Frodo Posted February 28, 2008 Report Share Posted February 28, 2008 Morning guys, My A3 SBQ 2.0TDi is in for its third AVS (~50K miles). I have been experiencing clutch slip recently and this has been confirmed as a worn clutch. However, since the day I bought the car I have complained of a high biting point. On the first AVS I ask them to look at the clutch as it didn't seem right. They noted a high bite point but took no further notice. Last year it seemed worse and I ask for an ad-hoc service to have it checked. But they just drove it and said they couldn't find anything wrong and would have to strip it down to check, of course if they found nothing they would charge me for the work. Now the clutch has been assessed as needing replacement and a nice price tag of £1,200 so I am not happy, car is just over 2 years olds and due for replacement in December. So I want to complain to Audi UK anyone got any advice, experiences? Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hopsta Posted February 28, 2008 Report Share Posted February 28, 2008 1200 is cheap compared to the 1800 a mate has just paid for his TT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidicks Posted February 28, 2008 Report Share Posted February 28, 2008 I have some sympathy, but isn't the mileage (50k+) more relevant than the fact the car is only 2 years old? Have you had the car from new, or could it have been abused by a previous owner? How long should a clutch last? Sidicks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidicks Posted February 28, 2008 Report Share Posted February 28, 2008 Obviously I wish you the best of luck with your claim - hopefully Audi will at least make some sort of goodwill gesture.. Sidicks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frodo Posted February 28, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 28, 2008 Car was from new and driven by me. Found some service notes after just six months which state clutch point is high and may require further investigation. My feeling is the high clutch bite point has caused the additional wear because the clutch may not have engaged correctly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgl Posted February 28, 2008 Report Share Posted February 28, 2008 If the car is only 2 years old, why isn't this covered by the warranty? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidicks Posted February 28, 2008 Report Share Posted February 28, 2008 [ QUOTE ] If the car is only 2 years old, why isn't this covered by the warranty? [/ QUOTE ] I guess clutch is a wear and tear item and thus not covered by warranty, but hopefully given the above, Audi will step in with a decent goodwill gesture. Sidicks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Posted February 28, 2008 Report Share Posted February 28, 2008 [ QUOTE ] 1200 is cheap compared to the 1800 a mate has just paid for his TT [/ QUOTE ] Having had a clutch done in my S3, one of the more difficult ones because of the space/Quattro, i know it can be done for under half of the £1200 quid quote, let alone the £1800 one. APS did mine, and did a cracking job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frodo Posted February 29, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 29, 2008 Spoken with Audi UK and to be honest not impressed, possibly the worst customer service company I have ever dealt with. Possible on a par with Carpetright! Realistically I expect to pay for some of this work, but I want them to recognise my complaints I have raised about the clutch biting point since day one. The problem was written on two service dockets that I have copies of in my file. My complaint is that with a high biting point it is possible that the clutch wasn't engaging fully and this lead to premature wearing. The problem with customer service is they aren't currently listening to what I am saying. They are not acknowledging that a high bite point would lead to additional wear and tear. If I let the service department go ahead with the strip down it is highly likely the clutch will show wear and tear. I very nearly lost it in the showroom whilst on the phone to Customer Service when the assistant told me "...he couldn't wave a magic wand..." and when I repeatedly asked to speak to the duty supervisor he replied "...no...". His whole manor was basically "tough". I did finally get to speak with a supervisor and made an official complaint. I will be called on Monday by the regional Customer Service manager so I'll let you now how it goes. Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frodo Posted March 3, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2008 Well after Friday evenings conversation I was not holding out much hope today. The promised morning call did not materialise. I phoned Audi UK at 15:00 and to my surprise they agreed, as a one off gesture of goodwill, to carry out the work and replace the clutch free of charge! I was shocked as I wasn't expecting this, I just wanted them to acknowledge that the high clutch bite point from day one could have led to premature wearing. I was expecting to pay something towards the repair. For Audi to foot the entire bill I am very surprised and obviously extremely happy. I never lost my temper on Friday evening but was very assertive and refused to back down on the point I was trying to make. So I guess the lesson is remain polite but keep pushing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulAr Posted March 3, 2008 Report Share Posted March 3, 2008 Nice one. I had similar clutch slip problem on my Golf, straight after it was remapped. I know the remap does increase the load on the clutch however after much research I coudlnt find a single other Golf (MK5 20T Gti) that had experienced clutch problems as a result of a remap and my car was perculiar in some way. REVO also ran development cars at much more agressive settings without any drama. Anyway after I was assured it was a slipping clutch (car only had 24K miles)I had the gearbox out at a local independant garage who confirmed a completely knackered Dual mass flywheel. It seems that the remap just highlighted the problem and accelerated the impending failure of the DMF. The car was subsequently recovered to VW and the DMF and clutch replaced under warranty. The clutch was replaced as the failed DMF had damaged the clutch plate. It will be interesting to see whether it is in fact the clutch OR the infamous DMF setup which would be warranty anyway ??? For the record, VW would have charged me around £750 for a new clutch. Cheers Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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