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Hi Kate, Sorry to hear that ! What a nightmare. Yet another 12 plate goes up in flames ! My advice - don't let your motor insurers destroy the vehicle until a fully qualified motor engineer with an expertise in vehicle fires has inspected the vehicle to ascertain the cause of the fire or likely cause. As has been shown earlier, Audi will rely on the (obvious) fact that the cause of the fire is impossible to ascertain due to the damage. They will also seek to infer that there could be other possible causes for the fire ie smoking, modifications, items on charge etc etc. It's very important to preserve the evidence here. Your rights of recovery against Audi are pursuant to the Consumer Protection Act as they (or Audi Germany) are the producers (important phrase) of the vehicle. DO NOT BACK DOWN. It'll be a long road. How many other vehicles have to go up or who has to die before Audi take the issue seriously. Watchdog ? Good luck. Keep me posted.

sounds from the a1 incident that Audi are maintaining their historic attitude. Amazing really!

Clearly, it's not an isolated incident.

I still find it surreal how dis-interested Audi do seem in these vehicle fires. That's 5 now isn't it ? Anyway, you might want to approach a Solicitor to assist you with your case, ideally one well versed in Consumer Protection law. The thing about the Consumer Protection Act is, I am told, that you do not have to prove that there was a defect in the product. You might want to have a read of it (if you have insomnia) to see what's involved in bringing a claim. I think it's especially important to engage a lawyer as you may have to issue Court proceedings out of the jurisdiction of England and Wales.

Hello everyone. Emma, so sorry to hear about your incident. Sandra, hope your house is now rebuilt and life is back to normal. It is truly shocking that there has been yet another A5 fire but what is more shocking is that Audi don't seem to take these issues seriously at all. The level of customer care and concern is virtually zero. The arrogance they have shown towards me beggars belief. I would never buy an Audi ever again. I would only say do not give up on pursuing Audi. Ideally, you would want some independent engineering evidence as to the likely cause of the fire although if the car is destroyed then a definitive opinion will not be possible. However, as I said to Audi, what other reason (other than vehicle defect) could there be for the vehicle to go up in flames ? Any claim against Audi will have to be pursued pursuant to the Consumer Protection Act. It wont be easy as, ultimately, you may have to issue proceedings against Audi in Germany. Audi UK would not, ultimately, pick up the tab/compensate so it may be a red herring pursuing them. Ask Audi to confirm the producer of your actual vehicle. It is that producer who you will ultimately have to pursue. The VW group are currently very busy with the emissions issue so this may delay their response. However, don't give up. Hope that helps.

Wow ! Another one. As you know, there is a lady in Worcester who this happened to. My 2 year old A5 also went up in flames in mid December. The chief fire officer, my insurer's engineer, and a Forensic Engineer have all opined that the likely cause was an electrical defect in the vehicle. Audi inspected the shell and concluded that the vehicle was too badly damaged to come to that definitive conclusion and therefore found it "not proven" and thereafter washed their hands of it. They also tried to allege that the fire could have been caused by external causes (the very guesswork that they rubbished earler) but have been totally unable to say what those external causes could have been. Suffice to say I have been disgusted by Audi's attitude to this and their (and, in particular, Peter Morrell's) customer service standards leave an awful lot to be desired. I very much get the impression that they just do not care and I am no more than an inconvenience to them. It came to a point when I sent them a letter before claim. They have, without seeking to discuss the case with me at all, instructed Solicitors to represent them. It's a disgrace.

Were you driving the car at the time ? How old was the A5 ? Did your insurers inspect the vehicle ? I've made sure that my vehicle is retained to allow Audi to inspect it. The vehicle was inspected by an engineer from my insurers who concluded that it was likely to be an electrical fault but as the vehicle was a CAT A burnout they wouldn't be able to definitively conclude that so further forensic inspection would be pointless. However, Audi have forensic experts who could inspect the vehicle and, possibly (although not definitely), find a cause for the fire. I, like you, have been shrugged off by Audi and whilst they were initially concerned they refused to assist with a courtesy car as mine was not with them for repair (?!) and so we were down to one car for 3 weeks and over the Christmas holidays. It has been a massive hassle and they've done absolutely nothing to assist. I am waiting for Peter Morrell from Audi to come back to me. I have put him on notice that unless Audi act in the proper way then this incident will be in local media and socail media. Could you please let me have the e mail addresses of the UK and German Audi people you have been e mailing ? Thanks.

Hello. Unbelievably, my A5 was also destroyed by fire in mid December. I was driving it and nearly home when smoke came from behind the dashboard. As I pulled onto our driveway I saw flames in the passenger footwell and exited the vehicle. The vehicle was engulfed fairly quickly and was totally destroyed. The incident damaged my driveway, nearby trees and bushes and cracked a neighbour's window due to the heat. My car insurers are dealing with the vehicle and my home insurers are dealing with the drive. However, Audi have, to date, shrugged their shoulders and deflected any blame from themselves as there is no "proof" that it was a vehicle defect. I have challenged them to provide any other cogent explanation for such a thing happening but they have been unable to do so. To say I am disappointed by Audi's response would be a massive understatement. For such a global car brand to be so disinterested in vehicle safety issues is staggering. Have you been in touch with Audi at all ?