New Audi A3 - Paint Damaged by Valet

Xerohour

Xerohour

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Hi guys/girls i want to ask some advice...

I picked my A3 Black edition up on the 1st of september and was over the moon. I collected the car at 9.30am and the car looked great. It was parked outside the building (in shadow) and the paint look fine. I collected and carefully drove home to show off my new pride and joy to my parents. On the way home the heaven opened and the car was thoughrly soaked. showing my parents around the car i noticed some stange marks on the bonne and on closer examinaton the bonnet was horrifically swirled! I then proceded to check he whole car and to my horror have found that basically the whole car is completely swirlled.

I immediatly called the dealer and explained the problem, at which point they asked me to call back with the car so they could have a quick look. I returned almost immedatly and showed my sale exec. the damaged and his apologised and explained he had not seen the damage when the car was waiting to be collected. I was then told to keep hold of the car why a soloution was found and await a phone call.

I waited all of wednesday and thursday for the call in vain and ended up calling myself. My sale exec. explained that they would be needing the car for a few days to be repaired by and audi approved paintshop and i would be recieving a courtesy during the repair. The thing that annoys me is that they dont seem that bothered... and i think its rubbing of on me!

What do you guys think? should i be going mental or what? I need advice as i get the impression im being taken avantage of...

(Apologies for grammer/spelling as ive had to blast through this in work!)
 
Firstly, you've picked a great car so congratulations for that!

I'm sorry to hear the news, I would be horrified if that was me, you expect to pick up a brand new car in immaculate condition! If I was you I would certainly be concerned about the customer service that your recieving, it would certainly push me over the edge! But at the end of the day is it worth it if they are eventually going to sort it out, I would definately try and get some freebees out of it though?!
 
Sorry to be blunt mate, but they probably arent bothered the slightest, although id get a bit nastier on the phone and tell them to pull their finger out their ***** and get it sorted..
 
Sorry to here you have had problems. I think a stronger approach is needed and maybe a few threats. If they are still not prepared to listen drop an emIl to Jeremy!
 
Don't new car gets delivered in a protective layer/film? Maybe they haven't washed it off properly.
Hope you get it sorted, you should be enjoying your new pride and joy!
 
you should be angry mate, i would be, you go to pick up a brand new car, with brand new paint and some idiot has cleaned the car wrongly and created swirls on your new car, they would not be happy if you done that to their car. the fat that the car mechanically is good is ok and luckily you found the bad paintwork straight away so there is no chance of them blaming you for incorrect cleaning. next time you take it to any garage for MOT, service or whatever, leave a sign inside saying 'do not wash car'
 
As already said a stronge approach is needed. Maybe that why it was parked where it was so you wouldnt notice the marks? You never know with Audi these days.
Another member ST09 bought a black edition was gonna cost audi over £2k to get the paint back to the right standards! In the end he got a new car! Plus dont let audi ever clean your car if it goes in for any reason.
I did and my car was quite a few swirls now...
 
I would personally reject the car and demand a replacement is ordered. They should provide a cortesy car for the duration of build/delivery time.
 
I'm not suprised, i spotted my local dealer washing an A4 with a broom lance on the end of a pressure washer, they are well known for messing up paint.
 
Reject the car outright as it's not what you ordered (or did you ask for Audi scratches, I think not) it's your right under sale of goods act.

Be firm and arrange a meeting with the head of business at the dealership, no good tearing someones head off, I have always had good results by keeping calm.
Just rejected my S4 due to them not ordering the correct spec I stood firm, stated my case which they accepted without argument.

Ok you will have the long wait again but at least you will have the car you want after all it's your money and you should be in the driving seat.:thumbsup:
 
Sem said:
I would personally reject the car and demand a replacement is ordered. They should provide a cortesy car for the duration of build/delivery time.
Click to expand...

TrevS3 said:
Reject the car outright as it's not what you ordered (or did you ask for Audi scratches, I think not) it's your right under sale of goods act.

Be firm and arrange a meeting with the head of business at the dealership, no good tearing someones head off, I have always had good results by keeping calm.
Just rejected my S4 due to them not ordering the correct spec I stood firm, stated my case which they accepted without argument.

Ok you will have the long wait again but at least you will have the car you want after all it's your money and you should be in the driving seat.:thumbsup:
Click to expand...

Yup i fully agree with these guys, be firm, it's your right to have a perfect car from new.Sorry to hear you have had problems though, i am sure it will affetct your enjoyment of your new car experience
 
They have said they will put it right and give you a courtesy car....I cant see what else they could do short of sacrificing a virgin... ?
 
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audi upgrades
all they'll do is give it a proper machine polish with some g7 or g10 final glaze compound and it will be better than the paint on most new cars when delivered. anyone with the same problem wants to get hold of some of this and hand finish their paintwork its worth the hard work
 
demand new replacement or discount of the current one...!
 
paddy said:
Why ? if they sort it with a proper final glaze compound and polish it will be better than most new finishes !
Click to expand...
Agreed mate,most new cars are covered in swirls,i know its not right but as said on many detailing forums when the cars are painted from factory by robots etc thats how it is the paint isnt polished or detailed,then the cars are stored and moved around before delivery,if there going to polish and glaze the car it should look better than a lot of others what come out from there
 
I'm going to let them try and correct the damage. Dependant on the result I'll take the car and try for a few freebies (mud flaps and services) and if it come back less than how I would have expected it on delivery day I'll try a more serious angle of attack. To be totally honest, I'm just gutted that it's ruined the feeling of taking delivery of a brand new audi. Cheers guys. Nick
 
Sorry to hear about your problems, I had very similar problems when I collected my car. Sorry to dampen things but when they corrected the paint they scratched the boot and some how curbbed one of the wheels!! When you go to pick the car up ask for it to be back in the showroom fully prepared and dry. Go over the paint with a fine tooth coomb, look at the paint in the different lights, showroom and daylight. Peeps are right when they have done the machine polish the paint will be better than most. If you look after it and wash it in the most care free ways (lambs wool mitt, two bucket method etc) it will still be good in many years to come. I have had Audi's for many years now and really enjoy them, but the experiance really affected how I felt and still does now even to the this day a year on. At the same it is still my pride and joy. When they did my paint work I got them to put in a Ipod adaptor kit and give me a fleece. Then when I went to pick the car up it was in the showroom prepared in the pick up bay and they started from the beginning handing the car back over to me as if it was new, in the boot were also an umberella and 2 caps.

Good luck chap, don't forget good things come to those who wait.
 
Turn the situation in your favour.

Insist it is corrected by a reputable detailer.
Insist on some goodwill freebies.
Insist on a decent courtesy car.

You get the car back with a better than factory finish, some free stuff, AUDI pick up the bill.

All perfectly reasonable, and not a voice needs to be raised.

Result!:icon_thumright:

Every cloud...etc

Cheers
Paul:asskicking:
 
UPDATE:

Hi guys thanks for all the comments! Particularly "Shez" who really lifted my spirits with his story. Ok after nearly having a breakdown after seeing the car under orange street lighting (which looked aweful!... pictures below) something needed to be done. So i sat down and wrote a formal email to my sales rep and the general manager. I outlined the damage and what my expectations of a new car were. I included photo's dated from pickup day and explained what i wanted from them in regards to the resolution.

The result, I dropped my car off on tuesday night and spoke to the general manager who was apologetic and who explained exactly what was going to happen. The car is being sent to an approved Audi paintshop (apparently, quite a good one) and opon its return the car will be getting a full paint/interior protection system (apparently worth £400) and also mudflaps fitted.The general manager has assured me that i wont be receiving the car back until it is in showroom condition (which he has inspected before they call me). Opon its return i will be collecting from the internal bay so i can inspect the car under the correct lighting.

Ive also been given a fully loaded 2009 A4 3.0TDI Quattro Allroad as a courtesy car. The car basically has every option including Bang & Olfson, SATNAV, Lane assist and adaptive criuse control. Quite a nice courtesy car which i think im be sad to return.

I'll give another update when the works complete.

DSC_1358.jpg


DSC_1342.jpg
 
Xerohour said:
Opon its return i will be collecting from the internal bay so i can inspect the car under the correct lighting.
Click to expand...

Glad they have reached your level of satisfaction. Presumably this is a full respray and how will they be carrying this out? Are they taking moulding etc off beforehand? When inspecting the car ensure there is no overspray, there is no difference in shades between parts, i.e door a different shade to wing etc and double check they haven't given it a blow over on the outside so check in the innner door skins for potential paint peels
 
stick to ya guns chap............dont let these ignorant people spoil ya enjoyment !!!!!!!!!

lsw s3 :s3addict:
 
Hi Guys/Gals I thought it right to update this thread again after what has happened over the last few weeks.

People who have read my previous post will already know that i collected a brand new A3 Black Edition in Phantom black on the 1st of September. The paint was damaged by the valet department at the dealership. The damage was assessed on day 1 and deemed necessary to be corrected by an Audi approved paint shop.

This is where my story continues:

The car went to an Audi Approved paintshop called "Car Cosmetics".

Its spent two and half weeks there aparently (which I later found out wasn't exactly the truth as a phonecall to CC confirmed that the car only arrived there 6 days after I droped the car at Audi) and i got the car back car back around mid September. Upon arrival I inspected the car and noticed that not all the swirls had gone, and instead of being swirled the car was now hologramed and looked terrible (see Picture!) I immediately rejected the car and was told that I would have to go back! All this on a brand new car.

After4.jpg


After2.jpg



So, disheartened I took the car home and awaited the call to take the car back once a suitable time had been found for the car to go back to car cosmetics. Here began the wait
.
..
...
....
One week passed with no phone calls or attempts at contact, prompting me to call them. I was promised a call back as my sales rep was not available
....
...
..
.
Another week passed!

This treatment changed my point of view on the whole matter. Not only was I supplied a faulty car, but the team dealing with it had buried their heads in the sand. I guess you could say I lost my rag!

So the e-mails began.
I went straight to the top contacting every member of the dealerships management till i got a response. This took longer than i was expecting and my frustration levels were at boiling point.
This was about the point when i was contacted by the "New Car Sales Manager". A few e-mails where passed and at this point I did my homework, and found out exactly what my rights were. I outlined exactly what I wanted and why I was entited to a resolution. These were the following:

1. A formal meeting with the above mentioned manager
2. A full Refund or a Replacement car.

This is where the story changed for the better.

I met with the manager on Tuesday and explained the whole situation (Day 1 to Present) and what current state the car was in (Showing pictures before and after repair).

He immediately apologized and was extremely disappointed with the service his team had given me. He assured me that this would be the end of my bad experiance with Audi and assured me that hopefully with his help myu confidence could be restored in the Brand.

I was then offered a replacement car (Swap for the current car) (Due January 2010) and a £500 compensation offer to spend on options. I have also been given a small business manager (someone who normally deals with samll businesses and VIPs) to manage the car run up and handover instead of a general sales executive. I was amazed at how quickly things have started moving. This manger (whose dealership and name will be mentioned if a successful outcome is achieved) has completely turned the the situation around. His actions so far have been nothing short of amazing. This was confirmed by confirmation that my new car had been ordered as of 5pm today.

Have now ordered the following:

A3 1.8TFSI Black Edition In IBIS WHITE

(I have changed the paint from Phantom Black to Ibis White)

Light and Rain Sensor Pack

Interior Light Pack

Bluetooth

Heated Front Seats

Electric Folding Mirrors

Tyre Pressure Sensors

I will also getting mudflaps and the body care package.

So good things DO come to those who wait.

Update soon.

Thanks for reading, If your in a similar situation give me a shout as I can probably help you.

Nick
 
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Mate

Well done for your efforts seriously you should be proud i know as ive also had a nitemare with audi last year on my car which is on somed thread somewhere. My problem wasnt paint related but condensation inside the car constantly anyway long story and i dont want to hijack your thread but i know exactly what its like dealing with people that fry your brain....the only way i got my car sorted was to lose my rag in the showroom (not me at all) and a manager come over take me in a side room and for me to finally explain. In the end i finally got the car sorted however got rid of it in sept for my new A3 2.0tdi Sport Sportback.

Its so frustrating i got a free service and brake fluid change out of it but i wonder how many people fall at the first hurdle and just roll over and accept it?!

Anyway enough of the doom and gloom well done mate enjoy the new car i love my new one!!!!!:respekt:
 
well done,hope all will be well with the new car when it arrives.
Some of the folk who are employed by the dealerships to valet the cars are not usually the best, watched a guy prepping a new S3 for delivery he dropped his cloth on the floor picked it up and carried on polishing, nightmare.

Mark
 
I think people got the wrong end of the stick with my previous response. I had your best interests at heart and I'm glad you are taking delivery of a new car rather than accepting your existing one resprayed because I can assure you, with a respray it would never have looked the same (My Mrs Car is going back for respray work for the THIRD TIME!!!!!). That said, I beleive some good detailing work would've got the swirls out having seen the stirling job they did on S3RYE's a while back.. Let's not cry of spilt milk and onwards and upwards mate. You have made the right choice to take delivery of a new car.

Curiously have they refunded your money in the meantime whilst the new one is on order? I only ask because when we collected my S3 the dealership gave me the option to either BACS the money over in advance of 'Switch' the payment on the day of collection. I chose the latter incase there were last minute glitches or nightmares where I would've refused to do a transaction - the situation could've been compromised if I had BACS the money in advance. Something to bear in mind but I'm sure you'll take smooth delivery of your new car. Well done on the right choice.

KKP
 
I was also going to say I reckon a good detail would of got the car sorted out tbh, looks like they just attempted a detail but failed miserably
 
Yes it looks like car cosmetics did a terrible job, pity because a detailing job done by a skilled professional would have made the car better than new.
 
When you get your new car, go over with fine tooth comb & if its not upto scratch get it detailed by someone you choose mate, not the garage.
 
I had the exactly same issue with my BE. They said that they would get the same guys that prepared the car to have another go. I told them that if they were that bad at cleaning cars, I would rather they leave well alone. I have corrected it by hand as far as I can and will get it machined polished in the spring. When it went back to the dealers for the third time with warranty faults, I told the service department not to wash it, and the person who picked it that I did not what it washed. It came back washed. More swirls. More wash and wax residue on the windscreen. I have lost total faith in the service, and I am afraid to say that I am really can't be bother to fight them anymore about it. Once I get the paint corrected in the spring, when the car goes back again - I am sure it will develop another fault in the mean time, I will take it to another dealer myself and insist that the service manager see me and understand that it must not be washed. Actually - I forgot - it already has another fault - the alarm goes off at random times - normally in the middle of the night. It has already 'been fixed' once. I despair - I should have rejected it originally after the paintwork and electrical problems.
 
Thanks guys,very kind words...

KKP: As im on Audi finance they are doing what they called a "Zero Cost Transfer" which i presume swaps the finance onto the new car when it arrives. I will be driving the current car untill my replacement arrives.

Bish: In your position i would contact Audi UK, i wont harm to inform them of whats going on. I also see no reason why you shouldnt be contacting your dealer to arrange some sort of repair work. As long as they were aware that there was a problem from day on your case is very stong.

my best advice is not to loose heart. You may be suprised where abit of old fashoned complaining could get you.

NHN: You bet ill be going over it with a toothcomb. Im actually very tempted to ask that another dealership prep the car. As i see it, why risk the same thing happening again... agree?

Nick
 
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As for your new motor i would like to think that it wont happen again especially as they know the problems youve had that they will be keeping it prepared correctly and not by some 17 yr old asbo . It drives me mad to think that some "professionals" detailed your car and left it like that and walked away thinking yeah thats a good job im pleased with my days work....bet they dont repair it before they resell it to some poor buyer. Im even getting mad for you ha ha!
 
I cannot believe the amount of errors we are hearing about now, as time goes on there is more and more people having to drive the 'wrong' new car while they wait for the right one to be re ordered. I am glad you got it sorted though.
 
Sorry to hear about your experince but hopefully u have a good outcome when your new/replacement arrives.

I had a similar story when i picked up my current car a A4(b9), i traded in a R32 which was 18 months old and didn't have a scratch or swirl mark on it. Took the A4 home and slowly started notice marks here and there, couldn't be A**ed with going back to audi as i could sort it out quicker myself. Did complian about it when i got a courtsey call from them tho.

To make myself more nervous, i pick up a new S3 sporback on the 6th nov from the same dealership. Only difference is i won't be driving the car away this time if it's in the same condition as my A4
 
Hi guys, just a quick update on my thread about my dealer damaged black edition.

Dropped into the dealership yesterday to see how things were going and see if i could get any info.

Car is waiting to be shipped and the dealers expect to have it on the 4th January! The said i should have it by the end of that week!

As a side note, the dealer had a Ibis Black Edition in the showroom and i was staggered how good it looked. This is no digg at the "Black" Black Edition owners but i just think Ibis really suits the car!

Cant wait, its the christmas present ive been waiting for!

And for propsperity a picture of my Old Phantom Black edition just before it get handed back... shes been good to me!

DSC_0296-Edit.jpg
 
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my god not even a skilled professional could of sorted that out!! Whoever prepped it must of been a complete and utter numpty!!

take a look at detailingworld.co.uk for info about it...

as others have said a detail would of sorted it out but the problem being Audi paint is pretty much the hardest paint out there. So any ignorant people having a go at polishing it out would think it's a permanent problem...

What worries me is that paintshop is supposed to be one of there best according to them!!!

£300 detail and that would probably have been sorted...

However it sounds like you're now in a better position as a result, hassle aside of course! ;)
 
audi upgrades
Amazing story. I hope it all works out for you in the end
 
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