New Car Update - 50tdi

[TG_A6_50tdi_quattro]

Well after almost 4wks of ownership thought I would post an update.

Picked up on June 26th a 69 plate ex-demo 50tdi quattro with comfort & sound pack - car had covered only 100 miles.

All seemed fine until the day after buying the car I started detailing and noticed a few minor issues, one door seal was missing and the black edition trim around the windows had silver patches. Annoyingly I didn't notice them at handover as something missing on an unfamiliar car is hard to spot, and you have to get the trim in direct sunlight to see the silver patches:

Then week 2 a piece of trim inside fell off:

Still waiting on Milton Keynes Audi to confirm when these will be replaced, they have said they will but I do not have a date yet. Apparently the missing trim was missed as it never had a delivery inspection when delivered to dealership, why wasn't it noted during the PDI. It has also taken a great deal of chasing just to get a response from them.

Also after only 500 miles my dash has also started rattling too which seems a common fault, thankfully I don't have any lag problems that others have mentioned (except in efficiency).

Final point is a right foot rest would have been nice too and don't get me started on the rear cup holders as IMO rear cup holders should be standard in a family car.

Fingers crossed nothing else falls off

 

[TG_A6_50tdi_quattro]

So heard back from Milton Keynes Audi, they want to wrap my trim instead of replacing:

"The window trim is convoluted – The trim cannot be replaced without removing the whole window unit and this is circa £453 which is a no go. I then looked at the prospect of painting it gloss black but the body shop are saying this will leave marks and paint residue and will not match the colour. So my only suggestion is to wrap it gloss black and I will explore the costs and implications of this."

I am lost for words...

 

[MPTT]

How long will that last for though? Are they going to put a warranty on it for however long you own the car?

 

[TG_A6_50tdi_quattro]

I think wrap lasts 6yrs but not sure... I have asked if just effected trim or all as I can't imagine it would match.

Also contacted Audi UK for their opinion, as I would have thought as a manufacturing defect the warranty should cover replacement on a 4 month old car?

 

[MCarda]

Also contacted Audi UK for their opinion, as I would have thought as a manufacturing defect the warranty should cover replacement on a 4 month old car?

In my view it should! I don’t see how just “covering the defect” is making it right, should be a replacement if you ask me even if it means replacing the whole window because, it’s certainly not the customer’s fault or concern the parts were designed this way!

Is the car on finance from VW/Audi? I am sure VWFS wouldn’t be too happy to have their asset (assuming PCP) to have in their eyes a loss of value to it as a result of a halfway repair, so it might be worth involving them if your car is on that kind of finance solution and they could put some pressure into making it right.

I would advise you to check your consumer rights as to what constitutes giving the dealer the opportunity to make it right: them having just admitted the correct way would be to replace the whole thing but refusing it due to cost implications for them which shouldn’t be a concern to begin with if you put a warranty on X product. Ultimately you have the right to reject the car I believe within 6 months if memory serves correctly but that’s only a very last resort measure but could be within your rights, and the prospect of a dealer having to deal with the costs of rejection/reselling at a lower value of the returned rejected car will be much more than the £453 they are refusing to pay so this could provide them some motivation to stop squeezing the pennies at least for your particular case.

 

[TG_A6_50tdi_quattro]

Slight update, Audi UK are having the same problem as me in trying to get a response. Not sure what they will do next but its a start...

"Thank you for your recent contact with Audi UK Customer Services.

I apologise for the delay in my response.

After receiving your email earlier this week, I have been trying to contact Milton Keynes Audi without success.

I wanted to know if their have been any further updates with regards to the issue highlighted in your email.
If so please can you advise, otherwise I would like to escalate the matter to see the issue quickly resolved.

Thank you for your patience."

 

[TG_A6_50tdi_quattro]

In my view it should! I don’t see how just “covering the defect” is making it right, should be a replacement if you ask me even if it means replacing the whole window because, it’s certainly not the customer’s fault or concern the parts were designed this way!

MCarda Audi UK phoned and agreed and said it should be a permanent repair as if I keep the car at end of finance agreement a wrap may need to be replaced. Also, if I return the car at end of my agreement and its picked up I could end up with a bill for repair or they could have further issues with the next owner - all of which is obviously unacceptable.

Really impressed with the attitude of the person I spoke to on the phone, they said that as the dealer is not responding to Audi UK he is having to escalate again and will update me on progress. It should not be this difficult to get an issue like this resolved.

 

[MCarda]

MCarda Audi UK phoned and agreed and said it should be a permanent repair as if I keep the car at end of finance agreement a wrap may need to be replaced. Also, if I return the car at end of my agreement and its picked up I could end up with a bill for repair or they could have further issues with the next owner - all of which is obviously unacceptable.

Really impressed with the attitude of the person I spoke to on the phone, they said that as the dealer is not responding to Audi UK he is having to escalate again and will update me on progress. It should not be this difficult to get an issue like this resolved.

Excellent! Glad to hear you have made a step forward.

 

[TG_A6_50tdi_quattro]

Hopefully my last update on this.... I am finally booked in for Sept. 24th to have all issues rectified by Milton Keynes Audi.

Its taken a lot of effort to get to this stage, if this happened again I would go straight to Audi UK rather than spend weeks trying to go through the dealer.