ON June 1, 2011, Sydney hire-car driver EB took delivery of what he thought was a new Audi Q7 from Wollongong’s Southern Classic Cars.
The paperwork, of which we have copies, shows the car was sold as a new car. During the past three years, Mr B has had a recurring rear seal problem, not uncommon with Q7s. The seal issue had been repaired under warranty until April this year when, he was told by Audi, that the SUV’s three-year warranty had run out. When Mr B protested, he was told the car had been registered on May 29, 2011.
The Audi dealership, which was working on the repairs, told Mr B he would have to pay.
After several emails, Audi’s general manager corporate communications, Anna Burgdorf, confirmed the Q7 “was registered in the dealership’s name approx. 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 B. Audi Australia was not aware of this situation, and nor do we condone the practice of selling a pre-registered vehicle to a customer without clearly outlining the warranty conditions at the time of sale. Any registered vehicle such as this should be sold as a ‘new vehicle demonstrator’.”
Click here to read on: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/executive-living/motoring/dont-get-run-over-by-the-warranty/story-fngmee2f-1226977598277
