Sadly I think stone damage is probably just one of those things. They can take out windscreens, headlights or radiators...
Yes stones can take out windscreens, but that is an accepted risk that costs £75 excess to repair. What i don't accept is the risk of an £800 bill that could easily be prevented with a more robust condenser or a £10 mesh liner to the front grill.
Devonshire - contact Audi UK and report the issue. They may contribute towards the repair. They paid 70% towards mine. But they also said "it's a rare occurrence" so they need to be informed. The more people it happens to the more likely they are to engineer an aftermarket fix.
Failing that Phil Davies in Plymouth quoted me £550 to repair it.
01752 664471
Good luck x[/QUOTE]
I took my October 2013 A3 1.4 TFSi Sportback (3400 miles of careful motoring on the clock) to my local Audi dealer last week for investigation due to not being able to select the AC button.
The diagnosis was stone damage to the top offside corner of the compressor fins - with a quotation for repair of £800.
I requested to see the service manager, and be shown the damage. The actual area damaged is tiny, but enough to cause a total loss of coolant.
Having politely expressed my disbelief and displeasure, the service manager advised me that Audi UK would pay 50% towards the repair.
Obviously this was welcome news, but the fact that they made the offer without too much pressure from me makes me think Audi are aware of a potential problem with the new A3 design in this area.
Like others on this forum I cannot prove when the AC last worked as there is not too much need for it between October and May in Manchester!
How many others have been offered allowances against the cost of the repair and what percentage?
Thanks in advance for any helpful information.