Vorsprung durch Technik. It sounds great doesn't it? "Advancement through technology".
As an Audi owner, we are all familiar with the tagline, we are drawn to it and take comfort in it when we spend our hard earned money on the marque. We buy Audi because they are well designed, the build quality is high, they are beautiful cars and we feel reassured with our wives husbands and children safe inside them.
This is what I have always thought, until a few weeks ago.
I used to be a BMW owner, also an excellent car. Mechanically I have always found them to be solid reliable machines, I've never had any major issues with them. The bodywork left a bit to be desired for, every BMW I had developed a bit of rust and there was always some kind of interior rattle that you would never find. After owning four of them I felt it was time for a change.
I was attracted to Audi because their designers know how to create a lasting design that would age well, there were good reports about the bodywork and the build quality was second to none.
My first Audi was the humble A3 2 litre tiptronic. I brought it during my stay in New Zealand and was very happy with it. It was serviced by Giltrap Audi during the time I had it and the car never missed a beat. Despite living near the ocean the car never rusted. It was a smooth ride, no rattles and 100% reliable. This is what you should expect from an Audi with 14k on the clock.
I also brought an old Subaru Legacy 2 litre Estate automatic with over 140k kilometres on the clock, it was used as a runabout shopping wagon and beach car. We used it whenever we needed to clock a lot of miles or wanted to spare our Audi from sandy beaches or muddy shoes. The old Subaru was also an excellent car, it was used as a workhorse and survived a trip around New Zealand without incident. I still have this car today and use it every time I return to New Zealand, it now has over 300k on the clock. It is still working hard and has had no major mechanical work, just regular servicing. If it wanted to die now, it would be justified in doing so but it just keeps soldiering on.
Just before I left New Zealand, my trusty A3 developed an issue with the gearbox. A clunk could be heard while it changed down gears. It wasn't there the whole time but it was worrying when it happened. Thankfully the car was under warranty, after a few visits to the service centre the gearbox was eventually replaced.
When I returned to the UK, I brought the more powerful A3 3.2 litre V6 DSG. Again, a lovely powerful car that even the wife was happy to drive. The DSG was a massive improvement on the standard tiptronic and gear changes were millisecond quick. I had the car for five years and had it regularly serviced at S G Smith Audi in Wimbledon.
Toward the end of the five years and despite a full DSG service, the car developed problems with the DSG gearbox. Gear changes from 2 to 1 were not so smooth anymore and the car frequently stalled changing from 1[sup]st[/sup] to neutral. The car had done 70k miles but it was well looked after, surely this was a bit early for the DSG to develop problems. Fortunately, a person involved in the automotive trade offered to purchase the car from me with knowledge of the problem. It was time for an upgrade anyway.
The next purchase had to be more sensible, with a child on the way it was time to look for a larger car. The pushchair and the upcoming plethora of toys had to be stored somewhere. We decided on the Q5 so we brought the 2010 S-Tronic 2 litre diesel model. An S-Line with all of the toys. Another beautiful Audi, a smooth ride, no rattles and only 34k miles on the clock.
The car was taken to S G Smith, the logical choice since they had serviced my previous Audi and I was happy with their service. Initially the car needed a replacement shock absorber, a little strange given the low mileage but it was replaced under warranty so it wasn't an issue. My wife took the Q5 back to them on a few occasions due to some body work that needed doing but nothing major. During this time I assumed that at some stage they had serviced the car.
I have always been a believer in taking my cars to the main dealer for servicing, I like getting the service booked stamped with a full dealer history. Taking my cars to a grey market garage around the corner had always seem to be inconceivable to me.
So ensues a number of unfortunate events.
My wife goes to visit a friend who lives in Battersea, gets back into the car to drive home and finds that the car won't start. She does what anyone would do and searches Google for the closest Audi specialist.
Now, it would be reasonable to say that she does not know the difference between a 'specialist' and a dealer network so she drops the keys into the specialist thinking that this was the right thing to do. The specialist gives her a call with the good news, it is only the battery which she agrees to get replaced. A no brainer really. What I didn't find out until much later is that the specialist had offered her an interim service for £160, this seemed like a no brainer to her as well but she doesn't realise the implications of saying yes. The specialist stamps the book and of course resets the service computer so essentially I never see a requirement (ie; the service indication) to take the car into S G Smith for a service.
A few weeks ago the Q5 starts to exhibit an issue with the gearbox. When the car changes down from second to first gear the car jolts forward. It wasn't that bad at first and was intermittent, it came and went. Sometimes the car stalled. Eventually, the jolts became more serious and on two occasions my wife nearly hits a car in front. On both occasions the jolt was so hard that it upsets my 3 year old son who is sitting in his ultra-safe Britax Trifix. Naturally, when this started happening to my third Audi I was quite upset. What on earth is up with Audi's automatic gearboxes?
The car was then replaced by a rental as I did not want to risk an accident and I certainly did not want the safely of my wife and child compromised.
Research of the S-Tronic 2[sup]nd[/sup] to 1[sup]st[/sup] gear jolt reveals that this was a common issue. Not just on the Q5 but other models with the same type of gearbox. It doesn't seem to be related to age, wear, mileage or country of sale so it would be reasonable to say that this could be a design fault.
I called Audi Customer service since the car was now out of warranty and they directed me to take it to S G Smith for a diagnostic. It seemed like they knew about the fault but were not going to admit it however there was an early indication that Audi might be able to help which I was quite relieved at.
So my wife books the car in for the work.
After the diagnostic S G Smith then inform me that the gearbox oil is overdue for replacement which may cure the fault but they are also aware of a software update which is addresses the S-Tronic problem. The S-Tronic oil change is £175, fair enough I thought but why had S G Smith not told me about this previously? This was due before the interim service but perhaps they were not going to tell me until this had taken place. Then I am told that the software update is circa £800.
So I contact Audi Customer service with the findings and they say that S G Smith might undertake the software upgrade as a good will gesture but that decision is up to them and Audi UK will back them whatever they do. So the assumption here is that Audi would reimburse S G Smith for the work.
Obviously I go back to S G Smith and they agree that the good will gesture might be possible so the matter is escalated to the service manager at S G Smith. A few days later, they call me and say that since the car has never been serviced by them, they will not offer the software update as a good will gesture and that I would have to pay for the upgrade. Naturally, I am miffed. How could they have not serviced my Q5 over the years, any work my Audis have ever needed have always been directed to S G Smith.
Audi Customer service agree that during the time I have had the car, it has never been serviced by the dealer network. I check the car's service computer, it is nowhere near needing a service. What was going on here?
Eventually I got down to the bottom of what had happened, called S G Smith and explained to them what had happened. They seemed to be understanding and then escalated the situation to their service manager again. Audi Customer service continued to maintain that they will go by whatever decision is made by S G Smith.
A few days later, I am told that they will still not offer the good will gesture.
After eight years of loyalty to S G Smith and thousands of pounds spent, all it took to tear this relationship down was a £160 interim service undertaken outside of the dealer network. For the sake of a goodwill gesture that Audi UK would surely have paid for, it seems that they do not want my business any longer. I will now have to look for another Audi dealer for the next service work.
This has really knocked my confidence in the Audi brand. The S-Tronic problems, what should be the subject of a recall seems to be badly handled by Audi UK. Audi have helped some people and some people have paid some horrific bills to get these problems resolved. Surely if the problem is common, not related to age, wear, mileage or country of sale and potentially a safety issue then Audi should recall the affected cars.
If it were an issue relating to normal wear and tear, for instance a cam belt change then I have absolutely have no issue paying to get this done. But an underlying design issue is quite a different matter.
Audi/VW gearboxes have been recalled in other countries, so why is this not being addressed in the UK:
http://www.drive.com.au/motor-news/audi-follows-volkswagen-recall-20130612-2o3o5
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2507401/Volkswagen-recall-cars-worldwide-faulty-gearbox-light-fuses.html
Looking back at all of the gearbox problems I have had, I now realise that the problem is much bigger than I thought. I wonder why Audi UK are treating its customers differently?
Shortly I am going to start a petition on Change.Org and I will post a link here shortly. Those that are currently having issues with their Q5/SQ5 gearboxes or are worried that this may happen to them in the future will have a chance to petition Audi for a reasonable solution.
I am also going to look into any other consumer action I could take including some interest I have had back from Whatcar Magazine over the S-Tronic problems. If anyone wants to join me in some kind of action against Audi, please PM me.
As an Audi owner, we are all familiar with the tagline, we are drawn to it and take comfort in it when we spend our hard earned money on the marque. We buy Audi because they are well designed, the build quality is high, they are beautiful cars and we feel reassured with our wives husbands and children safe inside them.
This is what I have always thought, until a few weeks ago.
I used to be a BMW owner, also an excellent car. Mechanically I have always found them to be solid reliable machines, I've never had any major issues with them. The bodywork left a bit to be desired for, every BMW I had developed a bit of rust and there was always some kind of interior rattle that you would never find. After owning four of them I felt it was time for a change.
I was attracted to Audi because their designers know how to create a lasting design that would age well, there were good reports about the bodywork and the build quality was second to none.
My first Audi was the humble A3 2 litre tiptronic. I brought it during my stay in New Zealand and was very happy with it. It was serviced by Giltrap Audi during the time I had it and the car never missed a beat. Despite living near the ocean the car never rusted. It was a smooth ride, no rattles and 100% reliable. This is what you should expect from an Audi with 14k on the clock.
I also brought an old Subaru Legacy 2 litre Estate automatic with over 140k kilometres on the clock, it was used as a runabout shopping wagon and beach car. We used it whenever we needed to clock a lot of miles or wanted to spare our Audi from sandy beaches or muddy shoes. The old Subaru was also an excellent car, it was used as a workhorse and survived a trip around New Zealand without incident. I still have this car today and use it every time I return to New Zealand, it now has over 300k on the clock. It is still working hard and has had no major mechanical work, just regular servicing. If it wanted to die now, it would be justified in doing so but it just keeps soldiering on.
Just before I left New Zealand, my trusty A3 developed an issue with the gearbox. A clunk could be heard while it changed down gears. It wasn't there the whole time but it was worrying when it happened. Thankfully the car was under warranty, after a few visits to the service centre the gearbox was eventually replaced.
When I returned to the UK, I brought the more powerful A3 3.2 litre V6 DSG. Again, a lovely powerful car that even the wife was happy to drive. The DSG was a massive improvement on the standard tiptronic and gear changes were millisecond quick. I had the car for five years and had it regularly serviced at S G Smith Audi in Wimbledon.
Toward the end of the five years and despite a full DSG service, the car developed problems with the DSG gearbox. Gear changes from 2 to 1 were not so smooth anymore and the car frequently stalled changing from 1[sup]st[/sup] to neutral. The car had done 70k miles but it was well looked after, surely this was a bit early for the DSG to develop problems. Fortunately, a person involved in the automotive trade offered to purchase the car from me with knowledge of the problem. It was time for an upgrade anyway.
The next purchase had to be more sensible, with a child on the way it was time to look for a larger car. The pushchair and the upcoming plethora of toys had to be stored somewhere. We decided on the Q5 so we brought the 2010 S-Tronic 2 litre diesel model. An S-Line with all of the toys. Another beautiful Audi, a smooth ride, no rattles and only 34k miles on the clock.
The car was taken to S G Smith, the logical choice since they had serviced my previous Audi and I was happy with their service. Initially the car needed a replacement shock absorber, a little strange given the low mileage but it was replaced under warranty so it wasn't an issue. My wife took the Q5 back to them on a few occasions due to some body work that needed doing but nothing major. During this time I assumed that at some stage they had serviced the car.
I have always been a believer in taking my cars to the main dealer for servicing, I like getting the service booked stamped with a full dealer history. Taking my cars to a grey market garage around the corner had always seem to be inconceivable to me.
So ensues a number of unfortunate events.
My wife goes to visit a friend who lives in Battersea, gets back into the car to drive home and finds that the car won't start. She does what anyone would do and searches Google for the closest Audi specialist.
Now, it would be reasonable to say that she does not know the difference between a 'specialist' and a dealer network so she drops the keys into the specialist thinking that this was the right thing to do. The specialist gives her a call with the good news, it is only the battery which she agrees to get replaced. A no brainer really. What I didn't find out until much later is that the specialist had offered her an interim service for £160, this seemed like a no brainer to her as well but she doesn't realise the implications of saying yes. The specialist stamps the book and of course resets the service computer so essentially I never see a requirement (ie; the service indication) to take the car into S G Smith for a service.
A few weeks ago the Q5 starts to exhibit an issue with the gearbox. When the car changes down from second to first gear the car jolts forward. It wasn't that bad at first and was intermittent, it came and went. Sometimes the car stalled. Eventually, the jolts became more serious and on two occasions my wife nearly hits a car in front. On both occasions the jolt was so hard that it upsets my 3 year old son who is sitting in his ultra-safe Britax Trifix. Naturally, when this started happening to my third Audi I was quite upset. What on earth is up with Audi's automatic gearboxes?
The car was then replaced by a rental as I did not want to risk an accident and I certainly did not want the safely of my wife and child compromised.
Research of the S-Tronic 2[sup]nd[/sup] to 1[sup]st[/sup] gear jolt reveals that this was a common issue. Not just on the Q5 but other models with the same type of gearbox. It doesn't seem to be related to age, wear, mileage or country of sale so it would be reasonable to say that this could be a design fault.
I called Audi Customer service since the car was now out of warranty and they directed me to take it to S G Smith for a diagnostic. It seemed like they knew about the fault but were not going to admit it however there was an early indication that Audi might be able to help which I was quite relieved at.
So my wife books the car in for the work.
After the diagnostic S G Smith then inform me that the gearbox oil is overdue for replacement which may cure the fault but they are also aware of a software update which is addresses the S-Tronic problem. The S-Tronic oil change is £175, fair enough I thought but why had S G Smith not told me about this previously? This was due before the interim service but perhaps they were not going to tell me until this had taken place. Then I am told that the software update is circa £800.
So I contact Audi Customer service with the findings and they say that S G Smith might undertake the software upgrade as a good will gesture but that decision is up to them and Audi UK will back them whatever they do. So the assumption here is that Audi would reimburse S G Smith for the work.
Obviously I go back to S G Smith and they agree that the good will gesture might be possible so the matter is escalated to the service manager at S G Smith. A few days later, they call me and say that since the car has never been serviced by them, they will not offer the software update as a good will gesture and that I would have to pay for the upgrade. Naturally, I am miffed. How could they have not serviced my Q5 over the years, any work my Audis have ever needed have always been directed to S G Smith.
Audi Customer service agree that during the time I have had the car, it has never been serviced by the dealer network. I check the car's service computer, it is nowhere near needing a service. What was going on here?
Eventually I got down to the bottom of what had happened, called S G Smith and explained to them what had happened. They seemed to be understanding and then escalated the situation to their service manager again. Audi Customer service continued to maintain that they will go by whatever decision is made by S G Smith.
A few days later, I am told that they will still not offer the good will gesture.
After eight years of loyalty to S G Smith and thousands of pounds spent, all it took to tear this relationship down was a £160 interim service undertaken outside of the dealer network. For the sake of a goodwill gesture that Audi UK would surely have paid for, it seems that they do not want my business any longer. I will now have to look for another Audi dealer for the next service work.
This has really knocked my confidence in the Audi brand. The S-Tronic problems, what should be the subject of a recall seems to be badly handled by Audi UK. Audi have helped some people and some people have paid some horrific bills to get these problems resolved. Surely if the problem is common, not related to age, wear, mileage or country of sale and potentially a safety issue then Audi should recall the affected cars.
If it were an issue relating to normal wear and tear, for instance a cam belt change then I have absolutely have no issue paying to get this done. But an underlying design issue is quite a different matter.
Audi/VW gearboxes have been recalled in other countries, so why is this not being addressed in the UK:
http://www.drive.com.au/motor-news/audi-follows-volkswagen-recall-20130612-2o3o5
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2507401/Volkswagen-recall-cars-worldwide-faulty-gearbox-light-fuses.html
Looking back at all of the gearbox problems I have had, I now realise that the problem is much bigger than I thought. I wonder why Audi UK are treating its customers differently?
Shortly I am going to start a petition on Change.Org and I will post a link here shortly. Those that are currently having issues with their Q5/SQ5 gearboxes or are worried that this may happen to them in the future will have a chance to petition Audi for a reasonable solution.
I am also going to look into any other consumer action I could take including some interest I have had back from Whatcar Magazine over the S-Tronic problems. If anyone wants to join me in some kind of action against Audi, please PM me.
