Audi's FREE MOT ? Is it a Con for them to get money off you...................

I've never used it personally, but several people have reported good experiences. You don't have to have any remedial work done there, so if the car fails you're free to get it re-tested elsewhere, and any work done if needed. You've got nothing to lose really!
 
But surely if the car fails and you choose to take the car elsewhere you have to pay Audi the cost for the MOT, whereas most other garages offer a free re-test when they fix the problems.
 
Hi had a free MOT , the thing is not to tell the Audi dealership you are booked in for a FREE MOT . Just say i'm booked in for a MOT..
 
I had my free MOT done in June last year by Warrington Audi, but they failed it on a few small things.

But its worth checking on the MOT paper work as it states that if you take it away to get it fixed yourself and you can re-book it in for a re-test before the end of the next working day then you are still eligable for the free MOT.

As mine was done on a Friday, then the next working day was is Monday, so had all weekend to get if fixed .

When I tried to book it in for the next working day (Monday) they said it was fully booked, but after challenging them they still honoured the free MOT even though they couldn't look at until the Tuesday.

When I went to pick it up, they also washed and cleaned it inside & out.

Will be going again this year and booking it in on a Friday, just in case.
 
jb0o said:
But surely if the car fails and you choose to take the car elsewhere you have to pay Audi the cost for the MOT, whereas most other garages offer a free re-test when they fix the problems.
Click to expand...

Maybe I've missed your point, but if the car fails the Mot at Audi, and you took it somewhere else for a second test, why would you then have to pay Audi for what was a 'free' Mot?
 
Many businesses use this as a way of getting more work later.I am sure audi anticipate that many owners will agree to them correcting faults which then makes aprofit above the cost to them of the tests.I recently took up a half price regas offer from a chevrolet dealer 5 mins walk from home .On collection I was given an estimate for approx £600 of work incl brake fluid change none of which needed doing .Others might have been conned and this would easily made them agood profit.It would be interesting to have a second test elsewhere and compare.My son did this once when his S3 was failed mainly due to a broken rear spring that they wanted £600 to fix .He got amuch cheaper price from the audi dealer and others and when we wrote to the owner of the testing garage he took no action so we never went there again and he is no longer in business possibly because others found him out on this con trick which I fear is common.
 
Mine was done last year under this offer and it all passed with no problems. Got another voucher for this year too
 
Had mine done at Birmingham Audi two weeks ago. Drank their coffee, ate their croissants, read their papers and used their wifi while I waited, passed fine with only a couple of minor advisories (number plate font and rust on inner brake disc?) All for free and if I had left it with them they said they would have washed it for me as well!!! I've registered and printed my voucher ready for next year althought the service rep said they would contact me anyway.

As said by others, what have you got to lose? If it fails, get the work done elsewhere and get it back in for re-test or if you think they are being too picky just drive away and take it somewhere else, apart from your time you won;t be out of pocket ;)
 
I had mine done at Portsmouth Audi last year, and thought the same as everyone else, if it fails then take it to another garage and re test, if it passes then its just a scam to get work out of you. But i must say i was pleasently surprised that it passed with a few advisory's, and they were very courtious, free coffee, free wi-fi. I asked the service guy why they were offering free MOT's and its so that they can get people with older cars that aren't tied in with with warrenty back to the dealers, by offering low price services for cars older than 4 years. Mines going back this year, but i will be paying the £49.99 for the free MOT with protection as i know there are a few suspect parts that may fail so at least i will be covered for up to £750 of work.
 
quattrojames said:
Maybe I've missed your point, but if the car fails the Mot at Audi, and you took it somewhere else for a second test, why would you then have to pay Audi for what was a 'free' Mot?
Click to expand...

I just assumed that the only way Audi would be making money off this scheme was by offering a free MOT but only on the basis that the car is repaired with Audi, if it fails the 1st MOT.
 
I imagine it's some kind of 'lossleader' scheme, I expect a good proportion of owners who take their cars into Audi for the offer will just say "Yes" when they are given a price for work needed to pass the Mot.
 
Steve_N said:
I had mine done at Portsmouth Audi last year, and thought the same as everyone else, if it fails then take it to another garage and re test, if it passes then its just a scam to get work out of you. But i must say i was pleasently surprised that it passed with a few advisory's, and they were very courtious, free coffee, free wi-fi. I asked the service guy why they were offering free MOT's and its so that they can get people with older cars that aren't tied in with with warrenty back to the dealers, by offering low price services for cars older than 4 years. Mines going back this year, but i will be paying the £49.99 for the free MOT with protection as i know there are a few suspect parts that may fail so at least i will be covered for up to £750 of work.
Click to expand...

Yeah, must admit, i'm contemplating paying the £49.99 for the free MOT with protection !! Mind you, at Audi's prices for labour, that will about cover the cost of removing a wheelnut ! LOL
 
Just had my MoT today, passed with flying colours. It was actually Audi that called me to tell that mine was due soon so they said do i wanna do it with them. I asked if it was free, they said yeah, i said me and free are best buddies, when can you fit me in.:yahoo:
 
GUTTED !

Failed last night. You'll never guess what on......

A damned seatbelt button.
yhst-4085386745764_2088_770650.jpg


The buckle had somehow managed to get itself below the button, therefore wouldn't stretch enough to plug into the seatbelt buckle clip.

On another note though, I opted to go for the £49.99 MOT Cover Protection

When the bill came through, I was expecting to pay................. £49.99. No I got lumped with £84.14

No, this wasn't covered. What they dont tell you is that the MOT Cover Protection covers you from the date of your MOT till the next one, and the £750 you can claim is off your NEXT MOT, not this one !! :(

(Grumble) Suppose I should have read where it said; "worth up to £750 (inc VAT) of necessary repair work should your Audi fail its NEXT test"


on a plus note though, the Hot Chocolate was lovely, my car got washed, and there was a proper filthy looking young admin assistant to oggle at whilst the MOT and repairs were done !! THAT WAS A BONUS !! ;-)
 
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I had my free one last year at Sutton Coldfield Audi, passed with a few minor warnings (brake pads and tyres) which im due to change in the next month and ive signed up for a fre one this year at Tamworth Audi (was Suttun Audi but they moved) so all in all i dont mind FOC and the service is really good!
 
sc00byd00byd00 said:
on a plus note though.....there was a proper filthy looking young admin assistant to oggle at whilst the MOT and repairs were done !! THAT WAS A BONUS !! ;-)
Click to expand...

Which Audi did you say you were at again? hehe. Maybe every Audi garage should get one of these to entice us all there!
 
Wonder if the wife will find it odd that I travel 60miles to crewe audi, just for an MOT? Still, if she looked like a 'proper filthy lookin young admin assistant" i wouldn't need to :) haha
 
sc00byd00byd00 said:
........... by saying something is wrong with your car ?

Has anybody used it before ?
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Last year i took mine for a free MOT...told me i needed a new screen, even though it didnt fail on anypart of the screen, just robbing bar studs......its just a media hype thing, gets people in without trying really, then try and sting you for work.....clever idea, but i feel sorry for the folk that just ay got a clue!
 
I came across the special offers being offered by Audi on common repairs:

1) Full Service £200
2) Oil Service £100
3) Brakes Pads £100
4) Brake Fluid Change £50
5) Free MOT

I had the oil service around November time and all was well they did advise that front pads were 90% worn and rear about 70% worn. They also gave an advisory that my rear Anti Roll Bar was showing signs of wear.

Anyway took their advice with a pinch of salt and just had the oil service done as the car was asking for this.

Fast forward to last week and the brake alert came on my dash and my MOT was due within the next 2 weeks. So I thought will kill two birds and book it in for the free MOT and also get the brakes sorted.

They had the car at 8am and called me up at 2pm saying that the car will not pass the MOT unless the Anti Roll Bar is replaced as it is cracked at a cost of £250. I told the guy I will get back to him in a few minutes. I called up a few other garages to find out the cost of doing the work and they were slightly cheaper around the £180 mark but the hassle of not having the car for another day, booking the car for another MOT etc didnt seem worth the hassle.

Being in a tight spot and trusting what they said I said to proceed with the repair.

Fast forward to 5pm when I go and collect the car.. All the work is done, the guy looking after me makes small talk and puts the MOT Cert & paperwork into a nice wallet and thanks me for my custom. I come home and go to file the paperwork away and notice that the MOT was actually done at 10am and the advisory notice only metions the front brake pads were thin. No mention of the Anti Roll Bar. So the cheeky buggers hadnt even changed the pads before they put it in for the MOT test.

This means the car had already passed its MOT test before they had even called me to advise of the cracked rear anti roll bar. Theiving Barstools.. Needless to say I called up immediatley 17:45 and complained to the Service Manager (who said will investigage and get back to me on Monday).

Will now have to see what they say before I take this further by complaing to the Group Manager/Credit Card Company and also seek legal advice.

I dont think this is a Audi con but more of a untrustworthy dealership who btw is a large group and has many franchises of various manufacturers around the country. To think I was contemplating changing my car with this dealership within the next six months. For the sake of £250 they have just lost the potential sale of another car.. Talk about biting off the hand that feeds you..

Will name and shame the dearlership/group if they do not resolve the situation to my satisfaction.

If anyone can offer me some advice then it will be much appreciated.
 
Interesting story and I look forward to hearing how this is resolved. Like you say it leaves you with a bad feeling and seems a short sighted policy if they risk alienating a potential customer for a car sale in the future, with doubtless a good profit margin for them, all for the sake of a repair where the need for it appears questionable.

Took advantage of the Free MOT offer myself recently, inconjunction with having a service. Must confess that I am seduced by the main dealer option of a courtesy car as it gives you a way to try out one of the newer models without the hard sell of a test drive. Obviously you pay for it in their labour rates but you certainly get a level of customer service from a main dealer than you are perhaps less likely to find at an independent?

I've always been of the school of thought that if you get your car serviced at the same time as the MOT you effectively smooth the way to getting an MOT pass e.g. it wouldn't say much for their servicing work/recommendations (assuming you agreed to have them done) if they then gave it an MOT fail!

During the day I got a call recommending the fitting of new brake discs and pads, which I agreed to have done. I was therefore surprised when I picked the car up to find that the MOT certificate had been issued with an advisory note for these items. Having paid to have this work carried out I was slightly miffed that this now appears on the record of the car (and available to view on the electronic record on the VOSA website). Is this now standard practice to do an MOT before a service? My assumption was that the service and general inspection would be done with a view to getting the car through its MOT and therefore if the customer had agreed to have to the work done you would end up being issued with a 'clean' MOT certificate?
 
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I was very sceptical of the free MOT offer with my old B6 last year,i am of the school you dont get anything for nothing.Anyway i booked the car in 3weeks before the due date with Teesside Audi fully expecting the car to fail on all sorts as they would want extra money out of me and find loads wrong that was actually o.k,thus giving me time to fix elsewhere.Much to my suprise they called and told me the car had passed i even quized the service rep as to the free offer and was told it was no con.I have since spent 25K with this dealer buying my new car from them although they did try and have my eyes out wit a px price with my old B6,but i managed to sell private.
So not all bad and i have to say i have nothing but good words for Teesside Audi fully recomended.
 
AK-A4 said:
I came across the special offers being offered by Audi on common repairs:

1) Full Service £200
2) Oil Service £100
3) Brakes Pads £100
4) Brake Fluid Change £50
5) Free MOT

I had the oil service around November time and all was well they did advise that front pads were 90% worn and rear about 70% worn. They also gave an advisory that my rear Anti Roll Bar was showing signs of wear.

Anyway took their advice with a pinch of salt and just had the oil service done as the car was asking for this.

Fast forward to last week and the brake alert came on my dash and my MOT was due within the next 2 weeks. So I thought will kill two birds and book it in for the free MOT and also get the brakes sorted.

They had the car at 8am and called me up at 2pm saying that the car will not pass the MOT unless the Anti Roll Bar is replaced as it is cracked at a cost of £250. I told the guy I will get back to him in a few minutes. I called up a few other garages to find out the cost of doing the work and they were slightly cheaper around the £180 mark but the hassle of not having the car for another day, booking the car for another MOT etc didnt seem worth the hassle.

Being in a tight spot and trusting what they said I said to proceed with the repair.

Fast forward to 5pm when I go and collect the car.. All the work is done, the guy looking after me makes small talk and puts the MOT Cert & paperwork into a nice wallet and thanks me for my custom. I come home and go to file the paperwork away and notice that the MOT was actually done at 10am and the advisory notice only metions the front brake pads were thin. No mention of the Anti Roll Bar. So the cheeky buggers hadnt even changed the pads before they put it in for the MOT test.

This means the car had already passed its MOT test before they had even called me to advise of the cracked rear anti roll bar. Theiving Barstools.. Needless to say I called up immediatley 17:45 and complained to the Service Manager (who said will investigage and get back to me on Monday).

Will now have to see what they say before I take this further by complaing to the Group Manager/Credit Card Company and also seek legal advice.

I dont think this is a Audi con but more of a untrustworthy dealership who btw is a large group and has many franchises of various manufacturers around the country. To think I was contemplating changing my car with this dealership within the next six months. For the sake of £250 they have just lost the potential sale of another car.. Talk about biting off the hand that feeds you..

Will name and shame the dearlership/group if they do not resolve the situation to my satisfaction.

If anyone can offer me some advice then it will be much appreciated.
Click to expand...


I think you might be over-reacting a little. Yes, they were less than open when they said the car wouldn't pass the MOT unless the anti-roll bar was replaced. But that doesn't change the fact that the anti-roll bar was cracked and needed replacing. I am sure that if they had called and said the car's passed the MOT, but we've noticed the anti-roll bar is cracked and needs replacing, you would have still gone ahead and had it done.

So a bit sneaky, yes - and a good reason not to use them in future - but thieving b@stards, hardly.
 
jdp1962 said:
I think you might be over-reacting a little. Yes, they were less than open when they said the car wouldn't pass the MOT unless the anti-roll bar was replaced. But that doesn't change the fact that the anti-roll bar was cracked and needed replacing. I am sure that if they had called and said the car's passed the MOT, but we've noticed the anti-roll bar is cracked and needs replacing, you would have still gone ahead and had it done.

So a bit sneaky, yes - and a good reason not to use them in future - but thieving b@stards, hardly.
Click to expand...

Sneaky/Deception if the car had failed or the advisory mentioned that the rear ARB was cracked maybe I would of got it done. But they told me 4hours after it had already passed therefore it was deception as the advisory didnt mention the ARB was cracked or even worn. It was also deception due to me saying the brakes needed to be done but this clearly hadnt been done prior to it being put in for the MOT.

Anyway the dealership have admitted to the misinformation and agreed to refund the amount for the work which didnt ned to be done.

I will not publicly name and shame the dealership as do not want to be sued for libel. Now if they had offered a Gesture of good will of some sort i may do business with them again in the future but because they havent I shall not.

A note for others while the offer of Free MOT is good as well as the set rates for various common work (brakes, service etc). If they are calling you to advise that the MOT will fail unless work is done - my advice is put it through anyway and if it does fail then get the work done elsewhere or from the dealership if the price justifies the inconvenience of time/mot fees etc.
Double check the details of the MOT test fail/pass and pay attention to advisory and note the time of their call to advise.
I spoke to VOSA who advise if you still had 20 days remaining on the MOT and it failed, you have 10 days to fix the problem as the failure supercedes the previous mot.
Best wishes
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, 15 Mar 2010 15:16:06 +0000
From: xxx
Mr xxx
As per our earlier conversation please accept our apologies for miss informing you regarding your rear anti-roll bar. As I said to you this was purely a mistake on our part, but in no way were we trying to deceive you
I have arranged for your credit card to be reimbursed with the sum of £251.00
Please accept our apologies in this matter
XXXX
Service Team Leader
 
Did they give any explanation of how the error occurred e.g. did they have another car in that day which needed a new ARB and the paperwork was mixed up. Seems odd that something which didn't even warrant a mention on the advisory note should be reported back to the customer as a failure?

Can understand why you are a bit cheesed off by it, but they have admitted their error and given a full refund. On the plus side, something they had previously advised was showing signs of wear has now been replaced free of charge!

I'm also surprised that they did the MOT before the work you had booked the car in for (brakes). Something similar happened to me with work that I paid to have done still appearing on the advisory form (albeit because they did the MOT in advance of the service and resulting recommendations). Personally I would have preferred the work to have been done first and then been issued with a completely 'clean' MOT certificate?

However, tempting though it might be, if they are your local dealer, and you genuinely believe you could be in the market for another Audi at some point in the future it may be best to avoid 'burning your bridges' at this stage as taking the moral high ground might cause you more inconvenience, and limit your options, in the future?

Interesting comments re contact with VOSA. Do I take it that if your car goes in for a free MOT with Audi, and then gets failed for something that you consider as trivial, that fail notice still gets logged on VOSA's electronic system and, depending on days left to run, effectively invalidates the existing MOT i.e. it's not as simple as saying thanks for the free MOT (which failed) but I'll take it to somewhere else that's less picky because the 'fail' has already been logged on the system?
 
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