When I first bought my phantom black S3 about a year ago I had to park it in a narrow road for a few months. Within a few weeks a careless driver had scraped the nearside rear bumper and a little late another scraped the nearside front bumper, both presumably while parking. A few more months later and a neighbour saw someone bash the drivers side door with theirs but they did not stop when they ran down the road after them. Fortunately only the plastic trim was damaged. I waited until I had moved house (the car is now parked off street and garaged) to get the repairs done.
I got a quote from Audi, a bit steep I thought, but I also thought they should be good and there would be warranty issues, etc.
The car was taken in and just under week later collected. It had been and was continuing to rain quite hard that day and the car had not been washed prior to me collecting it. I noticed a slight problem with the rear bumper paint repair. The technician apologised saying it was a blob of laquer that had run and that he would sort it out. The car was reversed into the workshop. I did not notice a number of other problems until later.
Too late I noticed he was using a pot of touch up paint and a brush to conceal the problem. It was pouring with rain and so any repair would not have been effective but before I knew what he was doing he was using a heat gun on it. The result was a mess: a blob of black paint (I have no idea if it was metallic to match the rest of the car) which of course was not finished in laqcuer to match! Not only that but the enthusiastic application of the heat gun had slightly distorted the bumper (at the point just where it meets the wheelarch), so it no longer fitted properly.
I said that if I had wanted to use touch up paint I would have done the job myself. The response from the technician was that I could bring it back if I wasn't happy!! I needed the car so took it away more than a little disgruntled.
That was bad enough, but when I washed the car the following day (Audi had not washed it for me) I discovered a rough patch of paintwork about 600mm long on the driver's side skirt. There was a white mark on the underside of the skirt and it looked as though someone had tried to touch it up, but no laquer finish had been applied or attempt to blend the paint in had been made.
There was also a 50mm long scratch in the paintwork on the metal wheelarch close to where the bumper joins it.
I called them on Monday morning and I was told they would look at it but was told the skirt was nothing to do with them. They could not deny the problem with the bumper though. I was ready to do battle!
I took the car in this morning and I think someone must have owned up to something because the manager was very apologetic and explained that the skirt had overspray on it. I asked why, because the only work to the door was the plastic trim which they told me (and charged for it) they had taken it off so overspray should not have been an issue. I was then told it probably had not been sheeted up properly and the overspray was from another car!!!
They have admitted to all the problems and have confimed they will sort them all out. I remain far from happy though. In the past I have used a small independent bodyshop who do a superb job, I did not use them this time because I was concerned about warranty issues if Audi did not do the work. Frankly, no one could have made a worse job.
The manager told me he was very sorry and that things were not normally like this and that they usually do a very good job. He was pointing to the front bumper this time, which admittedly was OK.
I am abroad for the next few weeks and the car goes back to them on 2 June, so wait and see if the bodyshop does a proper job this time.
I have not named and shamed the bodyshop because they have admitted to the problems and have promised to deal wth them. If they are not dealt with to my satisfaction and the rest of the car sustains any more damage by them it will be a different matter!!
Stay tuned.......................
I got a quote from Audi, a bit steep I thought, but I also thought they should be good and there would be warranty issues, etc.
The car was taken in and just under week later collected. It had been and was continuing to rain quite hard that day and the car had not been washed prior to me collecting it. I noticed a slight problem with the rear bumper paint repair. The technician apologised saying it was a blob of laquer that had run and that he would sort it out. The car was reversed into the workshop. I did not notice a number of other problems until later.
Too late I noticed he was using a pot of touch up paint and a brush to conceal the problem. It was pouring with rain and so any repair would not have been effective but before I knew what he was doing he was using a heat gun on it. The result was a mess: a blob of black paint (I have no idea if it was metallic to match the rest of the car) which of course was not finished in laqcuer to match! Not only that but the enthusiastic application of the heat gun had slightly distorted the bumper (at the point just where it meets the wheelarch), so it no longer fitted properly.
I said that if I had wanted to use touch up paint I would have done the job myself. The response from the technician was that I could bring it back if I wasn't happy!! I needed the car so took it away more than a little disgruntled.
That was bad enough, but when I washed the car the following day (Audi had not washed it for me) I discovered a rough patch of paintwork about 600mm long on the driver's side skirt. There was a white mark on the underside of the skirt and it looked as though someone had tried to touch it up, but no laquer finish had been applied or attempt to blend the paint in had been made.
There was also a 50mm long scratch in the paintwork on the metal wheelarch close to where the bumper joins it.
I called them on Monday morning and I was told they would look at it but was told the skirt was nothing to do with them. They could not deny the problem with the bumper though. I was ready to do battle!
I took the car in this morning and I think someone must have owned up to something because the manager was very apologetic and explained that the skirt had overspray on it. I asked why, because the only work to the door was the plastic trim which they told me (and charged for it) they had taken it off so overspray should not have been an issue. I was then told it probably had not been sheeted up properly and the overspray was from another car!!!
They have admitted to all the problems and have confimed they will sort them all out. I remain far from happy though. In the past I have used a small independent bodyshop who do a superb job, I did not use them this time because I was concerned about warranty issues if Audi did not do the work. Frankly, no one could have made a worse job.
The manager told me he was very sorry and that things were not normally like this and that they usually do a very good job. He was pointing to the front bumper this time, which admittedly was OK.
I am abroad for the next few weeks and the car goes back to them on 2 June, so wait and see if the bodyshop does a proper job this time.
I have not named and shamed the bodyshop because they have admitted to the problems and have promised to deal wth them. If they are not dealt with to my satisfaction and the rest of the car sustains any more damage by them it will be a different matter!!
Stay tuned.......................
