Hi all

I have to tell you. I have always dream of owning an Audi since high school. So the dream finally come true this year with my brand new 2009 A4 premium. My wife and I loved the new Audi initially. Then the nightmare begins. I had to take the car in 5 times in the 6 months that i owned it. Bought the car at end of March and this is Oct.

1st time – the oil indicator shows ¼ left in less than 3000km. take it in the dealer ship and they said it was normal, just top up the oil. okay maybe the engine is breaking.

2nd time – steering problem, within a week of the last visit and even the mechanic said this car is practically new and so they order a new steering column.

In between I sent a complaint e-mail to Audi Canada and they said get the car tested maybe it is an oil leak. not a word about the techincal advsiory on the steering.

3th time – finally the parts arrived and i had to go in for the steering column replacement. I had to argued with the dealership rep to get the engine tested. They wrote "customer insisted on oil pressure test because Audi Canada said to" otherwise they would have ignored me. They keep saying the engine is design to burn 1 litre of oil every 2000 km under normal driving. Guess what - they found a oil leak after the test. They also had to re-assmeble the center storage compartment becasue the there is a 1/4 an inch gap between the housing and the actual storage compartment. So they have to "order" a oil separate gasket. and the dealership said Audi Canada has a technical advisory out for the steering issue and they are working on it and told dealership not to do anything about it.

4th time – Almost a month later the part finally arrive. Gone in for my first service at around 7000 km at the same time. Replaced the oil gasket. You would think i finally maybe at the end of the journey.

And in the mean time after repeated calls with the customer advocate at Audi Canada. They keep asking what do I want. I said it is simple, I paid for a premium car with a premium price tag that I should get at least some satisfaction out of this ownership experinece. I am a reasonable person, it would be nice to have an ETA on the problem resolution. If there is no solution in sight or in the near future, what is Audi Canada going to do? the fact this is not cheap car and audi is selling an experienec which is totally not measuring up. Nope all they said was that it is now escalated to the highest level in Canada and their engineer is working on it. Because it is not a safety issue. I just have to wait. You would think tha they care about retaining a customer. Think of how much many time i will keep coming back to lease a new Audi (every 3 years). That little fact is lost to them. The fact that they could design a car and not able to fix a car in over a year is quite shocking (the 09's were release in 0. The fact the the dealership can give me a service loaner exactly identically to my car that does not show the same magitiude of a shaking steering wheel inidcates that there maybe another problme at play here. Nobody cares, at the dealership and at Audi Canada. Finally Audi Canada admitted because they redesign the 2009 A4, they are actuallly a known issues for all A4 with the tiptronic transmission, but they don;t know how to fix it. While they can't fix the car they insist that it is not a safety issue. what a joke. It reminds me of the Ford Pinto, until enough Pinto exploded with the faulty gas tank seal, Ford did nothing becasue it was cheaper to paid the liability claims.

5th time – Oct 5th because indicator show no oil. I say oh my God, i got to bring it in. they (dealership) need to see this. My oil change was just above 7000 km. it is now 11294 km. jut under 5000 km and i have no oil. Took the morning off from work and bring the car in. the dealership said oh it is normal. in fact the top up only uses less than 1 litre. So i ask was the indicator off,then, the answer was that my oil level is low, but the indicator is very sensitive. But unless i am out to lunch, the oil resorivor on the A4 is 5 litres. Low means i needed more than a litre of oil. What gives? I ask should i have the indicator check, the answer again was that the equipment is sensitve. No intention of wanting to find out what the car is using so much oil. So if i in fact have ran out of oil, it would have voided my warranty and I am sure they would not be using this excuse at Audi Canada and the dealership. To add insult to injury, the rep proceeed to answer incoming calls.

I still love my Audi, but i need to tell my story. Neither the dealership nor Audi understand the value of a life time customer nor care for my business. I laugh so hard the other day when they send me an e-mail saying they wanted to be number one luxury car in Canada. No amount of adversting is stronger then word of mouth of a real experience. Everyone at work is following my Audi saga. Yet it is totally beyond they will allow an inferior vehicle to stay on the road. they will allow a new customer remain un-happy. And everytime people comment on how nice my Audi is and that they love to have one. I just have to let them start the car, turn the sterring wheel, let them feel the vibration on the steering wheel and recite my on going saga above. I have yet to see a single person said they still want an Audi after that. Even my 10 year old son ask Dad Audi is not a reliable car eh? I just said what do you think.

My story will continue i just hope it will end soon. - my son just call Dad there is a piece of the door fell off inside the Audi. stay tuned i will be back.

 

Oh dear. Sorry to hear about all of your problems. It's unfortunate that you have had to go through so much with your car and it hasn't even been a year! Don't get too discouraged though...many of us on here have older Audi's which we just love and wouldn't ever go back to another brand. However it is a shame that you haven't been able to get to the point where you're satisfied, at the least. Hang in there, and best of luck.

 

Dude.....that's terrible. Have you considered legal action?? I am serious. Even the hint of legal action or a letter from a lawyer indicating that you want something done...or even the car replaced might scare them into taking this seriously or even getting you a new A4.

You should seriously consider it. It will probably cost you a little bit but even a letter from your lawyer may just be the nudge they need

Just a thought.

NJV

 

It is a terrible situation!!!

Please provide/disclose the name of the dealership.
I, personally, had issues with Owasco (Whitby, Ontario) and AUDI Canada and AUDI America did nothing to help. There are posts here about that.
I still own my AUDI and I am very happy with it, but that car has not seen another dealership since OWASCO; my next car will be an AUDI but never a new one!

In my opinion you would be better off invoking the "Lemon" law and have the car replaced; as someone else suggested it, you might need a lawyer's help.

I am with you...

 

I've had my A4 Avant since April and the "low engine oil" warning just came on this weekend. I have just under 7000km on the car. Just curious, is this is common issue with the B8 A4?