Scott Hansen

I can describe what I believe to be a systemic failure, by Audi of America, to address both a service problem and a product problem. We bought a a 2012 Q5 Prestige. The car was well maintained, and had less than 34,000 miles. It seemed to be a excellent car. We believed that the 3.2 was a terrific engine, essentially defect-free, and that this car's engine was strong. No problems were noted or unattended.

Notwithstanding, the car engine encountered a still undiagnosed problem in April. We pulled off the freeway when her oil light came on, called a tow truck and had it towed to Wilsonville Audi, who indicated that they would have to perform a diagnostic to find what was wrong with the car. After doing so, they indicated that the test was inconclusive and that the engine would have to be pulled to complete the diagnosis, the cost for which would be $6,400.

Initially, Wilsonville suggested that a problem, albeit undiagnosed, was one which should be brought to the attention of Audi America, and that it might participate in the repair. At Wilsonville's suggestion, I call Audi, had a brief discussion, but never heard back.
Simultaneously, I called another dealership, Sunset Audi, for a second opinion. Sunset suggested that it would be unusual to recommend a $6,400 diagnosis, that it could take a look at the car, and that more could be learned by pulling off the valve covers, and assessing the problem. We decided to have the car towed to Sunset, at a cost of $120.

At first, Sunset was both responsive and helpful. They also performed other diagnostic tests, and incurred a bill of $742. Ultimately, they threw their hands in the air said that there were metal filings in the oil, and suggested that the engine be replaced. The recommended rebuilt engine would come from Germany and would cost approximately $22,000. Sunset offered to discount the bill by $2,000. They also suggested that it would be easier to buy a new car.
At some point, Sunset Service simply stopped returning calls to discuss the possible repair of the car, subsequent diagnostic findings, perhaps because there was no clear explanation for the failure of the vehicle. There was no assurance that the problem which resulted in the engine failure had been detected, that it would be corrected, either by repair or by replacement of the engine. Sunset said that the problem was so unusual and difficult to diagnose, that Audi Service would, likely, stand behind its product, and again, suggested that I call Audi America. I called the Audi service representative to which it had been assigned, left a message, but, again, did not hear back from Audi. Sunset offered to follow-up with Audi America. Sunset subsequently informed me that Audi declined to 1) accept any responsibility, or 2) to participate in the repair. At a later point, and after I had registered my dissatisfaction with the entire sequence of events, Audi informed me that it had not "declined to participate" in the engine repair or replacement, but that it elected to "support the Sunset's decision" by refusing to participate in the repair. We were confused by the conflicting reports.
The reasons given for Audi's reluctance to facilitate the resolution of the problem were that we may not have properly maintained the car, that the car's service history was unclear, and that there was no indication that it had been maintained appropriately. Finally, Audi/Sunset said that the car had two previous owners and that Audi would not stand behind a car which, albeit with low miles, was on its third owner.

Sunset suggested that it might make more sense to invest nearly $25,000 (including towing, diagnostics and miscellaneous costs) in a car which might be worth $25,000, and that there may be continuing uncertainty about the reliability of the car, whether it was repaired or if the engine was replaced. Sunset suggested that, if we considered the purchase of a 2018 Q5, there would be greater value in a trade-in, a longer warranty, and a better product. Given the fact that we were confronting a $25,000 out-of-pocket expense, there was some logic to the argument that we would receive more value, if we invested $39,000 in a new vehicle.


Audi Beaverton had a car, landed in Houston, and waiting for delivery to Oregon. Maddie decided to purchase that car, paid earnest money, and was given a delivery date of seven to twelve days. We wired the balance of the purchase funds and were told that the car was in transit. Nearly a week later, we were informed that the car had yet to ship. A week after that, we were told that the car was no longer in the system, and may have been damaged in transit. Subsequently, we were told that the car had been located, and was still in Houston.

In fact, we felt like we had to push, uncomfortably hard, to complete that transaction. We asked if there were ways to ship the car to another city, where we are located, to avoid the necessity to fly to collect the car and immediately drive back home. While we were initially told that the suggestion was an impossibility, Beaverton subsequently arranged a much appreciated "courtesy delivery."

The entirety of the situation with Audi was far less than acceptable. Audi America seemingly seeks to lay off responsibility for its share of the problems we encountered (namely, a substandard product, and less than adequate service) on the dealerships. With this last experience, we came to believe that Audi does not stand behind its products, and that it simply doesn't provide the kind of service which it suggests that it offers, or that one may expect from a premium marque.

plat27265

I feel sorry for you that you had to go through this misery with a used 2012 Q5. But, as will ANY used car purchase, regardless of how stellar the service records look, it is buyer beware. The previous owners may have been diligent in servicing the vehicle but no one knows how they drove it and where they drove it. The 3.2L V6 FSI engine is quite reliable. But, it does not mean that it is bullet-proof.

As with any used car that is sold at any dealership, a PPI by a third party is recommended before sealing the deal. However, even a PPI is no guarantee that any used vehicle won't breakdown for any reason but, you get to know the used vehicle much better. For Audi's and other premium brand vehicle, it is highly recommended to buy a CPO vehicle that comes with a warranty. Or, purchase an extended warranty for it. This way, the new owner is covered for expensive repairs on a vehicle whose history is unknown to them except for what's on paper which does not tell the whole story.

As for blaming AoA for not standing behind their product, sorry, but the 2012 Q5 is out of warranty and AoA is not obligated to help its owners. Any car manufacturer will do the same including BMW, Mercedes, Toyota, Honda, Kia, etc.

I am happy that both of you decided on purchasing a new 2018 Q5 after going through this ordeal. The reliability of Audis have gone up over the last 8 to 10 years and they just keep on getting better. Happy motoring and I hope you gather lots of good memories with your new Q5!

SCarGuy

Dealer one washed their hands of it, and pushed it on you to handle...because they know what the end result would be, and knew it wasn't going to be what you wanted to hear.

How old was the car to you relative to when the event happened? Was it purchased at a dealer, or privately?

As far as the new car, what you're saying really doesn't make sense - why would a dealer request, or you pay, for a car, in full, that was not yet at the dealer, ready for pickup?

The dealer has zero control over when a car gets to port and when a car is delivered to them. Zero. Audi USA has a dedicated department for the logistics of this, and they deal with thousands of cars a month. A dealer has instant access to those people, and a good dealer will do whats necessary to keep a customer informed and get the product to their location as quickly as humanly possible. You contacting Audi unfortunately doesn't help the situation, as it doesn't change it. At this point, I'd be speaking to the GM of the particular dealer

A6sport

That's one hell of a first post. Sorry for such a "not so positive" 1st Audi experience. Always go CPO-