Audi Customer Service - or lack of.

[Welly]

Hmmmm, Rant warning.

Yesterday, I went to drive my car off the drive, and noticed a line of fluid where I has just reversed...

Odd.

Got out and looked - a line of PAS fluid. Hmmm.

Some of you may remeber I replaced the hgih pressure power steering line on ym S3 a month or so ago. Firstly with a dodgy second hand part, followed by a genuine Audi one.

The genuine Audi one was purchased on the 7th September, and would of been fitted on the same day. Total cost, £180 including 10% discount.

Well, it's the high pressure line thats gone again, in the same place... Odd I grant you, but I can't find any reason for it at all to be honest.

I phone up Audi this morning to order a replacement on parts warranty. No problem. Then they drop the bomb shell that I will need to take the car to them for them to fit it. On the face of it, not a problem, however, then the problems start.

I explained that it has a PAS leak, and will drain fluid. Tetbury is about 5 miles from where I live, and in that time, the fluid will vanish - very quickly. Explaining my concerns for further damage to the PAS system, I asked if they could just give me the part.

No.

OK, so I ask how they suggest I get the car to them. The options I was given were: 1) Drive carefully. 2) Get it recovered.

My responses: 1) I'm not driving it for risk of damamge. 2) My RAC cover won't cover me for that so I will have to pay for recovery. Will they reimburse me for the cost of recovery? No.

Expressing my discontent with this, they then said they can't get it in until the end of the week (despite my plees that I will be needing a car for work), and they can't give me a courtesy car either whilst it's there.

Customer service? Epic fail. Not happy.

So, f**k em. I'm just going to take the PAS line to a local hydraulics company and get them to repair it. :thumbsup:

Rant over.

 

[Imteyaz]

What a bunch of useless sods.... Personally, I find that TPS don't quible about any part failures. They're cheaper than the Stealers (<-not a typo) and deliver. All you need is to find a 'friendly' garage that will place the order for you or set up your own account if you have a business linked to the automotive industry (granted, it's not as simple / straightforward if you don't fit into the above criteria).

I imagine that they wanted to fit the replacement part so:

A. They can sting you for the labour cost afterwards.
B. They can blame you somehow for an 'incorrect fitment, thereby leading to premature failure', stinging you again for parts.

Now if you can buy a new car from the Stealers (agina not a typo), but get it serviced and stamped by an independent garage to maintain the warranty, the same should apply for parts and their fitment too? If the power steering pipe was replaced by an independent garage, would the Stealers have then asked for for your car?

I think not, they wouldn't have hesitated to then provide you with a replacement pipe knowing full well that the independent garage would also be sending you a bill for the labour....

 

[Biggied]

If you sold parts with a warranty would you just hand out replacments on sombody elses say so that the part had failed due to a defect? I think the answer to that will be no? The reason they have to see the car is so they can establish if it is a genuine parts failure or not, I can understand your frustration mate but you've got to see it from there point of view?

Ewan.

 

[JD09]

Echos my recent dealings with them matey, not worth the cheap suit and ties they're dressed in.

 

[rossbrownlee]

Sounds to me like Welly doesn't have a problem with the replacement of the part, more how he was dealt with about getting the car there...?

That part sounds fair to me. IMO it is pretty reasonable of you to suggest that by driving the car there it is likely more damage will occur (pump running dry etc).

Also I have to say again, don't tar the company and/or all the dealerships due to this. As I keep saying on threads like this, I have had nothing but fantastic customer service and car service from my local dealer...

 

[Biggied]

Fair point Ross, not the best advice I've heard suggesting driving a car with a known oil leak, rather dangerous infact, leaking oil onto the road, never mind the damage it may cause to the rest of the system. Although this leaves Welly with no other real option than to recover the car IMO you can't really expect them to pick up the costs for that, mabey @ a push as a goodwill geasture IF they have there own in house recovery truck you could ask them to pick it up??

Although us motorists see our cars as extra limbs & an everyday part of life we can't do without I can't help but liken this situation to when My very expensive 50" SONY tv broke & was still covered under there warranty, at no point did they come & collect the TV from my house, yes on inspection they honoured the warranty but getting the TV to them was my responsability. Fair enough a car part ain't a tv but point made still the same.

Ewan.

 

[rossbrownlee]

Fair comment Ewan.

It might be a bit cheeky but I would Deffo ask for the recovery cost to be reimbursed IF and ONLY IF it turned out to be a genuine faulty part (and also because that fault meant the car couldn't / shouldn't be driven...)

Maybe Sony or whatever shop would have paid you back the postage costs for your faulty TVif only you had asked?

 

[sportstractor]

I would of personally whiped the part off, drove to the dealers and spanked them with it until they gave me a new one. But seriously if you got loud and lairy enough, they would give you a new one just too get rid of you.

Bit pothetic of them, they should always give the customer the benefit of the doubt! That is part of good customer service

 

[aragorn]

Three pipe failures in the same place....

Doesnt sound like a faulty part to me.

 

[DaveA3]

TPS near me allow non trade customers. I just walk in and tell em what i want. simples.

 

[S3 Rav]

audi are absolutely rubbish! went to my local dealer saturday to speak to someone about my cousins rs4. We both rock in, in for a total of 10minutes hovering about no one came to ask us anything even though there were 4-5 salemen handing about around the TV.
We then went to the reception desk to ask about our querry to which the reply was "our service and parts department is closed" youll have to come back on monday.
I then asked again to just speak to any "sales" member team. It was only when we mentionned we had an rs4 parked out the front that they became interested.
The question was about tires and audi policy as the rs4 has 3 different tyre brands from another dealership to which the reply was "well aslong as they're performance tyres" by which time i'd lost interest and left.
These are supoosed to be sale men and women to provide a service which we definately did not get. (and rarely have from audi!)

 

[mk1chopper]

When I had fault on my Sony TV they arranged for collection, they didnt provide a replacment while it was being repaired though, but still was impressed with there service. Audi on the other hand can be great one moment and then complete knobs the other. You should of got a lift to Audi, requested a test drive, driven back to yours and towed your S3 there with the test car.

 

[Biggied]

Three pipe failures in the same place....

Doesnt sound like a faulty part to me.

Thats a very valid point there!! Welly you've also mentioned in previous threads about various unknown knocking noises etc around your engine bay/drivetrian area, you sure somthing else isn't causing these PAS pipe failures?

Mk1chopper
"You should of got a lift to Audi, requested a test drive, driven back to yours and towed your S3 there with the test car." I about fell off my chair laughing @ the thought of this mate, that would be pure comedy gold!! lol

Ewan.

 

[Welly]

Sounds to me like Welly doesn't have a problem with the replacement of the part, more how he was dealt with about getting the car there...?

Absolutely spot on. Parts failure is a part of life. Nothing lasts forever. However, after a month I would of expected them to be more forthcoming.

I would of personally whiped the part off, drove to the dealers and spanked them with it until they gave me a new one.

Tempting, and my usual style, however I don't have the time this week to get into arguements with them!! lol. Last week off means this week a nightmare at work.

Another reason I need the car back ASAP. (My booked mapping session with Bill on Thursday has nothing to do with it... )

Three pipe failures in the same place....

Doesnt sound like a faulty part to me.

And I completely agree. Something fishy going on. However, I've just been home, dropped my IT Bod identity briely, donned my mechanic outfit and whipped the pipe off, donned my IT Bod getup again, and then taken it to a hydraulics specialist.

He agrees that the pipe design is not the best, and where it cracks is a potential point of failure. BUT, that doesn't explain why everyone else's is OK, yet I have issues.

The entire section which bends around the PAS pump is being done away with and being replaced by completely new hosing, so we shall see how that fairs once I pick it up tomorrow.

This does highlight a potential issue, however, I can't see any cause for it. If there was too much pressure, it would blow a flexi hose first. Then push the seals out of the rack. It would do ANYTHING else but crack a hard pipe.

I was talking to Bill and Tuffty about exactly this last night, and it was a head scratcher.

It could be resonance, it could be a million things, but why crack a hard pipe?

You should of got a lift to Audi, requested a test drive, driven back to yours and towed your S3 there with the test car.

:thumbsup: I like it. That would of pleased them immensely.

 

[Welly]

Thats a very valid point there!! Welly you've also mentioned in previous threads about various unknown knocking noises etc around your engine bay/drivetrian area, you sure somthing else isn't causing these PAS pipe failures?

I completely agree with him. It shouldn't be happening. BUT, if it's unexplained, then whats to be done? All that section of the pipe is bolted to the engine and doesn't move. Any movement there is is taken up by the flexible hosing.

It's not like we're talking about a gaping hole here, we are talking a crack so small I can't even see it. Obviously under the PAS system pressure it ****** oil out for fun, but it's a minute crack.

Not getting any fluid leakage elsewhere.

My knocking is suspension related - not rack related as it doesn't do it when you turn full lock left to right when the car is stationary...

If anyone has any ideas then shoot - I'm all out.