Its Arrived.........and Gone Again.

[Kieranbennett]

So yesterday morning was the day of collection for my new A4 Avant 150 TDI sport S-tronic in Scuba Blue. The missus and I arrived at the dealership who were wonderful, and to my surprise the car was in the handover suite. Due to it being ordered through a franchise contact it had taken a little longer (7 days) to be PDI'd at the franchise compound then delivered to the dealer where it was supposed to be cleaned before my collection, so I was a little disappointed to find that the wheels were filthy inside but the rest of the car was immaculate and as it'll be doing around 1K miles a week it'll soon be dirty anyway. I was like a kid in sweetshop with it but the missus managed to get me to stand still for one quick pic:

2016-11-28 09.09.37 by Kieran Bennett, on Flickr

I preferred to figure out the systems for myself so after a couple of signatures I was on my way. I was supposed to be working but couldn't resit a quick blast down the motorway and back on a b road. Car was even better than I hoped, the level of tech was mind boggling even for someone who loves it. As i had work to do it was then parked up and i got another quick pic to post up on facebook:

2016-11-28 11.36.08-1 by Kieran Bennett, on Flickr

So this morning was its first proper run out, about 150 miles to a customer site and back with a stop at the office just down the road from me. I was about 8 miles from home and hit heavy traffic so had the car in traffic assist and was marvelling at how it worked watching the steering wheel turn without any input from me! As it accelerated to keep up with the car in front the revs suddenly jumped, a warning light appeared on the dash and the traffic assist switched off with no notice forcing me to take control. At first I thought it had been a problem with the traffic assist but the big yellow warning light said "gearbox malfunction, drive to dealer"

At this point the car was still driving fine with me in control but this quickly changed. It became clear than 1st, 3rd and 5th gears were all un-selectable in any gearbox mode, the car would shift to one, rev to the red line and then drop into the next gear before trying to shift back. I limped it to the next layby, shut down and restarted but was now met by a red warning light and could no longer get it out of "P" let alone select a gear:

2016-11-29 09.06.55 by Kieran Bennett, on Flickr

A call to Audi Assist had an AA patrol on its way to me but on arrival they declared they hadn't had the updated software on their tools to deal with the MY16 cars yet By this time sat with the engine off the system had reset and at least we could get the car back into gear. As the car would drive the AA tech advised that I drive back to the dealer with them following however halfway there the gearbox completely gave up and we had to tow the car the rest of the way:

2016-11-29 10.31.17 by Kieran Bennett, on Flickr

The dealer was brilliant again, very apologetic and apart from initially asking if i would be ok taking an A1 loan car (no) had me in an MY16 A5 within 20mins and on my way:

2016-11-29 12.20.51 by Kieran Bennett, on Flickr

By this time they had interrogated the on board systems and apparently both clutches had shown excessive slip and one of the gear selector forks had failed.

They have said this is the first time they have seen a failure like this on a car so new. I'm presuming its going to need a new gearbox or would the current one be repaired does anybody know? They said they will contact me tomorrow to let me know what kind of repair time it will need but i was hoping somebody on here might know what i could be looking at?

As for the A5, its nice enough, I think its got the 190 TDI engine as it really pulls but it already feels a bit basic compared to my very limited time in the new A4.

Hopefully it'll be back again soon so i can get some proper pictures to post up.

 

[Kestrel]

I must say you have taken it very well...much better that I would have done.
Hope it all turns out well for you.

 

[Thundercliffe81]

So yesterday morning was the day of collection for my new A4 Avant 150 TDI sport S-tronic in Scuba Blue. The missus and I arrived at the dealership who were wonderful, and to my surprise the car was in the handover suite. Due to it being ordered through a franchise contact it had taken a little longer (7 days) to be PDI'd at the franchise compound then delivered to the dealer where it was supposed to be cleaned before my collection, so I was a little disappointed to find that the wheels were filthy inside but the rest of the car was immaculate and as it'll be doing around 1K miles a week it'll soon be dirty anyway. I was like a kid in sweetshop with it but the missus managed to get me to stand still for one quick pic:

2016-11-28 09.09.37 by Kieran Bennett, on Flickr

I preferred to figure out the systems for myself so after a couple of signatures I was on my way. I was supposed to be working but couldn't resit a quick blast down the motorway and back on a b road. Car was even better than I hoped, the level of tech was mind boggling even for someone who loves it. As i had work to do it was then parked up and i got another quick pic to post up on facebook:

2016-11-28 11.36.08-1 by Kieran Bennett, on Flickr

So this morning was its first proper run out, about 150 miles to a customer site and back with a stop at the office just down the road from me. I was about 8 miles from home and hit heavy traffic so had the car in traffic assist and was marvelling at how it worked watching the steering wheel turn without any input from me! As it accelerated to keep up with the car in front the revs suddenly jumped, a warning light appeared on the dash and the traffic assist switched off with no notice forcing me to take control. At first I thought it had been a problem with the traffic assist but the big yellow warning light said "gearbox malfunction, drive to dealer"

At this point the car was still driving fine with me in control but this quickly changed. It became clear than 1st, 3rd and 5th gears were all un-selectable in any gearbox mode, the car would shift to one, rev to the red line and then drop into the next gear before trying to shift back. I limped it to the next layby, shut down and restarted but was now met by a red warning light and could no longer get it out of "P" let alone select a gear:

2016-11-29 09.06.55 by Kieran Bennett, on Flickr

A call to Audi Assist had an AA patrol on its way to me but on arrival they declared they hadn't had the updated software on their tools to deal with the MY16 cars yet By this time sat with the engine off the system had reset and at least we could get the car back into gear. As the car would drive the AA tech advised that I drive back to the dealer with them following however halfway there the gearbox completely gave up and we had to tow the car the rest of the way:

2016-11-29 10.31.17 by Kieran Bennett, on Flickr

The dealer was brilliant again, very apologetic and apart from initially asking if i would be ok taking an A1 loan car (no) had me in an MY16 A5 within 20mins and on my way:

2016-11-29 12.20.51 by Kieran Bennett, on Flickr

By this time they had interrogated the on board systems and apparently both clutches had shown excessive slip and one of the gear selector forks had failed.

They have said this is the first time they have seen a failure like this on a car so new. I'm presuming its going to need a new gearbox or would the current one be repaired does anybody know? They said they will contact me tomorrow to let me know what kind of repair time it will need but i was hoping somebody on here might know what i could be looking at?

As for the A5, its nice enough, I think its got the 190 TDI engine as it really pulls but it already feels a bit basic compared to my very limited time in the new A4.

Hopefully it'll be back again soon so i can get some proper pictures to post up.

This is terrible. A truly joyous occasion and it's been marred. They better sort that ASAP.

 

[basegreen]

A similar thing happened to me with a Honda Civic. The VTEC engine gave up after 30 miles driving home from the dealer on collection day. Gave out whilst merging onto a DC :-(

I rejected the car outright, and got a new one. Honda sent the engine to Japan for analysis.

 

[PhxViper]

That really sucks for you dude, not what you want after you've waited so long for the car the arrive, I'd be gutted.

On the plus side, its a great looking car, was my second choice of colour, but a colleague of mine already had it.

Hope you get it back soon enough!

 

[cuke2u]

Horror story, lets home they sort it out asap. Meanwhile enjoy the A5...

 

[Jcbmally]

Lovely car fella, but it's up to you whether you reject the car for a new one (It would depend on what's in the pipeline) or wait for a repair. I would imagine they will look after you very well.

 

[Migwire]

Was your choice of radio station a vane attempt at divine intervention?

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

 

[NickGun]

Awww man, feel for you I really do, not a great start - and as has been said you've taken it much better than I would, even though I'd like to think I could be pragmatic about it, I'd really struggle.

Suppose first thing you can do is give them a chance to rectify, but as others have said at this point you're more than entitled to reject the car and insist on another - but then thats build time / wait again.

Here's hoping for a swift and successful outcome - no consolation but we have been running a B9 A4 with the same S-Tronic gearbox since May and over 8.5k miles - it's the first instance of anything like that happening I've heard of via this forum.

 

[CornishB9]

I had my ex-demo 65 plate 2.0TDi Sport S-Tronic for two days before the anti-roll bar snapped! Service were most perplexed by this but I got an A5 Cabriolet for a week which was nowhere near as nice as the A4.

 

[Scottyg]

Total bummer. As has been said, you're being pretty decent about it. Hopefully fixed soon. Any update??

Apart from that, lovely looking car. Suits the Scuba Blue.

 

[Colh]

Not sure how I'd feel about having to get a new gearbox on my brand new car. I've heard of people rejecting outright and getting an equivalent loaner until the replacement arrives.

 

[spartacus68]

Nice car and top colour choice. I'd be inclined to let Audi fix it. Given you're going to do 1,000 miles a month, any gearbox gremlins are going to be apparent very quickly. Reckon as a goodwill gesture you could suggest Audi upgrade your standard 3-year warranty to 5 years.

https://www.audi.co.uk/owners-area/...e-plans/audi-warranties/new-car-warranty.html

 

[Kieranbennett]

So to update.....I've heard nothing

Was very busy yesterday so couldn't call the dealer but had hoped for a message or something which is a little dissapointing. I'm on leave today so will be chasing it up. With stuff like this I always try to be pragmatic. I work for a large German engineering co who market themselves as having a premier product that is far better quality than the competition and i deliver faulty product all the time. We work to a 0.25% failure rate and this is on something far simpler than a car!

Customers who start ranting and raving at me will get good customer service to help them solve their problems but I won't go out of my way. People who are polite and understand problems happen will get me on the phone to contacts in the factory to bend over backwards for them. I had a good laugh with the service manager when I brought the car back, and, in my mind at least, is what ensured I ended up in the A5 rather than the A1.

I'm not even considering rejection at this point. I'm fairly certain i need to give them three attempts to repair anyway, and as long as the car is as good as new when I get it back then i'll be very happy once again. Any more issues and I'll just throw it back into them.

 

[A4 SJC]

As of October last year, they only get one go at fixing the car before you can reject it. In fact, I'm sure that you're able to reject without attempting repairs in your situation because it's obviously a manufacturing fault from day 1

 

[Colh]

Don't think that's the case. They will normally put you in an equivalent car for space - for example putting you in an A1 with 3 kids wouldn't work.

 

[jwa1]

I rejected mine without giving them any opportunity to repair it (boot failed). I had a replacement factory ordered vehicle of the same spec. Law states that if the issue happens within a certain amount of time (something like 1, 2 or 3 months), you don't have to give them an opportunity to repair.

I reject mine as it caused body work damage and it's impossible to make that 'brand new' condition. Fitting a new gear box in this case will make it like brand new, so I can understand not rejecting it.

My boot failure triggered one of the items on the recent recall, I have a friend with the same car and the same thing happened to him.

 

[cuke2u]

Yours was one of the more extreme events though and I would have done the same under similar circumstances. Audi should be able to replace a gearbox without anyone ever knowing it has been done.
I had a dmf and clutch replaced under warranty on my A3 after less than 5k and it never bothered me in the slightest...

 

[Kieranbennett]

Sorry for the lack of updates but the run up to Christmas is a busy one for me!

Getting a bit frustrated now as I still don't have my car back. At first I wasn't too bothered as the A5 is still a nice upgrade from the Volvo V40 I had previously but its nowhere near the spec of car I should have been driving for two weeks (and 800 miles)

The first couple of updates form the dealer were comical, firstly they didn't have the correct tool to communicate with the gearbox. When they finally got the tool it didn't have the right software installed..... At the start of last week they informed me that the car would need a new gearbox (good, I wouldn't have been happy with a repair) and should be finished either Friday just gone or today. I had no communication on Friday but I was busy so let it go presuming I would hear from them today.

Five calls and three messages for the service manager to call me back went unanswered so I now started getting annoyed. Finally spoke with the Service manger at 5.30 this afternoon by which time I had already resigned myself to the fact I wouldn't be seeing it until later this week. He informs me that despite them insisting the car needs and should have a full new gearbox, their insurers (?!?) are pushing for them to repair it. I let him know that I certainly would not be happy with a repair and he agreed with my stance but said at this point his hands were tied and would let me know tomorrow lunchtime at the latest what they were going to do.

What exactly are my options now?

The car is leased through Audi finance. Although I collected the car from the Audi dealer, it was arranged directly through the dealers franchise head office who also own local VW, skoda, Seat and Bentley garages. I have got the feeling ringing on occasion that the dealer feel "it isn't one of our cars" it certainly wouldn't be one of their sales people who would lose the sale/commission from a rejected car. From my veiwpoint though, Its an Audi, that I collected from an Audi dealer and is now back with the same dealer. I'll be calling the franchise tomorrow to get their stance on it.

If they insist on repairing the gearbox rather than replacing, what are the steps to reject? I do a lot of miles all over the country and really need a reliable car. If I reject the car I take it I would then need to source something else to tide me over until a new car could be ordered and delivered. Would it be reasonable to expect Audi (Dealer or Franchise owner) to assist with this or once I reject the car would that be it for their obligations?

Its starting to get to me a bit now. Certainly the shine and excitement of a couple of weeks ago has long since gone.

Crossing my fingers I'll be back in my car with a new gearbox before Christmas.

 

[Colh]

Get it rejected asap.

They've had their chance to sort it out and failed miserably. I'd be very wary of any attempt to repair it as it sounds duff from the factory.

They should provide a loaner until the replacement arrives from the factory, otherwise take your money elsewhere. I'd suggest contacting Audi customer service but you'd be better off talking to the wall.

 

[Brasso]

As it not actually your car as it being leased I suspect you will have to reject it via the finance company. Try tweeting Audi CS that always seems to get a response.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[NickGun]

I'd be inclined to speak directly to Audi Finance customer services and maybe send a strong worded letter / email to the dealer principle about why you're rejecting a repair and would seek a full gearbox replacement at least.

Worked for us when in 2009 we had persistent issues with a brand new A3 TDi we had, after a few months of impasse with the car going back to Audi to be repaired / faults cleared and the dealer insisting there was nothing more they could do (and that the car was fine) I got in touch with finance and the dealer principle, net result being we got a brand new replacement (car we had was new on a 09 plate and we got a new 59) - which never had a single repeat of the issues our original car had.

Hope you get sorted quickly and satisfactorily.

 

[The Silverfox]

I think you need to go to Audi Finance. They are the owners of the car, it's just on loan to you, so they are really the only ones that can get it sorted.

 

[desertstorm]

Fairly poor service from Audi here. A brand new car should not be failing this quickly with a major gearbox malfunction. Personally I would accept nothing less than a new gearbox and I am surprised they are considering repairing it. They should be wanting the original gearbox back in one piece to do some investigation and find out why it failed.
https://twitter.com/audiukcare?lang=en-gb

 

[cuke2u]

I am afraid it happens to all manufacturers vehicles whoever, cars are getting more and more complex these days and it's not surprising that there isn't perfection. My A3 had to have a dmf and a new clutch at just 5000 miles because I was getting a rattle and vibration when starting from cold. These kind of failures, thankfully, aren't common though but after all they're all mass produced cars with parts being made in other counties and merely assembled at the factory. The stronic gearbox is actually made in china.

 

[firebits]

After a brake failure on an Alfa 159 (and many other failures) I had had enough and contacted the lease Company to say that I had no confidence in the car. They said that I was contracted to the car and if I wanted to hand the car back I would have to pay the penalties for this however they where able to take over with the dealer and ensure that I was 100% happy with the car, but we were a year down the road by this point.

The car had faults from day one. In retrospect I should have walked away from it then when I had the chance. It was a bad car, but you aren't to know these things until the gearbox fails, the clutch fails, the windscreen fails, the brakes fail, the paint falls off, the switch for the brake lights fail, etc.

If it was me the old adage "once bitten twice shy" would apply.

 

[Kieranbennett]

So its finally getting somewhere. Spoke with the Service manager again yesterday. Apparently it wasn't anything to do with insurance but Audi UK who were pushing for a repair to the gearbox rather than replace. The dealer has now "convinced" them to replace the entire box and this was ordered from Germany yesterday.

Anybody have any idea how long this should now take? the service manger wouldn't be tied down yesterday but promised to update me today. Are spare gearbox's generally available from the factory quickly or is it going to be on back order? I'm hoping that i'll have the car back by Christmas but for this to happen I guess the gearbox would have to leave today, delivered Tues/Weds next week, and then a couple of days to fit. I have a feeling I'm not going to see the car again till the new year.

My next issue is my Christmas plans. The missus and I have plans to go cycling. I bought a roofrack to fit the A4 Avant which won't fit the A5. Due to the type of bike there is no chance of it fitting inside the car:

2016-07-24 11.37.43 by Kieran Bennett, on Flickr

Would I be within my rights to push for an A4 Avant if my car isn't going to be returned before Christmas? Or is this something that I just need to suck up and accept I have a car of the same(ish) size to use.

 

[jwa1]

It's totally reasonable for you to request an A4 Avant or at least an Avant model. They are supposed to but you in a similar car that doesn't impact what you do in your day to day life e.g. Not giving a family with 2 kids a TT roadster.

On the positive side at least this will have kept your mileage on your A4 down a fair amount!

 

[NickGun]

My guess is you'd be lucky to get back into your car in time for Christmas, bearing in mind getting a complete replacement S-Tronic delivered and fitted - but you never know.

If that doesn't happen I'd push for an A4 Avant or as said a different Avant (A6) - if they can’t provide that from demonstrators / pool cars, then the least they can do is fit the correct roof rack for the A5 they've provided you with.

Good luck - sure if your polite, fair but very firm you'll get there mate.

Cool tandem by the way

 

[Kieranbennett]

Does anybody know if the official A4 avant roof rack would fit the A6 avant or I'd even be happy with a A3 Sportback (is that the one with roof rails?) if it meant I didn't have to cancel our plans. I already found out the B8 roof rack fits the B9 but have a feeling it will be too narrow for the A6 and too wide for the A3

 

[basegreen]

You seriously need to let them worry about all this. Explain what you need, and explain they will need to hire you a car in the meantime, if they can't supply from pool stock. You really need to be firm. If someone says no, ask for the dealer principal.

 

[Kieranbennett]

Some good news finally, Service manager has just called. Gearbox will be with them on Tuesday and fitted by Thursday so will have my car back for Christmas.

Fingers crossed!

 

[Colh]

I'd agree with basegreen. You need to be firm. It's up to them to sort it out and make sure you're in an equivalent car.

Hopefully there gearbox is sorted as you say but as often these things don't go to plan, you need to stick up for your rights to make sure you are not left in the lurch.

 

[cuke2u]

Did this get resolved ok Kieran? I have just had the dreaded gearbox malfunction message come up on my car and now I cannot drive it...