Bob Petruska

Tell Audi you want a R8 loaner indefinitely until they fix your car.

Your story makes one wonder just how good Audi corporate, the diagnostic engineers, and techs are?

I had a problem with filling up my A4 tank with gasoline, the filling station pump would shut off every 0.1 of a gallon. Took it to the dealer, they confirmed the problem, called Audi corporate tech support, which in turn, got Audi Germany on the phone and they all agreed to definitely change the fuel tank. I said OK. Went home and looked at what it would take to change the fuel tank, remove - rear seat, trunk interior, exhaust system, rear differential, drive shafts, etc., etc. and then all 50+ pieces - fuel pumps, fittings, hoses, etc. from old fuel tank, and put in new fuel tank. I said this A4 will never be the same and they will probably need to do this a few times when it doesn't work out at first. Well I decided to figure the problem out myself and came to a conclusion that the carbon evap canister was blocked. I went to the dealer, got the engineers on the phone and again they said definitely not the canister, only a poor venting bad fuel tank. I said you can order the fuel tank (needed to come from Germany), but also order me an evap canister. You will put the canister in first, if that doesn't fix the problem then I will pay for it , then change the tank. Well the canister fixed the tank filling problem, the engineering staff never replied................

cloudyhill

Oops, forgot the R8 option. Then I will pray they never fix my car. lol

It seems that Audi doesn't train their tech properly. And they don't have good tools to diagnose the issues. When there's a problem, they immediately spit out a list of parts to replace. I'm really curious about the success rate of their first attempt.

Before the engine was replaced the first time, they just pumped out the water in the engine, replaced spark plugs, and changed engine oil, and told me it's fixed. When I got the car back, the vibration was very bad that there's no way they didn't notice. So I did some google research and took it in again, asked them if they had done compression test, then they told me there's loss of compression. I just wondered why they didn't check this in the first place? Are they dumb or irresponsible? They have to be directed by a layman like me?

I'm really disappointed at Audi. I wonder if this is the same for every car brand in the US.

snagitseven

FWIW, they might be close to finding the issue with the new engine install. If you get a lawyer involved, they will stop working on the car and you could be in for a long legal haul if Audi balks at a replacement. You're at a crossroads so it's something to think about. If the car is finally fixed, you could also ask Audi to reimburse you for the months of your payments while you were without the car. I was able to get a similar concession due to a parts shortage and delay. I was even able to drive my car while waiting yet received cash for two months of equivalent payments (I paid cash for the car so we agreed on a cash amount).

Redd

Bob, it seems like AoA could learn something from the way that Detroit used to do things. Ford, Dodge, GM, didn't matter who. They all had "zone offices" which split the country into geographic zones. Dealer got stumped, or needed warranty blessings, and the dealer called the zone office. The zone office had "circuit riders", i.e. advanced tech specialists who made the rounds when the dealers got stuck. And above them, there were a level of national "riders" who often flew around the country dealing with issues. I knew someone whose only job was to travel around the country and find out why "this air conditioner always stinks". (Part of what he found out was that anti-microbial gaskets and plastics are sometimes simply necessary, no one had heard of them back then.)

Audi? AoA? The best I've heard them offer is "take it to xyz, their shop has a real expert on these things."

Cloudy, if it is any consolation, I'm sure Audi is not happy if they are paying the dealer anything towards this--and paying it twice. You might ask them, gently, "Do you think I will ever have any faith in an Audi product again, my local highly trained and certified Audi dealer can't even make an engine work, twice in a row?" And remind them just how many cars you may be buying before you switch to a driverless one. Which still may not be an Audi.

Sadly, most makers KNOW that some shops are totally incompetent, but either the dealer knows where the skeletons are, or is someone's bastard nephew, and they can't just shut 'em down.

cloudyhill

The dealership has given up on fixing the car actually. They told me that the new engine is their last resort. The service advisor also thinks that Audi is unreasonable for trying 11 weeks. I think it already cost Audi $20,000 on the fix. I don't understand why they keep trying. After so many repairs, the car is worth nothing. The trade-in value is probably under $30,000.

cloudyhill

The regional expert said my case was finally transferred to customer retention (or relation?), and she was not longer on my case. They incorrectly marked my car as totaled before, that's why they refused to buy back or replace my car. But it's been two days, I haven't been contacted by the new department. Audi corporate sucks. Maybe two days is not enough for them to make a decision, but at least let me know how the process is going, right? Very disappointed.

cloudyhill

Now they want to replace the harness and ask Geico to pay. How much does it cost? Geico has paid $26k before. I saw another post about flooded A4, cost $12k to replace the entire harness.