Help Please Where do I stand?

[alpesh26]

Hoping someone could give me a bit of guidance on this. I bought an ex demo 2016 A5 Sportback on 29th December 2016 (I will post in the A5 forum also) from an Audi dealer and the car was approved used with 2900 miles on the clock.

When I bought the car I was not told that the car had been in an accident, but it turned out a few months after purchase that it has (I have an email from the used car sales manager admitting this although HPI is clear). The offside rear quarter has been badly resprayed on closer inspection and the boot lid has dropped slightly on the offside too - it looks fine from a distance.

I'm having an issue where the boot lid isn't springing open as it should - I know the lid is heavy but the gas struts should be able to carry it. I booked this in to be looked at by my local Audi dealer (not the same dealer I purchased from) and they wont repair the boot lid due to the accident damage.

I now have another issue where the spare wheel well is full of water, there are electrical cables covered in water and the B&O amp isn't going to last long in those conditions. Today I used a wet vac and extracted 4.5 inches of water from the spare wheel well.

I've had no end of problems with the dealer I purchased from (swapped wheels, damaged leather headrest, dashboard shine used on leather seats). They also had the car for 3 weeks whilst they were sourcing a new parcel shelf and repairing a broken seatbelt cover!!

I have strong suspicion that the damage to the offside rear has happened when they had the car for 3 weeks...it doesn't take 3 weeks to get a parcel shelf and repair a seatbelt cover! They were very sketchy on giving me details of the damage.

Would anyone be able to give me any advice on what I should do to get this sorted, bearing in mind i've had the car literally just over a year now? I probably should have pushed and pushed for details when they admitted the damage. If they had told me it had been in an accident before I bought the car I wouldn't have bought the car or I would have used this as negotiation to lower the price...I now have a "lemon" i've paid full price for!

 

[ruairi83]

Contact Audi Uk, explain whole situation. Get a case manager and take it from there. Send them proof of sales person admitting damaged repaired.

 

[alpesh26]

Contact Audi Uk, explain whole situation. Get a case manager and take it from there. Send them proof of sales person admitting damaged repaired.

Forgot to mention, I called Audi UK and they basically said that they can only act as a mediator between me and the dealer...pretty useless tbh!

 

[spartacus 68]

I think you're in quite a good position. Audi take pride in their Approved Used reputation, so not to be told an ex-demonstrator you bought has been damaged is pretty damning. They can measure paint thickness, so if Audi doubt your side of the story ask them to investigate and provide your insurance company details so they can follow up, that should do the trick.

First thing you want to do is contact their after sales manager. Be perfectly calm, and lay out the faults in writing that you wish to be rectified.

If you're insinuating that the car was damaged while in their care, then that's another story.

Pretty sure this whole thing can be resolved amicably. If they play hard ball, and I don't think they will, then ask Audi Uk to intervene. Evidence is pretty damning, so fingers crossed.

 

[jdp1962]

@alpesh26, I can't figure out from your opening post if you're saying you think the offside rear damage happened before you bought it or afterwards when the car went back to the supplying dealer for repair work.

 

[alpesh26]

@alpesh26, I can't figure out from your opening post if you're saying you think the offside rear damage happened before you bought it or afterwards when the car went back to the supplying dealer for repair work.

At the moment I am unsure when the damage occurred. I have been able to get a meeting with the used car sales manager at the dealership so hopefully I can get full details on the damage. All I have at the moment is an email saying it was in an accident at some point whilst it was in the dealer possession.

I'm refraining from using the heating/AC due to the mould growth and I was getting no sound from the stereo this morning, but restarting the MMI sorted this so not sure if its related.

 

[Breezey]

If you didn't ask at the point of sale they don't have to tell you its been in an accident, if you ask they have to tell you. Went though this with a mate of mine with BMW.

 

[alpesh26]

If you didn't ask at the point of sale they don't have to tell you its been in an accident, if you ask they have to tell you. Went though this with a mate of mine with BMW.

Hmm, I did ask them the evening I picked up the car as when I phoned the insurance company to insure it they asked me if the car was involved in a collision in June 2016, but I think this is a tactic used by insurance people to see if people are lying. I'm not sure if asking at that point will count as it was technically after the point of sale. The dealer sent me through a clear HPI report, but that wouldn't show a claim if it didnt go through insurance

 

[Breezey]

Sounds like you should have good grounds then, Audi UK are far from helpful in my experience so you may have to threaten court action see where that takes you.

 

[Carlos85]

I don't think a HPI report would register anything unless it had been recorded as CAT * to be fair, On those grounds I am not sure if they have to bring up that the car has been repaired or not because it hasn't been written off. Regardless of that the car that you have been sold is a new car and should still be covered under warranty anyway shouldn't it?

 

[alpesh26]

After some digging, the rear quarter panel and rear bumper have been replaced in the month I purchased the car. I've had a look at the quarter panel and there is parts sticker on it (this wouldnt be there if it was factory original) and the right hand side is in the black primer. The left hand side (factory original) panel has been painted and the seams where it joins the actual boot are a lot smoother, there are also loose metal filings on the right hand side where they havent cleaned up properly...it's a pretty bad repair