Hi everyone,
Not sure if you are aware from the limited posts that I have made, I have had a horrific experience in owning my Audi A3 1.8 TFSI S-tronic. I purchased in May 2013 from a dealer in South East London/North Kent (trying to be nice I won't be specific which dealer group it was). I received a £3,000 discount on the car and for the time in respect of what was available as spec it was fully loaded - Audi Connect, B&O, half leather alcantara seats, I could go on - gorgeous car. I will now list the issues I have had in owning the vehicle:
June 2013 - (Yes one month from ownership) I was driving on a dual carriageway at 40mph, the entire car switched off and carried on rolling at 40 mph. All of the electronics died - air con, speakers, navigation, the steering became exceedingly heavy. The only part of the car that worked was the brake pedal, I consider myself extremely lucky not to have had an accident. I stopped called Audi Assist who asked me to restart the car and drive the car home where Audi would send out a technician to see if it could be fixed. The Technician informed me that one of the 9 ECU's had melted out causing a switch off of the cars electronic systems. Nothing too dangerous then!
July 2013 - My first issues with the S-tronic 7 speed dry clutch system. I pulled out of my driveway and applied normal force to the accelerator to initiate movement and the car jolted from 2nd gear in to 3rd. Audi Assist called once more to see if they could rectify the problem - no error codes or issues shown on the box. He offered to update my software but was trying to apply 8P DSG software to my 8V till I informed him that my A3 was an 8V (like really!?!?!) - the car goes in to the dealer I purchased from in order to review and fix if possible the problem.
August - September 2013 - I have a small graze on my door in a hit and run parking accident. Between Audi Insurance and the dealer, it takes the best part of 2 months to get the graze rectified and the vehicle returned to me. I go to pick up the vehicle, it is filthy and smells of cigarettes. I switch on the car and whilst giving the car to Audi with about 3/4 of a tank of petrol I have 15 miles range in the car. I go back in to the dealer and ask where my petrol is and I am told that the car had been driven 80 miles round trip to the bodyshop to be repaired (Hamilton and Palmer Coachworks) this didn't justify the rest of the fuel and so I believe the car had been used for other purposes.
November 2013 - Further S-tronic problems. The car on rare a once a month basis starts holding 3rd gear and instead of changing at 2,000 RPM kept holding till 3,000 RPM and refusing to change up to 4th gear. Additionally, changing down from 4th to 3rd (once a day) was changing slightly too early giving a lumpy down change. Both issues are/were a constant going forward to date.
December 2013 - January 2014 - Car goes in to the dealer 2 times to sort out an Air Conditioning fault on a faulty part and was misdiagnosed 2 times - i.e. 3 changes of various Air Conditioning elements to find the fault item. The car is returned to me in January and in the morning after having the car I note two suction pads on the windscreen and I contact my insurer to find that a claim has been made to replace my windscreen. I contact the dealer to ask them why and how this took place - I never received a response.
February 2014 - I begin a process with Audi HQ and the dealer to get me out of the car as I have had enough of the treatment and the general faults on the car that I have experienced. I am offered a preferential deal on an Audi S3 (£3,000 discount) and £500.00 from Audi HQ - I am quoted delivery once I eventually finalise my specification in February 2015. I repeatedly state that I need more assistance given that I can get 8% off the car as a minimum and that my initial deposit (£3,700) in my current car has evaporated to the tune that I have a £1,200 deficit in the vehicle.
March 2014 - August 2014 - Constant gearbox problems as mentioned - 4th gear to 3rd gear remains untimely and odd occasion the gear is held from 3rd to 4th till I stop at a set of lights (start/stop on). The car goes in for servicing in August. This is effectively a £250.00 oil change (or oil pack) and a valet of my car. One week after the car stops at a set of lights - start/stop engages but the car refuses to fire. My phone has ran out of battery and I borrow someones phone to call home for assistance. I coax the car in to life - bring it home - it holds 5th gear from the point that it goes up the box and stays there unless I used the paddle to change the gear. I call Audi Assist who come home in the morning and note a fault code. I am told to either wait 45 minutes to winch the car to the van or drive to the same dealer following the Audi Assist technician. I elect to drive. They take the car from Audi Assist only to call me three days later to state that they cannot find the fault code. Audi up their contribution to my new car to £1,000. I contact Volkswagen Finance in the hope that they can rectify my problems in respect of my deposit and negative equity in the car.
September 2014 - The Master Technician reviews the car and detects that there is too much clutch judder. I now provide them a video of the gearbox problem about holding 3rd gear to which they respond saying this is inconclusive (outrageous!). Per the service note received at collection the clutch and s-tronic units are overhauled. They maintain that they cannot find the fault code that I had when I drove in to the dealership (with Audi Assist).
October 2014 - I am contact almost two months after I raise my complaints with VWFS. I receive the car three weeks after giving it to Audi (this long due to a shortage of parts apparently!) - I am elated I finally get to make use of my Bang and Olufsen stereo (it really is that much better than the standard system in the A3 saloon - my courtesy car). I turn on my fixed car to find that I have 25 miles range of fuel in the car - I go back in to the dealership and the Workshop manager takes me to a Petrol station and fills my car up with petrol. I drive him back to the dealership. The cars gear changes are superb - silky smooth. I drive halfway to work - 16 miles in to a 33 mile journey and the car stops at a set of lights once more - the same issue as in August - refuses to fire after a stop/start cycle. After spending 20 minutes on the phone to the dealer trying to coax the car back in to life I am told by the Master Technician that once we start the memory of the car traces the last 20 stop/start events - I exceeded this driving from my home to the dealer with Audi Assist previously. The car eventually fires and the Start/Stop is switched off to ensure the error code is preserved. I return to the dealer once more and for the first time in this whole debacle I am angry.
I demand to speak to the Head of Business, Sales and Service. I eventually speak to the Head of Sales who states he will now initiate a Process of Rejection to return the car to Audi HQ - he states that the faults I have experienced on the new A3 is unprecedented. He states that this process will take 2 weeks and that I am no longer allowed to use my car and will be using their A3 saloon till my S3 arrives. I will be informed of how the finance will work in due course.
I have been disgusted by the level of service from the dealer although this has improved as the number of times I have been in increased and the performance of the vehicle throughout has been awful - it was/is my first car also. The S3 Saloon will now be arriving at the end of the month but my preferential deal of £3,000 (preferential discount - yea right!) and £1,000 from HQ is now off the table and that I will be receiving benefit by taking the S3 Saloon on the terms of my current finance arrangement - the Head of Sales will confirm this in the coming weeks and I will keep this thread updated.
Don't hesitate to ask questions or provide advice on this below.
Many thanks.
Not sure if you are aware from the limited posts that I have made, I have had a horrific experience in owning my Audi A3 1.8 TFSI S-tronic. I purchased in May 2013 from a dealer in South East London/North Kent (trying to be nice I won't be specific which dealer group it was). I received a £3,000 discount on the car and for the time in respect of what was available as spec it was fully loaded - Audi Connect, B&O, half leather alcantara seats, I could go on - gorgeous car. I will now list the issues I have had in owning the vehicle:
June 2013 - (Yes one month from ownership) I was driving on a dual carriageway at 40mph, the entire car switched off and carried on rolling at 40 mph. All of the electronics died - air con, speakers, navigation, the steering became exceedingly heavy. The only part of the car that worked was the brake pedal, I consider myself extremely lucky not to have had an accident. I stopped called Audi Assist who asked me to restart the car and drive the car home where Audi would send out a technician to see if it could be fixed. The Technician informed me that one of the 9 ECU's had melted out causing a switch off of the cars electronic systems. Nothing too dangerous then!
July 2013 - My first issues with the S-tronic 7 speed dry clutch system. I pulled out of my driveway and applied normal force to the accelerator to initiate movement and the car jolted from 2nd gear in to 3rd. Audi Assist called once more to see if they could rectify the problem - no error codes or issues shown on the box. He offered to update my software but was trying to apply 8P DSG software to my 8V till I informed him that my A3 was an 8V (like really!?!?!) - the car goes in to the dealer I purchased from in order to review and fix if possible the problem.
August - September 2013 - I have a small graze on my door in a hit and run parking accident. Between Audi Insurance and the dealer, it takes the best part of 2 months to get the graze rectified and the vehicle returned to me. I go to pick up the vehicle, it is filthy and smells of cigarettes. I switch on the car and whilst giving the car to Audi with about 3/4 of a tank of petrol I have 15 miles range in the car. I go back in to the dealer and ask where my petrol is and I am told that the car had been driven 80 miles round trip to the bodyshop to be repaired (Hamilton and Palmer Coachworks) this didn't justify the rest of the fuel and so I believe the car had been used for other purposes.
November 2013 - Further S-tronic problems. The car on rare a once a month basis starts holding 3rd gear and instead of changing at 2,000 RPM kept holding till 3,000 RPM and refusing to change up to 4th gear. Additionally, changing down from 4th to 3rd (once a day) was changing slightly too early giving a lumpy down change. Both issues are/were a constant going forward to date.
December 2013 - January 2014 - Car goes in to the dealer 2 times to sort out an Air Conditioning fault on a faulty part and was misdiagnosed 2 times - i.e. 3 changes of various Air Conditioning elements to find the fault item. The car is returned to me in January and in the morning after having the car I note two suction pads on the windscreen and I contact my insurer to find that a claim has been made to replace my windscreen. I contact the dealer to ask them why and how this took place - I never received a response.
February 2014 - I begin a process with Audi HQ and the dealer to get me out of the car as I have had enough of the treatment and the general faults on the car that I have experienced. I am offered a preferential deal on an Audi S3 (£3,000 discount) and £500.00 from Audi HQ - I am quoted delivery once I eventually finalise my specification in February 2015. I repeatedly state that I need more assistance given that I can get 8% off the car as a minimum and that my initial deposit (£3,700) in my current car has evaporated to the tune that I have a £1,200 deficit in the vehicle.
March 2014 - August 2014 - Constant gearbox problems as mentioned - 4th gear to 3rd gear remains untimely and odd occasion the gear is held from 3rd to 4th till I stop at a set of lights (start/stop on). The car goes in for servicing in August. This is effectively a £250.00 oil change (or oil pack) and a valet of my car. One week after the car stops at a set of lights - start/stop engages but the car refuses to fire. My phone has ran out of battery and I borrow someones phone to call home for assistance. I coax the car in to life - bring it home - it holds 5th gear from the point that it goes up the box and stays there unless I used the paddle to change the gear. I call Audi Assist who come home in the morning and note a fault code. I am told to either wait 45 minutes to winch the car to the van or drive to the same dealer following the Audi Assist technician. I elect to drive. They take the car from Audi Assist only to call me three days later to state that they cannot find the fault code. Audi up their contribution to my new car to £1,000. I contact Volkswagen Finance in the hope that they can rectify my problems in respect of my deposit and negative equity in the car.
September 2014 - The Master Technician reviews the car and detects that there is too much clutch judder. I now provide them a video of the gearbox problem about holding 3rd gear to which they respond saying this is inconclusive (outrageous!). Per the service note received at collection the clutch and s-tronic units are overhauled. They maintain that they cannot find the fault code that I had when I drove in to the dealership (with Audi Assist).
October 2014 - I am contact almost two months after I raise my complaints with VWFS. I receive the car three weeks after giving it to Audi (this long due to a shortage of parts apparently!) - I am elated I finally get to make use of my Bang and Olufsen stereo (it really is that much better than the standard system in the A3 saloon - my courtesy car). I turn on my fixed car to find that I have 25 miles range of fuel in the car - I go back in to the dealership and the Workshop manager takes me to a Petrol station and fills my car up with petrol. I drive him back to the dealership. The cars gear changes are superb - silky smooth. I drive halfway to work - 16 miles in to a 33 mile journey and the car stops at a set of lights once more - the same issue as in August - refuses to fire after a stop/start cycle. After spending 20 minutes on the phone to the dealer trying to coax the car back in to life I am told by the Master Technician that once we start the memory of the car traces the last 20 stop/start events - I exceeded this driving from my home to the dealer with Audi Assist previously. The car eventually fires and the Start/Stop is switched off to ensure the error code is preserved. I return to the dealer once more and for the first time in this whole debacle I am angry.
I demand to speak to the Head of Business, Sales and Service. I eventually speak to the Head of Sales who states he will now initiate a Process of Rejection to return the car to Audi HQ - he states that the faults I have experienced on the new A3 is unprecedented. He states that this process will take 2 weeks and that I am no longer allowed to use my car and will be using their A3 saloon till my S3 arrives. I will be informed of how the finance will work in due course.
I have been disgusted by the level of service from the dealer although this has improved as the number of times I have been in increased and the performance of the vehicle throughout has been awful - it was/is my first car also. The S3 Saloon will now be arriving at the end of the month but my preferential deal of £3,000 (preferential discount - yea right!) and £1,000 from HQ is now off the table and that I will be receiving benefit by taking the S3 Saloon on the terms of my current finance arrangement - the Head of Sales will confirm this in the coming weeks and I will keep this thread updated.
Don't hesitate to ask questions or provide advice on this below.
Many thanks.
