My Q7 Nightmare
11-24-2008, 08:19 AM
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My Q7 Nightmare
I purchased a new Audi Q7 and have had a terrible experience, both with the product and with Audi service. This Q7, with a sticker in excess of $50,000, has completely died on 3 different occasions. This has resulted in my dealing with six different tow trucks, three different service managers, two different dealerships, and a multitude Audi of America, Audi Finance, and VW finance employees who are apparently indifferent to my situation. Following is the timeline of this debacle:
? May, 2007
* Leased New 2007 Q7 Vin# WA1BV74L07D091243
? October 24, 2007
* Car is completely dead in my garage. No electrical power available for any system.
* Called Audi roadside assistance, which dispatched a rusted beater of a car and a guy with a pair of jumper cables. Tried unsuccessfully to jump.
* Called Audi roadside assistance with results of failed jump attempt. Was informed a tow truck was dispatched - never showed.
? October 25, 2007
* Called Audi roadside again. They dispatched a real tow truck, and it actually arrived. Attempted to jump again without success. Car was parked forward in garage and tow operator could not get it into neutral. He left, with the Q7 still sitting dead in our garage.
* Called my Audi dealer (Audi of Charlotte - Donald Automotive Group) and was told Audi roadside needed to handle.
* I asked for the service manager and was connected with Scott Holloway (Scott is one of two bright-spots in this story, but he left the dealership during this debacle). Scott drove to my house with a jump pack. Scott was unable to jump the vehicle, and called a tow truck, which was also unable to jump. They called Audi Tech support for guidance on getting the car into neutral when no power is available, got the car in neutral, and took it to the dealership.
? October 26, 2007+
* For several days the dealership attempted to find a draw on the battery. They could not. They replaced the battery and returned the car to my home. I expressed my concern regarding the likelihood of this happening again. My wife drives this car and volunteers every Monday at the soup kitchen in a tough area of town. She is also constantly driving our kids around town. The problem was categorized as a fluke, and the car was returned. I expressed my concern that no actual cause had been identified.
? November 6, 2007
* Q7 is completely dead for second time.
* I called Scott Holloway (service manager) and he sent tow truck.
* Again, the vehicle could not be jumped - it was towed to the dealership.
* The dealership held the SUV for several days and, again, could find no draw on the battery. They replaced the battery and the battery control unit. While I was told my wife should feel safe driving the car, I told them I was very nervous taking it back, as they had not been able to identify the problem, and this had now happened twice. I was told replacing the battery control unit was the fix.
? July 5, 2008
* My wife and kids are in the North Carolina mountains on a Saturday, three hours from our home and 1.5 hours from nearest dealership, and the Q7 is completely dead for the third time.
* Called our dealership in Charlotte and was told Scott Holloway (service manager) no longer worked there.
* Called Audi roadside assistance which sent a tow truck. The tow truck could not jump it and was unable to tow it - again could not get it into neutral with no power to any electrical systems. My wife and kids have no transportation for the remainder of the weekend, until we can start making calls again on Monday, July 7th.
? July 7, 2008
* Called Audi roadside again. They dispatched another tow truck. He was unable to jump it. He did get it in gear and towed it to Asheville, NC rather than Charlotte.
* We called Larry Robinson, service manager at Deal MotorCars in Ashville, NC. He said they recharged the battery and could find no draw on the battery. I told him the entire story and explained that unless they could find a problem and fix it, I would not take the car back. It was unreliable, had left my wife stranded 3 times, had required both my wife and I to waste significant time on the phone with dealerships and Audi Roadside assistance, not to mention the six tow truck operators we had worked with so far, and two dealerships had been unable to identify any source for the problem. Larry understood and was very professional. He suggested I speak with Audi customer care.
My wife and I spoke with many people at Audi customer assistance. Our reference number is #80251689. Each person was like speaking with an uncaring robot. They all read from a book - "I understand your concern, but ......" No one was ever willing to take ownership of the problem and resolve it. They wanted my wife to drive to Ashville (how?), pick up the vehicle, and pretend none of this had happened. We asked for a manager at Audi customer assistance and got Brad Hollister. He could not have been less interested. We offered to take a loaner, to give them more time to find the actual cause of the problem, and told them we would take the car back if they could identify the root cause. We offered to trade this Q7 for a similar vehicle (similar equipment and mileage) as long as we could see the service records and feel sure it was not a lemon like this one. The answer was simply NO. We made 3 attempts to contact the owner of the Charlotte dealership, Gary McHugh, (704-535-8800) to discuss this. Though I left detailed messages, and we own another Audi (A6), he never returned my calls. The new service manager in Charlotte, David Gaye (704-535-8800), would not take ownership of the problem. In a nutshell, I am shocked and disgusted at how Audi has treated me, and particularly my wife, who has shed a fair number of tears out of frustration over this entire debacle. And there is more....
Absent any movement on our offers to continue to work with Audi, we called Audi Finance, spoke to Josh, (503-615-7000) and told him we were not picking up this LEMON of a vehicle, would not continue to make payments, and reviewed the entire history with him. He suggested we call the dealer and ask them not to categorize it as a "voluntary surrender" (a category, I am told, for someone who turns a car in because they can't make payments). We gave Josh the reference number (#8025186).
Next, we called Larry Robinson at the Audi dealership in Asheville, which had the car, and told him we would not be coming to get the vehicle. We asked him to be sure not to categorize it as a voluntary surrender. He understood our concern, and apologized. I asked him to mail me the license plate and contents of the glove box, which he did. Larry is the other bright spot in this picture, while he couldn't fix the problem he was very apologetic and seemed genuinely concerned with the way we were being treated.
We continued to receive invoices from Audi finance. We again spoke with Josh at Audi finance and he suggested we speak with Audi of America.
More calls to Audi of America. Multiple calls to Annette Johnson (248-754-3529) and others. With Annette, we explained the entire story, and she had read the notes in the file. We stressed that this summer we had proposed what we believed were reasonable solutions (drive loaner until they could identify root cause, trade for similar used vehicle), but that Audi was unwilling to consider any of these. Annette was going to call my wife back after reviewing options. They played phone tag a couple times, and Annette never responded to my wife's last two calls.
On November 5, 2008, we received, via certified mail, a letter from VW credit saying we owe them $50,756.61 and if we don't pay they will auction the car and we will own the difference. My wife burst into tears and I burst into laughter - what a joke.
I will admit that after this incredible hassle, I now derive a bit of perverse pleasure from telling any of our friends who ask about the Q7 our story. I don't drag them through the whole thing, just enough to get to the point where I feel confident they will never buy an Audi product.
It looks like this lemon will get auctioned as Audi refused to admit there is a problem with this vehicle. I feel very bad for the person who ends up with the SUV. In the meantime, I will continue to do battle with VW finance, and disparage Audi at every opportunity. If you are reading this board as part of considering the purchase of an Audi, I hope my experience will cause you to go elsewhere.
? May, 2007
* Leased New 2007 Q7 Vin# WA1BV74L07D091243
? October 24, 2007
* Car is completely dead in my garage. No electrical power available for any system.
* Called Audi roadside assistance, which dispatched a rusted beater of a car and a guy with a pair of jumper cables. Tried unsuccessfully to jump.
* Called Audi roadside assistance with results of failed jump attempt. Was informed a tow truck was dispatched - never showed.
? October 25, 2007
* Called Audi roadside again. They dispatched a real tow truck, and it actually arrived. Attempted to jump again without success. Car was parked forward in garage and tow operator could not get it into neutral. He left, with the Q7 still sitting dead in our garage.
* Called my Audi dealer (Audi of Charlotte - Donald Automotive Group) and was told Audi roadside needed to handle.
* I asked for the service manager and was connected with Scott Holloway (Scott is one of two bright-spots in this story, but he left the dealership during this debacle). Scott drove to my house with a jump pack. Scott was unable to jump the vehicle, and called a tow truck, which was also unable to jump. They called Audi Tech support for guidance on getting the car into neutral when no power is available, got the car in neutral, and took it to the dealership.
? October 26, 2007+
* For several days the dealership attempted to find a draw on the battery. They could not. They replaced the battery and returned the car to my home. I expressed my concern regarding the likelihood of this happening again. My wife drives this car and volunteers every Monday at the soup kitchen in a tough area of town. She is also constantly driving our kids around town. The problem was categorized as a fluke, and the car was returned. I expressed my concern that no actual cause had been identified.
? November 6, 2007
* Q7 is completely dead for second time.
* I called Scott Holloway (service manager) and he sent tow truck.
* Again, the vehicle could not be jumped - it was towed to the dealership.
* The dealership held the SUV for several days and, again, could find no draw on the battery. They replaced the battery and the battery control unit. While I was told my wife should feel safe driving the car, I told them I was very nervous taking it back, as they had not been able to identify the problem, and this had now happened twice. I was told replacing the battery control unit was the fix.
? July 5, 2008
* My wife and kids are in the North Carolina mountains on a Saturday, three hours from our home and 1.5 hours from nearest dealership, and the Q7 is completely dead for the third time.
* Called our dealership in Charlotte and was told Scott Holloway (service manager) no longer worked there.
* Called Audi roadside assistance which sent a tow truck. The tow truck could not jump it and was unable to tow it - again could not get it into neutral with no power to any electrical systems. My wife and kids have no transportation for the remainder of the weekend, until we can start making calls again on Monday, July 7th.
? July 7, 2008
* Called Audi roadside again. They dispatched another tow truck. He was unable to jump it. He did get it in gear and towed it to Asheville, NC rather than Charlotte.
* We called Larry Robinson, service manager at Deal MotorCars in Ashville, NC. He said they recharged the battery and could find no draw on the battery. I told him the entire story and explained that unless they could find a problem and fix it, I would not take the car back. It was unreliable, had left my wife stranded 3 times, had required both my wife and I to waste significant time on the phone with dealerships and Audi Roadside assistance, not to mention the six tow truck operators we had worked with so far, and two dealerships had been unable to identify any source for the problem. Larry understood and was very professional. He suggested I speak with Audi customer care.
My wife and I spoke with many people at Audi customer assistance. Our reference number is #80251689. Each person was like speaking with an uncaring robot. They all read from a book - "I understand your concern, but ......" No one was ever willing to take ownership of the problem and resolve it. They wanted my wife to drive to Ashville (how?), pick up the vehicle, and pretend none of this had happened. We asked for a manager at Audi customer assistance and got Brad Hollister. He could not have been less interested. We offered to take a loaner, to give them more time to find the actual cause of the problem, and told them we would take the car back if they could identify the root cause. We offered to trade this Q7 for a similar vehicle (similar equipment and mileage) as long as we could see the service records and feel sure it was not a lemon like this one. The answer was simply NO. We made 3 attempts to contact the owner of the Charlotte dealership, Gary McHugh, (704-535-8800) to discuss this. Though I left detailed messages, and we own another Audi (A6), he never returned my calls. The new service manager in Charlotte, David Gaye (704-535-8800), would not take ownership of the problem. In a nutshell, I am shocked and disgusted at how Audi has treated me, and particularly my wife, who has shed a fair number of tears out of frustration over this entire debacle. And there is more....
Absent any movement on our offers to continue to work with Audi, we called Audi Finance, spoke to Josh, (503-615-7000) and told him we were not picking up this LEMON of a vehicle, would not continue to make payments, and reviewed the entire history with him. He suggested we call the dealer and ask them not to categorize it as a "voluntary surrender" (a category, I am told, for someone who turns a car in because they can't make payments). We gave Josh the reference number (#8025186).
Next, we called Larry Robinson at the Audi dealership in Asheville, which had the car, and told him we would not be coming to get the vehicle. We asked him to be sure not to categorize it as a voluntary surrender. He understood our concern, and apologized. I asked him to mail me the license plate and contents of the glove box, which he did. Larry is the other bright spot in this picture, while he couldn't fix the problem he was very apologetic and seemed genuinely concerned with the way we were being treated.
We continued to receive invoices from Audi finance. We again spoke with Josh at Audi finance and he suggested we speak with Audi of America.
More calls to Audi of America. Multiple calls to Annette Johnson (248-754-3529) and others. With Annette, we explained the entire story, and she had read the notes in the file. We stressed that this summer we had proposed what we believed were reasonable solutions (drive loaner until they could identify root cause, trade for similar used vehicle), but that Audi was unwilling to consider any of these. Annette was going to call my wife back after reviewing options. They played phone tag a couple times, and Annette never responded to my wife's last two calls.
On November 5, 2008, we received, via certified mail, a letter from VW credit saying we owe them $50,756.61 and if we don't pay they will auction the car and we will own the difference. My wife burst into tears and I burst into laughter - what a joke.
I will admit that after this incredible hassle, I now derive a bit of perverse pleasure from telling any of our friends who ask about the Q7 our story. I don't drag them through the whole thing, just enough to get to the point where I feel confident they will never buy an Audi product.
It looks like this lemon will get auctioned as Audi refused to admit there is a problem with this vehicle. I feel very bad for the person who ends up with the SUV. In the meantime, I will continue to do battle with VW finance, and disparage Audi at every opportunity. If you are reading this board as part of considering the purchase of an Audi, I hope my experience will cause you to go elsewhere.
11-24-2008, 09:39 AM
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Isolated incident....
I understand your dissapointment and anger for buying a $50+K vehicle and having ongoing issues with it. But to post on this board and say to all not to ever buy an Audi is just rediculous. I've owned 36 vehicles (German and Japanese and 1 american) and the last 8 have been Audi's. The reason for that is because they ARE that good. Our 07 Q7's lease is up Oct. 09 and my wife and I cannot even think of another type vehicle we would want instead...I guess we are stuck with another GREAT Audi Q7 that has been 100% problem free for 28K miles. All brands and type vehicles have isolated cases of a lemon..that is why there is a lemon law. I would have gotten a attorny to write a nice but firm letter to the dealer and AOA and if nothing else happens, gone the route of Lemon Law. Sorry to hear of your problem, but next time post away on the Cunsumer Reports board...a place where most auto enthusiasts could care less about what they report.
11-24-2008, 10:16 AM
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Re: Report Away
I honestly can't see why it would be a problem for him to submit such a report. I just bought my first Audi, and it is a wonderful car, i love it, but I used to come to this site to get information about them as well as, to see if people would post problems with the cars.
I switched from Mercedes after owning a S, a CLK and then a CLS because of the amount of problems I had with the CLS in the first two years, and you bet I would go and report it on sites.
So I appreciate the discussion, because I am sure not everyone knows about the Lemon Law, I did not.
I switched from Mercedes after owning a S, a CLK and then a CLS because of the amount of problems I had with the CLS in the first two years, and you bet I would go and report it on sites.
So I appreciate the discussion, because I am sure not everyone knows about the Lemon Law, I did not.
11-24-2008, 10:42 AM
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Very different experience than we had with our buyback
Is the problem that the car is at a different dealer than was originally purchased? It seems this new dealer doesn't have as much incentive to get involved at resolving the problem.
With our buyback it was a very combined effort between the service manager and the Audi District Manager.
Very easy process, the instant I mentioned we weren't happy with taking the car back when they couldn't identify the source of our problem the District Manager called me to setup a time to discuss options. At the meeting we were given choices one of which was to buyback the car and that is what we choose. This is why we continue to buy Audi products because the service we get is phenominal.
Sorry this hasn't been the same experience for you.
With our buyback it was a very combined effort between the service manager and the Audi District Manager.
Very easy process, the instant I mentioned we weren't happy with taking the car back when they couldn't identify the source of our problem the District Manager called me to setup a time to discuss options. At the meeting we were given choices one of which was to buyback the car and that is what we choose. This is why we continue to buy Audi products because the service we get is phenominal.
Sorry this hasn't been the same experience for you.
11-24-2008, 10:50 AM
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True, I understand and appreciate free speech, but
the closing statement of "if your are reading this...I hope my experience...never buy an Audi etc.." just dosen't belong on the site. Sure the feedback is fine, but telling people to go elsewhere or avoid a certain brand is wrong. Let people read and decide on there own.
11-24-2008, 11:34 AM
#6
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3 things you can do. ONE, is to contact me for sources @ AoA for Area 79
...I can get you in touch with who you need to talk to on the ground with Audi of America that deal directly with Audi Charlotte, and Deal.
2nd. Threaten to stand across the street outside their dealership with a poster and basically picket their dealership with factually-based information regarding your incident....no opinions, just facts. I GUARANTEE you'll get action.
3rd. Next time, buy from Flow in Winston. (no, I don't work for them)
2nd. Threaten to stand across the street outside their dealership with a poster and basically picket their dealership with factually-based information regarding your incident....no opinions, just facts. I GUARANTEE you'll get action.
3rd. Next time, buy from Flow in Winston. (no, I don't work for them)
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11-24-2008, 12:11 PM
#8
AudiWorld Super User
The biggest shame of all....
is that you didnt join AW earlier.
You are not the only person to have been frustrated by a lack of knowlege on the part of the maufacturer or their agents.
That is why the internet has been so good. On several occasions we have despatched users with part numbers or suggestions to offer Audi. I think the overall input has been well received. Some of our posts have made it back to Audi AG and they have acted to improve and eliminate those faults.
Some of us have been keeping an eye on problems with Q7s and would have chipped in at a moments notice all along.
There was a problem back then with both faulty ignition switches and battery managers. I am sure we could have dug the part number required.
The most likely being part number 4LO-910-181 Battery manager.
Below is a list of all electrical faults reported here since Launch. As you can see they boil down to just a few problems. (Taken from 396 cars)
Parking sensors replaced Mar 08, 1 Failed again Apr 08
Advance Key
Advanced key battery Oct-08
Advanced park assist failure Jul-08
AMI burning out iPod battery
AMI left channel failure Jun-08
Audio cut out one channel(Torrential rain) 9-Mar-08
Back up camera failed Aug-08
Back up camera failed Feb-08
Bluetooth fail after MMI update
Clock date 31st June
<a href="https://forums.audiworld.com/q7/msgs/17957.phtml">Dead Battery</a>
Dead battery
<a href="https://forums.audiworld.com/q7/threads/3359.phtml#20916">Dead battery SW</a>
dead battery twice from new
<a href="https://forums.audiworld.com/q7/msgs/22454.phtml">Dead Battery x2</a> (note mksap11's reply)
Dead Battery x2 <links to originator of same thread 2 up)
Dead Battery x2, Remote key battery Aug-08
EPC Light one hour fix
Dead Battery X3 (refers to this case)
Front parking sensor random activation, Air suspension bootup
Ignition switch
key fob
MIL light jun-08
MMI fail (14-jun-08 24000m)
MMI fail (fiber optic)
MMI fail (fiber optic)
MMI fail (fiber optic) Aug 08
MMI fail (fiber optic) Bluetooth fail after MMI update
MMI fail (satellite radio reciever) June 08
MMI failure after service Jul-07
Optic break fault Apr 08
Parking sensors
PDC sensors, MMI after service
radio cut out Sep 07, AMI
Radio full blast Feb 08
Radio sound cut out sep 08
Rear sunroof motor replaced at 16000 service
Remote key (Battery low on delivery)
Remote key (battery low on delivery) Homelink range failure
Remote key antenna failure
Remote key failure Oct 08
Remote key failure, Radio full blast Oct 08
Remote key range
Remote Key range, Dead battery Jun-08
Remote key range, other antenna remote key May-08, Fiber optic wire Aug-08
Remote locking antenna failure rear passenger door
Side assist module 13m
Side assist Module failure
sound cut out Sep 07(Nav. Recurred Nov 07) Fix earth cable MMI
Start fail Nov 08
Stepper motor TSB (caused other problems)
Stepper motors clicking
Stepper motors noise, Remote key antenna
Telephone Module Aug-08, Remote key (battery Oct 08)
TPMS
Vent stepper motor alll replaced
Vent stepper motor failure, Again at 10m
Water damage through cowls Jun-08
There are probably a few more but if there was no further posts its hard to include them.
Now that you have joined your car has been added to the database (you may have noticed that above).
Seriously I think you should just let them replace the part and get on with enjoying this wonderful car. You are not acting in your own best interest and you are letting this understanably frustrating little problem make you see red.
Sorry I couldnt do more, honestly.
You are not the only person to have been frustrated by a lack of knowlege on the part of the maufacturer or their agents.
That is why the internet has been so good. On several occasions we have despatched users with part numbers or suggestions to offer Audi. I think the overall input has been well received. Some of our posts have made it back to Audi AG and they have acted to improve and eliminate those faults.
Some of us have been keeping an eye on problems with Q7s and would have chipped in at a moments notice all along.
There was a problem back then with both faulty ignition switches and battery managers. I am sure we could have dug the part number required.
The most likely being part number 4LO-910-181 Battery manager.
Below is a list of all electrical faults reported here since Launch. As you can see they boil down to just a few problems. (Taken from 396 cars)
Parking sensors replaced Mar 08, 1 Failed again Apr 08
Advance Key
Advanced key battery Oct-08
Advanced park assist failure Jul-08
AMI burning out iPod battery
AMI left channel failure Jun-08
Audio cut out one channel(Torrential rain) 9-Mar-08
Back up camera failed Aug-08
Back up camera failed Feb-08
Bluetooth fail after MMI update
Clock date 31st June
<a href="https://forums.audiworld.com/q7/msgs/17957.phtml">Dead Battery</a>
Dead battery
<a href="https://forums.audiworld.com/q7/threads/3359.phtml#20916">Dead battery SW</a>
dead battery twice from new
<a href="https://forums.audiworld.com/q7/msgs/22454.phtml">Dead Battery x2</a> (note mksap11's reply)
Dead Battery x2 <links to originator of same thread 2 up)
Dead Battery x2, Remote key battery Aug-08
EPC Light one hour fix
Dead Battery X3 (refers to this case)
Front parking sensor random activation, Air suspension bootup
Ignition switch
key fob
MIL light jun-08
MMI fail (14-jun-08 24000m)
MMI fail (fiber optic)
MMI fail (fiber optic)
MMI fail (fiber optic) Aug 08
MMI fail (fiber optic) Bluetooth fail after MMI update
MMI fail (satellite radio reciever) June 08
MMI failure after service Jul-07
Optic break fault Apr 08
Parking sensors
PDC sensors, MMI after service
radio cut out Sep 07, AMI
Radio full blast Feb 08
Radio sound cut out sep 08
Rear sunroof motor replaced at 16000 service
Remote key (Battery low on delivery)
Remote key (battery low on delivery) Homelink range failure
Remote key antenna failure
Remote key failure Oct 08
Remote key failure, Radio full blast Oct 08
Remote key range
Remote Key range, Dead battery Jun-08
Remote key range, other antenna remote key May-08, Fiber optic wire Aug-08
Remote locking antenna failure rear passenger door
Side assist module 13m
Side assist Module failure
sound cut out Sep 07(Nav. Recurred Nov 07) Fix earth cable MMI
Start fail Nov 08
Stepper motor TSB (caused other problems)
Stepper motors clicking
Stepper motors noise, Remote key antenna
Telephone Module Aug-08, Remote key (battery Oct 08)
TPMS
Vent stepper motor alll replaced
Vent stepper motor failure, Again at 10m
Water damage through cowls Jun-08
There are probably a few more but if there was no further posts its hard to include them.
Now that you have joined your car has been added to the database (you may have noticed that above).
Seriously I think you should just let them replace the part and get on with enjoying this wonderful car. You are not acting in your own best interest and you are letting this understanably frustrating little problem make you see red.
Sorry I couldnt do more, honestly.
11-24-2008, 03:20 PM
#9
Confused
I feel sorry for the problems that you've had but you have to realize there is a process for this associated with lemon law. The solution isn't to just leave the car at the dealer and stop paying for it. You have a contract and until something legal happens to nullify/break that contract you have an obligation for the loan.
If it were me, I would:
a) check my legal rights and see if this is classed as a lemon in your state
b) get the car back as soon as possible to avoid taking a financial hit with them selling it
c) take some basic legal advice to confirm that your car is a lemon
d) get a letter from the lawyer contacted in part (c) and send it to Audi of America stating that you intend to pursue this car as a lemon law case.
I think once you have that legal part then the buyback may proceed fairly quickly.
John.
If it were me, I would:
a) check my legal rights and see if this is classed as a lemon in your state
b) get the car back as soon as possible to avoid taking a financial hit with them selling it
c) take some basic legal advice to confirm that your car is a lemon
d) get a letter from the lawyer contacted in part (c) and send it to Audi of America stating that you intend to pursue this car as a lemon law case.
I think once you have that legal part then the buyback may proceed fairly quickly.
John.
11-25-2008, 04:00 AM
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Re: My Q7 Nightmare
Thanks for all the thoughtful feedback. I think everyone makes good points and I like to see the different perspectives. A couple of follow on thoughts:
(i) I understand that no-one is ever perfect. As long as humans are involved, mistakes will happen and lemons will be produced. I was just unlucky to get one. My frustration evolves from the systemic service problems with Audi Dealer (Charlotte), Audi Customer Care, Audi Finance, and VW Finance. My experience has been terrible and leads to believe (strongly) that there are systemic problems with Audi service and support.
(ii) I posted as a heads up for others. I do homework prior to purchase, and like to know of problems. Unfortunately, my homework wasn't very thorough in this case.
(iii) It is less about money and more about the safety of my family. I didn't want the car back, because I don't want my wife to have to worry about whether it will start every time she turns the key or presses the start button. More importantly, I don't want her (and kids) getting stranded in a remote location when I am not there (which happened) or in a bad part of town (which didn't happen - thankfully).
(iv) I will follow up with those who have offered to help - any help to get this resolved would be greatly appreciated.
(v) I have heard great things about Flow. It is 1.5 hours from here but if my wounds heal with time (despite my experience I still believe in the product, but not the service) and I decide to wade back into Audi waters I would definately go that route. You see a fair number of them in Charlotte and it is for a reason. I was being lazy not going that route in the first place.
Thanks again to everyone for sharing their thoughts.
(i) I understand that no-one is ever perfect. As long as humans are involved, mistakes will happen and lemons will be produced. I was just unlucky to get one. My frustration evolves from the systemic service problems with Audi Dealer (Charlotte), Audi Customer Care, Audi Finance, and VW Finance. My experience has been terrible and leads to believe (strongly) that there are systemic problems with Audi service and support.
(ii) I posted as a heads up for others. I do homework prior to purchase, and like to know of problems. Unfortunately, my homework wasn't very thorough in this case.
(iii) It is less about money and more about the safety of my family. I didn't want the car back, because I don't want my wife to have to worry about whether it will start every time she turns the key or presses the start button. More importantly, I don't want her (and kids) getting stranded in a remote location when I am not there (which happened) or in a bad part of town (which didn't happen - thankfully).
(iv) I will follow up with those who have offered to help - any help to get this resolved would be greatly appreciated.
(v) I have heard great things about Flow. It is 1.5 hours from here but if my wounds heal with time (despite my experience I still believe in the product, but not the service) and I decide to wade back into Audi waters I would definately go that route. You see a fair number of them in Charlotte and it is for a reason. I was being lazy not going that route in the first place.
Thanks again to everyone for sharing their thoughts.