Clutch problems

[Dannyboy16]

Hi all, my girlfriend purchased a brand new Audi A1 1.0l in September 2017, and when I say brand new I mean it had not even been registered with the DVLA yet. After just over a year with no issues my girlfriend noticed the clutch point had started to move, I also noticed this issue when I drove the car.

A short while later the problem escalated with the clutch biting point becoming non existent as in there was no gradual release of clutch, it was either engaged or disengaged. It also became virtually impossible to put the car into gear with the engine running and became very difficult to engage 2nd through 5th when driving. At this time we also noticed some clear fluid pooling in the drivers footwell. We then took the car to our audi dealership who carried out an investigation, in their investigation they found that the clutch biting point was on the floor, they bleed the clutch system and 'found lots of air' in it, they then tested the system after bleeding and found it to be ok. They also inspected the complete system and found all ok.

We were then given the car back with a warning that if the problem persisted the gearbox would need to be removed and fully inspected. Well after less than a year the same set of issues materialized again in the same order as I stated above. We had three separate AA mechanics come and inspect the car, the first declared it driver error without so much as looking at the car. Both the other mechanics however suggested after hearing about the issues and testing the car for themselves that it was most likely an issue with hydraulics/master cylinder. We have taken the car back to the Audi dealership who have point blank stated that it has to be driver error without inspecting the car, they have also said that only an Audi mechanic is authorised to conclude whether the issue is a mechanical fault or wear and tear. This seems quite suspicious to me as it would appear they have the final say on whether they are at fault or not and we now find ourselves in a dispute with the dealership over this. 

Hopefully someone can shed some light on what has caused this fault and whether my girlfriend and I are to blame, but I must point out this is the only car we have owned that has had any faults, I have had several cars; none of which developed any of these faults and all are a lot older than the audi. 

If anyone has any advice or has seen this issue before and can shed some light on the cause that would be greatly appreciated. I have also included a snap of the original audi investigation.

[Magnet]

Hello Dan,

Can you give us a bit more specific information:- 

Is the car still under 3 years old? Date registered? 

Mileage at which the clutch first caused you issues.

When the latest problems occurred, when the dealer was notified and what mileage had it covered at that point? 

What is your proposed plan of action going forward from here? 

Kind regards,

Gareth. 

 

[Dannyboy16]

Hi Gareth, thank you for your reply.

Yes the car is under 3 years old and covered under warranty until September this year. It was registered 12/09/17. 

The issues began early 2019 and my girlfriend notified Audi UK straight away by calling and emailing them. During the time of her arranging to get her car taken into the garage, the car deteriorated so she called AA as the car would no longer go into gear. After checking the vehicle over he confirmed that the car was losing fluid and believed it to be a hydraulics problem. He got the car working again after running it for some time and then asked her to follow him to the audi garage. 

Unfortunately on the report they provided us with last year, they have set the mileage as '0' so I will need to request this from them but to provide you with an average figure I would say under 10,000 miles at the time the vehicle was first taken in. We currently dont have the vehicle in our possession as it remains at the garage so I am unable to provide a current mileage stat. 

April this year the problems occured again but very suddenly. Audi were notified straight away, and after a few days of trying to arrange to get into garage due to lockdown, they sent out someone from Audi roadside. A week later the vehicle was eventually taken in the garage and they have had it since. 

They called my girlfriend a few days later and said they needed her to authorise a clutch replacement as she would be liable to pay for it as it is a wear and tear issue caused by driver error. She disputed this and explained all the other issues with the vehicle and that there has been no mention of the problems with the hydraulics or the cause of the leak, so she asked what tests they had carried out so far, only to be told that they had not carried out any tests yet, they need her to authorise payment to carry out works on the clutch and then they will carry out tests. 

Every person who's looked at the vehicle has come to the same conclusion but Audi refused to listen and continued to ignore it so my girlfriend asked to speak to a manager at the garage. 

The 'manager' she spoke too (who we later found out wasn't in fact a manager at all) completely changed the story of what the precious woman told her, so she questioned this and he then changed it back to the same story the woman originally said but then started going back and fourth on the details so my girlfriend informed him she was going to speak to Audi UK head office as it clearly wasn't being dealt with correctly and he told her to come and collect her vehicle and hung up. 

Her main dispute was how they can state and be sure it's a driver error wear and tear issue on the clutch if they have yet to perform any tests or inspections on the vehicle? But yet noone could provide an answer for this. 

The following day she received an email from the hire car company stating they needed to collect the car and she would incur charges. 

Since then my girlfriend has opened a dispute with Audi UK who are currently investigating it and informed her that they were taking the car to another garage to be looked at. However, yesterday she received an email from Audi Watford that she needs to collect her car from the garage by friday or she will start incurring further charges. 

So as it stands she has no idea what is going on which is why we are here. She could arrange for a tow truck to collect her car and take it to another garage to have it fixed but she will have to pay for this, even though the car is under warranty and it is clearly a fault with the vehicle and not a wear and tear issue, so I find this completely outrageous. 

Audi states that they will only cover works carried out by an Audi mechanic and only an Audi mechanic can determine what the fault is. 

So our question is to find out if anyone else has experienced these problems and advise on what we should do. 

She has tried to get in touch with Audi UK to get an update but they have ignored her emails for the last 2 weeks and when she has tried to call she is told she will be called back but still no phone call. So now shes left without a vehicle, continues to incur additional charges and no one from Audi willing to help.

Any help would be much appreciated. 

[Magnet]

Hello Danny,

Apologies, but I don’t have time at the moment to give a more detailed response, but perhaps the following might be advisable to move progress. 

Your girlfriend needs to seek assistance from someone on the consumer law angle of this.

CAB, her car insurance , legal cover, or possibly (last resort) the breakdown cover provider. 

Put everything in writing and retain copies. Ensure the sequence of events (with estimated mileages) is recorded on one sheet and forwarded to whoever is going to be dealing with this for her. 

Be back later with more in-depth reply.

Kind regards,

Gareth. 

p.s. Estimated current mileage? General-use journey pattern? Daily short trips? Normal commute mileage? 

[Magnet]

Hello Dan,

The above is the fighting way, and I passed it passed you to see how you feel about putting up a fight. Fighting is fine if you have the back up, will,  and time, and my feeling is Audi will put up a fight - as justified as sorting it out should be. 

I would put my money on the issue being a faulty (hasn’t lasted long) clutch hydraulic release bearing assemblies. They can be a pain, and live within the gearbox bell housing - so it’s gearbox out. 

I think Audi are hanging their hat on the fact that they will classify clutch mechanisms as wearing parts - which would be fair enough for clutch plates and possibly pressure plates even on a low mileage car. The release bearing (hydraulic section) should be long lived, and it’s very debatable that it also, could be classed as a wearing part, but.......

If you don’t want a fight then I would suggest you bite the bullet and pay for a new clutch (release bearing assembly only?) to be fitted at an independent. Audi clutch parts can be daftly expensive, so I would recommend  good quality aftermarket parts such as LUK (only LUK). 

If a fight is on, is the car being purchased on finance of any kind - inc. PCP? If so, they would need to be drawn into battle, since the vehicle will be in their ownership. 

Perhaps you could let the forum know which direction you will be going in, and how you get on. 

Kind regards, 

Gareth.