just about had it with Audi and my RS4
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just about had it with Audi and my RS4 - 9/6/2006 9:29:48 PM
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tsunami racer
Posts: 178
Joined: 7/7/2006
From: Playa Vista, California
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i've owned my brand spanking new 2007 RS4 for 60 days and it's been the worst 60 days of ownership of any new car i've ever had. certainly worse than lexus, worse than mercedes-benz, worse than nissan, worse than subaru, even worse than land rover who was at the bottom of the JD Power 2006 initial quality survey. and it's not the problems with THE CAR that's got me frustrated. it's the problems with THE DEALER and with AUDI of AMERICA CORPORATE that has made this the most problematic and stressful ownership experience i have ever had.
i'm starting to realize why a great car like the phaeton failed, as the VW Audi group has demonstrated that they can certainly produce great cars, but they don't have the US dealer or corporate infrastructure in place to service luxury car clients. i never had customer service issues with lexus, mercedes-benz or land rover dealers or corporate and while i had my fair share of mechanical issues with their new cars, the service was always top notch. not the case with VW/Audi.
and for those of you who are quick to flame, just wait until you have a serious issue with the dealer or audi corporate and we'll see how you feel once you are on the receiving end of the VW/Audi shaft.
i'm not even going to complain or list the mechanical problems i've had with my brand new RS4, as i see them as being inconsequential: all new cars have little problems here and there (except lexus maybe). i used to own a range rover; i'm used to mechanical glitches that get serviced under warranty. what i will complain about are the issues i've had with my dealer McKenna Audi of Norwalk California and with Audi of America through their Western Region and their customer advocate service at their 800 number in Michigan.
the dealer, mckenna audi:
i've been through 3 service advisors so far in 60 days, and my complaint with the dealer has been that there is no accountability with any of their employees. they don't call me when i leave a voicemail to schedule a service appointment. they don't call me back when they say they will to tell me when a loaner car is available. they don't call me back to tell me my car isn't ready. they don't call me back to tell me when my car is ready. they don't have my paperwork ready when i pick up my car. they don't mail me the paperwork when they promise they will. the car has been back twice and will go back a third time for the same problem that fails to be properly serviced and resolved. after a letter to the owner of the dealership, i finally have the service manager himself handling my car. but it shouldn't have had to come to this. this would be unheard of at my lexus, mercedes-benz or land rover dealer who was on top of everything. even at my nissan dealer and they were pretty bad, but not this bad.
audi of america western regional management:
to fix a problem i had in the first 1000 miles, the car went in to the above dealer who in turn called in techs from audi of america. they in turn spent two days and 40 miles to fix ONE of the TWO problems the car originally went in for. i have never, out of all the times my cars have gone into a dealer, had more than 10 miles placed on a car for any service without being notified first. i found this to be excessive and never received a satisfactory explaination, from the dealer or from Audi of America, as to why 40 miles were subjected to my car. that's 20 miles out and 20 miles back from the dealership!!! i demanded that the dealer contact their regional AoA rep and have them credit 40 miles to my lease, as Audi of America finance would certainly FINE ME if i turned in this car with 40 additional miles above and beyond my lease amount. and it's not about the money; it's about the principle of someone joyriding in my brand new car that hadn't even been broken in yet. and to add insult to injury, the second problem wasn't fixed and it would have certainly been noticed if anyone was seriously paying any attention during those 40 miles.
audi of america customer service michigan:
having reached a dead end through my dealer and audi of america's western regional service, i contacted the 800 number for AoA customer service and filed a complaint on the excessive mileage, demanding an explaination for the miles and to have 40 miles added to my lease. they gave me a case number and after two weeks, they responded that they will take no action at this time and that their decision is final.
as an example of customer service from other manufacturers, i had a hydraulic problem with my 03 MBZ SL's retractable hardtop. it kept leaking somewhere and the computer would shut off the top mechanism. it was in service 5 times for the same problem and i contacted mercedes-benz corporate and asked for a resolution. they sent out a regional tech who identified the problem, fixed it and personally explained the problem to me. then mercedes-benz corporate in new jersey gave me ONE MONTH's LEASE PAYMENT for free to compensate me for the trouble!!! totally unexpected and unnecessary but left me as a happy customer. but it's not just luxury brands that have outperformed Audi of America. i had another instance of a regional service manager from subaru of america driving my 04 STI for 105 miles to try to replicate a throttle problem i was having. they asked for my permission FIRST to put that many miles, fixed the problem and ALSO ended up crediting me ONE MONTH's LEASE PAYMENT to compensate me for the mileage. this was again not through my request but voluntarily done by corporate to ensure customer satisfaction. i'm not even asking for anything remotely close to that but Audi of America has failed to achieve customer service where even Subaru of America suceeded (again, not about the money but the principle of asking to put miles on my car first and compensating me so the miles on the lease ultimately didn't cost me anything).
i've made two lease payments already and i'm willing to take some hit to relieve me of the headaches, as they're just not worth the otherwise fantastic driving experience of the RS4. a porsche dealer (not McKenna) has offered a pretty good trade in for it, and i'm wondering if i should look into something else too like a MBZ E55.
if this were just a dealer problem, it would be as easy as switching dealers, but when VW/Audi corporate refuses to stand behind their products and blatently abuses their customers by adding excessive miles to their cars without asking or compensating, and completely and deliberately ignores a problem by a new customer who took possession of a $73,520 product of theirs, it really leaves no alternative but to switch brands and abandon the company as they have abandoned me. at the end of the day, toyota has been able to strongly distinguish between their toyota and lexus lines through separate dealers and processes that meet and exceed the owner expectations of a luxury car marque. But VW/Audi has demonstrated to me that i'm driving nothing more than a really expensive rabbit. i urge anyone considering the purchase of a A8, RS4, Q7, A6 (or A4, TT or A3 for that matter) or anyone who is used to and expects luxury brand level customer service to seriously reconsider the Audi brand as they have demonstrated to me and others on this forum (and there are plenty of us, some exaggerated, but others valid and warranted) that Audi fails to meet the expectations of a premium brand buyer and falls short of the top tier brands like Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and BMW in customer service and satisfaction. to a degree, i blame myself as i obviously didn't do enough research into the brand before i bought. everyone will say things are peachy when nothing is wrong with their car, but when the chips are down, it really demonstrates which manufacturers stand by their products and are commited to customer service.
if anyone has any suggestion on what i can do, i'm all "ears" - that's a rabbit joke, as i'm obviously treated like i drive one. but at this point, i see a "for sale" sign as my only option.
< Message edited by tsunami racer -- 9/7/2006 2:10:39 AM >
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RE: just about had it with Audi and my RS4 - 9/9/2006 1:52:55 PM
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AudiTech04
Posts: 432
Joined: 11/8/2005
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I have a suggestion on what you can do
STOP CRYING BECAUSE THEY DROVE YOUR CAR FOR 40 MILES
You took your car in to get it fixed right?
Was your car fixed?
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I reject reality, and substitute my own
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RE: just about had it with Audi and my RS4 - 9/10/2006 11:11:58 PM
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pturbo
Posts: 4478
Joined: 9/10/2005
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Dude, you sound pissed.
So how's the car running now?
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RE: just about had it with Audi and my RS4 - 9/11/2006 11:19:39 AM
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tsunami racer
Posts: 178
Joined: 7/7/2006
From: Playa Vista, California
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quote:
ORIGINAL: AudiTech04
You took your car in to get it fixed right?
Was your car fixed?
sigh... if only people would read the threads BEFORE they respond to them. then this world would have more answers and less stupid questions.... 
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RE: just about had it with Audi and my RS4 - 9/11/2006 11:36:35 AM
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tsunami racer
Posts: 178
Joined: 7/7/2006
From: Playa Vista, California
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quote:
ORIGINAL: pturbo
Dude, you sound pissed.
So how's the car running now?
i think i'm passed the "pissed" part. now i'm just depressed, let down, disappointed. at this point, all i'm trying to do is to share my story and maybe someone else who's having a similar problem or considering an audi can learn something from it. and if anyone who had a similar run in with AoA might be able to share some info as well. i read threads like this when i was shopping for the RS4 but i figured they were onsie, twosie issues. never thought it would happen to me, but it did.
i wish i could tell you how my car is running but it's at the dealer for service AGAIN!! it's for the same problem and this is the third time. and the audi of america techs are on it again so god knows how many miles they'll put on it this time.
the running joke at home is that my neighbors all think i got a job at audi because they see me in a different model almost every week.
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RE: just about had it with Audi and my RS4 - 9/11/2006 11:59:06 AM
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techbod
Posts: 12536
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simply ask them to replace the car ( not to bother fixing it because your not happy with their workmanship) also contact the lease company and notify them of your problem
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UK member
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RE: just about had it with Audi and my RS4 - 9/11/2006 2:55:58 PM
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InExile
Posts: 854
Joined: 3/1/2006
From: Black Mountain, NC
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Also try going for service to another dealer ... I had a Volvo S80 T6 firs year model , lots of bugs, got same attitude and treatment as you just replace Volvo and Audi and you'll have my story ... so I just went to another dealer ... the other dealer called, explained, asked and fixed and also offered free service for some items.
The crappy dealer was smaller, had Chevy, Subaru and Volvo in one .... the good dealer was bigger and had Volvo, Porsche and something else in one.
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RE: just about had it with Audi and my RS4 - 9/11/2006 4:31:41 PM
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Trev
Posts: 206
Joined: 4/23/2006
From: Orange California
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I would def go to another dealer. The one you are going to sux! I will say that I have known people that owned S600 benz's, Range rovers, Lexus LX 450 etc...and they all had poor quality and service. I think its just bad luck. Despite some of the problems I have had with my RS, it is a phenominal car. Just last week I was pulling out of a gas station and "had to" punch it so not to get hit. Well...all of the sudden (for the first time) my tire pressure alert system popped up. I was miles away from hitting the interstate on my way out of town but took it home immediatly, didn't want a flat in rush hour on those rims. Got home and fortuanatly there was another vehicle I could drive. I looked at all of the tires and they all were fine. I figured when I got back I would know if there was a leak or not. When I returned, the tires all looked them same, checked the psi (cold) and they all registered the same but, the alert (annoying as hell) was still on the screen. I did not want to have to take it up to my dealer so I played with the computer, "told" it to reset itself (tire pressure) and walla, problem fixed. Still don't know why it happend but didn't matter after that, I was happy to be alerted for whatever reason the car thought-this way I know the RS is doing its job. Whether I keep this car forever or sell it in 2 years I am going to speak highly of its ability, looks and charisma. It is by far one of the most sophistcated sports cars I have ever driven. Hope it all works out.
PS-my dealer rawks!
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RE: just about had it with Audi and my RS4 - 9/11/2006 4:32:07 PM
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pturbo
Posts: 4478
Joined: 9/10/2005
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quote:
ORIGINAL: avant80@2.6
simply ask them to replace the car ( not to bother fixing it because your not happy with their workmanship) also contact the lease company and notify them of your problem
+1 on that.
That sucks that it's back in the shop.
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RE: just about had it with Audi and my RS4 - 9/11/2006 9:44:06 PM
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tsunami racer
Posts: 178
Joined: 7/7/2006
From: Playa Vista, California
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quote:
ORIGINAL: AudiTech04
Yeah, i read the entire wall-o-text, im pretty sure no where does it say what your problem was or if it was ever fixed
P.S. Its a good thing you havent blown this way out of proportion like Toysnob did with his...
with all due respect, it is clearly stated: "and to add insult to injury, the second problem wasn't fixed and it would have certainly been noticed if anyone was seriously paying any attention during those 40 miles."
i didn't mention that this second issue is a constant rattling/clunking noise coming from the rear, either from the exhaust or the suspension. the car came back to me with the radio station tuned to some hiphop rap station i never listen to, so instead of listening for the noise, someone was kicking it "old school" in my car. of course they couldn't fix the problem; they weren't even listening for it.
but i did't bother to list the problem specifically because as i stated, it's not the problem itself that's got me annoyed. it's the dealer's lax attitude and audi of america's blatent disregard for customer service. that's what's got me.
i certainly read toysnob's problem and i really can relate to his frustrations as well. i was probably feeling the same way during my "pissed" stage and would have probably written the same thing. but now i'm in my "disappointed" stage so perhaps i'm a bit more reserved at this point.
once the car is back from the dealer, i will first have to see if they have completely fixed the problem or if it needs to go back for a fourth time. then i will probably have to figure out what i'm going to do with the car. and if i decide to keep it, i will probably try another dealer, though my problem with audi of america will persist despite the move. per avant80's suggestion, i will try contacting audi financial services to see if they'll pick up the ball where audi of america dropped it.
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RE: just about had it with Audi and my RS4 - 9/12/2006 12:59:01 AM
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qst4
Posts: 212
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I'm sure they'll fix it. And I'm pretty sure a few months from now you'll be happy you kept it. True what you said about service though, I can't stand it when I pick up the ride and nothings set the same. Especially the radio station. I bet AudiTech did that crap. He's all up in your ride bumping DMX and cracking jokes about your car problems. AudiTech knows he's wrong! lol.
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RE: just about had it with Audi and my RS4 - 9/13/2006 9:42:59 AM
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3B447C55
Posts: 2
Joined: 9/13/2006
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Sounds like a "LemonLaw" candidate. Keep good notes and a record of "events" "talk of a "refund" will get the head office legal types involved. Good luck!
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RE: just about had it with Audi and my RS4 - 9/13/2006 5:17:46 PM
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AudiTech04
Posts: 432
Joined: 11/8/2005
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quote:
ORIGINAL: qst4
I'm sure they'll fix it. And I'm pretty sure a few months from now you'll be happy you kept it. True what you said about service though, I can't stand it when I pick up the ride and nothings set the same. Especially the radio station. I bet AudiTech did that crap. He's all up in your ride bumping DMX and cracking jokes about your car problems. AudiTech knows he's wrong! lol.
Oh man i am sooo busted, im sure the tech that worked on the car wasnt listening to the radio while trying to find a noise
But you can prolly bet your ass the guy that washed your car was when he drove it through the carwash
P.S. Dude its only 40 miles, damn, you dont rule the world cuz you bought an RS4
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I reject reality, and substitute my own
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RE: just about had it with Audi and my RS4 - 9/13/2006 8:27:33 PM
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tsunami racer
Posts: 178
Joined: 7/7/2006
From: Playa Vista, California
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unless it happens to you, you'll never understand the frustrations. once it's your own money on the line, i'm sure you too would be singing a whole nother tune. i'm not asking to rule the world. what i am asking for is to be treated with respect, dignity and as a valued customer. nothing more.
auditech, do you work for a dealer or the manufacturer? because your comments, attitude and nonchalantness towards a new car owner having problems (not to mention your screen name) certainly reminds me of them....
it's not about the actual 40 miles. it's not about the individual problems. if you haven't figured that out yet, you never will. i just hope you never have to experience what i have as an owner of a brand new audi.
my attorney is looking into the california lemon law. so far they (dealer/manufacturer) are allowed a "reasonable" number of attempts to fix the problem. but we'll see what he finds specific to my situation.
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RE: just about had it with Audi and my RS4 - 9/13/2006 10:16:59 PM
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AWDaholic
Im Teh Guy Your Mother Warned You About
Posts: 10051
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I think the *magik* number is 5 times in 90 days, but I might be wrong.
AudiTech, his point, vis-a-vis the mileage, was, as he said, if he brought it back 40-over, he'd certainly be charged. And, personally, I think he's juuuuuuuuuuust inside the realm of WTF, over? with that. 10-12 miles less and He's being a crybaby. 10-12 MORE and I'd be camped on the SM's bumper looking for an answer.
just my $0.02...
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RE: just about had it with Audi and my RS4 - 9/14/2006 1:19:39 PM
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tsunami racer
Posts: 178
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From: Playa Vista, California
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let's not forget: 40 miles and problem NOT FIXED. 12 more miles and problem STILL NOT FIXED.
and let's forget about mileage for a moment; let's talk about lost time: as of today, i've owned (been paying for) the car for exactly 66 days. if i get my car back from the dealer today (maybe, and with how many miles on it this time i wonder), it will have been in service for 13 days of the total 66 days of ownership. if my math is correct, that's 20% of the total time i've owned the car, it's been in the shop. for mostly the same problem.
who WOULDN'T be pissed?
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RE: just about had it with Audi and my RS4 - 9/15/2006 12:38:56 AM
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i3uddha
unofficial AF West Coast ambassador
Posts: 7215
Joined: 8/14/2005
From: SoCaL~
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 man.. sorry to hear about your bad luck w/ the Dealer....
But there was a good suggestion - talk to the finance company about getting a replacement.
I know u gave up on the Regional reps / & the actual dealer especially after Customer service
dismissed your claim, but .. Id continue on the route of communicating w/ the
service manager & General manager / owner of the Dealership... advise them that you are seriously considering
returning the vehicle & leasing from another dealership. They've got the most to lose if you return the car,
& can have the most "immediate" impact on how you & your car are treated.
I really hope this turns out for the better... unfortunately it sounds like you have to stop
expecting great service - & starting demanding it.. & telling them you're not getting it...
Some people in this world just dont respond well w/ kindness.. i think youve more than given them the
benefit of the doubt....
good luck, I hope they take a second look at how theyve handled the situation & try &
accomodate you better.
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B5 S4 So`Cal
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RE: just about had it with Audi and my RS4 - 9/18/2006 2:41:19 PM
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tsunami racer
Posts: 178
Joined: 7/7/2006
From: Playa Vista, California
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well, finally got my car back on friday. looks like they finally got the one nagging problem fixed. here's the total tally:
day car first went into service for this problem:
july 17
day car came back with this problem completely repaired:
september 15
total combined number of visits to completely repair this problem:
three
total combined number of days car was in service to repair this problem:
fourteen
total combined days of ownership of the car:
sixty seven
total percentage of time car has been in service while i've owned it:
20.89%
total combined mileage placed on car to service this problem:
85 miles
suffice to say, i will now be contacting Audi of America customer service with these facts and pose the question to them: what are you going to do about it? because they've rejected all my suggested actions to date. i'll be giving them one more opportunity to step up and voluntarily do something to keep a new car owner happy.
if there's any good that came from this, the service manager at the dealer did step up and walk this problem through personally every step of the way at McKenna Audi. i hope he hires some good service advisors soon because i don't expect him to do this himself every time.
if you're a fellow RS4 ownder who wants to know what the problem was, PM me because it was a strange yet major issue.
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RE: just about had it with Audi and my RS4 - 10/4/2006 5:27:48 PM
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RollinA4
Posts: 63
Joined: 9/20/2006
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share the problem.. prospective rs4 owners will appreciate it once the information becomes relevant
P.S. you can't be a nice guy.. you pay that kind of money you gotta walk up in that place like ur the shyt and u know u gonna get the right service
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RE: just about had it with Audi and my RS4 - 10/5/2006 1:00:12 PM
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damir21
Posts: 57
Joined: 2/20/2006
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i've had the same problems with my audi.
i ordered mine 2 and i had so many problems with it
i ended up taking audi to court 4 it
as a lemon law result
i wanted to return the car but the didnt want 2 they gave me 4000 grand instead
costumer service sucks.
i would call Germany directly in Ingoldstadt since you paid almost 75000 for an audi RS4 (A4 model )
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RE: just about had it with Audi and my RS4 - 10/9/2006 11:47:45 AM
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tsunami racer
Posts: 178
Joined: 7/7/2006
From: Playa Vista, California
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no update on my problem yet, but i've called in all my favors and have an "insider" looking into the problem for me (i used to work for an auto manufacturer and still know alot of people in the business and auto journalists too). it's very sad i had to resort to this as any normal owner would never have access to such a resource. but i wanted to go through normal channels and allow due process to work before i went to my last resort.
this might help explain part of my frustrations, as formerly in the business, i am well aware of "normal" types of problems with new cars and the capabilities of the dealer and the auto manufacturer. let me just say that if it were on my watch, and i heard such a problem from a customer, i'd personally step in and handle the problem, review over our company policies and practices, have some strong words with my dealer and my regional managers, and use this as a case study on what not to do in the future. maybe it's just because i worked for a company headquartered in southern california that took customer service seriously. and maybe that's why that company is consistently at the top of the JD Power surveys and why Audi isn't.
because i've gotten so many PMs asking about the problem, i'll post it. i'm sharing my problem so others can look out for it and know what it is if it ever happens to them. let the whining about ruining the RS4's value begin...
it was a persistent rattling noise coming from the right rear of the car. every time it went over a crack in the road or other imperfection. happened more frequently when the car was cold, so it originally led the dealer to think it was coming from the exhaust. then it spread to the left rear and even the left front.
it was the result of a catastrophic failure of the cylinder that holds the hydraulic fluid for the cross-diagonal suspension managment system. the left front and right rear, as we know, are controlled by the same hydraulic system and is designed to counteract the other during cornering. hydraulic failure caused the right rear strut and the front left strut to have zero pressure and overcompress over bumps, causing the noise. the fix was to replace the cylinder holding the hydraulic fluid, replace the front left and right rear struts and check the lines for leaks. this started happening before my car had 500 miles on it.
i said this in another post but despite having all these problems, the RS4 is fantastic and i can't think of another car to own right now. and trust me, i thought of every car on the road to replace it with. so you can read all the warm and fuzzy reviews from people who've never had a problem with their car. but for someone who's gone through so much to say they love the car but hate Audi's customer service should serve as strong testament to the amazing driving experience that is the RS4.
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RE: just about had it with Audi and my RS4 - 10/14/2006 10:33:01 PM
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qtroGmBH
Posts: 7
Joined: 9/20/2006
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Very happy to hear the problem was found and fixed finally. As another RS4 owner I am glad you chose to share experience and he nature of the problem. I've had no such problem but I have to say that there is no question the Audi dealer network could use some work. I think the problems go back many years to when Audi struggled with all the 5000 issues and the kind of people they allowedto have dealeships was not what you could call firfst tier in many cases. While many of the other brqands you mention Lexus, Acura, MBZ, BMW seem to have taken an altogether different track. Audi of America needs to take notice. So far so good with my dealer but not like the service you'd get from any Lexus, BMW oe Benz shop by any measure.
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Scott
2007 RS4 Sedan RED
License Plate: NVR FOLO
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