Audi rents me a Jeep
Thread Starter
|
1st Gear
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 60
From:
Audi rents me a Jeep
Renting a Jeep
So, I bought a used Audi recently. It seems the person I bought it from didn't think much of Audi's free maintenance program, I guess the “Free” was too much for him, so he never brought it in to be serviced. Almost immediately after buying (after I had a flat tire, and someone reversed into the side of my car causing $953 damage) I got two warning lights on in the dash. So, I call my happy friendly service center, who assures me they will honor my aftermarket warranty and fix the car within a day. I set an appointment for the next available time, which is three weeks away.
Day 1: 21 days after first phone call
I drop the car off at 8AM and get a ride to work. I figure that by the time the place closes at 6pm, I should be able to get a ride back and take my car home. At 2:30, I call to see what's up. After waiting on hold for 30 minutes (every time I called I was on hold at least that long) I found out they haven't finished diagnosing the problem. To diagnose the problems on an Audi, you have to read the codes from the car's computer output. It should (generally) take 30 seconds, unless there's some undiagnosable problems. At 4:30, I call again. No answer. I get a ride down there at 5:30 and find out they have done 4.5 hours of "diagnosing" and are planning to bill me for it. Also, they found 4 major problems and require at least 6 more hours of work. Also, I can't have my car back, even though no work has been done to it. They haven’t approved my warranty to cover the damage, so I may have to pay for it.
When I ask for a rental, they say they don't have any, although they are supposed to provide me with one. Their suggestion was for me to call a rental car company and pay for it myself. Since they said they could get it done tomorrow, I figured I'd just get a ride home and to work the next day. I complain to the manager.
Day 2
2:30 pm. They say due to [deleted due to moronic annoyingness] and they will pay for my rental. So, I get a happy friendly guy who rents me a vehicle. He chose to give me a Jeep Liberty, as opposed to one of the V6 Grand Ams, probably because he figured a punk kid like me would speed around in them.
As you know, Jeep Libertys are the bastard bald children of the Jeep family. Mine was the cheapest one, and it was the fruitiest maroon ever. Since it said Trail Rated on the side, was capable of four wheel drive, and I had it fully insured, my friend and I figured the best thing to do was test it out, and maybe cover up some of that awful maroon. What does Trail Rated mean, anyway?
So we drove circles in the college’s dirt parking lot at midnight, speeding through puddles and such. Then we went through the construction site where they dumped all the dirt they dredged out of the lake. Here’s a poor photo of my friend, grinning like a moron, not sure when I’m going to take the picture because we’re in absolute darkness.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...Picture047.jpg
As you can see, the ugliness of the Jeep has forced his soul to evacuate his body, leaving his eyes with a hellish glow. It’s tough to tell, but the Jeep is actually parked at a rakish angle, nearly tipping.
We got caught by campus security shortly afterward, but I told him it was my first day driving a Jeep. He told us a story about 4x4s, and bears, and deer, and who knows what, then told us to have fun. After this, we took the Jeep on a short trail, where I swerved around a tree and turned to see no more road/dirt. I slammed the brakes and realized I was looking at a slow moving but deep river, black as ink. My front tires were less than three feet from the bank. After driving across the school’s field, I heard the tires making a funny noise so I stopped the car and we got out to check.
Just then the police stopped by, and asked what we were doing in a closed parking lot after midnight. I said something like my tire has something stuck in it, but I think we got it now. He asked if we went to the school, then let us go. We figured we should probably pack it in.
Day 3
I took some photos of the Jeep, thinking it was going back.
Note the hideous color and minor dirt splashes.
Got some nice streaks down the side.
Naturally, the car wasn’t finished, so sadly I had to keep the Jeep another day.
This time, 6 of us went out, and did all the same stuff, got caught by the same security guard (who we got to drive through one of the puddles himself) and drove on someone’s private golf course, accidentally. Since the Jeep was heavy now, it could actually sink into the mud. Stomping the gas caused it to drift side to side as it slid forward or sunk into the muck.
Someone was dumb enough to leave their Neon parked right next to the biggest puddle, which was about 10’x10’ and a foot deep. After driving through over a dozen times, the car looked like it was under a mud waterfall. Dirty water dripped off it like it was being hosed down.
I had some pics of the Neon, but it was so damn dark you couldn’t see the mud, and it seems not everyone can work a camera. We also drove through the 'burbs and did various other wholesome mildly destructive activities.
Day 4
Some more pics of the Jeep.
The pics are pretty good, but you need to stand next to it to realize just how freakin' dirty it was. Even the roof had dirt on it. The best was the door handles, which would give you a dirty handshake when you opened them. I called Enterprise, who foolishly said that as long as the Jeep didn’t need to be sent away for detailing I can return it with some mud. Just to make sure, I drove it to the place and asked if the amount of mud was a problem. The agent, without looking up, said, “Yeah, it should be fine.”
I said, “I don’t need to wash it?”
He looks.
“Damn. Did you take it off-road?”
“A little.”
“Please don’t take it off-road.”
“It says it’s Trail Rated.”
Once again, Audi wasn’t finished with my car. So, I had one more day to try to destroy the Jeep.
This time three of us took it on sand and dirt trails in the woods. I mean, rocky hunting trails and abandoned dirt roads with no names. We drove for over 3.5 hours, and I used almost 2/3 of the gas tank.
We drove over lawns, islands, logs, through a military base, fields, etc.. Any turn we could was taken short, going over the grass and/or curb.
I dragged the bottom of the Jeep on a rock, which I found out the next morning had left a long scratch the length of the muffler. Hey, all damage is covered!
Day 5
I return the Jeep, unwashed, exactly as it looked in the pictures in Day 4. I left it at the Audi dealership, parked between an Audi S4 and a Porsche Cayenne. I haven’t heard from them, and they haven’t cancelled our corporate account. I guess everything worked out.
So, I bought a used Audi recently. It seems the person I bought it from didn't think much of Audi's free maintenance program, I guess the “Free” was too much for him, so he never brought it in to be serviced. Almost immediately after buying (after I had a flat tire, and someone reversed into the side of my car causing $953 damage) I got two warning lights on in the dash. So, I call my happy friendly service center, who assures me they will honor my aftermarket warranty and fix the car within a day. I set an appointment for the next available time, which is three weeks away.
Day 1: 21 days after first phone call
I drop the car off at 8AM and get a ride to work. I figure that by the time the place closes at 6pm, I should be able to get a ride back and take my car home. At 2:30, I call to see what's up. After waiting on hold for 30 minutes (every time I called I was on hold at least that long) I found out they haven't finished diagnosing the problem. To diagnose the problems on an Audi, you have to read the codes from the car's computer output. It should (generally) take 30 seconds, unless there's some undiagnosable problems. At 4:30, I call again. No answer. I get a ride down there at 5:30 and find out they have done 4.5 hours of "diagnosing" and are planning to bill me for it. Also, they found 4 major problems and require at least 6 more hours of work. Also, I can't have my car back, even though no work has been done to it. They haven’t approved my warranty to cover the damage, so I may have to pay for it.
When I ask for a rental, they say they don't have any, although they are supposed to provide me with one. Their suggestion was for me to call a rental car company and pay for it myself. Since they said they could get it done tomorrow, I figured I'd just get a ride home and to work the next day. I complain to the manager.
Day 2
2:30 pm. They say due to [deleted due to moronic annoyingness] and they will pay for my rental. So, I get a happy friendly guy who rents me a vehicle. He chose to give me a Jeep Liberty, as opposed to one of the V6 Grand Ams, probably because he figured a punk kid like me would speed around in them.
As you know, Jeep Libertys are the bastard bald children of the Jeep family. Mine was the cheapest one, and it was the fruitiest maroon ever. Since it said Trail Rated on the side, was capable of four wheel drive, and I had it fully insured, my friend and I figured the best thing to do was test it out, and maybe cover up some of that awful maroon. What does Trail Rated mean, anyway?
So we drove circles in the college’s dirt parking lot at midnight, speeding through puddles and such. Then we went through the construction site where they dumped all the dirt they dredged out of the lake. Here’s a poor photo of my friend, grinning like a moron, not sure when I’m going to take the picture because we’re in absolute darkness.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...Picture047.jpg
As you can see, the ugliness of the Jeep has forced his soul to evacuate his body, leaving his eyes with a hellish glow. It’s tough to tell, but the Jeep is actually parked at a rakish angle, nearly tipping.
We got caught by campus security shortly afterward, but I told him it was my first day driving a Jeep. He told us a story about 4x4s, and bears, and deer, and who knows what, then told us to have fun. After this, we took the Jeep on a short trail, where I swerved around a tree and turned to see no more road/dirt. I slammed the brakes and realized I was looking at a slow moving but deep river, black as ink. My front tires were less than three feet from the bank. After driving across the school’s field, I heard the tires making a funny noise so I stopped the car and we got out to check.
Just then the police stopped by, and asked what we were doing in a closed parking lot after midnight. I said something like my tire has something stuck in it, but I think we got it now. He asked if we went to the school, then let us go. We figured we should probably pack it in.
Day 3
I took some photos of the Jeep, thinking it was going back.
Note the hideous color and minor dirt splashes.
Got some nice streaks down the side.
Naturally, the car wasn’t finished, so sadly I had to keep the Jeep another day.
This time, 6 of us went out, and did all the same stuff, got caught by the same security guard (who we got to drive through one of the puddles himself) and drove on someone’s private golf course, accidentally. Since the Jeep was heavy now, it could actually sink into the mud. Stomping the gas caused it to drift side to side as it slid forward or sunk into the muck.
Someone was dumb enough to leave their Neon parked right next to the biggest puddle, which was about 10’x10’ and a foot deep. After driving through over a dozen times, the car looked like it was under a mud waterfall. Dirty water dripped off it like it was being hosed down.
I had some pics of the Neon, but it was so damn dark you couldn’t see the mud, and it seems not everyone can work a camera. We also drove through the 'burbs and did various other wholesome mildly destructive activities.
Day 4
Some more pics of the Jeep.
The pics are pretty good, but you need to stand next to it to realize just how freakin' dirty it was. Even the roof had dirt on it. The best was the door handles, which would give you a dirty handshake when you opened them. I called Enterprise, who foolishly said that as long as the Jeep didn’t need to be sent away for detailing I can return it with some mud. Just to make sure, I drove it to the place and asked if the amount of mud was a problem. The agent, without looking up, said, “Yeah, it should be fine.”
I said, “I don’t need to wash it?”
He looks.
“Damn. Did you take it off-road?”
“A little.”
“Please don’t take it off-road.”
“It says it’s Trail Rated.”
Once again, Audi wasn’t finished with my car. So, I had one more day to try to destroy the Jeep.
This time three of us took it on sand and dirt trails in the woods. I mean, rocky hunting trails and abandoned dirt roads with no names. We drove for over 3.5 hours, and I used almost 2/3 of the gas tank.
We drove over lawns, islands, logs, through a military base, fields, etc.. Any turn we could was taken short, going over the grass and/or curb.
I dragged the bottom of the Jeep on a rock, which I found out the next morning had left a long scratch the length of the muffler. Hey, all damage is covered!
Day 5
I return the Jeep, unwashed, exactly as it looked in the pictures in Day 4. I left it at the Audi dealership, parked between an Audi S4 and a Porsche Cayenne. I haven’t heard from them, and they haven’t cancelled our corporate account. I guess everything worked out.
1st Gear
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 133
From:
RE: Audi rents me a Jeep
Bastard Bald Child? What the heck are you talking about? I've had three Jeeps and bought a maroon Liberty for my mother. Never been stuck in Canadian snow, nor has it ever had any problems. Great power and comfortable. Trail rated means that the Liberty, like all Jeeps produced today, have crossed the Rubicon Trail....
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,295
From: Austin, TX
RE: Audi rents me a Jeep
yeah dude jeeps are tough ****. i got a 95 grand cherokee that me and my dad swapped the dogde 2500 V10 into and that bitch hauls ***. and torgue up the vagina. i was able to pull a fourdoor F250 FX4 out of the mud with the jeep and sent the guy runnin home with his tail inbetween his legs. not to mention all the camaro ss and WS6
2nd Gear
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 1,096
From: Indianapolis, IN
RE: Audi rents me a Jeep
I had a Jeep Liberty while my A4 was in the body shop recently. Sadly, I didn't put it through the usual hell I out rentals through. Though I did find out that it red lines at about 30 in four wheel low. I thought it was a pretty good ride for a small SUV. You've got to post what was wrong with your car after all of that.
1st Gear
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 341
From:
RE: Audi rents me a Jeep
bullshit that they went over the rubicon trail, my truck was built and couldnt do the rubicon trail... unless your talking about some ***** *** trail they named after the rubicon trail then fine, but i know a liberty (which has independent front and rear suspensions) would not make it on the rubicon trail, ive heard horror stories of built jeeps and hummers having to be airlifted out of the rubicon.
maybe it took all the bypasses, but what the **** does that account for?
maybe it took all the bypasses, but what the **** does that account for?
1st Gear
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 341
From:
RE: Audi rents me a Jeep
may be near the same frame style, but ALL jeeps BUT the liberty are Solid front and rear axles....
the liberty has independent front and rear which is its major trail setback.
i highly doubt we are talking about the same rubicon trail, cuz i know for a fact my truck had more flex than a liberty...
this is with both swaybars on, aaaaand its not even as high as i went... i went about where the headlight is in this picture heightwise... slipped off the tree, pushed in my quarter (which popped out thankfully right when i got off the tree) then just drove back up cautiously for the picture...
the liberty has independent front and rear which is its major trail setback.
i highly doubt we are talking about the same rubicon trail, cuz i know for a fact my truck had more flex than a liberty...
this is with both swaybars on, aaaaand its not even as high as i went... i went about where the headlight is in this picture heightwise... slipped off the tree, pushed in my quarter (which popped out thankfully right when i got off the tree) then just drove back up cautiously for the picture...