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BBC Watchdog: Audi 'lied' about safety testing of vehicles


Andy_Bangle
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http://www.bbc.com/news/business-27392157
 
Audi salesmen have been lying and the company knew and decided to ignore it. I don’t know who is worse – Audi salesmen or Audi drivers (truly, the post-millennial version of the BMW asshat).

Audi ignored the warnings that their salesmen have been lying about the safety rating of their cars.

In one instance, Daniel Jenkins said that Audi dealers told him that his luxury R8 model had been given a five star safety rating by the gold standard Euro NCAP programme. Now, seeing as Daniel’s father was nearly killed in a 45mph crash while driving the car, he looked into it, finding that the model hadn’t even been crash-tested or gone through any Euro NCAP programme.

He got in touch with 50 dealerships about the R8’s safety, and in nearly all cases, was told the same misleading information. 48 out of 50 dealerships, all telling potentially fatal fibs. And Audi’s head office promised to look into it, however, tonight, a BBC Watchdog investigation will show that there’s more failings for other models at dealerships when they were visited by undercover reporters.

A spokesman said:

“Audi UK accepts that this investigation has brought to light a shortfall in its communication procedures where the NCAP safety ratings of its range are concerned. We also acknowledge that we did not adequately address this shortfall when it was brought to our attention by Mr Jenkins, and on both counts we apologise unreservedly.”

Jenkins said:

“I spent a year of my life proving they were misrepresenting [the cars] in the showroom. For me to notify them and them not to action anything but say they are taking it extremely seriously, that is extremely negligent. That is what annoys me the most.”

 

 

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Two thoughts spring to mind...

 

Audi's actions are shocking, in terms of both their sales staff and Audi UK not stopping them

 

The BBC are a bunch of pathetic wimps for putting 'lied' in quote marks.  Either be sure of your story and openly say Audi were lying, or don't.  Don't try and have the best of both world and cover your arses by hiding behind some quote marks.

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Two thoughts spring to mind...

 

Audi's actions are shocking, in terms of both their sales staff and Audi UK not stopping them

 

The BBC are a bunch of pathetic wimps for putting 'lied' in quote marks.  Either be sure of your story and openly say Audi were lying, or don't.  Don't try and have the best of both world and cover your arses by hiding behind some quote marks.

 

 

I'm with the second option, seems a bit of a slow news day story as car dealers always twist the truth. Always have done, always will.

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Maybe the dealers intentionally lied, maybe they didn't - many sales staff know little of the technicalities, so could well have extrapolated other results to mean that he R8 must also be 5*.

 

However... does anyone really buy a supercar on the basis it has the same NCAP rating as a Renault Megane?

 

I have never looked at NCAP ratings when buying cars - and my driving career is generally full of stuff that would fail miserably if tested. (I've had 2 Fiat Cinquecentos, and we've all seen what happens to them in NCAP testing...)

 

I'd suggest someone is after 'compo' here...

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However... does anyone really buy a supercar on the basis it has the same NCAP rating as a Renault Megane?

 

I'd suggest someone is after 'compo' here...

 

Exactly, he purchased the same reason we'd all buy a supercar - because of the way it looks and drives. Well, he actually purchased it because he own a 'high-end car rental business', although it's a bit shocking that:

 

 

Undercover researchers witnessed nine out of 10 dealers from around the country falsely claim the Audi A5 was Euro NCAP safety tested.

But the A5 - as well as the A7, A8 and R8 - are not tested. Audi's UK head office falsely claimed that the entire Audi range was Euro NCAP safety tested.

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If Audi routinely told people that their cars aren't safety tested and the sales staff issued a cheery "good luck, try not to crash" every time they handed over the keys to another boggo A4 diesel then the drivers might not be the tailgating asshats they are!

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This could potentially put me on a very sticky wicket.  I opt out of our company car scheme and take the cash. In doing so, I agree to a number of conditions (I agree to take business insurance, have a car no older than 10 years and it must have ABS - yup *really* strict conditions :rolleyes: ).

 

However it must also have an NCAP4 rating, or higher. 

From what I now understand, the S5 has no NCAP rating. And as sad as it sounds, I asked about it's NCAP rating when I bought it (you can't be too careful....) and was told it was NCAP5 :blink:

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HR: What is the official NCAP rating of your car?

Me: Errrr, it doesn't have one.

HR: Do not drive it on company business, and provide a suitable car immediately, as per your agreement.

Me: It's really a 2 door A4, which has a suitable rating.

HR: What is the official NCAP rating of your car?

Me: Errrr, it doesn't have one.

HR: Do not drive it on company business, and provide a suitable car immediately, as per your agreement.

Me: No seriously, it shares the same platform as the A4.  It's like a 2 door S4. Honestly.

HR: Do not drive it on company business, and provide a suitable car immediately, as per your agreement.

 

<HR hangs up>

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It doesn't matter why this guy is making a fuss. All that matters is that Audi are telling porkies in their sales material. Personally, that kills the prospect of buying an Audi* for a very long time. If they're happy to lie about safety ratings, what else?

Milo has proven why this is a problem, anyway.

*as if, for me to buy one, they'd have to return a call once in a blue moon :coffee:

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In my experience it's far more likely to go:

 

HR: ...............[silence]....................

 

Or in our case,

 

HR: I'm sorry, <insert name> only works Mondays and Thursdays. Mornings. Can I take a message (for her to ignore)?

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As I posted - the A5 is on the A4 platform, so I wouldn't expect results to differ enough to impact the rating.

 

And does anyone NCAP test supercars? I'd actually not expect a car in that class to do particularly well, as NCAP includes all kinds of nonsense a supercar buyer just doesn't care about!

 

(ie. autonomous emergency braking, child protection, pedestrian protection, speed assistance systems, and probably even a seat belt warning light / 'bing')

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