Kudos to Audi
08-09-2010, 10:19 PM
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Kudos to Audi
So I am having my car in for a service this week and I called to see exactly what needs to be done. In addition to the routine maint. the service advisor booked my car to do the DRC shock replacement and ignition coil recall - all without me even mentioning it. At his suggestion, they will replace the plugs while doing the coils, saving my money in the process. I didn't have to ask, whine, beg, or grovel they just took care of the issue - that was really really nice. Just the reason I bought this kind of car, service beyond what the letter of the warranty says. It's about meeting expectations. A part that has gone wrong many times for other customers is now getting replaced not because they "have to" but because it is below expectations and that hurts customer satisfaction. Way to go. This is why I did not buy a Porsche. Lack of true care for the customer.(A long story but essentially they have some number of cars with cylinder wall failures at relatively low milages that they simply refuse to take any responsibillity for. Google "Hartech" if you're interested) I am glad to see Audi still cares for their customers and the product they make. Way to go.
09-02-2010, 05:07 PM
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I wouldn't give them that much credit. Perhaps they were worried about a class action lawsuit and took a cue from Toyota's recent misfortunes. Considering that this car was way overpriced (at least in Canada) to begin with, then that's the least they could do. Isn't it incumbent on any car company to put something right that is defective and potentially unsafe?
Anyway, I was one of the original RS4 members on this forum and I still have my 2007 Daytona RS4. I see that Reggie and Elevens are still here. I've been away for awhile.
A few weeks ago I got in touch with Southgate Audi regarding the shock replacement campaign. They said they would have to order in the parts first and would then get back to me to arrange an appointment. They did so, and we set up an appointment for today. A courtesy car was included in the recall campaign (can't fault that). So I dropped off my car yesterday and went home in the A4 rental. Later today I called to see if my car was ready and it was not. They hadn't touched it (except to wash it). Apparently a couple of the DRC "hoses" were cracked and they felt that they should be replaced at the same time, but they didn't have any in stock! None in Canada, in fact. So they have to order them from the States (4-5 days at least). Then I was told that the recall campaign would not cover the cost of the loaner car for that many days if the car was still drivable, so I would have to reclaim my car and wait for the parts to come in. Then book another friggen appointment. There is only one Audi dealership in Edmonton and it is way the other side of town and a nightmare to get to.
Last Audi I'll ever buy. Low mileage. Stored winters. Could be for sale. Any takers?
Anyway, I was one of the original RS4 members on this forum and I still have my 2007 Daytona RS4. I see that Reggie and Elevens are still here. I've been away for awhile.
A few weeks ago I got in touch with Southgate Audi regarding the shock replacement campaign. They said they would have to order in the parts first and would then get back to me to arrange an appointment. They did so, and we set up an appointment for today. A courtesy car was included in the recall campaign (can't fault that). So I dropped off my car yesterday and went home in the A4 rental. Later today I called to see if my car was ready and it was not. They hadn't touched it (except to wash it). Apparently a couple of the DRC "hoses" were cracked and they felt that they should be replaced at the same time, but they didn't have any in stock! None in Canada, in fact. So they have to order them from the States (4-5 days at least). Then I was told that the recall campaign would not cover the cost of the loaner car for that many days if the car was still drivable, so I would have to reclaim my car and wait for the parts to come in. Then book another friggen appointment. There is only one Audi dealership in Edmonton and it is way the other side of town and a nightmare to get to.
Last Audi I'll ever buy. Low mileage. Stored winters. Could be for sale. Any takers?
09-02-2010, 05:36 PM
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Not finished yet with my rant. Of course you don't have to whine or beg, Kringle (or should we call you Santa?). If there is a recall campaign (especially if it concerns the safety of a vehicle), then they are obligated to make you aware of it or they may be liable.
In fact, for some recall items, you may be asked to sign a waiver if you choose not to have it put right.
Oh, and by the way: if someone has a catastrophic cylinder wall failure in their Porsche while it's still under warranty, then I can not imagine that they would not fix it. Unless, of course, you've modified it (stupidly) so as to void the warranty. Too many idiots with too much money.
I paid cash for my RS4 and I have no pension coming.
In fact, for some recall items, you may be asked to sign a waiver if you choose not to have it put right.
Oh, and by the way: if someone has a catastrophic cylinder wall failure in their Porsche while it's still under warranty, then I can not imagine that they would not fix it. Unless, of course, you've modified it (stupidly) so as to void the warranty. Too many idiots with too much money.
I paid cash for my RS4 and I have no pension coming.
Last edited by brakedust; 09-02-2010 at 05:47 PM.
09-02-2010, 05:47 PM
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this is not a recall
it is not a safety issue (no government agenies involved)
it is not mandatory
they can't make you sign anything
a suit for something not covered by warranty, most shocks are excluded after 10k miles or so, (read the warranty book exclusions)...especially no class action...
each owner would have to make his own action, and only those that failed, a very small percentage...Audi is replacing ALL, failed or not...
damned if they do, damned if they don't
it is not a safety issue (no government agenies involved)
it is not mandatory
they can't make you sign anything
a suit for something not covered by warranty, most shocks are excluded after 10k miles or so, (read the warranty book exclusions)...especially no class action...
each owner would have to make his own action, and only those that failed, a very small percentage...Audi is replacing ALL, failed or not...
damned if they do, damned if they don't
09-02-2010, 05:50 PM
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Audi has no control over your financial decisions
they can't make you sign anything...how could they?
refuse to return your car? your presonal property?
hold you against your will until signed?
that's crazy talk
Porsche is not fixing rear main seals, a known and documentated issue, they are doing band-aid fixes to get thru warranty with some cars...
they can't make you sign anything...how could they?
refuse to return your car? your presonal property?
hold you against your will until signed?
that's crazy talk
Porsche is not fixing rear main seals, a known and documentated issue, they are doing band-aid fixes to get thru warranty with some cars...
Not finished yet with my rant. Of course you don't have to whine or beg, Kringle (or should we call you Santa?). If there is a recall campaign (especially if it concerns the safety of a vehicle), then they are obligated to make you aware of it or they may be liable.
In fact, for some recall items, you may be asked to sign a waiver if you choose not to have it put right.
Oh, and by the way: if someone has a catastrophic cylinder wall failure in their Porsche while it's still under warranty, then I can not imagine that they would not fix it. Unless, of course, you've modified it (stupidly) so as to void the warranty. Too many idiots with too much money.
I paid cash for my RS4 and I have no pension coming.
In fact, for some recall items, you may be asked to sign a waiver if you choose not to have it put right.
Oh, and by the way: if someone has a catastrophic cylinder wall failure in their Porsche while it's still under warranty, then I can not imagine that they would not fix it. Unless, of course, you've modified it (stupidly) so as to void the warranty. Too many idiots with too much money.
I paid cash for my RS4 and I have no pension coming.
09-02-2010, 08:06 PM
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Oh come on Arthur, I realize that these are not technically recalls (it's a "campaign"). But perhaps they would become recalls if someone were to successfully sue Audi because they claimed that their accident was due to a DRC failure or an engine that quit suddenly on the freeway due to ignition coil failure. Regarding the waiver business, I was using that as an example of what can occur in the event of an actual recall. If you refuse to have a safety recall item fixed, they may ask you to sign a waiver to release them from liability. Of course they can't refuse to return your car!
And what's with this gibberish about: can't make you sign anything, refuse to return your car, hold you against your will until signed. Now that's either crazy talk or a very poorly formulated response to my rant. Perhaps you didn't read my post properly.
I was trying to make a point, in response to Kringle's giddy praise for his Audi dealership, that not all of us have had such a wholly satisfying experience. Just because this is a forum for Audi enthusiasts, doesn't demand that we all respond to Kringle's anecdote with much clapping of hands. Sorry to have offended you, but I suspect that you are biased against Porsche. I have had three BMW's, three Porsches and two Audis (RS4 currently). I really don't think that Audi cares any more about our individual well being than BMW or Porsche. They are all motivated by profit.
In view of these not insignificant problems experienced and complained about by many RS4 owners on the boards, perhaps Audi finally realized that they should "do right" by them or they would lose customers or risk liability.
I like driving my RS4. It's fully paid for, with hard earned money (no perks or pension to look forward to), so I'm entitled to share my opinion on this open forum. Too bad if you don't like it.
And what's with this gibberish about: can't make you sign anything, refuse to return your car, hold you against your will until signed. Now that's either crazy talk or a very poorly formulated response to my rant. Perhaps you didn't read my post properly.
I was trying to make a point, in response to Kringle's giddy praise for his Audi dealership, that not all of us have had such a wholly satisfying experience. Just because this is a forum for Audi enthusiasts, doesn't demand that we all respond to Kringle's anecdote with much clapping of hands. Sorry to have offended you, but I suspect that you are biased against Porsche. I have had three BMW's, three Porsches and two Audis (RS4 currently). I really don't think that Audi cares any more about our individual well being than BMW or Porsche. They are all motivated by profit.
In view of these not insignificant problems experienced and complained about by many RS4 owners on the boards, perhaps Audi finally realized that they should "do right" by them or they would lose customers or risk liability.
I like driving my RS4. It's fully paid for, with hard earned money (no perks or pension to look forward to), so I'm entitled to share my opinion on this open forum. Too bad if you don't like it.
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09-03-2010, 06:30 AM
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It's a mechanical object, things need to be fixed/replaced sometimes.... What exactly did you expect? There are recalls/campaigns in BMW, Porsche, Merc, even Toyota! Im not sure exactly what you are complaining about. They didn't have DRC parts in stock? Considering DRC systems are in less than 5% of of all production Audi's thats not very suprising. I was actually suprised that the parts were in at my stealership. Eh ....
09-03-2010, 10:31 AM
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People tend to blame problems with their Audi DEALER on Audi the company. This is probably not wrong - I wish car companies would take more responsibility for dealer issues - but I also don't think it is completely fair to Audi. I will admit that one of the reasons I have remained a big Audi fan is that my dealership service department is fantastic.
DRC issues are real; obviously they are replacing the shocks. But the problem has been greatly compounded by dealerships that do not know how to properly set up the suspension and end up making things worse. In the real world, Audi has little control over this.
We have a local dealer that is BMW and Mercedes. (Audi is an hour out of town). The Merc service side is much better than BMW, despite same dealership. I am on my second Mercedes. I have never owned a BMW... but it has nothing to do with BMW cars.
DRC issues are real; obviously they are replacing the shocks. But the problem has been greatly compounded by dealerships that do not know how to properly set up the suspension and end up making things worse. In the real world, Audi has little control over this.
We have a local dealer that is BMW and Mercedes. (Audi is an hour out of town). The Merc service side is much better than BMW, despite same dealership. I am on my second Mercedes. I have never owned a BMW... but it has nothing to do with BMW cars.
09-03-2010, 06:12 PM
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words mean something: a recall and a voluntary service action are not the same
IF someone sucessfully sued Audi over this...good luck on that one
in the land of litigation it has not happened yet...
they never ask you to sign any waivers: only a fool would, and only a fool would sign without legal counsel...it is you who 'rant' with fiction and hyperbole...
if you are expecting some corp. entity to care about your 'well being' you must be delusional...brothers kill brothers and you want a profit driven entity to 'care' about you? lol
profit: kind of the whole reason for being in business... is it not?
it's up to Audi to instill confidence in their customers, or business will falter, so far that has not been the case...
quality, customer service, and good social responsibilty are NOT mutually exclusive to generating profit...
but bear in mind, you can't make everyone happy all the time...
and just because you're complaining doesn't mean your Audi service was bad, perhaps you have unrealistic expectations?
whose money isn't 'hard earned'?
and you paid 'cash', lol, does that somehow make your experience more valuable than soemone who took a loan?
you know someone giving $$$ away?
wtf does 'no pension or perks' even mean?
most folks don't have pensions today, they save their own money for their future
it's called 'personal responsibility', but since you would even imagine a corp. 'caring' about you, I would not expect you to know what that means...
opinions = @$$holes...everybody has one, and they all stink
that doesn't mean you should bare your @ss though...
I have no feelings about your 'opinion', just like Audi, et al, I don't give a rats *** about what you 'feel' or 'think', and I'm sure the feeling is mutual
IF someone sucessfully sued Audi over this...good luck on that one
in the land of litigation it has not happened yet...
they never ask you to sign any waivers: only a fool would, and only a fool would sign without legal counsel...it is you who 'rant' with fiction and hyperbole...
if you are expecting some corp. entity to care about your 'well being' you must be delusional...brothers kill brothers and you want a profit driven entity to 'care' about you? lol
profit: kind of the whole reason for being in business... is it not?
it's up to Audi to instill confidence in their customers, or business will falter, so far that has not been the case...
quality, customer service, and good social responsibilty are NOT mutually exclusive to generating profit...
but bear in mind, you can't make everyone happy all the time...
and just because you're complaining doesn't mean your Audi service was bad, perhaps you have unrealistic expectations?
whose money isn't 'hard earned'?
and you paid 'cash', lol, does that somehow make your experience more valuable than soemone who took a loan?
you know someone giving $$$ away?
wtf does 'no pension or perks' even mean?
most folks don't have pensions today, they save their own money for their future
it's called 'personal responsibility', but since you would even imagine a corp. 'caring' about you, I would not expect you to know what that means...
opinions = @$$holes...everybody has one, and they all stink
that doesn't mean you should bare your @ss though...
I have no feelings about your 'opinion', just like Audi, et al, I don't give a rats *** about what you 'feel' or 'think', and I'm sure the feeling is mutual
Oh come on Arthur, I realize that these are not technically recalls (it's a "campaign"). But perhaps they would become recalls if someone were to successfully sue Audi because they claimed that their accident was due to a DRC failure or an engine that quit suddenly on the freeway due to ignition coil failure. Regarding the waiver business, I was using that as an example of what can occur in the event of an actual recall. If you refuse to have a safety recall item fixed, they may ask you to sign a waiver to release them from liability. Of course they can't refuse to return your car!
And what's with this gibberish about: can't make you sign anything, refuse to return your car, hold you against your will until signed. Now that's either crazy talk or a very poorly formulated response to my rant. Perhaps you didn't read my post properly.
I was trying to make a point, in response to Kringle's giddy praise for his Audi dealership, that not all of us have had such a wholly satisfying experience. Just because this is a forum for Audi enthusiasts, doesn't demand that we all respond to Kringle's anecdote with much clapping of hands. Sorry to have offended you, but I suspect that you are biased against Porsche. I have had three BMW's, three Porsches and two Audis (RS4 currently). I really don't think that Audi cares any more about our individual well being than BMW or Porsche. They are all motivated by profit.
In view of these not insignificant problems experienced and complained about by many RS4 owners on the boards, perhaps Audi finally realized that they should "do right" by them or they would lose customers or risk liability.
I like driving my RS4. It's fully paid for, with hard earned money (no perks or pension to look forward to), so I'm entitled to share my opinion on this open forum. Too bad if you don't like it.
And what's with this gibberish about: can't make you sign anything, refuse to return your car, hold you against your will until signed. Now that's either crazy talk or a very poorly formulated response to my rant. Perhaps you didn't read my post properly.
I was trying to make a point, in response to Kringle's giddy praise for his Audi dealership, that not all of us have had such a wholly satisfying experience. Just because this is a forum for Audi enthusiasts, doesn't demand that we all respond to Kringle's anecdote with much clapping of hands. Sorry to have offended you, but I suspect that you are biased against Porsche. I have had three BMW's, three Porsches and two Audis (RS4 currently). I really don't think that Audi cares any more about our individual well being than BMW or Porsche. They are all motivated by profit.
In view of these not insignificant problems experienced and complained about by many RS4 owners on the boards, perhaps Audi finally realized that they should "do right" by them or they would lose customers or risk liability.
I like driving my RS4. It's fully paid for, with hard earned money (no perks or pension to look forward to), so I'm entitled to share my opinion on this open forum. Too bad if you don't like it.
Last edited by ArthurPE; 09-03-2010 at 06:15 PM.