 335d touring creaked like an old house; the M sport suspension on 19" rims with runflat tyres was insufferable, plus I've never known paintwork to collect stone-chips so easily as my bmw did! Though I will say that the service I received from my local bmw stealer (Coopers Colchester) was the best I've experienced.

On the other hand I have tried on two occasions to buy a service-plan from my local Colchester Audi dealer and twice they've failed to return my calls, so as far as I'm concerned they've now lost all my future business - not good, Audi Colchester!

 

[ivor1]

Its a pity you have gone through this experience,complacency and arrogance,are nearly the definition of vorsprung durch.......it seems.I have a friend who is friendly with a guy who has sells three differing brands,he says the ethos from the KIA UK customer services for example are way ahead of the more established manufacturers purely because they want to build customer loyalty and hence the brand.Audi have a great range of beautiful cars but empires can crumble very easily and it takes a long time to claw back customer confidence.
I bet your car will be put out Audi approved in no time!

 

[woollyjoe]

Sadly, the issue is the way cars are sold in the uk. The industry is very out of date. Audi themselves are toothless to do anything and the dealers are their clients, not us.

Dealers are a mixed bag. I had one dealer sell me an Sline car that turned up on the v5 as SE and loads of problems as it was a hire car one year old (despite confirming I writing it was an ex demo audi owned car).

Another dealer sold me autoglym at nearly £400, and then never applied it, although they confirmed it had been. On both occasions the car ended up back at dealer, but trading standards got involved on the first case and that carried the threat of prison time. Despite trading standards pursuing the dealer, Audi UK were more than useless as they defended the dealer.

I can say that despite these issues, there is still excellent service on occasion, it just hugely inconsistent depending upon specific individuals you deal with. I don't see bmw or mercedes being different.

On the other hand, I'd move to Tesla Motors in heartbeat if they had the supercharger stations in the uk. They sell their own cars and show how automotive brands should behave. Personally, I think Tesla show up every other car brand, including Porsche and Bentley as examples.

 

[A3BE]

Its a pity you have gone through this experience,complacency and arrogance,are nearly the definition of vorsprung durch.......it seems.I have a friend who is friendly with a guy who has sells three differing brands,he says the ethos from the KIA UK customer services for example are way ahead of the more established manufacturers purely because they want to build customer loyalty and hence the brand.Audi have a great range of beautiful cars but empires can crumble very easily and it takes a long time to claw back customer confidence.
I bet your car will be put out Audi approved in no time!

I am in total agreement with your statement but I guess as a Audi customer who only spends £40/50k every 3 years this wasn't good enough (although I was looking to buy a A1 for the wife but they never responded to my communications, so now she has purchased a Golf 7 GTD instead) and with many other and more wealthy customers spending £40 - £100k+ every year I am a customer Audi can afford to lose......and yes I would bet my last pound that my dysfunctional A4 Avant will be on the approved for sale list within the next 7 days having completed Audi's 100 point mechanical and safety check!!

 

[firecracker69]

I know this thread is based on how Audi have let you down, and I do feel for you - especially on a new car, no-one should have to go through all this trouble!! I'm glad the outcome in terms of a buy back was enough to make it less painful, but no compensation for all the inconvenience is appalling!

I must say, I have had both good and bad with Audi. My first Audi came out of warranty, a month or so later I was driving along the motorway and lost all power with the coil light flashing at me, I could drive but not really accelerate. I managed to get it to a main dealer and call for assistance. After looking at the car and replacing some sensors they could not get it to work, so I made my way home and left it at the dealership. I complained to Audi UK about the issue along with some other issues that a dealer had not dealt with - silly issues like sticking door handle, chip in glass when I bought it with the salesman telling me I could get it done free on the insurance only to find out when I tried the glass repair bloke told me it already had a repair attempt and nothing could be done, and a squeaking boot lid. Anyway, in all fairness to Audi UK (I wrote to the MD, Martin Sander from memory) and I had someone put on the case as a personal point of contact and they did everything!! The dealer then charged it all to Audi UK who picked up the bill - £2,500. So I have to say, I found this outstanding CS!
My second Audi, I enquired into an online vehicle (thankfully I took a screenshot) and made enquiries, they told me if i didnt put down a deposit that day the price was going up due to an error. As I couldnt see the car and they were not local I refused - next day price went up a few grand. I complained and basically got told "tough". I then complained to management, following day I got a call from the dealer honoring the original price and deal was done!! So again, a bit of pushing and I did well out of it.

As mentioned previously in this post, I dont think any other manufacturer is any better? My turbo went on my BMW and I recieved awful CS, it was a known fault and they dismissed this and wanted nothing to do with it, over a grand later i got my car back.

Recently we put our Focus into Ford for its first service, upon collection money was missing from the center armrest, calls and a letter to Ford UK got us no-where!! The dealer refused to call us to discuss, Ford UK said there was nothing they could do about it and couldnt force them to call us!?

Point being, I can't say any dealer or manufacturer is better than the next..... although I do pay the extra for the Audi name in the hope there is still some CS left in this world!?

 

[woollyjoe]

I have to agree - Customer service is bad for middle premium brands like BMW and Audi. I also emailed Martin Snader and put onto someone but this is just a fobbing off tactic which is fair enough - point is that you should never have to email a UK MD. in the end, it was trading standards that helped me. What Car also have good help on this stuff.

Find a good garage and make sure they have a reputation worth protecting - like HR Owen - they had someone replace my tyres and drive my car back to my home - after the service department closed and at no extra costs, because they miscommunicated when my car would be available. They must have called someone to get it done at 7pm at night and I had the car at home about 8.30pm. I didn't even kick up a fuss - they just knew what they had to do.