Here we go again. You may remember the story of Elvis Boustani and his Audi Q7.
On June 1, 2011, Elvis took delivery of what he thought was a new Audi from Wollongong’s Southern Classic Cars. The paperwork, of which we have copies, shows the car was sold as a new car. Since early 2012, the engine has leaked more oil than three old Jaguars do in a day.
One cause was the rear seal (not uncommon with Q7s). The seal had been repaired under warranty until April last year when he was told by the dealer Audi Parramatta that the SUV’s three-year warranty had run out. When Elvis protested, he was told the car had been registered on May 29, 2011. The dealer told him, presumably on instructions from head office, that he couldn’t have the Audi back until he paid up. The car was off the road for six weeks.
After we sent a number of emails to Audi’s general manager corporate communications, Anna Burgdorf, she eventually confirmed the Q7 “was registered in the dealership’s name approximately one month before Mr B purchased it, and was therefore technically a demonstration vehicle — although it was never driven. It appears the selling dealer failed to properly communicate the warranty start and end date at the time of sale to Mr Boustani.” Oh.
Since 2012 the Audi has been back and forth to the dealer for oil leaks. Since January this year the car has been under the tender loving care of the Audi mechanics a total of five times. Three visits have been recorded as rear main seal problems. That makes a total of 13 weeks the Q7 has been in hospital which, given Elvis’s car is his office, has made a serious dent in his income.Audi Q7
Naturally we have been back in contact with Burgdorf who says that “the vehicle is four years old, with high mileage for a car of its age and it has undergone several warranty repairs, all conducted and rectified as quickly as possible, however these have been unrelated to the rear seal that you mention”.
That’s strange because the paperwork from the dealer shows that at least on three occasions they worked on rear main seal issues. And the issues date back to 2012, when it didn’t have high mileage.
When asked if there was a systemic problem with oil leaks, Burgdorf wrote (in part): ”there is no service campaign or recall outstanding on this vehicle”.
Hmm. Perhaps not for the 2011 model but in September 2014 the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued a recall for select 2013 models of the Audi Q7 because of an oil leak, which could cause an accident.
Anyway it’s good to know that “Audi Australia Pty Ltd does stand by the quality of our vehicles, and while unfortunately faults do occur in vehicles at times, we are committed to supporting our customers, like Mr Boustani, to rectify any concerns and get people back on the road as quickly as we are able”.
If you have a problem with your Audi Q7 or its sister the Volkswagen Touareg send me an email.
Talking of dealers, the Takata airbag recall is an upselling bonanza for the service departments of most car brands. When you take your car in for a fix, be ready for the nitpicking unauthorised inspection. It will come as no surprise that the service salespeople will find thousands of dollars of badly needed repairs that you don’t really need.
Read the rest at the Australian Motoring
