Shells

If they’d have accepted my rejection in June then I’d have been within my cooling off period for insurance and would be within one month of tax. I’m not seeking to get just my costs back. You cannot put a price on the stress and inconvenience caused plus the hardship of not having a suitable vehicle to use during the summer holidays. It’s not like I could afford to go out and buy another car to do the job whilst waiting a refund on this one. Negative trust pilot and Google reviews will be made!

It’s been a long while but I finally have an update. 3 months after I rejected the vehicle due to being faulty, they are collecting it tomorrow and giving me a full refund. 3 months of frustration, arguing, insuring and taxing a car I can’t use, cancelling family trips we can no longer make as the family sized estate we bought isn’t drivable. I’m out of pocket £200 for insurance, £100 tax, £275 roof bars I can’t return, £75 fuel (it’s going back with more fuel that it came with), not to mention the exceptional hardship, stress and time. should I try and claim some compensation?!? They are not interested in doing anything about that!

So it’s been a few weeks and still no updates or progress. Iwrote to the bad dealer giving them 14 days before I take action at court, that was up yesterday. I sent them the report from the good dealership proving the car was faulty. I heard nothing. I’m a bit stuck now because my credit card company are still looking into this for me and are taking a long time, over 4 weeks so far. I’m reluctant to start court proceedings until they reach a verdict but I’m concerned that they will just instruct the bad dealer to repair the faults and wash their hands of it. I’m still hoping for a refund on return of the vehicle. Failing that, I’ll keep the car, get it repaired under warranty with the good dealership and seek compensation through the courts for the damage and the months and expense of being without a usable car, not to mention the devaluation.

A bit of an update. I took the car to another Audi dealership in my county yesterday and they took me out on a test drive and have confirmed that the two mechanical issues I reported way back on 1st June were present. The head mechanic felt the vibration and heard the whine. He described it as quite intrusive and very annoying. He suspects there is an issue with the transmission or diff and recommends further investigation to determine what it is but states it is not characteristic of the car. He even suggests that the two problems might be linked. They were also very accommodating and took me out in a like for like vehicle and guess what? No noises! They are preparing a report to send to my original dealership. My original dealership are refusing to provide me with copies of any diagnostic paperwork. They have now offered to provide me with a loan car, and to collect my car for diagnostic tests to resolve the rumbling and to also fix the damage they caused. They are still failing to acknowledge my consumer rights entitling me to a full refund and also refusing to acknowledge my complete lack of trust in their abilities. I did register this case with the Consumer Helpline (citizens advice) and am following their steps. I have also now contacted the Motor Ombudsman but their auto reply states it could take them 6 months to respond!! I’m waiting to hear back from my credit card company after supplying them with all the evidence.

Thanks, I did consider that but I am more than happy at this stage to represent myself and take any action required, including filing at the small claims court if necessary. I am keeping all correspondence and a timeline. the biggest hurdles are getting them to engage, and the burden of proof that the vehicle is faulty, being with me. I’m reluctant to pay out for more diagnostic checks. I don’t think a worn bearing will show any fault codes. I’ve sought the advice of two mechanic friends and both said my symptoms/ the video I played sound like transmission or diff bearings. Short of asking someone to replace them to see if the noise disappears, which will cost a fortune, I’m lost as to what to do. Fortunately, the rumbling and vibration was confirmed as being present by the senior technician. So that’s one out of two faults confirmed by them.

Well, finding someone to take ownership of this issue at Heritage has been and continues to be challenging. Nobody has got back to me about the damage caused when it was with them on 11th June. I requested copies of the diagnostic paperwork they completed on 11th June and got no reply. I followed the advice of the consumer helpline and sent a letter recorded delivery to my dealer and it was returned as ‘addressee gone away’. I then sent the letter attached to an email of complaint to the sales manager and the after sales manager. The complaint was: 1. The car being faulty with two problems and wanting to reject it for a full refund under consumer rights 2. The damage caused to the car when it was with them for diagnostics I got a reply yesterday saying that he would be in touch today. I have also filed a dispute with my credit card company over a week ago and am still awaiting the paperwork for this, I am holding them jointly liable for the whole amount as I paid the deposit on credit card. meanwhile, I am paying to insure a car that’s been sat on my driveway for over two weeks waiting for someone to take ownership and resolve this matter.

I received a reply, they have declined my rejection stating that the workshop has assessed the whine as a characteristic of the car and as a result no fault was found. He apologised for the damage caused and is checking CCTV and if confirmed caused by them, will offer to repair it free of charge. I have cancelled the appointment I had tomorrow for the vibration/rumbling issue to be diagnosed and repaired, after seeking advice from the consumer rights helpline and I have booked the vehicle in for a second opinion with another dealership, but not until 2nd July! Another mechanic friend of mine has suggested the noise sounds like a bearing in the gearbox or driveshaft/differential bearing. This is what my gut is telling me too! I would not expect a 4 year old Audi to make such a loud noise from a mild hybrid system that isn’t even working throughout the speeds that I’m experiencing the noise. The consumer rights helpline has suggested I formally write a letter using their templates and send by recorded delivery, which I will draft tonight, giving them 14 days to respond. Despite this taking me outside of my 30 days short term right to reject, this should still be honoured as I am making the rejection within the first 30 days. This is going to be a big battle, wish me luck. I have lost all confidence in the dealership now.

Thanks Gareth, that’s good advice. luckily I am keeping a record of everything. I have not received a response to my emails and I have sent it to 5 different people now. I have also contacted Audi UK who said they will request the sales manager give me a call and they took my number. The other dealership I called said that Audi UK would have to authorise another dealer to look at the car but Audi UK said it was down to me. I’m not sure who will pay for further work. however due to the new damage they caused then i will stick to my guns and reject the car. Would anyone happen to know if the additional products I purchased with the car will also be refunded? Alloy cover, tyre cover, Lifeshine.

So to provide an update, the car was booked in but the earliest they could get me in was over a week later. I dropped it off yesterday. A few hours later the service manager called me and told me that the whine or whistle I can hear is normal. She said it’s a noise from a mini motor that forms part of the mild hybrid system. What I don’t know is if this is fact or just opinion. They provided no evidence or reassurance at all. i contacted another dealership to ask if they would expect to be able to hear a whine in their mild hybrid range and the answer was no. They also struggled to diagnose the problem with the vibration/deep rumble at higher speeds so I took a technician on a drive to replicate it. He agreed with me that the vibration is present and asked to have the car back again on Friday to run some tests - wheel balancing, alignment etc. There was some new damage to the cars rear passenger sill when I picked it up and the car was covered in what appeared to be overspill of white blobs of polish, so I have had it with that dealership. I have emailed the manager to reject the vehicle under my consumer rights for a full refund and waiting for a response I have added a photo of the damage and a video of the whine although the road noise is quite apparent so not the best quality. IMG_4477.mov

Yes I’m aware of this 30 day agreement, funnily enough the dealership skirted around this and summarised it as being for a serious mechanical failure only. does it sound like something serious?

Yes. Rubber inserts that clamp over the rails and they include a torque key to prevent over tightening. I guess you could also tape your rails

I’ve had my 2020 avant with 35k miles for 2 weeks (40 tfsi auto) I’ve never owned an Audi before although due to my job I’ve driven them and a lot of other cars so fairly experienced when it comes to recognising when something doesn’t seem right. I’ve contacted my dealer about this but just wondered if anyone could shed some light or reassurance? i hear a high pitched whistle/whine noise when driving, the tone gets more high pitched the higher the road speed. I hear it at 26/27mph, then it goes away a bit (or reaches a pitch I can’t hear as well) but it’s very noticeable again at 45mph all the way through to 70-80mph. I initially thought it matched the rpm but it doesn’t. It doesn’t matter what driving mode I’m in, it’s not coming from the fans, doesn’t matter how hard or easy I accelerate, can hear it over the radio but it’s certainly not loud. It doesn’t sound like normal engine noise, I’ve heard the engine when the gearbox goes through the gears and it’s a different noise to this. i wondered if it might be turbo related but unsure when the turbo kicks in, or if it’s always ‘on’. possibly unrelated but I am also experiencing a vibration through the steering wheel and pedals along with a rumbling noise above 65mph. I’ve contacted the dealer about this too.

I’ve just installed Thule wing bar evo to my 2020 avant, with the fitting kit for the flush fit roof rails, they’re perfect. I also wondered about the 4 depressions on each rail but just used them as a helpful aid at where to place my Thule ones. I got the 118cm wingbar evo, the flush rail fitting kit (6019) and flush rail foot pack (7106) I carried a paddle board down the motorway with no problem at all