Check your bumpers !!!

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holly35

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While out washing the car recently i ran the garden hose under the wheel arches (rear) to remove salt and usual debris.I noticed what i thought was a leaf stuck flapping with the water spray which then blew off.To my shock the paint had pealed and come away.Its about the size of a 50 pence piece. Leaving the bare black plastic .
Since the car is still under warranty ,and after a fob story about "this is an unfinished edge that is normally black and is just over spray"
Rubbish the rest of the inner edges of the bumpers under the wheel arches are all finished in body colour (in a matt finish)
"must have been stone chips " again rubbish as there was no damage to the area and unlikely to cause this.
Anyway upshot is a whole new replacement bumper under warranty.
(which i didnt push for and was their decision to replace it)
I would imaging its cost Audi a small fortune for the work (carried out by Audi body repairs)
I would have been happy just to have the area repaired .
Check yours before your warranty is up!
Never had this on any car in my life.Looks like the paint didn't originally adhere to the plastic properly.
Poor quality control ,and before you ask yes the bumper is all original and never been repainted cracked,scrapped or damaged in any way. Any apparent marks on the area is just dirt.
Im leaving Audi for my next car ,and in fact wont be buying a European car again .
IMG 0679
 
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This happens to some A3's as well. However I am puzzled at your reaction to what seems to be a very good result from Audi.....
 
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I think thats quite poor really.Never have i had a car with this issue.Quite honestly i would rather have just have left it if it doesnt spread.Looks like Audi are keen to look after their investment so i will leave them to replace it,disappointing all the same.This time round ive been underwhelmed by Audi,and im happy to be leaving the brand................
 
I hope my one starts peeling as maybe audi would change my cracked bumper for a new one
 
I am extremely impressed that Audi saw fit to replace the bumper panel noting you spend a third of the her driving through salt, grit and general winter road residue.
 
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I know people who had corrosion issues on the outside of their cars visible for all to see yet were rejected for warranty work so I think you did well Holly,also if you feel the need to go to the companies from the far East or the states for a car good luck
 
Exactly the same issue on mine, dealer just re-sprayed the area on both sides, fix cannot be seen.

The bumper being replaced would of just lead to a load of other problems such as colour match so I didn't push for that, it 's on the inside of the bumper so I wasn't too worried.
 
what a strange post. Audi have replaced your bumper for free but you are still unhappy!
 
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I'll be honest. If I spotted this on my car in that position, the most I'd do is paint a bit of touch-up or clear lacquer over it. My time is better spent elsewhere than a trip to the dealer over something like that. Not to mention the potential can of worms over their paintwork/alignment etc.
 
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You will have a hard time finding a true non-Europe car, as most brands these days use parts from all over the world (including Europe). You would be very naive to believe manufactures make all their own parts. Try a pre 1960's american car that should be OK and free of European components....
 
This, I agree with others. An overreaction to a situation that Audi have agreed to resolve. I wonder what the response would be from a non European car manufacturer...
 
Evil Derboy said:
I'll be honest. If I spotted this on my car in that position, the most I'd do is paint a bit of touch-up or clear lacquer over it. My time is better spent elsewhere than a trip to the dealer over something like that. Not to mention the potential can of worms over their paintwork/alignment etc.
Click to expand...
Really? you would rather mess with it yourself? On a car thats under warranty?Ok if the flaking then spreads and affect's the outside of the bumper and you have tried a fix yourself,try taking it back to Audi then .
You will then be footing the bill.
My worries about the repair proved non founded as the car is indistinguishable from before.Everything lines up perfectly and the colour is 100% perfect.
I never pushed for this and would have be happy with a touch up however Audi were obviously worried it may continue to spread.
 
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B5NUT said:
You will have a hard time finding a true non-Europe car, as most brands these days use parts from all over the world (including Europe). You would be very naive to believe manufactures make all their own parts. Try a pre 1960's american car that should be OK and free of European components....
Click to expand...
Thanks for your reply ,but my buying decision is based on a few factors.
 
JSH96 said:
Exactly the same issue on mine, dealer just re-sprayed the area on both sides, fix cannot be seen.

The bumper being replaced would of just lead to a load of other problems such as colour match so I didn't push for that, it 's on the inside of the bumper so I wasn't too worried.
Click to expand...
...which was my initial disappointment as i was never told what was happening until i received a call saying my replacement bumper was now in.
i must say they made a 100% perfect job.
 
audi upgrades
Audi quality is based to some extent, on superior marketing and hype rather than actual substance.Badge snobbery is a major part of the Audi experience,however substance and actual driver dynamics can be bettered in other brands if you can look past the badge. Im as guilty as others here. This is one reason im looking at switching brands........if i can manage to remove my rose tinted glasses ...
 
holly35 said:
Really? you would rather mess with it yourself? On a car thats under warranty?Ok if the flaking then spreads and affect's the outside of the bumper and you have tried a fix yourself,try taking it back to Audi then .
You will then be footing the bill.
Click to expand...

No actually I wouldn’t be (it’s never as clear cut as that and a reasonable approach often yields results) but the chances of what you showed us in your photo spreading to the outer bodywork are slim-to-none anyway. If you’ve ever had a bumper off you’d see that the paint in the insides are unfinished and what you were initially told is correct.

It is technically an isolated paint defect and so quite rightly should be covered under warranty but personally something I wouldn’t be that bothered about.
 
holly35 said:
Audi quality is based to some extent, on superior marketing and hype rather than actual substance.Badge snobbery is a major part of the Audi experience,however substance and actual driver dynamics can be bettered in other brands if you can look past the badge. Im as guilty as others here. This is one reason im looking at switching brands........if i can manage to remove my rose tinted glasses ...
Click to expand...

What hype do you think euro brands do that other don't. They all (motor manufactures) lie, have kill people, have faults and recall's etc etc etc. Our neighbor got a new kia last year and thinking about getting rid as she believed the BS about fuel economy. I think the phrase "more fool you" if people believe any marketing these day's as it's all designed to keep people from their money.
 
holly35 said:
...and why would that make any difference?
Click to expand...
Because I doubt if any other manufacturer would do any more than just patch it. I really fail to understand where you think this is an issue and why you are stating you're going to bail out and go to a lesser non european manufacture, if you mean either japanese or the US, where the quality will be even lower...
 
Your not wrong there, just look at how many cars Toyota has recalled.
 
Once for unintended acceleration, that's why there's always a Toyota in front ;-)
 
holly35 said:
While out washing the car recently i ran the garden hose under the wheel arches (rear) to remove salt and usual debris.I noticed what i thought was a leaf stuck flapping with the water spray which then blew off.To my shock the paint had pealed and come away.Its about the size of a 50 pence piece. Leaving the bare black plastic .
Since the car is still under warranty ,and after a fob story about "this is an unfinished edge that is normally black and is just over spray"
Rubbish the rest of the inner edges of the bumpers under the wheel arches are all finished in body colour (in a matt finish)
"must have been stone chips " again rubbish as there was no damage to the area and unlikely to cause this.
Anyway upshot is a whole new replacement bumper under warranty.
(which i didnt push for and was their decision to replace it)
I would imaging its cost Audi a small fortune for the work (carried out by Audi body repairs)
I would have been happy just to have the area repaired .
Check yours before your warranty is up!
Never had this on any car in my life.Looks like the paint didn't originally adhere to the plastic properly.
Poor quality control ,and before you ask yes the bumper is all original and never been repainted cracked,scrapped or damaged in any way. Any apparent marks on the area is just dirt.
Im leaving Audi for my next car ,and in fact wont be buying a European car again .
View attachment 181708
Click to expand...
Lol seemed like a pretty good result from Audi Over such a small issue you kicked up a massive fuss? And now you ain’t buying a European car because of it ? Boo hoo these things can occur in a car from any manufacturer Get over it .
 
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Not sure why the OP say there it no stone chips for that area the the tyres kick up load of stones & dirt and that area gets hammered, you can see on the picture one of the screws holding the arch liner in places has been shot blasted back to metal, as it should be black.
 
B5NUT said:
Not sure why the OP say there it no stone chips for that area the the tyres kick up load of stones & dirt and that area gets hammered, you can see on the picture one of the screws holding the arch liner in places has been shot blasted back to metal, as it should be black.
Click to expand...
Your completely wrong,the screws are jet black and unmarked,its just dirt and the camera flash....i dont drive on gravel .
 
Chris S 1245 said:
Lol seemed like a pretty good result from Audi Over such a small issue you kicked up a massive fuss? And now you ain’t buying a European car because of it ? Boo hoo these things can occur in a car from any manufacturer Get over it .
Click to expand...
I made no fuss at all ,just called dealer who requested the photo,next i knew was a cal to say the bumper had arrived.
Im NOT leaving Audi because of this issue.!!
The disappointment was not with the repair buy of the paint flaking.
 
cuke2u said:
Once for unintended acceleration, that's why there's always a Toyota in front ;-)
Click to expand...
Before anyone sniggers at Japanese cars for example,its in interesting to note that some brands are constantly top rated by customers for reliability and customer satisfaction.
All have problems and Audi are no different.
 
.... might want to re-read or revise your post then.
The size of the post and issue at-hand appear disproportionate but it's kept a few keyboard warriors occupied.
 
holly35 said:
Before anyone sniggers at Japanese cars for example,its in interesting to note that some brands are constantly top rated by customers for reliability and customer satisfaction.
All have problems and Audi are no different.
Click to expand...
Hole and dug, I can give you a long list of far more serious issues with Japanese vehicle's we've owned..
I wish you good luck with your next purchase and hope it provides you with the car you seem to wish to own.
 
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holly35 said:
Your completely wrong,the screws are jet black and unmarked,its just dirt and the camera flash....i dont drive on gravel .
Click to expand...

I'd still say B5NUT is totally right. Regardless of whether you're actually driving on gravel specifically or not (let's face it, who in our cars would actually go rally around on gravel on a regular basis?!) you're still going to get road debris and small stones being flicked up on a regular enough basis to pummel the area behind the wheels.
 
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