Well, I got screwed by my local Audi dealership (long).....
08-06-2002, 11:31 AM
#1
AudiWorld Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2002
Posts: 1,175
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Well, I got screwed by my local Audi dealership (long).....
I bought a 98 2.8QM w/ 86,xxx miles about 3 months ago from Midtown Imports in Pekin, IL. I knew going into it that a car with that many miles would have some problems, but I had no idea what I was in for. Here's the approximate timeline:
3 weeks after purchase:
Pulling out of gas station, I scraped the oil pan resulting in an oil leak. Towed to a local Import repair shop (Kauth and Maeyer, Peoria, IL). Was told the car was missing the belly pan which might offered some protection. I was not told by the salesman that it was missing when I bought the car. I understand that it is common to remove it, but I should've been informed when I bought it.
Total Cost w/ towing: ~$300.00
1 month 1 week after purchase:
Pads are worn, 1 pads was completed worn and tore up the rear rotor. I replaced the pads myself. After, I drove it and realized that either I did something wrong, or something else has gone bad w/ the brakes. The brake pedal went all the way to the floor and barely slowed down the car. I took it Kauth and Maeyer to get the brakes bleed. It turned out that it was the Master Cylinder and all 4 rotors were worn out. I had the Master Cylinder replaced and planned on doing the rotors myself to save $.
~$340.00 Master Cylinder
~$100.00 new pads & tools
Total $440.00
Last week:
I started noticing a odd growl when and only when in 1st gear. I also began noticing a growing vibration when accelerating between 2k and 4k rpm's. I also had to refill my coolant every 5-7 days as the light kept coming on. I sent up an appt. for Monday the 5th (yesterday) at the dealership. I assumed that there was a coolant leak and the transmission needed some work. Fortunately, I purchased an extended warranty that should cover any transmission work. I received a call around 4:30pm on Monday afternoon from the service writer explaining that I had the following problems:
-The transmission is shot and needs to be replaced
-The water pump needs to be replaced
-The clutch will need to be replaced soon and would be cheaper to do now
-The timing belt needs to be replaced along with some pulleys
-The coolant is leaking and something (forgot exactly what it was needs to be replaced/fixed)
The warranty should cover the tranny and water pump. Other than that, I will have to shell out between $1000 and $1500 for the other items. Also, I still haven't relpaced the rotors, and I'll need a new set of tires before the winter.
I understand that a high mileage car will need regular maintenance, but I feel that this is just ridiculous. I drive the car to work and back, have made no modifications and never raced it. Because I had no equity in my trade-in, I still owe quite a bit on this car. I really don't think I have any choice but to get the warranty work done (I do not have the additional $1000-$1500 for the maintenance items) and sell the car as soon as possible.
I am not very mechnically inclined and the car drove very well when I test drove it. Maybe I was naive in buying the car, but I've had many cars with high mileage and never experienced so many problems, not to mention 3 months after buying the car. I really don't know if I should blame the dealership for not inspecting the car better or not warning me about problems if they were aware of them, but I don't know what else to do at this point. I will try to sell the car privately once it's out of the shop, but will still get screwed as I owe as much as the car is worth. I'm not sure why I'm posting this, but I just can't believe it happened. I guess from now on I will never trust anyone selling a car. I still love Audi's and feel unfortunate for having such a bad experience.
3 weeks after purchase:
Pulling out of gas station, I scraped the oil pan resulting in an oil leak. Towed to a local Import repair shop (Kauth and Maeyer, Peoria, IL). Was told the car was missing the belly pan which might offered some protection. I was not told by the salesman that it was missing when I bought the car. I understand that it is common to remove it, but I should've been informed when I bought it.
Total Cost w/ towing: ~$300.00
1 month 1 week after purchase:
Pads are worn, 1 pads was completed worn and tore up the rear rotor. I replaced the pads myself. After, I drove it and realized that either I did something wrong, or something else has gone bad w/ the brakes. The brake pedal went all the way to the floor and barely slowed down the car. I took it Kauth and Maeyer to get the brakes bleed. It turned out that it was the Master Cylinder and all 4 rotors were worn out. I had the Master Cylinder replaced and planned on doing the rotors myself to save $.
~$340.00 Master Cylinder
~$100.00 new pads & tools
Total $440.00
Last week:
I started noticing a odd growl when and only when in 1st gear. I also began noticing a growing vibration when accelerating between 2k and 4k rpm's. I also had to refill my coolant every 5-7 days as the light kept coming on. I sent up an appt. for Monday the 5th (yesterday) at the dealership. I assumed that there was a coolant leak and the transmission needed some work. Fortunately, I purchased an extended warranty that should cover any transmission work. I received a call around 4:30pm on Monday afternoon from the service writer explaining that I had the following problems:
-The transmission is shot and needs to be replaced
-The water pump needs to be replaced
-The clutch will need to be replaced soon and would be cheaper to do now
-The timing belt needs to be replaced along with some pulleys
-The coolant is leaking and something (forgot exactly what it was needs to be replaced/fixed)
The warranty should cover the tranny and water pump. Other than that, I will have to shell out between $1000 and $1500 for the other items. Also, I still haven't relpaced the rotors, and I'll need a new set of tires before the winter.
I understand that a high mileage car will need regular maintenance, but I feel that this is just ridiculous. I drive the car to work and back, have made no modifications and never raced it. Because I had no equity in my trade-in, I still owe quite a bit on this car. I really don't think I have any choice but to get the warranty work done (I do not have the additional $1000-$1500 for the maintenance items) and sell the car as soon as possible.
I am not very mechnically inclined and the car drove very well when I test drove it. Maybe I was naive in buying the car, but I've had many cars with high mileage and never experienced so many problems, not to mention 3 months after buying the car. I really don't know if I should blame the dealership for not inspecting the car better or not warning me about problems if they were aware of them, but I don't know what else to do at this point. I will try to sell the car privately once it's out of the shop, but will still get screwed as I owe as much as the car is worth. I'm not sure why I'm posting this, but I just can't believe it happened. I guess from now on I will never trust anyone selling a car. I still love Audi's and feel unfortunate for having such a bad experience.
08-06-2002, 11:43 AM
#2
New Member
Join Date: Jul 2001
Posts: 56
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Re: Well, I got screwed by my local Audi dealership (long).....
Well I'm not sure if this helps but the service writer can play with the prices. If I were you I would get the warranty work done there and take the car to another garage and get the other stuff repaired for a lot cheaper than what the dealer is charging you. They want to make all there money in one day. It's ridiculous what they charge for labor hours, not even a Doctor makes that an hour, why should a mechanic?? Sorry had to vent, the dealer tries to screw me also but I went some where else and spent less than half using "audi" parts etc...
08-06-2002, 11:49 AM
#3
Member
Join Date: May 2001
Posts: 17,322
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
You might check your state statutes regarding safety equipment. In most states it is illegal for a
dealer to sell a used car with bad/worn out brakes, e-brake, lights, horn, steering assembly, tires below the legal tread depth, etc.
08-06-2002, 12:00 PM
#4
For one the dealership should have inspected the car better. Two
it's always a good idea to have the car gone over throughly by another mechanic. It's not the dealership fault. You did buy it in good faith, it was up to you to make sure the car was in good order before you signed the papers and drove off.
08-06-2002, 12:22 PM
#5
AudiWorld Uber User
Join Date: Mar 2000
Posts: 66,965
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Do yourself a favor...learn from this experience before you go out and buy another car! (long)
Or you'll find yourself in the same situation...again!
First, regarding the belly pan...it will not protect the undercarriage. It is plastic, and it will break if something hard hits it. A new one is $140. If you had an independent mechanic look at the car, they would have told you it was missing. Dealer would have paid for a new one before you took possession of the car. The oil pan...that was your fault. It's a hazard of driving...sometimes these things happen.
Second, the pads and rotors should have been caught if you had the car inspected by an indepedent mechanic. Normally, if the pads are worn, you replace the rotors with the pads on these cars. If you had done a little more homework, you would also know that. Yes, it gets expensive, but this is a repair you should not have had to deal with if you took reasonable measures to ensure the car was in proper working order before purchasing. In addition, the master cylinder mysteriously goes bad at the same time YOU are working on the brakes? And you even admitted you're not very handy when it comes to your car. If the bleeding is not done correctly, you can easily damage the master cylinder.
The transmission sounds like bad luck, but fortunately, you have a warranty to deal with that.
The clutch...how do they know it's going bad?? It drove fine in the month you had it, right? My guess is that the shop is thinking, "Welll, the car has 90K miles on it, and since we're already taking the tranny apart, we may as well do the clutch". While that is good advice, if you're strapped for cash, and the existing clutch still has 50K miles left on it, you still have the option of leaving the clutch alone. Did you ask the service dept. any more question re: this?
The water pump and timing belt...that's pretty much required maintenance, which you would have known about had you done more homework prior to purchasing.
The coolant leak...it's probably not too serious, or expensive, but the warranty covers that, so no biggie.
The tires...you should have known about that...I think you're just adding more crap to the heap. Let's be realistic.
The warranty...good call there! Always a good idea on a used German car, if you can't afford to deal with the potential failures that can and do occur.
I know you're just venting, and I'm not flaming you. You have a right to be upset. But, there comes a time where you need to sit down and be realistic. Look at the facts, acknowledge where you made a mistake, and learn from this whole experience. Writing the car off, and getting something else isn't the complete solution. You might end up in the same boat again, with a Honda Accord, if you take the same road you took with the Audi.
First, regarding the belly pan...it will not protect the undercarriage. It is plastic, and it will break if something hard hits it. A new one is $140. If you had an independent mechanic look at the car, they would have told you it was missing. Dealer would have paid for a new one before you took possession of the car. The oil pan...that was your fault. It's a hazard of driving...sometimes these things happen.
Second, the pads and rotors should have been caught if you had the car inspected by an indepedent mechanic. Normally, if the pads are worn, you replace the rotors with the pads on these cars. If you had done a little more homework, you would also know that. Yes, it gets expensive, but this is a repair you should not have had to deal with if you took reasonable measures to ensure the car was in proper working order before purchasing. In addition, the master cylinder mysteriously goes bad at the same time YOU are working on the brakes? And you even admitted you're not very handy when it comes to your car. If the bleeding is not done correctly, you can easily damage the master cylinder.
The transmission sounds like bad luck, but fortunately, you have a warranty to deal with that.
The clutch...how do they know it's going bad?? It drove fine in the month you had it, right? My guess is that the shop is thinking, "Welll, the car has 90K miles on it, and since we're already taking the tranny apart, we may as well do the clutch". While that is good advice, if you're strapped for cash, and the existing clutch still has 50K miles left on it, you still have the option of leaving the clutch alone. Did you ask the service dept. any more question re: this?
The water pump and timing belt...that's pretty much required maintenance, which you would have known about had you done more homework prior to purchasing.
The coolant leak...it's probably not too serious, or expensive, but the warranty covers that, so no biggie.
The tires...you should have known about that...I think you're just adding more crap to the heap. Let's be realistic.
The warranty...good call there! Always a good idea on a used German car, if you can't afford to deal with the potential failures that can and do occur.
I know you're just venting, and I'm not flaming you. You have a right to be upset. But, there comes a time where you need to sit down and be realistic. Look at the facts, acknowledge where you made a mistake, and learn from this whole experience. Writing the car off, and getting something else isn't the complete solution. You might end up in the same boat again, with a Honda Accord, if you take the same road you took with the Audi.
08-06-2002, 12:27 PM
#6
AudiWorld Super User
Join Date: Jan 2001
Posts: 4,042
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Sounds like someone beat your car up before you got it.
I mean, how you drove it the last three months is pretty irrelevant based on how it was driven for the first 80k miles. That's where this damage happened, it's not how you're driving it (I assume).
Brakes & rotors - normal at that point
Water pump - warranty you say. So no big deal.
Timing belt/tensioner/roller - normal at 90K miles, but since you're in there anyways for the water pump, why not do it now?
Master Cylinder - not normal
This is not warranty? Surprising.
Clutch - not normal Sounds like it got beat on if it's already going that bad.
Coolant leak - more detail needed, but it could be your water pump I guess.
Transmission - not normal! I actually had a similar occurrence, be thankful it's under warranty and you're getting a new transmission - this is lemonade out of lemons in my books
I'd fight a bit more about the master cylinder and rotor warranty, since Audi replaced my rotors under Audi Assured warranty (had to pay for pads), but the other problems are either normal for a car of that age/miles, or are being covered for free under warranty.
Most dealerships do not do a very thorough inspection of the cars they buy, as long as it's sound for test drives they won't do much past that. The car business is a harsh one, but Audi's no worse about it than anyone else.
Brakes & rotors - normal at that point
Water pump - warranty you say. So no big deal.
Timing belt/tensioner/roller - normal at 90K miles, but since you're in there anyways for the water pump, why not do it now?
Master Cylinder - not normal
This is not warranty? Surprising.Clutch - not normal
Sounds like it got beat on if it's already going that bad.Coolant leak - more detail needed, but it could be your water pump I guess.
Transmission - not normal! I actually had a similar occurrence, be thankful it's under warranty and you're getting a new transmission - this is lemonade out of lemons in my books
I'd fight a bit more about the master cylinder and rotor warranty, since Audi replaced my rotors under Audi Assured warranty (had to pay for pads), but the other problems are either normal for a car of that age/miles, or are being covered for free under warranty.
Most dealerships do not do a very thorough inspection of the cars they buy, as long as it's sound for test drives they won't do much past that. The car business is a harsh one, but Audi's no worse about it than anyone else.
08-06-2002, 12:35 PM
#7
AudiWorld Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2002
Posts: 1,175
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Reply to all threads so far....
Thanks to everyone that responded. I do want to state that I know that a lot of this is my fault as I didn't get the car inspected by a independent mechanic. I spoke with the previous owner and saw the service records and felt that it was a sound car. I WILL NOT make that mistake again. I know that a few of the maintenance "suggestions" are not absolutely necessary, and I will not have that work done as I don't have the money for it. I did make some mistakes when buying the car and still think the master cylinder going out may be my fault (the import shop said that it probably isn't). I guess I just posted this because it's easy to make this kind of mistake when buying a car if you're not careful and have a tendancy to be too trusting (I won't have that problem again). I appreciate everyone taking the time to offer some insight. I've gone ahead and told them to do the warranty work and plan on selling the car when it's done. I don't think I'll come out of this deal very good, but don't want to be stuck with this car any longer. I will definitely approach car buying differently from now on and hope to learn from this mistake. Again, thanks to everyone that followed-up.
Trending Topics
08-06-2002, 12:41 PM
#8
New Member
Join Date: Nov 2001
Posts: 161
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Mid Town really blows A$$...
I'm sorry man. I grew up in the area and am down probaby once or twice a month. I cant believe they hosed you that bad. I would be making some noise though.. you might try to give SUD's a call in bloomington see if they can do any better for the work you need done. They are alot better to deal with.
08-06-2002, 12:41 PM
#9
AudiWorld Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2002
Posts: 1,175
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I agree...
In talking to the previous owner, he seemed to be a normal driver, just put a lot of miles on the car. I also believe that some of the repairs are normal for that mileage and some definitely shouldn't be due. My main concern is that this car was driven very hard or just wasn't treated well. With all these major things going wrong, my question from week to week was, "What's going to go wrong this week." and I don't want to keep asking myself that. Therefore, I will get the warranty work done and then attempt to sell it. I just want out of the situation. Thank you for your advice and suggestions, I will continue to work with the dealership to get the most out of them and hope to not have this turn into a total loss.
08-06-2002, 12:45 PM
#10
AudiWorld Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2002
Posts: 1,175
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I would be very catious buying from them...
Even though much of this is my fault for not taking the proper car buying steps (essentially not getting it checked by an independent mech.), they don't seem as concerned as I'd like them to be. Since I'm just getting the warranty work done for now, I will probably have them do it as I won't be paying for it anyway. Thanks for the info!