stevebalfe Posted December 4, 2004 Report Share Posted December 4, 2004 Right now im stomping mad no totally pissed off and completely dissatisfied with my Audi. Before this i always owned TT's and had virtual no hassle other than the on board computer pod needing replacing on both cars, common fault and that was it. Pure driving pleasure! But now find myself in deep regret since i bought this A3 3.2. To the point. I purchased my ex demo 3.2 V6 Quattro Sport approx 4 weeks ago. I paid £23,250 and the car was fully loaded as detailed below. However.............. Since buying the car, ive had to have it in the workshop 3 times, and still experiencing problems!!! On delivery the boot panel was full of glass, rattled like a tin of nails, and discovered that the boot liner was badly damaged also, then when diving it found that the steering wheel was lined up properly. So complained, and Smith Knight Fay took the car in, at this time i also mentioned that i could here a rumble sound from the rear of the car and could they look at it. When i picked the car up, they had removed the glass but said that there were some broken rivets that holds the inner arch in place that was causing the rear noise and that the car was perfectly safe to drive until they got them into stock, and would need the car back to replace them. 1 week later the noise is now getting worse and the nearest date they could give me for booking the car i was the 8th December!! I screamed and shouted and frettened them with legal action if they didnt rectify this problem now. As miricles happen, they found a curtersy car for me (TT 3.2 with DSG) and asked if they could keep the car 2 days. I agreed and left it with them. This week, they had the car from Monday to Thrusday morning, as they found other problems with the vehicle that i had also mentioned when giving them the car. These problems included the following: Noise from rear end. Steering wheel out of alignment. Near side head lamp washer kept sticking out. Rumble noise when cornering to the right. Xeon Head lamps pointing very low down. In car phone kit not working. So, this is what they did in 4 days: Replaced the boot liner which was previous damaged. Replace rear shock absorbers as they found them to be faulty! Replace inner rear arch liners as they were broken! Repaired in car kit. They also said they had fixed the rumble noise coming from rear! They didnt!!! They said they had realined the steering wheel! They hadnt! They then added that the two front tyres would need replacing due to my driving style! When i looked at them, the inner walls were completely bald!!! At this point, i flipped my lid and stormed off with the car the the HQ of Smith knight Fay in Hyde which is near me in Manchester. They listened and refered me back to the General Manager from where i bought the car. After explaining to him what had happened and the disgracfull condition of the car he was sympathetic and apologetic too, however i have told him that apologies are not good enough. Question now is this, i have a meeting with the General Manager of the dealership on Monday and want to know how i stand, i want a new car, due to feeling completely unhappy with the one they have sold me? Is this possible? Im going to ask for compensation, is this again within my rights? The bottam line is that according to the 1976 consumer rights act, i can ask for a full refund at the very least with compensation for all and any inconvience. Has anyone got any advice? And has anyone ecer had such trouble with both the car and or the dealer? Thanks for taking the time to read this guys Regards Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevebalfe Posted December 4, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 4, 2004 Oh and i forgot, the problem with the Xenons!? They were broke to and the dealer has had to order in two new head lamp clusters!!! Mad or what!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve2 Posted December 4, 2004 Report Share Posted December 4, 2004 as it is an ex demo which means your the second owner im not sure you can demand abrandnew car? but stick to your guns and good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scooby_simon Posted December 4, 2004 Report Share Posted December 4, 2004 I think the best you can do is reject the car as not fit for purpose. This should get you your money back and something as compensation. I've always found it useful to work out how much time I have spent on the particular problem and explain to the manager that this is how much time you have wasted. Explain this has precluded you from doing productive work etc and so impinged on your free time etc. Say you have spent 10 hours on this, what is your hourly rate ? (or an Audi Mechanic for that matter) You might just end up with your cash back, but if you wanted another car from them, this would give you a good bargaining position. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephV6 Posted December 4, 2004 Report Share Posted December 4, 2004 sorry to hear that! my 3.2 is also an ex demo and fortunately only had one problem: corroding wheels (18'' BBS) 6 months after i got it! I had a real nightmare with my local dealer (Amersham audi not to name them) even audi customer services did not do much. tehy dont have much power as the dealers are franchised and not owned by audi at the end i gave up with them and went to the dealer i bought the car from and they sorted it out in no time at the end of the day i was very disappointed with audi dealers and am not sure i would buy an audi again not because of the cars but because the aftesale is terrible Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DuncS3 Posted December 4, 2004 Report Share Posted December 4, 2004 That sucks - had the car been smashed or was it just a broken rear window do you know? So much for the million point approved audi check - they obviously didnt pick up the fact that the wheel alignment was wrong (off center steering and worn tyres on the inside) Hope you get it sorted whatever the outcome. Dunc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarMad Posted December 4, 2004 Report Share Posted December 4, 2004 Sounds like you have got a bit of a Friday afternoon lemon if you ask me. I would reject is as not fit for purpose and ask for you money back, you might get more but I wouldn't bargin on it. You have given them chance to fix the problems with they have not done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A3dude Posted December 7, 2004 Report Share Posted December 7, 2004 Steve I feel for you, I have had many problems also, 4 attempts to get the steering wheel straight, which means 4 x 4 wheel alignments. Its had 2 rear shocks, 1 x steering rack, 2 lambda probes, ox sensors etc, off the road for a total of 7 days, and still 6 months on the steering clicks when turning the steering wheel, and there is clunking noises coming from the rear of the car whilst driving at low speed. I wrote a letter to Audi UK, they agreed to offer me some compensation, but as usual have heard nothing. Audi technical are looking into these unresolved problems for me. This is my second Audi, and part of the reason i traded my A4 in was due to problems, Audi cars are just not anymore. Apart from this it is a great car and i love it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A3dude Posted December 7, 2004 Report Share Posted December 7, 2004 Audi cars are just not reliable anymore in my personal experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chav Posted December 7, 2004 Report Share Posted December 7, 2004 yes, reject the car and ensure all interest paid on finance (if any) etc is refunded and then you can start again from scratch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephV6 Posted December 7, 2004 Report Share Posted December 7, 2004 yes reject it, get some money off them and.... buy mine I've done all the hard work of the first 10000miles you'll save yourself some money then you can pay a remap, exhaust and some springs!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dangerousbrother Posted December 8, 2004 Report Share Posted December 8, 2004 Hi Steve, Thats shocking - Stick to your guns in whatever you decide to do. Why don't you speak to a solicitor (most give free consultation over the phone)to get a clear legal stance. just a thought.. Good Luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgl Posted December 8, 2004 Report Share Posted December 8, 2004 Hi - Sorry to hear your story.... I bought a second hand A4 Avant in June and had endless problems with it. To cut a very long story short, I clocked up 5k miles in this car and in the end the dealership swapped the car -£1K for an A3 Sportback. I think you need to speak to the right person and they will sort things. Also, when I bought the car - I was offered a 30 day money back, no squabbles. Did you net get offered this? I thought it was a common approved Audi policy. Good luck and stand your ground - You can also get in contact with Audi UK, I found them to be very helpful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevebalfe Posted December 10, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 10, 2004 Well, firstly let me thank you all for your comments and advice. Ive had two meetings with the dealer in question and this is the result of those meetings. First of all, they have agreed to take back the car and replace it with another one of my choice within reason of course! My ex demo was registered in March as an 04 plate and had 10k on the clock (but given back to them with 13.5k on the clock), ive now agreed and chosen the new one im going to be taking delivery of on Monday 13th Dec (another ex demo car) was registered July 04, and thus still on an 04 plate and has 4k on the clock. My new car is not quite as high a spec as the first but does come as follows: Full Grey Leather interior Interior Light Pack Bose 6 Disc sound system 17" 5 star alloys Heated Front seats Front centre arm rest Split rear seats with through loading Full Audi Body kit Blue Tooth In car Kit 12 Months tax Transfer of tracker system Obviously the car has a lower spec than what mine was, but does feature the body kit of which would cost approx £1500 if Audi was to fit it and virtually 10k less on the clock. The other result with this is that they have agreed to pay me compensation of £1000.00 by cheque when i pick the car up on monday. So again, i cant complain about that either. So, all in all, as long as this new car im being given is up to standard, i think that its all turned out ok in the end. The question i ponder now is would i buy another Audi after all these troubles. I guess to be honest the answer is yes, as i love Audi to death, but i will definatly be using a different dealer next time round. So there you go guys, when i have the new car, i will let you know how it is, and should i encounter any hassle what so ever, you will all be the second to know as obviously the first will be the ear drums of the poor person that i blast when throwing the car back at them! BUT lets hope it doesnt come to this and me and the new A3 will live happily ever after, well at least for the next two years before i venture out into the world of the New S3 or if the budget allows, RS3 (god willing) Steve b Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dangerousbrother Posted December 10, 2004 Report Share Posted December 10, 2004 Awesome out come - congrats! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomk Posted December 10, 2004 Report Share Posted December 10, 2004 good outcombe , how did you get the cash out of them too ? ive never managed anything more than £100 for 'my troubles' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevebalfe Posted December 10, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 10, 2004 Thanks mate, yeah, im pleased. Lets just hope the car is fault free eh! Heres to Audi cars and the general manager at audi Stockport for sorting this issue out Oh and Heres to there sales bloke that sold me the first car Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevebalfe Posted December 10, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 10, 2004 In referance to getting the cash. I basically reported my problem the there head office to make sure that they new of what was going on, then in the meetings with the general manager, i presented my case in a calm manner but clearing pointing out that they had completely failed in there part of the agreement to supply a car in a fit condition to me when there was obvious signs that no pre check was or had been carried out. In fareness to the general manager, he saw the dealerships down falls and sincerely apologised and garunteed me that i would be compansated fully for all the inconvience and stress that i had been put through due to there in house systems failing to see and rectify my issues and problems with the car when they had been given two seperate oppotunities of taking the car in for repair and giving it me back, still with problems. Basically, i kicked arse and he knew that he had no other option other than to firstly replace the car and then secondly offer me a cash value of which i demanded £1000.00 that was then agreed immiediatly once i agreed to have the other car. I guess to be honest, i have spent £44k with them this year, and i think he new he would lose my future custom if i wasnt fully satisfied with the outcome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjgreen4 Posted December 11, 2004 Report Share Posted December 11, 2004 did you buy the original car from audi stockport, i did and nearly bought a silver demo 3.2 v6 after thrashing it for a day. Missed the opportunity to buy the demo as someone beat me to it, ended up with a better spec and brandnew in lava grey with bodykit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjgreen4 Posted December 11, 2004 Report Share Posted December 11, 2004 shame about the original car, thought the lads at stockport were very professional and will be looking at getting my S4 in April from there.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevebalfe Posted December 11, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 11, 2004 Yeah, got the original car from those guys, ive bought a TT from them in the past and had no problems then, but this time round it was one huge F*C* up after another. However, like i said, the general manager was really professional and has sorted me out with a good deal in compensation for the troubles ive exerienced this time round. Not sure if i'd use them again though, would depend on who i was dealing with and the deal they offer, i normally use Lancaster Audi for my cars, but i just couldnt resist the ex demo situ and saving nearly £5k on the new car price. I guess at the end of the day, ive now got a 4 month old car with 4k on the clock for £22k with the cash back im recieving, so i cant complain considering the extras the car has too. How much you gonna be paying for the S4? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poox Posted December 12, 2004 Report Share Posted December 12, 2004 all I can say is, I borrowed a 3.2 V6 from an Audi garage for 2 days on demo, it didnt get off the red line me and all the lads from the office gave it a good stomping, lots of clutch destruction, 130/140's, general handbrake abuse.. I would never buy an ex demo sports model Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xspencex Posted December 12, 2004 Report Share Posted December 12, 2004 [ QUOTE ] all I can say is, I borrowed a 3.2 V6 from an Audi garage for 2 days on demo, it didnt get off the red line me and all the lads from the office gave it a good stomping, lots of clutch destruction, 130/140's, general handbrake abuse.. I would never buy an ex demo sports model [/ QUOTE ] Tell all the reg number so we can avoid the audi you destroyed... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poox Posted December 13, 2004 Report Share Posted December 13, 2004 sorry mate, cant remember! id imagine all sports demo models have had this sort of treatment however and I think the general rule is, AVOID DEMO MODELS LIKE THE PLAGUE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevebalfe Posted December 13, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 13, 2004 Yeah i huess your right, but hey, if its still under warrenty, on the whole your normally ok, because ive found that in the past, any issue's with the car are fixed prior to purchase, or soon after purchase. I do agree though that the car i had bought had definatly had a rough life prior to myself buying it. Plus the fad was cool to of I driving everywhere at red line most of the time just because it was fun. I think the moral of my story is this..... If your gonna buy ex demo remember like what Rob said, they'll of been well hamered, tyres screeched and clutch practically bunt out. So when buying one, dont do what i did and fail to check these things out, and never take it for granted that because your buying it from a main dealer that all will be well. Having said that, im off in 20 minutes to go pick up my new one, al shiney and new, well nearly, but hey, after what happened with my previous one, lets hope this time round they dealer has done there job properly and checked, then checked then tripple checked again every nut, bolt, spring ad micro chip that all is well, coz if it aint................Pain, lots of pain, the salesmans intrails will become his extrials, his his extrails will then become food for the crows. So, i think ive made my point with that one haha I'll post my thoughts on the new car tomorrow. Respect!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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