Air conditioning - Dealer playing games or not?

E S Blofeld

E S Blofeld

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My air conditioning has stopped working over the weekend! The light on the AC switch on the dashboard does not stay on when you press it. The car is blowing out cool but not cold air. Took the car to Audi this morning and had this video emailed to me. They say the condenser needs replacing due to a puncture in the radiator. It's leaking and there is no gas in the system they tell me. The repair is not covered by the warranty apparently as its damaged. Being a bit wary of main dealers I'm not convinced the video shows adequate damage and I wonder if the dealers are using this 'dent' in the radiator to make sure they don't have to pay for the repair under the warranty. What do you think? Any advice much appreciated.

 
Common problem unfortunately, see long thread about it HERE
 
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The dealers don't pay for the repair themselves Audi pay the dealers to repair the car. That is a reasonably common problem where a large stone/ rock has gone through the grille and impacted the condenser.
You don't have to use the main dealers to get it repaired as there are many places that specialise in AC issues and they could replace the condenser and refill the system for a lot less money than the main dealers will charge.
 
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Thanks guys. I've jus looked at the link you provided mikemod. There seems to be a bit of inconsistency as some have had repairs paid for by Audi and others have not. Looks like I might have a battle ahead. As you say desertstorm, doesn't have to be Audi, but I don't see why I should be paying for this at all. In 20 years of motoring I've never had this happen before. Surely they need some form of protection over the AC condenser if one stone can't take it out that easily. I appreciate it needs air flow, but you can't tell me they couldn't have protected it better than it is currently.
 
Just thought I'd update this thread for anybody who finds themselves in the same situation. Audi Guildford discovered the issue after I complain my air con had packed up in May. They sent me the video above showing the damage to the condenser. I asked for them to send me a quote but never heard anything from them for about 3 weeks. I then went back and complained that I was shocked they had left me with no air con on a car that was less than 12 months old and nobody had been in touch with any form of follow up following my dealer visit. I argued the point re the condenser not being protected and stated its not acceptable that a stone can do so much damage etc etc. They agreed to pay for the repair which I had heard was circa £750 if I paid the first £180. Local indy quoted circa £600 for the repair too, so all in its cost me £180 and the work has been done by Audi so total peace of mind if there are any issues with it. I get the impression you need to fight your corner on this one as it's very much down to the dealers and not Audi UK. Incidentally I called Audi UK who were f'ing hopeless and couldn't have cared less. Overall not impressed I had to even have the work done in the first place or that its cost me anything at all, but given the fact its not covered by your warranty and the potential costs its not a bad outcome. For anybody reading this in the same situation GOOD LUCK !.
 
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Glad that you got it kind of sorted...out of pocket 180 but not 750.
I presume this was the dealer you bought the car from. If it was, it just shows what a good dealer will do with a bit of prodding to keep your business, as Audi showed no interest in fixing the issue.
I firmly believe that I would get as good or even better service from my dealer. I have dealt with them for over 20 years. My point is that maybe in the long run, you are better off to purchase your vehicle from a local dealer who shows an interest in a customer not just in the sales department but more importantly in the service department, especially for non warranty items. The dealers make way more profit in their service departments than sales.
If you bring a car into a dealership with a non warranty or other issues, do you honestly think you are going to get as good as service as a customer who bought a car from them?
 
Yep. It was the dealer I bought the car from. Also mentioned I'm keen to trade the S3 for the new RS3 .... that might have helped!

To be honest overall it hasn't left me overly impressed with Audi. The whole sceneario was a battle I should never have had to have, and its still cost me £180 to fix a stone damaged condenser that should never have been damaged in the first place. It's never happened to me in over 20 years driving and I refuse to believe the bull***t from Audi that they can't 'protect' the condenser as the air needs to get to flow for to to work correctly. Well they can certainly do better that leave one inch gaps between the front grille to reduce the risk of stone damage. A fine mesh or something similar would reduce the risk and at the same time increase the size of the radiator to compensate for reduced airflow, problem solved. We put a man on the moon, I even built my evil lair inside a frickin volcano! ..... you can't tell me its beyond Audi's engineers to protect the condenser from stone damage for a few pence extra on the cost of a car!
 
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[QUOTE="The dealers make way more profit in their service departments than sales.
If you bring a car into a dealership with a non warranty or other issues, do you honestly think you are going to get as good as service as a customer who bought a car from them?[/QUOTE]

Well yes actually, always used to be this way and imho it was their usb but sadly not the way it is now. perhaps that is why the 'next car thread' has so many discontented comments about quality of service.
 
I must say I agree with traindweller. Dealers are now totally separate businesses in their own right and not directly run/owned by Audi so it's hit and miss as to what level of service you get. If they see you as a good prospect for them they might make more of an effort, but generally they are not really interested. Personally I don't like dealing with any main dealer, its just hard work. Buying a car should be an enjoyable experience, but its not. It's just a battle of attrition to get past the salesman's rubbish until eventually you get the price you know you can get!

Here's an example. I recently went to BMW and tried an M2. Car was quite well priced and salesman was keen to sell. However, the BMW finance guy wouldn't even come out of his pokey little office to discuss the car/deal! After giving me a ridiculous finance quote I asked the sales guy to go and look at the figures again and come back with a sensible finance quote knowing what it should have cost pcm and perhaps get the finance guy out of his office so we can discuss the sale and agree a deal. The finance guy still didn't come out and told the young salesman 'there are no discounts to be had, but if the customer is going to buy the car now then he might talk deals!!'. I passed a message back to the finance guy, which I don't think I can write on a forum, and walked out.

Why does it have to be so difficult to deal with main dealers when buying or maintaining a car? Whichever brand changes the 'main dealer culture' will surely start to clean up?
 
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E S Blofeld said:
I passed a message back to the finance guy, which I don't think I can write on a forum, and walked out.
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I would have gone into the finance guys office myself and told him to politely to crawl up his own backside and then walked out
 
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Daveotto said:
I would have gone into the finance guys office myself and told him to politely to crawl up his own backside and then walked out
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:salute: I hear you! His attitude stunk. I walked out knowing there are more cars out there on the market, and I'd rather spend my money elsewhere. Hopefully he was down at the end of the month when he didn't hit his 'sales target' and missed out on his BMW company 'carriage clock' or a 'ride in a 7 series', or whatever tat it is they get for 'hitting targets' ! He was a total prat, probably why he's selling finance from an office the size of a filing cabinet in his late 50's ! It was a shame because the young sales guy was really good.
 
Really interesting replies. I have the complete opposite response from all departments at the dealership I use. They give me nothing but stellar service...must be my age...old fart and I advise the sales manager I previously dealt with if I am looking at another brand of vehicle within their group ( Audi, VW, Jaguar, Land Rover) and he passes on my history to the manager of that brand. No pushy salespeople, just professional service and yes Sir you can take a demo car for a 4 hour or overnight test drive.
Also this dealership keep their employees for a long time from managers to even sales and service advisers.
 
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Flying Scotsman said:
Really interesting replies. I have the complete opposite response from all departments at the dealership I use. They give me nothing but stellar service...must be my age...old fart and I advise the sales manager I previously dealt with if I am looking at another brand of vehicle within their group ( Audi, VW, Jaguar, Land Rover) and he passes on my history to the manager of that brand. No pushy salespeople, just professional service and yes Sir you can take a demo car for a 4 hour or overnight test drive.
Also this dealership keep their employees for a long time from managers to even sales and service advisers.
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Same for me at Swindon Audi, can't knock their service whether it is sales or after care. Cheltenham Audi where I live however are terrible in every aspect.
 
Scotsman it sounds like you have a very good local dealer. I'm happy for you. As TYb says his local two vary massively. It seems dealership standards are very inconsistent. Manufacturers almost need to take ownership themselves and manage the dealerships themselves in order to provide consistent standards across the board. The dealerships are the face of the brand, and a bad one can do a lot of damage to a brand image and customer loyalty. Like I said, what should be an enjoyable process (buying a car) frequently isn't.
 
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If you have a genuine complaint about a particular dealer you should follow it up with the manufacturer, if upheld it does impact their franchise financially. Unfortunately in NI we only have one main Audi dealer so we don't have the luxury of going elsewhere, I was prior to my S3 purchase a long standing BMW customer and will be again once my PCP on this car is up.

Poor dealer experience and general build quality issues have put me off Audi's
 
Flying Scotsman said:
Really interesting replies. I have the complete opposite response from all departments at the dealership I use. They give me nothing but stellar service...must be my age...old fart and I advise the sales manager I previously dealt with if I am looking at another brand of vehicle within their group ( Audi, VW, Jaguar, Land Rover) and he passes on my history to the manager of that brand. No pushy salespeople, just professional service and yes Sir you can take a demo car for a 4 hour or overnight test drive.
Also this dealership keep their employees for a long time from managers to even sales and service advisers.
Click to expand...


What dealerships are you near ?and is it in Scotland
 
E S Blofeld said:
Why does it have to be so difficult to deal with main dealers when buying or maintaining a car? Whichever brand changes the 'main dealer culture' will surely start to clean up?
Click to expand...

By all accounts the Lexus dealership experience is very good; unfortunately the cars don't really appeal to me.
 
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Think this will be what stopped my air con working, but won't find out until next week.

I'm really not going to be happy on a 3 month old car if this can happen so easily! I will be fighting my corner that's for sure...
 
E S Blofeld said:
Yep. It was the dealer I bought the car from. Also mentioned I'm keen to trade the S3 for the new RS3 .... that might have helped!
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If you do get an RS3 it'll be putting even bigger holes in your radiator given its speed

Although dealer franchises are independent companies they are very tightly controlled by Audi. Which is why we're asked at every service visit and car purchase whether we're exceptionally satisfied as opposed to very satisfied. Given that it does seem surprising that the standards vary so much. My local dealer is Audi Exeter and I've bought both our current Audis from them and i can't speak highly enough about them. Many examples but the latest one is on one of my winter wheels, now 2 years old. The lacquer is coming off inside face of one of the wheels and when I showed Audi Exeter there was no quibble at all - they took it away for rectification under warranty when in fact it's out of the 12 month warranty. It's this sort of service which will keep me in the Audi Exeter camp, provided the cars themselves are OK.



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
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Richard Tallis said:
Think this will be what stopped my air con working, but won't find out until next week.

I'm really not going to be happy on a 3 month old car if this can happen so easily! I will be fighting my corner that's for sure...
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Good luck with it. If you search online there a a few threads out there from Audi owners who have had the same issue and got it paid for by the dealers.
 
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Couldn't agree more glospete. It's the little things that will get you to go back and develop some form of long term relationship. Exeter sound like they have the right idea. This is what drives me mad about some of the dealerships. It's so simple, look after people and most will stick with you and tell others too about the excellent service they received. It's not ****** rocket science is it !!
 
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Flying Scotsman said:
Really interesting replies. I have the complete opposite response from all departments at the dealership I use. They give me nothing but stellar service...must be my age...old fart and I advise the sales manager I previously dealt with if I am looking at another brand of vehicle within their group ( Audi, VW, Jaguar, Land Rover) and he passes on my history to the manager of that brand. No pushy salespeople, just professional service and yes Sir you can take a demo car for a 4 hour or overnight test drive.
Also this dealership keep their employees for a long time from managers to even sales and service advisers.
Click to expand...

Is this the La La Dealership weve all dreamt of once, but then we woke up in a cold sweat !?
 
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Ok so car in today and I've just had my webcam footage through. There is the smallest most inconspicuous stone hit that has apparently caused the need for a new condenser!

Fortunately my local dealer Wakefield Audi have agreed to carry out the repair free of charge(should have been £1086) as a gesture of goodwill. I didn't even have to ask! Worth promoting their customer service here for other people to read!

My only concern now is just how easily it happened and the chances of it happening again.

I now await the results of my reported MMI "issues" but that's for a whole other thread!!
 
Richard Tallis said:
My only concern now is just how easily it happened and the chances of it happening again.
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This is exactly why I haven't had my condenser replaced. I simply can't afford to waste that kind of money.

Btw, £1086 is nearly twice what Lincoln Audi quoted me for a replacement.
 
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Neil C said:
This is exactly why I haven't had my condenser replaced. I simply can't afford to waste that kind of money.

Btw, £1086 is nearly twice what Lincoln Audi quoted me for a replacement.
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I guess quoting high and offering it as a good will gesture makes them seem more generous!?

Either way not paying for it is still good... clearly Lincoln Audi not as willing to keep a customer? How old is your car?
 
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My car is a 2014 TDi S-Line Sportback, which I bought from York Audi about 16 months ago. The air con packed up after only a few weeks, Lincoln diagnosed the problem (damaged condenser), but York couldn't even be bothered to respond to my (and Lincoln's) attempts to contact them. To their credit, Lincoln have offered to fund around a third of the cost, even though they didn't sell the car, leaving me with approximately £400 to pay. This offer is also open-ended, so I can take it up when I'm ready.
:respekt:
 
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