Audi Death Trap

My replacement part came with a two year guarantee that takes me up to the car being seven years old. I'd rather not go through the same experience again as I might not live to tell the tale a second time around but at least the cost would be covered by Audi. Once the part is out of warranty you are on your own and it's just a question of when rather if it will fail. I always disable the automatic stop/start on every journey to hopefully extend its life. I expect to go back to full petrol for peace of mind when the time comes. Mild hybrid technology is a failure.

I was refunded by Audi Executive Office when they finally accepted the 7 year warranty actually existed. The warranty wasn't announced to Audi staff with any kind of fanfare. It was just sneaked in as if it had always been there but everyone was in denial to start with as I suspect they genuinely knew nothing about it. Even now I doubt it will be easy for you but you must keep fighting. They even told me that once my original alternator had been disposed of there was no way of identifying whether it was covered by the warranty or not. Good luck!

The original goodwill gesture was £600 but even this was annoyingly reduced to £500 by the dealership due to VAT. I still can't work that out! The total cost was about £1,900 but it was months before I was refunded. I believe I caused Audi that much of a problem it was my case that finally led to the roll out of the extended warranty. Audi Hull told me they have honoured a number of such claims now.

Hi Laura, Mine was finally repaired at no cost to myself but it was a long, drawn out fiasco involving so many different organisations, consumer groups and the media. Initially I got a goodwill contribution but eventually I was refunded in full. They didn't seem overly concerned that I could have been killed. If you scroll back far enough you'll find my story. I should approach your dealership with a copy of the extended warranty (top right) and find out if your model is covered first of all.

We will not honour the extended warranty. We will not provide a courtesy car. We will not provide a hire car. Your life was endangered as a result of a manufacturing defect and we will do nothing. Welcome to Audi.

Mine was also entitled to the 7-year warranty but I had to fight tooth and nail to make it happen. The scale of denial, obfuscation and evasion of responsibility from both the dealership and Audi UK reached levels only possible from a premium manufacturer. I don't imagine Dacia or Kia owners have ever hit such a total and complete brick wall.

Audi went out of their way to keep me as far offside and alienated as physically possible. Never again.

I didn't get any support from my local dealership. I had to deal with Audi Executive Office who were far from helpful to start with until I was able to prove with a copy of an internal Audi document on here that a 7-year extended warranty actually existed. Before I was taken seriously I had to have a letter published in my local paper, complain to endless other media outlets and seek legal advice from my insurer. It won't be easy but you must persist relentlessly. And I mean relentlessly. Good luck!

If there are no fault codes and yet there is blatantly a fault when there is a known issue across multiple models then surely the starting point must be the alternator whether there is a code or not. The alternator is either charging the battery or it isn't.

The two earliest signs that my alternator was about to fail was the start/stop function becoming unavailable followed by the central locking locking me out then locking me in. I had to keep clicking the key fob as fast as I could whilst repeatedly pulling on the door handle. There was a good 24 hours and over 10 miles before everything else rapidly failed in succession. With that many fault codes Allan the alternator must surely be close to the end. The car park idea actually sounds sensible. What do they expect you to do?

Hi Nik, it's in the POSTED IMAGES towards the top of the right hand column >>>

Hi Nik, make sure the dealership know you are aware of the seven year extended warranty on the generator starter / alternator. As it's a manufacturing defect you should be provided with a courtesy car or paid-for hire car.

Despite VW Audi Dieselgate I can't get any media outlet to take this up. I'd like to find out some breakdown statistics from the AA or RAC given these cars are doomed to failure. I expect my own breakdown premium will go up next year just to rub a little more salt in the wound. Once again reporting to DVSA won't work if there is no blatant safety aspect involved.

"Certain systems may not fully function." Great if you want to deploy your hazard lights and actually evacuate your vehicle before you get rammed or go up in flames.

This is the latest summary I received from the DVSA this morning after I provided additional information to my original complaint. It is probable all types and makes of vehicles will, at some time, experience a mechanical or electrical component failure. These, by their nature can be unpredictable as can the site/location where it may occur. Therefore, DVSA considers the immediate impact any safety related issue may have on the vehicle in to determine if it is a safety defect as defined by the Code. Our understanding is the vehicle has two-stage warnings, both of which are visual and acoustic, and the vehicle fully meets type approval requirements. Initially the 12V supply should support secondary systems (including lighting and steering) allowing the vehicle to carry forward, slow down and be brought to a halt. Lighting, inc. hazard lights etc., should be still active at time of incident and ‘emergency call’ available. However, as with any vehicle, (ICE, Hybrid etc) if charging has been interrupted the battery will deplete over time, and, depending on usage, certain systems may not fully function.

Hi Peter, sorry to hear you've succumbed to the same problem we've all had on here. I would suggest liaising with Audi Executive Office for a goodwill gesture if the terms of the extended warranty have been broken. You could report the issue to the DVSA like I have but in your case there is no blatant safety risk so unfortunately you probably won't get very far. https://contact-dvsa.service.gov.uk/report-vehicle-safety-defect/

Part of my alternator replacement cost was covered by a third party warranty. Having been thrown under the bus Audi Hull have now agreed to pay the shortfall. They told me this would not have been possible if it wasn't for my own warranty as they couldn't have footed the entire bill. The service manager informed me that they would be unable to recover the cost from Audi UK without returning the original failed part which they no longer have. I don't imagine for one minute Audi UK are trying to make all evidence disappear. The service manager also agreed the likely sequence of electrical failures would be exactly how I'd described it to the DVSA.

I broke down here in narrow lanes between concrete blocks running for hundreds of yards with no escape route.

There are other forums with owners discussing the exact same problems many in the USA. I've followed loads of threads since my breakdown. Trying to get others to contact the DVSA would be no small feat. Most Audi drivers probably get recovered, pay the bill, maybe get a gesture of goodwill or even maybe get a warranty payout then go on their way giving it no further thought. The only ones incensed enough to get as far as the DVSA will be those who truly had their lives put on the line. Since these component failures have been occurring for years now it's absurd the DVSA only have a limited number of reports.

Hi Mark, I've never been keen on the idea of a start/stop system and made sure before I bought the car it was possible to deactivate the system. I've owned the A8 for one year and have religiously turned the start/stop off at the beginning of every journey. Unfortunately I don't know what the previous owner did for the first four years or whether the alternator has already been replaced at some point.

Mark, there are some well thought out comments and questions in your correspondence with the DVSA. When I read their reply to me it came as a great shock to effectively be accused of lying and that none of my experiences could theoretically happen. Three operatives from BDV Breakdown and many hundreds of commuters witnessed me trapped and recovered inside the car and driven away with no hazard warning lights. The breakdown company have now agreed to pay the cost of damage to the steering arm when they hauled my car onto the flatbed. Ultimately the vehicle only broke down as a result of the alternator manufacturing defect so I believe Audi should be liable for this as well. The Hull Audi warranty manager and service manager are supposedly coming back to me by the end of the week with some kind of additional resolution. Given that Audi Executive office won't entertain me because I asked for legal advice I don't expect to be given anything. The fact they threw Hull Audi under the bus will result in £OOOO Vuckall durch Technic for me.

Hi MikeyW, Audi Hull are going to come back to me by the end of the week once their warranty manager has looked into it. It's grossly unfair for Audi to deny me the warranty claim and then deny me it again once I've sought legal advice on how to get Audi to fulfill its legal obligation. There must be consumer protection laws out there but how do you make a company comply? I'm the innocent victim in all of this and I could have been killed. But hey, as long as it's only cost Audi £500 then who gives a stuff about anything else?

Any help would be gratefully appreciated. There is no claim as the DVSA exonerated Audi of any design failings despite hundred of witnesses to my plight.

Dear Sir or Madam, I recently made a telephone enquiry about taking action over Audi endangering my life due to a potential design fault with their mild hybrid alternator following a breakdown. I informed Audi that I was waiting for a report from the DVSA before coming back to yourselves. They will now not cover the £2,000 cost of replacing the alternator as they wrongly believe you are taking legal action against them on my behalf. By challenging Audi for risking my life they have withdrawn financial support which is a double kick in the teeth. Could you please provide written proof that you have not been instructed to take any action on my behalf.

Hi MikeyW, my situation is complicated by the fact that Audi Hull have repaired my car and been paid by me. AA Motor Legal Services were only involved insofar as an initial enquiry that could be escalated when the DVSA confirmed the risks involved in breaking down with no electrical power at all. They failed to confirm this and stated such an outcome wouldn't happen. Something that was carefully explained to them by Audi themselves. Audi = Judge + Jury + Witnesses = Case Closed.