Refused warranty claim.

[ralph18]

Hi all newbie here to forum, long time lurker, first time poster.

 

I obtained a 2017 brand new Audi A4 on contract hire during April 2017 The vehicle has covered less than 10,000 miles however the front brake discs have become quite badly scored at around approx 9k miles (please see photographs attached).

I understand that under the Audi standard new car warranty terms and conditions, submissions are not considered for brake discs and/or pads after 6 months / 6,000 miles however given the usage and current age and mileage of the car it would seem as this could be a potential defect with the parts and/or a fitting error and not a general wear and tear issue. Something which I'm very disappointed with and therefore feel this should be taken care of under warranty or under a gesture of goodwill. This is not the quality that I would expect from an Audi.

Having monitored the condition of the brakes, today I've had the vehicle inspected by a local Audi dealer and they have just called me to say that the damage is wear and tear in their opinion and therefore I'd have to cover the cost of replacement myself, to say I'm disappointed with this is an understatement. They didn't really give much more of an explanation other than the technician has said it could be down to number of factors such as environment etc. My point is that the brake components should be manufactured to operate within this parameters, 10,000miles for genuine parts on a brand new vehicle is very very poor to say the least and to say I'm disappointed is an understatement.  Note that they did not state weather they had check the parts for manufacturing defects or fitting problem(for which the parts would be covered under warranty should this be apparent). I presume they simply did a visual inspection?

Not being satisfied with the response, I escalated the issue to the Branch manager, however they did not budge on their position. Customer service overall has been poor.

Having spoken to Audi UK I have been informed that the decision lies with the Audi service centre and the only thing I could do is seek a second opinion from another authorised dealer.

Has anyone had any issues like this in the past? Any suggestions on what to do in this situation? I just think that being expected to replace front brakes on a car just over a year old with 10k miles covered is outrageous. Especially on a marque such as Audi.😡

Feeling very frustrated now. Interesting to note that having checked as far as I'm aware BMW for example does not have any mileage/time restriction on brakes under their new car warranty. 

 

[Magnet]

Hello Ralph,

I share your disappointment with this situation.

To keep this brief (which is not my usual forte!), could I ask -as a matter of interest - how you have generally cleaned the car during your ownership? 

Kind regards,

Gareth. 

[ralph18]

Hi Gareth,

Car is normally washed on a weekly basis.

Kind Regards.

[Magnet]

Thanks Ralph. Sorry I should have asked who washes it and how.

Kind regards,

Gareth.

 

[ralph18]

Pressure washed and done by myself.

[Magnet]

Thanks Ralph,

I had a feeling this car had seen fairly regular pressure washing over its life, and I am guessing with the addition of wheel cleaning fluid,   judging by the corrosion of the disc pad retaining 'springs' as seen clearly in photo 3. 

When you think about the abrasive capabilities of a pressure washer - easily removes ingrained layers of dirt from paving slabs etc - then it's easy to judge its affects on car paintwork and associated components. In my book, these devices mark the early death of paintwork and it would not surprise me that the car will be showing patches of milkiness in the lacquer before the end of your lease. Of course, handing your pride and joy to our lance wealding friends at the £10 car washes is guaranteed to accelerate this problem much faster than the likely additional care you would exercise when doing it yourself. 

Anyway Ralph, back to your scored and pitted brake discs as assessed from your photos:- My opinion (and of course it's only one personal opinion) is that Audi would reason (understandably??) their way out of this, and claim your jet washing - and I guess the use of cleaning chemicals - has been a contributory factor here in the early pitting and subsequent scoring of the discs. If it were mine, I would also be concerned about the level of corrosion on the associated brake components. 

Back to DIY pressure washing Ralph. I can work through the logic of it being far easier to run a car down to the local lance boys and hand over £5/£10 for the privilege of having the paintwork wrecked over time - no effort on the driver's part. Now DIY pressure washing entails getting the (bought in) washer out onto the drive, connecting up the electrical supply and a water hose supply to result in the same potential longer term problem. If it were me, simply run the water hose out as you have to anyway, fill your £1 shop bucket with water, add a good wax shampoo and wash it by hand in not much more time. 

Apologies for all the above, and all I can add is to trust you have a favourable outcome with a claim against Audi for using 'faulty components'. Perhaps you could let us know how you get on. 

Kind regards,

Gareth.